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2022 Selke Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL has announced the finalists for yet another of its end-of-year awards, the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Always a hotly-contested and highly-debated award, the Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association on the basis of “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”

This year’s finalists are Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.

Barkov took home the award last season after previous top-five finishes and is one of the best two-way players in the league. His offensive numbers took another step forward this season, while his defensive play stayed quite high. Paired at times with rookie Anton Lundell on the penalty kill (a player who might find himself on the Selke ballot eventually), Barkov averaged more than two minutes of short-handed time a night for the Panthers, and was once again one of the most dominant faceoff men in the NHL. His 56.9% win percentage in the dot was the best of his career and continued a five-year trend of improvement in that area.

Lindholm, meanwhile, is a Selke finalist for the first time after anchoring the best even-strength line in the NHL this season. When he was on the ice alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames were nearly unstoppable, scoring more than twice as often as the opponents. The trio finished 1-2-3 in +/- rating, with Lindholm dragging his career number back into the black with a +61. While his linemates have a lot of impact on that overall success, the 27-year-old came into his own as a shutdown center, and also logged more short-handed ice time than any other Flames forward.

It always comes back to Bergeron though, who is now a Selke finalist for the 11th season in a row. Now 36, some would have expected his game to take a step backward at some point, but that wasn’t this season. The Bruins captain had one of the (if not the) best defensive seasons of his career, completely smothering the opponent whenever he was on the ice. Winning more than 60% of his draws for the fifth time in his career, dominating possession even more than in previous years, and actually setting a career-high with 78 hits, Bergeron will be tough to beat again this season.

With four Selke wins in the past, Bergeron has a chance to pass Bob Gainey and become the all-time leader with five trophies should he take it home this year. Barkov could become just the tenth player to win more than one.

Jason Spezza Unsure Of Future; Will Only Play For Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs once again were unable to get out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, once again losing a game seven after having an earlier chance to end the series. With the season over, players, coaches, and management met with the media today to discuss what went wrong and where they will go from here.

One of those players has a very uncertain future. Jason Spezza will turn 39 in less than a month and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The second-overall pick from 2001 is just five points away from 1,000 for his career after having another successful year in Toronto, contributing 12 goals and 25 points in extremely limited minutes. Since arriving in 2019, the veteran forward has averaged fewer than 11 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs, but still has 80 points in 183 games, giving their fourth line some offensive juice whenever possible.

When asked about his future, however, Spezza seemed to have no real understanding of whether he’d be back in a Maple Leafs sweater next season. He told reporters that he feels “a little lost right now,” but added that he would not play for any other organization at this point in his career. He’ll speak with his family and the management team to see if there is a place for him next season, or whether it’s time to retire.

If he isn’t back, it has been quite the career. Spezza has played in 1,248 regular season games, split between the Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, and Ottawa Senators, where he first burst onto the scene as a super-skilled center that could routinely put up huge offensive numbers. In 2008 he scored a career-high 82 points in just 76 games, a year after taking the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final with a playoff-leading 22 points in 20 games.

Spezza currently sits 94th all-time in points and 97th all-time in games played.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

David Pastrnak Joins World Championship

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After being eliminated in a heartbreaking game seven over the weekend, David Pastrnak’s season of hockey isn’t quite over. The Boston Bruins forward will join the Czech national team at the IIHF World Championship on Wednesday, in time for them to play their fourth group stage game on Thursday.

Given the yearly success of the Bruins in the postseason, it has been quite a few years since Pastrnak has represented Czechia but he has been quite committed to them throughout his career. In 2018, after scoring 20 points in 12 postseason games with the Bruins, he still managed to join the World Championship team for another handful of games. He’s represented his country at several other tournaments, including the 2016 World Cup and three World Juniors.

Interestingly enough, Pastrnak is another example of this wave of NHL superstars that have never received a chance to play in the Olympics. That is despite being selected for the 2022 team, before the league decided to pull out of the event at the last minute. Pastrnak, Ondrej Palat, and Jakub Voracek were the three players that Czechia had named to the club ahead of time.

Given their schedule, he’ll be arriving just in time. The Czechs finish off the group stage with very important games against the U.S. and Finland, which could determine their fate in the event.

Snapshots: Blidh, Santini, Rubins

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Boston Bruins forward Anton Blidh expressed frustration over his role and ice-time with the team through the last few weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs. In talking to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, Blidh mentioned that he did not appreciate being scratched in all seven of the Bruins’ playoff games, as well as 11 of the final 12 regular season games, and even said that at times, he would have preferred to be in the AHL, where he could have played regularly. Shinzawa suggested that while Blidh did have his positives and perhaps could have challenged forward Nick Foligno for ice-time, he did have his drawbacks and Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy ultimately preferred to go with Foligno’s experience in these situations.

A pending UFA, Blidh does not have to endure his frustrations with the Bruins any longer if he chooses not to. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of Boston in 2013, Blidh has played parts of six seasons with the team, tallying four goals and eight assists in 70 career games in that time. Some of Blidh’s frustration can be understood, as a look back at the last three seasons shows that Blidh has played in 49 NHL games in that period, but just 15 AHL games. This season, Blidh played in 32 contests for Boston, but played zero AHL games. Even with COVID-shortened seasons, playing in just 64 games over three seasons could foreseeably be frustrating for any player.

  • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have recalled defenseman Steven Santini from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. After spending the entire year with Springfield, putting up 18 points in 66 games, Santini has shuffled back and forth between Springfield and St. Louis in the month of May, even getting his first NHL action of the 2021-22 season against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs. It’s unclear if there is a specific motive behind the Blues’ decision to recall Santini, however it does raise eyebrows given the team’s rash of injuries to their defensemen late this season and into the first round, which necessitated Santini’s playoff appearance in the first place.
  • It appears that Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Kristians Rubins will head to the World Championships to join Team Latvia (link). Listed at 6’5″ and 227 pounds, Rubins has made a name for himself as an imposing, physical defender who can shut down the opposition. In 58 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season, Rubins had one goal an 10 assists, and was even able to make his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs, playing in three games in December. The 24-year-old may have joined Latvia sooner, however he was on the Maple Leafs roster in the playoffs as a reserve.

World Championship Notes: Stutzle, Swayman, Heiskanen

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Concerning news from the World Championships for the Ottawa Senators and Team Germany, as young forward Tim Stutzle was injured Monday in a game against France (link). The forward took a hit in the corner from France defenseman Thomas Thiry, coming up limp and leaving the ice, favoring his left leg. Stutzle, who had two assists in two games before the injury, would not return to the game.

It’s not immediately clear how severe Stutzle’s injury was, but seeing the young star immediately leave the ice and not come back is of concern. The injury is an unfortunate break for Stutzle, who had the opportunity to represent his country once again after a breakout sophomore season in the NHL, where he recorded 22 goals and 36 assists in 79 games. The silver lining to this situation is that if Stutzle did sustain any injury of significance, he does have over four months to recover before the start of the 2022-23 season. As for Germany, they next play on Thursday against Denmark and will hope to have one of their best players in Stutzle back in the lineup.

  • After the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, several more key NHL names are off to the World Championships, including Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, writes The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf (link). Though many players have finished up their NHL seasons and have gone to their international teams just as Heiskanen has, his trip could be considered even more encouraging after his bout with mononucleosis earlier this season, which cost him 11 games. After returning, Heiskanen would record seven points in 18 games while averaging a considerable 25:14 time-on-ice for Dallas down the stretch, helping the team secure a playoff spot. In the seven-game series with Calgary, he would record another three points, averaging 25:35 time-on-ice. Considering his workload after battling mono, one might reasonably expect Heiskanen to be worn out, but his venture to the World Championships continues to show how well he has rebounded from the illness, an encouraging sign for Dallas not only in the short-term, but also when looking at future playoff runs.
  • Also headed to the World Championships is Jeremy Swayman, who will join Team USA (link). Swayman’s Boston Bruins were recently eliminated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes. The goaltender will join former Carolina netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to form a formidable goaltending duo for the United States in the tournament. As the Bruins look to answer some questions about their future plans with their season ending, Swayman has been a question-answered in net, recording a .914 save-percentage and 2.41 goals-against average over 41 regular season games in a breakout 2021-22.

Prospect Notes: Chicago, Vegas, Karlsson

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Earlier today, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson indicated a desire to acquire a first-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, reports NBCSN Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis (link). Davidson said that while it’s definitely something he is looking at and hopes to be able to do, whether or not he will be able to make it happen is a different question. The rebuilding Blackhawks had already traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the trade that sent defenseman Seth Jones from Columbus to Chicago this past offseason. That pick was originally top-two protected by Chicago, meaning that if they won one of the two draft lotteries, they would have been able to keep the pick, however they did not and Columbus receives Chicago’s sixth-overall selection in 2022.

This will be Davidson’s first season as GM of the Blackhawks after being officially hired into the role on March 1st. With the team having been in rebuild mode for a few seasons now, and sending the message that they expect it to continue with the trade of Brandon Hagel at this year’s trade deadline, Davidson’s next moves will be critical to showing what the plan is for the organization and how much longer he anticipates the rebuild to last. He has already acquired two future first-round picks from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2023 and 2024 drafts in exchange for Hagel, which he could foreseeably use to acquire a pick in the 2022 draft.

  • Vancouver Canucks prospect Linus Karlsson was named the SHL’s Rookie of the Year for the 2021-22 season, tweets Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (link). In 52 games for Skelleftea this season, Karlsson posted a strong 26 goals and 20 assists to go with a plus-10 rating. Originally a third-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2018, Karlsson was traded to Vancouver in the deal that sent Jonathan Dahlen to San Jose in 2019. Now 22, Karlsson is still yet to sign his first NHL contract, and has until June 1st to do so, otherwise he will become an UFA. Still, as recently as March, Karlsson had been hoping to sign with Vancouver (link).
  • The Vegas Golden Knights will host a prospect development camp this year, says GM Kelly McCrimmon (link). This will be the first true development camp the team has held since 2019. McCrimmon said that the camp will begin on the Monday following the NHL Entry Draft, which will be held on Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8th in Montreal. This year’s camp should give Vegas a good look at not only the players they drafted in the 2022 draft, but also some insight into who might be able to compete for a roster spot in training camp. With Vegas near the league’s salary cap ceiling, finding affordable young talent within their system will be a key to success in the 2022-23 season.

Snapshots: Stone, Fleury, Beaulieu

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Today has been a big day for news surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights, with coach Pete DeBoer being relieved of his duties this morning. That run of news now continues thanks to GM Kelly McCrimmon’s press conference today, where he revealed that captain Mark Stone, who battled injuries all year, would “most likely” be undergoing back surgery this offseason. McCrimmon did note that they expect Stone to be ready for training camp this fall, but this is nonetheless unwelcome news for a team looking to rebound from the most disappointing season in the history of their young franchise.

Stone, who just turned 30, struggled to stay healthy this season and only managed to get into 37 games. Stone’s back injury bothered him all season, leading to his placement on long-term injured reserve in early February. Stone did eventually return from LTIR in order to help the Golden Knights in their ultimately unsuccessful playoff push, but it now seems likely that his late-season activation from LTIR was more about trying to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive than it was about Stone’s back being fully recovered. If the cap-strapped Golden Knights have any hope of returning to contention next season, getting their captain back to 100% health should be a top priority, and it seems that they have elected a back surgery as the best way for Stone to get there.

Now for some other bits of news from across the NHL:

  • The goaltending situation of the Minnesota Wild has been a major storyline surrounding the team ever since they acquired the legendary Marc-Andre Fleury at the deadline. It was a move that would end up costing the incumbent number-one goaltender, Cam Talbot, his chance to be the team’s unquestioned starter come playoff time, and  There has been much speculation devoted to whether or not the Wild could manage to return that tandem for next season. Today Fleury spoke to the media and clarified his thoughts on the matter. Fleury said, per Michael Russo of The Athletic, that a return to the Wild would be “very appealing,” but that he will test free agency to at the very least see what his options are. Fleury went 9-2 in his 11 regular-season appearances with the Wild, and although he eventually ceded the crease to Talbot by the end of the Wild’s first-round loss to the St. Louis Blues, it’s clear that he was a good fit in Minnesota. Whether or not he continues that arrangement will be a storyline to watch going forward, as his comments do indicate clear interest in a return.
  • While this will give no solace to Pittsburgh Penguins fans still reeling from the team’s season-ending overtime loss to the New York Rangers, their team failing to advance in the playoffs does have one (very small) benefit. As CapFriendly notes, because of the Penguins’ elimination, they will retain the 2022 seventh-round pick they surrendered to the Winnipeg Jets as part of their trade for defenseman Nathan Beaulieu at the deadline. Beaulieu was acquired with the intention of being a reserve defenseman for the playoffs, and although he did end up activated from LTIR during the playoffs he did not skate in any games. For the Jets, this outcome is likely their favored one as had the Rangers lost to the Penguins, the Jets would lose their chance at landing a first-rounder as part of the Andrew Copp trade.

Injury Notes: Arvidsson, Dumba, Doughty

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Kings general manager Rob Blake met with the media today following his team’s elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday, and in his press conference, per Lisa Dillman of The Athletic, he revealed that winger Viktor Arvidsson suffered a herniated disc and will undergo treatment to recover from the injury on Tuesday. Arvidsson did not play in the playoffs due to the injury, and Blake noted that Arvidsson was set to play until his injury re-aggravated in a practice just before the playoffs were set to begin.

Recovery is expected to take three to five months, per Blake, meaning that it’s possible that Arvidsson is not going to be ready for the start of the Kings’ regular season if his recovery is on the slower side. This news is unfortunate for the Kings, as Arvidsson has proven to be one of the Kings’ most important wingers. Despite only playing in 66 games, Arvidsson ranked fourth on the Kings in scoring, potting 20 goals and 49 points. The Kings’ inability to score doomed them in the final game of their series against the Oilers, so if they have any intention of going on another run to the playoffs next season, getting Arvidsson healthy and up to speed will be essential.

Now, for other notes regarding injuries across the NHL:

  • Add Matt Dumba to the list of players who were playing through injuries during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Per Minnesota Wild Radio Network’s Kevin Falness, Dumba was playing through a punctured lung and a broken rib. It’s difficult to imagine what weathering the intensity of playoff hockey would be like under any circumstances, let alone with those two injuries, so Dumba’s performance in these playoffs is extremely impressive given the context of his injuries, even though he ultimately could not lead the Wild to victory.
  • As part of the Kings’ meetings with the media today, Drew Doughty spoke on his situation and the injuries that limited him to only 39 games played (and zero playoff games) this season. Doughty said, as relayed by The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein, that it was a wrist tendon injury that kept him from playing, and that he may have actually been able to return this season if the Kings had made it as far as the Western Conference Finals. Doughty notes that he “feels great” and should be ready for the beginning of next season. Given how well Doughty had been playing before his injury, this news has to be encouraging for the Kings as they seek to continue their rise back to the top of the NHL.

Calgary Flames Sign Adam Klapka

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While the Calgary Flames are preparing for a high-stakes second-round playoff series against their historic rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, that hasn’t stopped the Flames’ front office from conducting business in the interest of improving the team. Today, that work comes in the form of a two-year entry-level contract for Czech winger Adam Klapka.

Klapka, 21, is an undrafted player who has experience playing in North America. He spent two seasons playing for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, where he had 15 goals and 25 points in 57 games from 2019-20 to 2020-21. Klapka has spent this past season playing for Bílí Tygři Liberec in the Czech Extraliga. There, he was a teammate of former Flames defenseman Ladislav Smid, and scored six goals and 18 points to go along with 72 penalty minutes. He added four points in ten playoff games for the team as well.

Klapka is an intriguing player due to his size more than anything else. Standing at six-foot-seven, 245 pounds, Klapka offers rare size and physical tools that set him apart from the rest of the Flames’ prospects. Coach Darryl Sutter’s has constructed his Flames to be among the NHL’s biggest teams, ranking fifth in average height and sixth in average weight. The signing of Klapka, should he end up making the NHL in the future, will help the Flames maintain that position when the team’s current heavyweights such as Milan Lucic eventually age out of the roster.

Bruins Notes: Bergeron, Marchand, Grzelcyk

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After the Boston Bruins fell in seven games to their first-round opponent Carolina Hurricanes, the conversation surrounding the team and its future has centered around its captain: Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron, who turns 37 on July 24th, is one of the franchise’s biggest stars and one of the most widely respected players in the modern history of the game. He’s also set to become an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the new league year, as the eight-year contract extension he signed in 2013 is expiring. So, naturally, given his age and contract situation, there is a significant amount of attention fixated on Bergeron’s future with the only NHL club he has ever known.

There is at least some uncertainty here. As relayed by The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Bergeron said today that he will need time to make a decision about his future and whether he will continue playing. But, with that in mind, when asked if he could imagine playing for another team if he chooses to continue his career, there was no hesitation from Bergeron. He gave a simple answer: “no.” While Bergeron may be now well into his late-thirties, his game is still at an elite level. He is expected to be among the top contenders for a Selke Trophy once again, and he was productive offensively, scoring 25 goals and 65 points in 73 games. So, he would likely have many suitors on the open market if he sought to explore other options. But based on his comments today, it seems that he is making it clear to the hockey world that he will remain a Boston Bruin for the rest of his playing days.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Bruins:

  • It seemed that Bergeron’s longtime partner in crime Brad Marchand was his normal self in the team’s playoff series versus the Hurricanes, agitating opposing players and fans while stuffing the net to the tune of eleven points in seven games. But in reality, despite that production, Marchand was not his normal self, at least regarding his health. Marchand revealed today, per Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now, that he had been playing through an injury to his shoulder since suffering the ailment due to a hit from Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway in the regular season. While he remained productive throughout the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, Marchand did say that there was the possibility that he may require surgery this summer. He noted that he would need to “get it checked” with doctors first, though.
  • Marchand is not the only Bruin who was playing through an injury in the first round. Today Matt Grzelcyk revealed (per Matt Porter of the Boston Globe) that he had been playing through a dislocated shoulder, and that he would need surgery this offseason. He also noted that his recovery from that surgery could cause him to miss the start of next season. Grzelcyk only got into five games against the Hurricanes and did not manage to score a point, play that could be reflective of the toll the injury was taking on his game. Grzelcyk did have a productive regular season, though, and ranked second among Bruins defensemen in points. He has grown into one of the more important defensemen the Bruins have, so getting him back to health will be crucial if Boston wants to hit the ground running at the start of next season.

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