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Archives for September 2018

East Notes: Aho, Brassard, Green

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The Hurricanes are expected to pick up extension discussions with winger Sebastian Aho in the coming days, GM Don Waddell acknowledged to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.  While the two sides aren’t setting the beginning of the regular season as a deadline to get something done, Waddell stated that the team is hopeful to have an agreement in place by then.

Aho has quickly established himself as one of Carolina’s top offensive weapons, leading the team in scoring last season with 65 points in 78 games.  He’s entering the final year of his entry-level contract that carries a cap hit of just $925K in base pay (with an extra $850K in potential performance bonuses).  Needless to say, the Hurricanes will have to give Aho considerably more than that to get him to put pen to paper on a new contract.

Elsewhere out East:

  • Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they will experiment with using center Derick Brassard on the wing in the preseason. Brassard stated at the end-of-season exit meetings that he had difficulty adapting to playing in the bottom six; moving him to the wing would allow the team to put him on a higher line.  If the experiment works, that would also help alleviate the small logjam the team has down the middle after re-signing Riley Sheahan as well as adding Derek Grant and Matt Cullen in free agency this summer and lessen the likelihood that they would deal from their surplus.
  • Red Wings defenseman Mike Green will meet with the doctor that performed his neck surgery five months ago in the hopes of getting clearance to participate in training camp, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Even if that happens, Detroit may limit him in preseason action as a precaution.  Green tried to play through the injury last season but struggled before the team shut him down in March.  That didn’t seem to affect his free agency, however, as he still inked a two-year, $10.75MM deal late in June.

2018-19 Season Primer: Toronto Maple Leafs

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last Season: 49-26-7 record (105 points), third in the Pacific Division (lost to Boston in the first round of the playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $13.317MM per CapFriendly (still need to re-sign F William Nylander)

Key Additions: F Tyler Ennis (free agent, Minnesota), F Par Lindholm (free agent, Skelleftea, SHL), F John Tavares (free agent, NY Islanders)

Key Departures: F Tyler Bozak (free agent, St. Louis), F Leo Komarov (free agent, NY Islanders), F Matt Martin (trade, NY Islanders), F Dominic Moore (free agent, unsigned), F Tomas Plekanec (free agent, Montreal), D Roman Polak (free agent, Dallas), F James van Riemsdyk (free agent, Philadelphia)

[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F John Tavares – Really, who else could it be?  The long-time Islanders star surprised quite a few people by heading to his hometown team in free agency this summer and signing a seven-year, $77MM contract.  How will he adapt to his new environment and, quite possibly, his new role?

With New York, Tavares was the focal part of their attack but Toronto already boasts three high-end players up front in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Nylander.  Matthews was their number one center last season and it’s hard to envision that changing.  They’re not going to move Tavares to the wing (that wouldn’t make any sense to do) so that means he will likely slot in on the second, a position he hasn’t been in quite some time.

On the surface, that may seem like a demotion but it could certainly go the other way too.  Tavares should now be freed from the top checking he faced with New York which should result in some extra space and opportunities.  He should also play alongside one of their top wingers so there shouldn’t be a big drop off in talent either.

The contract is going to firmly place Tavares in the spotlight.  The pressure and expectations have never been higher for him but he’s going to have a lot more on-ice support than he has been used to.  It’s going to be quite interesting to see how he fares in Toronto.

Key Storyline: Toronto’s long-term cap questions have been well discussed already.  However, even though they won’t be up against the Upper Limit again until next season, that looming cap crunch is probably going to play a role in their decision making in 2018-19.

Whenever Nylander signs, Toronto should still have enough room to account for their potential bonuses without having to put Nathan Horton on LTIR.  (Placing him there could result in a bonus carryover like there is for this coming season, something they’re really going to want to avoid now.)  After all that, they still should have enough room left to start banking some space towards the trade deadline, especially if they opt to shuttle some of their entry-level players back and forth between the NHL and AHL to save some extra money.

Even with the most optimistic view of next year’s cap situation, there is still going to be some roster trimming for 2019-20.  With that in mind, new GM Kyle Dubas may view this season as their best chance to really make a run for the Stanley Cup.  In other words, around the trade deadline is going to be the time to look to make another significant addition to their roster.  If they stay fairly healthy between now and then, Toronto should be able to bank enough space to make that impact addition without setting themselves up for the bonus overage.

We’re still a year away from really seeing what the full effects will be once Nylander, Matthews, and Marner all are on big-money, long-term deals.  Even so, it still should play an important role in Toronto’s decision making as they shape their roster throughout the season.

Overall Outlook: Toronto was already a contender last season and while their losses shouldn’t be overlooked entirely, adding the prized free agent in Tavares should only help.  The Atlantic Division looks like a three-team runaway already and the Maple Leafs are certainly among those teams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Suter, Staal, Watson

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Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter is slated to meet with doctors early next week to determine if he will be cleared to participate at the beginning of training camp, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.  The veteran sustained a fractured fibula late last season that also kept him out of the playoffs.  Suter has been taking part in informal skates over the past month but the Wild asked him to not take part in a charity game late last month, citing that they want to be cautious with their top defender.  While there was initially some concern that Suter could miss the beginning of the season, the signs are certainly encouraging that he’ll be ready to go in early October although they may limit his preseason appearances just to be on the safe side.

More from the Central:

  • Still with the Wild, center Eric Staal told NBC Sports’ Sean Leahy that he’s hoping to stay in Minnesota past this coming season. The 33-year-old is coming off of his best goalscoring performance (42) since 2005-06 when he tallied 45 times and is entering the final year of what has proven to be a very team-friendly deal that pays $3.5MM.  It was reported last month that new GM Paul Fenton wants to wait until the season gets underway before engaging in potential extension negotiations.  Considering the year Staal just had, it’s certainly understandable for the team to take that approach.
  • The NHL has completed its review regarding the domestic violence case regarding Predators winger Austin Watson, notes Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. A decision regarding any potential supplementary discipline is expected by the time training camp opens up on Thursday.  Watson pled no contest to the charge and was given three months’ probation and placed on judiciary review which means that if he abides by the terms set, his case will be expunged.

Panarin And Bobrovsky Not Guaranteed To Begin Season With Columbus

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After extending their front office and reportedly being close on a new deal with head coach John Tortorella, many are wondering why the Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t placed the same focus on resolving the impending free agency of stars Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Blue Jackets fans would prefer both sign long-term, but if they depart, the team must get something in return. GM Jarmo Kekalainen knows this and has to be open to moving either player if the right offer presents itself.

As such, Kekalainen told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he couldn’t commit to either phenom being on the Opening Night roster next month:

I can’t. In this business, there’s always talks between the general managers whether you’ve got pending free agents or not. We talk regularly. Sometimes there’s trades. So I’m not speculating on them. I’m just saying we talk all the time, so I wouldn’t say about any player whether they’re a pending free agent or not that they’ll be on our team in October because anything can happen between now and Oct. 3… I think we have to make some decisions based on where it goes at the appropriate time. If we can’t work out a contract, then we’ll have to make some decisions. I wouldn’t say they’re just going to stay and ride out into the sunset… Where we’re at with our team, we have to make some decisions and we’re hopeful we can get contracts done. If not, we’ll have to make some decisions… We want to keep them and we haven’t been able to be successful yet in extending their contracts, but we’re still optimistic we can get things done and we feel they can be a huge part of our team in the future. We’re going to have a good team into the future and hopefully they want to be part of it. That’s our mindset right now, to keep working at it… We want to have them here as long as we can, both of them. They are huge parts of our team. I don’t think anybody understands how big a role they play on our team. It is what it is. They have that right within their contract to do that, so you can’t blame a guy for doing that. Hopefully our season doesn’t revolve around that. I think that would be a shame.

This may not be what Columbus fans were hoping to hear, especially before the season has even begun. The team has until next July 1st to sign both players, who will otherwise be highlights of the summer market, and has more than seven months until the NHL Trade Deadline to figure out a trade. While they may get a superior return early on, it’s hard to imagine that the team will be as successful in 2018-19 if either player was absent for the whole campaign.

Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars Extend Camp Invites To First-Year Pros

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With rookie camps underway and veterans soon to join, teams are continuing to formalize professional tryout offers to bring outside contenders into training camp. Some are veterans looking to make the big league roster, others are young players pushing for an entry-level deal or a minor league pact, and fairly frequently some players are just in camp as a favor from the team in their hopes of being noticed elsewhere. It’s often difficult to know whether players have a legitimate shot of breaking camp or not, but their presence is intriguing all the same.

The Florida Panthers especially made some noise today when they released their training camp roster, as it featured the names of two potential first-year pros. Goaltender Evan Cormier, an unsigned former draft pick of the New Jersey Devils, and defenseman Dylan MacPherson will join the Panthers in camp. Cormier, 20, has been the starting goalie OHL’s Saginaw Spirit for the past three and half seasons and was a member of the Canadian World Junior roster in 2014-15 as well. Despite spending a fourth-round pick on him, the Devils opted not to sign Cormier due to underwhelming results at the junior level. Cormier never posted a season save percentage above .900 or a goals against average below 3.00 in four seasons in the OHL. However, he did improve with time and is out to show that he is still developing and has yet to reach his ceiling. MacPherson is out to prove the same thing. The 20-year-old blue liner has been a solid contributor for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers the past two seasons, but has been overshadowed by his fellow defensemen. Although MacPherson still has a year of eligibility remaining at the junior level, he likely feels that moving on to the pro game would better suit his development. The big defender possesses a sound defensive game, but needs to be a more dynamic player if he is to make a difference in the pros. It will be interesting to see if one or both of these young players land a contract with the Panthers or their affiliates.

Ben Gleason is out to accomplish the same thing as MacPherson, as the 20-year-old defenseman finds himself in camp with the Dallas Stars. Gleason, the younger cousin of long-time NHL rearguard Tim Gleason, has a quite different style from his cousin. Gleason is a very productive, offensive-minded defender who led the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in blue line scoring in each of the past three seasons. The puck-mover has registered 125 points in 236 OHL games, not including a massive 18-point postseason outburst this past spring. Gleason has also improved his defensive game of late and was a +29 between the regular season and playoffs in 2017-18. The question now is whether he can replicate that two-way success at the pro level. The stars have a penchant for offensive defenders and a good camp showing could add Gleason to their growing ranks of talented possession defensemen.

Minor Transactions: 9/7/18

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Rookie camps have begun, veterans are returning, and the preseason is right around the corner. Yet, teams and players alike continue to make decisions for the coming season. Here are some of those moves made today:

  • NHL veteran Adam Pardy has found himself a nice landing spot for the twilight of his career. The 34-year-old defenseman was forced into the international route last season to continue playing, signing with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League after twelve pro seasons in North America and 342 NHL games. Pardy will now return home by nearly returning home in a literal sense. Pardy has signed with the ECHL’s newest club, the Newfoundland Growlers. The team plays in St. John’s, not far from Pardy’s hometown of Bonavista, Newfoundland. The league announced that the Growlers had signed Pardy to a one-year deal, but the experienced blue liner may find a natural fit as the veteran leader of the young, developmental roster and so close to home, and end up with the team for another year or two longer.
  • Former Vancouver Canucks prospect Mackenze Stewart has signed a contract in the ECHL as well, but the 23-year-old is far from the end of his career. Stewart, a 2014 seventh-round pick, became an unrestricted free agent this off-season when his entry-level contract expired and the Canucks opted to not extend a qualifying offer. Stewart has always had good size and played a hard-nosed game and is even one of the few skaters in hockey who can comfortably transition from forward to defense. However, the WHL prospect has never quite developed the high-end skill needed to compete in the NHL or even the AHL. In his three pro seasons, Stewart has 132 ECHL games to his credit compared to just six in the AHL and has struggled to produce at any level. He has improved slightly each year and perhaps he can still develop into a serviceable pro. The Toledo Walleye at least see some potential in the big man; they announced a one-year contract with Stewart and went so far as to confirm that he will have guaranteed role in the defensive corps.
  • Reid McNeill likely could have avoided the ECHL in the coming season, but rather than wait around for the right AHL fit and risk spending time at the “AA” level, the former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has decided to move overseas. McNeill has signed with Dornbirner EC, an Austrian club in the EBEL. The Bulldogs announced a contract with the AHL veteran, adding him to the roster just one week prior to the start of the EBEL regular season. McNeill, 26, was a sixth-round pick of the Penguins back in 2010 and spent five years with the organization, almost entirely with their minor league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. At 6’4″, 216 lbs., McNeill is a big, physical player and a punishing defensive presence. McNeill reached free agency last summer and signed an AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch. He went on to play a leadership role as an alternate captain for the team and had a strong season to boot. Now with Dornbirner, McNeill could be a true No. 1 defenseman for the Bulldogs.

Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2018-19?

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We’re less than a month away from the 2018-19 NHL season, and players are hitting the ice with teammates to start forming chemistry. All over the league there are individual workouts underway, with rookie tournaments kicking off to showcase the young players in the organization. The excitement for the upcoming season is starting to bubble up to the surface, and even the smallest NHL news has fans in a frenzy.

Recently, Bovada released their over/under numbers for each team’s point totals and there are some interesting results. Though these aren’t to be taken exactly as predictions for the upcoming season—since betting odds also take into account popularity trends and other factors—fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning should still be extremely satisfied to see their club at the very top with an over/under of 107.5 points. The Lightning are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders once again in 2018-19, and have brought back nearly their entire roster.

We ran a poll asking the PHR community to decide who will win the Atlantic Division, and the Lightning came out on top with nearly 37% of the vote. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished in second place, but the big surprise was the Detroit Red Wings in third with 15% of all voters. While our readers have more confidence in the Red Wings than the odds makers, we’ve seen stranger things in the past.

Next we asked the PHR community to vote on the Pacific Division, and while things were a little more evenly distributed the San Jose Sharks were still the clear favorite. With more than 26% of the vote, the Sharks came out ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (16%), Vegas Golden Knights (14%) and Calgary Flames (13%). The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks haven’t done enough to inspire much confidence, earning just a handful of votes each.

The Metropolitan Division might be the most difficult to predict, but perhaps the most important given that it has taken home the last three Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team with an over/under above 100 at 103.5, but the Philadelphia Flyers (98.5), Washington Capitals (98.5) and Columbus Blue Jackets (97.5) are all right in the mix. It might be tough for the other teams to jump all the way to the top, but there is real talent still in Carolina and both New York teams. The New Jersey Devils, despite making the playoffs last year, have just a 91.5 over/under and find themselves right on the bubble of the postseason predictions.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Metropolitan Division? Can Washington keep the motor running and ride their Stanley Cup high all the way to another division title? Will the Penguins reassert themselves as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference? Can Philadelphia stay healthy enough to challenge for the crown? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out in the comments!

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Drew Stafford Will Attend New Jersey Devils Camp

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The New Jersey Devils have signed Drew Stafford to a professional tryout, bringing him into camp once again. Stafford played last season for the Devils but found himself without a contract this summer after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Stafford, 32, was once an extremely effective offensive player for the Buffalo Sabres, scoring 31 goals in the 2010-11 season in just 62 games. Though that offensive has dried up in the last two seasons, he still offered 15 points in 59 games while playing extremely limited minutes in New Jersey. Averaging fewer than 12 minutes of even strength time per game, he posted even possession statistics and could be a potential option as a fourth line player or extra forward again this season. The Devils did lose their trade deadline acquisitions when Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon decided to sign elsewhere, leaving at least a possibility that a veteran like Stafford could be needed.

Still, that would likely mean that no young prospects step up for the Devils and force their way onto the roster, something that many New Jersey fans are hoping for. While the Devils are already led by a young group including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha, other prospects like Michael McLeod and John Quenneville are expected to push for full-time jobs and add even more youth and skill to the lineup. Stafford earning a contract would be a decision in the opposite direction, though his professional work ethic and experience is nothing to overlook.

Seattle Arena Construction Will Not Begin Without NHL Expansion Vote

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While the Seattle expansion proposal is moving forward and will present to the NHL’s Board of Governors on October 2nd, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently said that there will not be a vote on that day to determine if a franchise is awarded to the city. Instead, that vote may come further down the line and play is now not expected to begin until the 2021-22 season. Today, Chris Daniels of K5 News reports another change in timeline, as the final transaction and integration documents recently submitted to the Seattle City Council include a clause that states construction on the new arena will not begin until the NHL awards a 32nd franchise to the city.

This doesn’t mean that things aren’t moving forward in Seattle, but does put a lot of importance on the upcoming vote, whenever it does take place. If the NHL decided the ownership group or city isn’t ready, a delay in awarding a franchise could cause any number of outcomes for the arena project. Daniels reports that the original plan dating back two years was to have a development agreement that did not “hinge on the acquisition of a team” but the new, changed agreement does include that clause.

The Oak View Group (OVG) which is spearheading the expansion application added minority investors this week and submitted several agreements to the city council for review including those for the arena development and lease. OVG is still set to present to the NHL Board of Governors next month, at which point we’ll likely know more about the timeline for an expansion vote and whether it is a realistic possibility for December when construction is now projected for.

Dallas Stars “Deep In Discussions” With Tyler Seguin

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The Tyler Seguin speculation came to a head recently when the superstar center repeatedly used the word “disappointed” in reference to his contract situation. Seguin and the Dallas Stars got back together soon after that, and now according to Mark Stepneski of NHL.com the team believes they’re headed in the right direction. In fact, GM Jim Nill used exactly those words to explain how he feels about the negotiations:

We are deep in discussions. It’s moving in the right direction. We’ll go from there.

I’d like to get it done before the season starts, but with negotiations, you never know. But I think both parties would like to get it done before.

Getting Seguin under contract before the season starts would be a huge boost for a Dallas team looking to bounce back from a disappointing season in 2017-18. Though their top offensive players produced at an extremely high level, they weren’t able to find enough secondary scoring to have any real consistency. They’ve tried to address that problem by bringing in players like Valeri Nichushkin and Blake Comeau, while also signing Anton Khudobin to make sure they have a solid goaltending tandem once again. Seguin’s contract situation will be a daily distraction if it lingers into the season, especially given the recent example set by John Tavares.

Seguin would easily be one of the top free agents on the market next summer, and if the season progresses without a contract the Stars would be forced to consider a trade. Though they obviously want to keep their star first-line center for as long as possible, watching an asset of that level walk out of town with no return is a tough pill for an organization looking to compete. Regaining cap space is one thing, but the Stars want to be among the Stanley Cup contenders as soon as this season and would have no internal replacement for a player of Seguin’s quality.

Just six forwards are scheduled to carry a cap hit of at least $10MM in the 2018-19 season, but Seguin could easily find his way into that group. It will be interesting to see though if captain Jamie Benn’s $9.5MM is a sort of internal threshold that the team isn’t willing to eclipse, and whether they can get Seguin under contract for a similar number. Currently carrying just a $5.75MM cap hit, Seguin is one of the best bargains in the NHL. Watch for his 15-team no-trade clause for this season to potentially be upgraded to a full no-movement clause if an extension is reached, guaranteeing his place in Dallas for a long time.

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