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League Notes: Realignment, Canceled Events, ESPN

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Though the NHL approved the plan all the way back in December 2018, not long after accepting Seattle’s expansion bid, it has been a long time since realignment plans have been reiterated. In fact, since the last update on the league’s post-expansion structure, there was a complete overhaul of the league’s conferences and divisions for the 2020-21 season. However, everything will return to normal next year with the unchanged Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions making up the Eastern Conference and finally an equal 16 teams in the Western Conference with the Central and Pacific Divisions. Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed today that the plan remains for the only team to move to be the Arizona Coyotes. Although Phoenix is more closely located to four Pacific cities than any Central cities, it is also closer to those Central cities than any other Pacific city, including newcomer Seattle. The Coyotes may be the odd man out, but a change of scenery can’t hurt for a team that has struggled to make the playoffs out of the Pacific for the better part of a decade.

  • When the NHL announced a number of events for the 2021-22 season earlier today, there were a couple of curious absences. The league revealed a Stadium Series game in Nashville and that All-Star Weekend will belong to Vegas, thereby skipping over the hosts for those canceled 2020-21 events. The Carolina Hurricanes were set to host an outdoor game this year, but now have no such event planned. However, Bettman did specifically mention that Raleigh will get it’s Stadium Series (or perhaps Winter Classic) game in the near future. There is not as much clarity for the Florida Panthers. The 2021 All-Star Game was supposed to take place in Sunrise, but now it will be on the other side of the country and there has been no explanation by the league as to why nor as to future plans for the Panthers to host. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now surmises that the potential for the All-Star Game to lead into the Olympic break, if the NHL attends, made a move west, where flights to China would be far shorter than from Florida, a sensible move. However, he also notes that Florida team president Matt Caldwell was certain the All-Star game would belong to the Panthers, so there is some confusion. In all likelihood, Florida will play host to the All-Star game in the near future, just as Carolina will host an outdoor game, but until there is an official announcement that is only speculation.
  • Another surprise reveal this evening is that NBC’s contract with the NHL will officially come to an end following the Stanley Cup Final. The network was expected to host the NHL Entry Draft, if not also the NHL Expansion Draft, later this month. However, ESPN has now been announced as the host of both. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, an NBC contributor, notes that this has less to do with the new television rights agreement and more to do with unfortunate timing. McKenzie believes that NBC informed the NHL well before the new TV deal that they would be unable to host the Entry Draft due to conflicts with the Summer Olympics. As a result, ESPN will begin its NHL coverage with two major events in the span of just three days – the Expansion Draft on Wednesday, July 21 and the first round of the Entry Draft on Friday, July 23. Although, McKenzie believes they will use the Sportsnet feed for the latter, if not both. With Mark Messier and most recently Chris Chelios joining ESPN, the network will have more than enough talent to start producing their own material sooner rather than later.

Ty Gallagher Commits To Boston University

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Earlier this month, the Boston University hockey program lost one of their top commits, as Roman Schmidt signed with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Schmidt is ranked 58th among North American skaters for the upcoming 2021 NHL Entry Draft, after two strong years in the U.S. National Team Development Program. Well, the Terriers have moved quickly to replace the outgoing defenseman, as Mark Divver of Rinkside Rhode Island reports that Ty Gallagher will be headed to BU instead of Notre Dame.

According to NHL Central Scouting, the move from Schmidt to Gallagher is actually an upgrade, though just slightly. The latter is ranked 53rd among North American skaters for this year’s draft after his own successful season in the USNTDP. Gallagher, 18, is a much different player than the 6’6″ Schmidt but has had plenty of success so far in his amateur career. At the U18 World Junior tournament, he led all defensemen in goals and has been able to create that kind of offense at every step, including 19 goals for the USNTDP this year.

The different decisions between Schmidt and Gallagher for the next step in their hockey careers will have rippling effects over the next few months. While the former will be able to sign his entry-level deal as soon as possible, Gallagher will have to wait and only sign an NHL contract once he has decided to leave school.

Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Schedule, Sedins

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The NHL Entry Draft is right around the corner and rankings, mock drafts and scouting reports continue to pile up. The Buffalo Sabres have the first-overall pick once again and another defenseman is at the top of most lists. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic released his full draft board today and like most other scouts, has University of Michigan star Owen Power at the top. The 6’6″ Power recently won a gold medal at the World Championship and is almost certainly going to be the first player selected next month.

It’s Wheeler’s other rankings that are even more interesting, however, as he goes in-depth on the first 100 prospects listed. One place where he diverts quite a bit from the NHL Central Scouting ranking is on Mason McTavish, who he slides in at tenth overall. McTavish finished second among North American skaters in the CSS rankings and will be in the mix for the first few selections. The entire list is worth a few minutes (or perhaps an afternoon, given how thorough it is) for hockey fans of every NHL team.

  • NHL insider John Shannon tweets that the league will be sending out two drafts of a 2021-22 schedule this week, one with the Olympics included and one without. It is still not clear whether the league will be participating in the Games, as there is considerable support for and against going. Shannon notes that the official schedule will be out in the third week of July.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have been working with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin to find them a new role in the organization, and Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports that the official announcement is expected tomorrow. It’s still not clear exactly what the role or responsibilities will be for the twins, but they are expected to be involved with the new Abbotsford AHL team.

Poll: How Should The Seattle Kraken Approach The No. 2 Overall Pick?

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The Seattle Kraken will be much more than just an idea with one undrafted junior player on their roster by the time the 2021 NHL Entry Draft rolls around. The club will have added at least 30 players to their arsenal by way of the Expansion Draft several days earlier. Seattle is not expected to have the same advantage in making side deals like the Vegas Golden Knights did in 2017, as the other 30 teams have learned their lesson. However, one major advantage they will have compared to Vegas is in the Entry Draft. Picking No. 2 overall after moving up in the draft lottery, the Kraken will pick four spots higher than the Knights, who slid to No. 6 overall in their lottery. While Vegas’ first ever draft pick, Cody Glass, is still fighting for regular play time on the NHL roster four years later, Seattle has a chance to add a player who can contribute right away in their inaugural season – one way or another.

The results of the Expansion Draft are unlikely to change the Kraken’s draft plans. They will have several days between the submission of Expansion Draft protection lists and the draft itself and to map out their plan of attack and to talk trade with the rest of the league. Sure, they could find that there are some unexpected trade options that could allow them to add other picks and prospects ahead of the draft, but unlikely anything that will change their opinion on how best to use the No. 2 pick. Only the Buffalo Sabres at first overall could potentially throw Seattle a curveball. Otherwise, their plan should be set well ahead of July 23.

So what should Seattle do with the second overall pick? It is a critical pick that will undoubtedly impact the new franchise for years to come. What is the best approach?

Take The Best Available Player – Pretty straightforward, right? The Kraken should take the best player remaining on their board after Buffalo makes their selection. Regardless of the positional value or any perceived positional needs following the Expansion Draft, Seattle should simply take the prospect that they feel has the highest ceiling and most realistic pro ambitions. While there is no consensus top prospect in this draft, many feel that University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power is that top prospect. If the Kraken agree and Buffalo goes elsewhere at No. 1, they pull the trigger.

Take The Best Available Center – Center is the position that many point to as the most important in the NHL and feel that a true No. 1 center is the hardest player to find. At No. 2 overall and Power potentially going first to Buffalo, Seattle could conceivably have their pick of every forward in the draft class to find that future top center. That could very well be Power’s Wolverines teammate Matthew Beniers. Even if Beniers or another center isn’t the best player on their board, Seattle shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to add an elite prospect down the middle.

Take The Best Available Defenseman – Some live by the team-building mantra of building from the net out. While goalie Jesper Wallstedt is an elite prospect, he isn’t going No. 2 overall. However, the Kraken could instead choose to bolster their blue line with an elite prospect. Even if Power is off the board and there are forwards ranked higher on their draft board, Seattle needs to target one of the small group of blue chip defenders in the draft class, such as Brandt Clarke or Luke Hughes.

Trade Back And Add Picks – Starting a pipeline from scratch is about quantity over quality, right? The No. 2 overall pick is nice, but if Seattle isn’t able to acquire any other top picks in Expansion Draft deals, they would be better off trading back and adding picks. The New Jersey Devils at No. 4 and Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 5, both with extra first-rounders, seem like enticing trade partners. All three of Clarke, Hughes, or Wallstedt could still be available at either of those picks.

Trade For Established Star – Seattle doesn’t want a slow build-up. They want to compete right away like Vegas, but they won’t be able to so easily dupe the rest of the league in the Expansion Draft. Perhaps they should use the No. 2 overall pick as part of a deal to pry a star from a rebuilding team. Jack Eichel? Dylan Larkin? Logan Couture? Patrik Laine or Seth Jones?

What do you think? Which direction should GM Ron Francis and company go with the franchise’s first pick and the second pick of the 2021 NHL Draft?

Wild Notes: Dumba, Parise, First Round Picks

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Although the Minnesota Wild played well in their seven-game first round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, losing with dignity to one of the best teams in the NHL this season, their loss has already fired the rumor mill back up, reports Sarah MacLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. At the center of the speculation yet again is defenseman Matt Dumba. Despite another strong season for the 26-year-old blue liner, capped off by a postseason in which he tied for the team lead in points, there is still speculation over Dumba’s future in Minnesota stemming from the impending NHL Expansion Draft. The Wild can only protect three defensemen and seven forwards or instead eight skaters total from selection by the Seattle Kraken. With Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin all carrying No-Movement Clauses, the trio all must be protected. The only way that the team can use the 7-3 format and also protect Dumba would be fore one those three to waive their NMC and allow themselves to be exposed. Otherwise, the Wild will have to protect eight skaters, but with Zach Parise and Mats Zuccarello also with No-Movement Clauses, this would mean Minnesota would have to leave multiple promising young forwards exposed in order to make room for Dumba, including at least one of Joel Eriksson Ek or Jordan Greenway. One thing that is certain is that Minnesota will not let Dumba be taken for free by future Western Conference rival Seattle. If the team cannot convince a veteran to waive their NMC and decide the 7-3 protection scheme is their best choice, Dumba will be traded before the Expansion Draft – hence the abundant speculation. Dumba has stated many times that he would like to remain with the Wild, so the organization is obviously doing all they can to make it work.

  • Another player who would like to stay in Minnesota is Parise. The 36-year-old is coming off of a down year and was even benched for the first three games of the Wild’s first round series. However, he impressed in the remainder of the series once activated. Parise can still play at a high level, but not commensurate to his $7.5MM+ cap hit over four more years. The Wild have tried to move the contract in the past and may do so again this summer, but Parise hopes they don’t. He told Dane Mizutani of TwinCities.com that he “[doesn’t] want to play anywhere else” but for his hometown team. As Mizutani points out, he shouldn’t be too worried given his albatross of a contract. Ironically though, one way that Parise could prove his loyalty to the club would be to waive his NMC for the Expansion Draft, allowing Minnesota to protect all of Dumba, Eriksson Ek, and Greenway in an 8-skater format. There is no way that Seattle would touch Parise’s contract, so it could be a win-win for both sides.
  • While the Wild are certainly not looking forward to the Expansion Draft – even if Dumba, Eriksson Ek, and Greenway are safe, the team will still lose a good player like Carson Soucy or Marcus Foligno – they are definitely excited for the NHL Entry Draft. With the Pittsburgh Penguins opting to send their 2021 first-round pick rather than their 2020 for last year’s Jason Zucker trade, the Wild will now have two picks in the top 32 this year. Not only that, but they will have two picks very close together as well. Minnesota’s own pick is locked in at No. 22 overall, but if the Tampa Bay Lightning advance to the next round, Pittsburgh’s pick will be No. 25, allowing the Wild to control the board with two picks out of four selections. They could also look to package the two picks to potentially move up into the top half of the first round. With a pipeline that is already well-stocked, Minnesota has put themselves in position to stay competitive for a long time with a strong roster and deep system after adding two first-rounders this year, as well as all of their own picks and another Pittsburgh pick in the third round.

Buffalo Sabres Win 2021 NHL Draft Lottery

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For the final time for the foreseeable future, all non-playoff teams were eligible to win the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery. Beginning in 2022, a team can only move up a maximum of ten spots, meaning the teams who finish No. 12 through No. 16 in the final league standings cannot move high enough to take over the top pick. The stage was set for a climactic send-off for the old format.

Well, the lottery balls decided not to take a crazy bounce in their last opportunity to move a team from the middle of the first round all the way to the top. Instead, the draft order stayed virtually the same. The Buffalo Sabres, who held the worst record in the NHL this season and thus the top odds in the lottery, retained the No. 1 pick. The expansion Seattle Kraken, awarded the same odds as the third-worst record in the league, moved up one spot, switching places with the Anaheim Ducks. New this year, there were only two lottery draws as opposed to the former three. Here is the official first-round draft order for the top 15 picks:

  1. Buffalo Sabres
  2. Seattle Kraken
  3. Anaheim Ducks
  4. New Jersey Devils
  5. Columbus Blue Jackets
  6. Detroit Red Wings
  7. San Jose Sharks
  8. Los Angeles Kings
  9. Vancouver Canucks
  10. Ottawa Senators
  11. Chicago Blackhawks
  12. Calgary Flames
  13. Philadelphia Flyers
  14. Dallas Stars
  15. New York Rangers

(As a reminder, the Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick this years as discipline for scouting violations)

This will be the second time in four years that the Buffalo Sabres will pick first overall after selecting Rasmus Dahlin at the top spot in 2018. It also means that two teams, the Sabres and New Jersey Devils, will have owned the first pick in four of the past five drafts. The two clubs are happy that the NHL’s new rule limiting teams to two lottery wins in a five-year span kicks in next year with a clean slate. Incredibly, the Sabres lottery win also further advances the mythology of Taylor Hall. Although Hall is now with the Boston Bruins, this is the fifth time in Hall’s career that his most recent team eligible for the draft lottery has won. A No. 1 overall pick himself, Hall has brought luck to the Edmonton Oilers, Devils, and now Sabres.

Perhaps bigger news than Buffalo at No. 1 is Seattle at No. 2, a major opportunity for the Kraken to draft a player who is ready to join the team in their inaugural season. The Vegas Golden Knights, with the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery, fell to No. 6 overall and drafted Cody Glass, who has still yet to establish himself as a regular in the Vegas lineup. With the second pick, Seattle will have better odds of adding an instant difference-maker.

The 2021 NHL Draft is unique compared to recent years in that there is no consensus top prospect. In fact, it is difficult to remember a draft class in recent memory that is so undecided at the top. One major factor has been the lack of complete scouting due to canceled and shortened seasons and limited live viewings. However, even with complete information, there is still seemingly no prospect that stands heads above the rest. University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power and forward Matthew Beniers are largely considered the top players at each position and the two most likely candidates for the top pick, with Power having a slight lead according to draft pundits. However, current teammate Kent Johnson and Wolverines commit Luke Hughes, a forward and defenseman respectively, are also in the mix. Canadian junior standouts Mason McTavish, Dylan Guenther, and Brandt Clarke and European pros William Eklund and Simon Edvinsson may also be in play.

NHL Sets 2021 Draft Lottery Odds

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With the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames finally finishing their respective schedules today, the regular season is officially complete. With that comes the announcement that Connor McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading point-getter, while Auston Matthews has won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer.

The league has also officially released the odds for the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery which will be held Wednesday, June 2. Remember, this season there will be only two drawings; the first and second overall selections will be up for grabs.

Normally, given the addition of the Seattle Kraken, the draw would include 16 teams. That will only sort of be the case, as after forfeiting their first-round pick due to scouting violations, a selection of the Arizona Coyotes will result in a re-draw. The Kraken have been given the same odds as the New Jersey Devils, who finished 29th.

The odds for the first draw, which determines the first-overall pick, are as follows:

Buffalo Sabres – 16.6%
Anaheim Ducks – 12.1%
Seattle Kraken – 10.3%
New Jersey Devils – 10.3%
Columbus Blue Jackets – 8.5%
Detroit Red Wings – 7.6%
San Jose Sharks – 6.7%
Los Angeles Kings – 5.8%
Vancouver Canucks – 5.4%
Ottawa Senators – 4.5%
Arizona Coyotes – 3.1%*
Chicago Blackhawks – 2.7%
Calgary Flames – 2.2%
Philadelphia Flyers – 1.8%
Dallas Stars – 1.4%
New York Rangers – 1.0%

The odds for the remaining teams will increase on a proportionate basis for the second draw, which determines who will receive the second-overall pick.

Snapshots: Rossi, Draft Odds, All-Star Game, Nosek

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In late January, the Wild announced that Marco Rossi wouldn’t play this season due to “complications from COVID”.  In a harrowing interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), the 19-year-old revealed that he was diagnosed with myocarditis (a heart inflammation) and that his life could have been in serious danger had Austria moved on to the medal round at the World Juniors.  The great news is that Rossi is doing well and the plan is for him to start ramping up to on-ice training in the coming weeks as he looks to try to return for next season.

More from around the hockey world:

  • With the Arizona Coyotes forfeiting their first-round pick this season as a result of last year’s fitness testing violation and the fact they’re not in a playoff spot at the moment, it had the potential to affect the June 2nd draft lottery. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the league will not do a redistribution of odds if Arizona’s pick winds up in the lottery.  Instead, they’ll keep them as they normally are and simply redraw if Arizona’s number combination is drawn.  As a reminder, Seattle will have the third-highest odds for those proceedings.
  • Seravalli also relays that the NHL intends to hold an All-Star Game next season. While that alone isn’t notable, the league typically shied away from doing so in years that they intend to participate in the Olympics with the last time both events happened being back in 2002.  Seravalli notes that the plan is for them to find a way to squeeze it in even with the extended break so this shouldn’t be construed as a sign that they won’t be participating.  As things stand, the NHL and NHLPA are believed to be pushing to finalize things with the IOC within the next month or so.
  • While Tomas Nosek won’t be returning right away from the injury he suffered over the weekend, head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects to have the veteran available by the time the playoffs start next month. The veteran has 18 points in 38 games this season while averaging 13:00 per night.

WHL Cancels 2021 Postseason

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A difficult season for junior hockey in Canada continues. The Western Hockey League, whose teams did not begin regular season play until late February at the earliest, will play no more than their shortened 24-game season this year. The league has announced that there will be no 2021 WHL Playoffs due to “the ongoing challenges with COVID-19”. The season will conclude when all teams have completed their schedules, which for some is as early as later this month, and no league champion will be named.

On the heels of the announcement last week that that the CHL Memorial Cup would also not be played, the WHL’s decision not to host a postseason further limits their players’ abilities to showcase themselves to NHL teams. With the QMJHL facing a similar decision and the OHL still out of action this season, this is simply yet another blow to NHL front offices and their ability to evaluate top Canadian prospects ahead of July’s 2021 NHL Draft, not to mention the prospects hoping to be selected. While there have been talks of a CHL Top Prospects pre-draft tournament, such an event will not make up for a missed postseason, or in the OHL’s case a missed season.

Alas, the league is trying to put the health and safety of their players and staff first, even if that means impacting their draft chances. They also faced logistical struggles due to teams from multiple provinces and the United States participating, as travel is still restricted at Canadian borders. In the WHL’s release, they summarize the situation with the following:

We remained hopeful that public health conditions would improve, but unfortunately that is not the reality we see in front of us today. The ongoing challenges with non-essential interprovincial and international cross-border travel leave us no alternative but to cancel the 2021 WHL Playoffs.

NHL Approves Changes To Draft Lottery

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The NHL’s board of governors has officially voted to approve the changes to the draft lottery that were proposed earlier this month, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Three major changes will be implemented:

  1. The number of picks determined by lottery draws will drop from three to two starting in 2021.
  2. A team winning the lottery can only move up a maximum of ten spots starting in 2022.
  3. A team can only win a draft lottery twice in a five-year period starting in 2022.

Past wins will not be included once the five-year period is implemented. Because of the first rule, a situation like last year can no longer occur, when the Detroit Red Wings, clearly the last-place team in the NHL, were knocked to fourth overall. Teams can now only drop a maximum of two spots, meaning the worst team in the league is guaranteed a top-three pick. The second change also means fewer teams are in contention for the first-overall selection.

It will be interesting to see the effect of the first change this year, given there is no clear consensus at the top of the draft rankings. The Buffalo Sabres look like a lock to finish at the bottom of the standings after losing their 14th in a row last night, meaning they will get a top-three pick. The question becomes whether who they have at the top of their board is the same as the other bottom-feeding teams who will have a good chance at one of those top-two spots.

When the lottery changes were first reported, we polled the PHR community to see if they believed there should be a lottery at all. Nearly 45% of voters believe it should be solely based on standings.

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