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Red Wings Roster Crunch: Analyzing the Forwards

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What will the Detroit Red Wings do as the exhibition season only has one week left? General manager Ken Holland had a lot of people scratching their heads when it came to his offseason signings, no one more than Steve Ott, who adds an element of grit, but already irritated the Red Wings faithful with his hit on teammate Tomas Nosek during a scrimmage. Holland made it a priority to get “tougher” and while that’s certainly a sure bet with Ott in Detroit, head coach Jeff Blashill wants to feature speed in his lineup, which favors the younger players.

Mar 22, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings center <a rel=

So what to expect if you’re a Red Wings fan? Seasons past certainly favors the veterans, but with Anthony Mantha having a solid preseason and Andreas Athanasiou picking up where he left off, it would certainly behoove the Wings to watch those two younger players closer than just sending them back to Grand Rapids because they’re safe getting through waivers. Three seasons ago, the Wings did just that with Gustav Nyquist, who when finally given the chance, went on a torrential scoring binge that helped the Wings into the playoffs.

Sure Bets 

Henrik Zetterberg, Dylan Larkin, Justin Abdelkader, Tomas Tatar, Frans Nielsen, Gustav Nyquist, Thomas Vanek, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening, Steve Ott. 

These guys are all in, though Zetterberg is still iffy based on his knee. Should he not play, it would open up a spot for one of the younger kids to get a chance to stick longer with the big club. Nielsen is looking like a great pickup after he had a terrific World Cup of Hockey performance, along with teammate Tomas Tatar. Larkin has looked strong on his skates and made immediate contributions upon his return from the World Cup. He will also move to center, relinquishing Zetterberg from a heavier workload. Abdelkader, Helm, and Glendening will be counted on to grit out scoring chances and chip in with goals. Detroit is hoping Vanek will have a bounce back year with at least 20 goals. Sheahan, who has also been strong in the preseason, is also being looked upon to add more in scoring.

This is where it gets interesting. Miller and Ott’s contracts can be buried in the AHL because of the minimal amount they’re making: Ott at $800K and Miller at $1.025MM. Ott will most assuredly be on the opening night roster, but isn’t guaranteed to stay there. Ott will make the roster only because the team is in love with the grit narrative that doomed Team USA in the World Cup.

Though it bothers Red Wings fans that the loyalty is shown to players like Miller, who despite supposed penalty killing prowess, adds very little in terms of productivity on the ice at full strength. Going off of previous trends, it’s a safe bet that Miller will most likely end up on the Detroit roster, which if it sends Athanasiou and Mantha to Grand Rapids, will cause the fanbase to howl with disgust.

Finally, should Nyquist get the ice time he deserves, he should have no problem reaching the 20 goal plateau and in theory, should get close to his first 30 goal campaign.

Bubble players: 

Martin Frk, Tomas Nosek, Tyler Bertuzzi Anthony Mantha, and Andreas Athanasiou.

With Mantha and Athanasiou making strong cases, it should give Holland pause as to going with his “over ripen” strategy and sending younger players to the minors.  Mantha beefed up in the offseason and has been a force on the ice, netting goals in consecutive games. Athanasiou has been his usual disruptive self, using his speed to force turnovers and make plays on the offensive side of the ice. But basing it off previous Detroit decision making, no matter what the younger players do, unless they prove them indispensible as Larkin did last preseason, they will end up in the AHL because of the “Red Wings way” of favoring veterans.

Frk is an interesting case. After struggling and going back to the ECHL to retool his game, he has been steady and making his case during the preseason. The problem is Frk is not waiver exempt and would likely be claimed should he be exposed.

Bertuzzi is scrappy and has a knack to find the net, but needs just a little more seasoning before making the final roster–not to mention that Mantha and Athanasiou will block his path.

Nosek will start the season in the AHL with chances to make appearances in Detroit should there be injuries.

Injured: Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Jurco.

Jurco is not expected back until November while Pulkkinen is projected to play later this week.

Long Term Injured Reserve: Johan Franzen and Joe Vitale.

2016-17 Season Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

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With the NHL preseason underway, PHR continues to look at every team prior to the regular season. Today, we look at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last season: 46-31-5 (97 points), Finished 2nd in NHL Atlantic Division. Defeated Detroit 4-1 in the first round; Defeated New York Islanders 4-1 in the second round; Lost to Pittsburgh 4-3 in Eastern Conference Finals.

Cap Space Remaining: $5.55MM via CapFriendly.

Key Newcomers: None

Key Departures: None

Player to Watch: Ben Bishop. There are so many players to keep an eye on (namely Nikita Kucherov), but Bishop is intriguing because of what general manager Steve Yzerman will do as the netminder enters the final year of his contract. With Andrei Vasilevskiy waiting patiently behind him, Bishop has become a valuable commodity. Does Yzerman hold onto him for insurance purposes and unbelievable goaltending depth? Will he peddle him at the trade deadline or even before that, trying to pick up additional depth for a deep Stanley Cup run? While many wonder what he’ll do, Yzerman has proven to be the master negotiator and a front office executive who will do whatever it takes to strengthen the team. With Bishop coming off of a stellar season, it will be interesting to see if Bishop can replicate the performance, and if so, whether it will be with the Bolts or another team starved for a great goaltender.

Key Storylines: Is this the season Tampa Bay puts it all together and wins the Cup? Tampa is one of the deepest, if not the deepest team in the NHL, and a major contributor to that is Yzerman. As problem after problem faced the team, Yzerman barely broke a sweat navigating every issue. Jonathan Drouin demands a trade? No problem. Yzerman remained firm, let the situation blow over, and when trouble brewed in the way of injuries, Drouin was brought back to the big club and amazingly, peace was restored. Drouin also went on to be a major factor in the Bolts’ return to the conference final.

Steve Stamkos had a number of suitors lining up for what could have been the biggest free agency bonanza since Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and Yzerman locked him up before free agency could even begin. He then re-upped with Alex Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov, J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette, Victor Hedman, and Vasilevskiy. While they didn’t add or subtract any major players, Yzerman locked up significant pieces with the exception of Kucherov, who is holding out for a new contract. If there’s anything to be said, it’s that Yzerman will find a way to solve the problem, be it through a trade (think the Martin St. Louis deal that Yzerman won) or a new contract–though the latter will be more difficult to maneuver. If Yzerman does trade Bishop down the road, expect him to find a defenseman to help shore up the blueline.

Should the Lightning stay healthy, there are few teams that could rival them in the regular season or playoffs. This could be the season that Yzerman, Jon Cooper and company bring a second Stanley Cup back to Tampa.

Tampa Bay Depth Chart

Snapshots: Vegas, Hjalmarsson, Pearson, Elias

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The expansion Las Vegas may not yet have a team name but they now have a team president as the team announced the hiring of Kerry Bubolz to that position today.  He departs the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers where he most recently served as their president of business operations.

Bubolz has a bit of a hockey background having served as president and alternate governor for the AHL’s Cleveland (formerly Lake Erie) Monsters while also spending some time in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

While the team name hasn’t been announced, everything else appears to be falling into place for Las Vegas.  They have an experienced GM running the show in George McPhee while also bringing in scouting directors.  Recently, reports surfaced that the team may be permitted to make trades in advance of next June’s expansion draft which would be a first for an expansion team in league history.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Chicago defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and one regular season game, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced. As a result, Hjalmarsson will miss the season opener against St. Louis on October 12th and will forfeit a little more than $22K in salary.
  • The Department of Player Safety also announced (via Twitter) that Los Angeles left winger Tanner Pearson will have a telephone hearing for his illegal check to the head on Edmonton defenseman Brandon Davidson on Sunday night. The hit occurred in the second period and Pearson was ejected for the hit.
  • Unrestricted free agent left winger Patrik Elias is taking a “month-by-month approach” when it comes to his hopeful return to the Devils this season, he told Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Although he isn’t under contract, he is still participating in team meetings and has a stall in the dressing room in anticipation of a return.  Elias is their all-time leading scorer with 1,025 points in 1,240 games and has only played for New Jersey in his 20 year NHL career.

Injury Notes: Duchene, Andersen, Johansson, Wilson

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Colorado forward Matt Duchene played through a separated shoulder for Team Canada at the recently completed World Cup of Hockey, writes Terry Frei of the Denver Post.  The injury was sustained on September 13th, four days before the opening round of the tournament.

Duchene noted to reporters that it was a Grade One separation which equates to a small displacement of the joint.  He practiced with the Avalanche for the first time today since returning from the tournament and while it doesn’t sound like he is fully healed, he isn’t likely to miss any time from it either:

“It’s better. It’s a little stiff in the mornings, but once I get warmed up, I don’t feel it.  Obviously, the first time you go out, you’re a little tentative on it, but after that, it’s just fine. I feel good.”

After a discussion with new head coach Jared Bednar, Duchene expects to start the season on the right wing but wouldn’t be surprised if he still spends time at center, his natural position.

[Related: Avalanche Depth Chart]

Other injury news from around the league:

  • After suffering an upper body injury while representing Denmark at the Olympic Qualifying tournament last month, Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen will make his preseason debut with the team on Tuesday night, reports the Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan. Head coach Mike Babcock wouldn’t confirm how much action he’ll see but noted that Andersen will play at least one period.  The Leafs acquired the 27 year old netminder from Anaheim back in June for first and second round draft picks and immediately signed him to a five year, $25MM contract.  Assuming there are no setbacks tomorrow, he should be on pace to start the season next week.
  • Capitals winger Marcus Johansson skated on his own before practice today but is expected to miss a few days, notes Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. He suffered a lower body injury in Sunday’s preseason contest against the Islanders.  In the same report, right winger Tom Wilson participated with limited contact at practice as he continues to recover from an upper body injury suffered last week.

Mike Santorelli Retires

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Barely two months after leaving the NHL and signing a two year deal with Geneve-Servette in the Swiss league, center Mike Santorelli has announced his retirement, the NLA team announced (link in French).  The decision came as a result of injuries as Santorelli was expected to be out long-term.  The 30 year old suited in six games for the team before hanging up the skates, picking up a goal and three assists.

Santorelli played in 406 games over an eight year NHL career with Nashville, Florida, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, and Anaheim, scoring 64 goals and 74 assists.  His best year came in 2010-11 where he had his lone 20 goal season, tallying 20 goals and 21 assists while playing in all 82 games.

As a result of his retirement, Geneve-Servette now has an import spot open and appear to once again have their eyes on Rangers forward Nathan Gerbe.  Back in June, it was reported that he was close to signing with the team; one Swiss paper reports (via Swiss Hockey News) that a deal was actually signed but was dissolved at the time he signed with the Rangers.  If that is true, Gerbe could be loaned to them if he is cut by New York and clears waivers.  The 5’6 forward had just seven points in 47 games with Carolina last year but had 28 and 31 point campaigns in the last two seasons with the Hurricanes.

The same report suggests Rangers forward Josh Jooris may also be targeted by Geneve-Servette if he were to be cut by New York; his father played for the team back in 1998-99.  Jooris suffered a groin injury in his first preseason game and has yet to suit up since which certainly won’t help his chances of cracking their opening night roster.

No End To The Kris Russell Saga?

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Sportsnet’s Mark Spector posited today that the long-awaited signing of defenseman Kris Russell simply may not come. As Spector eloquently put it, he and his agent have simply “blown it”. After being such a hot commodity on the NHL trade market last year, it seems as though Russell and his representation misread the subsequent free agent market, believing he would be highly sought-after, and priced themselves out of a reasonable deal and a new home. Russell’s play style has been the subject of many debates, and it seems to be a forgone conclusion now that his skill set is being  devalued, just not to the player himself. Now, the opportunities are drying up and Russell is facing the possibility that his NHL days may be over.

Many people first identified Russell’s lengthy off-season hiatus as being “this year’s Cody Franson“. Last summer, Franson was reportedly unhappy with his original offers in July and was seemingly negotiating with several teams for months, before finally signing for less than expected with the Buffalo Sabres right before training camp. However, even that scenario has passed Russell by. Training camp is nearly over, most spots are filled, and multi-year, multi-million dollar deals are simply not available. As Calgary Flames beat writer Ryan Pike suggests, Russell has actually turned into this year’s Curtis Glencross. A former teammate of Russell’s in Calgary, like Russell, Glencross was in high demand at the NHL Trade Deadline in 2014. Like Russell, a team (the Washington Capitals) overpaid for his services at the end of the year. Like Russell, Glencross then priced himself out of where teams were comfortable paying him. He ended up waiting until September, bounced around a couple of training camps to no avail, and then simply retired due to lack of interest at just 33-years-old. Unless Russell gets lucky, he could be on the same path.

Now, Russell’s situation has definitely been effected by the strange situation occurring across the league with restricted free agents. No one could have guessed that, this late in the summer, players like Jacob Trouba and Hampus Lindholm would still be unsigned or that others like Cam Fowler or Braydon Coburn could have their names out on the rumor mill. There are definitely still teams that are waiting for the dominos to fall with several big-name RFA signings before they look to make moves on their blue line, but most have already built in safeguards with PTO’s, two-way investments, and young players. There is simply no guarantee that a team forced to trade a defenseman or a team that missed out on acquiring one of the big names will come calling for Russell. Russell may have an “old-fashioned” game, one that analytics pundits have shunned, but he is still a reliable hockey player. Spector believes that, at some point over the course of the season, Russell will likely find an NHL team to sign on with. However, the “inevitable” signing of Kris Russell is no more. He may be back, but he very well may not. That’s just the reality of today’s NHL.

Swift Current Defensemen Ink Entry-Level Deals

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Ottawa’s Maxime Lajoie and New Jersey’s Colby Sissons,  both blue liners for the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, have been rewarded for their strong efforts in training camp with their first NHL contracts. While neither defenseman is expected to contribute at the highest level any time soon, their new deals are a show of good faith and commitment by the teams.

The Senators announced that Lajoie had signed this afternoon, after he has caught the eye of many in Sens camp recently. A fifth round pick in June, Lajoie fell under the radar, despite leading the defensive corps of the the Broncos last season. Expect the 18-year-old to spend at least one more year in juniors, but his strong efforts thus far have him winning over those in the Ottawa brass.

Sissions contract comes as a surprise to many, as it’s noted that he went undrafted in this past spring’s NHL Draft. A strong skater who has wowed many already in the Devils organization who had little to no expectations, Sissions has quickly gone from no-name invite to potentially part of New Jersey’s future plans. Already back in Swift Current, and continuing to play well, watch for Sissons to challenge Lajoie this season, as both young defenseman try to get better in anticipation of fulfilling their newly-signed contracts.

Artemi Panarin Update

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While many teams are still trying to sort out their restricted free agent problems from this off-season, at least one team is already worrying about next summer. As was reported a few weeks back, talks have already begun between the Chicago Blackhawks and 2015-16 Calder Trophy-winner Artemi Panarin. The young Russian winger is entering the second of year of his rookie contract, which carried just an $812.5K cap hit ($3.5MM with bonuses). After scoring 77 points in his first season, the 24-year-old is understandably looking for a big raise in his next contract, with early reports suggesting that Panarin could seek a long-term deal of six to eight years at $6MM to $7MM per season.

Although the Blackhawks currently have over $3MM in cap space, there is no question that they are the least cap flexible team in the NHL. With $58MM committed to just 11 players in 2017-18, including nearly $34MM reserved for just Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford and another $5.5MM spent on a bargain deal for Duncan Keith, there is very little wiggle room for them to accommodate a contract like the one Panarin is asking for. Brian Hedger of The Athletic in Chicago opines that, no matter what, the Blackhawks must find a way to keep Panarin and avoid another “Brandon Saad situation”. Unable to come to terms on an affordable deal with the young phenom Saad last summer, Chicago was forced to trade him away. Hedger sees the makings of the same scenario with Panarin, and warns that another alternative must be found.

After losing Saad, as well as Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya, and more recently Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen (as part of a package to rid the team of Bryan Bickell’s contract), all due to cap concerns, Hedger wonders when GM Stan Bowman will finally draw the line. While the Hawks remain in position to be perennial Stanley Cup contenders now, anyone can tell you that a continuation of selling off complimentary pieces and top young players to sustain outrageously large contracts will eventually lead Chicago back into the cellar of the NHL. Losing Panarin, perhaps Kane’s best line mate of his career, as part of this pattern could be the last step off the cliff for the Blackhawks. Instead, the team needs to make a bold decision and remove one of their high-priced veterans in the near future. This will be a big story line to follow during the upcoming season.

Snapshots: RFA Updates, Oilers Injuries, Boyle

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Good news, Calgary Flames fans: Johnny Gaudreau isn’t interested in a trade to solve his contract impasse.

The star forward’s agent, Lewis Gross told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that they are not interested in taking the Jacob Trouba route. When asked if there’s a point where that could change, Gross reiterated that Gaudreau has “no intention of asking for a trade at this time.”

Friedman appeared on Sportsnet 960 in Calgary on Monday morning, and said while “at this time” may feel like a red flag, he “really felt” that Gaudreau has no desire to leave Calgary.

It’s not clear what both sides are looking for on a long-term deal, with the Flames likely wanting the contract to start with a six and Gaudreau wanting it to start with a seven or eight. However, Friedman believes “both sides move and this gets done.”

Friedman pointed to another high-profile RFA winger, Nikita Kucherov, as having no interest in being traded from Tampa Bay. However, the Lightning will likely have to make a trade to accommodate Kucherov’s demands.

Meanwhile, Friedman believes Arizona Coyotes winger Tobias Rieder is close to publicly requesting a trade, like Trouba did late last month. We reported last week that Rieder’s agent thinks a trade would be best for both sides.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • The Oilers thin blue-line may be a little thinner for the near future, with Brandon Davidson being classified as day-to-day after being hit in the head by Los Angeles Kings’ winger Tanner Pearson. Pearson received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for targeting Davidson’s head. The NHL will likely be taking a look at this one.
  • Edmonton will also be without the services of winger Iiro Pakarinen for at least a month after an ugly leg injury in Sunday night’s game. Pakarinen was battling in the corner with Kings defenseman Matt Greene when it appeared his skate caught a rut in the ice as he fell. The Finnish winger was expected to be a fourth line or extra forward in the NHL. He played 63 games with the Oilers last season, scoring 5 goals and 13 points.
  • With the news of Barret Jackman’s retirement coming on Monday, TSN’s Darren Dreger expects another veteran defenseman in Dan Boyle to announce his retirement sometime this week with the help of the San Jose Sharks.

Training Camp Cuts: 10.03.16

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With just over a week towards the start of the NHL regular season, teams are continuing to pare down their rosters.

Here are Monday’s cuts:

Anaheim Ducks (via team release):
LW David Booth (released from PTO)
RW David Jones (released from PTO)
LW Max Jones (to London, OHL)
LW Antoine Laganiere (released from PTO, will report to San Diego, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via NHL.com):
D Ryan Culkin (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Matt Frattin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Stockton, AHL)
D Mikhail Grigorev (released from PTO)
C Mark Jankowski (to Stockton, AHL)
LW Morgan Klimchuk (to Stockton, AHL)
D Oliver Kylington (to Stockton, AHL)
RW Emile Poirier (to Stockton, AHL)
D Colby Robak (released from PTO)

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