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The Best Fits For Matt Duchene

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Despite the tumultuous off-season for Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche, GM Joe Sakic fully expects him to show up to training camp. At least, that’s what he told BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater. “He’s under contract and I expect him to be here” Sakic said, “Not everybody always comes to camp early. It’s not for me to (say), but I assume on the 14th, he’ll be here.” Sakic is referring to Duchene being one of only two Avs players under contract not to participate in captain’s practice last week. Holdouts may be rare in the NHL, but Duchene’s words and actions this summer have painted a pretty clear picture of a player who would like to leave Colorado.

If Duchene has reached his wit’s end with the trade rumors that have persisted since late 2016 and truly has no intention of suiting up for the Avalanche again, Sakic has just a few days left to trade him before this begins to enter holdout territory. The perceived problem all along is that Sakic has not dropped the asking price that has long been considered a young top-four defenseman, a first round pick, and one or two more young roster players or prospects. Not only do few (read: any) NHL teams have a young top-four blue liner to spare, but it’s hard to imagine anyone giving up such a package for Duchene, who has just two seasons remaining on his contract and is coming off a down 2016-17 season. Duchene had scored 55 or more points in five of his seven NHL seasons entering last year – and easily would have made it six had the the 2012-13 lockout-shorten seasoned been extended – yet, he ended up with only 41 points and an egregious -34 rating last season; a low point for both he and the Avalanche franchise.

Logic would seem to indicate that, holdout or not, Sakic has to continue listening to offers for Duchene and needs to lower an unreasonable asking price. TSN recently released their list  of the top nine NHL trade candidates this season, with Duchene obviously at the top. They list the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, and Pittsburgh Penguins as the mostly likely destinations for Duchene. The Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks have also been in the rumor mix this summer.

Right away, a few of those options can have their odds discounted. Having just traded away Travis Hamonic and traded for Jordan Eberle, the New York Islanders and their estimated $3MM in cap space likely lack the capacity and the desire to pony up for Duchene at this point. The Isles are still deep on defense, but with Thomas Hickey and Dennis Seidenberg approaching free agency next year, trading yet another young defenseman like Calvin de Haan, Adam Pelech or Ryan Pulock could put the team in hole. Without one of those three, it is hard to see New York making a suitable offer. The defending two-time Cup champs are in a similar situation. While many Pens fans would love to see the embarrassment of riches of Duchene as the third line center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh too lacks the cap space, currently about $3.25MM, and the pieces to get the job done. That is, unless Sakic is keen on Olli Maatta or the Penguins offer up Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, or an overwhelming offer of picks and prospects including Derrick Pouliot and enough salary to offset Duchene. It’s a series of unlikely scenarios. Additionally, the Montreal Canadiens lack anything remotely close to a young top four defenseman. Duchene would be a great fit for the Habs, but they simply don’t have the pieces.

The Hurricanes and Bruins certainly have the pieces to acquire Duchene, but it seems unlikely that either will be the team to finally do it. Boston was in talks with Colorado last year, but balked at the ask of a package including Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo and wouldn’t be willing to move Torey Krug either. If the price drops, the B’s have talented young defenders like Jakob Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, Ryan Lindgren, and 2017 first rounder Uhro Vaakanainen waiting in the wings, but even if that was enough, the Bruins’ quiet off-season has indicated that they would like to move forward with their own young players this season. Carolina, on the other hand, is a Duchene-caliber player away from being a true contender and would love to add someone with his ability. However, GM Ron Francis has made it clear that he does not want to trade any of his defensemen. That hasn’t stopped TSN for listing “a Carolina defenseman” as one of their top trade candidates, but as of now there is no reason to think any of Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, or Noah Hanifin are going anywhere. Like Boston, Carolina still has solid pieces if the price drops, such as Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean, but another thought has been whispered this summer that may take Carolina out of the Duchene race altogether. Since acquiring Trevor van Riemsdyk from the Vegas Golden Knights back in June, a player who by all accounts they didn’t really need, many have speculated that Carolina is looking to make a run at 2018 premiere free agent James van Riemsdyk, to bring in the scoring power forward that they desperately desire.

The Blue Jackets and Sharks would be ideal landing spots for Duchene, but both teams would need to get creative with their offers. Both squads have a need for a scoring forward, the cap space to take him on and plenty of talented defensemen, but what they would be willing up on the blue line is not exactly what Colorado desires. There is no way that Columbus includes Zach Werenski or Seth Jones in a deal, but could be open to trading David Savard or Ryan Murray. However, each have a caveat. Savard, while a solid top-four talent, has had durability issues and difficulty with consistent production over the past couple of years. While he would be a great addition to any defense, that may not be what Sakic is looking to get back. Murray, while injury prone, is a highly-skilled young rearguard, but, amazingly, the 24-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Any deal involving Murray would first have to include a long-term extension with the league’s worst team. Columbus’ best chance of getting Duchene likely involves a package with top defensive prospect Gabriel Carlsson and a young roster player like Josh Anderson or Oliver Bjorkstrand. San Jose also has a few untouchables on defense, namely superstars Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Colorado also wouldn’t be interested in veterans Paul Martin and Justin Braun. That leaves Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo as the top options. While both have shown top-four potential, they have largely played shutdown roles in their young careers and bring little offensive upside. Like Savard, one would think that Sakic has a little more in mind for the Duchene return than stay-at-home defenders like Dillon and DeMelo. If the Sharks package versatile puck-moving D-prospect Jeremy Roy with either though, then talks could really get started. A package that starts like that and ends with a first-round pick and one of San Jose’s many young forwards could be enough to seal the deal.

Yet, the top candidate to bring in Duchene is likely the reigning Western Conference champs. No, the Predators are not moving any of Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, or Mattias Ekholm, but the trick up their sleeve is top prospect Dante Fabbro. A junior teammate of Colorado top prospect Tyson Jost, Fabbro is considered one of the best prospects in hockey and should step into a top four role immediately when he leaves Boston University, much like Charlie McAvoy, who Sakic already targeted in Boston. Fabbro is not just a top-four defenseman, but a potential future #1 or at least a great option to pair with Cale Makar down the road. Sakic would be hard-pressed to find more upside up for grabs than Fabbro, but the Predators are set long-term on the blue line and desperately need to recoup the scoring lost in the Expansion Draft with the selection of James Neal. Fabbro, plus a young forward like Colton Sissons, Frederick Gaudreau, or Pontus Aberg, plus a first rounder and another pick or prospect, and Duchene could surely be on his way to Nashville.

Only time will tell where Duchene ends up, but the best case scenario for all parties is for that destination to not be Denver, Colorado for much longer. Sakic must and will eventually lower his asking price and someone will meet those demands. Could it be Nashville, Columbus, or San Jose? Definitely. Could it be Boston or Carolina? The Islanders or the Penguins? Possibly. Someone totally off the board? Of course. For such a talked-about topic, there is still so much uncertainty surrounding the situation. The next step will be to see if Duchene shows up to camp on Thursday. That decision could have a resounding effect on the trade process.

Latest On Matt Duchene & Colorado Avalanche Camp

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The hockey world perked up their ears again yesterday when they heard that Matt Duchene was not at the first voluntary on-ice session for the Colorado Avalanche, the only missing forward outside of Nathan MacKinnon (who is on a press tour with the NHLPA). Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke with Duchene’s agent Pat Brisson, who said that Duchene was still skating in Toronto but would not comment on whether he would report to training camp when it opens in just over a week.

Duchene was also a topic when Elliotte Friedman joined Sportsnet 590 this morning in Toronto, saying that he believes there is some renewed interest in trading the forward, mentioning Columbus and Carolina as possible destinations. Friedman doesn’t know of anything that is pressing, but we’ve heard the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes in connection to Duchene before. Both could use some help down the middle, and both have young defensemen who would be of interest to the Avalanche.

While nothing seems to be about to break in Colorado, the continued rift between the two sides seems like something that can only end poorly. If Duchene doesn’t report, it takes even less leverage away from Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, and might force him to just sit on his hands until the player returns to the ice. The worst thing that could happen is Duchene sitting out a large portion of the season because something couldn’t get done, especially with only two years left on his contract. Every game that ticks by his value is reduced, as a buying team wouldn’t have any guarantee he’d be around past the 2018-19 season. For a player who was once seen as a potential franchise piece, it has quickly turned.

Duchene’s Camp Pushing For Trade Before Training Camp

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Training camp is not far away and Colorado center Matt Duchene still sits on the Avalanche’s roster, waiting. The oft-rumored trade talk that has surrounded the 26-year-old star have not stopped, but since general manager Joe Sakic is looking for an overwhelming offer, nothing has happened and its slowly looking like Duchene might have to languish for another season on one of the worst teams in the NHL until a team decides to make that “perfect” offer.

Despite that fact, TSN’s Darren Dreger said that while Duchene doesn’t want to leave Colorado on a bad note since it’s the only home he’s known since 2009, it is believed that he and his agent are now putting pressure on Sakic to get a deal done before training camp.

“We’re talking about CAA Sports here. They try to manage things as quietly as they can, as efficiently as they can, and as respectful of the team, the organization as they can,” Dreger said on WGR550 radio Saturday.

“Matt Duchene is a veteran player. He doesn’t want to leave the Colorado Avalanche with crashing waves and all kinds of bad blood. He wanted this situation remedied a long time ago and he’s still hoping that that’s the case in the days leading up to the Colorado Avalanche training camp.

So I would say that while this has seemingly been a back-burner situation for quite some time – several months, in fact over a year – I think it’s now shifted into a front-burner situation and there’ll be a some heat on Sakic and the Avs to get this done in the next 14 days.”

However, if a deal doesn’t happen, expect Duchene to be ready for training camp for one purpose, according to Yahoo Sports’ Greg Wyshynski, who writes that Duchene knows that if he wants an opportunity to play on a winning team, he needs to produce better than he did last year. After all, his numbers from a year ago might suggest that he isn’t deserving of a huge offer. He put up 18 goals and 23 assists in 77 games a year ago. Granted, he lacks the talent around him that many good players already have, but those numbers don’t spark tremendous excitement. Only a year before that, Duchene had a 30-goal season and 59 points. He may need to produce at that pace this year to find himself a new home, according to Wyshynski.

The scribe adds that this whole process is not fair to Duchene, who has invested 572 games for Colorado in his career and he deserves better than to sit and wait. However, Dreger says that Sakic believes he is worth more than last year’s numbers indicate, but he believes that a trade could easily still happen before training camp starts.

“I think it’s taking so long because Joe Sakic does, again, have a level of expectation that’s much higher from Matt Duchene than what he produced last year. And Matt Duchene himself has a higher level of expectation of his performance and I’m sure that he’s trained accordingly and vows that he’s going to have much bigger numbers this year moving forward. But if you’re an NHL general manager with interest, and there’s a handful of teams that still remain interested in Duchene, you’re trying to make a deal based on numbers from last year – not projections of what he might be moving forward, or what he’s been in the past, which is a star NHL forward,” Dreger said.

If no trade happens, it certainly will be an awkward training camp for Duchene, who could find himself shipped off at any moment, yet remains stuck playing for a struggling franchise. We’ll have to see how this one shakes out.

Colorado’s Tumultuous Twelve Months

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The Colorado Avalanche have had a tough 12 months. On August 11th, 2016 legendary goaltender and then head coach Patrick Roy left the organization in a public resignation less than a month before training camp was due to start. His departure was reported to have stemmed at least partially from Tyson Barrie’s new four-year contract, signed less than two weeks prior. Roy left the Avalanche scrambling for a new coach, and though Jared Bednar would eventually brought in things were never stable.

"<strongThe season started remarkably well with three wins in the first four games, but it wouldn’t take long for the Avalanche to drop to the bottom of the standings. By Christmas, they were 12-20-1 and they would win just ten more games the rest of the way. At the trade deadline, other teams were circling like vultures trying to pry Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene away from GM Joe Sakic, but the Avalanche GM wouldn’t budge. His high asking priced held firm, and instead of selling off top assets he sat relatively silent (apologies to Jarome Iginla and Andreas Martinsen).

Though the speculation on Landeskog died down, Duchene was another story. Rumors would follow him through the end of the season and to the entry draft, where Colorado fell out of the top three picks despite a historically bad finish. The draft lottery is a cruel mistress, and Sakic saw New Jersey, Philadelphia and Dallas stride to the podium before him.

But that’s where things have started to change. Rumored to be a possibility for the top-two picks as close as the morning of the draft, Cale Makar made it to the fourth pick where Sakic immediately snapped him up. The dynamic puck-rushing defender has as much risk as anyone taken in the top five, but could also become one of the premiere offensive defensemen in the new NHL. He’s heading to UMass in the fall, but has already said he doesn’t expect to spend all four years there.

"<strongWhile the Duchene shadow still looms over the Avalanche, they’ve done well lately to add young players with little to no risk. Dominic Toninato and Alex Kerfoot were among the best available NCAA free agents, and though Colorado lost Will Butcher, the pair of forwards more than make up for it. They’ll join an impressive young group forming for the Avalanche.

Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher, A.J. Greer and the two free agents represent a 23-and-under group that could be quite formidable if given the chance, and the wildcard of Nail Yakupov also exists. If the former first-overall pick could ever live up to his immense goal scoring potential, Colorado could be hard to contain.

Add in that Duchene is still likely to bring a big return at some point, and Jonathan Bernier could be a trade-deadline asset, and the team could be surprisingly successful in short order. While a playoff spot still seems like a distant goal, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The defense still needs work—the team doesn’t even have Nikita Zadorov under contract yet—but with another lottery chance in what’s shaping up to be an incredibly deep draft in 2018, the Avalanche could have a quicker turnaround than many expect.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche Still Working On Contract

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Though there has been plenty of rumors that Nikita Zadorov had already agreed upon a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, nothing had yet been announced by the club. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post finally got GM Joe Sakic to sit down and talk about it, and he explained that the contract length has been decided but they are still working on salary.

Both sides agreed to a two-year deal and we just have to figure out the numbers. We’ve got our NHL comps that we’re going with and he’s got to make a decision at some point on what he wants to do.

Zadorov has a contract offer in hand from the KHL, but has been clear that he’d like to stay in the NHL if possible. With Sakic taking a hard stance on salary though, that may have to change. The 22-year old defenseman is a restricted free agent and has little leverage if he stays in North America, as the Avalanche are more worried about slowly building their youth movement than competing in the short term. A holdout by Zadorov wouldn’t hurt a playoff run, for instance.

Even though Zadorov was a big part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade, he hasn’t yet turned into the shutdown defender the Avalanche had hoped for. While his big hits make highlight reels on the regular, he recorded just 10 points last season and has been generally just average in his own end. It’s clear that Sakic has a set number that he’ll pay, and is willing to endure threats of a KHL departure.

Sakic also mentions Matt Duchene, and the continuing possibility of a trade. Duchene is expected currently to join the team at training camp but Sakic “will be listening to offers.” Recently, Darren Dreger of TSN said that pushing Duchene back into the Colorado dressing room could be a mistake after the public availability this summer, but it doesn’t sound like Sakic’s ask has softened any. If he’s still looking for a blockbuster return for Duchene, he might have to start the year with the squad and wait for a desperate team to come forth later in the year.

Avalanche Notes: Sakic, Defense, Long-Term Deals

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Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has been at the helm now for six years. His team has spiraled downward and hit rock bottom last year with a league’s worst 22-56-4 record, worth 48 points. To make matters worse, the team only has a handful of prospects and don’t seem to have a plan or path to take the franchise on.

According to NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz, Sakic is a likely candidate to be on the hotseat this season. The team’s lack of a proper path, constant roster questions that seem to be held up by a potential Matt Duchene trade that has never happened and a shortcoming of prospects seem to suggest that he may be the first general manager out the door this season. To make matters worse, the Avalanche have had the worst defense in the league for the past two years, according to Gretz, and have made no defensive changes this year.

  • The Avalanche still have quite a few questions when it comes to its roster. Although the team is currently negotiating with defenseman Nikita Zadorov, the Avalanche only have three defensemen on their roster, including Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Mark Barberio, according to NBC Sports James O’Brien. With more than $11MM in cap space still remaining, Colorado has the ability to acquire more players and depth. However, considering their lack of depth, using draft picks to trade for a player makes little sense. That leaves signing leftover free agents to short-term deals, but there are very few defensive free agents of note. Trading Matt Duchene may be their best way to fill in some of those holes.
  • O’Brien also points out that, on a positive note, that the Avalanche have very few long-term deals, which should give the team quite a bit of flexibility. Only Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM AAV till 2022-23), Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57MM AAV till 2020-21), Carl Soderberg ($4.75MM AAV till 2019-20), Johnson ($6MM AAV till 2022-23) and Barrie ($5.5MM AAV till 2019-20) are locked up for the next three years.

Colorado’s Holes On The Blue Line

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It’s no secret that many people expect the Colorado Avalanche to be the worst team in the NHL again next year. Those who don’t generally put them just ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, and fighting to be better than an expansion team in their inaugural season is not exactly a great spot for a franchise. However, there was not really much that GM Joe Sakic and the Avs could do this off-season, with so few veteran players on their roster who would have value on the trade market and an understandable reluctance to trade away young talent. In a weak free agent and trade market, no one could have drastically turned the team around either. The rebuild is ongoing in Colorado and they need to take their time with it an do it right so that a 48-point season never happens again.

With that said, it still doesn’t hurt, even for a rebuilding team, to try to be more competitive by adding a veteran player or two. Sakic understands that. He has gone out and added Jonathan Bernier, one of top goalies available, to back up Semyon Varlamov following the expansion selection of Calvin Pickard. He then traded for forward Colin Wilson from the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick, a relative bargain but a draft pick from a rebuilding team all the same. If the team had decided to tank this season, and accept everyone’s expectations of them, they could have just handed those jobs to underwhelming prospects Spencer Martin and Rocco Grimaldi.

Why then does the Avalanche blue line look the way it does then? Even assuming that restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov re-signs with Colorado as anticipated, that would still give the team just four defenseman on one-way contracts. Zadorov, a 6’5″, 230-lb. behemoth, is just 22 and the centerpiece of the Avs defense, while Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson are talented veterans on long-term contracts. Yet, Johnson is injury-prone and Barrie often struggles in his own end. The fourth man is Mark Barberio, who was claimed off of waivers from the Montreal Canadiens last season and is penciled into a top-four role next season despite regularly playing bottom-pair minutes before arriving in Colorado. Beyond those four, not the most inspiring blue line corps in the NHL by any means, the bottom pair would likely be occupied by AHL veterans Anton Lindholm and Duncan Siemens, who were -10 with zero points in a combined 15 games last year. Other options include Chris Bigras, who has just one NHL game under his belt, first-year pro Andrei Mironov, and free agent addition David Warsofsky. 

Sakic was willing to solidify his net and his forward corps and needs to do the same for his blue line. Zadorov, Barrie, and Johnson are fine for a top three, though each have their issues, and Barberio is a suitable starter. No one will blame the Avs for moving on from aging and ineffective veterans Francois Beauchemin and Fedor Tyutin, but might the team at least look into bringing back one of Eric Gelinas or Cody Goloubef, who both remain unsigned? Even that may not be enough. The obvious top choice would have to be Cody Franson, the top free agent defenseman left on the market. Franson may be a right-handed shot like Barrie and Johnson, but no doubt could help this team and play a major role. Franson could be especially helpful in re-booting an Avs power play that ranked dead last in 2016-17. Another player who could help in that department and with moving the puck could be Dennis Wideman. The veteran rearguard was once a prominent possession defenseman like Barrie and could give a boost to a Colorado offense that is often stagnant. If the Avalanche are shying away from older players like Wideman, they could take a chance on the oft-injured, but talented Simon Despres or on the unproven Jyrki Jokipakka instead. A big move that could be in play if they wanted to take the risk: an offer sheet to young New Jersey Devils puck-mover Damon Severson. Severson had a breakout year last season and looks to be a bona fide top-four offensive defenseman. The Devils are in a similarly rough shape on their blue line and would likely match any deal offered, but it could be worth a shot for the Avalanche, who could desperately use a promising young defender, even with future star Cale Makar coming down the road.

There are many options open to Sakic and the Avalanche and hopefully they find an avenue they like and take it. No one is expecting a rebuilding team to sell off pieces for a premiere defenseman, but they do expect Colorado to at least make an effort to field an NHL-caliber defense. At this point in time, the Avs don’t have that. No one wants to see another 48-point season in Denver. It’s time for Sakic to take action.

Avalanche Re-Sign Rocco Grimaldi, Add Jesse Graham

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Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contracts for both players. Grimaldi will earn $750K in the NHL, while just $170K during his time in the minor leagues.

Tuesday: The Colorado Avalanche are closing in on having all of their restricted free agents re-signed. Only big defenseman Nikita Zadorov will be left without a deal once the Avs finalize a new extension with young center Rocco Grimaldi. BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that the one-year, two-way agreement should be made official soon.

Grimaldi, 24, is an extremely talented forward who has found much success at the NCAA and AHL levels, but has yet to put it together in the NHL. A second-round selection of the Florida Panthers in 2011 out of the U.S. National Development Program, Grimaldi went on to star at the University of North Dakota before turning pro in 2014. In his first AHL season with the Panthers’ then-affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, Grimaldi recorded an impressive 42 points in 64 games. Yet, when called up to Florida, his scoring dropped off to just one point in seven games. Given a longer big league look in 2015-16, the results were the same: Grimaldi netted just five points in 20 games, whereas in the AHL he recorded 33 in 52. Fortunate enough to have ample young, talented center depth, the Panthers did not have to wait for Grimaldi to develop an NHL edge, choosing instead to trade him to the Avalanche last summer for goaltender Reto Berra. Grimaldi returned to San Antonio in 2016-17, now affiliated with Colorado, and was again a force to reckon with in the AHL, finishing third in the league in goal scoring with 31 tallies to go along with 24 assists in 72 games. However, when the Avs recalled Grimaldi for four games at the end of the season, desperately looking for a glimmer of hope after a dreadful year, he could only manage one assist.

Grimaldi may have NHL-caliber offensive talent, but he lacks the one trait you can’t teach: size. At just 5’6″, 180 lbs., Grimaldi is one of the smallest players in the league. He does not have much of two-game, essentially due to a lack of leverage in puck battles and at the face-off dot, and simply can’t skate around the competition in the NHL like he has elsewhere. Yet, the Avalanche have not lost hope. Grimaldi is not the first undersized player to try his hand at the NHL, and he won’t be the last. Similar in size to prolific players like Theo Fleury and Brian Gionta, Grimaldi may be able to make his lack of size work, especially given his considerable offensive ability. GM Joe Sakic must think so too, as he protected Grimaldi in June’s Expansion Draft, showing his commitment to the young scorer. A two-way deal is reasonable, given his lack of success in the NHL thus far, but look for Grimaldi to get a much longer look in Colorado in 2017-18.

In addition to re-upping Grimaldi, the Avalanche also made an outside hire today, signing defenseman Jesse Graham. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that it is a one-year, two-way deal between Graham and Colorado, one which will pay him the league minimum of $650K at the NHL level. A sixth-round pick of the Islanders in 2012 from the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL, Graham has struggled to make his junior scoring ability translate to the pro game over his first three season. New York declined to tender a qualifying offer to Graham, making the 23-year-old an unrestricted free agent this off-season. Graham has yet to make his NHL debut and has spent almost as much time in the ECHL over the past few years as he has in the AHL. However, Colorado is the land of opportunity for young defenseman; the team has just three blue liners signed to one-way contracts for 2017-18: Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, and Mark Barberio. The aforementioned Zadorov is likely to join that group soon, but (if the roster remains the same) that still leaves at least three spots up for grabs in camp and a good shot at seeing ice time over the course of the season. With 2017 top pick Cale Makar committed to UMass for at least the next season, Graham faces competition only from the likes of Chris Bigras, Andrei Mironov, Anton Lindholm, Duncan Siemens, David Warsofsky, and (if the Avs are lucky) maybe Will Butcher. It’s not the most inspiring list of options for the NHL’s worst team last season, but it could be the perfect scenario for a player like Graham in need of career boost.

Central Notes: DeBrincat, Duchene, Preds’ New Logo

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The Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus updates Blackhawks fans on prospect Alex DeBrincat in the midst of a changing Blackhawks roster. Gone is Artemi Panarin, but waiting in the wings is DeBrincat, who scorched the OHL last season as a member of the Erie Otters. Though Lazerus points out his 5’7 stature as possibly hindering his abilities in the NHL, Lazerus is just as quick to write that DeBrincat has been working with Blackhawks strength coach Paul Goodman to bulk up for the bruising NHL. The 19-year-old has the attention of fans, which Lazarus writes puts “outsized expectations” onto his shoulders. Such expectations don’t seem to faze DeBrincat, whose goal is to “make the team” and work at “his own pace” to to match his own expectations for making the Hawks’ roster. One thing is for certain: all eyes will be on him once the exhibition season begins, to see if his torrid goal scoring find its way to the Hawks.

  • Just because a move still hasn’t made doesn’t mean Matt Duchene is staying in Colorado. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin reports that though the market is slow, the talks to acquire the forward are hardly cooling off. Benjamin cites Elliotte Friedman’s report, saying that Nashville and Pittsburgh are teams poking around to find the right deal. Duchene has been in trade purgatory, and though general manager Joe Sakic is seemingly asking for the moon in trade talks, it behooves the Avs to acquire something that will bolster their fortunes after a disastrous 2016-17 season. Patience for the right deal is certainly important, but it deserves stating that should Sakic wait too long, he may end up missing an opportunity to significantly improve the team.
  • Fresh off its first Stanley Cup Final appearance, the Nashville Predators unveiled another change for next season. In commemoration of its 20th season, Nashville will use a special logo for the 2017-2018 season writes the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. Little else accompanied the news, however, as Vingan reports that more information will be available as the season draws closer.

Penguins’ 3rd-Line Center Options

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With the loss of Nick Bonino to Nashville via free agency, the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have a gaping hole down the middle. For the first time in over a decade, the center position is now one of relative weakness. It’s always a possibility that Matt Cullen decides to re-sign for one more year, but he will not be able to carry the load of a typical 3rd-line center. Cullen showed signs of slowing down toward the tail-end of the team’s playoff run, and he was only averaging 13:55 a game through the regular season. At 41 years old, he simply won’t be a viable long-term option. The Penguins likely have high hopes for Zach Aston-Reese to make a push in training camp, but he is an unknown quantity at the NHL level. GM Jim Rutherford had 5 potential trade options in the works prior to July 1st, according to the very reliable Josh Yohe of DKPittsburghSports. Talks either fizzled or were put on the back-burner, but one might imagine the number of available targets is far fewer now. With Dallas’ three-year signing of Radek Faksa, there is one fewer name left for consideration. Vegas seems to be content with merely flipping defensemen from here on in, although names such as Cody Eakin and William Karlsson shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. Erik Haula is likely a pipe-dream, but he’s another possible target. Matt Duchene was linked for a time, but between the high cost and the stubbornness of Colorado GM Joe Sakic to make a move, he seems incredibly unlikely.

Who are the safest bets for an off-season move? Or will Pittsburgh enter the season with someone unproven slotting behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

Tyler Bozak

Bozak has made tons of sense since his name was first mentioned. A lot has been made of his relationship with Phil Kessel. When they played on a line together in Toronto, Kessel saw some of his best career production. More than that however – the Leafs are in a bit of cap pinch as they will look to free up dollars for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the next two seasons. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to drop underneath the ceiling due to LTIR intricacies, but moving out Bozak’s $4.2 MM for this next season would be a forward looking move. If he’s due a raise, it’s likely they’ll lose him for far less, as his contract expires at the end of 2017-18. The move makes sense for Pittsburgh because of the Kessel relationship, but also because he fits the mold of the Pittsburgh squad. He’s a solid skater, sees the ice well, and hustles back into his own zone. His playmaking abilities would be a wonderful fit on the cheap to aid the high-powered offense, and the player would be a positive possession asset to remove the stress from the bigger guns. Bozak does have a modified no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see Pittsburgh being included on his list of non-tradeable teams.

Jordan Staal

Staal saw a lot of success in Pittsburgh before he was traded away to Carolina at the 2012 draft. Jordan was traded to that team in particular due to his desire to player with his older brother Eric Staal. Seeing as Eric is no longer in the picture, it would make sense that Staal might be open to a Pittsburgh reunion. Staal is one of the better defensive centers in the league, and has been forced to take a more uncomfortably offensive role in Carolina. Staal’s biggest downside is that he isn’t the most agile skater, but he’s not any slower than Nick Bonino was. That said, he can play the shutdown role and be a total nuisance for top opponents. Rutherford loves the player, as he was the GM of Carolina when they initially acquired the player, for a hefty sum of Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a 1st-round pick (which became Derrick Pouilot). According to Yohe, Staal is apparently open to a return, and the nostalgic element of the team’s fanbase is clamoring for this to happen. Rutherford stated on a local radio segment with Ron Cook that “to his knowledge he (Staal) isn’t available”, but he’s played coy with the media in the past.

Out Of Left-Field

Rutherford has been known to throw the hockey world for a loop with some of his trades. The James Neal–Patric Hornqvist trade shocked just about everyone, and the Phil Kessel trade is still being discussed to this day. If there’s one thing we should expect from him, it’s the unexpected. There are a few lesser options out there for Rutherford to explore, and management may want to have the Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin contracts put to paper before making any sort of transaction. It seems unlikely that anything will happen until those deals get done. Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette that there are “hundreds of names on (his list)”, and that it’s “a patient process”. Could Detroit be willing to move Andreas Athanasiou? Could Bryan Little be pried from Winnipeg for a young defenseman? It’s hard to speculate as to where exactly management have set their sights, but Rutherford is generally willing to overpay to “get his man”. There is the slight likelihood that they enter the season with that hole left unfilled, but it’s hard to imagine. Until more dominoes fall, Rutherford is likely to bide his team and search for the correct deal.

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