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Archives for March 2018

NHL Officially Announces Draft Lottery Odds

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The NHL Draft Lottery will take place on April 28th in Toronto, where up to 15 teams will hope to see their name move up the board to select in the top three. Up to, because the New York Islanders currently have two selections in the lottery after acquiring the Calgary Flames pick last offseason.

The official odds to select first overall for each team as follows:

31st in NHL: 18.5%

30th: 13.5%

29th: 11.5%

28th: 9.5%

27th: 8.5%

26th: 7.5%

25th: 6.5%

24th: 6.0%

23rd: 5.0%

22nd: 3.5%

21st: 3.0%

20th: 2.5%

19th: 2.0%

18th: 1.5%

17th: 1.0%

The odds for the second and third pick increase proportionately, based on who is selected.

Boston Bruins Sign Zdeno Chara To One-Year Extension

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The Boston Bruins have decided to keep around one of their franchise greats, inking Zdeno Chara to a one-year extension worth $5.0MM. The deal also includes up to $1.75MM in performance bonuses, something that can only be added for a player of his age on a one-year contract. Chara was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Chara, 41, has had an outstanding season not only for his age, but as a pure defenseman. The hulking Boston captain can still get around the ice well enough to use his huge reach and strength to move players off the puck, and he’s routinely shown off his elite conditioning by logging extremely long shifts on the penalty kill and leading the team in minutes played. His 23 per night is still almost an entire minute longer than 20-year old partner Charlie McAvoy.

With the season he’s put together, it’s easy to see why the Bruins handed him an extension, and one that will actually see him collect a bigger paycheck. Because of the front-loaded nature of his last contract, and a quirk in the old CBA, Chara earned just $4.0MM this season and carried the same cap hit. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the performance bonuses are based around games played and playoffs, meaning it’s reasonable to believe Chara will earn even more than $5.0MM when it is all said and done.

Chara has always maintained that he wanted to stay with Boston, but there would have been ample interest in him had he hit free agency. Even as a player in his forties, Chara could have an immediate impact on any defense corps around the league. We ranked him 18th in our Midseason UFA Power Rankings, due to his age, but even at the time it seemed unlikely he would sign somewhere else.

The extension gives the Bruins six defensemen—Chara, McAvoy, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller and Brandon Carlo—under contract for next season, with Matt Grzelcyk under control as a restricted free agent. That group is good enough to go with to start 2018-19, but don’t expect Boston to sit on their hands in free agency. For a team that believes they can win the Stanley Cup, adding more defensive help is still always a consideration.

In that way, Chara’s role may be reduced next season, which should actually frighten Atlantic Division foes even more. As his body inevitably slows down, less responsibility actually could produce better results on a short term basis. Chara routinely faces some of the strongest competition on the team, something that may change as other, younger options become more and more adept. For now, he’ll remain the top shutdown option on Boston, a legendary penalty killer, and one of the most recognizable players in the NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Holland, Gretzky, Ehrhoff

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Ansar Khan of MLive reported today that Ken Holland will return as general manager for the Detroit Red Wings next season. Though no formal announcement has been made regarding Holland’s expiring contract, Khan seems convinced that he will be the one leading the Red Wings in 2018-19. He also suggests that Jeff Blashill could also return as head coach, despite a relatively disappointing season that has the Red Wings just five points out of last in the NHL.

Bringing Holland back would likely mean a new contract, and one that could take his name out of consideration for the job in a potential Seattle franchise. Though Holland has never indicated or even spoken about an interest in joining the expansion organization, there has been some chatter about his name as a leading candidate, especially one that the league would welcome. Detroit has some very interesting decisions to come this summer and down the road, as they try to navigate a rebuild for the first time in decades.

  • Wayne Gretzky will be a household name in China if he isn’t already, that’s what Darren Dreger of TSN makes it sound like on the latest iteration of Insider Trading. Dreger reports that Gretzky will soon sign a deal to put his branding on everything from arenas to equipment in China as the country encourages more and more children to take up the sport. Gretzky is obviously still one of the most well-known names in hockey worldwide, and could still have a huge impact in the growth of the sport.
  • Christian Ehrhoff has officially retired from professional hockey, but as John Vogl of the Buffalo News points out he’ll still be getting a paycheck from the Buffalo Sabres for some time. Ehrhoff, bought out in 2014 just three seasons into a ten-year contract, will remain on the Buffalo payroll through 2027-28. That’s another ten years from now, not bad for a player who only suited up 192 times for the Sabres over three seasons.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Dane Birks To Entry-Level Contract

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The signing spree continues, this time with the Pittsburgh Penguins inking Dane Birks to a two-year entry-level contract. Birks’ season finished when Michigan Tech was eliminated from the NCAA tournament, but now he’ll get to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout for the rest of the year. His contract, which is the standard ELC for a player of his age, will begin in 2018-19.

Birks, 22, was selected in the sixth round way back in 2013, but actually lost an entire year of development after being declared ineligible as a freshman due to academic reasons. Though that development has been slow, he finally found some of the offensive touch that he was expected to bring, scoring 18 points this season for the Huskies, easily his college career-high.

He’s still a long way from the NHL, but capable two-way right-shot defensemen that bring some size and puck-moving ability are hard to come by. If he can take another few steps in the minor leagues, perhaps Pittsburgh has found another late round college gem to backfill their roster.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Felix Sandstrom To Entry-Level Contract

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The Philadelphia Flyers have inked another impressive young goaltending prospect, signing Felix Sandstrom to a three-year entry-level contract. Sandstrom dealt with an abdominal injury for much of the season, getting into just 11 games in the SHL. If he’s coming over to North America for 2018-19, the Flyers have some decisions to make on who will get what playing time.

Sandstrom, 21, was selected in the third round in 2015 and is part of a huge pipeline of young goaltenders in the Philadelphia system. He might be best known to North American fans for his performance at the World Juniors last year, when he took home Top Goaltender honors for Sweden. Though his club didn’t win a medal, he was a rock in net putting up a .915 save percentage against top competition, including 38 saves in a loss against Canada in the semifinals.

The man at the other end for that game (well, most of it anyway after replacing Connor Ingram just three shots in) was Carter Hart, a fellow Philadelphia goaltending prospect who could be a teammate of Sandstrom next season in the AHL. Hart dominated the WHL this season but will likely be transitioning to the AHL next season as a 20-year old, to get some fine tuning before hitting the NHL. Hart may be the prize of this pipeline, but Sandstrom isn’t to be overlooked. The Swedish netminder will try to stake his own claim in the system as the goalie of the future, especially with such disarray at the NHL level.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jeremy Helvig To Three-Year Deal

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The Carolina Hurricanes have inked one of their previous draft picks, signing Jeremy Helvig to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is worth $650K in 2018-19, and $700K in the following two years (with respectively smaller number if he plays in the AHL). Helvig played this season for the Kingston Frontenacs, and needed to be signed by June 1st.

Helvig was selected in the fifth round two years ago after an exceptional 2015-16 campaign with the Frontenacs as a part-time starter. Since then, he’s taken over the starting job but has put up less impressive results. That won’t stop the Hurricanes from developing him as a legitimate NHL prospect though, given his size—6’4″ 2o7-lbs— and athleticism.

Currently in the OHL playoffs against North Bay, if Kingston is eliminated soon he could get into some action at the AHL level on an amateur tryout. Neither goaltender in Charlotte has put together an outstanding season, though the Checkers are headed for the playoffs themselves. If the Hurricanes really want to challenge Helvig, he could jump right into game action this season. Since he turns 21 in May, he’ll be headed to the minor leagues next year anyway.

Snapshots: Interference, Minnesota, Defensemen

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The change in decision making on goaltender interference challenges has been approved, and will go into effect for tomorrow’s games. The final decision will now lie with the situation room, which will now include a retired official. According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the officials who will be on hand in the situation room will be a rotation of Don Van Massenhoven, Rob Shick, Bill McCreary, Paul Devorski and Stephen Walkom.

The interference rule has been the target of much frustration this season from coaches, players and fans alike, as there seemed to be no level of consistency in the decisions. That will hopefully improve under this new process, as the decisions will be handled by a much smaller group of people.

  • After long-time head coach Don Lucia stepped down from his position at the University of Minnesota, it wasn’t clear who would be taking his place. We won’t have to wait any longer to find out, as the program announced that Bob Motzko would take over the duties after a 13-year stint with St. Cloud State. Motzko was an assistant with Minnesota when they won back-to-back National Championships in 2002 and 2003, and has built St. Cloud State into one of the most successful programs in the country. It will be interesting to see what this means for players like Jimmy Schuldt and Ryan Poehling, who both could decide to turn pro and leave St. Cloud State early.
  • Shea Weber is healing faster than expected, and shouldn’t miss much of his offseason training after undergoing foot surgery earlier this month. Weber spoke to the media today, and admitted that he’d been playing through injury for most of the season just to try and help the team. The 32-year old defenseman should be ready for the start of the Montreal Canadiens training camp in a few months.
  • Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, both Chris Tanev and Kevin Shattenkirk will not return this season for their respective teams. With just a handful of games left, there is no reason to rush back either defenseman from injury since both the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers are out of the playoff race.

Blake Hillman Signs Two-Year Entry-Level Contract With Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Blake Hillman to a two-year entry-level contract, and will have him join the team right away. That will end up using the first year of the deal, meaning that Hillman will become a restricted free agent after the 2018-19 season.

Hillman is just the latest player from the University of Denver to turn pro, after Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell all signed yesterday. The sixth-round pick by the Blackhawks has developed into a legitimate prospect, who will likely see some time on the ice in the last few games of the season.

The 22-year old Hillman could play a role for the Blackhawks next season, though with six NHL defensemen already under contract he’ll have to battle for playing time. Though he hasn’t shown a ton of offensive upside, Hillman is extremely effective in his own end and shuts down rushes quickly with an active stick. Whether he can continue to play at that level in the NHL is unclear, but he’ll get a chance to prove himself before long.

Minor Transactions: 03/27/18

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Just a handful of games remain in the NHL regular season, and teams are beginning to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Yesterday, the New York Islanders were knocked out of the race after their loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers. It’s been a tough season for the Islanders, who expected to be in the race in the last season of John Tavares’ current contract. Now all Islanders eyes turn to the offseason and what their captain will decide to do.

While the Islanders wait out the last few games, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league right here. Check back throughout the day to stay up to date on all the comings and goings.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have sent Michael Hutchinson back to the minor leagues, likely meaning he’s healthy enough to get back into game action. The Jets still have three goaltenders on their NHL roster, with Steve Mason still working his way back from a knee injury and Eric Comrie serving as backup.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have re-assigned Matthew Highmore to the minor leagues, despite playing 14 minutes last night. The young forward has two goals in his 13 games this season, but with the solid debut of Victor Ejdsell, perhaps there isn’t enough room to give him the ice time the team wants. Highmore has 35 points in the AHL this season in his first year of professional hockey.
  • Last night the Detroit Red Wings recalled Joe Hicketts from the minor leagues, giving the 21-year old another chance in the big leagues. Hicketts played one game for the Red Wings earlier this year, but has spent most of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have sent Justin Bailey back to the minor leagues, as they prepare for Casey Mittelstadt’s debut on Thursday night. Bailey has played in just 12 games with the Sabres this season, recording four points in the process.
  • Alexandar Georgiev is on his way back to the minor leagues, as Henrik Lundqvist is heading back into the net. GM Jeff Gorton told media this was always the plan when they had two healthy goaltenders in the NHL, and meant nothing against Georgiev’s play in his short stint. The 22-year old goaltender has a .918 save percentage in ten NHL games so far, and has put himself into contention for the full-time backup role next year.

Nominees Announced For Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2018.

Past winners of the award include Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team (will be updated as the final nominees are announced):

Anaheim Ducks –

Arizona Coyotes – Jakob Chychrun

Boston Bruins – David Backes

Buffalo Sabres – Kyle Okposo

Calgary Flames – Matt Stajan

Carolina Hurricnes – Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks – Jeff Glass

Colorado Avalanche – Carl Soderberg

Columbus Blue Jackets – Zach Werenski

Dallas Stars – Mattias Janmark

Detroit Red Wings –

Edmonton Oilers – Adam Larsson

Florida Panthers – Roberto Luongo

Los Angeles Kings – Dustin Brown

Minnesota Wild – Matt Cullen

Montreal Canadiens – Antti Niemi

Nashville Predators – Austin Watson

New Jersey Devils – Brian Boyle

New York Islanders – Josh Bailey

New York Rangers – Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators – Mark Borowiecki

Philadelphia Flyers – Claude Giroux

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang

San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton

St. Louis Blues – Carter Hutton

Tampa Bay Lightning – Steven Stamkos

Toronto Maple Leafs – Roman Polak

Vancouver Canucks – Derek Dorsett

Vegas Golden Knights – Brad Hunt

Washington Capitals – Devante Smith-Pelly

Winnipeg Jets – Tyler Myers

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