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Morning Notes: Johnson, Murray, Predators

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Jim Rutherford may be a bigger fan than most of Jack Johnson, but that doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman will be in the lineup on opening night. Rutherford, the Penguins GM, spoke with Josh Yohe of The Athletic yesterday and explained that after acquiring Mike Matheson from the Florida Panthers there may not be any room on the left side for Johnson next season.

[Brian] Dumoulin and [Marcus] Petterson are still young and aren’t going anywhere. And obviously we like Matheson a great deal. He’ll play on the left side. So, that’s our left side. Those three. That’s it.

Rutherford suggested that Johnson could play the right side or is maybe “just going to be a depth guy” for 2020-21, but it certainly wasn’t the same vote of confidence he gave when the season ended. There is still lots of offseason left and the Penguins priority may be moving a goaltender, but make no mistake that there may still be changes coming on the blue line.

  • Michael Murray has been hired by the Minnesota Wild as an assistant to the general manager, coming over from his post with the AHL. Murray was named vice president of hockey operations for the minor league in 2011 and was considered the second in command behind commissioner Dave Andrews. As Michael Russo of The Athletic points out on Twitter, Murray happens to be the son of Minnesota GM Bill Guerin’s former agent. The team explained that Murray will help oversee the day-to-day of the hockey operations department and assist with contract negotiations, player development, and scouting.
  • The Nashville Predators are considering moving one of their centers according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, who lists Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, and Nick Bonino on his latest Trade Bait board and mentions Kyle Turris as well. Nashville has an incredible $26.1MM in cap space locked up in those four, with only Bonino’s deal (the cheapest of the bunch) expiring anytime soon. There wasn’t a 45-point player in the bunch of them this season, with Duchene (42) coming closest.

Nashville Predators Will Not Re-Sign Mikael Granlund, Craig Smith

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The forward corps of the Nashville Predators will look a bit different next season. Not only is Nashville believed to be in the market for a top-six addition, but they also won’t be bringing back two of their top-nine forwards from this past season. Craig Smith, a career Predator, and Mikael Granlund, a big 2019 trade addition, will test the free agent market. GM David Poile tells Paul Skrbina of the Nashville Tennesean that the team will not re-sign either veteran forward.

In a relatively thin free agent market, Granlund and Smith will be two of the more sought-after names among available forwards. Granlund’s time in Nashville, spent recording just 35 points in 79 total games, did not go as expected for either side. However, Granlund was a premiere forward during his days with the Minnesota Wild, possessing 70-point upside and the versatility to play any position up front. At just 27 years old, a team looking to land a true top-six forward will likely be happy to take a shot on Granlund and hope the fit is better than it was in Nashville. In Smith, interested teams could land an aggressive, goal-scoring right wing. While Smith has shown 50+ point ability in the past, he is probably more of a 30-point player as he heads into his thirties. A strong possession player with great work ethic, Smith will be an excellent third-line option for a contender barring a negative effect of leaving the Predators system.

With the cap space saved by not extending Smith or Granlund, the Predators will have some flexibility to add another piece. However, Poile also stated that he is looking for some promotion from within. One option is another impending free agent, Colin Blackwell, who scored at an impressive clip in limited showings in the NHL and AHL this season. Poile confirmed to Skrbina that the team is currently negotiating with Blackwell and could reach a new deal. Frederick Gaudreau is another UFA-to-be who has solid AHL production and NHL experience. However, Blackwell and Gaudreau are both 27 and the team could look to go younger with their open roster spots. Poile mentions 23-year-old Rem Pitlick and 21-year-old Eeli Tolvanen as names likely to be given a long look at a regular role next season.

 

Nashville Predators Sign Devin Cooley

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The Nashville Predators have added some goaltending depth to the organization, signing Devin Cooley to a two-year entry-level contract. Cooley went undrafted and spent the last three years netminding at the University of Denver. Instead of returning for his senior year, he’ll be turning pro and jumping into the Predators minor league system.

Now 23, Cooley is a shot in the dark for the Predators given how little he has actually played during his collegiate career. As a freshman in 2017-18 he appeared in just three games as Tanner Jaillet was in the senior season of an excellent run at DU. Jaillet would win NCHC Goaltender of the Year that season, making it difficult for a young Cooley to see any game action. The next year, Denver happened to convince Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Filip Larsson, to play a year of college hockey, just after winning the USHL Goaltender of the Year award. Cooley would play in 20 games to Larsson’s 22, actually posting better numbers than the one-and-done goaltender.

You would think that after such a strong outing that Cooley’s junior season would be when he took over the full-time starting duties, but a lower-body injury just five games into the season opened the door for freshman goaltender Magnus Chrona to take over. Chrona, a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, posted a .920 save percentage in 27 games and never gave back the net. Since he is expected to return for his sophomore season (assuming DU has a season), it makes sense for Cooley to take this opportunity in the Predators system.

He enters it though with just 32 appearances under his belt over three years in college. The minor leagues will be quite the test physically, even if Cooley proves he has enough talent to stick.

Nashville Predators Sign Yakov Trenin

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Sep 28: Now that he is under contract, the Predators can officially loan Trenin overseas to get him back on the ice. They did just that today, sending him to SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL until the start of 2020-21 NHL training camp.

Sep 24: The Nashville Predators have completed some offseason business, signing Yakov Trenin to a new two-year contract. The deal is worth just $700K in 2020-21 and $750K in 2021-22, making the young forward a league-minimum option for the Predators moving forward. Trenin was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next month.

Now 23, Trenin was a second-round pick of the organization back in 2015 but has only just made his NHL debut. Playing in 21 games for the team this season he recorded six points, but proved he could be relied upon at the defensive end of the rink. That alone would likely be enough to put him in the running for next season’s bottom-six, but add in the fact that he scored 20 goals and 35 points in just 32 AHL contests and you can bet Trenin has an inside track.

The 6’2″ forward has proven he can handle himself physically at the next level and should find himself in the NHL lineup more often than not unless Nashville makes some additions this offseason. The fact that he’ll only cost the league minimum and is no longer waiver-exempt only adds to his case.

Craig Smith To Test Free Agency

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Craig Smith has spent the past nine seasons in Nashville but it appears as if he’ll be changing teams next month.   His agent Kevin Magnuson told Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription link) that the winger will be testing free agency when the market opens up on October 9th and that Smith is seeking a three-year deal.

The 31-year-old has been a part of the Predators organization since they selected him in the fourth round (98th overall) back in 2009.  They’ve certainly had an excellent return on their investment as he has played in 661 games for them which is good for fourth in franchise history while his 330 points are good enough for sixth all-time.

However, his production has tapered off a little bit as of late.  While he managed to get 51 points in 2017-18, it’s the only time in the past five seasons that he has reached 40.  This season, he played in 69 games, tallying 18 goals and 13 assists but perhaps more tellingly, his playing time dropped to just 13:25 per night, the lowest in his career.  His usage dipped a bit further in the playoffs as he logged only 12:49 per game in their four playoff contests while being held off the scoresheet.

Smith had a $4.25MM AAV on his deal for the last five seasons and while his recent production seemingly wouldn’t justify that price tag again in what should be a weakened free agent market, Magnuson seems to think that his client will be able to once again be in that range.

I think the number, because there are eight to 10 teams that have decent cap space, I think we won’t be too far off at the end of the day. He’s not going to be signing any blockbuster deals, but at the same time, he’s going to be in the market or a little bit above it, I think.

Nashville has just over $8MM in cap room at the moment but they have multiple roster spots both up front and on the back end to fill with that money.  If some of those players sign for close to the minimum, they should have enough cap space to re-sign Smith or add another veteran but for the time being at least, they’re not prepared to bring Smith back although Magnuson wouldn’t rule out a reunion once the veteran sees what his other options will be next month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Michael McCarron Re-Signs With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have signed Michael McCarron to a new one-year, two-way contract for 2020-21. The deal will pay McCarron $700K at the NHL level and $300K in the AHL, keeping him from unrestricted free agency.

McCarron, 25, was a first-round bust for the Montreal Canadiens, who invested the 25th overall pick in him in 2013. The 6’6″ forward never did manage to improve his offense enough to really be a difference-maker at the NHL level, even struggling at times to produce at the minor league level.

Still, McCarron will provide some depth and experience for the Predators that can come up and down when needed, or add some size to the Milwaukee Admirals lineup. In 69 NHL contests, he has just eight points but did score 10 goals in just 27 games down the stretch for the Admirals last season.

McCarron was scheduled to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent, something that could happen again next season if he doesn’t play in ten games for the Predators.

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.

Roman Josi Named Winner Of The 2020 Norris Trophy

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The NHL Awards roll on with the presentation of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, presented to the league’s top defenseman. This year’s winner is the Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. Josi took the award against stout competition, with the Washington Capitals’ John Carlson and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman as his fellow finalists.

Josi, 30, has received Norris votes in the past but made it impossible for the PHWA to ignore him this season with a career-high 16 goals and 65 points in just 69 games. Josi led all defensemen in goals and trailed only Carlson in assists, points, and points per game. He also led all defensemen in shots by a wide margin. Josi additionally averaged the third-most total time on ice and even strength time on ice this year and finished in the top-ten among defensemen in plus/minus.

With all that said, this was expected to be one of the tighter awards races given that the well-rounded Hedman is a previous winner and multiple-time finalist, while Carlson enjoyed a career year of his own that was arguably superior to Josi’s offensively. Yet, the voting was convincingly in favor of Josi. The Predators star received 109 first-place votes to Carlson’s 56 and finished more than 200 voting points ahead. Meanwhile, Hedman finished closer to the St. Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo in fourth than he did challenge Josi and Carlson. Call it a reflection of his career more than this season alone if you like, but Josi undoubtedly deserved a Norris and was terrific in 2019-20.

Nashville Predators Officially Name Dan Hinote As Assistant Coach

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As anticipated, the Nashville Predators have made the official announcement that former NHL forward Dan Hinote has joined the team as an assistant coach. Hinote has spent the past two season as an assistant with the U.S. National Team Development Program and ironically is set to replace Dan Muse on head coach John Hynes’ staff after Muse was named a head coach for the USNTDP. Hinote rounds out a staff that also includes Dan Lambert and Rob Scuderi. Hynes said of his new addition:

Hinote’s character, personality, as well as playing and coaching experience will be a great fit for our team and players. As a player, Dan brought energy and leadership to his teams, winning a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, and his experience as a coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program will be of great value to our organization.

GM David Poile, who has always had a soft spot for the USNTDP, added his own support for Hinote’s hire, stating:

In this assistant coach position, we were looking for a former player who was fairly recently retired but still had coaching experience, and Dan fit that description perfectly. He builds strong connections with players – including Ryan Johansen in his time in Columbus – and has played with Predators alumni and Hall of Famers Paul Kariya and Peter Forsberg in Colorado, as well as Predators Director of Player Development Scott Nichol, Preds broadcaster Chris Mason and Kariya again in St. Louis. Dan complements John and the rest of our current staff nicely, and I trust he will be a tremendous asset to the team.

As mentioned, prior to his time with the USNTDP Hinote spent eight seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, splitting his time between working as an assistant coach and a pro scout for the organization. Hinote joined Columbus immediately after retiring in 2010. While he spent his final playing season in Sweden, Hinote spent nine seasons in the NHL as a hard-working and intelligent two-way forward. He hopes to bring those same hallmarks to his position with the Predators and impart them on the players.

 

Snapshots: Penguins, Hinote, NCAA

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have already made one trade to add a fresh face to their forward group, but more changes are coming before the start of next season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic breaks down the latest from the team, including a report that the Penguins have “soured” on Jared McCann’s ability to fill the third-line center role. McCann “is a player the Penguins are willing to move” according to Yohe, who also details several other situations including goaltending and defense.

McCann, 24, would likely have huge market appeal if made available, given his versatility and relatively solid regular season in Pittsburgh. The forward, who can play both center and wing, scored 14 goals and 35 points in 66 games but ended up scratched in the playoffs. One thing to remember for any acquiring team, McCann is a restricted free agent in need of a new contract and would be joining his fourth NHL organization before the age of 25.

  • Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that Dan Hinote will be an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators this season, though there has been no official hiring announcement from the team as of this writing. Hinote, who spent nine seasons in the NHL as a depth forward, has worked with the US National Team Development Program the last two seasons and previously was with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. The Predators, and specifically GM David Poile, are known for their connection to the USNTDP as seen with their recent hiring of head coach John Hynes.
  • Speaking of amateur hockey in the United States, the college season is expected to be officially delayed in the coming days according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, but optimism is apparently building that a 2020-21 season will be held at some point. Corey Pronman of The Athletic has also heard that a late-November start is the hope for college hockey.

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