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Arizona Coyotes Sign Derick Brassard

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December 30: Morgan reports that Brassard’s deal will be for one-year and $1.2MM in Arizona, while CapFriendly tweets that it is just for $1MM. The Coyotes have officially announced the term of the contract, though did not confirm the financial details. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on his new forward:

We are very pleased to welcome Derick to our Pack. Derick is an experienced, skilled forward who can play center or wing and contribute offensively. He is also very effective in the face-off circle. We look forward to having him in our lineup this season.

December 28: Phil Kessel and Derick Brassard, together again. Originally reported by former NHL forward Guillaume Latendresse and subsequently confirmed by several others including Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider, the Arizona Coyotes are working on a one-year deal with Brassard, an unrestricted free agent.

The 33-year-old Brassard experienced something of a career renaissance last season, finding a role with the New York Islanders and recording 32 points in 66 games. He was a strong performer in the postseason bubble as well, scoring eight points in 18 games for the Islanders even while averaging just 12 minutes a night. That came after a dreadful 2018-19 campaign that saw him struggle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, and Colorado Avalanche, scoring just 23 points combined for the three teams. By signing with the Coyotes, Brassard would be joining the eighth NHL team of his career and fifth in just over two years.

Arizona recently sent Derek Stepan—a former teammate of Brassard’s—to the Ottawa Senators, opening up some room down the middle for a veteran player on a more inexpensive deal. Brassard is certainly that, and actually still does come with a long history of offensive success. A two-time 20-goal scorer, Brassard has registered at least 40 points in a season on six different occasions and has recorded double-digit goal totals in each of the last ten seasons. While his ability to play at the top of a lineup may have diminished, he still represents a solid depth add for the Coyotes as they try to get back to the playoffs.

Not only will he provide some offense and veteran depth, but if the Coyotes decide to pull the plug at any point this season he could be another trade asset. The team already has Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers, Jordan Oesterle, Ilya Lyubushkin, Drake Caggiula, and Antti Raanta on expiring deals, meaning the trade deadline could be used as a reset button to restock a draft cupboard that has been ravaged in recent years.

NHL, Canadian Teams Receive Government Permission For All-Canadian Division

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December 25: The five Canadian provinces and the federal government have officially given the NHL the green light to go ahead with their plans for the upcoming season, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.  No adjustments or delays in the schedule will be required.

December 24: The NHL has seemingly made agreements with each province to allow the Canadian teams to stay north of the border for the upcoming season. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic the following:

On the basis of our discussions in the past week, as well as our exchange of correspondence over the last 24 hours, we believe we are aligned and in agreement on the conditions on which each of our Canadian franchises can begin play in their own buildings for the start of the 2020-21 NHL season.

Darren Dreger of TSN meanwhile reports that both the league and the NHLPA will accept additional testing if necessary and will use certain players for public service announcements. The league will not need to change any of the schedule that was released yesterday, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

December 17: Though there seems to be some momentum towards an NHL season, a new obstacle may get in the way. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet is reporting that if the league cannot make agreements with each of the five Canadian provinces that house NHL teams, there is a possibility of moving all of them south of the border for a shortened season and holding every game in the United States. Frank Seravalli of TSN has heard the same thing. The league could be floating the idea, perhaps in an attempt to put pressure on the provincial governments.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that if the seven Canadian teams do have to move their operations to the U.S., there would no longer be an All-Canadian division, and more realignment would be required.

Other sports have already experienced a situation like this. In the summer, the Toronto Blue Jays were not allowed to play home games in Canada, meaning they had to move to Buffalo for their shortened season. The NBA’s Toronto Raptors are preparing to start their season in Tampa after moving their entire training camp and preseason south.

Obviously, the difference is that those teams, the Blue Jays and Raptors, are the sole Canadian teams in each of their respective leagues. They had no one to play that wouldn’t have to cross the U.S.-Canada border, meaning a regular season made little sense. In the NHL’s plan, the seven Canadian teams would only play each other, reducing the need to cross the federal border altogether.

That doesn’t mean it would limit travel all that much though, as those seven teams still stretch across most of the country and would need to be moving large groups of people across provincial borders. That isn’t ideal, and as Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson Andre Gagnon told Johnston, “the resumption of sports events in Canada must be undertaken in adherence to Canada’s measures to mitigate the importation and spread of COVID-19.”

If they do need to move to the U.S. there will likely be several markets willing to welcome them in, though moving seven franchises all at once is a lot different than finding a home for the Blue Jays (which was already difficult enough). Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that Kansas City, Milwaukee, Austin, and Orlando could be potential hosts, though speculation on that front could be endless at this point.

Snapshots: Playoffs, Hoffman, Schedule, Travel, 2021-22 Season

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With the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA official now in the books after both sides have voted to approve it, teams would play their entire season within their own conference (altered conferences can be found here). From there, the playoffs will not alter from the regular season too much as the top four teams in each division will play against each other with 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 for the first two rounds, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon. Each division winner gets a spot in the Stanley Cup semifinals, seeded by their regular season points percentage.

  • With the rumors and now agreement on a 56-game season, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there is plenty of talks heating up around the top unrestricted free agent still available on the market in Mike Hoffman. The 31-year-old is coming off a 29-goal season last year in 69 games and had a 36-goal campaign the previous year. Garrioch reports that as many as six teams are in on him. However, most teams are already tight against the salary cap, which has complicated his status and why he has waited this long. Hoffman has been talked about in a number of situations, including Nashville, Boston and Columbus with several other teams in the mix.
  • Garrioch also notes that a schedule is expected to be released mid-week this week once the NHL comes to an agreement with the Canadian provinces. While most of the talk between the NHL and the Canadian provinces are centering around the Canucks and B.C., there still hasn’t been an agreement with the province of Ontario either regarding whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will be able to play in their own rinks. It is believed that an agreement with Ontario should be easier to finalize, however, than with B.C. Garrioch adds that even if there is a province-wide lockdown, it shouldn’t affect Ottawa’s training camp, although access to the training facility would be really limited.
  • While restrictions should be better for players as they no longer will be forced into a bubble like during the playoffs, the travel restrictions for teams that go on the road will not be much better, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Players and staff will be restricted to the game rink, practice rink or the hotel. No exceptions, including food.
  • Seravalli notes that NHL players have the right to opt out of the 2020-21 season, but the league “may investigate any circumstances … that these provisions were intentionally used to, or had the effect of, circumventing the CBA” for salary cap purposes.
  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the NHL intends to return to a traditional season for 2021-22, which is expected to start in October. The league had initially hoped to get an 82-game season in this year, but instead will shorten the 2020-21 season in hopes of finishing their season in mid-July.

NHL, NHLPA Finalize Agreement On 56-Game Season

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Sunday: The NHL Board of Governors has approved the agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA with a tentative start on Jan. 13th, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon.

Friday: A resolution may finally be within reach for the league and its players on a format for the 2020-21 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports this evening that the NHL and NHLPA have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of season, which would include a 56-game regular season schedule.

Of course, no agreement between the sides can be finalized until it is approved by each independently first. On that note, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the NHLPA and its player reps are expected to meet tonight while the NHL Board of Governors will meet this weekend.

Among the details trickling in are as follows:

  • The league will start on January 13 as hoped, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Lavoie adds that the agreed-upon plan does include an all-Canadian division, as expected, though concerns exist about the logistics of cross-province travel.
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli echoes that January 13 start date, though he opines that all dates could be subject to change. That includes training camp start dates as well, which he expects to be December 30 for the seven 2019-20 non-playoff teams and January 3 for all others.
  • Seravalli also reports that rosters are expected to remain at 23 players, but that each team may carry a taxi squad of four to six players who will travel and practice with the team, but will be paid their AHL salaries and will not count against the salary cap.
  • Seravalli adds that all players will be given the right to opt out of the season for personal or familial health concerns and that teams will have the decision of whether or not to toll the contract.
  • Friedman notes that salaries will not be pro-rated despite the shortened season. He also confirms that thre will be no preseason exhibition games.
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that the tentative plan is for every team to play out of their home building this season, at least at the outset, rather than playing in hub cities as some had speculated.
  • With the league expected to be broken down into four realigned divisions without any conference alignment, Friedman reports that each division will produce four playoff teams and the postseason will be inter-division until four division winners become the semifinalists for the 2021 Stanley Cup.

Taxi Squads Set Up For Upcoming 2020-21 Season

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While taxi squads have been rumored for more than a month, the NHL has officially put them into place for the 56-game season that starts on Jan. 13, including the guidelines set for them. Major League Baseball used a taxi squad during their 2000 season and the NHL has decided to use a similar system.

While the use of taxi squads is likely meant to keep players who just missed out on making the NHL roster as potential backups due to injury/COVID-19 related issues. However, teams could also look at it from a different perspective as well. With the danger that junior leagues seasons could be cancelled down the road, many teams may consider putting one or two of their top prospects on their taxi squad, which would allow the player exposure to their NHL teams and the ability to practice with them, which might be better than playing limited games in junior or trying to find them a permanent home overseas. There has been talk that there could be a rule that taxi squad players must play a certain amount of games to be eligible and cannot just sit there without playing in any games, but no word on whether a rule like that will be enacted. With the league prorating the entry-level slide, prospects would only be allowed to appear in six games before they would burn the first year of their entry-level contract, something teams wouldn’t want to do. So, a rule suggesting how much each taxi squad player must appear in could cause some issues.

According to CapFriendly, taxi squads will consist of four to six players and must include at least one goaltender, unless the NHL club is carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Waiver rules would still apply if the team wants to send them to the AHL and the salary cap implications would count as if the players were being buried in the minors (buried cap hit). Players will receive their full NHL salaries if they are on one-year deals, while two-year deal players will play for their AHL salary.

Taxi squad players are permitted to travel with the NHL squad, practice with them and join any team activities. They are not allowed to practice with any other group besides their NHL team, which includes not being allowed to practice or join in on any AHL functions. Players can be recalled to the NHL squad on any day, but must be done before 5 p.m. EST to play in that night’s game. Goaltenders can be recalled at any time if a team doesn’t have two active goaltenders to play.

If a taxi squad player is deemed unfit to play (injury, illness, COVID-19 quarantine), the NHL team can request the player not be counted as one of their six players.

Taxi squads will dissolve at the end of the NHL season.

Restart Notes: NHL Calendar, Canucks, Entry-Level Slide, Training Camps

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With the date set for a Jan. 13 agreement by the NHL and NHLPA, more dates have started filling into the NHL’s calendar for the upcoming season and beyond, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required).

Training Camps Open (for seven non-playoff teams): Dec. 30

Training Camps Open (for everyone else): Jan. 3

Regular Season Begins: Jan. 13

RFA Signing Deadline: Feb. 11 (normally Dec. 1)

Contract Extensions: March 12 (normally Jan. 1 to sign extensions for 2021-22)

Trade Deadline: April 12

End of Regular Season: May 8

Seattle Expansion Draft: July 21

NHL Draft: July 23-24

Free Agency Begins: July 28

  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the NHL continues to talk to all of Canada’s province’s, but is still working with B.C. and its health officials to try to get the Canucks to play in Vancouver. Pagnotta did say that a league source did say that if negotiations aren’t successful that the Canucks could still play in another city, maintaining an all-Canadian division. All options remain on the table. Like the San Jose Sharks begin training camp in Arizona, the Canucks may be forced to do the same thing, especially with Jan. 3 being not far away. Vancouver was a finalist to have one of the playoff bubbles last season, but the province of B.C. added extra restrictions at the last minute that forced the NHL to move its preparations to Edmonton.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NHL has prorated entry-level slides for the upcoming shortened season. Up until now, an entry level could slide up to two years, but if the player appeared in 10 NHL games during one of those two years, their contracts officially begin. That number now changes to seven games, which could be significant as many younger players may find themselves on taxi squads and could find themselves getting into games. That also means that if a young player appears in more than six games, their contract officially begins. Those rules could have an effect on players such as Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield, Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti, Toronto’s Nick Robertson and Vegas’ Peyton Krebs, who may not have played this season, but could find playing time now, especially with the state of the junior league seasons in jeopardy.
  • In a separate tweet, Friedman also notes that NHL training camps will allow 36 skaters and an unlimited amount of goaltenders.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Open Season In Arizona

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With the NHL and NHLPA inching closer to a resolution on the 2020-21 season, teams are beginning to prepare for the reality of a forthcoming campaign. While the Canadian clubs have issues to work out before the season can begin, the San Jose Sharks are another team facing questions. Santa Clara County has banned contact sports locally through at least January 8, a policy that was recently extended and could be extended again as Coronavirus numbers remain high. This proves problematic for the Sharks, who as a reigning non-playoff team would be eligible to begin training camp on December 31 and may need to host games as early as January 13.

The Sharks’ solution appears to lie in following a fellow Bay Area team south. An anonymous source tells the Associated Press that San Jose will open their season in Arizona, much like how the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers have moved to Arizona to conclude their own season. While there is no word on whether the Sharks will share a facility with the Arizona Coyotes as the 49ers have done with the Arizona Cardinals, that is the expectation. Fortunately, this move will not disrupt the NHL’s current plan for realigned divisions and exclusive inter-division play this season, as both teams have been slotted for a new-look Pacific Division.

The AP source remained anonymous on this issue as details both on the league’s return to play and on the Sharks’ move have not been finalized nor have they been made public. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly took the same approach, telling the AP that he would not discuss details related to the Sharks’ plans as details of the restart still need to be papered and voted upon by the NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA both. The Sharks have additionally declined to comment on the relocation proposal. However, given the lack of any contrary reports, the restrictions facing San Jose, and the path already paved by the 49ers, it is a safe bet that the Sharks are Arizona-bound at least to open training camp and to begin their 2020-21 season.

Restart Notes: Realignment, Travel Protocols, Governors Meeting

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Last week, word came out about the proposed divisional re-alignment but there have been some tweaks since then.  Michael Russo of The Athletic is among those to report (Twitter link) that Minnesota and Dallas have flipped from their original planning.  That means that the divisions now currently line up as follows:

Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg.

Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.

Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay.

Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, St. Louis, Vegas.

Of course, this could wind up changing again if the all-Canadian division doesn’t get off the ground due to an inability to reach an agreement with each provincial health authority and the Canadian teams are forced to temporarily relocate to the United States.  As things stand, this will only be a one-time change with the divisions going back to their usual breakdowns for the 2021-22 campaign.

More on the NHL’s restart plan:

  • Players and team staff will be extremely restricted on the road. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes (via Twitter) that all team members will be strictly limited to the team hotel, practice rink, and game rink in an effort to reduce the potential for anyone contracting COVID-19.  Limitations will also be placed on in-flight seating, in-flight catering, usage of hotel gyms, and more.  While the general framework of the agreement in place, these smaller elements still need to be finalized and agreed upon.
  • The NHLPA executive committee discussed the agreement on a call late Friday night and the Board of Governors will soon do the same as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that their call to discuss and potentially ratify the terms.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds (via Twitter) that general managers will also have a call on Sunday to go over some questions that need some clarification.

Arizona Coyotes Expected To Hire Cory Stillman

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Dec 15: The Coyotes have officially announced the hiring, bringing Stillman in as an assistant coach. In the release, GM Bill Armstrong explains just why they believe Stillman can help the team:

We are very pleased to have Cory join Rick Tocchet’s coaching staff. Cory was a great player who won back to back Stanley Cups during his career. He is a very good coach who has a strong work ethic and a passion for the game. I’m confident that our players and staff will benefit from his knowledge, insight and expertise.

Dec 14: The Arizona Coyotes have rebuilt the front office and are about to add to their coaching staff as well, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Cory Stillman is expected to be hired as an assistant coach, leaving his job with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL where he served as head coach the last two seasons.

Stillman, 46, had previously worked with the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, serving as director of player development with the latter. As Jeff Marek of Sportsnet points out on Twitter, a move like this comes at an interesting time, given that Stillman coaches his draft-eligible son with the Wolves.

Of course, there is more than just a few years of OHL experience in Stillman, who played more than 1,000 games in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup twice. A member of the hall-0f-very-good, Stillman managed to rack up 727 points in the regular season and even hit the 80-point mark in 2003-04. He has another son, Riley Stillman, who is an NHL player in his own right, playing 34 games this season for the Panthers.

In Arizona, Rick Tocchet remains head coach after managing to lead the club past the Nashville Predators in this summer’s qualification round. While the Coyotes went out with a whimper against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, Tocchet has been reasonably successful, posting winning records with Arizona the past two seasons.

Snapshots: Dubois, Granlund, Ducks, Lee

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With progress finally being made toward starting the 2020-21 season, the pressure is mounting back up on those teams who still have players to sign and payrolls to manage. One of those teams is the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets have plenty of salary cap space with nearly $9.25MM of remaining room for a 22-man roster, but they have yet to sign perhaps their most important forward, restricted free agent center Pierre-Luc Dubois. Coming off his three-year entry-level contract, in which he recorded 18+ goals and 48+ points each season, culminating in a point-per-game showing in the 2020 postseason, Dubois has established himself as a centerpiece for Columbus and the team hopes he will serve in that role for many years still to come. Whether Dubois signs that lucrative long-term extension this off-season or instead opts for a shorter bridge deal remains to be seen. Either way, the team needs to get the talented young pivot under contract soon before the new season begins. Fortunately, NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz reports that the Blue Jackets are not concerned about coming to terms on a new deal with Dubois. GM Jarmo Kekalainen stated that he is “confident” that Dubois will have a new contract not only before the puck drops on the new season, but even before the first day of training camp. This would likely mean that a deal is expected before the end of the month, with training camps projected to open shortly after the calendar flips to January. Kekalainen compared the situation to that of star defenseman Zach Werenski last season; Werenski went much of the off-season with seemingly little progress on a contract extension, but signed a new deal just days before training camp. Gretz notes that the Blue Jackets have shown that they are not afraid to play hardball with their restricted free agents, but will have to be careful with Dubois. The young center is a pivotal piece of the team moving forward. Columbus has the cap space to lock Dubois up long-term at a higher cap hit now, but if the two sides do agree to a shorter term deal the hope is that there is a mutual goal to sign that long-term deal down the road.

  • Gretz also reports that one of the top remaining unsigned free agents, forward Mikael Granlund, is expected to make a decision on his next team sooner rather than later. In fact, a contract could be signed in the coming days. Gretz writes that Granlund would like to get his family settled before the season, possibly even before the Christmas holiday, which could lead to an impending resolution to his free agency. Depending on the asking price, Granlund should have no shortage of suitors. The Blue Jackets have actually been cited by many as a top option for Granlund. If they do sign a more affordable, short-term deal with Dubois as many expect, Columbus could use their remaining cap space to add Granlund. The team had hoped to add at least one if not two top-six forwards this off-season which they have failed to do so far, only swapping out Josh Anderson for Max Domi. 
  • The Anaheim Ducks are another team with moves to make before the season begins. The Ducks are currently over the salary cap upper limit according to CapFriendly and that is with a roster that currently excludes a backup goalie. Anthony Stolarz is the favorite for the job behind starter John Gibson, but the team is likely to make an addition given their lack of depth behind that duo and their need for a goaltender with term on his contract beyond this season to expose in the upcoming 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. If the Ducks do not add another goaltender, the pressure will fall on Roman Durny, who Anaheim assigned to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers today, and Olle Eriksson Ek, who started in Tulsa’s season opener this weekend. Eriksson Ek and Durny shared the net in the ECHL last season, but would be slated to do so this year in the AHL if no further moves are made and would battle to be the next man up to the NHL behind Gibson and Stolarz. Durny, 22, Eriksson Ek, 21, and Lukas Dostal, 20, are all talented prospects but their lack of experience does not inspire much confidence in Anaheim’s net depth if an addition is not made. The Ducks should be scouring the free agent and trade markets for help, even as they work to cut salary from the NHL roster.
  • Even as the NHL and NHLPA close in on an agreement to begin the new season, there hasn’t been much concrete information in the media on the actual start dates of training camp and the safety procedures leading into those camps. Perhaps the teams of those players on loan are hearing more than everyone else though. HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovakian Extraliga has announced that Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Cam Lee has been returned from his loan. In doing so, the club stated that Lee will begin his quarantine later this week and that training camp physicals will take place before the end of the month. At the very least, that makes it sound as though camps will be up and running in early January as hoped, if not sooner.

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