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Archives for June 2017

Vegas Golden Knights Trade Tracker

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Along with the expansion draft choices, there will be many trades attached to the Vegas Golden Knights roster release. Keep it right here for all the details:

To Vegas:

BUF sixth-round pick

To Buffalo:

Vegas will not select G Linus Ullmark

To Vegas:

F Reilly Smith
Vegas allowed to select F Jon Marchessault

To Florida:

VGK 2018 fourth-round pick

To Vegas:

CAR 2017 fifth-round pick

To Carolina:

Expansion considerations

To Vegas:

F Nikita Gusev
TBL 2017 second-round pick
PIT 2018 fourth-round pick

To Tampa Bay:

Vegas selects D Jason Garrison

To Vegas:

F Mikhail Grabovski
D Jake Bischoff
NYI 2017 first-round pick
NYI 2019 second-round pick

To Islanders:

Vegas selects G Jean-Francois Berube

To Vegas:

D Shea Theodore

To Anaheim:

Vegas selects D Clayton Stoner

To Vegas:

F Alex Tuch

To Minnesota:

Vegas selects F Erik Haula
Conditional VGK 2018 third-round pick. —Per Michael Russo of the Star Tribune: If Vegas acquires another 2017 third-round pick, they can send that pick instead. If Vegas acquires multiple 2017 third-round picks, Minnesota gets the second-highest.

To Vegas:

F David Clarkson
CBJ 2017 first-round pick
CBJ 2019 second-round pick

To Columbus:

Vegas selects F William Karlsson

To Vegas:

WPG 2017 first-round pick
WPG 2019 third-round pick

To Winnipeg:

CBJ 2017 first-round pick

To Vegas:

PIT 2020 second-round pick

To Pittsburgh:

Vegas selects G Marc-Andre Fleury

Official Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Roster

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Rumors no more, the selections for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft are finally being released at the NHL Awards. Because they are releasing them in reverse order of the 2016-17 standings (and throughout the entire show), keep it right here for the updates.  If you want to see who is expected to be the selection of your team, check out what leaked earlier today.

Here are the players selected by the Vegas Golden Knights by position:

Forwards:

Teemu Pulkkinen (ARZ)
William Carrier (BUF)
Cody Eakin (DAL)
Tomas Nosek (DET)
Jon Marchessault (FLA)
Connor Brickley (CAR)
Chris Thorburn (WPG)
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (PHI)
James Neal (NSH)
Brendan Leipsic (TOR)
David Perron (STL)
Oscar Lindberg (NYR)
Erik Haula (MIN) — Signs three-year deal. $2.75MM AAV.
William Karlsson (CBJ)

Defensemen:

Luca Sbisa (VAN)
Jon Merrill (NJD)
Brayden McNabb (LAK)
Jason Garrison (TBL)
Deryk Engelland (CGY) — Signs a one-year, $1MM deal. Has up to $1MM performance bonuses.
Colin Miller (BOS)
Marc Methot (OTT)
David Schlemko (SJ)
Griffin Reinhart (EDM)
Alexei Emelin (MTL)
Clayton Stoner (ANA)
Trevor van Riemsdyk (CHI)
Nate Schmidt (WSH)

Goaltenders:

Calvin Pickard (COL)
Jean-Francois Berube (NYI)
Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT)

NHL Awards Preview

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Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

  • The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

  • 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs

Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

  • Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

  • A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

  • If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game

Read more

Rumored Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Selections

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The Vegas Golden Knights will reveal their expansion selections at tonight’s NHL Awards show, but details have started to come in on who each team will lose. There are many rumors floating around, but these are the most reputable. As with anything, nothing is final until the actual selections are announced tonight. This page will be updated with new information as it comes in.

Here are the latest rumored selections along with their source:

Anaheim Ducks: Clayton Stoner — Bob McKenzie of TSN

Arizona Coyotes: 

Boston Bruins: Colin Miller — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Buffalo Sabres: William Carrier — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Calgary Flames: Deryk Engelland — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Carolina Hurricanes:

Chicago Blackhawks: Trevor van Riemsdyk — Frank Seravalli of TSN

Colorado Avalanche:

Columbus Blue Jackets: William Karlsson — Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch

Dallas Stars: Cody Eakin — Jim Toth of TSN

Detroit Red Wings: Tomas Nosek — Craig Custance of The Athletic.

Edmonton Oilers: Griffin Reinhart — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Florida Panthers: Jon Marchessault — Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Los Angeles Kings: Brayden McNabb — John Shannon of Sportsnet

Minnesota Wild: Erik Haula — Michael Russo of the Star Tribune

Montreal Canadiens: Alexei Emelin — Eric Engels of Sportsnet

Nashville Predators: James Neal — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New Jersey Devils: Jon Merrill — Frank Seravalli of TSN

New York Islanders: Jean-Francois Berube — Bob McKenzie of TSN

New York Rangers: Oscar Lindberg — Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Frank Seravalli of TSN.

Ottawa Senators: Marc Methot — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Philadelphia Flyers: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Craig Custance of The Athletic

Pittsburgh Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury – Bob McKenzie of TSN

San Jose Sharks: David Schlemko — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

St. Louis Blues: David Perron — James Mirtle of The Athletic

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Brendan Leipsic — Darren Dreger of TSN

Vancouver Canucks:

Washington Capitals: Nate Schmidt — Pierre LeBrun of TSN

Winnipeg Jets:

Golden Knights To Acquire Reilly Smith From Panthers

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According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Florida Panthers will not stop at just losing one top-nine forward in expansion. While it has been confirmed that Jonathan Marchessault was the Expansion Draft pick by the Vegas Golden Knights, Reilly Smith has also been informed that he will be Las Vegas-bound.

While the details of the deal have not yet been announced, there are two possibilities for this side deal with Vegas. The first is that Smith was thrown in alongside the Marchessault pick to keep the Knights from selecting another exposed player, likely defenseman Jason Demers. Many were surprised when Florida protected four defenseman, leaving many forwards open for the taking, including Marchessault and Smith, but the move would make more sense if that was what was required for Vegas to ignore Demers. The other potential deal could be independent from expansion, as it has been reported that the Panthers may not have wanted to re-sign Marchessault anyway and thus their protection scheme was logical. In this scenario, Smith may be going to Vegas alongside a yet-to-be-named draft pick or prospect. Although Smith is a two-time 20-goal scorer and just 26 years old, he is due to begin a five-year, $25MM contract next season after scoring a career-low 37 points in 2016-17.

Vegas will be the fourth NHL team for Smith, who was originally dealt to the Boston Bruins as part of the Tyler Seguin deal. The Bruins encountered the same pattern with Smith as Florida did: after a great first season, the production fell off in year two and he was traded before beginning an expensive extension. Perhaps head coach Gerard Gallant, who enjoyed coaching Smith in Florida before he was fired earlier this season, sees something that others don’t and can make the most of his $25MM deal. However, hold your opinions for two years from now, because history shows that he’ll likely have a strong first campaign in Las Vegas before the real test begins in 2018-19.

Vegas Will Not Select Capitals’ Philipp Grubauer

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For all the talk of the Vegas Golden Knights potentially loading up on goaltenders, news continues to come out that makes it seem as if they have instead decided to do the opposite. After reports that GM George McPhee passed up on both the Red Wings’ Petr Mrazek and the Rangers’ Antti Raanta, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post has confirmed that they have also decided not to select Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer was heavily rumored to be a target of the Knights, especially given that McPhee was the general manager in Washington when Grubauer was drafted. Instead, it will be another one of his teammates who gets the call.

Grubauer, still just 25 years old, has been putting up excellent numbers in the shadow of Vezina-candidate Braden Holtby for years now. This past season, Grubauer made a career-high 24 appearances and posted a .926 save percentage and 2.04 goals against average. Due in part to Grubauer’s efforts – though he did not play enough to get actual credit – the Capitals allowed the fewest goals in the regular season this year and Holtby was named the recipient of the William M. Jennings Trophy. Many feel that the young German keeper has outgrown his role as backup and there was a feeling among those same people that he might fit in nicely as the 1B to Marc-Andre Fleury’s 1A in Las Vegas. Instead, he will stay in Washington, as the Knights have passed on his services. The Capitals still have the option of trading the restricted free agent, but will probably be relieved to have him back and will look to retain their talented backup instead.

So who might be the pick now? Khurshudyan suggests that, if not Gruabauer, it must be promising young defenseman Nate Schmidt, who Capitals fans were equally nervous about losing. However, assuming that many of the leaked names hold true, Vegas has not exactly chosen their team according to what most thought they would do and with many defenseman already confirmed, perhaps Schmidt won’t be the pick. We’ll know one way or another in a matter of hours.

Marian Hossa Will Not Play In 2017-18

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UPDATE: According to Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski, the NHL will make a decision on the Hossa situation and how to handle the cap circumvention and injured reserve eligibility for the Chicago Blackhawks before free agency opens on July 1st.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that due to a progressive skin disorder, forward Marian Hossa will not play hockey in the 2017-18 season. Hossa has apparently been dealing with the condition for several years. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the condition on Tuesday evening, saying that it likely means Hossa has played his final NHL game. Marian Hossa

While this is by all accounts an extremely dangerous condition and everyone wishes Hossa health and recovery it will come with its share of skepticism. Despite his $5.25MM cap hit, Hossa is owed just $4MM total in salary over the last four years of his contract, a remnant of front-loading loopholes that have been closed in the last CBA. Should he have retired, as Friedman points out, the Hawks would have faced cap recapture penalties of $3.675MM for the next four seasons.

By staying on long-term injured reserve, Hossa is allowed to collect his $1MM salary and the Hawks can use the cap space during the season. His full cap hit will affect the team’s plans in the offseason, but for a franchise who is continually fighting the salary cap this comes as something of a blessing in disguise.

We should be clear that no one wants Hossa playing through pain, discomfort or a life-threatening illness. In the statement, Blackhawks’ team physician Michael Terry had this to say about the condition:

Marian has been dealing with the effects of a progressive skin disorder that is becoming more and more difficult to treat and control with conventional medications while he plays hockey. Because of the dramatic nature of the medications required and their decreasing effectiveness, we strongly support his decision not to play during the 2017-18 season.

This is a disappointing end to what has been one of the greatest careers of his generation. Hossa has registered 1,134 points in 1,309 games while being considered an elite defensive forward. He’s received votes (but never won) the Selke in fourteen different seasons, and has been a part of three Stanley Cup victories with the Blackhawks.

He ranks 54th all-time in points in NHL history, ahead of Hall of Fame players like Joe Nieuwendyk, Frank Mahovlich, and Glenn Anderson. It would be surprising to not see him have his name enshrined there before long. His actual retirement will have to wait another four years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Golden Knights Will Not Select Young Lightning Defensemen

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It has been rumored for some time that the Tampa Bay Lightning and GM Steve Yzerman had struck a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights and GM George McPhee to steer them away from certain players. The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith has added some concrete names to that speculation this afternoon, reporting that Vegas would not select young Bolts’ defensemen Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek. The pair were left exposed as Tampa Bay chose to protect Norris Trophy finalist Victor Hedman, his partner Anton Stralman, and veteran Braydon Coburn. 

Dotchin, 23, skated in 35 games with the Lightning as a rookie in 2016-17 and recorded 11 points along the way. At 6’3″, 210-lbs., the bruising blue liner played major minutes for Tampa and proved to be a reliable stay-at-home option. Koekkoek, also 23, was the tenth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Bolts, and has played in 41 career NHL games over the past three season, including 29 this past year. Although Koekkoek has been able to move the puck well and score at the AHL level, he has yet to find the same consistency and success at the NHL level. Nevertheless, he has shown promise and the Lightning were not willing to lose he or Dotchin for nothing

So what is the deal that protected the pair? Speculation earlier today from Smith was that the Lightning may be offering up the rights to prominent Russian prospect Nikita Gusev as part of the deal. Smith pondered if that would be in exchange for protecting the young defenseman or in exchange for selecting the bad contract of veteran blue liner Jason Garrison. While it still remains unknown who the Knights will take from Tampa, the confirmation that it will not be Dotchin or Koekkoek alone could mean that Gusev is on his way to Vegas, where former SKA St. Petersburg teammate Vadim Shipachyov has already signed.

 

Vegas Will Not Select Rangers’ Antti Raanta

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Although New York Rangers backup goalie Antti Raanta has been a popular draft selection by the Vegas Golden Knights not only in our PHR Mock Expansion Draft, but by pundits throughout hockey media. Yet, according to a Rangers insider, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the pick will not be Raanta after all. Instead, Brooks is reporting that young center Oscar Lindberg will be selected.

This news should come as a major sigh of relief for Blueshirt fans, as Raanta was spectacular in relief of starter Henrik Lundqvist in 2016-17. In a career-high 30 appearances, Raanta posted a .922 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average en route to 16 wins for the Rangers. The extra rest for Lunqvist also allowed the 34-year-old veteran to stay fresh and making nine less starts than in 2015-16 led in part to Lundqvist’s strong performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Had the Rangers lost Raanta, not only would they have surrendered a great asset for nothing, but they also would have been pressed into the goalie market this summer to try to find a new suitable backup without much cap space to spare.

Not only should New York fans be happy about not losing Raanta, but the Lindberg leak also means they’ve avoided losing Michael Grabner as well. Grabner had an excellent first season in New York, scoring 27 goals and 40 total points as an unexpected key contributor to the Ranger offense. Yet, Grabner could not be protected what with the impressive young forward depth that the Blueshirts have. Signed on for one more year at just $1.65MM, it also would have been a shame to see such a good fit and affordable weapon leave via expansion. Instead, the 25-year-old Lindberg, who has played a regular role for the Rangers in the past two years but has failed to make the jump to a scoring role, will take his place.

Vegas Signed Two RFAs, Selected “A Couple” UFAs

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Right from the horse’s mouth, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Bill Foley and the Vegas Golden Knights signed two restricted free agents during the negotiating window and picked “a couple” of unrestricted free agents with which they will continue to negotiate. One of those RFAs is presumably Erik Haula of which we already know, while Jean-Francois Berube is likely one of the UFAs. Brendan Leipsic, rumored to be headed to Vegas from the Toronto Maple Leafs is also an RFA, though there has been no word on whether he has signed or not as of yet. Deryk Engelland is possibly the Calgary pick, which would represent another pending UFA.

Vegas GM George McPhee told us yesterday that there would be a few “throwaway picks” meaning players who the Golden Knights had no intention of signing after the draft. While Berube might represent that option, Engelland does make his off-season home in Vegas and could theoretically sign with the team. The Golden Knights should have no shortage of defensemen to choose from however, making him still a long-shot to spend the 2017-18 season on the strip. The Flames look like they’re getting off easy in the draft, without a side deal reported as of yet.

It’s interesting to see that the Golden Knights don’t appear to have gone after any of the big name free agents, as discussed this morning in regards to Karl Alzner. It’s hard to forfeit your selection in the expansion draft just to sign a player who you can talk to just a week later. With players like Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon available in the free agent hotbeds, the Golden Knights have probably just used the negotiating window to exchange early figures with the pending UFAs.

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