Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Archives for April 2017
Latest On Bo Horvat’s Contract Situation
With the Vancouver Canucks losing Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL today, GM Jim Benning met with media to discuss several topics. One of those was the upcoming negotiations with Bo Horvat on a new deal that would keep him in Vancouver long-term. Benning said that they’ve been in contact with Horvat’s camp and will meet “in the next little while” to start hammering out what his next contract will look like. He didn’t seem at all worried about it getting done, and said that there would be no deadline placed on it and could even take “all summer”.
Horvat’s next deal has long been a focus of the front office, and after another step forward in his development this year he looks in prime position to be awarded a long-term deal. With 20 goals and 52 points, the 22-year old center has shown that he is the future in Vancouver and the key piece for Benning and the rest of the front office to build around. In January, Ben Kuzma of the Province suggested that Vincent Trocheck’s six-year, $28.5MM extension would be a nice comparable, but with Horvat finding even more consistency through his first three years he may eclipse that.
The Vancouver Center doesn’t have quite the lofty statistics that Sean Monahan had when he inked his seven-year, $44.63MM deal last summer, and may find himself land somewhere in between. Depending on how many years of free agency he gives up, his deal could break $5MM per season, making him the fourth highest paid player on the Canucks, behind only the Sedins and Loui Eriksson. For a player that must reach his potential if the Canucks are to make their rebuild successful, Horvat’s contract negotiations will be the most interesting story of the summer for Vancouver fans—that is, other than the entry draft and the chance to pair Horvat with one of Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier down the middle for the next decade.
Snapshots: Sabres, Montgomery, Gillies, Henderson
When the Buffalo Sabres fired both head coach Dan Bylsma and GM Tim Murray this morning, they effectively cleaned house and set themselves up to start all over again from the top down. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet now reports that it wasn’t just those two that were shown the door, but also Director of Pro Scouting Rob Murphy and Director of Amateur Scouting Greg Royce. It’s very surprising that these two would be let go so close to both the entry and expansion drafts, as whoever comes in will have to rely entirely on the scouts themselves to work through the process.
Perhaps Buffalo has a plan in place already, as both Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News and Chuck Gormley each have heard the name Norm MacIver in consideration for the position. Don’t count the Blackhawks’ assistant GM as hired yet, but he has long been thought of as a future GM in the league and would be a solid hire for the Sabres. For now, Sabres’ owner Terry Pegula will address the media tomorrow to explain all of the decisions, and likely give some insight as to where the team goes from here.
- Jim Montgomery will interview for the vacant Florida Panthers position according to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The college coach who led the University of Denver to victory over UMD in the NCAA Championship game, will meet with the Panthers in the next 7-10 days to see if there is a fit. Chambers says that Montgomery leaving could prompt several players to leave the school early and turn pro, as they committed to working with him and not whoever would follow in the position. Earlier this month it was reported that Henrik Borgstrom will return for his sophomore season, but he could easily follow Montgomery to Florida should he choose. The 19-year old was a first round pick of the Panthers last summer.
- The Calgary Flames have sent Jon Gillies back to the Stockton Heat for their playoff series after he watched the Anaheim Ducks defeat his NHL club. Gillies was serving as the emergency goaltender in Calgary and will now return to Stockton where he played the majority of the year. The Heat also signed Tyler Parsons to an amateur tryout today, meaning the goaltending situation in Stockton is quite full. Gillies will likely get the lion’s share of the starts in the postseason.
- In a story that just won’t go away, Don Henderson—the linesman injured by a blindside Dennis Wideman hit last season—has filed a $10.25MM lawsuit against Wideman and the Flames organization, according to Rick Westhead of TSN. Henderson has never returned to the league, and according to Westhead is now claiming he “has suffered a limitation of activities and loss of enjoyment of life” and a long list of medical symptoms from this incident.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Christoffer Ehn To Three-Year Deal
The Detroit Red Wings have come to an agreement with one of their Swedish prospects, inking Christoffer Ehn to a three-year entry-level deal. No financials on the deal have been released so far, but Ehn is already with the Grand Rapids Griffins and will play in their round one matchup with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Ehn, 21, is a big center who has been playing in Frolunda for the past several years, winning an SHL championship last season. Teammates with Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen and Maple Leafs’ prospect Andreas Johnson among others, Ehn was relied upon as a checking center instead of scorer. He scored 13 points in 52 games this season, his career high in the SHL and still has a long way to go in his offensive development.
What he can do already is play in his own end and think the game at a high level. If Detroit can unlock some of the offensive skills that he’s shown at times, they could have a solid middle-six center in a year or two. Selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, he has a long way to go to catch the breakout star of that round—Viktor Arvidsson. Grand Rapids will start their playoff series tomorrow night at home, but it would be unlikely to expect Ehn to be in the lineup so soon.
Pacific Notes: Tryamkin, Parsons, Kase
The Vancouver Canucks released a statement on the departure of Nikita Tryamkin, who left for the KHL earlier today. The team apparently offered a two-year deal to the young defender, but couldn’t persuade him to stay in North America. The full statement:
We are disappointed that Nikita chose to sign in the KHL, but also recofnize from what he told us in our exit meetings that this was a family decision first. He has a chance to be an impact player in the NHL and we offered him a two-year extension. But for now he is home and we will move ahead with building this team with other young players.
It is indeed disappointing for the Canucks, who had come to appreciate Tryamkin’s physical style on the back end as a possible future shutdown defender. Instead, they’ll have to hope that other defenders like Olli Juolevi, Jordan Subban and Troy Stecher develop like they expect. The Canucks will also likely hold one of the top few picks in this year’s draft, where they could look to acquire another high-end defender.
- The Calgary Flames may have been eliminated from the playoffs in part due to poor goaltending, but they have better days ahead in that position. The team announced today that Tyler Parsons will join Stockton for their playoff run after his London Knights were eliminated from the OHL postseason. As Darren Hynes of of Canadian Press points out, Parsons, Jon Gillies and David Rittich form a pretty promising young trio for the Flames. The problem is, none of them look ready to take over NHL duties next season.
- Anaheim has reassigned Ondrej Kase to the San Diego Gulls after eliminating the Calgary Flames last night, though he may return for round two. The Gulls will start their series with back-to-back games Friday and Saturday before five days off before game three. The 21-year old Kase had 12 points in 14 games for the Gulls this season.
Poll: Which Coach Will Be Fired Next?
It’s been a hard year for NHL coaches, with Gerard Gallant, Ken Hitchcock, Claude Julien, Jack Capuano and Michel Therrien all being dismissed during the season and Darryl Sutter, Tom Rowe, Willie Desjardins and Lindy Ruff all getting axed soon after. Dan Bylsma is the latest bench boss to fall victim to his team’s underperformance, being fired today along with GM Tim Murray.
While many of the clubs have already installed replacements, there is still changes to be made around the NHL. Perhaps no more may come this summer, but you have to believe that heading into next season there are some seats feeling a bit warmer than they did this time last year. First round exits and an early tee time is sometimes just as painful for a GM to stomach as missing entirely.
As we saw in Buffalo, it doesn’t matter if you’ve won a Stanley Cup and Jack Adams award, if you haven’t done anything lately. Bylsma was shown the door after just two years—and a public relations nightmare with his star player—despite being given the worst team in the league and immediately improving it by 27 points (how much of that has to do with Bylsma is still up for debate). It’s a cruel league sometimes, and coaches are fired without warning.
Who do you think will be next on the NHL chopping block? We’ve left out the coaches who have been hired mid-season or later, but if you think it will be one of them make sure you explain your choice in the comments below.
Mobile users click here to vote!
Snapshots: Schmaltz, Gaunce, Emelin
The St. Louis Blues have sent Jordan Schmaltz back to the AHL to join the Chicago Wolves for their playoff run. With Robert Bortuzzo firmly in the lineup, there was no room for Schmaltz as the Blues continue their series against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, he’ll return to the AHL where he has dominated this season, scoring 25 points in 42 games.
Drafted in the first round in 2012, Schmaltz played exceptionally well at the University of North Dakota before making an impact as an AHL rookie last year. With another solid season and his NHL debut under his belt, he’ll be a leading candidate for a full-time job with the Blues next season. He’ll be entering the final year of his entry-level deal, and could sign an extension as soon as July 1st.
- The Vancouver Canucks’ Brendan Gaunce will have surgery to repair his shoulder and begin rehab to try and be ready for next season. Apparently he and the medical staff had been trying to avoid surgery, but have no other choice after his “response to treatment.” Gaunce played 57 games for the Canucks this season, recording just five points. He still hasn’t shown that high-end potential that was so apparent in junior, but is still just 23 years old and can still improve his game.
- The Montreal Canadiens are expected to insert Alexei Emelin into their lineup for Game 5 against the New York Rangers, though he is technically a game-time decision. The injured defenseman has yet to play in the series, but will add another element of toughness to a group that has been pushed around physically by the normally smaller Rangers team. With 203 hits in the series, New York easily paces the entire NHL playoffs. Emelin, as Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told TSN’s John Lu, will make you keep your head up when he’s on the ice.
Buffalo Sabres Fire Tim Murray And Dan Bylsma
The Buffalo Sabres have relieved both GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma of their duties. This comes just a day after a report that Jack Eichel would not sign an extension with the team if Bylsma remained, though both Eichel and his agent both vehemently denied it. Murray had signed a multi-year extension in October, but after another failed season has now been shown the door. A quote from Sabres’ owner Terry Pegula explains the decision:
After reviewing the past season and looking at the future of our organization, Kim and I have decided to relieve General Manager Tim Murray and Head Coach Dan Bylsma of their duties. We want to thank Tim and Dan for their hard work and efforts that they have put in during their tenures with the club. We wish them luck. We have begun the process to fill these positions immediately.
Though Eichel admitted that he would work with Bylsma and wanted to stay in Buffalo for a long time, the fact remains that since he took over before the 2015-16 season, the Sabres have gone 68-73-33 and missed the playoffs in both years. Murray has an even longer resume of futility since being hired in January of 2014. Though he did acquire Eichel in the draft, he has also made some questionable decisions when it comes to transactions, including the big deal for Kyle Okposo last summer, and dealing for both Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane who, while good players, have not reached the heights expected of them.
The Sabres will now start a search for a new GM, and some will immediately point to the jobless Dean Lombardi who was just pushed out of Los Angeles as a prime candidate. While the team may go for someone with less experience, Lombardi does come with a successful history and two Stanley Cup Championships. As Buffalo and Western New York fans can attest to, is entirely impossible to predict where the Pegulas will look to fill the vacancy. For the head coaching position, there are several experienced names like Darryl Sutter and Willie Desjardins available, or college coaches like David Quinn (Boston University) and Jim Montgomery (Denver).
New Jersey Devils Sign Yaroslav Dyblenko To Two-Year Contract
After the KHL took two defensemen back from the NHL this morning, the New Jersey Devils have stolen one back. The team announced that it has signed Yaroslav Dyblenko to a two-year entry-level contract. The financials of the deal were not released, but it is the longest deal possible for a player of Dyblenko’s age.
The 23-year old defenseman has played the last four years full-time in the KHL—with part-time duty before that—and logged just over 17 minutes of ice time in the most recent season. He’s never put up very impressive offensive numbers, recording just 39 points across 180 KHL games. The Devils must see something more in him, as he’ll now join their organization and try to crack the lineup next season.
Despite the NHL’s decision not to go to the Olympics, it doesn’t seem as though the Russian league will be able to keep much of their talent from leaving to play in North America. Vladimir Sobotka returned after terminating his contract early, and immediately signed a three-year extension with the St. Louis Blues. While some players like Tryamkin may decide to return, it will still be a two-way street with talent heading both ways. The Devils are one of the first to dip their toes into the KHL free agent pool, but there will be several more announcements throughout the next few weeks as the Gagarin Cup playoffs have come to an end.
Minnesota Wild Recall Fifteen Players From AHL
With the Iowa Wild’s season over, Minnesota has recalled their own group of Black Aces for the remainder of the playoffs. Fifteen players are on their way up from the AHL. The full list is as follows:
RW Sam Anas
RW Christoph Bertschy
C Pat Cannone
LW Ryan Carter
RW Kurtis Gabriel
C Tyler Graovac
G Steve Michalek
RW Zack Mitchell
D Gustav Olofsson
D Zach Palmquist
D Mike Reilly
D Nick Seeler
RW Alex Tuch
D Hunter Warner
D Mike Weber
As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports, these players were actually brought up prior to Game 3 on Sunday and will hold practices separate from the rest of the team. After the Game 4 victory by the Wild to stay alive, the Black Aces may be needed for a few more days. These players are unlikely to get into game action, but would serve as insurance should several Wild players go down unexpectedly.
After an outstanding season that saw contributions from several players on this list, the Wild find themselves on the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs. Should they find a way to extend their season and fight back against the St. Louis Blues, perhaps it could be a great learning experience for some of their youth to see up close. For now, these players will just skate hard under NHL supervision and try to make an impact for next year.