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Archives for April 2020

Colby Cave Placed In Medically-Induced Coma

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5:00pm: Cave’s wife Emily has provided an update on Instagram:

Last night and today have been the worst days of my life. Colby is currently in surgery and they are fighting to keep him alive. We need a miracle. Please pray for my husband and best friend.

Cave’s agent also told Mark Spector of Sportsnet that his client’s condition is not related to COVID-19 and Cave was not in an accident of any kind.

12:50pm: The Edmonton Oilers have announced some terrible news today. Forward Colby Cave has been placed in a medically-induced coma and was admitted to the critical care unit at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Cave suffered a brain bleed overnight.

Cave, 25, came to Edmonton during the 2018-19 season from the Boston Bruins and has played in 67 games so far in his NHL career. He split the 2019-20 season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, where he had 23 points in 44 games.

No other details on his condition have been released at this point, but the entire staff at PHR and the rest of the hockey world send our best regards to Cave and his family.

Snapshots: Denisenko, Gerard, Olympics

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The Florida Panthers are expected to sign prospect Grigori Denisenko on May 1 after his KHL contract expires, according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The young forward apparently “refused” to sign an extension with his KHL club and will instead be coming to North America. That’s not a huge surprise after the Panthers used the 15th-overall pick on Denisenko in 2018, but it should create some excitement in Florida as they wait for hockey to return.

The 19-year old Denisenko has twice suited up for the Russians at the World Juniors, earning bronze and silver medals while leading the 2019 tournament in scoring and captaining the 2020 squad. In 38 games with Lokomotiv this season he recorded just 12 points, but even playing regularly at his age is an accomplishment. Even though they already have a formidable forward group in the NHL, there is a lot to look forward to in the Florida prospect system with names like Denisenko, Serron Noel, Owen Tippett, Henrik Borgstrom, and others upfront.

  • The Colorado Eagles have added a prospect of their own, signing Charlie Gerard to a two-way AHL contract for 2020-21. The 24-year old forward recently finished his senior season at Minnesota State-Mankato, where he recorded 30 points in 37 games. The undersized Gerard will be joining an organization that was one of the strongest in the AHL before the season shut down and has routinely rewarded their minor league players with solid salary guarantees.
  • Usually when NHL commissioner speaks about the Olympics he is referring to the winter variety, but today he spoke to NBC Sports Network’s Mike Tirico about how the postponement of the upcoming Tokyo summer games could potentially be beneficial to hockey. Frank Seravalli of TSN examined the league boss’s comments, and explained how without the Olympics taking up several weeks in the summer there is now a “broader window” for the NHL to resume play. There are no firm plans at this point as Bettman and the league plays the wait-and-see game, but he did confirm that they could play “well into the summer” if need be.

Third Colorado Avalanche Player Tests Positive For COVID-19

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The NHL has announced that a third player from the Colorado Avalanche has tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the league reports that the player is in self-isolation and has not had close contact with any other Avalanche players or staff members. This makes eight players that have tested positive, three from the Avalanche and five from the Ottawa Senators.

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.

As with all of the other announcements, the player’s name was not included.

Dylan Samberg Signs With Winnipeg Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets have convinced a top college prospect to turn pro, signing Dylan Samberg to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin next season. Samberg recently completed his junior year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he won two national championships.

While it’s obviously not a guarantee at this point, Samberg will likely head into next season with a leg up in a battle for a roster spot in Winnipeg after three strong seasons at UMD. The 21-year old defenseman was originally selected 43rd overall in 2017 and has done nothing but polish an already well-rounded defensive game while showing he still has some offensive upside.

The 6’4″, 215-lbs Samberg not only has the two NCAA titles to his name but also medaled twice with Team USA at the World Juniors. While there could be AHL time in his future, there’s good reason to believe that a Jets team that saw their defense corps decimated over the last year and has four players headed for unrestricted free agency this offseason could thrust Samberg directly into the fire and give him an opportunity at the NHL level.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Alexander Barabanov

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have won a battle with several other teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, for the right to sign Russian forward Alexander Barabanov. The team announced a one-year entry-level contract for the KHL star, one which kicks in for the 2020-21 season.

The 25-year old Barabanov has been on NHL radars for quite some time, given his history of success in the KHL and on the international stage. A medalist with Russia at the World Juniors, World Championship and Olympics, he also has taken home two Gagarin Cup titles and has 137 points in 262 career KHL games.

Though his numbers dropped off this season, Barabanov will now get the chance to show he can compete at the NHL level with the Maple Leafs, who have a recent history of bringing over prized Russian free agents. Nikita Zaitsev, Igor Ozhiganov and Ilya Mikheyev have all played for the team the last few seasons—to different levels of success—though many believed that former GM Lou Lamoriello and former head coach Mike Babcock had a lot to do with the recruiting process in those cases.

It seems as though current GM Kyle Dubas still has the ear of some important representatives, which perhaps has something to do with the way he recently dealt with Mikheyev’s injury. After Dubas remained in New Jersey with the injured forward as he recovered, agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey—who also represents Barabanov—said that he had made sure that all of the other KHL free agents were aware of how Toronto dealt with the situation.

In any case, the Maple Leafs have landed another cheap forward to add to their expensive group for next season, giving them options on how to construct a lineup.

North Dakota Could Be Option For Continuation Of NHL Season

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Just about every NHL fan would agree to whatever plan gets hockey back on their TV the soonest, can best make up for the original regular season and postseason schedule, and will produce a fair and valid playoffs and champion. However, it’s doubtful that anyone figured that the best way to resume the season could be to send teams to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Yet, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the college hockey hotbed has been discussed as a possible ideal location for a neutral site continuation of the NHL season.

Friedman stresses that any plan for re-starting the season is only speculation at this point, but that non-NHL locations for neutral sit games seems like a possible outcome. Whether the regular season resumes as scheduled or if there is some sort of abbreviated schedule or play-in tournament, travel time could be cut back by having teams in just a few locations and neutrality removes any undue benefit to a home team. If games proceed without any fans, another distinct possibility, a location like Grand Forks also makes sense given it houses a world-class facility minus the capacity of an NHL rink. Friedman also notes that the low population density of North Dakota could make it one of safer places to continue play without an increased risk of Coronavirus exposure, while the cold climate could mitigate the ice quality risks of summer play.

Again, nothing is imminent in terms of when and how the NHL will resume play, if they do at all, and that is not expected to change for at least another month or two. Once the league comes up with a suitable plan, the players will have to agree to the terms as well. So, for now the NHL and NHLPA are exploring their options, both in format and locale, for the day we all hope arrives when hockey can return.

 

 

PHR Panel: Expansion Draft Considerations

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We’re now several 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 continue our 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.

To catch up on the previous edition, click here.

Today, we’ll each give our thoughts on the upcoming 2021 expansion draft.

Q: Which team should be most afraid of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft?

Brian La Rose: 

This is a tough one to answer a year out as a lot will change between now and then. Who is added over the offseason in trades and free agency can certainly affect things. So too can teams deciding to sign players to early extensions or holding off in order to leave them exposed to protect someone else.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that teams with strong defensive depth are the ones that should be the most worried. With a 7-3-1 protection system, anyone with a fourth defender worthy of keeping either risk losing them or their fifth-best forward if they switch to the alternative eight skater protection list.

Using that mindset, Carolina comes up as a team that should be concerned about Seattle’s draft.

Their surefire protectees at this point on the back end are Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei. But does Haydn Fleury take another step forward next year and become tougher to leave exposed? Are they able to get Dougie Hamilton signed to an extension? If so, he’s another must-protect player. What about Jake Bean, a well-regarded prospect that will be eligible to be picked. It’s reasonable to think that they may want to protect four defensemen which means only four forwards could be protected. But with a strong and relatively forward corps as well, they’re setting up to lose either a strong defenseman or a top-six forward. Having depth is great but a year from now, they’re going to lose an impact player.

Holger Stolzenberg: 

When looking at the upcoming expansion draft, there are a number of teams that may have to give up some very good players to the incoming Seattle franchise. While I can easily point to teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay as franchises that have a lot of talent, the team that seems to currently have the most talent at risk is the St. Louis Blues. Granted, there are still quite a few questions that need to be asked, including what will the team do with Alex Pietrangelo? If they re-sign him, then the team is overloaded with defensemen and might have to consider the 8 players and a goalie scenario as opposed to 7-3-1.

However, I sense that even if the team does find a way to bring Pietrangelo back—which I think is likely—then the team will have to ship out a blueliner (maybe Justin Faulk) to give the team some salary cap relief and keep a 7-3-1 scenario, considering all the talent. The Blues have quite a bit of offensive firepower with a lot of young talent. The team will obviously keep Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz if he is extended, likely Brayden Schenn–maybe David Perron, maybe not. That’s the veterans. What about Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Sammy Blais? They are key young pieces with a ton of talent. That still leaves quite a few players exposed, including Oskar Sundqvist, Ivan Barbashev, Zach Sanford…

So, no matter what moves they make, the Blues should lose a quality player. Don’t forget in goal…before Jordan Binnington came along, Ville Husso was considered their goalie of the future. Could he be the goalie of the future in Seattle now?

Zach Leach:

The expansion draft format, which will be the same for Seattle as it was for Vegas, is designed to hurt every team. The protection schemes combined with the exposure requirements ensure that each club must expose at least one or two players of value. However, the rules are most unfavorable not to the teams with the most high-end talent, but to the teams with the most depth, specifically those with considerable youth and homegrown talent signed long-term.

While rosters are sure to change before the Expansion Draft occurs—meaning projections will become much more accurate following the upcoming off-season—there are several teams who already look like they could be in trouble protecting their top assets from exposure. In my opinion, the standouts are the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Washington Capitals. Each of these teams have strong depth in both forwards and defensemen, including valuable young players. The Flames, Hurricanes, and Predators will all have to make tough calls on the blue line between established veterans and budding young standouts, while the Islanders, Lightning, and Capitals won’t have much choice but to expose young defenders but will also face a crunch at forward that could cost veteran difference-makers.

However, at least each of these teams has a chance at postseason glory this year (hopefully) and next before their rosters take a hit. The Sabres should be the team most afraid of the expansion draft because they look primed to lose a key young player before they are even done putting together a contending squad. With many strong defensemen and a growing core of impressive forwards, Buffalo will have to expose notable names. On defense, only two of Rasmus Ristolainen, Henri Jokiharju, Brandon Montour, and Colin Miller can be protected alongside Rasmus Dahlin, while upfront the team must protect centerpieces Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Sam Reinhart, and Victor Olofsson, not to mention the presumed top-six forward they have long been rumored to be seeking this summer, leaving few spots for a large group of up-and-comers including Casey Mittelstadt, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Asplund, and Dominik Kahun.

Gavin Lee:

When this year’s trade deadline was approaching and rumors started swirling around the Minnesota Wild, a few interesting names hit the news. The team was apparently considering a move of either Mathew Dumba or Jonas Brodin, two players who seemed to be core contributors that were still young enough to be part of a retooled competitive window.

The reason may well be the expansion draft, where new Wild GM Bill Guerin will still be in tough thanks to his predecessors.

Remember that players who have no-movement clauses require automatic protection from the draft, eating up precious spots. The Wild have four such players: Zach Parise, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Suter, and Jared Spurgeon. If the draft rolls around and all four players are still on the roster (and refuse to waive their clauses), it’s going to be hard for the Wild to protect all of their young talent. Remember, even Zuccarello will be turning 34 just a few months after the draft.

Brodin is an unrestricted free agent in 2021, meaning he may end up on the trade block no matter what, but if they had any inkling of extending the reliable defender it would only complicate things further.

No doubt this was also a consideration when Guerin almost traded Parise to the New York Islanders at the deadline. Moving the veteran forward would really be a blessing for the team, despite how difficult it would be to see a franchise (and Minnesota) legend leave town.

Frederik Dichow Coming To North America

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After a year playing in Sweden for the Malmo Redhawks organization, Montreal Canadiens draft pick Frederik Dichow will test his game on North American soil. The Danish goaltender has committed to the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL for the 2020-21 season. Sudbury owned his CHL rights after selecting him 41st overall in the 2019 Import Draft.

Notably, Dichow says he spoke with Buffalo Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen about the Sudbury organization:

I am super excited and can’t wait to get to Sudbury. After the draft last year, Ukko-Pekka reached out to me and let me know it is a great place to play and develop. I look forward to meeting the coaches and all my new teammates. I hear the fans and support are awesome in Sudbury and I want to help the Wolves win.

Luukkonen spent the 2018-19 season with Sudbury for his first taste of North American hockey and ended up being named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player after posting a .920 save percentage in 53 games. Though the 19-year old Dichow isn’t quite as well-regarded as a prospect, he will try to follow in Luukkonen’s footsteps as a dominant presence between the pipes.

The Canadiens spent the 138th overall pick on Dichow in 2019, the 12th goaltender off the board. His huge 6’5″ frame is imposing in the net, though he still has plenty to work on moving forward. Montreal has not yet signed the young goaltender to an entry-level contract, but still have time to wait and assess his development next season.

Snapshots: Seattle, Jones, Oilers

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The NHL season may be paused, but that doesn’t stop front offices from getting work done. Some of that work for the Seattle expansion franchise revolves around its still-unannounced team name, though the group is getting closer to a reveal. That’s what Seattle GM Ron Francis recently explained to reporters including Dan Rosen of NHL.com, indicating that though the organization will wait for an appropriate time to announce, it should be sooner rather than later:

We’re still going through that process with the League, working hard on the trademark and the legal process. Trust me when I say it, our people are really working hard, and as soon as we’ve completed it, we’ll look at how our community is doing and when is the right time to announce that name.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) followed up on the Seattle situation today, reporting that though construction on the new rink was shut down for several days, it is now resumed and both the NHL and Seattle organization do not believe that there will be a delay in their original timeline.

  • If the regular season or playoffs do resume at some point, the Columbus Blue Jackets could be getting back their most impactful player. Seth Jones took to Twitter to let his fans know that he has returned to the ice finally as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired ankle. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet jumped into the replies to clear up some confusion, reporting that injured players like Jones have been allowed to use team facilities in their rehab programs. The team originally announced an 8-10 week timeline for Jones following surgery, which he had on February 11.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have two draft picks that will see their exclusive draft rights expire on June 1st if they are not signed, but GM Ken Holland told 630 CHED today that negotiations continue with both of them. Filip Bergland, 22, was picked 91st overall in 2016 and has played the last four full seasons in the SHL, while the 21-year old Markus Niemelainen was the 63rd overall pick that year and has played in Finland for the last three seasons. Both players would become unrestricted free agents if not signed by the deadline.

AHL Notes: Man Of The Year, Hayes, Aubrun

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The AHL has announced the recipients of their Man of the Year awards, given to one player on each team for their “outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2019-20 season.” From the group one player is selected for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which was won by Landon Ferraro of the Iowa Wild a year ago.

Nathan Paetsch of the Rochester Americans has been given the individual team award for the fourth time in his career, as he continues his tireless work organizing events and appearances for him and his teammates to give back to the community. You can see the full list of winners here.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have signed undrafted defenseman Zach Hayes to an AHL contract, giving him a chance to transition to the professional ranks after four years with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. Hayes, 20, scored 23 points in 60 games for the Raiders this season while serving as captain.
  • The Rockford IceHogs have added a prospect of their own, signing Tom Aubrun to a two-year AHL contract. Aubrun, 24, recently finished his senior season at Norwich University where he posted a 23-2-2 record and .967 save percentage in 27 appearances. It’s not often you see a Division III goaltender earn a pro contract so quickly, but after such a dominant college career the IceHogs obviously believe he can be an asset to the organization.

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