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Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Max Gildon

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After reports emerged yesterday, the Florida Panthers have made it official. Max Gildon has agreed to terms with the club on a three-year entry-level contract. After recently completing his sophomore season at the University of New Hampshire, Gildon will turn pro and start the next chapter of his career in Sunrise. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a statement about his newest prospect:

Max is a dynamic and exciting young defenseman who possesses size and skill and plays the game with an edge. Since beginning his collegiate career, he has been a key player for the University of New Hampshire and has been a leader for his team. We are thrilled for Max to take the next step in his development with the Panthers.

There’s no doubt that Gildon is ready to test himself at the next level. After being selected 66th overall in 2017, the 6’3″ defenseman has simply dominated his college competition. Mix 73 points in 101 games with a strong, physical presence in his own end and you get a player that looks like an NHL contributor. While there may still be development time in the plan for the 20-year old, you can bet he’s excited about the opportunity the Florida depth chart may present.

Sure, the Panthers currently have eight defensemen on the NHL roster and acquired Chase Priskie at the deadline, but that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. Mark Pysyk and Mike Matheson had been playing forward for the team, and while the latter has a long-term contract there’s a real chance they could both be in a different organization at the start of the 2020-21 campaign. MacKenzie Weegar and Josh Brown are both restricted free agents, while Riley Stillman is just starting to prove himself at the NHL level.

There could be real ice time to be won in Florida next season and Gildon should have a good chance to earn some of it.

Colorado Avalanche Player Tested Positive For COVID-19

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Another NHL organization has been hit with the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Colorado Avalanche have announced that one of their players tested positive, though after isolating since his first symptoms appeared, he has subsequently recovered. The team has notified anyone that came in close contact with the player, who once again was left unnamed.

Previously, only the Ottawa Senators had announced that players—two, in that case—had tested positive for the virus. This is the third case in the NHL so far. Of note, the Senators and Avalanche played in San Jose on consecutive nights after the county of Santa Clara recommended against large gatherings.

The Avalanche also played in the Staples Center the night before the Brooklyn Nets—who had multiple players test positive—and two nights before the Senators. Obviously there is no way of telling exactly how or when the virus was transmitted to the Avalanche player.

Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Jesse Ylonen

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The Montreal Canadiens have inked one of their most interesting prospects, agreeing to terms with Jesse Ylonen on a three-year entry-level contract. Ylonen had previously been loaned to the Laval Rocket but failed to play in a single AHL game before the season was suspended. He spent the earlier portion of the season with the Lahti Pelicans of Finland’s top league.

Ylonen, 20, actually could have an outside shot at making the Canadiens next season if he proves his overseas experience has prepared him for the North American professional ranks. Selected 35th overall in 2018, he’s quickly shot up prospect rankings with his strong play in Finland and at the World Juniors in 2019 where he helped bring home the gold medal.

With Cole Caufield returning to college for another year, Ylonen should receive every opportunity to star as a key prospect for the Canadiens, even if it is at the AHL level to start. Nick Suzuki successfully made the jump to the NHL last season, but it’s not always so easy—just ask Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was sent back to the AHL to continue his development.

Speaking of Kotkaniemi, he did play on some of the same tournament teams as Ylonen in the past and it will be interesting to see if the two ever get a chance to play together for the Canadiens.

T.J. Tynan Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have rewarded minor league forward T.J. Tynan with another contract, re-signing him for one more year. The team did not release financial details, but Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports the deal is a two-way contract worth $800K at the NHL level. It includes a $500K AHL salary, a high number for a minor league player.

It’s easy to see why, as Tynan has always been an exceptional offensive player in the AHL. Through 42 games with the Colorado Eagles this season he recorded 47 points, though amazingly only five of those were goals. He also spent 16 games with the Avalanche, recording his first and only NHL point.

The 28-year old was originally a third-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets but has just 19 NHL games to his name at this point in his career. That likely means he’ll be headed to the minor leagues again next season, though he will have to clear waivers.

Minnesota Wild Sign Hunter Jones

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The Minnesota Wild are still hard at work improving their organizational depth, this time signing prospect goaltender Hunter Jones to a three-year entry-level contract. Jones’ season with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL was recently cut short, but he’ll instead get to enjoy the feeling of signing his first professional contract.

Jones was selected 59th overall in the 2019 draft, the fourth goaltender off the board. The 6’4″ netminder from Brantford, Ontario was having an excellent season for the Petes, recording a 31-14-3 record with a .913 save percentage. Jones will be eligible for the AHL next season given his 20th birthday comes before the season begins, but he could also return to the OHL to develop further against players his own age.

The Wild do already have some other options for their AHL net, and it is hard to see how another year in Peterborough would hurt Jones’ long-term outlook. Regardless of where he ends up, the future looks bright for the big goaltender.

Maple Leafs, Kyle Clifford Interested In Extension

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Like any trade deadline rental right now, Kyle Clifford hopes that his stay with his new team is longer than just a handful of regular season games. If the NHL season does not resume, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be one of a number of teams regretting the prices they paid at the deadline for assets they were unable to use in the postseason. However, it seems that Clifford is hoping to stay longer than just this season anyhow and the Maple Leafs are equally hopeful of making more of their deadline deal. Agent Todd Reynolds tells Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that there is mutual interest on both sides in a contract extension.

Of course, there are a couple obvious caveats with this report. The first is that this report comes from Clifford’s agent, whose job it is to drum up interest in his client. With NHL action suspended and Clifford heading toward unrestricted free agency with 17 points on the year and just three in 16 games with Toronto, Reynolds needs to keep the veteran forward’s value up, especially if he doesn’t get another chance to play this year. The other issue is that the Maple Leafs are in no position to make any future salary commitments until they are aware of the impact that the current league pause will have on the salary cap. With nearly $77MM already tied up in 17 players for next season and major needs on defense, Toronto may not have the room to sign a bottom-six forward like Clifford if the salary cap remains at $81.5MM or only increases marginally.

With that said, should the report be more than just puffery from an agent and if the Maple Leafs do indeed have the desire and space to retain Clifford, the fit makes a lot of sense. The team acquired he and goaltender Jack Campbell from the Los Angeles Kings because they both fit specific needs. Toronto could use a veteran defensive forward who plays with grit and intensity, not just in in the 2020 postseason but moving forward. Clifford brings experience and leadership, but most importantly a physical element often lacking in the Leafs’ lineup. The Ontario native reportedly likes playing in Toronto, has an identifiable role on the team moving forward, and it doesn’t hurt that Reynolds also represents another Maple Leaf defensive forward in Zach Hyman. A signing might not be imminent, but mutual interest in an extension between Toronto and Clifford seems to make more sense than not.

Prospect Notes: Lafreniere, Gildon, Whelan, Richter Award

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The announcement this afternoon that the NHL would be postponing the 2020 NHL Draft means that top prospect Alexis Lafreniere will have to wait a while longer to presumably be selected first overall. Yet, with his QMJHL season already canceled, the young forward has little else to focus on. The same can be said for a number of NHL teams who already know that they won’t be making the postseason regardless of the format the league chooses if and when they return to action. No team has more to gain from the coming draft than the Ottawa Senators. If the NHL Draft Lottery were to be held without any further changes to the regular season standings, the Detroit Red Wings would have the best singular odds of winning, 18.5%, but the Senators in both second and third, given their ownership of the San Jose Sharks’ pick, would actually have much better odds at a combined 25%. Naturally, the question was asked by TSN today of the Quebec native Lafreniere how he would feel about playing in Canada’s capital. “It would be fun. It would be special,” Lafreniere said, “It’s a great place to play and it would be an honor [to be selected.]” While the Senators have not exactly been a top free agent destination in recent years, the club is building up quite a talented group of prospects and Lafreniere would be a great fit to lead the team into the future, especially alongside whoever else the team selects early in the first round.

  • One existing NHL prospect who may soon be joining his pro home is Florida Panthers pick Max Gildon. Gildon, who just wrapped up his junior season at the University of New Hampshire, is close to signing an entry-level deal reports New England hockey insider Mark Divver. Divver expects the two sides to come to terms on a deal within a week. Gildon was a 2017 third-round pick out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, but has outplayed his draft slot over three productive years on the UNH blue line. He also pairs a big frame, physical play, and ability to play in all situations with his considerable skill and vision. Joining a Florida team with a pretty thin pipeline of defensive talent, Gildon could be in the NHL sooner rather than later.
  • Quinnipiac University forward Alex Whelan has found his first pro destination, as the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack announced a contract with the nearby product or the 2020-21 season. Whelan, who just finished his fourth and final year with Quinnipiac, was nothing if not consistent in his NCAA career. However, his 24 points this season came in just 29 games as opposed to 25 in 38 last year. On a per-game basis, he was the Bobcats’ second-best scorer on a team that was within reach of an NCAA Tournament berth. A power forward who looks prepared for the pro game, Whelan is a nice pickup for Hartford and will likely bring some Quinnipiac fans along with him.
  • The NCAA announced the ten semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award for top goaltender on Tuesday, with several NHL prospects on the list. Maine’s Jeremy Swayman, who recently signed his entry-level deal with the Boston Bruins, heads up a list that also includes 2019 top goalie draft pick Spencer Knight of Boston College and the Florida Panthers, as well as UMass Lowell’s Tyler Wall, whose rights are owned by the New York Rangers but could be headed for unrestricted free agency. However, the favorite for the award is likely an undrafted product, Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay, who led the nation in wins, save percentage, and GAA. McKay and Swayman are the only Richter semifinalists who are also Hobey Baker finalists. Other standouts include Cornell’s Matthew Galajda, Michigan’s Strauss Mann, and Bemidji State’s Zach Driscoll. The three finalists will be announced at a later date.

PHR Panel: Optimal Playoff Format

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We’re now two weeks into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.

With that in mind, we’re happy to introduce a new feature: The PHR Panel. Three times a week, our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments. This series will run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Today, we’re tackling the thing most people want to know about–the playoffs.

Q: What is the optimal playoff format for when (if) play resumes?

Brian La Rose:

I know there is some growing optimism to expand the format to as many as 24 teams in an effort to try to artificially improve revenues by getting some larger market teams in. Sure, it’d create some extra short-term interest and create the opportunity for even more upsets than last year. But let’s face it, Chicago and Montreal have no business being in the playoff discussion and there are no guarantees fans will be allowed to attend anyway so the potential revenue boost may not wind up being as high as they’d like.

I’d rather see a 16-team format and an effort made to try to play out the balance of the regular season or as much of it as possible and have the bubble teams battle it out that way. Gary Bettman has talked about the importance of protecting the integrity of the Stanley Cup and the season as part of any discussion about what to do moving forward. That is achieved by doing this over opening the field up to as many as eight more teams and playing best-of-three series. It may not be the most optimal from a salary cap perspective for next year but that number can be negotiated over solely being fixed by HRR anyway.

Now, if they feel the need to change something, they can scrap the divisional format and go back to the older way where the top team played eighth place, second played seventh, and so on.

Holger Stolzenberg:

Generally, I often hear people complaining about the current playoff system as many wish it to return to the 1-16 format. However, I’m a big fan of the current seeding structure and would never want to change it.

However, this is a year in which we might want to make some changes to the playoffs, depending on whether the regular season is canceled or not. Obviously, if the league has time to finish out the regular season, then my vote would be to keep the playoffs the same. If the regular season is canceled, I would like to see the playoffs expanded as a one-time event. With some teams having played more games than other teams, it just doesn’t seem very fair to just take the top 16 (even if they base it on points percentage). A team like Columbus might slip out of the playoffs since they were already at 70 games. While they had won just three of their previous 10, I feel like with Seth Jones likely back on the ice for them the team could surprise someone again in the playoffs.

I would like to see some more teams get in, but the suggested 24-team playoff seems like way too many. In my estimation, 21 teams were close to challenging for a playoff spot (maybe 22 if you want to include Arizona). So, I think whether they are play-in games or something minimal, I would like to see all those teams get a chance to earn their way into the playoffs.

Zach Leach:

One format that could a) stress the importance of regular season success, especially maintaining the league’s emphasis on division battles, b) fairly include an expanded field if the regular season cannot be completed, and c) take place in a more limited amount of time would be to reward the top two teams in each division with first-round byes while implementing shorter series in the first round.

If the playoffs were to start with standings unchanged and seeding was to be based on points percentage, the first round would feature byes for Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas and Edmonton. Eight “wild card” teams in each conference would battle in three-game series. In the East, it would be Pittsburgh vs. Montreal, Carolina vs. the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders vs. Florida, and Columbus vs. Toronto. In the West, it would be Dallas vs. Chicago, Nashville vs. Arizona, Vancouver vs. Minnesota, and Calgary vs. Winnipeg.

The winners of each wild card, three-game match-up would be re-seeded for the second round, which would essentially mirror the traditional first round and set up the standard playoff structure. The conference semifinals, finals, and Stanley Cup Final would proceed as they normally do. In total, a field of 24 teams would be able to take part in the postseason with no more than three extra games compared to the usual course and no chance of a top-four team in either conference being knocked off due to time-constrained, shortened series.

Gavin Lee:

Quite frankly, I’m not sure there is an optimal setup at this point. The idea that any more regular season games will actually be played this season seems more and more unlikely each passing day and without those, it is hard to maintain the integrity of the Stanley Cup playoffs, what has become known as one of the longest and most difficult grinds in all of professional sports.

Sure, including teams like Montreal and Chicago would be beneficial to hockey related revenues, but it would taint the whole process in my opinion. How would you draw the line? Do the Sabres and Devils both also make it, given they’re only three points behind Montreal with two games in hand?

If it were possible, I would actually be shrinking the field to try and maintain some integrity, instead of expanding it. Eliminating all four wild card teams and giving byes to each division leader would allow you to keep the tradition of seven-game series and reward the teams that were really the best performers of the first part of the regular season.

Now, of course, the NHL would never do something like that. Having teams sit idle is only letting money fly out the window, and they’ll want as much as possible if they want to keep next year’s projections anywhere near accurate (which they already won’t be). I imagine we’ll see some sort of a play-in tournament, but they won’t risk losing a division leader in a short series against a team that wasn’t even in the wild card spot when the season hit pause.

NHL Postpones Combine, Awards & 2020 Draft

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Due to the uncertainty surrounding the current coronavirus pandemic, the NHL has decided to postpone the 2020 NHL Scouting Combine, the 2020 NHL Awards and the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which were scheduled throughout June. The league is still looking at options for when these events can be held down the road but without a full understanding of when (or if) the season will resume it is obviously impossible to announce a reschedule date at this point.

The league expects to return to Las Vegas for the award show, but “the location, timing and format of the 2020 NHL Draft (and Draft Lottery) will be announced when details are finalized.” That likely means Montreal, who was due to host the event this year, will not be the destination at all. France Margaret Belanger, executive vice-president for Groupe CH, owners of the Canadiens, released a statement on the news:

While today’s news is disappointing for fans of hockey in general and those here in Montreal in particular, this is the right decision to make under the circumstances. I’m confident that the League will propose an alternative that will be in the best interest of all hockey fans.

It comes with little surprise that the league was forced to move these events back or to different venues altogether, given that the season’s fate is still completely up in the air. Players were recently asked to self-isolate for another ten days, but there is still no timeline for resuming play.

Snapshots: Zub, Suspensions, U17

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With the KHL season and playoffs now over, the pursuit of the best players in the league will begin in earnest for NHL clubs trying to add free agent talent. One of the players drawing the most interest is Artyom Zub, who Darren Dreger of TSN reports has narrowed his options to just two teams. The Ottawa Senators, one of the teams chasing Zub the longest, is one of them.

The 24-year old defenseman has played the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, one of the KHL’s powerhouse organizations. He broke out offensively this season with 13 goals and 22 points, though Igor Eronko of Sport-Express points out that he doesn’t see the powerplay and is normally more of a defensive option. For a more thorough scouting report, Scott Wheeler and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (subscription required) recently broke down some of Zub’s tape.

  • Zub’s not the only KHL player with his name in the news today, as Kirill Dyakov was one of three to receive a suspension from the IIHF. Dyakov currently plays for Admiral Vladivostok but will receive a 15-month suspension from IIHF competition after testing positive for cocaine. Michael Budd and Vladislav Nikiforov also received 24- and 15-month suspensions respectively.
  • USA Hockey has announced its U17 roster for the 2020-21 season, a group that is expected to have a strong NHL draft presence down the road. There are some familiar hockey names among them, including Marek Hejduk—son of Colorado Avalanche legend Milan Hejduk.

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