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Archives for April 2018

Poll: Who Should Win The Calder Trophy?

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The finalists for the Calder Trophy were announced yesterday, with Mathew Barzal, Brock Boeser and Clayton Keller landing in the top three. You can’t really argue with the nominations for any of the three after their outstanding seasons, but they certainly weren’t the only ones.

Kyle Connor in Winnipeg led all rookies with 31 goals, scoring at an incredible pace in the second half of the season. 21 of those goals came in his final 45 games, as a huge part of the Jets offensive attack.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy registered just 32 points for the Boston Bruins, but logged more than 22 minutes a night as part of their top pairing. The 20-year old was tasked with playing against some of the best players in the league, and is hard matching against Auston Matthews and company in the playoffs.

Perhaps the most overlooked is Yanni Gourde, the undersized forward who finally made it to the NHL and showed why he should have been there all along. The 26-year old undrafted Gourde was an outstanding offensive player in junior, and registered 64 points—third most by any rookie—while playing in all 82 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What about goaltenders? Juuse Saros played in 26 games for the Presidents Trophy-winning Nashville Predators, posting a .925 save percentage. That put him ninth in the entire league among goaltenders who made at least 20 starts, and would put him in Vezina contention had he played more games—teammate Pekka Rinne’s .927 has him as one of the favorites to win the award.

So who do you think should win the Calder? Cast a vote for not who you think will win, but who should win, and explain your reasoning in the comments below. We’ve listed several players as options to see if our readers at PHR end up with the same three finalists.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Snapshots: Sweden, Voynov, Yawney

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Sweden released their preliminary roster for the upcoming World Championships, and it is loaded with NHL talent. John Klingberg, Adam Larsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Erik Gustafsson, Adrian Kempe, Mikael Backlund, Johan Larsson, Mattias Janmark, Lias Andersson, Jacob de La Rose, Magnus Paajarvi and Mika Zibanejad will all be heading to the tournament for the Swedes.

Though obviously this group is missing some of their top options like Erik Karlsson and Henrik Zetterberg, it will also have some very interesting young players filling the gaps. Vegas Golden Knights draft pick Erik Brannstrom will be among the defense corps, and Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver expects Elias Pettersson will be added soon.

  • There have been some conflicting reports on Slava Voynov’s potential return to the NHL, but Arthur Staple of The Athletic can make one thing very clear. The New York Islanders have not reached out to anyone connected to the former NHL player, and have “zero interest” in bringing him aboard. Whether or not any team will actually sign the 28-year old defenseman is still unclear.
  • The Anaheim Ducks will not bring back assistant coach Trent Yawney next season, choosing not to renew his contract. Yawney has been with the Ducks organization for seven seasons, first as head coach of their AHL affiliate (Syracuse, then Norfolk) and the last four seasons as an assistant to Bruce Boudreau and Randy Carlyle in the NHL.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Head Coach Jared Bednar To One-Year Extension

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Rather than have him enter next season with the pressure of performing in his final season under contract, the Colorado Avalanche have extended Jared Bednar’s deal for another year. That means the head coach, who originally signed a three-year deal in 2016, is now under contract through the 2019-20 season.

Bednar and the Avalanche have been one of the best stories of the year, after posting a historically bad season in 2016-17. The then-rookie head coach led Colorado to a 22-56-4 season and was the target of ridicule for much of the offseason. While GM Joe Sakic dealt with the ongoing Matt Duchene trade request distraction, Bednar was brought back for another chance with the young group. After Duchene was dealt, something in the Avalanche clicked and they rolled all the way to a postseason berth.

Though they were eliminated in the first round by the Nashville Predators, many see this as a hugely successful season for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon is a legitimate candidate for the Hart Trophy as league MVP after scoring 97 points in just 74 games, and 21-year old Mikko Rantanen exploded for 84 points of his own. The team’s incredibly fast-paced attack would relentlessly grind down opponent’s defenses, and despite a relatively shallow roster—especially on defense—the Avalanche would finish 10th in goals for.

Today at the season-ending press conference, Sakic admitted that he likely will try to get even younger next season, not bring in a group of veterans to help MacKinnon and company compete next season. In a league that is skewing younger and younger each season, that seems like a sound strategy from a GM who was criticized endlessly last offseason.

The Avalanche do have several young prospects close to providing some NHL impact, though Cale Makar—perhaps the best of the bunch—will return to college next season. Bednar will be tasked with implementing them into the roster, without disrupting the chemistry he built this season.

Reid Boucher Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Reid Boucher was placed on waivers yesterday by the Vancouver Canucks, after he recovered from a broken hand that robbed him of the last few games of the season. Boucher has cleared, and will be assigned to the Utica Comets to help them try and dig their way out of a 0-2 series deficit against the Toronto Marlies.

Boucher was a point-per-game player once again in the minor leagues, registering 46 points in 45 games for the Comets this season. Signed to a one-way deal last summer, he only played 20 games for the Canucks after spending the 2016-17 season bouncing around the league.

Still only scheduled to be a restricted free agent, it will be interesting to see what kind of offer the Canucks extend to Boucher. Through 132 NHL games he has amassed just 42 points, but has solid offensive talent that shows when given the opportunity. He’ll be 25 next season, and needs to prove he belongs on an NHL roster full-time.

Philadelphia Flyers Send Lindblom, Sanheim To AHL

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Now that the Philadelphia Flyers have been eliminated, the focus of the organization turns to Lehigh Valley and their attempt to win a Calder Cup. To that end, the team has sent Oskar Lindblom and Travis Sanheim back down to help the club in their first round matchup against the Providence Bruins. The series is tied 1-1 and will resume this Friday.

Lindblom and Sanheim each made their NHL debuts this season, but also played substantial time with the Phantoms throughout the year. Lindblom was especially impactful, scoring 34 points in 54 games in his first full season in North America.

Both players will add another weapon to an offense that already boasts the league MVP in Phil Varone and one of the AHL’s all-time best offensive defensemen in T.J. Brennan. Though they’ll have to beat a solid Providence team in the next few games, Lehigh Valley are legitimate Calder Cup contenders this season.

Chuck Fletcher Will Not Return As Minnesota GM

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The Minnesota Wild have decided to not renew Chuck Fletcher’s contract as Vice President and General Manager, the team announced today. In a statement, owner Craig Leipold explained the decision:

I want to thank Chuck Fletcher for his substantial contributions to our franchise over the past nine years. Through his strong work ethic, integrity and vision, Chuck and his staff built a winning culture and a perennial playoff team. For all of that I am grateful. I feel it is time for a new approach aimed at delivering a Stanley Cup to the deserving fans of the State of Hockey. I wish Chuck and his family the very best going forward.

The team will immediately begin a search for a new general manager, but will have Brent Flahr serve in the role until one is found.

Fletcher has been with the Wild since 2009, when he was hired away from the Pittsburgh Penguins following their Stanley Cup victory. The son of legendary hockey executive Cliff Fletcher, Chuck has been noted as an exceptional manager over the years and has a long history of playoff appearances. The Wild have qualified for the postseason in six consecutive seasons, but have failed to get past the second round. That failure is likely why Fletcher is out of a job today, even with the combined 359-266-80 regular season record since he was hired.

One of the biggest contributing factors to Fletcher’s dismissal could be the trade he made at the 2017 deadline to acquire Martin Hanzal. The Wild had to send a heft package including a first-round pick for the oft-injured center, a deal that Leipold has publicly regretted since. Fletcher’s record in trades is certainly not perfect, but does include some outstanding moves for players who had been underwhelming for their previous teams.

In 2014 he used a third-round pick to acquire Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes, who despite his recent playoff struggles has been an elite goaltender for the Wild the last few seasons. He finished third in Vezina voting the season he was acquired, and has registered a .923 save percentage in 231 appearances for the Wild.

A year prior, he sent Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick to the New York Islanders for Nino Niederreiter. Niederreiter had been a fifth-overall draft pick for the Islanders in 2010 but famously posted just a single point in 55 games during the 2011-12 season before spending the next full year in the minor leagues. He would immediately become a two-way force for the Wild after being acquired, while Clutterbuck had failed to eclipse the 25-point mark in any of his five seasons in New York.

Most notably for Fletcher though might be the work he did in the 2012 offseason, when he convinced both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise to sign in free agency. The good friends earned identical 13-year, $98MM contracts that still have seven years remaining on them. At the time, they were seen as two superstar talents that could immediately make the Wild into Stanley Cup favorites. Though both of them have remained excellent players for the team, neither has been able to carry the team into the late rounds of the playoffs, meaning the contracts are becoming more and more troublesome.

Parise will be 34 when the 2018-19 season begins, while Suter’s birthday doesn’t come until midseason. Whoever replaces Fletcher in the Minnesota front office will have to deal with the two contracts, and even the thought of cap recapture penalties should they retire early.

Fletcher will be a sought after candidate for other jobs around the league, but it’s unclear where his ideal landing spot would be. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s given the keys to another franchise, or will have to join as a support member for the next chapter in his hockey career.

Olli Juolevi To Join Finnish National Team

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The Utica Comets are already on the brink of elimination in their first round AHL playoff series, and it doesn’t look like they’ll get any help as they try to climb out of a 0-2 series against the Toronto Marlies. Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver reports that Olli Juolevi will join the Finnish national team tomorrow in preparation for the upcoming World Championships instead of heading to the AHL. Juolevi will tryout for the team, though as Dhaliwal points out, he is not guaranteed a roster spot in the tournament.

Juolevi, 19, was the fifth-overall pick in 2016 and has had an excellent season back in Finland this year. After two seasons with the London Knights of the OHL, he returned to play for TPS in Finland’s highest league and recorded 19 points in 38 games. That came with another appearance at the World Juniors (his third) where he was named one of the three best players for Finland and was noticeable every time he touched the ice.

Expected to compete for a role on the Vancouver blue line next season, experience with the national team will be beneficial to his development. Being named to the roster for the tournament would be exceptional, and would give Canucks fans another reason to watch when it begins in just over 10 days.

Slava Voynov Hoping To Return To The NHL

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Monday: Russian news outlet Sport-Express reports that there is interest in five NHL teams, listing the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets as Voynov’s preferred landing spots. The Los Angeles Kings are not interesting in bringing Voynov back, which, as explained below, complicates his potential return.

Sunday: The elimination of SKA St. Petersburg earlier in the KHL playoffs brought an end to defenseman Slava Voynov’s contract in the KHL, paving the way for him to seek reinstatement to the NHL which he is expected to pursue in the coming months.  Voynov has been suspended from the NHL indefinitely after he faced domestic violence charges back in October of 2014.

The 28-year-old last suited up with Los Angeles and while his original contract was terminated at the time of his departure, the Kings still hold his rights.  Team president Luc Robitaille told Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider that there have been no discussions on him possibly rejoining the team as the league would first have to rule him as eligible to play.

Despite recent reports that Voynov is seeking a return, there is nothing clear about his current status. It’s out of our hands.  It’s between the league and Slava and his agent. If and when something happens, we’ll discuss it then.”

GM Rob Blake acknowledged that he has received phone calls from teams seeking clarification regarding Voynov’s situation but not necessarily to inquire as to whether or not they would trade his rights.

Voynov played in 39 KHL games this past season, recording 23 points while contributing six more in six Olympic contests.  If he is able to get reinstated by the NHL (which would require a hearing with Commissioner Gary Bettman), he would give the Kings another top-four option on their back end or a trade asset if they decide to flip him elsewhere.  With Los Angeles already having more than $70MM in contracts committed for 2018-19, the latter option may be the more likely scenario although given how he originally left, the interest elsewhere may not be as robust as it otherwise could have been.

Calgary Flames Announce Bill Peters As New Head Coach

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The signs all pointed to Bill Peters being the next head coach of the Calgary Flames, and now it is a reality. The team has introduced Peters as the their new bench boss. Recently leaving Carolina despite a $1.6MM salary, Peters has long been rumored to be interested in heading back to his home province of Alberta if the opportunity presented itself.

Peters also recently interviewed with the Dallas Stars, and is still a sought after commodity in the coaching ranks. That reputation comes in spite of the fact that the Hurricanes failed to reach the postseason in each of his four yeas behind the bench. Still, he fits the mold for the Flames, who have been clear that they are after a more authoritative voice in the dressing room. Though former head coach Glen Gulutzan was known for periodical explosions at practice, he was considered much more laid back than Peters is, something that the front office believes needs to change.

The Flames struggled this season and missed the playoffs despite outstanding performances from their best two players, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Both players set career-highs in scoring—despite Monahan requiring four surgeries at the end of the year—but couldn’t get the Flames into the postseason and now face a challenging task in the future. The Flames are without their first three picks in this year’s draft, as they expected to be Stanley Cup contenders, not draft lottery participants.

The new coach will have to get more out of the Flames’ defensive group, which is something Peters is known for. Serving under Mike Babcock in Detroit, Peters established himself as a progressive defensive mind whose systems generally drive possession and avoid giving up high danger scoring opportunities. Though Carolina wasn’t making the playoffs, they routinely registered good possession statistics but couldn’t seem to get enough goaltending to really compete. In his four years, his goalies registered .907, .906, .904 and .897 save percentages, well below league average. The question of whether that has to do with talent or system will likely be answered in Calgary, where Mike Smith is still capable of putting up fine numbers.

Calgary’s defense corps was expected to be one of the best in the league, especially after the addition of Travis Hamonic in the offseason. Unfortunately Hamonic never seemed to gel perfectly with the group, who were inconsistent from day one. They still have plenty of talent in the group, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see some personnel tweaks in the offseason as the team looks to rebound in 2018-19.

Five Key Stories: 4/16/18 – 4/22/18

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While the action is heating up on the ice, there has been a lot of news off of it lately which is highlighted in the top stories of the week.

Gulutzan Fired: Calgary’s late-season collapse proved to be costly for head coach Glen Gulutzan as the team fired him along with assistants Dave Cameron and Paul Jerrard.  His tenure with the Flames winds up being rather short-lived as he was behind the bench for just two years with his teams posting a combined 82-68-14 record with a postseason appearance (albeit a sweep at the hands of Anaheim) back in 2016-17.  The 46-year-old now hits the market in search of a new job but there aren’t a lot of vacancies to be filled and one of them (Dallas) is likely out of the question considering he was fired as their head coach back in 2013.

Byron Out Six Months: The season didn’t end particularly well in Montreal and the offseason isn’t off to a great start either.  The team announced that the speedy winger underwent shoulder surgery that carries a recovery time of six months and as a result, his availability for the start of next season appears to be in question.  Byron, a waiver claim three years ago, has posted back-to-back 20-goal campaigns but this doesn’t appear to be the best of ways for him to head into the final year of his contract.

Lundqvist Declined Trade Opportunity: Back when the Rangers were selling off their veterans around the trade deadline, one of the notables staying put was Henrik Lundqvist.  It turns out that New York had found a willing trade partner for him but the veteran decided to stay put, saying he wanted to see things through.  The 36-year-old has spent his entire career with the Rangers and has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $8.5MM, the second-highest for goaltenders next season.  With the team clearly heading for a rebuild based on the moves they made this past season, it will be interesting to see if Lundqvist has the same mindset down the road.

Datsyuk Stays In Russia: While Ilya Kovalchuk is eyeing an NHL comeback, the same can’t be said for long-time Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk.  Instead of heading back across the pond with his contract set to expire, he has opted to sign a one-year extension with SKA St. Petersburg.  The 39-year-old had 35 points in 37 games in the KHL this past season while adding six assists in six Olympic contests.

Peters Opts Out: While they’re still on the market for a new general manager, the Hurricanes will now be searching for a new head coach as well as Bill Peters exercised his out clause to leave the team, forfeiting the remaining year and $1.6MM left on his contract.  He spent four years with Carolina with his teams compiling a 137-138-53 record with no playoff appearances.  There is already plenty of speculation that Peters will wind up in Calgary to replace Gulutzan in the near future but with no GM in place, it may take a bit of time before the Hurricanes announce their next bench boss.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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