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Minor Notes: Pettersson, Glass, Porter

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Emil Pettersson is heading back to the SHL after a pair of seasons in the AHL. The 25-year old big brother of Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson signed with the Nashville Predators in 2017, but was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in February of this year. Even with the change of scenery he wasn’t able to make it to the NHL, instead playing 61 total games at the AHL level and recording 38 points. Pettersson is heading back to the Vaxjo Lakers, the same club he left in 2017.

The Coyotes can retain his rights temporarily with a qualifying offer, but given the two-year contract he signed in Sweden he will likely become an unrestricted free agent before considering a return to North America.

  • After a lone season in France playing for the Bordeaux Boxers, veteran NHL forward Tanner Glass has announced his retirement. The 35-year old has apparently been offered a position with his former team the New York Rangers, though the Bordeaux press release doesn’t make it clear what his title would be. Glass played 134 of his 527 career NHL games with the Rangers, racking up 472 hits and 181 penalty minutes.
  • Kevin Porter is staying put after signing a one-year extension with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The minor league deal is for the 2019-20 season, and keeps the Americans’ captain in town. The 33-year old Porter has played 249 games in the NHL over his career, but is much more well known for his years in the minor leagues where he has been a consistent producer for several teams. He recorded 39 points in 58 games last season and is a former Hobey Baker winner that can help the young Buffalo prospects navigate their first taste of professional hockey.

Latest On Nikita Zaitsev’s Trade Market

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing their best to accommodate a trade request from Nikita Zaitsev, and even with his long-term contract in tow they are getting interest from around the league. It was recently reported that the Vancouver Canucks had checked in on the Russian defenseman, and now Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the Edmonton Oilers may have some interest as well. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has heard the same, though notes that both Vancouver and Edmonton have not yet made offers.

Zaitsev, 27, likely would have been on the trade block even without a request this summer. The Maple Leafs need to clear some cap space for the incoming Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson contracts, and Zaitsev’s five remaining years at a $4.5MM cap hit was one of the more obvious moves the team could make. Moving the right-handed defenseman would leave an even bigger hole on the blue line for the Maple Leafs, but his play hasn’t warranted his contract over the last two seasons.

It’s those relative struggles that makes the Oilers’ interest somewhat questionable at best. Edmonton already has four defensemen earning at least $4MM per season and none of them are truly outproducing their salary. In fact, they have young players coming up through the system that will need bigger roles before long. Adding a player like Zaitsev may bring about some stability, given only Oscar Klefbom is signed for more than two seasons, but he would also reduce the opportunity someone like Evan Bouchard may need next season.

That is of course unless the team is looking to move out other names. The Oilers and Maple Leafs had been rumored to be discussing a trade at the deadline revolving around Connor Brown, and perhaps those talks have resurfaced along with Zaitsev. Even if Toronto does move Zaitsev and Patrick Marleau, they may still feel like they need a little more room. Brown’s $2.1MM cap hit is fine for most teams, but perhaps not the salary-squeezed Maple Leafs if he’s to continue playing on the fourth line.

It is important to note that Zaitsev will earn a $3MM signing bonus on July 1, but will also see his modified no-trade clause kick in. That clause blocks deals to ten teams around the league, and if he hasn’t already submitted the list he could very well use the rumored interest to give himself even more leverage. The two sides are apparently working together on a deal after the request, but Zaitsev could control his fate a little more if a deal isn’t done in the next few weeks.

Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Morgan Klimchuk

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The Ottawa Senators have decided to keep a former top prospect around, signing Morgan Klimchuk to a one-year two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Klimchuk came to the Senators organization in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs in January and was scheduled for restricted free agency this summer.

Originally selected 28th overall by the Calgary Flames, things haven’t gone as planned for the 24-year old winger. Klimchuk has suited up for only a single NHL game during his professional career, instead spending most of his time in the minor leagues with the Stockton Heat. He was acquired by the Maple Leafs last season in exchange for Andrew Nielsen, but played just 13 games for the Toronto Marlies before being flipped to Ottawa.

If you’re the Senators though, taking chances on players like Klimchuk might be necessary. The team has floundered near the bottom of the league for the last two seasons and watched basically all of their top players leave through various trades. If somehow the young forward can put his game together and fulfill some of the promise he showed in junior they would have a player on their hands. If not, a one-year two-way deal poses almost no risk to the organization. Klimchuk will likely get every chance to make the Senators out of camp, as he’ll need waivers in order to be sent to the AHL this season.

Rick Nash Officially Hired By Columbus Blue Jackets

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Rick Nash has officially started his hockey management career. After spending the last few months shadowing Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, Nash was announced as special assistant to the GM today in a press release from the team. The Blue Jackets also announced that Bill Zito has been promoted to senior vice president of hockey operations, associate general manager and alternate governor. Basil McRae and Josh Flynn have been promoted to assistant general manager, and Chris Clark is now director of player personnel. Kekalainen released a statement on the slew of promotions:

Our club has made great strides in recent seasons thanks in part to the experienced and talented group of individuals within our hockey operations department. We believe it was important to recognize contributions and maintain consistency within our group in order for us to continue to improve and work towards our goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

Nash, 34, is a legendary franchise icon from his playing days with the Blue Jackets. Selected first overall in 2002, it didn’t take him long to become a superstar in the NHL. During his sophomore season, Nash would record his first 40+ goal season and take home the Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s top goal scorer. He would go on to score 298 total regular season goals for the Blue Jackets over his 674 games with the franchise, before eventually ending up with the New York Rangers. A trade deadline deal sent him to Boston in 2018, but after suffering another concussion he was forced to retire.

According to the release, Nash will help in several areas including player evaluations, prospect development and player recruitment. Kekalainen spoke highly of his new assistant:

Rick is the most decorated player in Blue Jackets history and was one of the game’s most respected players during a career that included multiple All-Star Games, Olympic and World Championship gold medals and a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He cares deeply about the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus and will be a great addition to our organization.

Player recruitment is certainly something the organization will need after they watch three of their best players leave this offseason in free agency. Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene are all expected to test the market this summer, leaving room for the Blue Jackets to make other additions to their group.

2019 Final Draft Order Set

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The St. Louis Blues have done it. The team that was in last place in the entire NHL in early January has come all the way back to defeat the Boston Bruins and win the Stanley Cup. With that, we now know where every team will land in the first round of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, though deals can obviously still be made to move the picks around. The final order is as follows:

1. New Jersey Devils

2. New York Rangers

3. Chicago Blackhawks

4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators)

5. Los Angeles Kings

6. Detroit Red Wings

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. Edmonton Oilers

9. Anaheim Ducks

10. Vancouver Canucks

11. Philadelphia Flyers

12. Minnesota Wild

13. Florida Panthers

14. Arizona Coyotes

15. Montreal Canadiens

16. Colorado Avalanche

17. Vegas Golden Knights

18. Dallas Stars

19. Ottawa Senators (from Columbus Blue Jackets)

20. New York Rangers (from Winnipeg Jets)

21. Pittsburgh Penguins

22. Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto Maple Leafs)

23. New York Islanders

24. Nashville Predators

25. Washington Capitals

26. Calgary Flames

27. Tampa Bay Lightning

28. Carolina Hurricanes

29. Anaheim Ducks (from San Jose Sharks via Buffalo)*

30. Boston Bruins

31. Buffalo Sabres (from St. Louis Blues)*

*Technically the Ducks have the choice of these two picks.

For Buffalo fans, things couldn’t have worked out worse. Not only did they have to watch their former star Ryan O’Reilly lift the Conn Smythe trophy moments before the Stanley Cup, but the Blues winning knocked them down another spot in the draft rankings.

The lottery results do not affect the other six rounds, meaning the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils will own picks 32-34.

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  For the most part, New Jersey only has depth players to deal with this summer with the exception of one core defender.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Will Butcher – His sophomore NHL season saw him take a bit of a step back offensively but he is still one of their most dangerous threats from the back end.  His minutes weren’t as sheltered in 2018-19 as he jumped up to over 19 minutes a night which will certainly look favorable to an arbitrator.  His defensive struggles will limit his overall upside in terms of a new contract but he’ll nonetheless be in line for a significant raise over his $925K base salary on his rookie deal.  With two of their top four defensemen now a year away from UFA eligibility, it’s likely that New Jersey will try to get Butcher locked up to a long-term contract.

F Pavel Zacha – The struggles continued for the 2015 sixth-overall pick who wound up with his first career stint in the minors when things really started to go off the rails.  To his credit, Zacha did play better upon his return and while he equalled his output from the year before, he managed to do so in eight fewer games.  At this point, him living up to his draft billing doesn’t appear to be likely but he could still be part of New Jersey’s plans in a lesser role.  A short-term bridge contract is a near-certainty and is one that could also be a make-or-break pact for his time with the Devils.

D Connor Carrick – After being a depth defender with Toronto that was headed for the waiver wire, the Stars picked him up in a trade where he proceeded to play a similar role with them.  He was included in the trade that saw the Stars pick up pending UFA Ben Lovejoy and Carrick was given the opportunity to play more minutes than he had at any other time, logging over 19 minutes a night with his new team.  His showing there could be enough to give him a qualifying offer which checks in at $1.3MM.  He’s also eligible for salary arbitration.

Other RFAs: F Brandon Baddock, D Josh Jacobs, G Cam Johnson, D Mirco Mueller, D Ryan Murphy, F Stefan Noesen, F John Quenneville

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Kenny Agostino – The 27-year-old had a career year in 2018-19, establishing himself as a capable NHL winger in the process.  He made a strong impression early on when he was with Montreal and after the Devils picked him up on waivers midseason, he was handed a fair bit of time in the top six and responded well with 13 points in 27 games.  That should be enough to land him a one-way contract at the very least and teams that are looking for some cheap winger depth with a bit of offensive upside may have some interest in Agostino, who also happens to be New Jersey’s top UFA this summer.

Other UFAs: F Kurtis Gabriel, G Eddie Lack, F Nick Lappin, F Blake Pietila, F Drew Stafford, F Eric Tangradi

Projected Cap Space: With just over $47.3MM committed for next season per CapFriendly, the Devils are going to have some spending to do to make it to the cap floor, let alone the Upper Limit.  They’ve tried to go after notable free agents in the past so it’s likely they’ll try to do so again, not only to try to help entice Taylor Hall to sign an extension but to also give them some security if he does leave a year from now.  If that doesn’t come to fruition, there’s a good chance they could opt to use some of that space to take on a bad contract in exchange for some other assets in the weeks to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Penguins, Forsberg, Peeters, Scherbak, Kiselevich

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While the update on the Phil Kessel situation yesterday drew the headlines, GM Jim Rutherford had another comment of note.  Speaking with reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he indicated that he’s open to moving down from the 21st pick and would like to add another pick or two to their current set of picks (five in total).  Rutherford is no stranger to not picking in the first round as they’ve only picked there once in his previous five years with the team.  (That player, Kasperi Kapanen, was dealt one year later.)  Vensel notes that goaltender Tristan Jarry could be dangled to try to add another selection while they could also look to move a surplus blueliner to accomplish that objective.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Blackhawks aren’t likely to re-sign goaltender Anton Forsberg this summer, reports Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune. The 26-year-old was once viewed as Chicago’s backup of the future but struggled when in that role, resulting in them signing Cam Ward last July and pushing Forsberg back to the minors in the process.  With the emergence of Collin Delia as a potential number two to Corey Crawford and Kevin Lankinen showing that he’s ready for a larger workload in the AHL, there doesn’t appear to be room for Forsberg moving forward.
  • Speaking of Chicago goalies, Blackhawks goalie prospect Wouter Peeters has inked a tryout deal with Tappara, the Finnish team announced (Twitter link). The 2016 third-round pick has not progressed as hoped and will need a big year in 2019-20 to have a shot at getting an entry-level contract.  Chicago holds his rights until June 1st, 2020.
  • Kings winger Nikita Scherbak is expected to sign with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, reports Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The 2014 first-round pick had a tough season.  He was injured early on in Montreal, struggled in a rehab assignment before getting injured again, and didn’t fare well with Los Angeles after they claimed him off waivers in December.  The Kings can retain his NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer in the hopes that some time overseas can help his development.
  • Meanwhile, from the same report, Eronko notes that Jets defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich is expected to return to CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He parlayed a good showing at the 2018 Olympics into a contract with Florida but played a minimal role with them before being flipped to the Jets at the deadline where he served as injury depth but never got into a game.

Offseason Keys: New York Islanders

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With the postseason wrapping up tonight, most squads are now well into their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the New York Islanders.

Expectations were low for the Islanders after they lost their leading scorer and captain John Tavares to Toronto last summer.  However, they were still able to land a quality head coach in Barry Trotz while new GM Lou Lamoriello’s depth additions in free agency wound up paying dividends right away.  As a result, not only did the Islanders make the playoffs, they swept Pittsburgh in the opening round before suffering the same fate at the hands of Carolina.  New York enters the offseason with considerable cap space so there should be more changes on the horizon.  Here is what will be on Lamoriello’s to-do list this summer.

Goaltending Decisions

Heading into the season, the goaltending tandem of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss was a huge question mark.  Lehner was coming off a rough year in Buffalo while Greiss had the worst numbers of his career in 2017-18.  This was looking like it was going to be their Achilles’ heel but instead, the opposite happened.  Lehner had a career season, fulfilling (for one season at least) the high expectations that came upon being a player that Buffalo gave up a first-round pick for.  (But clearly, unfortunately for the Sabres, it wasn’t with them.)  Meanwhile, Greiss bounced back nicely, giving the Islanders a very strong platoon between the pipes.

Lamoriello now needs to decide if he thinks that these performances were a sign of things to come or a one-off.  Lehner’s slated to hit unrestricted free agency and will be looking at a sizable raise from the $1.5MM he made this past season.  He’ll also be in line for a multi-year commitment this time around.  While there’s certainly some upside to giving him that contract based on how he performed, it’s not without its risks either.  As for Greiss, he will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1st.  Is he in the plans moving forward?

Complicating matters is top prospect Ilya Sorokin.  He won’t be coming to North America this season but his contract in the KHL will be up in 2020.  The Islanders are certainly going to want him to make the jump but as one of the top goalies in that league, he’ll undoubtedly receive some big money offers to stay home.  He’ll be forced to sign a one-year entry-level deal to start with New York but realistically, he’s going to want a pathway to a big role (and money) to put pen to paper to start with.  Committing to Lehner as their long-term starter could have some repercussions when it comes to Sorokin.  There were plenty of question marks with their goaltending head into the season and even after the year they had, there are still a lot of questions that Lamoriello will need to ponder.

New Deal For Lee

New York certainly doesn’t want history to repeat itself when it comes to losing their captain to unrestricted free agency but there is the potential for that to happen as winger Anders Lee is slated to hit the open market next month.  There’s mutual interest in a new deal but there appears to be one big issue that needs to be bridged before the two sides make a contract official.

Lee is believed to be seeking a near max-term contract which, if he re-signs before the market opens up, can go as long as eight years.  He turns 29 less than a month from now so a deal like that will take him to 37.  That’s a big risk, especially for someone whose output has varied over the past few years though he has managed at least 28 goals in each of the last three seasons.

Right now, Lee is a viable front-line player but over time, that will change and they certainly want to avoid another Andrew Ladd situation.  That’s why Lamoriello is believed to be pushing for a shorter-term pact, even though doing so will likely come with a higher price tag in terms of AAV.  While Lee doesn’t have quite the overall impact that Tavares did, losing a top scorer and captain in two straight seasons to the open market would be tough to take.  Can they find the right compromise?

Utilize Their Defensive Depth

While their back end isn’t full of brand name defenders, New York’s group wound up being quite effective and certainly contributed to the success of their goaltending.  Thanks to their efforts, the Islanders were the stingiest team in the league in terms of goals allowed.

The good news is that they’re pretty deep already.  The better news is that there is more help on the horizon.  Top prospect Noah Dobson figures to be in the mix for a spot next season after a dominant showing at the junior level.  Sebastian Aho (not the Carolina one) had a big year and is nearly ready for a longer look in the NHL as well.  Behind them, Bode Wilde had a big year at the junior level and they’re hopeful that he will make an impact down the road.  Add that to a capable group of seven at the NHL level and all of a sudden, the Islanders could be in a position to deal a blueliner or two at a time where the UFA market is pretty soft.

Nick Leddy underachieved considerably last season which has led to some speculation that he could be in play.  With a $5.5MM cap hit for three more years, he carries a hefty price tag but as someone that has been a capable top-four option in the past, there may be teams thinking that a change of scenery could get him going again.  Thomas Hickey was brought back last summer on a four-year deal but wound up playing more of a depth role when he was in the lineup.  He’s someone that could certainly be moved as well.  Regardless of who moves, the Islanders are in good shape as one of few teams that could realistically move a defenseman with plenty of teams being on the market for one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Notes: Knight, Caufield, Oilers

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There have been just two goaltenders selected in the first round over the last five drafts, and none higher than 22nd overall. That’s where Ilya Samsonov went to the Washington Capitals in 2015, with Jake Oettinger following two years later at No. 26. Spencer Knight is set to break that mark this season as arguably the highest touted goaltending prospect since Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012. Knight is drawing plenty of interest, and Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider tweeted today that the Kings are high on the American goaltender.

The Kings are one of five teams with two first round picks this year, but their second selection—22nd overall—may be too late to grab Knight. It’s also very unlikely that they use the fifth-overall pick on him, meaning if they are set on bringing him into the organization they would likely need to make a trade of some sort.

  • There hasn’t been a bigger draft riser of late than USNTDP sniper Cole Caufield, and his name was mentioned today by Matt Larkin of The Hockey News in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Larkin suggested that if the Kings really wanted to make a bold move in the draft they could snap up Caufield at No. 5, though he believes they are more likely to go with someone else. Caufield had 72 goals all told over this year of hockey, breaking records basically wherever he went. The 5’7″ forward is going to bring excitement wherever he ends up, and could very well be off the board higher than many believed just a few months ago.
  • The Edmonton Oilers know they have to start hitting on their high picks, and with the eighth selection this season the pressure is on for new GM Ken Holland. He spoke to reporters at the scouting combine in Buffalo, explaining that there are arguments for both defense and forward where he’ll pick. Perhaps in the most telling line however, Holland noted that “there’s some good defensemen there, but there’s some really good forwards.” The only defenseman consistently ranked above the eighth spot is Bowen Byram, who is usually followed by a run of forwards sometimes ten names long.

Poll: Who Will Win Game Seven?

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The Stanley Cup will be awarded in just a few hours. Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Pietrangelo and Jordan Binnington lead the St. Louis Blues into Boston with one last chance to secure the first championship in franchise history, but they’ll be met by a Bruins team ready to defend home ice with everything they have. Both teams will have some lineup changes, as the Bruins are welcoming Matt Grzelcyk back from his concussion, while St. Louis is adding Joel Edmundson and Ivan Barbashev. Connor Clifton will drop out for Boston, while Robert Bortuzzo and Robert Thomas come out of the lineup for the Blues.

Both teams are dealing with bumps and bruises (or broken jaws, in the case of one hulking defender), but there’s no tomorrow. Everything can be left on the ice with several months to recover and just one shot at hoisting the chalice. Some players may never get another opportunity, something a player like Jay Bouwmeester knows all too well. The veteran defenseman has played 1,184 regular season games in his long career, but is in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. In fact, he had only played in 49 playoff games total before the Blues went on this run.

For a goaltender like Tuukka Rask, this is another chance to silence his critics and establish himself as a franchise great. The 32-year old won a Vezina in 2014, but is playing at an incredible level in these playoffs. The Conn Smythe trophy may be his whether the Bruins win or lose, but it certainly won’t be as sweet without a victory lap on home ice.

So who will win tonight? Is it heartbreak for the Blues once again, or will the Bruins finally succumb to the physicality of this series? Cast your vote below, and let us know what you think in the comment section.

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