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Czech Republic Could Have Olympic Edge With Unsigned Players

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The NHL’s decision to not allow their players to attend the Olympics (even those playing in the minors) has changed the playing field for many countries heading into the 2018 Games. While normally Canada and the United States are powerful teams, loaded with superstar NHL talent they’ll now be looking for former NHL players and college-aged stars to try and put together a roster that can compete. Russia, Sweden and Finland will all lose many NHL stars but have their own professional leagues filled with experienced international players that should make them medal favorites.

One nation that is often overlooked is the Czech Republic, who’ve won just a single bronze medal since Dominik Hasek and company beat the US, Canada and Russia in three straight matches to take home the gold, allowing just two goals in the process. This year could see a potential return to glory should they use the opportunity now apparent in NHL free agency.

Jaromir JagrNow heading into the middle of August, many experience NHL veterans remain unsigned. While all of the national teams will likely be contacting their aging stars for help, the Czechs have an excellent group to go after. Jaromir Jagr leads it, as he’s shown that he can still play at the very highest level in the world. He’d likely be one of the best players in the tournament should he start the season playing for his own Czech team. But it goes beyond the second all-time scoring leader in NHL history.

Milan Michalek, a former 30-goal man is now a free agent after being buried in the minors by the Maple Leafs and dealing with injury last season. Michalek never did fit in Toronto after being part of the Dion Phaneuf trade from the Ottawa Senators, but has experience at two Olympic Games and plenty of other international tournaments. At just 32, he likely still has enough left in the tank to be an effective option.

Even Milan’s older brother Zbynek Michalek could be an option after playing last season almost entirely in the AHL. The 34-year old defenseman has seen his career deteriorate quickly due to concussions, but has plenty of international experience including two World Championship medals.

Jiri HudlerJakub Kindl has never lived up to his billing as a first-round pick, but has been a positive possession defender for most of his career, and spent 39 games with the Florida Panthers last season. If he can’t find a role somewhere as a depth option around the league, the 30-year old will surely be on the short list for the Czechs.

Jiri Hudler doesn’t have a job yet, even though he’s just two seasons removed from a 76-point effort with the Calgary Flames. The 33-year old forward has 428 NHL points and has always been a fine two-way player capable of moving up and down a lineup. Though he dealt with both illness and injury this season, it’s still clear he has some fuel left in the tank and could help the Czech team. He scored 11 points in 32 games for the Dallas Stars this year, but logged fewer than 12 minutes a night.

Last, Roman Polak is still working his way back from a horrendous injury suffered in the playoffs last season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but could potentially be ready to play again by the February tournament. Should he remain unsigned, he could even showcase his gritty physical play style in the Olympics for a future role. He’s coming off a reasonably successful season with the Maple Leafs, in which he was a key to their penalty kill and played 75 games.

While there are many free agents still unsigned, the Czech Republic may have the most talent among any nation still on the open market. Should these players find themselves still without a job come September, signing a one-year deal in a European league may be more enticing, seeing as it may come with another chance to represent their country in the Winter Games.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Shane Prince Out Four To Six Months Following Surgery

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Shane Prince has undergone ankle surgery and will be out for four to six months, meaning much of his season is in jeopardy. The New York Islanders forward suffered a high ankle sprain last season and originally tried to rehab without surgery. Six months would have Prince returning in the middle of February.

In an offseason went out and acquired Jordan Eberle to try and increase their offense and return to the playoffs, losing Prince is a disappointing outcome. Though he scored just 18 points last season, it came in 50 games and he’s shown elite offensive ability at the AHL level. He was expected to play a full-time role as a secondary scoring option, but instead those minutes will have to go to someone else.

The Islanders did already have a glut of NHL-ready forwards heading to camp, with Josh Ho-Sang expected to be given a full-time role and the duo of Mathew Barzal and Michael Dal Colle pressing for playing time. The recently signed Stephen Gionta could also play a part in a bottom-six role, if the team feels the younger players aren’t quite ready.

Snapshots: Krueger, Cholowski, Datsyuk

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Over the past year, Ralph Krueger has been the subject of speculation surrounding just about every head coaching vacancy in the league. Offered at least two jobs, Krueger has turned down every opportunity to return to hockey and instead kept his position as Chairman of the Southampton soccer club in England. The Premiership offers Kruger a chance to be part of one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world, and he’s seemed very content with his position there.

Today, eighty percent of the Southampton organization was sold off for more than $270MM to businessman Jisheng Gao and his family. While a letter from former majority owner Katharina Liebherr states that she and Gao still have complete confidence in Krueger’s leadership, some like Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED in Edmonton believe it could inch him closer to an NHL return. If the new ownership wants to install their own chairman, Krueger could be on the top of many team’s lists in the hockey world.

  • Detroit Red Wings’ prospect Dennis Cholowski has officially signed a CHL contract with the Prince George Cougars, where he’ll likely spend this season. After playing one year at St. Cloud State in the NCAA, Cholowski signed his entry-level contract in the spring and spent some time with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 19-year old first-round pick will head to the WHL where he should dominate after already putting up impressive performances against much older players in the US college ranks. He could still be sent to the AHL or even make the NHL squad in training camp, but this signing lends more credence to the idea he’ll spend 2017-18 in the junior ranks. The left-handed defenseman has some of the best upside in the Red Wings’ organization, and won’t be rushed to the NHL for a team that is not expected to compete. Cholowski has a very good chance of representing Canada on the international stage at the World Juniors this year, after taking part in the Summer Showcase earlier this offseason.
  • After suffering an injury that forced him to watch as his team won the KHL’s Gagarin Cup, Pavel Datsyuk is healthy and back in the lineup for SKA St. Petersburg’s preseason game tonight. Datsyuk was an All-Star in his first year back in the KHL, and even at 39-years old should be a lock for the Russian Olympic team. The former Detroit Red Wings’ forward scored 42 points in 51 total games last year for St. Petersberg, and will try to take a depleted team back to the playoffs again. Both Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov left the team for the NHL this offseason, but they did add young defender and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Vladislav Gavrikov to the defense group.

Matt Greene Joins Los Angeles Scouting Staff

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After being bought out in June by the Los Angeles Kings, it wasn’t clear if Matt Greene had a future in the NHL. He was 34, two years removed from his last full healthy season, and the Kings were clearly trying to bring in a younger more mobile group for next season. Now the team has announced that he will retire and join them as a professional scout, working the AHL Pacific region for the time being.

Greene, a second-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2002, played 615 games at the NHL level over 12 seasons. He was part of the Oilers team that took Carolina to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, and took the trophy home twice during his time with the Kings. His legacy there will be that of a tough, in your face defenseman who was hard to play against and would put his body on the line every night. He was never an offensive force and didn’t ever log more than 20 minutes a night, but still served as an alternate captain for eight years.

He’ll join a front office that’s seen quite the change in the past few months, as Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille have taken full control and started to change the direction of the team.

Alexey Marchenko Placed On Waivers

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12:20pm: James Mirtle of The Athletic confirms that Marchenko is on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual termination.

11:05am: According to his agent Dan Milstein, Toronto Maple Leafs defender Alexey Marchenko has been placed on waivers. Milstein says that there will be a statement made tomorrow, which leads one to believe that it may be a mutual termination of the contract. Marchenko is owed $1.45MM this season, but has been pursued by teams in the KHL all summer and could potentially make more and have a bigger role there next year.

Selected off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings mid-season, Marchenko played 41 games between the two teams but was generally ineffective. The 25-year old has some upside to his game, as a big-bodied defender who can skate and make an above-average first pass, but has had trouble using his size to his advantage in his short NHL career. In 121 career games he has just 21 points, but could very well be in line for an Olympic position with Russia should he return to the KHL.

Marchenko played for CSKA Moscow when he was just 17, and the team has made it clear that they want him back. Following other NHL defenders like Andrei Markov, Nikita Tryamkin and Nikita Nesterov, Russia will have a wider base to select their Olympic roster from. That’s all dependent on whether a mutual termination is actually achieved, which is not clear at this point. The Maple Leafs could be placing him on waivers just to try and tease out a buyer and rid themselves of his contract.

Dwight King Signs Two-Year Deal In KHL

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It had been rumored since last month, but Dwight King is now officially a member of Avtomobilist in the KHL. The former Los Angeles Kings forward has signed a two-year deal with the club. King actually ranked 49th in our list of the top free agents this summer, even after a dreadful finish to the season with Montreal. Acquired at the deadline, King recorded just one point through 23 games for the Canadiens (17 regular season and 6 playoff).

King had previously been a solid bottom-six contributor for the Kings, winning two Stanley Cups with the club. At 28, he’ll now try to revitalize his career in a foreign league, quite a distance from his hometown of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. The big-bodied forward could return in a few years should he find that secondary scoring touch again, but this departure could also provide another opportunity.

With Team Canada scouring the world for potential Olympic players, King’s experience and NHL pedigree may put him in consideration. He wouldn’t be an exciting add, but when players like Rob Klinkhammer are getting similar looks, he may just be one of the best options available.

Morning Notes: Wingers, Dzierkals, NCAA

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NHL.com caused quite a stir among hockey fans by releasing their ranking of the top wingers in the game right now, listing Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov and Brad Marchand in the top three. It’s nearly impossible to defiinitively rank players in this fashion, as each bring very different skill sets to the game.

Still, it goes to show how good some of the young players in the league are. Patrik Laine was ranked #8 and David Pastrnak #15 despite being just 19 and 21 respectively. Each were revelations for their teams this season, scoring more than 30 goals and proving that they’re ready to take the next step to the absolute elite around the league. Leave your take on the list in the comments below, and explain who you think was snubbed.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are close to the NHL contract limit, so they’ve inked prospect Martins Dzierkals to an AHL deal. The 20-year old Dzierkals was a third-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2015, and is ready to take the next step from the QMJHL. Born in Latvia, Dzierkals was drafted out of Europe and was under exclusive Maple Leafs control for another two seasons, but had made it clear he did not want to return to the CHL as an overage player. Instead, he’ll join a Marlies team that should be flush with young talent like Adam Brooks and Jeremy Bracco and try to prove he’s worth an entry-level deal when space becomes available.
  • Tomorrow marks the final day that teams can negotiate with their NCAA draft picks, after which the players will become unrestricted free agents and allowed to sign anywhere in the league. Will Butcher and Alex Kerfoot lead a group of players who are now less than 48 hours away from controlling their own destiny in terms of where their hockey career will continue.

Marek Mazanec Signs In KHL

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Marek Mazanec has signed a one-year deal with HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL, after an interesting offseason. Despite reports that the Nashville Predators would move on from the goaltender, they issued him a qualifying offer and he filed for salary arbitration. Before the hearing, the Predators placed Mazanec on waivers as a negotiating tactic and saw him settle for a two-way $650K contract.

That contract will be mutually terminated according to the Slovan press release, a topic we looked at in detail recently. Mazanec will forfeit the salary in order to go play in the KHL where he’ll have much more opportunity. The Predators signed both Matt O’Connor and Anders Lindback this offseason to compete in the minors, while Juuse Saros is expected to move up and be the full-time back up to Pekka Rinne.

Mazanec played in just four games for the Predators last season and was overmatched, recording an .839 save percentage. While he’d shown more potential in the past, the team was clearly ready to move in a different direction.

PHR Originals: 8/6/17 – 8/12/17

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With it being a quiet week in terms of news and rumors around the NHL, the PHR writers have comprised plenty of original pieces.  Here’s a sampling of some of the content to catch up on:

Atlantic Division

I broke down the salary cap situation for a trio of teams in Florida, Montreal, and Ottawa.  Speaking of the Sens, Seth discussed a missed opportunity for Ottawa to unload one of the more cumbersome deals around the league in Bobby Ryan.  Plus, vote in our poll on who will come out on top in the division.

Metropolitan Division

Seth examined Rick Nash’s future in New York as he enters the final year of his contract.  Holger assessed how the Islanders will be relying on their youth more moving forward, which will be the case regardless of where John Tavares to play in 2017-18.  He also looked into Philadelphia’s goaltending situation which is seemingly a big question heading into every year now.  The battle for top spot is expected to be highly contested; make your choice as to who comes out on top.

Central Division

Zach took a look at Colorado’s holes in their defense corps as well as the potential viability of Houston as a hockey market.  Seth discussed what has been a relatively quiet season in St. Louis and whether or not they missed out on some opportunities to improve.  Gavin analyzed the upcoming roster crunch coming in Dallas in the very near future.  He also continued his summer prediction poll series; make your pick for the division winner.

Pacific Division

Gavin broke down how the Golden Knights could still be able to take on another bad contract or two despite what they did in expansion.  While no one realistically expects Vegas to win the division, which team will be able to do so?

Free Agency

Our free agent profiles continue as I took a look at P.A. Parenteau’s situation while Zach did the same for Dennis Wideman.

League-Wide

Seth went over some teams that are poised to rebound after injury-filled 2016-17 campaigns.  Every year there are some picks from the most recent draft class that make the NHL right; Seth assessed which ones from June’s draft could do the same next season.  Mutually terminated contracts don’t give the players any money but Seth also brought up how it can still be beneficial to the player being let go.  Also on the CBA front, Gavin brought forth another look at how some top talents have been inking bonus-laden (and basically buyout-proof) contracts.  He also suggested some third-year players who could be in line for breakout seasons.

Plus, Gavin held his weekly chat while I also tackled some reader questions in our latest edition of the PHR Mailbag.

Five Key Stories: 8/6/17 – 8/12/17

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It was a relatively quiet week in the hockey world and was one that ended on a sad note.  Here are the top headlines from the past week.

Bryan Murray Passes Away: Long-time NHL coach and executive Bryan Murray passed away at the age of 74 on Saturday following a lengthy battle with cancer.  He continued to work in the game up until his death as he had been serving as an advisor with Ottawa.  Over an NHL career that spanned more than four decades, he served as a coach for parts of 17 years (winning a Jack Adams Award in 1983-84) and as a general manager for 21 years (and was named Executive of the Year in 1996).

Players On NHL Two-Way Deals Can’t Play In Olympics: As expected, the NHL provided some clarification regarding who is and is not eligible to play in the upcoming Winter Olympics.  While it has been known for a while that active NHL players won’t be going, the same can be said for those that are on NHL two-way contracts that are playing in the minor leagues at that time.  However, players that are on loan to European teams for the year and those that have been signed to entry-level deals but have been sent back to junior will be allowed to participate.  Team USA has already reached out to 85-90 players as they start to put a shortlist of potential players together.

Oilers Ink Yamamoto To ELC: The Oilers wasted little time inking their top prospect from the draft back in June as they signed Kailer Yamamoto to a three-year, entry-level deal.  The diminutive forward was one of the top scorers in the WHL last season (sixth overall) which is an impressive feat for someone in their draft-eligible season.  He’s expected to return to Spokane in 2017-18 to continue his junior career.  Yamamoto becomes the 16th of the 31 first round picks to have already signed their first NHL deal.

NHL Announces Preseason Schedule: The wait for NHL hockey is starting to get smaller as the league revealed the preseason schedule.  The first game will be played on September 16th between Vancouver and Los Angeles; those two teams will also be playing a pair of games in China.  The final games of the exhibition season will go October 1st.

Kaprizov signs with CSKA Moscow: The Wild will be waiting a while for one of their better prospects to cross the pond as winger Kirill Kaprizov has signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.  The 20-year-old has already shown himself to be quite the capable scorer at that level, posting 42 points (20-22-42) in 49 games last year.  There is no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and Russia so this doesn’t affect Minnesota in terms of retaining his rights but three years is a fairly long time to have to wait to have another shot at signing one of their more talented youngsters.

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