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NHL Announces First And Second All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

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Following the announcements of the final five NHL regular season awards, the league also revealed their three all-league rosters: the First-Team All-Stars, the Second-Team All-Stars, and the All-Rookie Team. Below are the 2019-20 honorees:

First All-Star Team (link)

G: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D: John Carlson, Washington Capitals
LW: Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
C: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

The 2020 First-Team All-Stars are a historic group, the first time since the inaugural all-league honors in 1930-31 that all six honorees are first-time members of the team. Unsurprisingly, this team also covers most of the league’s major awards with Draisaitl taking home the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross, Josi winning the Norris, Hellebuyck winning the Vezina, and Pastrnak earning the Rocket Richard.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
D: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins finish with a league-best three players on All-Star rosters. Their division rival, and current Stanley Cup finalist, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other team with more than one inclusion on the all-star rosters. Noticeably absent from either all-star teams are future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. This is just the third time since 2005-06 that at least one of the pair have not been on a postseason All-Star team, while they have both have been selected in the same year eight times in the past 15 years.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G: Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
F: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
F: Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks
F: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie elite, led by Calder Trophy-winner Makar, is an older group than usual. Merzlikins, Olofsson, and Kubalik, all 25 or older, played in Europe for a considerable amount of time before jumping to North America as a polished product, while Makar and Hughes each played a pair of seasons in the NCAA and Suzuki aged out of juniors before turning pro. Nevertheless, the first-year pros were all impressive and still have many  quality years ahead of them.

Ottawa’s Andreas Englund Signs In Allsvenskan

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The Ottawa Senators may have lost one of their defenseman as Vasterviks IK announced (translation required) they have signed defenseman Andreas Englund, who is expected to hit restricted free agency on Oct. 9. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the deal has an out-clause in which he can return to the Senators, but only if the team gives him a qualifying offer next month, which is no certainty. The wording on the announcement also suggests the Allsvenskan team hopes to keep him around permanently.

“24-year-old Andreas Englund played in (Ottawa) last season but his contract has now expired so he is now a free agent,” according to the press release.

Englund did manage to play a career high in games played in the NHL this season. He appeared in 24 games for the Senators, who drafted the blueliner in the second round back in 2014. However, the blueliner was also placed on waivers on multiple occasions throughout the year and didn’t see much time on the ice in Ottawa regardless. Englund averaged just 10:54 of ATOI and due to his lack of offensive ability, many believe that he doesn’t have the ability to win himself a permanent spot as a top-six defenseman in the NHL. That, along with a number of new faces on Ottawa’s defense this year, including a permanent role for Erik Brannstrom, a healthy Christian Wolanin and the overseas signing of Artem Zub, there may not be a place in the NHL for Englund, leaving many questions whether the team will hand him a qualifying offer.

Englund has played in the Allvenskan before when he played for Djurgardens Stokholm squad and then followed that year up with two years in the SHL before coming over to North America. He does have some size at 6-foot-4, but lacks significant offensive skill as he managed just three assists in 24 NHL games and went scoreless in 22 AHL games and his career high in AHL scoring has been 14 points (back in 2018-19).

 

Notes From Gary Bettman’s State Of The Union

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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with reporters via Zoom today as part of his annual State of the Union before the Stanley Cup Final gets underway.  Here are some of the key highlights as relayed by Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter thread) unless otherwise indicated.

  • While there is no firm timetable in place, Bettman indicated that he wouldn’t be surprised if the start of next season slips into late December or early January. The early plans were to start at the beginning of December with training camps beginning roughly two months from now but that hasn’t seemed like a probable outcome for a while.
  • Although there has been some speculation about a possible Canadian division next season to reduce the amount of out-of-country travel, Bettman didn’t want to speculate on it but added that they are considering all possibilities at this point.
  • The NHL is a league that greatly relies on gate revenue and Bettman suggests that the league derives at least half of their revenue from that particular stream. If you were curious to know how much of their revenue could be lost by trying to play with no fans for an entire year, that’s what they could stand to lose and why they’d prefer to try to push things back at this point in the hopes of getting at least some fans in.  However, he conceded that they could start the season without fans with an eye on bringing some in gradually as time progresses, per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (via Twitter).
  • The expanded playoff format this year that had 24 teams participate is not something that is going to be continued, notes NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link). Bettman stated that “It will take a fair amount of convincing to me at least that we need to make a change” so it appears things will go back to the traditional 16-team format next season.
  • At this time, the focus remains on playing a full 82-game campaign in 2020-21, via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). While not directly mentioned, many regional television contracts have that number built in with penalties if they play fewer than that many.  That was the case this season and it’s something they’d certainly like to avoid repeating.  It’s worth noting that their broadcast partner in NBC has the rights to the Olympics which are scheduled to start on July 22nd which could represent a target date for the playoffs to be completed.
  • While the end of next season is certainly going to be delayed from its usual time in June, this will not affect the Seattle Kraken’s timeline for their entry into the league for 2021-22.
  • No decision has been made yet on the status of the 2021 Winter Classic which is scheduled to take place in Minnesota, notes Rosen (via Twitter).  While it’s one of their marquee events and could even make for an interesting start point to next season, it would lose a lot of its intrigue if no fans were allowed to be in attendance.

U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces 2020 Class

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The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame has announced their newest class of inductees, as revealed by NBC Sports’ Eddie Olczyk, a U.S. Hall of Famer himself, before this evening’s Western Conference Final Game. The 2020 group is comprised of former NHL player and coach Tony Granato, decorated women’s player Jenny Potter, and a pair of historic college coaches in Jerry York and Dean Blais.

Granato, 56, is the current head coach at the University of Wisconsin. A former Badgers star himself, Granato’s collegiate career vaulted him to the NHL where he played 13 seasons with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. Granato recorded four 60+ point seasons, including an 82-point campaign in 1992-93, and was an All-Star and Masterton Trophy recipient in 1996-97. After retiring in 2001, it wasn’t long before Granato joined the coaching ranks as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche in 2002-03 and by the end of the season he had been named head coach. Granato spent six years with the Avalanche, five seasons as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and two seasons as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings before returning to Madison to become head coach of the Badgers in 2016. Granato has also coached with Team USA at the Olympics twice and played for the Olympic team himself in 1988. An experienced player and coach at the college, pro, and international levels, Granato is a jack of all trades who has enjoyed a long, well-rounded career.

Potter, 41, was a college superstar as well, playing at both the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. However, many will remember her for a long international career with Team USA that actually began when she was a senior in high school in Edina, Minnesota. In 15 years with Team USA, Potter played in four Olympics and ten World Championships, racking up impressive scoring totals and a total of 14 medals. Potter additionally played professionally for five seasons, returning from retirement in 2014-15 to play for the CWHL’s Boston Blades. While continuing to compete, Potter also coached for many years at the high school level, before coaching in the NCAA for three years, including one season with Ohio State University, and most recently as the head coach of the Slovakian Women’s National Team in 2017-18. One of the most well-known names in U.S. Women’s hockey history, who has made her mark across the women’s game, Potter is a great addition to the Hall.

York, 75, is entering his 27th season as the head coach at Boston College and owns more than 1,000 wins as an NCAA head coach. A captain of the Eagles during his playing days, York worked his way up from a graduate assistant with BC to become head coach at Clarkson University for seven years, head coach at Bowling Green State University for 15 years, and now head coach of the Eagles for the past 26 years. York has amazingly been a head coach in the NCAA continuously since 1972. A legend in the college ranks, York has coached four BC teams to National Championships and has made a total of 12 Frozen Fours, picking up the NCAA record in tournament wins along the way. An inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, its surprising that York wasn’t added to the U.S. Hall years ago.

Blais, 69, also coached for many years in the NCAA, but additionally made an appearance as an NHL assistant and coached in the high school and junior ranks. A standout player at the University of Minnesota, Blais returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach after a few years playing in the minors. In 1980, Blais was hired as an assistant at the University of North Dakota and spent nine years in that position. After four years off coaching high school in Minnesota, Blais returned to North Dakota as the head coach in 1994 and spent another ten years with Fighting Sioux in his second stint. During this time, he led the program to two National Championships. Blais then left to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant for three years and served as the head coach and GM of the USHL’s Fargo Force for a pair of seasons. However, he was drawn back to the college game in 2009, becoming the head coach of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Blais spent eight years with the UNO program before retiring in 2017.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins Lady Byng Trophy

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Though Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon certainly cares more about the results of the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, for which he is also a finalist, he can add at least one major award to his mantle for this season. The NHL announced this evening that MacKinnon is the 2020 recipient of the Lady Byng Award, his first time receiving the honor.

The Lady Byng Trophy, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, is awarded to the player who “best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.” MacKinnon undoubtedly has the ability; he has topped 90 points in each of the past three seasons including finishing fifth in scoring this season with 93 points. However, MacKinnon is also among the elite in staying out of the penalty box, especially given his considerable ice time.  Skating in 69 games this season at over 21 minutes per game, MacKinnon managed just 12 penalty minutes on the year.

While voting for the Lady Byng often casts a wide net, MacKinnon received 64 of a possible 170 first-place votes, more than double that of Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes, who received the second-most first-place votes. In total voting points, MacKinnon also finished more than 350 points ahead of Toronto’s Auston Matthews in second, with St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly and Slavin even further behind in third and fourth respectively.

 

NHL Announces Official Dates And Times For 2020 Draft, Opening Of Free Agency

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With the 2020 postseason proceeding ahead of schedule, there has been reporting and considerable speculation that the league would move up the dates of the delayed 2020 NHL Entry Draft and the beginning of the new league year and opening of free agency. The NHL has followed through on that speculation, officially announcing today the new dates for these events. The Draft will take place on October 6-7, and the new league year will commence on October 9.

The first round of the NHL Draft will begin at 7pm ET on Tuesday, October 6, a departure from its usual Friday night slot. Similarly, the second day of the draft, comprising rounds 2-7, will take place on Wednesday, October 7 rather than it’s typical Saturday placement. Otherwise, the structure of the draft stays the same. One key difference though is that all draft operations will take place virtually.

As for the start of free agency, the July 1 unofficial holiday will instead take place on Friday, October 9. Other than a delay of more than three months, the opening of free agency will not be much different; at 12pm ET, the signing window will open and free agents will be free to speak with teams and sign contracts. What may be very different however is the pace at which players will sign. While there is usually a massive rush of contracts when free agency opens, there are factors working against a fast-paced market. First, the NHL’s new CBA has eliminated the free agent contact period, meaning teams and available players cannot formally communicate until after free agency officially opens. Second, the flat salary cap will force the majority of NHL teams to be very careful with their roster operations this off-season, potentially prioritizing re-signing their own restricted free agents before throwing money at unrestricted free agents. This combination could produce an abnormally slow start to free agency, but October 9 will be an intriguing day league-wide nonetheless.

NHL Issues Update On COVID-19 Testing

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As the NHL has done each Monday in recent weeks, they have released an update on the COVID-19 testing being done in the bubble cities.  For the sixth straight week, there have been zero positive tests.  Their statement reads as follows:

The NHL completed the sixth week of its Phase 4 Return to Play with no positive test results for COVID-19 among the 2,534 tests administered. Testing was administered on a daily basis to all members of the Clubs’ 52-member travelling parties, including Players, during the period from August 30 through September 5. The NHL will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 testing results. The League will not be providing information on the identity of any individuals or Clubs.

With these results being added to the cumulative total, there have now been over 30,000 tests administered without a positive result.  The number of weekly tests continues to decrease (as expected with fewer teams playing) but with some family members being permitted to join players in Edmonton as the bubble drops to one city from two, they will now be subject to tests as well.

Snapshots: Schedule, Dostal, Brome

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The NHL has released their schedule for Friday, giving us a slate of game fours that lasts all day. Things will get kicked off with the Florida Panthers trying to stave off elimination once again after defeating the New York Islanders earlier today. The full schedule will be (all times central):

Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders – Game 4, 11:00am
Arizona Coyotes vs Nashville Predators – Game 4, 1:30pm
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins – Game 4, 3:00pm
Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers – Game 4, 5:45pm
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Game 4, 7:00pm
Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks – Game 4, 9:45pm

For some more intermission reading, here are some other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Lukas Dostal will stay overseas “for the time being,” after being loaned back to Ilves in the Finnish Liiga by the Anaheim Ducks. Dostal won the Urpo Ylonen Award as the top goaltender in the league last season after posting a .928 save percentage in 43 games and jumped up many prospect rankings with the performance. Selected 85th overall in 2018, the 20-year old netminder will get a chance to play in North America eventually, but is obviously doing just find continuing his development in Finland.
  • More interesting perhaps on the international wire is Mathias Brome, whose name was brought up in a report from Sweden. The 26-year old forward signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings in April but could end up playing in Sweden for Orebro HK until training camp begins. That decision hasn’t been finalized yet according to the report from hockeynews.se, but certainly would give Brome a chance to keep skating while waiting for his opportunity in Detroit. After scoring 43 points in 52 games this season, he’d certainly be welcome back into the Orebro lineup for as long as they can keep him.

NHL Issues Update On COVID-19 Testing

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Games are underway and they don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. The NHL has given another weekly update on their COVID-19 testing, indicating once again that they have had zero positive results inside the bubble. The league administered more than 7,000 tests to all members of the teams’ 52-member traveling parties.

The playoffs have already gotten off to a fiery start with several fines and suspensions along with buzzer-beating goals and overtime heroics. While the lack of fans is disconcerting at times, the NHL has done well to get their players into the bubble safely and securely.

Obviously there are still thousands of tests to go, but things are off to a (relatively) smooth start.

Maple Leafs Loan Mikko Lehkonen To Jokerit Of The KHL

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It turns out that Mikko Lehtonen’s time in the KHL isn’t over yet after all.  The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned the blueliner back to Jokerit to start next season.  He’s expected to report to the team next week.

Toronto signed the 26-year-old back in May after he and Jokerit agreed to a mutual termination of his existing KHL deal and the Maple Leafs beat out several other NHL suitors for his services.  He’s coming off quite a year, one that saw him pick up 17 goals and 32 assists in 60 regular season games (plus four points in six playoff contests before COVID-19 shut down their postseason).  He was limited to a one-year, entry-level contract due to his age and he’ll actually hit the open market again in the 2021 offseason.

Lehtonen will be the second Toronto player loaned out to the KHL to start next season as it was reported earlier this week that Egor Korshkov would be loaned to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to get some playing time in before training camps start up.

It’s that performance that has many expecting that he’ll be a part of Toronto’s back end when the puck drops on the 2020-21 season which is pegged to be in early December as things stand.  Loaning Lehtonen out in the meantime will allow him to get some playing time and should help give him a leg up in training camp.

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