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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 06/24/19 1148359 Coyotes go forward-heavy, add character and skill at NHL 1148387 NHL expansion team in Seattle begins to form its Draft foundation 1148360 Coyotes 2019 NHL Draft tracker: Selections and trades on 1148388 Kings land ‘three whales’ as they try to reset their culture day two through the draft 1148361 Neutral Zone: As free-agency-interview period opens, 1148389 BLAKE ON THE DRAFT, KALIYEV, QUALIFYING Coyotes actively pursuing offense OFFERS, APPROACH TO FREE AGENCY 1148362 Bruins’ unheralded draft picks won’t help immediately 1148390 Wild GM Paul Fenton needs to nail the rest of the 1148363 NHL sets 2019-20 salary cap at $81.5, $1.5 million lower offseason than expected 1148391 Ask Russo: On Matt Boldy and the draft, Parise and 1148364 Is David Backes' contract 'impossible to move'? Zucker, free agency and more 1148365 Jason Botterill, GMs jobs get harder: What kind of team do 1148392 Jack Todd: Canadiens have history on the short side — it you build? works 1148366 Draftee Erik Portillo the Sabres' latest attempt at finding a 1148393 Breaking down the Canadiens newest additions to the franchise goalie prospect pool 1148367 Flames’ seventh-rounder Dustin Wolf the feel-good story 1148394 5 free agents who might be a good fit for the Predators of 2019 NHL Draft 1148395 Roster reset: Where are the Predators after trading P.K. 1148368 Ten observations about five prospects: Reflections on Subban and before free agency? Calgary’s draft weekend 1148396 Devils Acquire P.K. Subban on a Busy Second Day of the 1148369 Hurricanes’ draft deal may merely be beginning of busy N.H.L. Draft summer 1148397 NHL Draft 2019: Winners and losers | Devils, Predators, Maple Leafs, P.K. Subban, Hurricanes 1148398 How the Devils pulled off stunning trade for P.K. Subban 1148370 ‘There will be more trades to come’: NHL free agency is 1148399 In just 16 hours, the Devils transformed themselves into almost here, but that’s just one way Blackhawks GM Sta one of the NHL’s most interesting teams | Politi 1148371 5 things to know about Blackhawks first-round draft pick 1148400 Just win, baby: P.K. Subban eager to return NJ Devils to , including his childhood quirks and wearin winning ways 1148372 Draft finished, qualifying RFAs is Blackhawks’ next 1148401 P.K. Subban’s eye-opening confidence in Hughes, Devils’ offseason task core 1148402 Where the Devils stand now and what might still be on the wish list 1148373 Meet : A selfless small-town kid with 1148403 This weekend became a signature moment for Ray limitless ability who knows how to hunt … mountain lions? Shero’s rebuilding project with the Devils 1148374 Draft Roundup: Sakic continues to deliver for the Avalanche 1148404 Lehner still focused on re-signing with Islanders 1148375 Jackets remain spectators at NHL draft 1148376 Cap tightens, and NHL trades begin 1148405 Rangers’ raging Kreider-Panarin debate isn’t so simple 1148377 After quiet draft, Blue Jackets move on to free agency, but 1148406 Panarin? Shattenkirk? Rangers’ makeover can come in Jarmo Kekalainen is not desperate to make moves many forms NHL 1148378 Should the Dallas Stars target forward Corey Perry? Eh, 1148407 No new GM yet, but a key hockey operations pickup by maybe. NHL Seattle should help make that call 1148379 10 things to know about Stars first round pick Thomas Harley, including that he's never been to Texas Senators 1148380 From NICU to NHL: The remarkable journey of 1148408 still trying to make changes as draft second-round pick Nick Robertson weekend wraps up 1148409 coach D.J. Smith will get a first-hand look at club’s prospects 1148381 Detroit Red Wings think pair of Swedes could be NHL 1148410 SENS’ NO. 1 PICK: Lassi Thomson surprised he didn’t draft steals have to play the waiting game 1148382 Grading 's first draft as Detroit Red Wings 1148411 The Senators head back to Ottawa with six new faces from NHL draft 1148383 ‘No dogs’: Yzerman wanted aggressive players, and Albin Grewe fits the bill 1148384 Red Wings get a lift from draft being ‘top-heavy’ on defense Oilers 1148385 Holland’s commitment to the long game a good sign for Oilers 1148386 Oilers fans need to let Holland do what he does best Websites 1148412 After NHL draft, Flyers still searching for backup goalie 1148447 .ca / How Patrik Stefan’s love for hockey has behind come full circle – Sportsnet 1148413 New coach Alain Vigneault has had a hand in Flyers’ 1148448 Sportsnet.ca / Truth by Numbers: Is P.K. Subban on the makeover decline? 1148414 Bobby Brink should ease the pain over the Flyers' passing 1148449 Sportsnet.ca / How should Corey Perry be valued as an up of Cole Caufield in 2019 NHL draft unrestricted free agent? 1148415 Meet the Flyers’ 2019 draft class 1148450 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Draft Weekend Takeaways: The 1148416 The breakdown: Evaluating the Flyers’ 2019 draft class Canucks are gambling and the new regime’s workmanlike approach 1148451 Sportsnet.ca / One standout selection from each round of the 2019 NHL Draft 1148417 John Steigerwald: Maybe best deals are no deals for Penguins stars 1148441 High hopes for Jets' draft picks 1148418 5 things we learned about Penguins from NHL Draft 1148442 Jets star forward a hit with kids 1148419 Analyzing what’s next for Penguins after NHL draft 1148443 Jets add picks to pipeline: Wide variety of players chosen in 2019 NHL Draft 1148444 Work just beginning for Jets: Draft complete, page turns 1148420 Sharks free-agency decisions: Should forward Micheal back to roster building Haley stay or go? SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1148421 NHL rumors: Sharks might trade Brenden Dillon for salary-cap relief St Louis Blues 1148422 Blues 2019 draft pick capsules 1148423 Center Alexandrov heads list of 5 Blues draft picks 1148424 Petro's Game 7 one for the ages 1148425 Blues select Russian center Alexandrov in second round 1148426 Stanley Cup coming to Busch on June 26 Maple Leafs 1148427 World Cup reboot on the table in NHL contract talks | The Star 1148428 Order of business just getting started for Leafs GM Dubas with Marner contract to resolve 1148429 NHL interview period spices up UFA rumours 1148430 Marching in Pride parade part of Kyle Dubas and ’s effort to promote inclusivity within Maple Lea 1148431 Mirtle: With little salary-cap space, Leafs might have to think outside the box in order to reshape their blue 1148432 Kyle Dubas had a productive draft weekend, but the Leafs aren’t done yet 1148445 Willes' Musings: Miller a step in the right direction, but Canucks still playing catch up 1148446 Ben Kuzma: Benning wooing free-agent defencemen after trying the trade route 1148433 Golden Knights’ salary cap issues not as bad as they appear 1148434 Karlsson extension the latest sign of Golden Knights culture 1148435 Golden Knights, William Karlsson near 8-year extension 1148436 Reports: Golden Knights sign William Karlsson to long- term contract 1148437 Stanley Cup-winning Capitals headline D.C. Sports Hall of Fame class 1148438 Leonsis says Danny Ferry still candidate for Wizards top job 1148439 Stanley Cup champion Capitals headline group of 2019 inductees in to Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame 1148440 Breaking down the Washington Capitals’ 2019 draft class 1148359 Arizona Coyotes So with pick 98 from the trade, the Coyotes took Maccelli, a European forward who played in the United States last year. The Athletic‘s Corey Pronman had Maccelli ranked 49th overall, way ahead of where Arizona Coyotes go forward-heavy, add character and skill at NHL Draft picked.

“We had him [ranked] higher,” Hofford said. “But he tailed off a little bit as some Europeans do, because they’re not used to playing the amount of BY MATT LAYMAN games and practices as much — the ’s longer in North America. So I think he was moving on at a pretty good clip. And then the last part JUNE 22, 2019 AT 4:01 PM of the season, I think he got a little bit fatigued. That might have hurt him.

“But I’ve seen guys obviously bounce back from that. He’s going to the The Arizona Coyotes, going into the draft, were viewed as a team that Finnish league next year to play pro. So he’s another guy with really high should add a forward. General manager John Chayka said Friday he skill and really good vision, so we were really happy to get him, as well.” liked the forwards that were available to him in round one, but liked The one player the Coyotes took who wasn’t a forward, Bergkvist, has Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom even better. some strong attributes, Hofford said, despite being taken all the way in “We weren’t leaving the draft without him,” Chayka told reporters at the the fifth round. He was listed at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, a shorter and draft. “We were going to do whatever it took to get up and get heavier player that Hofford called an elite passer. [Soderstrom].” “When I watch him, he just excelled on the offensive blue line,” Hofford On the second day of the draft, the Coyotes got plenty of forwards. With said. “So his ability to get a through and make plays from that area eight picks in rounds two through seven of the draft in Vancouver on at the pro level … is really impressive. So I thought for that round, he’s Saturday, Arizona took seven forwards and a defenseman. What’s more, got a chance to play in the because he does all of those picks were after the second round, because the Coyotes have a couple things he can hang his hat on.” traded their second-round pick to Philadelphia to move up and get The 2019 NHL Draft was the first one for Hofford since he joined the Soderstrom at pick No. 11. Coyotes organization. He previously worked with the Toronto Maple “There was no kind of pre-set thing that we were going to draft forwards,” Leafs and coached with both the and Lethbridge Coyotes director of scouting Lindsay Hofford said. “It was just, ‘We’re Hurricanes, among other career stops. going to take the best player available,’ and we basically did that from Hofford said he was happy with the collaboration of the group as they pick one to round seven. So it’s just the way they fell on the board, and approached this year’s draft and they collectively watched more video we grabbed them.” and games than he ever had on any other staff he’s been on. The Coyotes’ eight picks on day two were as follows: “It was just the amount of video that we were able to do was astounding,” Round 3, Pick 76: C John Farinacci — Dexter School, MA he said. “So I think it really helped us in a lot of ways.”

Round 4, Pick 98: LW Matias Maccelli — Dubuque, USHL Arizona Sports LOADED: 06.24.2019

Round 4, Pick 107: RW Alexandr Darin — Loko-Junior Yaroslavl

Round 5, Pick 151: RW Aku Raty — Finland Jr. A, Karpat

Round 6, Pick 174: LW Danil Savunov — Russia

Round 6, Pick 176: C Anthony Romano — Sioux Falls, USHL

Round 7, Pick 200: D Axel Bergkvist — Leksands J20, Sweden

Round 7, Pick 207: C Valentin Nussbaumer — Shawinigan, QMJHL

“There was a couple times where defensemen went right ahead of us, that’s just the way it worked out,” Chayka said. “Other times, we tried to trade up to get some defensemen that we thought highly of. But, you know, now it plays out and obviously we got a lot of forwards. And it works, because we needed some forwards, but certainly we went right down the list.”

Hofford raved about their day-one pick, Soderstrom, saying that he passed the eye tests and was “a five-star guy” who also had high character and passed a series of psychological and physical tests with flying colors. The organization seems to view him as a mature kid who can drive the team’s culture.

Similar things were said about the character of Farinacci.

“Again, he’s a very, very high-character kid,” Hofford said. “I’ve got about ten calls on him just unsolicited from people that I know, that I didn’t even know that they even knew him, just telling me what a great young man he is. He’s got a very good offensive instinct, really good stick. I think he makes people around him better and again, I think he’s another kid that has the ability to drive our culture in a positive manner.

“He’s going to Harvard next year and he’ll play in their top six. So we’re looking for big things from him, as well.”

Farinacci was taken with the 76th overall pick. The Coyotes went into the day with the 74th pick as well, but they traded that selection for picks 98, 151 and 207. It was the second trade Chayka made in the draft this year, but Arizona did not complete any deals that involve current NHL players. That, he said, may have been in part because the teams didn’t know how much cap space they’d have (the league announced the 2019-20 cap after the draft). 1148360 Arizona Coyotes Round 6, Pick 176: C Anthony Romano — Sioux Falls, USHL

The Coyotes go with six forwards in a row, taking Romano, who scored 47 points in 60 games in the USHL last year (26 goals with 21 assists). Coyotes 2019 NHL Draft tracker: Selections and trades on day two He had only three points in 10 playoffs games.

He’s a 5-foot-11, right-handed shooting forward who is committed to BY MATT LAYMAN | JUNE 22, 2019 AT 11:49 AM Clarkson (NCAA). He’s from Richmond Hill, but started playing in the US last season. NHL Central Scouting had him as the 52nd-ranked UPDATED: JUNE 22, 2019 AT 3:48 PM skater in North America.

Round 7, Pick 200: D Axel Bergkvist — Leksands J20, Sweden

The Arizona Coyotes traded up to get their guy in the first round on Breaking the streak of all the forwards taken, Arizona picks up a 5-foot-9, Friday night, handing the 14th and 45th picks to Philadelphia to draft left-shot defenseman who had almost a per game last year at one defenseman Victor Soderstrom 11th overall. of the two levels of hockey he played. With 12 goals and nine assists in 23 games with SuperElit Leksands J20, Bergkvist also had 3-7-10 in 36 General manager John Chayka spoke highly of Soderstrom, saying they games with Leksands Allsvenskan. weren’t going to leave the draft without him. He’s a right-shot D with good hockey sense and puck-moving ability and is “not far off” from being NHL Round 7, Pick 207: C Valentin Nussbaumer — Shawinigan, QMJHL ready. We’ll see how long that takes. Adding another forward with the final pick for good measure, the Coyotes On day two, for rounds two through seven, the Coyotes were set to make get a Swiss player who played in the Q last season. For Shawinigan, more selections. They entered the day without a second-round pick, Nussbaumer scored 17 goals with 21 assists in 58 games. because they used it to move up from 14 to 11. But be assured that the team did its homework in trying to find value at their later picks in the Arizona Sports LOADED: 06.24.2019 draft.

Here’s a tracker of the what the Coyotes did on day two:

Trade: Pick 74 to PIT for picks 98, 151 and 207

The Coyotes traded their first pick of day two, trading one of their two picks in the third round to the Penguins. With that pick, Pittsburgh selected right wing Nathan Legare.

Round 3, Pick 76: C John Farinacci — Dexter School, MA

Chayka has been known to place high value on centers and defensemen, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that his first two picks in this year’s draft are at those positions.

John Farinacci is a center who played at Dexter, a high school in Massachusetts. He’s ranked as the 37th-best North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and is listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds.

Farinacci, a right shot, scored 12 goals and 21 assists in 16 games for Dexter last season and is committed to Harvard.

The Ahtletic‘s draft analyst Corey Pronman described Farinacci as someone with great hockey sense and poise with the puck, and “a mature understanding of the center position.” His skating ability was cited as his main flaw. Pronman had Farinacci as the 76th prospect, which is exactly where Arizona took him.

Round 4, Pick 98: LW Matias Maccelli — Dubuque, USHL

Going with a forward in back-to-back picks, the Coyotes get a Finnish winger who had 33 goals and 72 points in 62 games in the USHL last season.

NHL Central Scouting ranked the left-handed shot 51st among North American skaters, and he was the 49th-ranked prospect by The Athletic.

Central Scouting’s bio on Maccelli says he models his game after Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.

Round 4, Pick 107: RW Alexandr Darin — Loko-Junior Yaroslavl

Darin is a right-shot forward who was ranked 26th among European skaters. At 5-foot-11 and 159 pounds, Darin scored 30 goals and 57 points in 65 games between two levels of hockey in Russia last season. He also had a goal and four assists in 12 playoff games.

Round 5, Pick 151: RW Aku Raty — Finland Jr. A, Karpat

Raty was ranked 67th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6-foot, 170-pound right shot scored 19 goals with 26 assists in 52 games in the Finnish Junior A last season.

Round 6, Pick 174: LW Danil Savunov — Russia

Savunov, a left shot at 5-foot-10 and 148 pounds, played 55 games between two leagues in Russia last year and scored 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists) in the process. He did not appear on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings. 1148361 Arizona Coyotes “We have had some discussions and understand where the parties are,” Chayka said. “Now it’s about seeing how the whole puzzle fits together with all the different pieces. That’s the part that has yet to be determined, Neutral Zone: As free-agency-interview period opens, Coyotes actively but if we have to make decisions we can make decisions.” pursuing offense As for Roadrunners RFAs, Tucson GM Steve Sullivan said the team will extend qualifying offers to forwards Emil Pettersson, Hudson Fasching, Michael Bunting, defenseman Dysin Mayo and goalie Adin Hill. Goalie By Craig Morgan Jun 23, 2019 Hunter Miska will not receive a qualifying offer, as previously reported.

Allen’s future

VANCOUVER — Coyotes president of hockey operations John Chayka The door has not closed entirely on assistant coach Scott Allen, but it is acknowledged on Saturday night that his team would take advantage of looking less likely he will return next season after the addition of Phil the NHL’s free-agency interview period, which began Sunday. The eight- Housley to the staff – a move that should be made official early this day window allows unrestricted free agents (UFAs) to speak to teams week. It appears unlikely the Coyotes will keep an extra assistant coach, other than their own right up until free agency opens on July 1. and their minor-league staff is full so they would have to create a position for Allen with Housley on board to coach the defense. “We’re pursuing everything,” Chayka said after the NHL Draft had ended here at Rogers Arena. “If we had done some things in the trade market The Coyotes coaching staff was meeting Sunday to divvy up other then maybe we wouldn’t have pursued some things in the free-agent responsibilities. market but we’re going to continue to pursue it all until we satisfy our needs.” Allen’s contract expires on June 30, putting him in a tough spot. Most available jobs have been filled. Chayka declined to discuss the players the Coyotes would interview in an effort to bolster their offense, but a league source said the Coyotes have Hot commodity met with Dan Plante, the agent for San Jose Sharks free-agent forward When the Coyotes signed center Christian Dvorak to a six-year, $26.7 Joe Pavelski. It is unclear how real Pavelski’s interest in the Coyotes is. million extension last summer, it raised eyebrows across the NHL. When It’s is believed Pavelski would prefer to return to the Sharks, where he Dvorak missed all but 20 games of the season with a pectoral injury, has spent his entire career, but with the salary cap now set at $81.5 there were more quizzical stares. million, the Sharks have just $14.8 million in available cap space (according to Cap Friendly) with just 15 players on the roster. The Coyotes certainly aren’t shopping him but, for a guy whose contract has been questioned by so many, Dvorak sure is garnering a lot of San Jose is also trying to sort out what to do with UFAs Joe Thornton, attention this offseason. Gustav Nyquist, Joonas Donskoi and restricted free agents (RFAs) Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc. According to NHL sources not affiliated with the Coyotes, his name has come up in discussions with multiple teams, including the Minnesota Sources confirmed that the Coyotes were likely going to make an offer to Wild. free-agent forward Kevin Hayes, but it would not have been close to what the Flyers paid him in term or dollar. Philadelphia acquired his Thus far, the offers have not been to the Coyotes’ liking but would they negotiating rights from Winnipeg for a fifth-round pick and then signed deal him for the right price? Few players on this roster are untouchable, him to a seven-year, $50 million deal. Hayes, 27, has topped 20 goals but Dvorak clearly has more value than many analysts assumed. once in his five NHL seasons. Eight is too much Among available the top free agents, center will likely command too much money and wing , 30, will probably When the Coyotes signed RFA Ilya Lyubushkin to a one-year contract on demand too much money and term for the mileage on his body. Wings June 13, it gave them eight NHL defensemen under contract. Don’t Anders Lee and Ryan Dzingel may also price themselves out of the expect them to keep all eight or send. Coyotes parameters. While Lyubushkin is the only waivers-exempt defenseman among the Chayka had hoped to deal with one of the teams facing cap constraints eight, Kevin Connauton is likely the odd man out. Connauton signed a but clubs such as Toronto and Tampa bay eased their situation at the two-year, $2.75 million deal last summer and has one year remaining draft. Vegas is a team still worth watching. As of Sunday, the Golden (1.375 million AAV; $1.5 million salary). Whether it is through a trade, Knights were the only team exceeding the cap with 19 players under waivers or even a buyout, the Coyotes will likely move on from contract. Sources have indicated that some level of discussion has Connauton. occurred regarding forwards Erik Haula and Jonathan Marchessault. Max Cap crunch? Pacioretty, and Nikita Gusev could also be in play. The Coyotes were interested in William Karlsson, but Vegas signed him to an According to Cap Friendly, the Coyotes have only about $6.24 million eight-year deal with an average annual value of $5.9 million. available cap space, but Chayka said the cap will not be an issue.

Pittsburgh wing Phil Kessel and Minnesota wing Jason Zucker are “We have done this before where the (Marian) Hossa deal goes on LTIR probably still in play but only for the right price. (long term injured reserve),” he said. “There are some ramifications of that – some potential overages — but we have significant cap space and “There is still a lot of discussion ongoing and there will be opportunities, it won’t hold us back from making some moves.” but we’ve got to be disciplined and make the right decision,” Chayka said. “Like I have said all along, this is a calculated approach to one or The Coyotes have the potential for $1.17 million bonuses next season. two moves that will really help us.” Prospect development camp RFA update The Coyotes prospect development camp begins Monday at Gila River Tuesday is the deadline for sending qualifying offers to restricted free Arena. On-ice sessions are scheduled from 1:30 to 5:15 p.m. on Monday; agents, but the Coyotes still have not determined the course of action for 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday; and 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Thursday. RFA forwards Lawson Crouse, Nick Cousins and . Their Prospects will also participate in an intra-squad game on Friday at 7 p.m. fate is likely tied into what else Chayka is able to add to the roster. Prior to the game, the Coyotes will host a town hall event for fans with “It’s all a dynamic decision,” he said. “The reality is we don’t have a lot of president and CEO Ahron Cohen, Chayka and coach Rick Tocchet at the roster spots. Some guys stepped up while there were injuries and now Renaissance Hotel from 5-6 p.m. the injured players are healthy so we’ve got a lot of bodies. All of it is The team’s 2019 first-round pick, Victor Söderström, will take part in dependent on one another.” development camp, as well third-round pick John Farinacci, fourth-round It is unlikely the Coyotes will let Crouse go, but Cousins’ and Archibald’s pick Matias Macelli., fifth-round pick Aku Räty, sixth-round pick Anthony fates seem less certain. Romano and seventh-round picks Axel Bergkvist and Valentin Nussbaumer. Fourth-round pick Alexandr Darin and sixth-round pick Danil Savunov will not attend. Among forwards, prior first-round draft choices Barrett Hayton and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, along with Nate Schnarr, Tyler Steenbergen, Brayden Burke and Liam Kirk are attending the camp. Defensemen Dennis Busby, Cam Dineen and Cameron Crotty and Ivan Prosvetov, Erik Källgren and David Tendeck will also participate.

The coaching staff of head coach Jay Varady, assistants John Slaney and Steve Potvin will be on the ice with the prospects, along with Coyotes forward development coach Mark Bell, defensemen development coach Alex Henry, goaltending development coach Zac Bierk and European player development coach Brett Stewart.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148362 Boston Bruins

Bruins’ unheralded draft picks won’t help immediately

By MARISA INGEMI | PUBLISHED: June 23, 2019 at 6:56 pm | UPDATED: June 23, 2019 at 6:57 PM

VANCOUVER — In the big picture, the Bruins draft isn’t terribly surprising.

By all accounts, they went way off the board in the first round with the selection of John Beecher. That set the tone for a five-pick draft which brought in a variety of players.

It wasn’t a bad draft, but it certainly wasn’t at the top of anyone’s list of winners. That spot belongs to the Hurricanes, Devils, or Avalanche. The B’s nearly as bad as the Islanders or Blue Jackets, either.

But to come away without a trade — a near impossibility with the salary cap situation not settled until afterwards — and with five young players who won’t be NHL-ready for years means the rest of this important offseason will be an uphill battle.

Again, this approach isn’t surprising.

A year ago, the B’s didn’t have a first-round pick, ending up with Swedish defenseman Axel Andersson (who stayed overseas) in the second round. Jakub Lauko is the most impressive and near-ready player from that draft after he performed well at the .

There’s a chance, perhaps, Pavel Shen comes over to North America after opening some eyes as well, according to assistant general manager Scott Bradley.

The year before, Urho Vaakanainen was a solid selection, with Jack Studnicka also emerging as an elite prospect.

Before that, though, drafts have tended to be met with a lukewarm reaction. Trent Frederic ( player some in Vancouver compared to Beecher) as the B’s second first-round selection in 2016 opened some eyes, as did infamously passing on Mat Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot in the 2015 first round.

That brought in Jake DeBrusk, but it’ll always be looked at as a missed opportunity with three first-rounders in a row and coming away with none of those stars.

It’s going to be a while before this draft yields results, which is why there’s been an apathetic view. Beecher is headed to Michigan and won’t be around for a couple years, as Sweeney wants to see his game grow.

Third-rounder Quinn Olson is a year away from going to Minnesota- Duluth, while Russian defenseman Roman Bychkov is a question mark to come to North America at all, including this week’s development camp, according to Bradley. Undersized Finnish forward Matias Mantykivi remains a project, and Jake Schmaltz is a third-liner in the USHL.

“I don’t know, not so special,” Mantykivi said. “Just a calm boy from Finland. Nothing else.”

Schmaltz compared his game to , but he still has some work to do before he’s playing near a professional level.

“I think just working hard on the forecheck, just creating havoc and just being a positive guy on the bench,” he said. “Just a good locker room guy and just doing everything I can to help the team win.”

That’s not to say none of them has a shot in the NHL, or even with the Bruins. It’s just going to take a significant amount of time before anyone can grade how Sweeney did.

Given the salary cap situation and the decisions that need to be made, these picks probably weren’t going to be part of the solution this season. It’s just impossible to tell how they will develop.

Boston Herald LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148363 Boston Bruins

NHL sets 2019-20 salary cap at $81.5, $1.5 million lower than expected

By Michael DePrisco June 23, 2019 10:26 PM

The NHL announced it's salary cap for the 2019-20 season Saturday at $81.5 million, which is $1.5 million lower than initial projections.

The Bruins are expected to have about $13 million in cap space, not counting free agents Danton Heinen, Marcus Johansson, Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy, Noel Acciari and Brandon Kampfer.

The Bruins will likely bring back McAvoy, Carlo and Heinen, but the lower cap figure may have an impact on the team's willingness to re-sign Johansson. One avenue the Bruins could take is offloading David Backes contract onto a team with the space to absorb it, but apparently, his deal is "impossible to move."

We'll see what this lower cap result ultimately does to the Bruins plans moving forward, but the last thing teams usually want around free agency is less money to spend.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148364 Boston Bruins

Is David Backes' contract 'impossible to move'?

By Jacob Camenker June 23, 2019 3:45 PM

In the wake of losing the 2019 Stanley Cup Final in seven games to the St. Louis Blues, the Boston Bruins are facing a tight salary cap situation that could prevent them from bringing back all of their talented players.

On paper, an easy move to free up some space would involve dumping David Backes. The 35-year-old was inactive for a good chunk of the team's postseason run and only had 20 total points last season. But Backes, set to make $6 million this season, has buyout protections in his contract and is due another $6 million in the 2020-21 season. And as one assistant GM pointed out, that makes the contract unmovable.

“Impossible to move,” said one assistant GM of Backes' contract to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. “It would be a high-end pick plus a prospect. The only way is a bad contract for a bad contract.”

The Bruins certainly wouldn't like to pay that type of price to offload Backes. But that may mean some sacrifices elsewhere on the roster.

Right now, the Bruins have a few players on their roster set to hit restricted free agency. Young building blocks Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Danton Heinen are all due raises and potential long-term contracts moving forward. Additionally, key bottom-six players Marcus Johansson and Noel Acciari are going to be unrestricted free agents, and one would think that the Bruins would have an interest in bringing that duo back -- and Johansson in particular.

However, the Bruins don't have a lot of projected cap space. CapFriendly.com projects the Bruins to have just under $13 million in space. That may be enough to bring back the restricted players, but it may keep Johansson from rejoining the team.

While clearing Backes' contract could open the space needed to bring back Johansson, it simply appears to be too high of a price to pay to get rid of him. They have a lot of intriguing young talent in their system, so they may turn to them instead if they can't afford to keep some of the free agents on their roster.

Also, it's notable that throughout the offseason, Don Sweeney has praised Backes' veteran leadership and seems to think that he can still contribute. Backes may play on the fourth line and while $6 million would still be a pretty penny for a fourth-line player, at least the Bruins could use him and wouldn't have to sacrifice long-term assets to get rid of him.

We'll soon see if anything changes for the Bruins, but for the time being, it seems likely that Backes will be back for another season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148365 Buffalo Sabres Still, former Calder Trophy winner Myers enjoyed his time in Buffalo and made it clear he was interested in being part of the rebuild before he was shipped to Winnipeg as part of the Evander Kane trade in 2015. Probably Jason Botterill, GMs jobs get harder: What kind of team do you build? worth at least a call to check in.

Botterill exudes class on Lehner

By Mike Harrington|Published Sun, Jun 23, 2019|Updated Sun, Jun 23, Botterill got almost instantly choked up Friday when I asked him about 2019 's fabulous speech at Wednesday's NHL Awards Show. Lehner has said several times this season how important Botterill was during the early days of his rehab and how much it meant to him that the GM checked in on him over the summer – even after the Sabres walked VANCOUVER – There are a lot of reasons the job of an NHL general away from his contract. manager is a tough one. Here's the latest one to add to the list: How do you know what kind of team to build these days? You can say what you want about how Botterill has done at his job so far and there's plenty of chatter about it, mostly as it relates to the Ryan It sure seemed like the NHL was going back to a speed game when the O'Reilly trade. But when it comes to class and personal integrity, Botterill Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. is universally acclaimed as one of the good people in the league and that Last year's Washington-Vegas Cup final certainly highlighted speed but certainly reflects well on the Sabres. both of those teams were "heavy" as well. Seattle Somethings This season seemed to be all about speed when you consider teams like Tampa Bay, Toronto and Calgary that roared to success over 82 games. The Seattle ownership group visited Vancouver over the weekend and Then the playoffs started. Upsets were everywhere. Columbus, Carolina gave an update on its preparations to start play in the 2021-22 season. In and St. Louis were among the teams advancing. Boston forged on. The the answer to what rates as the biggest question he gets over and over, Lightning, Leafs and Flames were doused. president and CEO Tod Leiweke said the team is taking its time on a nickname, colors and uniform scheme. By the end, the final was between the Bruins and the ultra-heavy Blues. Speed seems to be what you want in the regular season. Brawn seems "We want to get it right. It's a complicated world," Leiweke said. "There's to answer the call in the postseason. What's a GM to do? lots of trademark restrictions out there and names already taken. And part of it is, the longer we're going as an enterprise, the more we know "It's always trying to find out do you have enough skill to go through it but what we stand for and the more we know what we don't stand for. As is that skill willing to get into the hard areas and compete in certain anxious as people are to have us wear a name on our chest, taking our areas?" Sabres GM Jason Botterill said here in the hours leading into the time is going to serve us well in getting it right." NHL draft. "What both organizations showed is that they faced injuries throughout their runs and they had the depth to step in. Guys could come The Seattle group also said it would like to host the 2021 draft in concert in who had been out of the lineup and contribute right away. with the expansion draft to stock its club. The former Key Arena, once home to the NBA's Sonics, is being completely rebuilt under its iconic "The story with St. Louis is just the parity in the NHL right now. From roof from the 1962 World's Fair and will be ready by June 2021 if the where they were at Christmas time, start of January to the end of the league wants to award the draft. season, it was fascinating for our fan base and I think it was great for our league." Big show expected next year in Montreal

Dallas GM knows all about that. His team took the Blues to The announcement that next year's draft will be in Montreal was going to double in Game 7 of the second round and fell one goal shy of bring high interest in that hockey-mad city anyway. But it lines up with a short-circuiting the Blues' "Gloria" run long before it ended in triumph in native being well on the way to being the No. 1 pick and thus Boston. ensuring a complete circus.

"You really do have to have a mixture," Nill said after Saturday's activities For more than a year now, Rimouski left winger Alexis Lafreniere has had concluded. "But you saw that Pittsburgh won the Cup with speed. It's been billed as the first top pick of the new decade and nothing seems to really the intriguing part of building a team. It's a dilemma that's a difficult be changing. one, yes, but there are other factors in play. The cap is so important to determine where your team can sign people and where your team is at. The 6-foot-1-inch Lafreniere had 37 goals, 68 assists and 105 points in 61 games for Rimouski, the Quebec League team that sent Sidney "It really makes our game so great that with the parity in our league, Crosby to No. 1 in 2005. Lafreniere, who played on Canada's World we're all 3-5 wins away from each other it seems. Everybody really has a Junior team as a 17-year-old, added nine goals and 23 points in 13 chance. That's what makes it intriguing." playoff games.

Nill's right that most teams were 3-5 wins away. The Sabres, of course, Frolunda, the Swedish team that produced Rasmus Dahlin, may have finished much farther away than that, but were at the head of the pack another top-5 pick in 2020 in right winger Lucas Raymond. Prince Albert last November so they've had a taste of success. defenseman Kaiden Guhle, the younger brother of former Sabres defenseman Brendan Guhle, is expected to be a first-round pick as well. "We’ve talked about that parity numerous times," Botterill said. "You have teams that didn't make the playoffs or were eliminated in the first round Around the boards that had Stanley Cup expectations. Then there's the salary cap situation and there's a lot of things in flux from that point." • Loved Vancouver native Sam Reinhart being at the draft to greet first- round pick Dylan Cozens in person. Botterill said Reinhart, now 23, Whether it's speedy or heavy, Botterill's thought about depth is the reached out to him a few days before about being part of draft week. Sabres' point of emphasis right now. They need to make some trades or Reinhart went to dinner with Botterill, new coach Ralph Krueger, owners get into free agency at the non-Matt Duchene level. This corner's top two Terry and Kim Pegula and others from team management on targets at wing would be New York Islanders captain Anders Lee (6-2, Wednesday. In NHL terms, Reinhart is now a veteran. Those kind of 225) and San Jose's Joonas Donskoi (6-0, 190). They combined for 42 actions are a nice step forward for him in his role as a core piece of this goals and 88 points last season. There's your mix of speed with some club. size. "The best selling point I’ve always talked about is our players," Botterill There are plenty of alumni candidates, too. I'm on record completely in said. "I think players in the National Hockey League see the young talent the corner of bringing back Jason Pominville on a one-year deal and that we have – Jack (Eichel), Sam, Rasmus (Dahlin) – and I think wonder if Botterill will inquire with Thomas Vanek as well. hopefully by stepping up and signing Jeff Skinner it shows we’re going to reward players who want to be a part of things here in Buffalo. So I think I don't think the Sabres would want to be in the price range that Toronto's that mix is hopefully attractive to other players out there." Jake Gardiner or Winnipeg's Tyler Myers might earn with the defense market getting thin, given the signing of Erik Karlsson by San Jose and • Speaking of O'Reilly, here was Botterill's reaction to the Blues' Stanley the trade of Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg to New York. Cup: "It was a great run for Ryan and a great story for the National Hockey League what St. Louis accomplished. The resilience they showed, where they were able to get into the playoffs and then what you saw in the playoffs, was something. You look at the road and it was not an easy road. You could have been talking about a first-round loss to Winnipeg and they battled through that. And I thought it was an outstanding final series. Both teams were mentally strong."

• If Botterill isn't buying out Vladimir Sobotka, he's simply not going to buy out anyone. Sobotka is a useless player on the books for $3.5 million next season and Botterill gave a flat-out no when asked if a buyout was on the table.

Botterill's philosophy is clearly to just grit through bad contracts until they're off the books rather than stretch them out as they would be through a buyout. And he also has to balance the dead money the team is now paying to Cody Hodgson the next four seasons, a not insignificant sum of $791,667 per year through 2023 due to the 2015 buyout of his six-year deal signed two years earlier.

• One of Vegas' three fifth-round selections was North Bay forward Mason Primeau. He's the son of Wayne Primeau, who was drafted 17th overall by the Sabres in 1994 and played 225 games for Buffalo from 1995-2000.

Buffalo News LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148366 Buffalo Sabres Though goalies take longer to be NHL-ready, in some ways the volatility of their development is similar to forwards and defensemen. Injuries and regression are unpredictable. The Sabres aren't going to pass on players Draftee Erik Portillo the Sabres' latest attempt at finding a franchise because they've drafted ones with a similar skill set in recent years. goalie Despite selecting five defensemen in last year’s draft, the Sabres used this year’s second first-round pick, No. 31, on 17-year-old Ryan Johnson.

“With a 17-year-old draft you’re basing a lot on projection and as a result By Lance Lysowski|Published Sun, Jun 23, 2019|Updated Sun, Jun 23, you might be projecting [Sabres defenseman prospect] Oskari 2019 Laaksonen to be something in four or five years but you can’t avoid drafting a guy with similar skill sets as Oskari because you think you

already have one,” Sexton said prior to the draft. “There’s injury, illness, VANCOUVER – There were no audible cheers from the Rogers Arena lack of development. You might have passed on are all good prospect crowd when Buffalo Sabres director of amateur scouting Ryan Jankowski that might end up being better than Oskari because you thought you announced his third-round draft choice Saturday. already had one.”

Their selection, goalie Erik Portillo, did not attend the NHL draft. He Goaltending is suddenly an area of strength in the Sabres’ prospect pool. wasn’t even among the 12 goalies ranked by NHL Central Scouting. Yet, Luukkonen, a second-round pick in 2017, was the Ontario Hockey Sabres brass used the third of their six picks on the 6-foot-6-inch, 18- League’s most valuable player this past season and made his debut in year-old Swede who was not selected when he was draft eligible one Rochester’s regular-season finale. However, his surgery will prevent him year earlier. from participating in this week’s development camp and the Amerks’ opener in October. In doing so, the Sabres possibly passed on forwards or defensemen who could have a quicker path to playing professionally in North America. To As a result, Botterill told reporters Saturday in Vancouver the Sabres will Botterill and his staff, that’s a small price to pay. add a No. 3 goalie this offseason, someone who can start in the while providing depth behind Though they have one of the sport’s top drafted prospect goalies under and Linus Ullmark. contract and headed to Rochester next season, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres continue to add high-upside players at the position in search Jonas Johansson, a 23-year-old goalie drafted in the third round in 2014, of a franchise player. is expected to contribute in Rochester next season but was limited to 32 games in 2018-19 because of a season-ending surgery, the details of “Without a doubt we were happy,” Botterill said of selecting Portillo. “As which were not disclosed by the Sabres. you know, in the goalie market it’s always the question when do you take them? Where do you take them? We understand with Erik he’s a longer- This will be Johansson’s third full season in North America, and he’s only term project for sure.” appeared in 19 games with Rochester during that span, compared to 57 with Cincinnati of the ECHL. Botterill had information about Portillo that may have been unavailable to others. “I think we have to be very patient with Luukkonen, with his injury,” Botterill said. “It’s a situation of you gotta put a time frame on when he's Portillo’s junior club Frolunda produced Rasmus Dahlin and he's going to be ready, but also he's not going to have the strong summer of committed to play at the University of Michigan, the alma mater of Sabres training. It is a little bit of a setback, but we had to look at the bigger General Manager Jason Botterill. The Sabres have tracked Portillo for picture for him for sure. We will look. We feel very comfortable with our the past two years, the second of which included remarkable two goalies in the National Hockey League. We have Jonas being in a improvement. situation where we think he can help out in Rochester, but yeah, we’ll certainly be looking to try to find technically a No. 3 goalie to add to the Portillo, who will turn 19 in September, had a 1.99 goals-against average organization." and .931 save percentage in 26 regular-season games in 2018-19, followed by a .933 save percentage in four playoff games. He’s expected Prior to Luukkonen and Johansson, the Sabres drafted Cal Petersen to spend next season with Dubuque of the United States Hockey League (fifth round, 2013) and Ullmark (sixth round, 2012). Petersen chose not to before joining the Wolverines for 2020-21. sign with Buffalo and finally reached the NHL this past season, posting a .924 save percentage in 11 games for Los Angeles. That development plan should allow Portillo as many as five years to develop – physically and technically – in the USHL and NCAA before Ullmark, a restricted free agent this offseason, is currently penciled in as beginning his professional career with the Sabres. the Sabres’ backup for a second consecutive season after posting a .905 save percentage in 37 games. "There are two reasons goalies take longer to develop but the first is the position is extremely advanced," said Dubuque General Manager Kalle Of the 15 goalies selected by the Sabres since in 1999, only Larsson, who selected Portillo fifth overall in the USHL draft this spring. two have played in at least eight games with the team: Jhonas Enroth "There are so few jobs for the positions at the professional level. That's and Ullmark. why you see NHL goalies having to play in the AHL. ... It's more competitive, so the development process is going to take longer. An inability to draft and develop a franchise has forced Sabres management to add through trades and free agency, most "Second, it takes longer for goalies to adjust to each new level and the recently Hutton, who posted a .908 save percentage in a career-high 50 position deals so much with technique. When they move to each new games last season. He is expected to be the starter again in 2019-20, level it takes more time. You can't rush development. Time helps and the Sabres hope a better defensive structure can make him a everybody. The college path gives him more time. The Sabres will have playoff-caliber goaltender. However, Hutton will turn 34 in December and him until he’s 23 or 24 before they have to sign him. That’s a huge is under contract for only two more seasons. benefit." The future franchise goalie has yet to emerge, and the Sabres would The Sabres selecting a goalie, particularly with a high draft pick, likely prefer that role be filled by Ullmark or Luukkonen since their latest shouldn’t come as a surprise. Though Luukkonen had a breakout year draftee is years away from the NHL. that included a gold medal at world juniors, he underwent double-hip surgery this offseason, which will prevent him from being ready for the “It gives us time to develop his game and being a big guy, being a little bit start of this season. of a late bloomer physically, he had to catch up to himself,” Jankowski said of Portillo. “The way he played for his club team down the stretch in Botterill and his assistant general manager, Randy Sexton, deployed a the playoffs and the steps he took as a goaltender we see a future there similar strategy during their tenure in Pittsburgh. The Penguins selected for him and that’s what we liked about him.” four goalies during a five-year span from 2012-16, including two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray in the third round. Their last selection, Buffalo News LOADED: 06.24.2019 Filip Gustavsson, was part of the trade package that landed them center in February 2018. 1148367 Calgary Flames If he was a sure thing, he wouldn’t have been available Saturday in the seventh round.

Despite his superb stat-line this past season as Carter Hart’s successor Flames’ seventh-rounder Dustin Wolf the feel-good story of 2019 NHL in Everett, scouts wish the ’s Scholastic Player Draft of the Year could fill a little more of the net.

His measurements — he is listed at 6-foot and only 165 lb. — garner Wes Gilbertson more attention than his 41-15-4 record, his stingy 1.69 goals-against average or his seven shutouts last winter.

“Everything was about his height,” said Wolf’s father, Mike, recapping VANCOUVER — For one of his biggest fans, the tears told the story. their rollercoaster day. “It wasn’t about how he played or what he did on the ice or the awards he won … It was all about, he was two inches too “He does not usually cry,” said Dustin Wolf’s mother, Michelle, beaming short. And that was as much driving us crazy as him just not being picked with pride after her puck-stopping son was selected by the Calgary yet. Flames in the oh-so-late stages of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. “We figured maybe third or fourth round. His agent thought third or fourth round. And then we’re at the end and it’s like, ‘What is going on?!?’ They “This has been his dream. He picked from when he was a little, little kid were just scared.” … I always say in utero because when we would go to the Sharks games when I was pregnant, he would kick me. And as soon as the Sharks Michelle interjects. stopped playing and they left the ice, he would stop kicking me. And that went on all season long, So somehow, hockey was in him and it’s just a “Nobody wanted to take that chance. Until now.” great feeling to see that his dream is one step closer to a reality.” Not until the end.

California kid Dustin Wolf turned out to be the feel-good story of the 2019 Not until Button leaned toward the microphone at No. 214 overall. NHL Draft. “If he’s probably this much taller, he’s going a lot earlier,” said Flames Those were tears of joy. general manager , holding his thumb and index finger only The Flames made their final selection Saturday at No. 214 overall. a couple of inches apart. “In the , he put up Beyond that, a grand total of three picks remained. numbers you don’t see very often as a goalie. Now, he’s not the modern goalie of 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, but he is ultra-competitive and very athletic, The name-calling started at 10 a.m. Four-plus hours later, Wolf was still and the results speak for themselves. In that spot, for sure, I feel like we squirming in his seat in Section 105. got a real solid player and a really, really good kid.

Waiting. “I just said to him, ‘Hey, there are guys that were drafted at 10:05 a.m. and there are guys that are drafted at 2:43 p.m. But you’re all drafted. Wondering. They’re just like you. You’re just like them. So enjoy the day. You’ve got Worrying that even after he had posted the Western Hockey League’s a great story, and we’re excited and proud to have you.’ ” best save percentage — a shiny .936 mark — in his first season as Indeed, this is a hell of a story. starter for the , he wouldn’t be drafted at all. If the kid becomes a success at the Saddledome, the teary tale will only His mindfulness coach had done his darnedest to keep the lanky lad get better. positive. “As you saw today, it’s not over until it’s over,” Dustin declared. “I can’t His agent had assured a long list of teams, into the double digits, were wait to get started in Calgary. It’s going to be a fun ride.” anxious to extend an invite to their summer development camps. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 06.24.2019 But then, finally …

“I didn’t even know who drafted him. I missed it,” Michelle admitted later. “But to hear that name, it was just relief. Extreme relief. All the frustrations of the day just went away.”

That’s when the tears started to flow.

“There are no words to describe it,” said the young goaltender, his eyes as red as the jersey he had just tugged over his dress shirt. “As you can probably tell, I’m pretty emotional right now. A long day, but definitely one worth waiting for.”

The Flames, with a weekend haul that already included forward prospects Jakob Pelletier, Ilya Nikolaev, Lucas Feuk and Josh Nodler, had no clue their target at No. 214 was sweating it out in the lower bowl at Rogers Arena.

The relieved roar of Wolf’s loved ones and supporters — and Silvertips fans who had made the two-hour drive from Everett — guaranteed goosebumps for everybody left in a building that would soon be filled with the crash-and-bang of crews deconstructing the draft floor.

“The cherry on top was the crowd reaction. That was awesome,” said Flames’ director of amateur scouting Tod Button. “It was a pretty quiet arena, right? Most tables were packing up, we were waiting and when the roar went out, it was just, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s right there!’ It was neat.

“That’s the cherry on top, to see the emotion and to see a kid stay right to that spot — four picks from the end — and get picked and fulfil his dream for today.”

Goalie-of-the-future is always a popular barstool subject in Calgary, and Wolf hopes to push his way into that conversation. 1148368 Calgary Flames especially applies to hockey. Four of the Flames’ picks have close connections that could propel them as they pursue their dream of playing in the NHL.

Ten observations about five prospects: Reflections on Calgary’s draft For Pelletier, there’s Samuel Poulin, who went 21st overall to Pittsburgh. weekend The only two QMJHL selections in the first round, they are good friends and have played together in the past. Most recently, they played for Canada in the U18 . They also played together By Darren Haynes Jun 23, 2019 growing up.

For Nodler, chosen 150th overall, there is Alex Turcotte, who went fifth overall to Los Angeles. “Maybe a little inner competition there,” Nodler It started with a jab and it ended with tears. Just like that, another Flames said. “I’m really good friends with Alex, we’ve been family friends for a draft is in the books. long time. He lived in Michigan for a while, and we played together a little Late Saturday afternoon, Calgary packed up its table and the bit growing up so we’ve always been really good friends, so pretty cool to organization returned home with five more players in the fold than the see him there yesterday.” Flames had to start the weekend. For third-rounder Ilya Nikolaev, selected 88th overall, there is Vasily Friday night began in typical fashion for any NHL event with Gary Podkolzin, who went 10th overall to Vancouver. They played on the Bettman taking to the stage and the crowd at Rogers Arena in Vancouver same line last year in Russia. “They were really good together,” Flames lustily booing him. Wherever the NHL commissioner goes, it’s what fans head amateur scout Tod Button said. “They had different left wingers all instinctively do. year, but (Nikolaev) was the hub, the guy that connects the defence to the wingers. Solid playmaker. Smart. Competitive. Very happy to get him While Bettman had to resort to a gimmick — fetching the Sedins from where we got him.” backstage — to try and dissuade the booing, Brad Treliving faced it head-on. When Calgary’s first pick finally came up at No. 26 and the For Wolf, there is Carter Hart, who was picked 48th by Philadelphia in Flames GM reached the podium to an equally boisterous and derisive 2016. Wolf shared the crease for Everett (WHL) in 2017-18, before taking greeting, he stood in there and with a subtle smirk, shot back, “We’d also over for Hart when Hart turned pro with the Flyers. “We’ve seen what like to say a special hello to the greatest hockey fans back in Calgary.” Carter Hart’s done,” Button said. “As a 17-year-old starter, those are Then he just stood back and soaked in the moment, as the volume of tough shoes to fill, and he did a pretty good job and great numbers. Our boos increased. western guys loved him.”

From that moment through pick No. 214 on Saturday afternoon, when 3. No defence, no problem Calgary selected goaltender Dustin Wolf four picks shy of the end of the The 2020 NHL Draft in Montreal, in which Calgary currently possesses all draft to tears of happiness from his nearly heartbroken family that was in of its picks except for its fourth-rounder (dealt to Los Angeles in the attendance and had almost given up hope, here are 10 observations of Oscar Fantenberg trade), will mark the third anniversary of the last time what shook down. the Flames drafted a . Since Juuso Valimaki was selected in 1. Don’t Stop Believing the first round in 2017, the Flames’ past 14 selections have consisted of 13 forwards and one goalie — in that order. When Jakob Pelletier’s name was called on Friday night, the song in the background, as he went through the customary hugs in the crowd then These past two drafts are just the second and third time in franchise made his way onto the stage, was “Donald Trump” by Mac Miller. Of history that the Flames failed to select at least one blueliner. The only course, it was the instrumental version. After all, there is no more family other time it happened was in 2006. of a show than the NHL Draft, and the lyrics, as penned by the late In listening to Button and Treliving after the draft was complete, it’s not Pittsburgh rapper ,are not so family-friendly. that the team was avoiding defencemen, it was just a situation in which That was actually one of the cool aspects of the first round. Each of the things didn’t line up for Calgary. 31 prospects selected was able to choose his own unique walk-up song. “We talk about defencemen, but if they’re not there, you can’t force it,” Even though it was just limited to Friday night’s festivities, I asked Button said as he and Treliving recapped the Flames’ weekend. “Just like Flames fifth-round pick, Josh Nodler, who watched the draft on television you can’t force bigger guys. You take the best players. You take the guys with his family back at home in Oak Park, Mich., what his song would that are there.” have been, and he said “Don’t Stop by Believing” by Journey. Consider that when it came time for the Flames to make their first pick at “I feel like that suits the moment,” Nodler said, adding that they played it No. 26, nine defenceman had already been taken. Meanwhile, just one all the time at Joe Louis Arena, just 15 minutes away where he used to left wing was off the board — Pelletier becoming the second. Meanwhile, watch Detroit Red Wings games, including their Stanley Cup win in 2008. without a second-round pick, that selection belonging to the New York “Most of my years growing up, I was a Red Wings fan. My dad loves the Islanders as part of the Travis Hamonic trade, another 25 defencemen Red Wings and so does the rest of my family,” Nodler said. “I loved would get picked, leading up to Calgary’s next selection at No. 88. Before watching (Pavel) Datsyuk. He was my favorite player. So fun to watch. the Flames took Russian pivot Nikolaev, just five of the previous 40 picks The way he was mesmerizing with the puck was something to behold, for had been centres. sure.” There are two reasons why the Flames could go another draft without Not a bad choice for the center prospect. But does Nodler model his adding to the back end. The first is the number of young defencemen game after the legendary Detroit center? already in the NHL. Consider that for the final two games of the playoffs, in which the Flames were eliminated in five games by the Colorado “There are certain aspects of my game that I model after Datsyuk, but Avalanche, half of the six Calgary defencemen in uniform were 21 or I’ve always been a big Patrice Bergeron fan,” Nodler said. “I always try younger when the season began — Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, and model my game after him because I really respect the way he plays Juuso Valimaki — the latter two being rookies. Additionally, a third rookie on both sides of the puck.” blueliner, Oliver Kylington, was a scratch after playing nearly half of the regular season. As it turns out, “Don’t Stop Believing” would have been the perfect choice for Wolf, too. In a mostly cleared-out Rogers Arena, he was the last The other variable is that Treliving recently signed two young player in attendance to hear his name called. defencemen from Europe to entry-level contracts. Left-shooting Swede, Carl-Johan Lerby, 21, and right-shooting Russian, Alexander Yelesin, 23, AFTER WAITING FOR TWO DAYS AND OVER 200 PICKS, THE provide depth at an already youthful position. JUBILATION OF FINALLY HEARING YOUR NAME CALLED AT THE NHL DRAFT 4. Not sure which one to pick? Draft them both!

2. Some high-end, friendly competition One of the more interesting situations for Calgary occurred in Round 4. Button says the Flames were looking at either Swedish left winger Lucas One of the most motivating things in life is to have a friend who is better Feuk or Nodler and couldn’t decide. at something than you because you want to be just as good. This It was at this midpoint in the draft where Button said the team had 2014 — Drafted Mason McDonald in Round 2 worked its way through its initial list of prospects, who would have also been seen by crossover scouts. Now the onus fell more on the expertise 2015 — Signed Nick Schneider as a free agent (after he went undrafted) and observations of the area scouts, and both players were listed as next 2016 — Drafted Tyler Parsons in Round 2 up — amateur scouts Bobby Hagelin (Sweden) and Jim Cummins (United States) both liking their respective players. Parsons and newly signed Russian goaltender Artyom Zagidulin are presumably ticketed for the AHL this season. With Schneider likely off to “We actually had Feuk and Nodler really close, and we had to make a the ECHL and the future uncertain for McDonald, a pending RFA, and decision which guy we were going to take because we had to wait Gillies, who has another year remaining on his deal, it will be interesting another round for the next guy,” Button said. “We really didn’t know who to see what the landscape looks like in a couple of years time when Wolf, was going to be there for the next one, but we took Feuk first.” should he continue to play well, turns pro.

It worked. Thirty-four picks later, they also got Nodler. 7. Tall in short supply

“A smart player,” Button said of Feuk, who played junior in Sweden last This week was the fifth anniversary of the Flames using a second round season. “He’s a little bit underdeveloped at this point, physically, so he’s pick on hulking 6-foot-7 left-winger Hunter Smith. That not-so-memorable got a lot of room to grow. But the competitive nature of the kid and the 2014 draft in which they also used the 34th pick on McDonald came less hockey sense were the things that our Swedish scout really liked about than two months after Treliving had been hired. him.” Thus, it also came before he had the opportunity to put in place his Nodler, who played for Fargo in the USHL last year, is heading to desired scouting and player-development structure/philosophy. Symbolic Michigan State this fall. of how much his draft tendencies have changed since that first year, “Our old scout, Peter Lamoureux, was just named the head coach (in when he was transitioning into the role and Brian Burke was by his side, Fargo). He was the associate coach last year. He raved about him — his Pelletier, this year’s first-round pick, is about the size of Smith’s beard. work ethic, how he is in practice,” Button said. “He’s another smart, There really has been a shift in draft philosophy. with an increased focus playmaking guy … good vision, good hands. He needs to work on his on finding skilled players who are ultra competitive, regardless of size. skating. That needs to pick up.” But rising to the top in the two-month grind that is the Stanley Cup 5. Long-term investments playoffs, once again, was muscle and brawn in the form of the St. Louis If there was one overriding purpose to this year’s draft, it was to continue Blues and Boston Bruins. Is that more physical, heavier brand of hockey to restock the prospect pipeline, which has been depleted lately thanks to that we’ve watched in May and June for decades always going to be the so many Flames who have been called up to the NHL the past couple way it is or will the postseason continue to evolve and become closer to seasons. how the regular season has become?

Coming off a season during which they finished second overall with a What we learned this weekend is that the Flames’ early playoff exit to youthful core, the Flames aren’t in need of immediate help this season. Colorado, nor any perceived lack of size, has not fazed them. The They already have Dillon Dube, Andrew Mangiapane, Valimaki and players they added were on the smaller size, with three of the five Kylington on the verge of being full-time NHL players, each splitting time (Nikolaev, Nodler, Wolf) listed by the NHL as 5-foot-11 and Pelletier all of last season between Calgary and Stockton (AHL). Meanwhile, players 5-foot-9. Feuk is the tall guy at an even 6-foot. such as David Rittich and Rasmus Andersson are also young and on the A year ago, there was an emphasis on skill and speed. While the rise. Instead, the hope is that this year’s draft class could turn into NHL blueprint changed a bit this year, as based on where they were picking, possibilities in 2021, 2022 and beyond. the Flames ended up with players who do need to work on their skating, Spoiled by the quick ascents of high first-rounders such as Sam Bennett, yet there still isn’t a panic to find behemoths on skates. Again this year, it Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk, this year’s draft prospects likely was that highly valued attribute of competitiveness that ruled the will need at least a couple of years to reach the NHL. And for most of weekend. them, it will take even longer if they do ever make it: “He’s got some eff-you in his game,” Treliving said on Friday, giving the Pelletier — With his birthday coming after Dec. 31, he can’t go to the full rundown on Pelletier. AHL for two more seasons. He will be back in the QMHL for sure next “Elite compete, elite hockey sense. And those are two things that we season, and unless he makes the Flames in 2020-21, he’ll return to the value greatly. He’s very productive — he’s got skill — but he’s got hard QMJHL. So he’s a long way out, but that will give him time to thicken up skill. He’ll go into hard areas. The DNA of this kid … a high, high motor as strength is an area that he needs to develop, and that takes time. and just ultra-, ultra-competitive, tons of character, and that’s the core of Nikolaev — Is contractually obligated to play two more years in Russia. him, and it’s wrapped in a pretty skilled package.” The Flames have already expressed that they’re fine with that. All of which Button corroborated on Saturday.

Nodler — After committing to Michigan State three years ago, he is finally “First of all, as a hockey player, he’s really fundamentally sound. He’s a embarking on his NCAA career, and one should expect him to remain coach’s dream because he picks up stuff quick. He can understand there at least two years and probably three. systems very well. He’s responsible in all three zones,” Button said. “He’s Feuk — Under contract with Södertälje in Sweden, you can expect him to the kind of guy who, if he doesn’t make it, it’s not because he didn’t remain in his home country for a while as he continues to develop, similar exhaust every chance to do it. Whatever it takes. Nutrition. Skating. Skill. to Flames prospects Linus Lindstrom and Filip Sveningsson. Whatever it is, he’s going to find a way to play. And that was attractive. With the raw talent he’s already got, we think we’re giving our Wolf — Again, with a late birthday like Pelletier, expect two more years of development guys a guy with lots of room to grow.” junior for him as he cannot sign and play in the AHL until 2021-22. Similar story for Nodler. The club will closely monitor all of them and when the time is right, then they’ll be offered contracts, go to the minors, and the club’s player Same for Nikolaev. “Solid two-way center,” Button said about the development model will kick into high gear. Russian. “Solid playmaker. Smart. Competitive. Very happy to get him where we got him.” 6. It’s that time again 8. Short goalies in short supply It might have been a surprise that it took until the seventh round, given Calgary’s propensity in recent years to draft goalies early, but adding a He almost didn’t get picked, yet you’re probably not wrong to suggest goaltender at this year’s draft was not a shocking development. Even that Wolf was inches away from being one of the top goalies selected in though the Flames’ track record for developing drafted goaltenders is this year’s draft. Listed by the NHL (and Everett) as 5-foot-11, the awful, you still need to keep trying, and the club hadn’t added an 18-year- thinking around the NHL now is that’s he too short to have a realistic shot old into the pipeline since 2016. at making it. If he were 6-foot-1, it’s a different story, but those two inches frightened nearly everyone. How else can you explain the best 2012 — Drafted Jon Gillies in Round 3 goaltender statistically in the Canadian Hockey League last year being the last of 22 goalies selected? Best CHL goaltenders in 2018-19, sorted by save percentage: skating stride that has him hunched over and limits his explosiveness.” But that is correctable and the Flames employ skating consultant Dawn Dustin Wolf, Everett (WHL), 41-15-2, .936 Braid, who can work with him. As an example, Andrew Mangiapane Ian Scott, Prince Albert (WHL), 38-8-1, .932 explained last September how she helped him change his posture to be more upright, giving him a stronger stride. It sounds like the same issue. Zachary Emond, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL), 24-0-1, .932 10. All four can score Trent Miner, Vancouver (WHL), 24-5-1, .924 Lastly, the Flames continue to hunt players who have the ability to put Mads Sogaard, Medicine Hat (WHL), 19-8-2, .921 the puck in the net. The Flames mustered only seven goals during their final four losses to the Avalanche in the playoffs. Depth scoring, it seems, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sudbury (OHL), 38-11-2, .920 will always be a need, and offensive ability is an attribute each of the four The trend toward taller goaltenders began in the mid-80s with the new forwards possesses: number of giant goaltenders on a steady rise, ever since. I went back in Pelletier — As impressive as his 89 points (39 goals, 50 assists) in 65 NHL history in five-year intervals and counted the number of goaltenders games were last year, scoring at a greater than a point-per-game pace (who played in at least 25 games) who were listed by the NHL as 6-foot-1 as a 16-year-old (23-38-61 in 60 games) was even more impressive and taller, compared to 6-foot and shorter. This past season, a whopping during his rookie season in the QMJHL. 47 of 54 goalies were taller than 6-foot, led by and Mikko Koskinen, both 6-foot-7, and Devan Dubnyk and Jacob Markstrom, both Nikolaev — In his first season in Russia’s MHL, he followed up a decent 6-foot-6. regular season (10-15-25 in 41 games) with a strong playoff performance, in which he had eight points (five goals, three assists) in six Percentage of goalies 6-foot or smaller in the NHL (minimum of 25 games. At the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, he had eight points games): (two goals, six assists) in eight games. 2018-19 | 7 of 54, 13.0% Feuk — The left winger put up huge numbers last season in the Swedish 2013-14 | 8 of 51, 15.7% U20 league with 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games.

2008-09 | 15 of 47, 31.9% Nodler — In addition to racking up 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 54 games for Fargo (USHL), he led the U.S. team in scoring at the Hlinka 2003-04 | 15 of 45, 33.3% Gretzky Cup with seven points (one goal, six assists) in five games.

1998-99 | 20 of 40, 50.0% Whether they can continue to produce remains to be seen, but when it comes to generating offence, their resumes so far are strong. 1993-94 | 27 of 41, 65.9% The one thing that surprised people is the inability to address positional 1988-89 | 28 of 37, 75.7% need. Right wing and right defence are two areas that are thin right now, 1983-84 | 33 of 36, 91.7% and the organization addressed neither during this draft.

It’s literally gone from one extreme to the other. Thirty-five years ago, But then again, given how far out each player is, what the positional there were only three out of 36 who stood taller than 6-foot — Tom needs are a few years down the road might be different. By the time Barrasso, Mike Liut and Ron Low. That was it. The small-goaltender Pelletier is ready to compete for a job on left wing, perhaps Johnny movement commonplace then was led by Richard Brodeur at 5-foot-6, Gaudreau is gone. The Flames star is three years away from potential Allan Bester at 5-foot-7, Andy Moog at 5-foot-8. The latter was a common free agency. Who knows what could happen with Bennett, but playing the height with Pat Riggin, Don Edwards, Mike Palmateer, John Garrett and off-wing is a possibility. among the many others at that size. Having a positional preference is fine, but you can’t force it, and Calgary Fast-forward to today, only Juuse Saros, Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav didn’t. Halak were less than 6-foot and barely — each of them 5-foot-11. Right How well did the Flames fare? Well, the organization seems happy. But at 6-foot were Carter Hutton, Casey DeSmith, Aaron Dell and Jonathan to know for sure, check back in five years. Bernier. The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 If Wolf can overcome the size bias and perform how he has so far as a pro, he could be one heck of a seventh-round steal.

9. Recent Russian rising continues

Leading up to last October, it had been more than a decade since the last time the Flames had a Russian under contract, when Calgary acquired Rinat Valiev from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade for Brett Kulak. That has turned out to be the tipping point.

In March, the team signed 2018 draft pick Dmitry Zavgorodniy. In April, the Flames signed Zagidulin. In May, they signed Yelesin. Now, they’ve drafted Nikolaev, who turns 18 later this month. That’s an influx of five Russians in the past nine months after going more than 10 years without any.

“I really liked at No. 88 with their first pick when they plucked Ilya Nikolaev, who ranked 26 slots higher on my board,” The Athletic’s draft analyst, Scott Wheeler said. “Nikolaev hasn’t quite put it all together, but he’s also really young in the context of the draft, but the talent level is there, and I have faith that he’ll figure it out. If he does, he’ll be good.”

Playing in Russia for another two years will be a good thing for the team and Nikolaev. He’ll be more at home there, so there are no distractions of learning a new culture and language. Instead of coming to North America, getting homesick and then going back, Nikolaev will have a far better chance of making the Flames by delaying his arrival. It’s that AHL salary, compared to what they could be making in Russia, that can be an issue.

Nikolaev’s skating has been identified as an issue. Corey Pronman, in grading Calgary’s draft for The Athletic, wrote, “He has an awkward 1148369 Carolina Hurricanes failing to agree on an extension at the draft. Without that imperative, and with four other core defensemen safely under contract for the next two seasons, they have time to let things simmer.

Hurricanes’ draft deal may merely be beginning of busy summer Meanwhile, they wait on Justin Williams, with matters entirely in his hands. Waddell said the Hurricanes haven’t put any timetable on the captain’s decision to retire or return, but that could change if the BY LUKE DECOCK Hurricanes start adding forwards – and they have both valuable cap space and valuable defensemen to offer for them. JUNE 23, 2019 03:38 PM The Marleau deal may not have been as earthshaking as last year’s draft

trade, but it has the potential to usher in an even busier summer. A year after an eventful draft weekend for the Carolina Hurricanes, this News Observer LOADED: 06.24.2019 one passed quietly, but not without setting the stage for a dramatic summer. Their willingness to leverage their salary-cap space got them a future first-round pick from the , and with the draft concluded, they can move on to their own contract hassles as free agency approaches on July 1.

That pick, acquired by their willingness to take on ’s contract and bail the Leafs out of cap jail, doesn’t figure to be a great first-round pick, with the Leafs poised to be one of the conference’s top contenders for years to come – and if it somehow is in the top 10 in 2020, it bounces to 2021 anyway – but it’s still a free first-round pick, minus what the Hurricanes will have to pay Marleau.

Whether he actually plays here is up to Marleau, a condition of his waiving his no-trade clause, Hurricanes general manager said Sunday. Either way, he gets a $3 million signing bonus and either $1.25 million for playing or $833,333 in a buyout, much less than the $6.25 million cap hit he carries.

That unused cap space – and the Hurricanes still have more than $21 million even after Marleau – wasn’t doing the Hurricanes any good, even if they’ll need a big chunk of it soon for Sebastian Aho and others.

In the past, the Hurricanes got Teuvo Teravainen for their willingness to take on Bryan Bickell’s contract under the previous regime, but for the most part it has been an underutilized asset, until Saturday.

Just how valuable an asset it can be was underlined this weekend, with the Hurricanes squeezing a first-round pick out of the cap-squeezed Leafs and the New Jersey Devils plucking P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators for a lot less than Shea Weber. The Marleau deal may not be the last the Hurricanes make along those lines.

“When the cap came out yesterday at $81.5 (million), there’s five teams for sure that are panicking right now,” Waddell said. “Everyone thought the cap was going to be $82 or $83 (million). That’s good news for us.”

For now, the primary contract issues that concern the Hurricanes are internal. Negotiations with Aho could drag on to one of two trigger points: the start of training camp and December 1, when he would have to sit out the rest of the year. That’s just the way these things work, with the team holding nearly all the leverage and Aho lacking arbitration rights.

Waddell noted at the draft that these deals “don’t happen in June and July,” but also noted Sunday that he didn’t think the gap was insurmountable, especially as other players in Aho’s class sign. waited until December to sign with Toronto last fall, but it’s hard to argue that it was worth it for him or the Leafs. There’s always the possibility of an offer sheet to Aho, but those are so rare it’s only worth worrying about if and when it happens.

There’s a similar deadlock with the goalies with a week to go until the free-agent period opens, with Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney both taking their chances on the open market. There does not appear to be a huge disparity with Mrazek, but enough of one where both team and player want to see what happens in July. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are assessing the free-agent market for goalies, where Semyon Varlamov is the top option potentially available to them, if he’s interested in the Hurricanes.

A year after the Hurricanes signed Mrazek as a free agent to shore up the position, Waddell said he spent most of Sunday talking to agents for available goalies. The Hurricanes could end up with some combination of Varlamov, Mrazek, someone else or neither – with Alex Nedeljkovic still an internal option at No. 2 if needed.

Then there’s the Justin Faulk situation: With one year to go on his contract, they either have to sign him or move him. If the Hurricanes were in the mood they were in last year, with the desperate need to shake up the dressing room, Faulk probably would already have been moved after 1148370 Chicago Blackhawks early next week. There’s going to be a lot of talk. So I think there will be more trades to come.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.24.2019 ‘There will be more trades to come’: NHL free agency is almost here, but that’s just one way Blackhawks GM is looking to improve the roster

By JIMMY GREENFIELD

JUN 23, 2019 | 3:00 PM

The insistence from some within the organization that the Blackhawks would make the playoff last season drew scoffs at first. But a strong second half made that assertion one to be taken seriously.

It came down to the final few games, but the Hawks missed the postseason for a second straight year without much hand-wringing that the team had underachieved. In the end, the Hawks went as far as their roster could take them.

The trade last week that sent Dominik Kahun to the Penguins for Olli Maatta added a bona fide NHL defenseman who can play 18-20 minutes a game. But Maatta isn’t going to move the needle. With free agency arriving July 1, it’s almost time to bring in some players who can.

Hawks general manager Stan Bowman intends to explore trades, but flush with roughly $16 million in cap space he’s able to engage in legitimate talks for some of the top free agents.

[Most read] The bizarre Jussie Smollett case takes yet another strange twist »

The NHL’s salary cap was set at $81.5 million this weekend, which allows teams to know how much they have to spend — and to decide how much they are willing to spend. The negotiating window opened Sunday and for the first time in years the Hawks are in a position to make a splash.

Will they? That remains a complicated question. The Hawks are in a good position now, but with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome due to become restricted free agents in 2020, Bowman knows a spending spree this offseason could leave him with a hangover that lasts a long time.

“Not a lot of free agents take one-year contracts,” Bowman said after the draft. "So that’s the thing, if you’re going to sign a free agent you’ve got to look at what’s going to be the implication two years down the road. So from that perspective, trades might be more appealing to us than necessarily adding a top free agent.

“We’re going to have some new players for next year, but I don’t know if it’s going to be free agents or through trades.”

Anyone expecting free-agent forward Artemi Panarin to be back in a Hawks uniform is probably going to be disappointed. Too many other teams are also interested and his asking price will be too high. The Hawks more likely will be shopping in the second tier of free agents that includes forwards Brett Connolly, Mats Zuccarello and Micheal Ferland.

The Hawks’ most glaring need remains improving defensively, which may not necessarily happen by changing up their current defensemen. One thing Bowman and Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton have stressed is their defensive problems last season can also be linked to not having forwards who win puck battles and contribute enough in their own zone.

In past offseasons, Bowman has brought in veteran forwards such as John Madden and Brad Richards on team-friendly one-year deals. But that was during a time when players might trade a longer deal for a chance at a Stanley Cup. The Hawks don’t offer that same promise right now.

Veteran forward Joe Pavelski will have many suitors and still could return to the Sharks. The Ducks bought out Corey Perry’s contract last week to make him a free agent and one report had him linked to the Hawks.

Whether it’s through free agency or the trade market, the Hawks are likely to have a much different look by early July.

“Now that the draft is finished, all the trades are going to be cap-related or maybe future draft picks,” Bowman said. “But those discussions, the deals didn’t have to get finalized (on Saturday). So we’re going to resume those conversations that I’ve had all week as we get into (Sunday) and 1148371 Chicago Blackhawks [Most read] A modest proposal: Instead of Montreal, move the Rays to the South Side for half a season »

It wasn’t all quirkiness, though. Dach showed uncommon skill from the 5 things to know about Blackhawks first-round draft pick Kirby Dach, time he first put on skates. including his childhood quirks and wearing No. 77 “Right from the initiation — that’s we call the first couple years of hockey here in Canada — he excelled,” Dale Dach said. “The way he’s seen the By JIMMY GREENFIELD game was noticeable from the start. From there we always put him in as underage to play up a level. So from 5 or 6 years old he always played JUN 23, 2019 | 7:51 AM up one level, and whenever he did go up, he was always one of the top point leaders and was always very successful.”

5. Winging it With the possibility that Kirby Dach will make the Blackhawks’ opening- day roster, there isn’t much time to get to know the No. 3 pick in the NHL The Hawks drafted Dach as a center and expect him to stick with that draft. So let’s get right to it. position once he reaches the NHL. But a stint in which Dach played wing reinforced their opinion he was the right player for them. Here are five things you need to know about Dach: Dach was a member of Team Canada when it competed last year in the 1. All in the family Hlinka Gretzky Cup, an international tournament featuring the world’s top The Dach family had a group of about 45 to 50 family at Rogers Arena to under-18 players. The team had plenty of centers, so he was asked to support Kirby, and there’s a good chance they’ll have to do it all over switch to wing, a move he embraced for the good of the team. again in two years. “I played wing at Gretzky Cup, but that’s it,” Dach said. “The coaches Dach’s 16-year-old brother, Colton, is a 6-foot-2, 174-pound center who kind of came to me and asked me if I was OK with playing wing and I recently was taken sixth overall in the WHL draft by the same Saskatoon said yeah. It’s kind of what I need to do when you’re playing for Team Blades team that Kirby played for the last two seasons. If Kirby, who was Canada, we were trying to win a gold medal.” taken second overall in the 2016 WHL draft, doesn’t make the Hawks this That impressed Bowman tremendously. fall, he’ll likely return to Saskatoon and get a chance to play junior hockey with Colton. “It’s nice to know that he moved to the wing and was very effective in that tournament (and was) one of the top players,” Bowman said. “He even “The two of them push each other pretty hard,” their father Dale Dach talked about that, how he knew his game was a little different. He sort of said. “They’re pretty competitive.” approached it like he wanted to be a big power forward that tournament. [Most read] The bizarre Jussie Smollett case takes yet another strange So I think he can mold his game to the role that he’s given. Not every twist » player is able to do that, but I think first and foremost you look at him as a center.” For Hawks fans who still aren’t over them passing up defenseman Bowen Byram, this isn’t the first time Dach edged out Byram in a draft. In Chicago Tribune LOADED: 06.24.2019 2016, when Kirby was drafted second overall by Saskatoon, Byram was taken one pick later.

After the Hawks drafted Dach on Friday, the Avalanche took Byram with the next pick.

2. Number game

Dach has worn No. 77 with Saskatoon and is @kdach77 on Twitter, so he’ll presumably want that number when he joins the Hawks. He’ll be in good company.

The only player in Hawks history to wear No. 77 is Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey, who played 10 games with the Hawks toward the end of his career.

3. Playoff payoff

Dach has a bit of a reputation for being inconsistent, but he still averaged over a point a game for Saskatoon. But what really impressed the Hawks was Dach’s ability to elevate his play during the rugged WHL playoffs.

“He was great at stripping pucks, he was great at backchecking, he was great at the physical play when the series got pretty intense in the playoffs and it was clear they were targeting him,” Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said.

“He not only took it, he gave it back. It was impressive to see him raise his game at a time of year when it matters most, which is playoff hockey. You watch the NHL playoffs and you see how intense it can be and then you look at the way he plays and you can see that that game translates.”

4. Helmets, spatulas and salutes, oh, my!

Dale Dach described his son as being a “little quirky” as a kid and it’s easy to see why.

Dach would sometimes go to bed wearing his helmet. Anything that wound up in his hands would be used to play hockey, including kitchen spatulas. But the biggest hockey-related quirk when he was about 5 or 6 years old was also the most endearing.

“As soon as the national anthem came on for either team he would stand up to attention and would salute,” Dale Dach said. “And he would stay there until the anthems are done and then he would sit down and watch the game.” 1148372 Chicago Blackhawks

Draft finished, qualifying RFAs is Blackhawks’ next offseason task

By Ben Pope Jun 23, 2019, 6:53pm CDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The first element of the NHL’s summer free-agency masquerade climaxes Tuesday with the qualifying- offer deadline for restricted free agents.

In layman’s terms, teams must submit offers to its RFAs — players under 26 with expiring contracts — generally equivalent to each player’s previous contract to prevent such RFAs from shifting status to unrestricted free agents July 1.

After the draft, qualifying offers are the next item on all 31 general managers’ agendas, and it’s no different for Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks: The team has 11 RFAs, including three who played in the NHL full-time last season, to decide on.

“There are a couple of guys we’re still deciding between,” Bowman said Saturday at the draft. “That’s kind of the next order of business after today.”

Forwards Brendan Perlini, David Kampf, Dylan Sikura, newly acquired John Quenne-ville, Anthony Louis, Victor Ejdsell, Luke Johnson and Spencer Watson, defensemen Gustav Forsling and Blake Hillman and goaltender Anton Forsberg make up the full list of pending RFAs.

Perlini, 23, will be brought back. He showed some streaky promise in 2018-19, and Bowman said outright that he intends to qualify and re-sign the other piece of the Dylan Strome-Nick Schmaltz trade.

“He’s a streaky goal-scorer, [but] he still ended up with 14 goals even though he didn’t get going right away with us,” Bowman said. “There are a lot of guys who never get 14 in the whole year, so he’s got that unique ability to put the puck in the net. I think there’s a lot more there.”

Sikura, whom the coaching staff has highlighted as a player they’re optimistic can make a jump in 2019-20, will get another shot, too.

Kampf also likely will return — his performance last season justified a new extension, and he’s only 24. The only potential dilemma will be that he’s required to receive a one-way offer to be successfully qualified because he played in 63 games, three more than the 60-game threshold. But it shouldn’t be a big issue given that he’ll probably make the Hawks’ roster regardless.

The most intriguing decisions involve Forsling, Forsberg and Quenneville.

Forsling, 23, despite playing in at least 38 NHL games each of the last three seasons, can still be tendered a two-way qualifying offer. Nonetheless, he could be the odd man out in an increasingly crowded defensive group.

Bowman adeptly evaded a question on Saturday about Forsling’s future.

Quenneville, the return from the Devils in the John Hayden trade, was probably chosen for the trade because of his RFA status — Hayden, conversely, had a year left on a binding one-way contract. Yet Bowman said he plans to sign the 2014 first-round pick.

Forsberg actually had a great .919 save percentage in the AHL last season, but with Collin Delia earning the NHL backup position moving forward, the Hawks will probably let him move on to a better opportunity elsewhere. Whether that comes via not issuing a qualifying offer or filing one, then trading his rights later in the summer remains to be determined.

The remaining RFAs are minor-leaguers at this point, and although some (particularly Watson and Hillman) could be victims of the Hawks’ pursuit of wiggle room within the 50-contract limit, their qualification or lack thereof won’t make much of a ripple either way.

The deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148373 Colorado Avalanche Again, this is how the Byrams operate. They have developed an approach that allows them to appreciate big moments without over- dramatization.

Meet Bowen Byram: A selfless small-town kid with limitless ability who Giants coach Michael Dyck has known Bowen since he was 9. Dyck has knows how to hunt … mountain lions? a son, Carson, who also plays hockey and is a Penn State commit. The Byram and Dyck families have grown close since Bowen and Carson were spring hockey teammates on a squad coached by Dyck. By Ryan S. Clark Jun 23, 2019 Dyck was asked for his most notable memory about Bowen away from hockey. He chose the time Carson went on a hunting trip with Bowen and Shawn. VANCOUVER — No doubt Friday was special for . It would be for any father, especially one who played five games in the NHL, to “I know Shawn would never put Bowen into a dangerous position and he watch his son become a first-round pick. would not do that with Carson, either,” Dyck said. “I sat and talked with him and looked at videos to more or less make sure Carson was well- And while that was a special experience, it is not the only moment that informed. Once you’re up there, you cannot come back down.” defines Bowen Byram. The rest of the world knows him as the defenseman who went fourth to the Colorado Avalanche in the Exactly what were they hunting? Try mountain lions. And yes, they 2019 NHL Draft. But those who have a close relationship with the 18- caught one, too. year-old know him for being more than someone who can skate extremely fast or fire a puck off his stick at a rapid pace compared with “Well, any activity in the mountains can be dangerous,” Shawn said. “If most his age. you’re not careful and if you’ve never done it before, it’s good to be with someone with experience. It’s just like anything once you’re used to OK. That’s cool and all. But who the hell is this kid? We’re not talking doing it. There’s danger, but you can minimize the danger.” about a scouting report. More in the sense of his background and values. Dyck remarked how being drafted by the Avalanche is “poetic” because He is a small-town kid from Cranbrook, British Columbia, who does not Bowen’s now part of an organization that based in a state that is a shy away from the fact he is, indeed, a small-town kid from Cranbrook, destination for outdoor activities like hunting. British Columbia. He loves going on hunting trips with his dad. And hanging out with the same group of friends he has had for years while Another thing about the Avs that carries a poetic coincidence: Shawn still carrying the same limitless energy he’s had since childhood. actually played against Sakic when they were teenagers in the Western Hockey League. Bowen could someday achieve NHL stardom in a celebrated fashion, yet the story that will always resonate with Shawn goes back to when his son Sakic starred for the Swift Current Broncos for two seasons and was a child. shredded opponents for 138 goals and 155 assists for 293 points in 136 games. Shawn’s WHL career wasn’t bad, either. He finished with 105 One of Bowen’s teachers told his parents about a day when a class points in 178 games. assignment required everyone to split into groups. Bowen was already in a group when he noticed one student did not have a partner. So he opted “I don’t mean to blow smoke, but he’s one of the greatest players to ever to break away from his friends and ask the lone student if they could be a play in the Western Hockey League,” Shawn said. “It was a real honor to team. play against him.”

“He could have stayed with his buddies or the so-called cool kids, but he Growing up in Cranbrook afforded Bowen opportunities beyond hunting went over and asked if that person wanted to be his partner,” Shawn or hearing stories from his dad about what it was once like to play against said. “He made that person feel special and part of the group. … That’s future Hall of Famers. my favorite story about Bowen.” Cranbrook is no stranger to the NHL. A number of guys who grew up These are the experiences Shawn and Stacey Byram care about more there went on to the NHL. Former Avalanche defenseman Jon Klemm is than anything. All they have wanted is to teach their children how to treat from Cranbrook. So is Brad Lukowich. As is Tom Renney. Rob and Scott everyone fairly and do it in a respectful way. For them, this is what it Niedermayer? Yeah, they are from there, too. Steve Yzerman was born means to be from Cranbrook. It is about using what is learned in a small there before moving east to Nepean, Ontario, when he was 10 years old. town and making it the foundation for how you interact with the world. Shawn said living in Cranbrook exposed Bowen to what it means to have “Bowen is laid-back. He’s down-to-earth. He’s a small-town boy and all NHL aspirations and then invest the necessary work to reach a level so the things that go with that,” Shawn said. “We try to instill with both our few actually achieve. kids to treat everybody equally and to get along with everyone. So, And if that is not enough, Bowen can also draw from his father’s Bowen, fortunately for us has taken on those traits and the things that we experiences. Shawn played in the AHL, IHL and ECHL until he continued believe in.” playing in Austria, England, Italy and Scotland. He ended his career in Look no further than Saturday afternoon when Shawn was walking North America after one season with the back when around the Rogers Arena concourse. He wore a blue button-down short- they were in the WCHL. sleeved shirt and khaki shorts with sandals and went about his business Friday was the first time many Avalanche fans got a chance to either see like anyone else even though his son was one of the biggest stories to or hear from Byram beyond YouTube videos they watched leading up to come out of the draft. the draft.

Casual fans had no idea who they were walking past. But anyone in a They saw a young man who was charismatic while also being honest suit who works for an NHL organization was certainly aware of who was about the fact he needs to get bigger, faster and stronger if he wants to in their presence. fulfill his dream of playing in the NHL.

Shawn was outside Section 111 near the Upper Deck card expo when “One thing about Bowen is he’s always been an energetic kid,” Dyck the mother and father of a hockey player were walking with the Flint said. “The other thing about Bowen is he’s a grounded kid, too.” Firebirds coaching staff. They saw Shawn and started chatting about a few things, including why Shawn made the 842-kilometer trek from Dyck said Byram was always a really good athlete who excelled at track- Cranbrook to Vancouver. and-field events like distance running. Having that sort of endurance plays into why he can log more than 25 minutes a night over the course “My boy got drafted,” Shawn plainly said. of a WHL season.

Uh. Shawn. Your boy did more than just get “drafted” Friday. He was What made Byram stand out compared with other kids was he applied tabbed by local-boy-done-good — also known as Avalanche general that stamina toward being a strong skater capable of handling a puck manager — as the next promising teenager capable of with confidence. someday of helping to complete and sustain a Stanley Cup contender. Possessing those qualities is what makes Byram different. Knowing when to use those abilities, however, reminds Dyck of a story that provides more insight into the person Sakic and his staff invested a lottery pick into obtaining. Byram was seeking to become the first 17- year-old defenseman to represent Hockey Canada at the World Juniors since star Aaron Ekblad.

Those plans fell through when he did not receive an invitation to the tryout camp.

How did Byram respond?

“He put together a string of games for almost a month that has probably made him one of the best players in the league,” Dyck said. “How he responded to that kind of thing really showed his true character.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148374 Colorado Avalanche milehighsports.com LOADED: 06.24.2019

Draft Roundup: Sakic continues to deliver for the Avalanche

By Aarif Deen - June 23, 2019

“I’m ready to say the Avs are officially scary.”

“The Avs are going to be a powerhouse”

“A Byram-Makar top pair for the next 10+ years is gonna be a ton of fun to watch.”

It’s become obvious that the Avalanche are suddenly a force to be reckoned with. While the reactions of well-known writers Craig Custance and Charlie O’Connor of the Athletic or Pete Blackburn of CBS Sports are by no means a guarantee that Colorado is on its way to being a powerhouse, the truth is, these are calculated predictions—ones that will more than likely become a reality in the near future.

Despite Colorado’s sudden success, the true formation of this current squad has actually come through a gradual build of valuable assets by General Manager Joe Sakic.

Just 26 months removed from the worst season in franchise history and the worst NHL season in two decades by any team altogether, the Avalanche thanks to Sakic, have completely revamped their roster into one that is a “powerhouse” or “officially scary.”

One that could include “a Byram-Makar top pair” for many years and one that sports arguably the most dominant line in hockey.

Sakic’s fourth overall selection of Bowen Byram, the top-rated defenseman in the draft, was the final piece of Colorado’s new-look blueline. One that has transformed into a young and agile core that better suits the current NHL.

The selection used to draft Byram was the final big piece in the blockbuster deal that sent Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators almost two years ago. The very same trade that gave Colorado Sam Girard, a top pair 21-year-old defenseman that is still blossoming into something even more special

Furthermore, Sakic used Colorado’s own 16th overall selection to take center . The Boston College commit is coming off an exceptional season for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL. He dominated the league during the regular season and the playoffs, leading the way in points in both categories.

Newhook will enter the NCAA oozing with potential and similar to two years ago, the Avs have the ability to be patient with the forward and allow him the opportunity to grow at the College level. If all goes to plan, Newhook could one day find himself centering the second line behind superstar Nathan MacKinnon.

Sakic and his scouting staff made six more selections on Saturday. They took defenseman Drew Helleson, who is also committed to Boston College next season, center Matthew Stienburg, right wings Alex Beaucage, Sasha Mutala and Luka Burzan, and goaltender Trent Miner.

With the free agency courting period officially underway, Sakic and the Avs management staff will be in touch with its targeted unrestricted free agents. The market is full of complementary scoring forwards this year with Joe Pavelski, Anders Lee, Gustav Nyquist, Marcus Johansson, Mats Zuccarello as well as superstars Artemi Panarin and Duchene all available.

The Avalanche can also add scoring forwards to round up their top six by trading defenseman , who has one year remaining on his contract. The addition of Byram and the playoff performance from Makar has made the veteran blueliner expendable given his future contract demands as well as Colorado’s need for scoring depth.

While the complete roster that will take the ice at the Pepsi Center for opening night against the Calgary Flames on October 3 is not yet determined, the Avs are expected to be a top team in the Western Conference, and one that will look to build on its seven playoff wins in 2019.

And once again, it’s all thanks to Sakic. 1148375 Columbus Blue Jackets freeing up enough cap space for them to chase Matt Duchene in free agency.

“We’ve said all along that we assume the risk and if they’re gone by July Jackets remain spectators at NHL draft 1, we’re going to have a lot of cap space and different other opportunities to move forward and life goes on,” Kekalainen said. “That was part of the risk we were willing to take.” Brian Hedger Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 Jun 22, 2019 at 4:21 PM Jun 23, 2019 at 8:24 AM

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — They had four months to prepare, but that didn’t make it any easier for the Blue Jackets to be a virtual nonfactor at the NHL draft this weekend at Rogers Arena.

Despite adding a pick by trading out of the third round Saturday, the Jackets mostly sat around for two days and watched everybody else open Christmas gifts — a stinging reminder of their gutsy decision in late February to add four pending free agents at the trade deadline.

“It still sucks, but what are you going to do?” said general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who also hung onto unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky at the deadline. “We made that decision, and (our amateur scouts) are in it to win the Stanley Cup, too. I’m sure they would’ve liked to have more picks, but they’re not just here to draft guys. They’re here to win the Stanley Cup.

"They knew what we were doing, why we were doing it, and sometimes that’s what you’ve got to do to give yourself the best chance.”

The reward for that decision was palpable when the Blue Jackets made the playoffs for a franchise-record third straight year. It also paid off with a stunning first-round upset of the , which had run away with the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s best team.

The price, however, came due at the draft, which the Blue Jackets entered with just two picks and left after making three.

After moving the 81st pick for a pair of fourth-rounders, the Jackets came away with Swedish defenseman Eric Hjorth (fourth round, No. 104), forward Dmitri Voronkov (fourth round, No. 114) and center Tyler Angle (seventh round, No. 212).

They form the smallest draft class in franchise history, and the Jackets’ three picks are the least made by any team since the modern draft format was adopted in 1980.

“We added 50 percent to our picks,” Kekalainen said, smirking but mostly serious. “We went from two to three, so … that’s a good result.”

That’s one way to look at it, but you could also take a more pessimistic view.

Kekalainen was unable to trade back into the first round Friday and then met further trade frustration on the second day — which started with a pair of splashy trades prompted by the league’s salary cap of $81.5 million for next season — which wasn’t revealed until after the draft Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators each cleared cap space by unloading big contracts, and neither deal included the Blue Jackets, who could have up to $30 million in cap space this summer. That should make the Jackets a perfect trade partner for cap-crunched teams, but it wasn’t a boon to them Saturday, particularly in a trade between the Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes gained a first-round pick by absorbing 39-year old Patrick Marleau’s $6.25 million salary-cap charge, but will not have Marleau, whose final year is expected to be bought out by Carolina for nearly $4 million. Marleau will then become a free agent, able to re-sign with the San Jose Sharks, and that prospect didn’t appeal to Kekalainen.

“Pay $3.8 million for a first-round pick?” he said, when asked about the day's cap-related trades. “No thank you.”

Kekalainen also watched from the sidelines as the Nashville Predators unloaded the final three years of star defenseman P.K. Subban’s contract in a deal with the New Jersey Devils, a trade that could adversely affect the Blue Jackets in two ways.

It bolsters the blue line for the Devils — a Metropolitan Division rival who also added dynamic center Jack Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick — and Subban’s $9 million cap charge is now off the Predators’ books, 1148376 Columbus Blue Jackets “I think we made the only trade, didn’t we? Yeah, that’s really unusual,” Fletcher said. “But I think the fact the draft is so early, and there’s still 10 days until the start of free agency ... my expectation is there will still be Cap tightens, and NHL trades begin some activity before July 1.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019

By staff and wire reports

Posted Jun 23, 2019 at 8:02 AM Updated Jun 23, 2019 at 8:02 AM

The traditional team-by-team roll call to open the second day of the NHL draft hadn’t yet begun when the league’s looming salary-cap crunch began overshadowing the final six rounds Saturday.

Former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman P.K. Subban is off to the New Jersey Devils. Forward Patrick Marleau, a 21-year veteran, is headed to the Carolina Hurricanes. And center T.J. Miller, one year into a five-year, $26.25 million contract, was traded to the Vancouver Canucks.

The common denominator spurring each of the trades were teams seeking to shed salaries to address more pressing roster needs before the NHL’s free agency period opens July 1. And the urgency to make the trades became more real when the league and NHL Players’ Association announced that next year’s salary cap was set at $81.5 million — $1.5 million lower than initially projected.

“We had to make a business decision,” Nashville Predators general manager said about trading Subban.

And then there was Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, who only two days ago suggested there was “a strong chance” Marleau would be back for the final year of his contract.

“I think everyone here knows how we feel about Patrick Marleau and what he has done for our organization,” Dubas said, noting he kept Marleau informed of trade talks.

For Toronto, losing the 39-year-old Marleau — and his $6.2 million salary — provides more flexibility to re-sign 22-year-old Mitchell Marner, a restricted free agent after completing his three-year entry level contract.

Miller became expendable for Tampa Bay, as the Lightning are focused on re-signing center Brayden Point, also a restricted free agent. As a result, the Canucks added a versatile center while giving up journeyman minor-league goalie Marek Mazanec and two draft picks in the deal, including a conditional 2020 first-round selection

The trades started before the Ottawa Senators opened the second round by selecting American center Shane Pinto at No. 32 overall, and pushed the conclusion of the draft into the background.

The Devils came away the big winners.

A day after taking American center Jack Hughes at No. 1 overall, New Jersey acquired Subban in a trade with Nashville. The Predators picked up defensemen Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies, the 34th pick in this year’s draft, and a second-rounder next year.

“We have cap space, cap space, cap space, and we said if there was a time to book it now, we did,” Devils GM said of adding Subban and his $9 million salary cap hit over each of the next three seasons.

Marleau, meanwhile, has a decision to make as to whether he’ll play for Carolina or have the team offer him a buyout.

Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said he’s open to either option. The key for the Hurricanes in the deal was acquiring a conditional first-round pick in next year’s draft.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen shook his head in summing up the trade from Toronto’s perspective.

“So $3.8 million for a first-round pick? No thank you,” he said, noting that would’ve been the price for Toronto to buy out Marleau’s contract.

The first round of the draft was unusually quiet, with just one trade: The Florida Panthers sent a second-round pick to the Flyers to move up three spots to No. 11.

And yet, Philadelphia’s was among several general managers predicting things would pick up. 1148377 Columbus Blue Jackets traded Patrick Marleau to Carolina, giving the Hurricanes a first-round pick next season among other picks.

“(Pay) $3.8 million for a first-round pick?” Kekalainen said. “No thank After quiet draft, Blue Jackets move on to free agency, but Jarmo you.” Kekalainen is not desperate to make moves That $3.8 million would be the cost for Carolina to buy out the final season on Marleau’s contract, Kekalainen noted, almost as if he’d been By Aaron Portzline Jun 23, 2019 offered the deal and did some leg work.

The Blue Jackets could use that draft pick to land a big trade or they could use it in free agency. But it won’t burn a hole in their pocket, either. VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Blue Jackets had a very quiet weekend at the NHL Draft, picking just three players — the fewest by any “We don’t need to use it,” Kekalainen said. “But we’ll use it if it’s team in nearly 40 years — and making only one minor trade to add a something we feel strongly about, something that will put us in good draft pick. position to compete again.”

The offseason is a long way from being over, of course, but one major But if the Blue Jackets’ summer continues to be quiet, Kekalainen said, flashpoint on the calendar has now passed. that’s OK, too. He was emphatic again on Saturday that the Blue Jackets can survive the loss of all of their free agents and still be a competitive Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen usually steers the team because of the young players in the organization who are the cusp media toward his amateur scouts after the draft, but he stepped to the of playing in the NHL. barricade at the base of the media riser to address his club’s situation on Saturday. “We’re going to make sure they get a proper opportunity (to play),” Kekalainen said. “(Alexandre) Texier and (Emil) Bemstrom, those guys He knew there was a price to be paid for going all-in at the NHL trade are going to get an opportunity to play for us. deadline, and the bill starts coming due now — first with the paucity of draft picks over the weekend and next with the likely mass exodus of “Texier already did. Bemstrom scored 23 goals in the Swedish League, unrestricted free agents. was the leading scorer in that league. He’s ready to take on the challenge. He’s big enough. He’s strong enough. He’s been in Columbus Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and left winger Artemi Panarin will have the last few weeks (ahead of development camp). He’s a man. He’s not a their ceremonial visit with the Florida Panthers on Monday, according to boy. He’s played in a men’s league with great results. He’s as good of a TSN’s Bob McKenzie. power-play player as you can get. We were looking for a guy on the power play this year who can shoot the puck like he can. He’s going to The Panthers have staked their summer to adding both players as free get an opportunity to show what he can do. agents beginning July 1 — you don’t think they’ve had contact already, do you? — so it’ll be interesting to see if Bobrovsky and Panarin even “Those are the guys we’re looking at, instead of just looking at (free sniff around other clubs, or if agent Paul Theofanous has already agents) and saying, ‘Boy, we have to sign somebody now.’ That’s not promised their delivery to Sunrise. going to be the case. We’ll sign somebody if we believe strongly that he’ll help us and be a good fit for us.” The New York Rangers might have interest in Panarin. The New York Islanders could have interest in Bobrovsky and Panarin. If one of those Kekalainen has been insistent all along that the Blue Jackets’ getting clubs is allowed by Theofanous to make a pitch, the Panthers could get younger does not mean them taking a backward step in 2019-20. nervous enough to swing a sign-and-trade with Columbus. “(Texier and Bemstrom) are going to be impact players in the NHL, As of mid-afternoon Sunday, agent Pat Brisson was still putting together whether it’s right now we don’t know,” he said. “But in the near future, we a schedule of visits and conversations with NHL clubs for his client, believe in that. center Matt Duchene. (It’s good to be the only high-end center remaining on the free-agent market.) “You’re seeing how young the league is now, how guys come into the league and make an impact on a team right away. We think our Kekalainen is realistic about the situation. But he’ll monitor the actions of prospects are that level of prospect. Our defense is as good as all three players for the next few days and act accordingly. anybody’s in the league. If Bobrovsky leaves, we’ll see what our young goaltending is all about. “We’ll start finding out soon enough what the direction of it is,” Kekalainen said. “At some point, you have to move on. If you have other “(I’m) not second-guessing (the trade deadline) at all. We said we had opportunities and you have uncertainty on some other areas, you have to Bobrovsky and Panarin maybe for the last time, so let’s give this group a move on. We don’t want to pass on every other opportunity because you chance. Let’s give it the best chance we can possibly give them to make might not get the answer on another one.” a run. That was the decision we made and we moved forward with it. There’s no second-guessing. We’d do it again.” Kekalainen said the Blue Jackets will reach out to players by mid-week for visits or conversations with agents. But he won’t do so desperately, Notebook even if Bobrovsky, Panarin and Duchene are clearly leaving. As of Saturday, the Blue Jackets were optimistic that two of the three Blue Jackets center Matt Duchene and his family might be on the move weekend draft picks would be at development camp, which begins (on- this offseason. (Aaron Doster / USA Today) ice) at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Defenseman Eric Hjorth (fourth round, No. 104 overall) and forward Tyler Angle (seventh round, No. 212) are expected “We thought this could happen, so if it happens, we’re not going to be to attend; forward Dmitri Voronkov (fourth round, No. 114) is not. shocked,” Kekalainen said. “At the deadline, we knew this could be the case, and if it’s the case, we’ll move forward with what we have and start Hjorth played only 10 games this season because of multiple injuries. building other ways to fill those holes. Blue Jackets director of amateur scouting Ville Siren said the injuries were to Hjorth’s leg. “I saw him at the end of the season (in Sweden),” “We’ve said all along that we assumed the risk, and if they’re gone we’re Siren said. “He’s an exciting player. When I saw him first, I got excited. I going to have lots of cap space and lots of different opportunities to move went back to see him four or five more times at the end of the season … forward. Life goes on. That was part of the risk we were willing to take.” and he excited me some more.” Siren said the Blue Jackets had doctors The one weapon the Blue Jackets have is salary-cap space, at least $30 take a look at Hjorth before the draft. “We checked out everything, and million if the big three leave, according to CapFriendly.com. everything should be fine,” he said.

Kekalainen has mentioned the possibility of the Blue Jackets using some Siren agreed that the drafting of Hjorth is similar to the Blue Jackets’ of that salary-cap space to take on another team’s “bad contract” along selection of goaltender Daniil Tarasov in 2017. Tarasov missed the entire with a prime draft pick. season of his draft year with the injury, which allowed him to tumble to the third round. He’s now considered a bright prospect within the But he left little doubt how he felt about just that kind of trade when organization. Carolina and Toronto came to terms on a deal on Friday. The Leafs Voronkov could be called a sleeper, too, in that he spent most of 2018-19 playing in the Russian equivalent of the AHL. “He played in a couple of games in the KHL,” Siren said. “I also saw him at the end of the season with the under-19 national team, and he was the captain. He’s a big guy (6-foot-4, 190), a two-way guy. You have to be really good to be the captain, and he played in all situations. His coaches trusted him to do that.”

Angle is only 5-foot-10, 167 pounds, but he doesn’t play like a small player. Chris Morehouse, the Jackets’ assistant director of amateur scouting, saw Angle’s game elevate as the season progressed. “He has skill, but he has that compete and willingness and battle and engage … those are things that I liked,” Morehouse said. “Those are the things you want to see if you are on the small side. He did that every time I watched him play, and I saw him probably 20 times. Not great numbers (20-24-44 in 58 games with OHL Windsor), but you’re looking for things at that point (in the draft) to hang your hat on, and compete is certainly something he has.”

Defenseman Layton Ahac, who is committed to attend Ohio State in the fall, was taken No. 86 overall by the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s a pretty sparse crowd on the second day of the draft, but there was a cheer when Ahac, a Vancouver native, went off the board. He played last season with Prince George of the British Columbia Hockey League.

This is pretty crazy: Carolina made seven picks, Detroit, Los Angeles and New Jersey made six picks, and Colorado made five picks before the Blue Jackets took their first player on Saturday. Kekalainen was asked what it was like to sit there for 103 picks before they took a turn: “It sucks, but what are you going to do?”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148378 Dallas Stars

Should the Dallas Stars target forward Corey Perry? Eh, maybe.

By Josh Lile

Corey Perry was bought out by the . He's seeking a new home. Reports on the interwebs have linked Perry, at least casually, to the Dallas Stars. This is making many people cringe because of the perceptions fans have of Perry and his game. Coming off a major injury entering his now age 34 season, is there a world where Perry actually makes sense as a Stars target?

In short, maybe, once you get past any justifiable distaste you have for the player. The question, as always, is cost.

Who is Perry the hockey player? Across 2017 and 2018, he was a guy who controlled both blue lines well. He took a quality rate of shots per hour compared to the league average, but he created virtually nothing for his linemates. He's a guy who, traditionally, makes his money at the front of the net.

Public microstats are not available for Perry from this past season. He missed the first half of the season with a knee injury, so it probably isn't unfair to assume he has slowed down another step. Andrew Berkshire of Sportsnet went into more of how Perry should be valued.

"The first part of his game that fell off was high-end playmaking. He went from nearly 29 per cent better than an average forward in 2015-16 to over 16 per cent worse in 2016-17, but the rest of his offensive game wasn't far behind.

"Perry is still an above average scoring chance producer, but he is more of a high slot shooter now, and he doesn't create nearly as much offence for his teammates as he used to."

Perry doesn't drive play or create chances, so his value is largely dependent upon being with a center who can make things happen, and that's kind of where the problem comes in. Outside of Tyler Seguin, the Stars don't really have that guy up the middle. Maybe Roope Hintz can do it, but hanging your season on it doesn't seem sensible when the cap room exists to bring in more depth up the middle. If the intent is to sign Perry, the Stars need to address the middle of the ice too.

Then you have to ask yourself how much of a marginal upgrade Perry really is. The Stars have to decide if they trust their young players to fill roles in the bottom six. Denis Gurianov, Ty Dellandrea, Adam Mascherin, Joel L'Esperance, and Jason Robertson are all coming if they aren't ready now. How much do you want to block their development by signing a guy with question marks about the level of production he can provide?

If you're the Stars and you sign Perry, you need to believe he's a viable top six option. At best he'd be a fringe top six option for a team that needs definite answers in the top six. If signing Perry is the only move the Stars make, it would be a major red flag for the 2019-20 season. Things go wrong every year, but counting on numerous guys with a low probability of making an impact is asking for failure.

Signing Perry is a risk with small upside, but really with little downside unless the contract becomes a multi-year deal. That doesn't seem like the kind of deal worth making, particularly when the vocal section of your fanbase is going to be exponentially more vocal in denouncing the move. Perry likely still has something left in the tank though, and he may be more productive than several of the forwards currently on the roster.

I probably don't do it unless it's under $2 million. I imagine he's seeking more than that.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148379 Dallas Stars And on his mother, according to the Mississauga website: "She's the anchor in our house...she's been there for me my entire life and been one of my biggest supporters if not the biggest..."

10 things to know about Stars first round pick Thomas Harley, including 6. A hockey family that he's never been to Texas All three of Harley's siblings also play hockey.

His older brother, Stuart, is coming off his first season playing for the By SportsDayDFW.com Milwaukee School of Engineering team (Division III). His younger brother, Greg, played for the Syracuse Nationals 14 and under team this past year. Here are 10 things to know about Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley. His sister, Emilie, just completed her sophomore year at Robert Morris University, where she plays on the women's hockey team. The forward 1. His name was announced backwards played in 36 games this past year, finishing with 10 points.

Every young hockey player is hopeful that a day will come when their Their father also played and was a goalie at the University of Alberta. name is read on stage and they will be chosen to join an NHL team. 7. A changed personality Harley is surely no different, however, his selection hit a bit of a speed bump. Stars owner Bob Gaglardi announced the pick, but must not have While Harley is now as cool as a cucumber out on the ice, he was far had an opportunity to read the card with Harley's name on it before more emotional when he was younger. getting on stage. Unfortunately, it resulted in Gaglardi reading his name "I think I was super emotional as a kid and just got out of control at times, backwards as "Harley Thomas." and now I've gone to the other extreme," Harley told NHL.com. "It does The defenseman was definitely confused at first, but he and his family help me out there. I see guys chirping out there and I just laugh. It realized what happened and celebrated the selection with a laugh. doesn't bother me at all."

Of course, there was plenty of fun to be had at the mistake. One of the reasons Harley was so appealing to the Stars was his ability to not let things that take place on the ice get under his skin. 2. He's never been to Texas "He doesn't get overexcited with the puck, saves his energy, paced The Syracuse-native considers himself Canadian, so he certainly isn't himself," Joe McDonnell, the Stars' director of amateur scouting, said used to warmer weather. But the 17-year old actually has never even according to NHL.com. "Obviously, at his age, he still has a lot to learn been to Texas before. and a long way to go. But he has a good upside and a good future."

"Never been to Texas, but really excited to go there," Harley said in an 8. Introduction to hockey interview with the Stars after being selected. Harley started playing hockey at the age of four, according to Harley also admitted that he doesn't know a lot about the state, but we're Mississauga's website. sure he will have no trouble adjusting. His dad first put him in skates and took him to the local initiation program 3. Dual citizenship for hockey. Thomas wanted to be a goaltender originally, like his father, but his dad would not allow him to, forcing him to be a defenseman if he As referenced above, Harley is in fact from Syracuse. But isn't he wanted to play hockey, according to the New York Hockey Journal. Canadian? Clearly it looks like the decision paid off. Actually, he is American and Canadian. According to syracuse.com, Harley played much of his youth hockey in Syracuse, but he is a dual 9. Likes and dislikes citizen of the United States and Canada because both of his parents are Canadian. Harley is a dog person, enjoys Twitter (follow him here), prefers Xbox to PlayStation and enjoys Tim Hortons over Starbucks. In fact, he played for Canada in last year' U-18 world championships and plays for Mississauga of the (OHL). The left-hander shared his preferences with the Steelheads in 2017 and, well, he may have to reconsider a couple of things before he moves to 4. Award-winning offensive defenseman Dallas.

Choosing Harley with the 18th overall pick makes a lot of sense when His favorite NHL team at the time was the Buffalo Sabres (that clearly looking at what he accomplished over the last year with Mississauga. has changed) and his favorite non-hockey athlete is LeBron James. Someone needs to take him to a Cowboys game. Harley totaled 58 points in 68 games for the Steelheads in 2018-19, with 31 points coming on the power play, as detailed by The News' Matthew He enjoys getting pumped up pregame to 'Till I Collapse' by Eminem. DeFranks. He nearly quadrupled his point production this season in the OHL from his debut in 2017-18. 10. Mental health support

OHL coaches named Harley the Eastern Conference's most improved He often shows his support for various charities on Twitter, which covers player, the best offensive defenseman and second-best skater. He was the majority of his timeline alongside hockey-related tweets. also the MVP of his team. One of the causes that he has shown consistent support to is Bell Let's 5. Family focused Talk, an initiative meant to promote public discussions about mental health Harley has two brothers, Stuart and Greg, and a sister, Emilie. His entire immediate family attended the draft to support him, in addition to his Bell Let's Talk Day is January 30. Every time the hashtag #BellLetsTalk grandparents. is tweeted on that day, five cents is donated to mental health programs in Canada. When asked about all of the things his parents had done for him, Harley was happy to share. Millions of people were part of the campaign and Harley showed his support many times. On his father, Brian, according to the Mississauga website: "He's been huge for me. He was my coach growing up and my role model. He's Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.24.2019 taught me almost everything I know about the game and he's one of my best friends so its great."

As referenced in the New York Hockey Journal, Brian Harley was actually Thomas' coach for eight years of youth hockey. 1148380 Dallas Stars Nick will go in the second round. Pay attention and look at what your brother has done as a second-round pick, he says; Jason may play in the NHL this coming season just two years after getting drafted.

From NICU to NHL: The remarkable journey of second-round pick Nick In many ways, Jason’s path has served as a template for Nick’s. When Robertson Jason chose to play in the OHL, it became a natural decision for Nick to follow. Even now, Jason has remained Nick’s stiffest competition. When Nick was asked at the CHL top prospects game about who the toughest By Sean Shapiro Jun 23, 2019 player he faced in the OHL was, he answered “Jason Robertson.”

Jason receives much of the credit and name recognition due to his draft pedigree but it’s the oldest brother, 21-year-old Michael, who really put VANCOUVER — “From Peterborough.” the Robertson family into the hockey world. That’s when Mercedes Robertson knew her son had been drafted by the When Michael was a two-year-old, Hugh took him to a junior hockey Toronto Maple Leafs. game in Colorado. The normally energetic toddler was fixated. He After watching the entire first round and not hearing her son’s name, and watched the action intently, and within a couple years, the Robertsons then watching another 21 picks in the second round, Mercedes didn’t were signing up for skating lessons and hockey. even need to hear the full announcement to know what was happening “I guess it is my fault, all of the weekends all over the country and the with the 53rd selection in the NHL Draft. RV, I guess I’m to blame,” Michael, who wasn’t able to attend the draft Even before the sentence could be finished – “From Peterborough, because of a work commitment, said via phone on Friday. “I got into Nicholas Robertson” – Mercedes was on her feet yelling. Her husband, hockey, Jason got into hockey and Nick just kind of followed.” Hugh Robertson, was already turning to hug his son, and the rest of the And they dove deeply into hockey. We’re talking “buying an RV to drive Robertson clan was clamoring to celebrate with Nick. to the rink for three boys practicing back-to-back-to-back”-level On draft day, if the team follows full decorum, we get only the briefest dedication. glimpse of where that prospect is from. The Robertsons had season tickets to the Los Angeles Kings and during Yes, Nick Robertson is a product of the Peterborough Petes, as stated intermissions the boys would go play on the Staples Center concourse. during the announcement. But to understand where Nick Robertson truly Even watching simply wasn’t enough. is from, you have to step back. “They’d have their sticks, and no one would stop them; they’d be Take a step back to Northville, Mich., where Nick was trick-or-treating shooting on each other,” Hugh remembers. “Of course, eventually they during the 2012-13 NHL lockout and knocked on the door of then Detroit wanted to look like real hockey players so they started wearing these Red Wings coach and, after receiving candy, asked, helmets. It was funny and fun to watch at the same time.” “When are you going to go back to work?” Nick was first introduced to the game with his older brothers as a goalie – Take a step back to a recreation vehicle that Hugh and Mercedes used to what else are you going to do with little brother? – starting with the navigate California traffic on a daily basis. An RV where the three contests at home before he joined the intermission battles at Staples Robertson brothers would rotate finishing their homework when they Center. weren’t on the ice. “I would put him in goal and would celebrate every goal,” Jason said. Take a step back to floorball games in the Robertson house, where the “That’s what you do when you are playing with your brothers, right?” much smaller Nick was forced to play goalie by his older brothers and This helped forge Nick’s fiery competitiveness, which has become nevertheless turned into the best stickhandler of the bunch. abundantly clear during his time in the OHL. A decade after knocking out And then you have to go all the way back to the neonatal intensive care a tooth of both older brothers and his sister, the youngest Robertson unit at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., where Nick’s life almost plays like a man possessed in a 5-foot-9 frame. ended before it began back in 2001. Ten picks have gone by in the second round, and Robertson still hasn’t It’s close to 9:30 on Saturday morning as the Robertsons grab their seats been drafted. He and his dad begin to make small talk. in section 117, row 12 at Rogers Arena before round two of the draft. Hugh loves all his kids, but he has a special bond with Nick, who was No one wants to be here this morning. The plan was for Nick to get born three months premature on Sept. 11, 2001. drafted in the first round. the family would have celebrated Friday It was early in the morning when Mercedes noticed she was bleeding. An evening, and on Saturday morning, his siblings Brianne, who practices ambulance was called, and Mercedes was rushed to the hospital. Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Jason, a Dallas Stars prospect, would have been Doctors told Hugh that in order to save Mercedes’ life, they would have to able to get in a workout they had planned. perform an emergency cesarian section. When Nick was born, at just 28 While he did his best to avoid reading mock drafts and rankings, there weeks, his lungs weren’t developed enough and the doctors were was a feeling Nick could have been drafted in the 20s. The same thing worried he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain. happened two years earlier, when Jason was thought to be a first-round Nick was put on life support and twice given a drug to open up his his pick but ultimately dropped to the second round and 39th overall in the lungs. Both times, the treatment failed. The doctors were worried a third 2017 draft. dose would kill him, but Hugh authorized it knowing it might be Nick’s Getting drafted in the first round comes with prestige. The entire hockey best chance for survival. world stands still for a couple minutes while you take the stage, try on a Hugh’s voice shakes as he remembers Nick’s earliest days. hat and jersey, and pose for a photo with your new team’s top brass. This year, prospects even picked their walk-up song; for Nick, it would have “His heart was strong,” Hugh said. “His heart was strong and that’s why been “SOS” by Avicii. he lived. That heart is why he was able to do everything he did.”

So there’s a disappointment when the first round ends. For Nick and the Nick spent 10 weeks in the NICU, eventually coming home on dozens of other first-round hopefuls, it was a rather silent walk up the Thanksgiving. To this day, Hugh makes sure to spend every stairs to the concourse after the Buffalo Sabres made the final pick of Thanksgiving with Nick to celebrate a day that means so much for the opening night. family.

Even with the disappointment, there isn’t any panic when Nick arrives for “It was a life-and-death situation. I had a client tell me, don’t worry,” Hugh Day 2. Having gone through Jason’s draft experience certainly helps and said. “They said, ‘I have a friend of mine who had a boy who was born having watched his brother go from second-round selection to one of the three months premature … he turned out fine and went to Yale and Stars’ top prospects doesn’t hurt, either. played hockey.’ That was pure motivation to get him to the point where he could prove, not only did he survive, but look at what he was able to About 10 minutes before Day 2 of the draft starts, Robertson’s agent Pat do. That was our goal when he was young. Because if this other kid was Brisson stops by to check in with Nick. He assures the Robertsons that able to do it, maybe Nicky could.” We’ve reached the 49th pick and the New York Rangers take defenseman Matthew Robertson (no relation to Nick.)

Hugh sits to Nick’s left. On Nick’s right are his oldest sister, Alex, and her husband, Roger Harrison.

Alex is a decade older than the rest of her siblings, and Roger has been part of the Robertson family as long as most of the siblings can remember. Neither Alex nor Roger played hockey, but hockey helped bring them together. Alex would be talking on the phone to Roger and not paying attention to one of her brother’s games. Eventually, Hugh told his daughter she might as well invite this boy who was taking up so much of her time to join the family at the rink.

Roger started going to games and occasionally he and Alex would drive one of the brothers to practice. Nick can’t remember a time Roger wasn’t around and Michael says it was great to have another person to put in goal during the family floorball games after Nick insisted he was more than a goalie.

This weekend in Vancouver is the first time Roger and Alex have spent more than 24 hours away from their 14-month-old son, Matthew, who is back home with Roger’s parents in California. Naturally, Matthew is already a budding hockey player; he has Dallas Stars mini-stick, and his uncles have been teaching him to stickhandle.

“I learned quickly what I was signing up for with this family,” Harrison said during Day 1 of the draft. “I didn’t know too much about hockey, but I guess it’s fitting that we are taking a big step as our family (being away from our son) during a hockey event.”

Four picks go by rather quickly and, after the Florida Panthers take Vladislav Kolyachonok 52nd overall, Toronto is up for the first time in this draft. Nick hasn’t said it out loud, but Toronto was one of his preferred destinations. The Leafs have a reputation for trusting smaller, skilled players, and he’s comfortable in the area after playing midget hockey there as a teenager.

“Go ahead, Toronto.”

This is when “From Peterborough” is uttered over the PA system. There are hugs and high-fives, and Nick passes his phone and wallet to his mom before heading to the draft floor to meet the Maple Leafs brass.

When he gets to the Toronto table, Babcock asks Nick to point out his family. Soon, the Maple Leafs coach is heading up the stands to congratulate the Robertsons. Babcock quickly exchanges stories with Hugh and Mercedes, and learns that this wasn’t the first time their paths had crossed. They actually first met more than a dozen years ago in Anaheim, when Babcock was coaching the Ducks and he was watching his son play minor hockey. Later, the Robertsons and Babcocks lived only a couple of streets apart in Northville, Mich., where Nick asked the then-Detroit about the lockout ending seven years ago.

Babcock then introduces himself to Brianne and Jason – if we’re being honest, he seems more impressed by Brianne being a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner than Jason going to play pro hockey in the fall – and then Alex and Roger.

After the conversations with Babcock, a member of the draft staff gives the Robertsons passes to the family lounge, where they can meet Nick in roughly 30 minutes once he finishes his media commitments. The staffer says there’s no rush; they can take their time. But the Robertsons are ready to go. They’ve done enough waiting in Section 117.

In the concourse, there’s another round of hugs, and Mercedes has a hard time containing her elation. She’s thinking back to how this whole journey started. Would Nick live or die? Would he have anything like a normal life?

“Where he started and where he’s at right now … it would have been wonderful to hear about something like this, because you feel like no one else is going through the same thing or understands,” Mercedes says.

She knows all too well, though, how many other people do. There’s a wall at the Huntington Hospital NICU that’s lined with photos of the graduates, kids like Nick who made it home and lived their lives. She always held off on sending one in of him; she had a certain occasion in mind.

“I was kind of waiting for this,” she says. A photo of the family on draft day will be in the mail soon enough. For now, she’s off to see her son.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148381 Detroit Red Wings “He’s got some good hockey sense and he has pretty good hands around the net,” Yzerman said. “There’s something there. I’m interested to see how he does because he showed some things in Sweden.”

Detroit Red Wings think pair of Swedes could be NHL draft steals Berglund had a tough start to his season with Frolunda’s junior team but came on strong in the second half.

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 12:01 p.m. ET June 23, Andersson said Frolunda has “really high hopes for him. They don’t think 2019 they have anybody that talented in that organization on defense. I’m hoping in a year he’s going to be able to challenge for a spot on the Swedish world junior team. He’s a talented guy.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Two Swedes drafted six spots apart Forward Kirill Tyutyayev and goaltender Carter Gylander were the Wings’ could turn out to be steals for the Detroit Red Wings. final choices of the day. It’s the second time in three drafts they’ve made 11 picks. Five players from the 2017 haul already have washed out of the Hakan Andersson, the Wings’ director of European scouting, shared organization. The Wings will end up with some misses from this draft, anecdotes about both Albert Johansson and Albin Grewe after the Wings too, but for now, there’s optimism. wrapped up the 2019 NHL draft having made 11 selections. Antti Tuomisto headlined Saturday’s haul as the Wings chose him 35th “All these kids had something that really, really intrigued us,” Wright said. overall, selecting a second straight big defenseman who shoots right. “Will all of them make it? Probably not, but we walked away and thought we got a good group of kids to add to the pool we already got.” “This is a guy that’s 6-foot-5 and plays with a real bite to his game,” director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright said. “He’s got good sense. He Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.24.2019 can find the middle of the ice. We really liked him. We’d targeted him for a while at 35.”

Andersson described Tuomisto as a very good skater with a bit of a bite to his game.

“We all liked him,” Andersson said. “Tyler certainly had a little bit of a crush on him. He’s got some physical game in him, and he also has a very heavy, good shot.”

Robert Mastrosimone, a skilled forward with great hands and hockey sense, was added with the team’s second second-round pick, at 54th overall.

Steve Yzerman and Kris Draper attend the NHL draft at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Then came Johansson, a defenseman, at 60th, and Grewe, a forward, at 66th overall. Johansson is 6-foot, 165 pounds, a very good skater who plays with a bit of a bite.

“I had another scout come by and say he might be the best of them all when it’s all said and done,” Andersson said.

Johansson had 29 points in 40 games with Farjestad’s SuperElit squad, and appeared in three games with the club’s squad.

“I talked to some players there and they said that they just went ‘wow’ the first time he came up and practiced with the team because he was so effortless and made such good plays,” Andersson said. “At the end of his first practice, there were three or four guys just sitting there laughing on the bench because he did everything right with the puck.”

Grewe intrigues because he’s an outstanding competitor, someone who models his game after Boston’s’ , renown for a skill set that includes getting under an opponent’s skin. He’d been projected to go late in the second round, but his stock dropped after a concussion. Grewe, 5-11, 190, put up 13 goals and 21 assists in 25 games with Djurgarden in the Swedish junior league last season. He ranked fourth on his team in points — and first in minutes with 102.

At the NHL combine, Grewe said his coach, Robert Ohlsson, calls him T- Rex because “he likes when I hit the opponents and get under their skin.”

Grewe also appeared in 15 games with Djurgarden’s SHL squad.

“I can see how he pictures himself after Brad Marchand,” Andersson said. “He’s very competitive. Out of all the European players, probably the most competitive player in the whole draft.

“One interesting story with Grewe was that the senior coach in Djurgarden, and they are a top team in the Swedish league, he said every time this kid came up and practiced with the men’s team, the whole intensity of the practice, the physical part of the practice, would go up. At first he didn’t know why, but then he realized that every time this kid came up, he just brought the whole pace up.”

Two more Swedes were added in forward Elmer Soderblom at No. 159 and defenseman Gustav Berglund at No. 177. Soderblom is 6-6 but that wasn’t the only reason he caught the Wings’ eye. 1148382 Detroit Red Wings hockey? It’s a first impression, that’s all. Our scouts throughout the year are doing their work, meeting with the kids, sitting down much longer period of time, meeting with their coaches, teammates, billets, to get Grading Steve Yzerman's first draft as Detroit Red Wings general more information. manager "Every team has a different style on how they conduct those interviews. We kind of played around with different things — lighthearted, serious, throw the unexpected at them a little bit.” Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:00 a.m. ET June 23, 2019 | Updated 10:41 a.m. ET June 23, 2019 Robert Mastrosimone poses after being selected 54th overall by the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL draft at Rogers Arena on June 22, 2019 in Vancouver.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Steve Yzerman made 11 picks in his Yzerman did something unexpected in his first major assignment since first assignment since taking over the Detroit Red Wings. taking control of the Wings as general manager. How his picks will fare won’t be known, as he noted, by next year, maybe not for five years. For He was bold, choosing a German defenseman with his first pick. He the weekend, he gets a B-plus. Johansson may be the dark horse of the determinedly chose the best players he and his staff deemed available, picks, a mobile skater with good hockey sense. Forward Albin Grewe, the adding five defensemen, five forwards and one goaltender to the third-round pick, is an aggressive player with a combination of organizational depth chart in the NHL draft at Rogers Arena. There’s skill competitiveness and skill and being a good skater. Elmer Soderblom, and size spread among the picks, but there also was an emphasis on picked in the sixth round at 159th, has surprisingly good mobility for a 6- inner drive, Hakan Andersson, the Wings' chief European scout, foot-6 teenager and has pretty good hands. revealed. Every general manager leaves the draft floor with optimism. Yzerman “Yzerman has been pretty strict,” Andersson said after the two-day draft knows time will tell, but he’s satisfied he has made a good first imprint on concluded on Saturday. “He wants competitive players, too. There are no the Wings. dogs. Like sometimes you draft a guy with high talent, Dick Axelsson is one example, but they don’t compete. But these guys all work for it.” “I’m pleased with how it played out,” Yzerman said. “Once you get into the later rounds it’s a little bit of a guessing game as far as who might be Moritz Seider poses for a portrait after being selected sixth overall by the there, but we felt good about each pick that we had. It’s a player that we Detroit Red Wings during the first round of the NHL draft at Rogers Arena knew well, that we had interest in picking at that spot. All things on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. considered it worked out OK and we’ll keep our fingers crossed from Yzerman gets a B-plus for his first draft as Red Wings general manager. here.” He cautioned patience as he left the draft floor. Four of the first-round Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.24.2019 picks made last summer played full time for their teams in 2018-19. He knows he is under scrutiny, especially for his first pick, Moritz Seider, an 18-year-old who had been projected to go in the 12-to-20 range (though draft-floor murmurs indicated he would have been picked soon after No. 6 had the Wings chosen one of the high-end forwards available). The Wings believe Seider can play in the American Hockey League next season (draft picks with junior eligibility left generally cannot), but it's possible he'll be better off playing back in Germany with Mannheim, where he can develop for at least another year.

“The danger is, like, we all want our draft picks playing as soon as possible,” Yzerman said. “It helps justify the picks a little bit. But ultimately you really have to make sure you are doing what is right for these kids — that they’re playing at a level they can be competitive and can improve and excel at. Very few 18-year-olds play in the NHL today.

“We picked up 11 kids this year. We had 10 last year. We have a bunch of picks next year. Now that they’re in the fold, we’ll try to set them up as best we can, educate them and provide them the resources to develop and then we’ll see. And if it’s one year, two years, three years — some of these kids will be five years. It doesn’t mean they’re not going to be good players, but it’s going to take five years for some of them.”

Three of the first four picks — Seider, Antti Tuomisto, and Albert Johansson — were defensemen, but Yzerman downplayed that he addressed a perceived need at that position.

“Honestly the only emphasis was on trying to do our homework, make sure we knew all these kids well, and picked the best possible prospects we could,” he said. “As far as position, it just kind of plays out from pick to pick.”

Seider and Tuomisto are big, right-handed shooters. Seider has the potential to develop into a top-pairing guy. Yzerman could end up looking brilliant for pulling the surprise pick of the first round — or he could rue having passed over the Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras and Cole Caufield.

It was interesting that both Seider and Ethan Phillips, a 5-foot-9 forward with fleet feet and picked in Round 4, mentioned they had an inkling the Wings would draft them based on meeting with the team at the combine. Thirty-one teams spend around 20 minutes with each prospect — Seider said his meeting with the Wings was closer to 40 minutes — and the teams end up talking to around 100 prospects. How do the Wings stand out?

“ We just try to talk,” Yzerman said. “Again, I don’t know how to conduct an interview. Honestly. I just talk to the kids, pick their brain, ask about their background. Get them talking, get a feel for — do they know about 1148383 Detroit Red Wings

‘No dogs’: Yzerman wanted aggressive players, and Albin Grewe fits the bill

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 4:32 p.m. ET June 23, 2019

Vancouver, British Columbia – One characteristic that threaded through many of the Red Wings’ 11 draft picks over the weekend was many of them aren’t easy to play against.

They are very competitive, make life difficult for opponents, and play the game hard.

Hakan Andersson, the Red Wings’ director of European scouting, said the message of getting those kind of players came from the top – Steve Yzerman, the Wings’ general manager.

“Yzerman has been pretty strict – he wants competitive players,” Andersson said. “So, there are no dogs. Like sometimes you draft a guy with high talent but they don’t compete.

“These guys, they work for it, too.”

One player appears to be the perfect blueprint for Yzerman’s vision.

Forward Albin Grewe, 18, the Wings’ third-round pick, could eventually be a player Wings fans love – and opponents and opposing fans hate.

Grewe (6-0, 182 pounds) has said he patterns his game after Boston’s Brad Marchand, a noted pest.

“Albin Grewe is an outstanding competitor,” Andersson said. “I can see how he pictures himself after Brad Marchand. He’s very competitive. Out of the Europeans, probably the most competitive player in the whole draft – and in many years, I would say.”

Andersson recounted a story of a Swedish team that Grewe played on.

“The senior coach in Djurgarden, a top team in the senior league, one of the better ones, said, ‘I didn't realize it until I started to look around, but every time this kid (Grewe) came up and practiced with the men’s team, the whole intensity of the practice, the physical part of the practice, would go up,’” Andersson said. “At first, he didn't know why. Then he realized every time this kid came up, he just brought the whole pace up.”

European influence

The Red Wings selected seven Europeans in the NHL Draft, led by first- round defenseman Moritz Seider of Germany.

A preconceived plan? Intentional?

Hardly, said Andersson, who has scouted Europe for 30 years.

“I’ve always said, ‘Let’s just get the best player. Never mind country,’” Andersson said. “Let’s get the best player. So we worked really hard this week on ranking lists up and down, also in our May meetings, and the way we had it, these were the names that came up, from Europe.

“It might as well have been six Canadian or five Americans, or whatever.”

Good value

A player who may be getting overlooked among all these picks is second-rounder Robert Mastrosimone.

A 5-foot-10, 170-pound center headed to Boston University, Mastrosimone was considered a late first-round pick in some draft boards and was rated a top-30 player by many scouting services.

The only negative on many scouting services was Mastrosimone’s skating – it’s an area he has to improve. But otherwise he projects to be a tough two-way forward.

“He’s really a skilled, competitive (player),” Yzerman said. “He has great hands, great skill, hockey sense. He has to fill out, get stronger, and getting stronger will improve his skating. He’s exciting.”

Detroit News LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148384 Detroit Red Wings “I can say I’m pleased how it played out,” Yzerman said. “Once you get into the later rounds it’s a little bit of a guessing game as far as who might be there. Each pick we had was a player we knew well and had Red Wings get a lift from draft being ‘top-heavy’ on defense interest in picking in that spot.

“All things considered it worked out OK. Keep our fingers crossed.”

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 1:42 p.m. ET June 23, 2019 Detroit News LOADED: 06.24.2019

Vancouver, British Columbia – There are a lot of areas in the Red Wings organization that need to be upgraded.

Defense might be the highest priority item.

The Red Wings addressed that over the weekend at the NHL Draft. Of their 11 picks overall – they acquired an extra pick Saturday in Buffalo – they selected five defensemen, including three of their first four overall selections.

The five defensemen collectively have good size – something, it appears, many organizations took account of watching St. Louis’ and Boston’s big bodies in the Stanley Cup Finals.

“As a staff, we identified this as being a pretty deep draft defensively,” said Tyler Wright, the Wings’ director of amateur scouting. “I don’t think we’re quite in a position where we have to start really picking by position. It just happened to be that defense was kind of top-heavy in this draft.

“You watch the playoffs and you see the size of these guys with St. Louis and Boston being in there – that doesn’t mean they’re just big.”

Meaning, size with skill. And the Wings are optimistic they picked some big bodies who can do a variety of things.

Moritz Seider (first round) and Antti Tuomisto (second round) are both 6- foot-4 with mobility and offensive skill, while being stout defensively.

Getting Tuomisto with Saturday’s first pick was an aim for the Wings, who had targeted the Finnish defenseman for some time.

“We think he’s a good prospect,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “He’s a big kid with a good shot. He’s a smart player. He moves well for a big guy and he plays hard.

“We just like the way he thinks the game. We like his tools and size. Somewhat like Seider. They’re different players, but big right-shot defensemen that move pretty well, that can pass the puck and defend reasonably well.”

Albert Johansson (second round), Cooper Moore (fifth round) and Gustav Berglund (sixth round) are generally regarded as more offensive defensemen, but each are at least 6-foot.

Johansson, for his part, could develop into an interesting selection, a player who is growing into his body and is improving rapidly.

“I’m very excited about his talent,” said Hakan Andersson, the Wings’ director of European scouting. “There was another scout that told me he thinks (Johansson) might be the best of them all – and I kind of agree. He’s a great skater and is very good with the puck.

“But he has to fill out. His dad (Roger Johansson) played in the NHL and Swedish league and was on the national team. His older brothers are big. If he (Johansson) grows, it’s going help his career more, but even right now as a 6-foot kid, he’s a very good hockey player.

“He dominated in junior in Sweden – just dominated. He was voted the best defenseman in the junior playoffs in Sweden.”

The Wings will be in transition on defense in the near future. Niklas Kronwall is deciding whether to retire, and will inform Yzerman of his decision by training camp. Trevor Daley, Mike Green and Jonathan Ericsson will be unrestricted free agents next summer (and none are likely to be retained).

There’s not enough youth ready to step in right now. Only Filip Hronek appears NHL-ready. Dennis Cholowski might need more minor-league seasoning, newly acquired Oliwer Kaski (undrafted free agent) is unknown, and Gustav Lindstrom (last year’s second-round pick) is still developing in Europe.

The Wings took a large step, they hope, toward replenishing that position. 1148385 Holland needs to put the next stage of the blueprint into action when the July free-agent market opens for business. He doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, or players to trade, so it will take some serious moving Holland’s commitment to the long game a good sign for Oilers and shaking to bolster a lineup that wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs despite two 100-point players.

But not sacrificing the future to try and do it last weekend is a good sign. Robert Tychkowski Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 06.24.2019

Ken Holland wasn’t kidding.

He said when they hired him he didn’t have a magic wand to repair everything that is broken with the Edmonton Oilers.

He said getting the organization back on its feet after 13 years of failure is a process that can’t be rushed. And he’s right. It has been proven here too many times in the past that cutting corners in search of a quick fix is a dead-end game.

Holland looks like he’s in this for the long haul and anyone who doubted that is probably rethinking their position after the NHL Draft in Vancouver.

There was no puff of smoke and a magic three-way deal that somehow managed to address all of Edmonton’s problems. He didn’t trade away his picks for the help he needs right now. He drafted a defenceman with huge upside in the first round and a forward with huge upside in the second, then told everyone it’ll probably be about three years, at least, before they can begin to help.

If good management is boring, Holland’s first draft with Edmonton had all the earmarks of a decent start.

That’s not to suggest , at eighth overall, is going to be an impact player. Far from it. Calling him a great pick is just as ridiculous as calling him a bad pick, as so many angry fans and experts were doing Friday.

The truth is, nobody knows how good he’s going to be. Not even Holland and the scouts. They hope. They have reason to believe. But they don’t know for sure.

Arguing that the Oilers should have drafted a forward based on a disturbing lack of organizational depth there is fair, but the ‘best player available’ formula has long been the standard among successful NHL teams. Organizational depth is usually addressed in the later rounds, which they did with Raphael Lavoie at 38 and with three more forwards after that.

Taking Broberg tells you Holland is not looking to fill holes quickly with unprepared kids, as has so often been the case here, and not always with success. It says more about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins than it does about previous management strategies that he turned out as well as he has. He could have easily become Jesse Puljujarvi or Nail Yakupov.

Taking a goalie with two years left on a contract in Russia (Ilya Konovalov 85th overall) is also evidence of Holland focused firmly on the future, hitting critical areas with the high-volume approach. Give yourself four good prospects in goal (Konovalov, Shane Starrett, Dylan Wells and Stuart Skinner) and five or six good prospects on defence (Broberg, , Caleb Jones, Ethan Bear and Dimitri Samorukov) and the odds of filling impact positions from within increase dramatically.

Rather than rest on his prospect goalies or count on his prospect defencemen, Holland spent last weekend upping the percentages for the long game. Trading a pick or two might have provided some immediate relief, but short-term thinking isn’t how struggling organizations build a stable foundation.

And Edmonton’s foundation has a lot of cracks. The Oilers only had six homegrown players on the roster last year, and only one of those, Jujhar Khaira, was from outside the first round. The rest were gimmes: McDavid (1), Nugent-Hopkins (1), Draisaitl (3), Nurse (7) and Klefbom (19).

Poor drafting and development are the biggest reasons the organization failed for 13 years, and why it’s pressed to the cap today. So keeping the emphasis on that area is vital.

It can’t all be about waiting four years for things to take shape, though. The Oilers will be the first to admit that much. There is still a here and now that needs to be addressed on a team that’s headed for a crisis if things don’t get better, and soon. 1148386 Edmonton Oilers So the Oilers shouldn’t have selected an over-rated player that everybody else had soured on?

You can’t have it both ways. Oilers fans need to let Holland do what he does best There are now so many lists out there and so many hobby draft self- proclaimed experts, almost none of whom have actually eyeballed most Terry Jones of the prospects, that this whole draft business for fans has evolved beyond Bob McKenzie of TSN polling 10 scouts and producing his list.

TSN even pays Craig Button to operate as a full-time scout. He was here Let me see if I’ve got this right. for the Hlinka-Gretzky in August and in Sweden for the recent U-18 Worlds. He ranked Broberg seventh and Lavoie 17th. The Edmonton Oilers hire the most experienced and successful general manager in the league at $5 million a year. And with the first pick of the The idea is to project players who will be good NHLers in three or four era in Edmonton, the eighth selection overall, the Oilers years, and if you get two of them, it’s been a good draft. I expect this will long-suffering and venomous fan base was distressed. go down as a good draft for Holland, Gretzky and Green.

The idiot went and picked a player ranked lower than eighth on many Especially interesting was the selection of KHL Rookie of the Year goalie, published lists and mock drafts? 20-year-old Ilya Konovalov, with the third pick at 85th overall with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, where Craig MacTavish will be coaching this year. Holland was even characterized as having put himself “on the hot seat” with his first ever Oilers draft pick. The odds obviously drop dramatically the deeper you go, of course, and who knows with forwards Matej Blumel at No. 100, Tomas Mazura at It wasn’t just the social media haters and internet trolls. The reaction was 162nd and Maxim Denezhkin, who will also be playing for MacTavish in decidedly that of disappointment throughout a significant slice of the the KHL next year, at 193rd. passionate fan base. The bottom line is it’s about drafting AND development and that’s Ken This is in the wake of going with the rankings and ratings in the recent Holland’s wheelhouse. So sit back, relax and watch him do what he’s past and picking Nail Yakupov and Jesse Puljujarvi. always done best. Now the Oilers have the recently successful amateur scouting and Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 06.24.2019 development pair of Keith Gretzky and Bob Green working under the draft and development champion of the NHL, in Holland. And an inordinate number of Edmonton fans call him out for his first pick?

Credit Holland for the best quote of the draft.

“The people who don’t watch the games seem to have all the answers today,” he said.

Holland’s first-round pick of Swedish defenseman Philip Broberg turned out to be telegraphed at the season ticket holder event before he headed to Vancouver. And now with the seven rounds of drafting now complete, you can see his entire strategy in place.

Holland added one more top talent to the Oilers collection of defencemen to virtually insure that a first-rate NHL defence will develop for the big picture here.

Adding Broberg to the collection of Evan Bouchard, Dmitri Samorukov, Caleb Jones, William Lagesson and Ethan Bear battling their way to join Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse and you have to figure it’s going to develop into a special bunch.

In today’s hockey one of the most prized possessions is a big, fast, puck- moving defenceman. How many knowledgeable Edmonton fans have been lamenting the need for a skilled, fast-skating, puck-transporting defenceman for the last several years?

And Holland snags a 6-foot-3 kid who hasn’t even had his 18th birthday, has great speed and he’s on the hot seat?

Take a pill, people.

Holland is going to be able to make a lot of moves now to find the missing pieces up front to go with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

To pull this off, he’s going to need other GMs coming to him, willing to trade forwards for the likes of , Andrej Sekera, Kris Russell, Matt Benning and others in the organization. The moves will be there to make but they’ll be made on Ken Holland time, some in the coming day, some in the coming months and some in the coming years.

It was almost laughable the way it played out on Day 2 of the draft.

Whatever was involved in the Oilers picking Broberg way before his consensus expectation in the first round, it was the opposite Sunday morning when Edmonton used their 38th overall selection to choose 19th ranked, 6-foot-4 right-hand shooting forward Raphael Lavoie, a 20-goal- scorer in 23 playoff games with the in the playoffs. He also had five goals in five games at the U-18 Worlds and won the Mike Bossy Trophy as the top pro prospect in the QMJHL. 1148387 Los Angeles Kings

NHL expansion team in Seattle begins to form its foundation

By CURTIS ZUPKE

JUN 23, 2019 | 11:50 AM

No, the new NHL team in Seattle does not have a name or colors yet, but everything else is going swimmingly.

Tod Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of Seattle, and Jerry Bruckheimer, film producer and principal owner, were brimming with optimism when they spoke publicly before the NHL draft at Rogers Arena.

Seattle will join the NHL in the 2021-22 season and is taking baby steps toward its identity, starting with the nickname, which occupies most fans’ interest.

“It’s something people ask a lot about,” Leiweke said. “We’re deliberate about it, but again, there’s not a sense of urgency. We want to get it right.

“Part of it is, the longer we’re going as an enterprise, the more we know what we stand for, and the more we know what we don’t stand for. And it’s really helping inform that. I think, as anxious as people are to have us wear a name on our chest, taking our time is going to serve us well.”

Leiweke called the team’s new arena “spectacular.” Demolition work has begun on the interior, and the lower bowl will be set 15 feet deep.

“It’s a very tight bowl,” Bruckheimer said. “It’s going to be loud. … The size is phenomenal for hockey presentation. It’s going to be a great arena for music, for events. … It’s going to be one of the best [arenas] in the world.”

Leiweke and Bruckheimer each have connections to the Kings. Leiweke is the younger brother of Tim Leiweke, formerly the president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the Kings. Bruckheimer is based in L.A. and plays recreational hockey at the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo, sometimes with NHL players in the summer, such as P.K. Subban.

“We have a lot of great pros come to that game,” Bruckheimer said. “[We play at] 6:15 on Sunday nights.”

Seattle will look to hire a general manager this summer, Tod Leiweke said, and will expand upon its current 40-person staff, including various hockey operations personnel. The team won’t take shape until the 2021 expansion draft, when it will select from unprotected players of other teams, like the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas made the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season. Leiweke said he was taking a long view of immediate success but didn’t mind taking a cue from the Golden Knights.

“I think Las Vegas has done a remarkable job,” Leiweke said. “We’re going to be our own unique franchise. We’re going to have our own unique executives who are going to be proud, who are going to chart the course. I hope we’re really competitive that first year [and] long term.”

LA Times: LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148388 Los Angeles Kings While draft day can be a blur for players, who usually are on autopilot when asked questions by reporters, a lot of the players the Kings picked made statements that suggested a positive organizational structure.

Kings land ‘three whales’ as they try to reset their culture through the Turcotte explained the “sandpaper” element to his game, saying, “I think draft it just shows that I’m not afraid to go to the dirty areas. I’m not going to go out there and try to run someone over, but I think just knowing that I’ll go to the dirty areas to make a play, that’s really important.” By Josh Cooper Jun 23, 2019 Not a lot of top-five forward picks play that type of game or speak about their skills in such ways.

In 2009, the challenge was simple for former Kings general manager Bjornfot, when asked about his biggest attribute, talked about his Dean Lombardi and his scouts. command of a group: “I think I would say it was my leadership. I take big responsibility on and off the ice. Obviously my leadership and my skill He told them to have a “culture changing” couple of days, during which set.” the Kings could find a few max-effort players who might not have the most skill, but were necessary for a championship core. Fagemo was queried about the importance of team and gave a shining example of how a group can click when all parts come together at once. Those two days in Montreal yielded and Jordan Nolan, important pieces on L.A.’s two Stanley Cup-winning teams. The Kings “You need to have team spirit to have a championship,” he said. “It’s also used the fifth overall pick on Brayden Schenn, who just won a Cup super important to get a great team feeling and team spirit and team with the St. Louis Blues. chemistry to win the Stanley Cup. The St. Louis Blues had a great team spirit and they won the Cup so yeah, it’s very important to me.” In this year’s draft, current Kings general manager wanted something similar. Spence mentioned how he adapted and kept up with the local hockey players in P.E.I., even when he was living in Japan — where there is a “Dean had challenged us with having a culture-changing draft,” Kings total of 117 indoor rinks, per the IIHF’s website. Spence’s dad is from the assistant general manager Michael Futa said, “and I mean, obviously, province and they often would visit family, but a majority of Spence’s and Blakey is talking about the same (type of) draft this year, which he’s fundamental skills seemed to be taught in Japan. talked to the guys about with (director of amateur scouting) Mark Yannetti.” “When I was young I would visit P.E.I.. during springtime to play spring hockey there, so that’s where I kind of got the groove of what Canadian Did Los Angeles succeed in at least giving Blake the type of players to hockey was and kind of changed my game a little bit to adjust and build a championship culture around? It’s way too early to say, but there become a Canadian hockey player,” he said. “That’s what I really did and were a lot of positive signs over the two-day selection process. obviously when I moved to P.E.I., I got more determined and motivated Alex Turcotte, a gritty two-way center, fell to L.A. with the No. 5 pick in to become a better player.” the first round. Of course, it’s hard to tell if this “culture” draft will pay off for the Kings. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot was scooped up by Los Angeles with the An injury or poor coaching at the junior or college level can foil any No. 22 selection. They loved the second-round selection of forward team’s plans. The draft can be a crapshoot for the most part. Samuel Fagemo, who an NHL team amateur scout said was fearless in Yannetti pointed out that it’s going to take a few years to watch this pan the same mold as Patric Hornqvist. out. Clifford, for example, didn’t play his first NHL game until 2010-11 and The same scout said Bjornfot could be an NHL captain some day. Los Angeles didn’t win its first Cup until 2012 — three years after the 2009 draft. “We got three whales in terms of culture in our opinion in the draft,” Yannetti said in regards to Turcotte, Bjornfot and Fagemo. “If we had “What happens is, you affect the culture coming through the foundation. come out with one we would have been happy.” That’s what we did with Clifford back then,” Yannetti recalled.

Beyond those three was another Kings pick with an intriguing backstory. Still, Los Angeles seemed happy with how the draft broke down. Every Defenseman Jordan Spence (95th overall) lived in Osaka, Japan, until he team tries to play PR after a draft and say the players they wanted all fell was 13, which was where he learned to play hockey. When he moved to to them — newsflash, they don’t — but the Kings seem to believe they Prince Edward Island, he had to compete against players who mostly made their organization better as a whole. Our draft guru Corey Pronman had the luxury of more advanced training in Canada. Last season, as a gave them an ‘A’ for their efforts. rookie in the QMJHL, he had 49 points in 68 games. Said Turcotte, “I’m just going to do anything I can to help the team win.” “Any time a kid deals with adversity and not only deals with it but just That statement alone should make the Kings and their supporters feel smashes through it, that’s just a huge plus for us,” Yannetti said of good moving forward after these days. Spence. “Most of these kids don’t deal with adversity until they get to the pros, so any time a kid has shown at 13 or 14 that he can deal with The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 adversity, I mean, that’s a pretty promising trait in my opinion.”

It wasn’t like Los Angeles took just straight shooters. Forward Arthur Kaliyev (33rd overall) had some red flags about his compete level, but Blake tried to soothe over any worries about the sniper who had 51 goals last season in the Ontario Hockey League.

“He scored 50 goals. I’m not sure you can do that without competing,” Blake said. “Now how you rate your compete? There’s different ways to do it. But to score 50 goals is difficult to do. There has to be a level of competing.”

The Kings held a player’s character in such high regard in this draft because of how far the organizational culture had fallen. Blake referred to it as “entitlement” in his end-of-season press conference. Former players from L.A.’s Cup years recently told The Athletic they were puzzled by public comments on how the team’s practice habits had dropped off.

“(Blake) has a certain way he wants to build the team and obviously our culture needs a reboot, so one of the ways we can affect it is from the ground floor up,” Yannetti said. 1148389 Los Angeles Kings Blake, on how they are able to rate compete:

There’s a lot, but it’s not a number. I don’t think you can have a statistic or an analytic that solely rates that. But again, that’s why I said there’s BLAKE ON THE DRAFT, KALIYEV, QUALIFYING OFFERS, compete in a lot of different areas on the ice. And again, these kids are APPROACH TO FREE AGENCY 18 years old, so that’s going to grow.

Blake, on whether they knew they wanted to trade up to get Samuel JON ROSENJUNE 23, 2019 Fagemo:

Yeah. Well, we didn’t know last night. When we were getting into the draft here, we were looking at who was coming off the board, and that INSIDERS. There’s lots of good content ahead. There’s some more great was a guy who we had targeted, yes. [Reporter: How long does that take, post-draft conversing with Mark Yannetti and Christian Ruuttu, who talk and how many calls do you make?] It was quick. It was set a little bit about the team’s methods at the draft in retrospect, and Ruuttu also goes before the draft today, and then as some guys came off, we revisited it into detail about the new European-based prospects. with Montreal.

As shared last night on Twitter, Alex Lintuniemi won’t receive a qualifying Blake, on how he feels about the draft this year overall: offer and no decision has been made yet on Brendan Leipsic. There wasn’t any drama with any of the other RFAs – Nikita Scherbak, Pavel Like every team — great. No, I think we were really in unison as a group. Jenys, Matheson Iacoplelli won’t receive QOs, as previously shared, Probably more than I had been in the past here, so I think that part of it while Michael Amadio, Alex Iafallo, Adrian Kempe, Cal Petersen, and the preparation and everything – you try to cover every different Sheldon Rempal and Matt Roy will, as expected. No surprises there. move that could possibly happen and you never will, but I think we did a Essentially, there was additional wiggle-room negotiated by Blake and good job, and the way we set it up, the first three picks of guys that we Jeff Solomon when they traded Stepan Falkovsky for Jenys, freeing up a had targeted in that round, and we came out with that, and that’s where contract spot and a place on the team reserve list. Falkovsky still has a Kaliyev was important. year remaining on his contract. More to come! Blake, on Jordan Spence:

Also expecting Scituate, Mass. native Derek Mullahy, an 18-year-old I heard he’s got a dog named Doughty, too. Somebody just told me that. I goalie committed to Harvard, to attend development camp after don’t know how true that is, but real good shooter, though. We watched graduating from Dexter School, where he was 1.43 / .940 in 30 games him at the U-18s. That was my viewing of him. The guys had obviously this past year. been watching him all along.

— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) June 22, 2019 Blake, on Braden Doyle eventually headed to Boston University and You'll see a familiar face behind the Ontario bench this year – Chris Hajt Andre Lee to UMass-Lowell: will return to Mike Stothers' staff after serving on Phil Housley's staff in Yeah, going to get some time there. Obviously, Tony Gasparin and Ted Buffalo the last two seasons. Belisle have real good focus on those kids later in the draft. They’ve had — Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) June 22, 2019 a lot of success with those guys.

Rob Blake, on drafting Arthur Kaliyev with the 33rd pick: Blake, on his understanding of the salary cap situation:

Well, we had him on the other side of the board obviously after the first I don’t know, it was called today, or this week, right? Not going to do round, so we knew we were getting the goal-scoring ability. He was the much to us. third youngest kid in the draft, so he’s coming to us at a young age from Blake, on if it was weird not going into the draft knowing the salary cap the OHL. The other thing too that is real positive, Steve Staios, who we number: trust, does a lot of good things in Hamilton, so we know he’s in good hands, and we got real good reports on him through that. It would have been a year ago, yes. This year not so much. I think we understood we’re up against it. Whatever the outcome was, it wasn’t Blake, on whether they knew right away that they would pick Kaliyev going to affect us much. We’re not in a spot to add right now, anyways. 33rd: The next couple years will be pretty tight that way for us.

There were a couple guys we were looking at when we went home last Blake, on who will be at development camp: night, but barring the goal-scoring ability, which is obviously a necessity to us at some time during this draft. I’m thinking everyone. Parik, the goalie, is going to come, too. I’ve got a feeling all the European guys will. A lot of these kids come with stuff. Blake, on whether there was a particular type of player he was looking for Sammy, I think Sammy just had skates, but I think everyone else had. in this draft: But they’ll all be at development camp.

The leadership part. The character and the compete is an important Blake, on how much work lays ahead in free agency: element. Now, listen, when the draft gets in the second, third, fourth, fifth round, you’re going to have to give up something somewhere. Turcotte Work’s been ongoing in getting these players signed, getting this draft fills everything, right? Bjornfot fills everything. But, you start whittling that signed, but as far as expecting a move in free agency, I’m not sure down, one of the main components for us would be the compete and there’s any real need on our aspect right now. We’ve got our forwards character. I think that was the focus going into the draft for us. and D in place.

Blake, on Kaliyev’s compete level: Blake, on qualifying Brendan Leipsic:

The further you go back, there are going to be different things. But you Discussions will go on there. We’re not 100 percent sure yet on that. But score 50 goals, I’m not sure you can do that without competing. It’s going all the other ones that we’ve probably discussed, Jeff will send them out to be very hard to. Now, how you rate your compete, there’s different in a day or two. I think you’ll know by Tuesday right, or something. ways to do it, but scoring 50 goals is difficult to do, so there has to be a level of compete in that. Like I said, the homework with Steve Staios and Blake, on whether Alex Lintuniemi and Brendan Leipsic will be sent with Chris Byrne and Bryan Denney in that area, and Mark Yannetti, I qualifying offers: wasn’t concerned on that aspect. Lintu, no. [Reporter: But the plan for Leipsic to qualify him to continue Blake, on whether they are in a better position to make moves because negotiations?] Discussions will go on there. We’re not sure 100% yet on the pipeline is being restocked: that. But all the other ones that we’ve always discussed, Jeff will probably send them out there in a day two. No, we want to make sure we’re on in all these picks. We had more picks this year and you saw a little bit of movement, not a lot, in a day or two to Blake, on Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe’s contracts: secure. The Fagemo pick was a guy we knew we had at a certain spot Communication’s been starting with everyone, but it will take a little bit of and we knew we could get up in the draft to get him, and that’s what we a process. Jeff does some of the work here too at the draft with some of did to secure that spot too. these guys. Blake, on Jeff Solomon and the contract discussions:

He’ll get ‘em all done. He usually does. Eventually, yes. He’s very methodical.

— Lead photo via Dave Sandford/NHLI

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148390 Minnesota Wild After Zucker, the tradeable assets on the Wild roster start to thin out, especially considering Fenton doesn’t appear willing to trade someone like Jared Spurgeon. He met with agent Eustace King at the draft Wild GM Paul Fenton needs to nail the rest of the offseason regarding an extension, and the sides appear motivated to get a deal done at some point.

“It’s a beginning,” Fenton said. “It’s a way to just start to introduce that we By Dane Mizutani | June 23, 2019 at 6:33 PM want to have him back. He’s aware of it, and we’re going to go forward with it.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.24.2019 VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As soon as the NHL Draft wrapped up over the weekend, the only thing Wild general manager Paul Fenton wanted to do was talk about the influx of prospects. He pleaded with reporters in the immediate aftermath, hoping to keep the focus solely on the draft class rather than his plan for the rest of the offseason.

“There’s certainly going to be adjustments, whether it’s today or tomorrow,” Fenton said. “I’d just rather concentrate on the draft right now.”

Unfortunately for Fenton, that’s not how this thing works. He doesn’t get to dictate when he’s asked about certain things, especially when it comes to a week-and-a-half stretch that will more than likely define his tenure in the Twin Cities and how much longer it lasts.

As much as the draft might help improve the Wild in the long term, and Fenton was ecstatic with the haul, it does nothing to move the needle in the short term.

It’s not like the second coming of is walking through that door.

Frankly, when it comes to prospects the Wild selected over the weekend, even if a couple of them develop into legitimate NHL superstars, they are at least a couple of seasons away from making an impact.

It’s safe to say Fenton doesn’t have that much time. Not with the Wild on the verge of becoming more or less an afterthought in the Twin Cities.

Although it’s probably not fair to say Fenton is on the chopping block, not yet at least, he has a lot work to do to prove to Wild owner Craig Leipold that he’s the right guy for the job.

His decision to trade away Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund last season seemed a little misguided at the time and looks even worse after having let it simmer for a few months. Let’s just say the trio of Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Kevin Fiala haven’t done much to inspire confidence so far.

To make matters worse, the rest of the Central Division is only getting better, starting with the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. Heck, even if the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets take step back next season, the Dallas Stars are a playoff team, the Colorado Avalanche look bound for for greatness over the next decade and the Chicago Blackhawks have done a good job expediting their rebuild.

That leaves the Wild in desperate need of some savvy moves this offseason to stay competitive. They are fresh off a last-place finish in the Central Division and at least on paper look destined to repeat.

Unless Fenton does something about it, particularly over the next week and a half.

It starts with the interview process, a period that allows him to start chatting with free agents ahead of the signing period, which begins on July 1.

“I’d love to be active in it, to some degree,” Fenton said. “Some of that is determined by the players as far as what the opportunities are.”

It’s unclear what exact Fenton has up his sleeve. Or if he has anything up his sleeve.

Will he throw big money at Joe Pavelski? Will he try to woo local kid Anders Lee? Will he opt for a reclamation project in Wayne Simmonds?

All of those options are on the table, as is the Wild striking out completely, if free agents decide they have better options.

If that’s the case, Fenton might have to inject some life into the team with a trade. He has been actively shopping Jason Zucker, though he appears to have had a change of heart over the past couple of weeks, perhaps realizing he needs to get a good player in return to appease the restless fan base. 1148391 Minnesota Wild a winner again and see a path for doing so. If the Wild don’t do much, that could have lasting effects with the latter. As for Parise, unfortunately for him because he’s locked and loaded in a guaranteed contract, he Ask Russo: On Matt Boldy and the draft, Parise and Zucker, free agency doesn’t have many bona fide options if the Wild don’t make any moves. and more How did Spurgeon contract talks go?

— James L.

By Michael Russo Jun 23, 2019 Both sides said the initial talk was positive, but there have been no numbers discussed yet. They will set a time to officially begin negotiations after July 1. Good early morning from the friendly sky not long after taking off from Vancouver. Just got done with my gazillionth NHL Draft, and it’s always a Did Fenton still have interest in trading Zucker after the NHL Awards but hoot being at the airport the morning after a draft because everywhere was shut down by Craig Leipold? you look is a hockey guy. — Kevin K.

On my plane alone is Cole Caufield, Jamie Langenbrunner, Tony I don’t know that to be true, although I’d agree it wouldn’t have been a Granato, Mark Osiecki, Anders Lee’s agent Neil Sheehy, , great look to trade him immediately after winning such a prestigious Brian Lawton, Brad Bombardir, Mike Guentzel, Caps GM Brian humanitarian award. I just think if the Wild were to trade Zucker, Fenton MacLellan and, uh, wannabe GM Dan Myers of Wild.com, who offered knows he must “win” the trade, and that’s hard to do when you’re trading me $200 for my seat. a guy who’s in the prime of his career and scored 33 goals only two We need an eyeroll emoji at The Athletic. seasons ago. Also, let’s just say the best return Fenton was offered was a high pick and a prospect or a middle-range NHL regular, I’d think In the seat in front of me is Kirill Kaprizov’s agent, Dan Milstein, who’s Fenton wouldn’t want to make any trade like that until he knows for sure reclining. if he could sign a high-end player in free agency like Anders Lee. Right now, it doesn’t sound like Fenton plans to trade Zucker. But if suddenly In the seat behind me is Wild general manager Paul Fenton. I have opted Fenton felt during the interview period that he could land a top free agent not to recline. on July 1 to replace Zucker, maybe he’d revisit this. Right now, he’s So, if you have any questions for either, now’s a good time to ask and I indicating that Zucker is staying. can tap them on the shoulder. Does Fenton have a preference for college or junior players? I’ve read This should be a good mailbag because I’m on three hours sleep and some GM’s like having longer “control” when drafting college players, undercaffeinated. since they have four years instead of two to sign them.

OK, here we go. — Taylor S.

Do you know if the Wild see first-round pick Matt Boldy as a possible one I asked Fenton for you and he said, “I don’t have a formula that says and done at Boston College? Or do they expect him to sit there and (either), but when you look at it and you have that extra time, sometimes develop for a few years? you’re fortunate to have that. There’s going to be guys that you take … and you never know when they’re going to be ready. So does it mean — Derrick N. that he has one year, two years, three years or four years? At least you have the opportunity to assess it.” I haven’t asked Fenton, P.J. Fenton or Darren Yopyk this directly because the answer usually is, “It’s completely up to him,” and where the I’ve seen a lot more of Caufield just because he’s such an elite goal- Wild are in a year. Staying a couple years at least in college and scorer and has broken all sorts of records, so that’s exciting stuff. The maturing and improving one’s game is usually a good development path guy can absolutely rip a puck. But I learned a long time ago that as a for any top prospect. So unless he has a monster year and the Wild feel beat writer who doesn’t watch these prospects nearly as much (if at all) he can make an immediate impact as a pro or would be better off as the scouts, I never assess what was right and wrong on the day of the developing in a year in or Minnesota, my guess is he’d be at BC for draft. I’ve used this example before, but in 2011, there was a reporter in a few years. But honestly, that’s always up in the air. Let’s see what kind town that annihilated the Wild for taking Jonas Brodin over Duncan of year he has playing for a good program. Very high-end prospect. Siemens (wasn’t me, I swear). So we’ll all know three or four years from (Zach Z., hopefully this answers your question.) now whether the Wild made the right decision or the wrong one.

Is Fenton actually testing the waters for a Zach Parise trade? As appetizing as drafting a goal-scorer like Caufield would have been, everyone I’ve talked to has said Boldy is going to be a top-end player. —Tim W. Heck, Craig Button compares him to , who is an absolute As Fenton has said a number of times, all names come up in trade talks, stud for Colorado. I also get where Caufield’s size would concern teams. so it wouldn’t be surprising if Zach’s name was floated over the weekend As talented as he is, you do have to wonder how he survives. He just to a few teams. But as I wrote the other day, the reality is trading Parise walked by me down the aisle here on the plane and I couldn’t believe it is an extremely complicated proposition just because of his age (34) and was him. But, man, you watch his YouTube videos, and he is freaking contract (six years left at $7.538 million) and the fact he’d have to exciting. approve the destination. Take in the slow rise of the salary cap, the But you know what? Watch Boldy’s. So is he. And as we just saw in this probability that the Wild would have to retain salary and to top it all off the past postseason, as the playoffs go deeper, the game becomes a lot future cap recapture penalties that would be bestowed upon the Wild if more old-school where size and grit and physicality do matter. Maybe he ever were to retire early, trading him could be impossible. Just look at that partially led to the Wild’s decision. So I’ll reserve judgment. But, for what Toronto had to do to rid itself of the remaining portion of Patrick Caufield to fall to 15, the Montreal Canadiens have to be on top of this Marleau’s contract (one year at $6.25 million). The Leafs had to give world delighted. Carolina a first-round pick. Parise has six years left at a big price, so even though he’s still quite productive, trading him wouldn’t be easy. He said he plans to get involved in the interview period and says too much has been made of the narrative that if he doesn’t make a trade or How will players such as Parise and Jared Spurgeon react if the Wild two, he can’t be active. He basically said that’s because guys that don’t don’t make any significant changes this offseason? require waivers like Jordan Greenway, Ryan Donato and Luke Kunin — Gregory S. could start in the minors, but for a team that’s trying to get younger and faster and wanting to give these guys the ability to take over this team To be blunt, they won’t be happy. Parise made it very clear after the with significant minutes, sending them to Iowa would seem season that he feels his window is closing and he’s very concerned about counterproductive unless they just didn’t earn a spot in training camp. But this team taking a step back and rebuilding. Spurgeon can become a free there’s no doubt Fenton will get in on some free agents and we’ll see agent next summer. His agent has made it crystal clear to Fenton that it’s what comes of it. Pavelski is a definite target, but Chicago is another not just a lucrative financial package that will keep Spurgeon here. The team that I hear intrigues him. I do think Fenton definitely wants to get a defenseman needs to hear Fenton’s vision for how this team will become right-shot winger or two. Wayne Simmonds could be another reclamation teams have any say in what position a player plays in the NCAA, CHL, project that interests the Wild. etc. or is that left completely up to those teams (for example can Fenton tell Boston College that he wants Boldy to play center in the NCAA)? Would you mind explaining a little more about the situation last spring with Donato and Greenway in Iowa and why Fenton was so upset with — Tanner S. them? You’ve alluded to it several times lately, but I’m a little foggy on the details or missed it earlier. He could tell them, but no, it’s completely up to the college or junior coach. That’s why a lot of times teams will want to get their hands on — Jeremy Z. their own prospects and start the development path earlier. Take Greenway. He was drafted as a wing and then-BU coach I wouldn’t say it was just Fenton. It was Iowa GM and the started playing him at center his junior year. At first the Wild were like, entire Iowa coaching staff. They just didn’t play well and at times seemed “What the $#&%?” But then Greenway started to play really well and to lack effort. Fenton publicly voiced his discontent during a Q&A I did maybe he hit on something. with him in Des Moines during the second round. I think the belief is they just weren’t exactly pleased they were down there after the long Wild Any idea if game operations is trying to freshen things up during the grind. At the same time, everybody praised Kunin’s effort down there. offseason?

If we assume he doesn’t want to trade youngsters Kunin, Greenway, — Kevin K. Donato and Kevin Fiala and he says he’s not trading Spurgeon and won’t be moving veterans like Parise, Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal, suddenly I took your question to somebody with the Wild and he replied, “Yes, things are limited. Marcus Foligno is probably attractive to other teams, we’re focusing on it substantially this summer. Time for some fresh but he really developed into a leader for the Wild last season and played ideas.” a solid role. Maybe Joel Eriksson Ek. Obviously, he would trade Victor It looks like the Wild went with a safe pick instead of drafting for need. I’m Rask and J.T. Brown if he could. On the back end, maybe Jonas Brodin, sure Boldy can be successful in the NHL, but it seems he’s landed in the Greg Pateryn or Nick Seeler. There’s just not a ton of options. wrong place. With Parise, Zucker (for now), Greenway, Donato and Fiala Wild looking to pursue Nick Leddy in a trade? Sounds like lots of talk already here, and Kaprizov waiting in the wings, how will he get the about Leddy being traded from Islanders. Think he’d be a solid player minutes he will need to develop and fulfill his potential? with Seeler on that second D pairing. — Kevin S.

— Gavin M. We’re talking three or four years at least before we see Boldy in the NHL. If they traded Brodin or Seeler, maybe it makes sense. Fenton did have a So much can change in that stretch. GMs can always make adjustments. long talk with Islanders GM on the draft floor Friday night, Do you think there is any possibility that Wild go after Mitch Marner with but I think part of that was another subject. an offer sheet? The ownership is desperate to win. Wild have the picks Does Leipold normally sit at the draft table or was that new for this year? and the need a true quality forward. They can get cap space by trading Zucker/Brodin if needed. — Kevin K. — Jonas H. He has sat at the table before, but I’ve never seen him directly to the right of the GM or taking part in amateur meetings. I think he just wants to First, two need to tango, and I’m not sure if Marner would sign an offer keep an eye on things. It was interesting watching Carolina Hurricanes sheet here. And I’m not sure I think signing Marner to an offer sheet at owner Tom Dundon. He was attached to GM Don Waddell’s help and more than $11 million is worth FOUR first-round picks as compensation. I playing an active role in every single thing the Canes did at that table. don’t disagree that the Wild really could seriously use a splash. Besides And I saw a few other owners at their respective tables. the fact they could use the help on the ice, they desperately need to do something to energize the fan base. But I’m just not sure this would be Bruce Boudreau doesn’t seem to have much influence in the draft — is the mechanism I’d recommend. that normal for coaches? Offer sheets are a rarity in the NHL, and there have been a lot of — Kevin K. questions by Wild fans to me whether this summer is the one where the Wild could execute one. Not that Fenton ever planned to get involved in Very. Coaches are usually there just to look pretty, try to stay awake, eat that anyway, but by trading their own third-round pick Saturday to some junk food, greet the nervous and excited first-round pick and be on Nashville, the Wild would no longer be permitted to extend a restricted call in case the GM needs to quickly ask his opinion of a player trade. I free agent an offer sheet with a cap hit in the ranges of $1.395 million to even asked Boudreau this weekend if he noticed fewer and fewer $2.113 million and $4.227 million to $10.568 million. That’s because the coaches are even at their respective tables these days. There’s a great compensation a team would have to give up if a restricted free agent story once about a draft where Bobby Clarke was searching desperately accepted a contract in that range includes the new team’s original 2020 for Roger Neilson to ask his opinion about a possible trade and Neilson third-round pick. was found sleeping in a broom closet or something. Don’t know how true that was or if it was just folklore, but Neilson was very, very quirky. Why would Nashville trade a 3rd round pick this year for a 3rd round pick Coaches don’t sit in on amateur meetings. They don’t scout these next year? players, and heck, most of them will never get to coach these players. — Tony R. I know Boldy is a few years away and Kaprizov is not here yet, but aren’t the Wild getting pretty close to needing to address the RW/LW imbalance Likely two reasons: They didn’t feel strongly enough about a player at they have? Is that something Fenton is confident will be addressed that selection and they’re taking a calculated risk that the Wild’s third- soon? round pick next year will be significantly higher than No. 75, if you catch my drift. — Kyle M. Is getting Anders Lee pretty much out the window at this point? With I asked him about that Saturday during his availability and he said it was Zucker presumably staying, the young guys we have now and Boldy most important to just take the best player available this weekend, not coming in a few years, it doesn’t really seem like there is going to be a fit worry about that yet. That’s when he gave us the quote about being for him. delighted most of the prospects towered over him. He’s mostly identified a prospect pool that he feels is undersized and he’s trying to address — Brandon C. that, too. But I’d agree the Wild badly need some right-shot forward Regardless of Boldy, if Zucker, Parise, Greenway and Foligno are here, prospects. I don’t consider Kunin a true “prospect” anymore, so the only not to mention Donato and Fiala, it’s hard to see how the Wild have room right-shot one that jumps right into my head is Ivan Lodnia. Even new for Lee. I’d think Lee would ask that same question if he peruses the Wild guys like Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar and Alex Khovanov shoot depth chart. lefty. And every forward the Wild took this weekend is a lefty. Do you believe that Fenton and Friends see Boldy as a potential center? Fenton mentioned that Boldy has played center before. Is the plan for It would help replenish the center prospect depth. him to play center once he gets to the NHL? On a similar note, do NHL — Blake H. I think Fenton and his staff were just alluding to the belief that Boldy is Fenton went the safe route. I do think Chuck Fletcher would have picked versatile and could theoretically play multiple positions. They also felt that Boldy at 11 tho. Is it me or does Boldy remind you of a guy Fenton just way about a handful of their top picks Saturday. traded away? Charlie Coyle?

Even if the Wild are healthy, do you believe they are still a non-playoff — Tommy D. team next year? The Wild are deep into this rebuild already so at this point I wouldn’t mind it if the reward is a high draft pick. Actually, remember, Fletcher could have drafted Boldy at 11 but decided to trade down with Arizona, which allowed the Wild to take Boldy. As for — Brandon C. the latter question, with all due respect, that is so, so, way, way premature. We haven’t seen Boldy play a second of college hockey, let The way the roster is currently constructed, unless there’s big changes alone pro hockey. He’s 18. I’m not sure how we’re at a point where we’re this offseason, I don’t see how they make the playoffs in a division with just labeling him the next Charlie Coyle. Let’s be fair, folks. St. Louis, Colorado, Winnipeg, Nashville, Dallas and Chicago. How is Mikko and Matt Dumba’s rehab going? How much did the meeting with Spurgeon and Zucker’s agent influence the “new stance” on trading Zucker? — Lizzy C.

— Dan G. Fenton talked to Koivu last month and Koivu said he had started skating and his goal is still to be ready for camp. Dumba was in Minnesota to get I don’t think that played into it, but I do believe Spurgeon is paying close checked out recently and Fenton indicated everything’s on path for him to attention to the moves Fenton makes this summer and trading Zucker be ready. Apparently he dealt with some infections and a few setbacks, probably would affect his thinking about whether he wants to stay in but it sounds like he’s doing well. We’ll see how he is when camp begins Minnesota beyond next season. because I’ve got to think mentally this will be a tough injury to get over Any idea how close it was between Boldy and goalie ? initially. Would really like to see them develop a No. 1 goalie instead of relying on Best draft pick the Wild ever took? free agency in the future. — Lizzy C. — Justin S. Has to be between Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns. I don’t know how close they were on the Wild’s list, but I know the Wild Gaborik is the Wild’s all-time leading goal-scorer, Koivu their all-time really liked Knight, who went a pick later at 13th overall to Florida. I do leader in points and games played and Burns turned out to be an think the Wild never imagined Boldy would fall to them because it sounds absolute superstar — on San Jose, unfortunately for the Wild. like he was significantly higher on their list than 12. I don’t know much about Hunter Jones, but Craig Button went on and on about him to me Any truth to the rumor Craig Leipold tried to ban right-shot forwards and says he’s a future No. 1 goalie. So for the Wild to make a trade and during the competition committee meeting? get him at 59th overall, it could very well be worth it that the Wild took a forward with their first-round pick and waited to draft not just one, but two — Kevin S. goalies on Day Two. I heard the Wild accidentally chose players off their left-shot draft-eligible Was Fenton reaching for Hunter with that trade up for a goalie? Corey list, not their master list (see, I can come up with the jokes, too). Pronman had him at like 13th in his list of tendy prospects? No. 3 Central When is Kaprizov coming over? Scouting tho. Sounds like he broke down last year. — Bruce J. — WILDTYMES Shh. Milstein’s sleeping. Button said in his mind Jones was the second-best goalie in the draft and as you mentioned Central Scouting had him at No. 3. So, time will tell. The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 But if the Wild scouts liked him and wanted him, to me, the price was worth trading up to get him. Plus, they reacquired the third-round pick of the two they gave up.

After drafting two goalies this weekend and having Kaapo Kahkonen and Mat Robson already as pros, it’d surprise me.

If the Wild are to get better is it time for someone in the organization to let Koivu know he might not be the No. 1 center? I know on draws he is the go-to guy for the team, but with the flashes JEE showed late last year is it time to let the young guys get a chance in the top-6, make some mistakes, and grow from those mistakes? If not, have you heard if the Wild will go after Matt Duchene and give the Wild their new top-line center for the foreseeable future?

— Thomas J.

The Wild do plan to at least call on Duchene, but he seems destined for Nashville, and if the Preds are going to pay him $9 million or something after Kevin Hayes’ eye-popping $7.14 million AAV in Philly, well, good luck with that. I don’t find Duchene to be a prototypical No. 1 center, although in Minnesota, he certainly would be. As for Koivu, he hasn’t been the real No. 1 center in my opinion for some time. Staal has been.

Regardless, to your point, if Eriksson Ek is here, yeah, maybe it’s time. But he needs to earn it. Sure, he showed positive signs last year, but he’s been anointed a lot in his Wild career and has largely disappointed. Finally, we saw some good signs last year and he needs to come to camp ready to go and ready to force Boudreau to put him in situations where he can get a ton of ice time and responsibility.

Are any of the young left-shot guys besides JEE able to play center, or will the Wild try them there? Seems like so many left wings.

— Lynn C.

Greenway would be an option. 1148392 Montreal Canadiens players can skate and stickhandle, still more can hit, but put that puck in the net? That’s special.

Obviously, the NHL is in the midst of a badly needed shift from size to Jack Todd: Canadiens have history on the short side — it works skill. The league isn’t all the way there yet, but rule changes (and more importantly, a change in the way the rules are enforced) have made it possible for players like Gaudreau and DeBrincat to excel. Now Caufield JACK TODD, SPECIAL TO MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: June 23, has a chance to become the Canadiens first pure scorer since Stéphane 2019 Richer hit 50 in the 1987-88 season and 51 in 1989-90.

If he’s the player I think he is, Caufield is going to be the going to be the next guy to hit that mark in a Canadiens jersey. Once upon a time, the In eighth-century France, a Carolingian monarch called Pépin le Bref (or Habs passed on a smallish Hall of Famer named Martin St. Louis. This Pepin the Short) reigned as King of the Franks and united under his rule time, luck and forward thinking were on their side. Neustria, Burgundy and Provence while fathering Charlemagne, the greatest of French monarchs. Caufield will have no shortage of mentors once he arrives in the NHL, beginning with future captain Gallagher and Domi. We’re guessing here, but it’s likely if Pepin really was a little on the bref side, no one made jokes about it in his presence. Caufield can learn all the survival tricks he needs from players like Gallagher and Domi, but the real trick will be for NHL goalies to find a Still, here we are, a little more than 13 centuries after Pepin the Short way to survive him and that lethal shot, because Cole the Short is going carved out the true beginnings of the French nation, arguing whether to be a star in this league. vertically challenged Canadiens draft pick Cole Caufield can fill the net in the National Hockey League. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.24.2019 I’ll give you the answer right now: Before he’s done, there will be a Rue Caufield somewhere in this town, because this young man has all the ingredients to light up the Bell Centre the way Rocket Richard and once lit up the Forum.

I’m not predicting he’s going to match them as a scorer, although he might. But Montreal fans love the charismatic underdog who can play: the Richard brothers, Lafleur, P.K. Subban.

If the Canadiens were spectacularly lucky to have Caufield fall to them with the 15th pick, Caufield was lucky as well — he fell to exactly the right team. There isn’t another franchise in the NHL with so long a tradition of smallish, gutsy players, several of whom became league superstars or team captains or both: Newsy Lalonde, Aurèle “the Mighty Atom” Joliat, Howie Morenz, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Mats Naslund, Bobby Rousseau, Saku Koivu, Brian Gionta, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi — all 5-9 or less.

Speed and small stature were bound up with the Canadiens identity for decades and it worked. The 5-foot-7 Pocket Rocket has 11 Stanley Cup rings to prove it.

For Cole Caufield, the timing is impeccable. A decade ago, he might have fallen out of the draft entirely because of his size. As recently as 2011, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau (listed at 5-9 and 165 pounds, although he’s probably no taller than Caufield) fell all the way to 104th in the draft. This past season, Gaudreau finished with 36 goals and 99 points.

Then the Blackhawks took 5-7, 165-pound Alex DeBrincat, a virtual clone of Caufield, with the 39th pick in the 2016 draft.

DeBrincat responded with a 28-goal rookie season in 2017-2018 and 41 goals and 76 points this past season. Like Caufield, DeBrincat landed in the right spot, with a team that had Patrick Kane and his 356 career goals at 177 pounds.

Flash forward to Jack Hughes, Caufield’s former linemate, chosen first overall in the 2019 draft by the New Jersey Devils, 14 picks ahead of Caufield. Hughes looks like he’s about to celebrate his 13th birthday and he was measured at 5-10 before the draft, probably while he was standing on Caufield’s skates, but that hasn’t held him back a whit — not even in the U.S., where size is the thing. (Ironically, Hughes, DeBrincat, Kane, Goudreau and Caufield are all Americans.)

Caufield is more a pure scorer than any player who is comparable in size. The raw numbers posted with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program are startling: 72 goals in 64 games, 126 goals in 123 career games. But the names are more startling than the numbers: Caufield’s 72 goals demolished the record of 55 goals in a single season and his 126 career goals eclipsed the 104-goal record, held by none other than Phil Kessel.

The ability to score in that fashion is a bit of a mystery. Mike Bossy and Brett Hull could both do it, although Bossy was an average skater and Hull would have to be skating downhill to be average. It’s all in the instincts, the quick release, the ability to get off a hard, accurate shot from all sorts of angles with the merest sliver of space. It’s part gift, part hard work and it may be the scarcest commodity in hockey. Lots of 1148393 Montreal Canadiens while pressured. That’s the type of stuff you want top-four defenders doing in today’s NHL.

While most of Norlinder’s value comes in transition, I think he’s a budding Breaking down the Canadiens newest additions to the prospect pool offensive threat. Norlinder’s always moving, which creates confusion for defenders and opens up space. He recognizes those seams, and he has the skill to execute. He understands his limitations, so there’s rarely risk By Mitch Brown Jun 23, 2019 in him playing a bit more aggressive than your average defender.

Shot creation is also another reason why Norlinder is starting to unlock more offence. His shot selection is quite advanced, shooting low for The Canadiens tend to stockpile players they identify as filling a need. In rebounds and deflections and picking corners when the opportunity 2017, they stocked up on defencemen. In 2018, they loaded up on arises. He’ll step into a one-timer from the point or creep in down low and centres. This year, it was the draft of the left-shot defenceman. send a quick wrister far side. He’s deceptive, too; he changes the angle In total, the Canadiens had ten picks in the draft, half of which became of his shots, sets up defenders as screens, and mixes in a shot-pass on left-shot defenders, including their first four picks of day two. They even occasion. threw a few more curveballs than usual, selecting a Danish goaltender, a Norlinder’s defensive game doesn’t move the needle either way, but he 21-year-old Russian, and a 6-foot-6 defender playing Midget triple-A. can make stops. The skating ability gives him range on retrievals, and Overall, despite the unknown and low-upside picks, I think this was a the agility gives him escapeability to start the breakout. He’s prone to solid draft class. They picked up a top-five talent at no. 15, and selected getting his feet manipulated along the boards and off the rush because several fascinating, skilled players. So, let’s get into the exciting stuff. he steps up and reaches in, rather than shadowing the attacker’s feet. While abrasive, he’s not proficient in battles, and his stickwork will need Jayden Struble (no. 46) – LD – St. Sebastian’s School (High School-MA) improvement to be able to defend in the NHL. Not significant concerns.

Jayden Struble is the most interesting man in the draft class. He crushed Don’t be surprised if Norlinder emerges as one of Allsvenskan’s top the draft combine, is a multisport athlete and played mostly out of the defencemen next season. He was already a top-four defender (arguably limelight in high school. He was so out of the spotlight that I was only top-two) on MODO last year. I think he has top-four upside in the NHL, able to procure five games worth of tape on him; keep the sample size in with the ability to play both special teams. mind in this profile. Gianni Fairbrother (no. 77) – LD – Everett Silvertips (WHL) One of the best skaters in the draft class, Struble has four-direction explosion and first-step quickness. He separates from forecheckers with The third of four consecutive left-shooting defencemen picked by the ease through speed and precise footwork. At the high school level, Canadiens, Fairbrother enjoyed a breakout campaign in the WHL this Struble’s able to rush end-to-end without much hassle, occasionally season. Fairbrother’s mostly known for his punishing, in-your-face style using a flashy move to cut to the slot and generate a scoring chance. of defence. His physicality, along with four-direction mobility and precise stickwork, makes him a steady rush defender. Aside from the regular dose of tantalizing rushes, Struble’s transition game might be a bit more limited than expected given his competition. Fairbrother increased his point totals from a meagre five to 36, including He throws away possession without any discernible pattern, even without ten goals. The main reason for the dramatic improvement? His shot. pressure. He doesn’t consistently identify outlet options, and when he Fairbrother owns a variety of shots (one-timer, slap, wrist), smart shot does, his passing skills occasionally fail him. I have, however, seen the selection, and clever placement. It’s not uncommon to see him cut across odd high-skill breakout pass, showing that he has the ability. Now it’s the top of the circle and then fire a slapshot against-the-grain just as the about unlocking it. goaltender slides in the opposite direction.

In the offensive zone, Struble is always active; wandering around the However, Fairbrother’s puck skills are lacking outside of his shot, which I zone lurking for an opportunity. While a talented puckhandler and think limits his upside. Despite what his surname implies, Fairbrother powerful shooter, he’s often unable to generate offence despite a high often plays outside the rules, landing him in the penalty box a bit too volume of puck touches. On occasion, Struble shows pro-level shooting, much for my liking. receiving passes and firing shots in stride and off either foot. Historically, WHLers of Fairbrother’s age and scoring rate have become Given the low level of hockey Struble played this past season, it’s tricky NHLers 16 percent of the time, which is a reasonable rate for a player to get a solid read on his defensive ability. He’s extremely physical, often selected outside the top-62. I think there were several higher-upside to a fault as he lacks discipline. He’s aggressive, stepping up in the prospects available at no. 77, but Fairbrother’s a solid prospect with room neutral zone to force dump-ins, but he’s too reliant on his physicality over to grow. his stickwork. Jacob LeGuerrier (no. 126) – LD – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) All-in-all, Struble is a high-upside pick with patience required. Currently, LeGuerrier had little fanfare in the OHL this season but emerged as a Struble is set to join the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. However, there’s talk top-four defender for the Greyhounds. At this stage, LeGuerrier brings he’ll join Northeastern University this upcoming season, jumping straight little in the way of offence (just 16 points in his third OHL season). from high school to the NCAA. However, he does have some upside as a defender and puck-mover. Mattias Norlinder (no. 64) – LD – (Allsvenskan) With closing speed and precise stick work, LeGuerrier can close gaps After Cole Caufield, Mattias Norlinder is the prize of the Canadiens’ draft and break up incoming rushes. His footwork will need refinement to class. Norlinder, a draft re-entry, was MODO Hockey’s second-most maximize his aggressive defensive nature. In transition, LeGuerrier used defencemen in the second half of the season, recording over 19 shows some ability to handle the puck under pressure (Exit Efficiency), minutes per game in Sweden’s second tier of professional hockey. He but he’s among the least successful defenders at cleanly exiting the zone returned to Sweden’s junior league after MODO’s elimination, leading his (Transition Success) in my sample of games tracked. team to the gold medal. Due to LeGuerrier’s limited puck skills, he was not on my draft board. Similar to most of the defenders the Canadiens have drafted in recent The last OHL defender to make the NHL of similar age and scoring years, Norlinder’s best dimension is transitioning the puck. He can make profile was Theo Peckham. All-in-all, similar players have made the NHL pull-you-out-of-your-seat type rushes with his separation speed, edge just 3 percent of the time, which is the lowest percentage a full-time work, and puck control. No matter the level he played at, he consistently OHLer can have in my database, NHL draft pick or not. I’ve heard plenty completed rushes like these: of great things about his character and skill, so perhaps he has a breakout season coming. Not exclusively a puck rusher, Norlinder completes multiline passes with a similar frequency and ease. He’s particularly adept at exploding out of Rhett Pitlick (no. 131) – LW – Chaska (High School-MN) a pivot or cutback to evade the forecheck, followed by a pass to a moving While the Canadiens’ goal was to load up on left-shooting defenders on teammate. He can also make the ever-so-impressive three-line pass, too. day two of the draft, they nabbed three forwards, the best of which is Watch this one, which he completes while riding one edge and twisting, Rhett Pitlick. Pitlick was one of the top scorers in the state of Minnesota, playing for Chaska High School. The Canadiens have emphasized adding forwards with skill and pace in Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (no. 201) – LW – Rouyn-Noranda Huskies recent drafts, and Pitlick is no different. Pitlick’s pace and speed are his (QMJHL) most significant selling points. He has deep knee bend and rapid-fire stride recovery, with his stride resembling the Road Runner as he rips up I rarely start a profile with a bit on leadership and character, but for and down the ice. Harvey-Pinard, it seems fitting. He captained the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to a Memorial Cup, and he’s already the captain of the Every action Pitlick makes on the ice – whether that’s a pass, shot, or Chicoutimi Saguenéens before even playing a game for them. He’s a stickhandle – is done with pace. He attacks defenders with speed. He heart-and-soul leader who also scores a bunch. adds in exaggerated shoulder fakes and quick hands to carve his way through traffic. His speed creates confusion in the offensive zone, Playmaking is Harvey-Pinard’s standout offensive skill. He’s a dangerous especially when cutting east-west. He’s best when using his playmaking three-zone passer, able to hit targets with two-line stretch passes and ability to exploit the seams that his speed creates, showing an ability to cross-slot dishes. His touch around the goal went from passable to high- find teammates cross-slot with consistency. end in the Q, jumping his goal totals from 26 to 40 (and 13 in the playoffs). Although Pitlick scored 28 goals in 25 games this season, I don’t think his finishing will feature as significantly as his playmaking at higher levels. As the chart below suggests, Harvey-Pinard’s most significant flaw in his He can pick a corner and shoot out of a stickhandle, but I don’t see any game is in transition. He’s a high-volume dump out player. When he noteworthy instincts or shooting traits beyond those. attempts controlled plays, he has a great deal of success thanks to separation speed and a soft touch. A couple of times per game at the high school level, Pitlick turned on the afterburners and dominated possession. These shifts are usually on the By drafting Harvey-Pinard in his third year of eligibility, the Canadiens power play, where his speed, handling, and playmaking ability allow him bypass the inevitable free agent bidding war next season. He’ll try-out for to shred the penalty kill as he piles up changes. the in September. If he fails to make the cut, expect Harvey-Pinard near the top of the QMJHL scoring race. He’ll join a bevy For all the flashy plays that Pitlick makes, he’s not without his warts. of top young talent and fellow Canadiens draft pick, Samuel Houde in Pitlick’s a high-volume creator; he’ll try passes or shots that have little-to- Chicoutimi. no chance of getting through way too often. As great as dominant shifts are, they frequently result in a pile of turnovers and wasted possessions. The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 He must simplify his touches to have success at higher levels.

Pitlick will have no shortage of time to improve. The rumour is that he’ll return to Chaska next year. While another year of high school hockey probably won’t help his development too much, he’ll be able to play for the USHL’s in the first half of the season. In 2020-21, Pitlick will join the University of Minnesota, where I suspect he’ll play for a couple of years at minimum.

Arsen Khisamutdinov (no. 170) – LW – Reaktor (MHL)

I had never heard of Arsen Khisamutdinov (copy-and-paste is getting a work out this segment) when the Canadiens selected him, so I immediately delved into the footage. Normally when I do my research on these unknown picks, I somehow come away even more uninterested. But this time, I saw it. “It” being the merit in drafting him late.

First, some background information. Khisamutdinov is already 21, having gone unselected in the previous three drafts. He’s 6-foot-3, primarily plays left wing, and averaged over 25 minutes per game in the MHL (Russia’s junior league). In a nine-game stint in the KHL, Khisamutdinov scored twice and added three assists.

Khisamutdinov’s best skill is his shot; it’s one of the best in the prospect pool without a doubt. Of his 25 goals, there were two that stood out me as perfectly capturing the type of shooter that he is.

First is the all power shot. There’s nothing clever about this shot; it’s just a quick handle followed by a wrister. The release is fundamentally sound, but there’s nothing overly fast or deceptive about it. This shot is a goal simply because he beats the goaltender to the top corner.

Second, the clever shot. Rather than focus on power, Khisamutdinov uses deception and accuracy. He begins by cutting across the slot, bringing both the defender and goaltender with him. As the defender extends, Khisamutdinov changes the angle by pulling the puck around the defender’s stick. This motion also sets up the defender to be used as a screen. Then, Khisamutdinov shoots against the grain, aiming left when the goaltender is moving right. From the set up to the mesh, it’s a gorgeous shot.

Other than the shot, Khisamutdinov’s game is a bit limited. He’s capable of deft, in-tight passes around the goal, but his passing is otherwise average. The main issue is skating. He looks noticeably slower and stiffer than many of his MHL counterparts, where the average skating ability is several notches lower than in the NHL. However, he averages over 25 minutes per game, which is taxing no matter the level. He does show the odd burst of speed earlier in shifts, but his pace is otherwise below- average.

Khisamutdinov has just one year remaining on his contract in Russia. I expect him to become a regular in the KHL, and wouldn’t be surprised if he has a solid season. While I’m skeptical of his upside, I think he’s an intriguing prospect to have in the organization. 1148394 Nashville Predators 2019-20 season age: 29.

Position: Left wing.

5 free agents who might be a good fit for the Predators Cap hit last season: $3.75 million.

The lowdown: The Islanders' captain has four 20-goal seasons in his last five. Scored a career-best 40 in 2018-18. Has appeared in at least 76 Paul Skrbina, Nashville Tennessean Published 5:00 a.m. CT June 23, games in each of the last five seasons, including 82 in each of the last 2019 | Updated 8:18 a.m. CT June 23, 2019 two. The seven-year veteran was a sixth-round pick of the Islanders, with whom he's spent his entire career. Three straight 50-point seasons. Had 10 power-play goals last season, and 14 the year before. Would be VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Now that P.K. Subban and his $9 eligible to sign a seven-year deal with the Predators, projected to be million cap hit have been shipped to New Jersey, the best things in life worth between $6 and $7 million per year, according to hockey- may be free agents for the Predators and David Poile. graphs.com.

But the cost for some much-needed offensive firepower will be anything Gustav Nyquist but free. 2019-20 season age: Turns 30 in September. Poile said Saturday he wasn't quite ready to spend what he's saving. But he expected discussions to heat up in the coming week with unrestricted Position: Right wing/left wing. free agents. Cap hit last season: $4.75 million.

"Today I just cleared the space," Poile joked Saturday. "I don’t feel like The lowdown: Another Sharks free agent who can play. Had 22 goals, 38 tonight I want to just give it back." assists last season, his first 60-point showing. Not a huge threat on the But he'll likely have to in the near future to land at least one big-name power play, though. And not quite the primary scorer the Predators need. free agent. He's played 500 career regular-season games in eight seasons. Projected cap hit between $5 and $6 million per season. Teams were permitted to talk with those players beginning Sunday. At the top of the Predators' list, presumably, is Matt Duchene, who has long Tennessean LOADED: 06.24.2019 been coveted by the Predators and Poile.

Here's a look at five free agents who might be good fits for the Predators:

Matt Duchene

2019-20 season age: Turns 29 in January.

Position: Center.

Cap hit last season: $6 million.

Lowdown: Considered the best center on the free-agent market, and a longtime target of Poile's, Duchene would offer what the Predators hoped would and thought Mikael Granlund might be. He's a .75 points-per-game player during his 10-year career. He's a threat on the power play (53 goals), which the Predators desperately need after finishing last in the league last season. Likely will cost between $8 or $9 million per season, likely for the next seven years. Scored a career-best 70 points last season.

Artemi Panarin

2019-20 season age: Turns 28 in October.

Position: Left wing.

Cap hit last season: $6 million.

The lowdown: This is a long shot. First, Panarin has long been rumored to be going to somewhere near a beach (think Florida Panthers, where his coach with the Blackhawks, Joel Quenneville, is now in charge). Second, he's going to cost -- coast or no coast -- a lot. Perhaps more than $11 million per season. Lots of bread for the "Bread Man." But he'd be well worth it. The 27-year-old is a franchise-type player who has 169 points in the last two seasons (56 goal, 114 assists). Led the Blue Jackets with 18 power-play points.

Joe Pavelski

2019-20 season age: 35.

Position: Center/right wing.

Cap hit last season: $6 million.

The lowdown: He's no spring chicken, but he also likely wouldn't tie the team down with a long-term deal. Not a bad Plan B for the Predators. Had 38 goals, most among any potential free agent, for the Sharks last season. About as durable as they come, he has only missed eight regular-season games in the last six seasons. Was an All-Star and captain for the Sharks. Has 355 goals (121 on the power play), 406 assists in his career in 963 regular-season games. Has 48-52 in 134 postseason games. Expected to cost around $7 million per year.

Anders Lee 1148395 Nashville Predators “I met with Brian Boyle’s agent in Vancouver here, and I’m going to have some other discussions with him,” Poile said. “But I don’t know if that’s going to work out. Brian was very good for us, great person. If I can find a Roster reset: Where are the Predators after trading P.K. Subban and way to bring him back, we have time for that.” before free agency? Pierre LeBrun recently reported that there’s mutual interest between the Predators and veteran winger Corey Perry, whose buyout from the Anaheim Ducks will pay him $2 million in each of the next four years. By Adam Vingan Jun 23, 2019 Perry isn’t a popular figure in Nashville. To many Predators fans, he’s history’s greatest monster. (Franchise history, anyway.) But on a short- term, low-cost contract, Perry has the potential to be a sneaky good VANCOUVER, British Columbia — At the end of the Predators’ addition if he can rebound from an injury-shortened season. He had 49 disappointing season, P.K. Subban was realistic about the possibility of points in 71 games two years ago, so the notion of him being washed up being traded. isn’t entirely accurate. In need of change and with little salary-cap space, the Predators were in “This has definitely lit a fire in me,” Perry told TSN. “I want to win again. a tough spot. The New Jersey Devils were willing to absorb the entirety I’ve felt that feeling at every level and I want to feel it again. I watch of Subban’s $9 million cap hit, so off he went. teams win the Stanley Cup every year and I see how much emotion “I’m very proud of my time there,” Subban said Sunday during a comes up when they win. It’s the hardest trophy to win and you need on- conference call. “I was just so excited to be a part of that organization ice leadership and experience. I will get back to the player I used to be. and to have an impact and for my presence there to be well-received. I “I am that pesky, in-your-face guy who will be in and score goals in the take pride in that. … It was very positive going into the summer. There’s dirty areas. That’s who I am. That’s who I’ll always be.” a lot more to it than just a team not getting out of the first round. It’s a cap situation. They’ve got a lot of young players that’ve got to get paid. I LEFT DEFENSE RIGHT DEFENSE knew that I probably was going to have a two- or three-year window there.” Roman Josi: $4 million Ryan Ellis: $6.25 million

“I just feel more comfortable where we are right now,” Predators general Mattias Ekholm: $3.75 million Dante Fabbro: $925,000 manager David Poile said after trading Subban on Saturday for Steven Dan Hamhuis: $1.25 million Yannick Weber: $675,000 Santini, Jeremy Davies and two second-round picks. “But I know we’ve taken a good player off our team, so I can’t sit here and say we’re a Depth: Santini ($1,416,666), Matt Irwin ($675,000), Matt Donovan better team for doing that.” ($675,000), Alexandre Carrier ($688,333)

The next week will go a long way in determining if the Predators will be One of Poile’s more interesting comments Saturday was about Fabbro. better off without Subban. Before we get there, let’s analyze the team’s depth chart as it currently stands. “The good news is the makeup of our defense is still very good,” he said. “I probably would not have made this trade if Dante Fabbro hadn’t signed LEFT WING CENTER RIGHT WING with the Predators and hadn’t played at the end of the year and hadn’t played as well as he did.” ($6 million) ($8 million) Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25 million) In his first 10 NHL games, Fabbro, who just turned 21, demonstrated great poise in high-stakes situations during the regular season and Mikael Granlund ($5.75 million) Kyle Turris ($6 million) Craig playoffs, albeit in a third-pair role with Hamhuis. The Predators are Smith ($4.25 million) confident in Fabbro, but they should be cautious about thrusting Fabbro Colton Sissons (RFA) Nick Bonino ($4.1 million) Austin into a top-four position. It’s just a thought, but if the Predators find Watson ($1.1 million) themselves in need of a stopgap, pending free agent Anton Stralman, previously of the Tampa Bay Lightning, could be a short-term solution at Miikka Salomaki ($750,000) Calle Jarnkrok ($2 million) Rocco the right price. Grimaldi (RFA) Subban’s departure should also have a positive effect on negotiations Depth: Freddy Gaudreau ($666,666), Rem Pitlick ($925,000), Eeli between the Predators and Josi, who can receive a contract extension Tolvanen ($894,166), Colin Blackwell ($675,000), Anthony Richard July 1. ($688,333) “It didn’t expedite it, but it’s part of it,” Poile said. “I wanted to get on it.” In the press release announcing the trade, Poile was clear about its purpose. STARTING GOALTENDER BACKUP GOALTENDER

“With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this offseason, and the Pekka Rinne: $5 million Juuse Saros: $1.5 million continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to The Predators are all set at goaltender. Rinne, 36, will continue to clear up salary cap space this way,” he said. receive the bulk of the starts, though they have steadily decreased over After removing Subban’s salary, the Predators have roughly $13.1 million the past few seasons, from 66 in 2015-16 to 55 last season. It’s important in projected cap space, most of which will probably be put toward wooing for that trend to continue as the team transitions toward Saros. Matt Duchene. (Whether Duchene is worth all the fuss is another story.) The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 TOLD THAT THERE WON’T BE ANY DEAL BETWEEN COLUMBUS AND MATT DUCHENE BEFORE THE UFA SPEAKING PERIOD OPENS SUNDAY. FAIR TO SAY NASHVILLE IS THE FRONT RUNNER.

— CRAIG CUSTANCE (@CRAIGCUSTANCE) JUNE 22, 2019

If the Predators’ pursuit of Duchene is successful, then what might that mean for Turris? It’s difficult to imagine Johansen, Duchene and Turris on the roster, especially if Duchene commands a salary in the $9 million range as expected. Turris would presumably center the third line if that were the case, which wouldn’t be ideal. The situation is worth monitoring.

Poile said Saturday that pending unrestricted free agents Wayne Simmonds, and Cody McLeod won’t return to the team next season. He didn’t close the door on re-signing Brian Boyle, but it sounds unlikely. 1148396 New Jersey Devils Earlier in the week, the Rangers made a big trade of their own for a defenseman, acquiring Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Neal Pionk and the 2019 first-round pick they Devils Acquire P.K. Subban on a Busy Second Day of the N.H.L. Draft acquired from the Jets in February as part of the Kevin Hayes trade.

NOTES

By Carol Schram The Rangers had two second-round picks, selecting the Edmonton-born defenseman Matthew Robertson and the Swedish forward Karl June 22, 2019 Henriksson. They followed with two American-born defensemen, Zachary Jones, in the third round, and Hunter Skinner, in the fourth.

After selecting Kaapo Kakko with the second pick on Friday, the Rangers VANCOUVER, British Columbia — After acquiring the potential franchise took another Finnish forward, Leevi Aaltonen, in the fifth round, followed center Jack Hughes with the first pick of the N.H.L. draft on Friday, the by the 6-foot-6 Swedish forward Adam Edstrom in the sixth round and Devils made another splash on Saturday, the second day of the draft. the Canadian forward Eric Ciccolini in the seventh. Before the day’s selections had begun, they announced that they had The Islanders picked defenseman Samuel Bolduc from Laval, Quebec, in acquired defenseman P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators in the second round. They didn’t have a third- or fourth-round pick. They exchange for the defensemen Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies, and chose the Canadian forward Reece Newkirk in the fifth round, followed two second-round picks — the 34th pick in Saturday’s draft and an by the 20-year-old forward Felix Bibeau in the sixth and the American additional one in 2020. forward Cole Coskey in the seventh. “With Jack yesterday and the P.K. Subban trade today, it’s a really great The Devils continued their busy day by taking the Russian defensemen day for us and our franchise,” said Ray Shero, the Devils’ general Nikita Okhotyuk, in the second round, and Daniil Misyul, in the third. They manager. added the Ottawa-born forward Graeme Clarke and defenseman Michael Subban, 30, should be a game-changer for New Jersey. He was drafted Vukojevic from Oakville, Ontario, in the third round, followed by the 43rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, won the Norris Trophy American-born forward Tyce Thompson and defenseman Case as the N.H.L.’s best defenseman in 2013 and is a three-time All-Star. He McCarthy in the fourth. was acquired by Nashville in a 2016 trade and helped the Predators The Devils continued by choosing the Canadian goaltender Cole Brady reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, where they lost to Pittsburgh in six and the Russian forward Arseni Gritsyuk in the fifth round, plus the games. United States-born forward Patrick Moynihan in the sixth and the Defensive depth and a tight salary-cap situation gave Nashville’s general Swedish winger Nikola Pasic in the seventh. manager, David Poile, the flexibility to deal Subban, whose contract New York Times LOADED: 06.24.2019 extends for three more seasons with an average annual value of $9 million.

Limited by injuries last season, Subban had nine goals and 31 points in 63 games.

He is known for his larger-than-life personality, strong social media presence and commitment to philanthropy and community involvement. While a member of the Canadiens in 2015, he made a $10 million donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

“I would like to thank P.K. for what he’s done for our franchise,” Poile said. “On the ice, it was probably the best three years we ever had. This was certainly a little bit of a reflection of where we are today in this new hockey world of the cap system. Cash is king, if you will. It was a tough trade, for sure.”

Shero said the deal didn’t come together until Saturday morning.

“In our market, we deserve to have Jack Hughes, Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier and now P.K. Subban, and be relevant,” Shero said. “This is an entertainment business. A lot of teams are under pressure cap-wise, and they were one of them. I didn’t know if it was going to come back around or not. This was the right time, the right moment.”

The Devils also acquired right wing John Hayden from the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, in exchange for center John Quenneville. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Hayden, 24, had three goals and five points in 54 games last season.

Other deals on Saturday also were influenced by salary-cap considerations. As clubs continued to wait for the official announcement of the cap ceiling for 2019-20, general managers who expect to be near the top of the acceptable range chose not to wait any longer to make moves to give themselves more flexibility.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Patrick Marleau and a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional first-round draft pick and a seventh-round pick, both in 2020. Marleau, 39, has one year remaining on a contract with a cap hit of $6.25 million.

Supporters of the Vancouver Canucks, the host team, sent a cheer through Rogers Arena with the announcement that the team had acquired forward J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Marek Mazanec, a third-round pick in 2020 and a conditional first-round pick in 2020. The Lightning are also looking for cap relief. Miller’s contract runs for four more seasons at an average annual value of $5.25 million. 1148397 New Jersey Devils The Canes could always keep Marleau, but they will likely buy out the final year of his contract, allowing him to enter free agency (and potentially return to the San Jose Sharks). Either way, Carolina has an NHL Draft 2019: Winners and losers | Devils, Predators, Maple Leafs, extra first-round pick for its troubles, and the team is still in position to P.K. Subban, Hurricanes make other moves this offseason.

Loser: Toronto Maple Leafs

Posted Jun 23, 8:01 AM Parting with a first-round pick in a trade is always tough. Parting with a first-round pick just to bribe a team to take a bad contract off your hands By Chris Ryan is even worse.

And that’s what the Leafs did in the Marleau trade. For the second straight year in 2020, they won’t have a first-round pick (barring a bottom- The 2019 NHL Draft is in the books, and it’s already easy to see some 10 finish in the league, which would push the pick to 2021). Now that clear winners and losers from the weekend at Rogers Arena in they have the cap space, they need to get Mitch Marner’s new contract Vancouver. sorted out. There were only a handful of player trades made, but the New Jersey Loser: Vancouver Canucks Devils and Nashville Predators made the big splash in a trade that sent defenseman P.K. Subban to the Devils. The Toronto Maple Leafs also The Canucks made the other big trade of the day, getting forward J.T. flipped Patrick Marleau’s contract and a first-round pick to the Carolina Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In another move aimed to help a Hurricanes. team clear cap space, the Canucks got a top-six player from the Lightning. But they failed to address their need on defense, and while So who won and lost the weekend? Here’s a look back at the best and none of their 2019 picks would have made an NHL impact in 2019-20, worst from the 2019 NHL Draft: the team didn’t use any of its nine selections on defensemen. Winner: New Jersey Devils Also, the Canucks made a solid long-term investment when they drafted In less than 24 hours, the Devils added Jack Hughes and Subban to the Russian forward Vasili Podkolzin with the 10th overall pick on Friday. organization. Everyone knew Hughes was coming as the top pick of the He’s going to spend at least two more years in the KHL, leading to him draft, but landing Subban in a trade with the Predators on Saturday gave slipping a bit in the draft, but he could end up being one of the top the team a new No. 1 defenseman. players to emerge from it. That anticipated two-year waiting period was known among some Canucks fans, who booed the pick in their home Devils general manager Ray Shero explains how the Devils' trade for arena. That’s a tough way to greet a first-round pick. Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban came about at the NHL Draft. Star Ledger LOADED: 06.24.2019

On top drafting Hughes and the Subban trade, the Devils still made 10 more picks on Saturday, giving the team 11 total for the draft. They managed to stockpile even more prospects into the pipeline while also making dramatic short-term improvements to the current NHL roster. It’s tough to have a better draft weekend than that.

Loser: Nashville Predators

The Predators’ reason for trading Subban was completely justified. In today’s NHL, the salary cap dictates a lot about what a team can do, and for the Predators to afford to make other moves this offseason, while also signing captain Roman Josi to an extension next year, they needed to make room. Moving Subban’s $9 million cap hit was the easiest way to do that.

But they parted with on of their best blue liners, and while they got a handful of assets in return, Jeremy Davies and Steven Santini aren’t replacing Subban next season.

Winner: American hockey

It was a giant weekend for American hockey. Hughes became the eighth player from the United States ever taken with the No. 1 pick, and things snowballed from there. Eight players from the U.S. National Team Development Program were taken in the first round, and 17 of them were drafted overall.

Plan your NHL road trip: Lodging at Airbnb, Last Minute Travel, Choice Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels, Hotels.com

Loser: The OHL

One of the leagues of Canada’s junior hockey circuit, the OHL regularly produces a ton of NHL talent and prospects, and when all is said and done, that will be the case again in the 2019 NHL Draft.

But this year? The top talent wasn’t out in full force. The first OHL player taken was defenseman Thomas Harley of the Mississauga Steelheads, who went 18th overall to the Dallas Stars. Four OHL players ultimately went in the first round, but it was a quiet for day for a league that regularly produces top-10 picks in drafts.

Winner: Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes leveraged their own cap space into a 2020 first-round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs. They sent a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Leafs for Patrick Marleau, that 2020 first-round pick and a 2020 seventh-round pick. 1148398 New Jersey Devils

How the Devils pulled off stunning trade for P.K. Subban

Posted Jun 23, 7:17 AM

By Chris Ryan

Ray Shero went to get coffee with Devils managing partner Josh Harris Saturday morning, prior to the start of day two of the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver.

Harris and fellow managing partner David Blitzer knew Shero was in talks with Nashville Predators GM David Poile about a potential franchise- altering trade that would bring defenseman P.K. Subban to New Jersey.

Shero was expecting a call from Poile on Friday night, but it never came. The No. 34 overall pick of the draft — the third overall on day two — was always going to be part of the Devils’ package going to Nashville, so time was ticking if Poile wanted to make a deal.

At last, Shero’s phone rang.

“David called me and said, ‘I’ll see you over at the rink,'” Shero told reporters in Vancouver. “'’If you want to do this, let’s do it.'"

The Devils acquired defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade with the Nashville Predators prior to the start of day two of the 2019 NHL Draft.

Four or five days of discussion between Shero and Poile culminated with the Devils landing Subban on Saturday in exchange for defensemen Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies, the No. 34 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a 2020 second-round pick.

Poile was in talks with several teams about Subban, ultimately looking to move the defenseman because of his $9 million cap hit. Unlike other teams, the Devils had the ability to make a deal work without the Predators retaining any salary.

During his first four years as Devils GM, Shero conservatively rationed the team’s salary cap, waiting for moments to strike if he and ownership felt it was the best move. The Subban trade checked all the right boxes.

“Going to bed (Friday) night, I said to David Blitzer and Josh Harris, ‘I’m not sure this is going to happen.’ They’ve got some other things going on,” Shero said. “And I appreciate going through the process with Josh and David because I said when the opportunity is right, Josh and David, our managing partners are fantastic, and this was the right time, the right moment. If that was there, we wanted to do it. I appreciate that support.”

And Shero had an easy barometer to know that this was the proper move.

“I know this is the right deal, because if this doesn’t happen, I’ll be really disappointed,” Shero said.

Prior to making the deal, Shero talked to Devils Taylor Hall, plus former Devil and current Predator Brian Boyle. He got their views on Subban as a player and person, holding both of their opinions in high regard. Both gave ringing endorsements.

Shero said it was difficult to part with Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies, two defensemen he personally signed out of college during his time with the Devils and got to know off the ice.

But Shero couldn’t deny that the Devils walked away from the draft a better team because of the trade.

“It’s a great thing. It’s great for our market, it’s great for the Devils franchise,” he said. “I think in our area, we deserve to have a Jack Hughes, a Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, and now P.K. Subban, and be relevant. It’s entertainment business. That’s what it’s about. We want people to be passionate and hungry and want people give back to the community, and these kids do, and certainly P.K. does.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148399 New Jersey Devils That’s a good thing. People will be talking about the Devils now, and for once, the talk won’t be about how boring they are. If Subban takes care of that with his big personality, then Hughes will make sure they’re In just 16 hours, the Devils transformed themselves into one of the NHL’s watching for what he can do when the puck is on the stick. most interesting teams | Politi The debate about which area team got the better player in this draft -- the Devils with Hughes or the Rangers with Kaapo Kakko at No. 2 overall -- will rage on for the next 15 years. Shero was right not to buck the Updated Jun 23, 7:57 AM; Posted Jun 23, 7:03 AM conventional wisdom and take Hughes, the kind of dynamic playmaker and skater that is a highlight waiting to happen ever time he steps on the By Steve Politi ice.

And let’s not forget: Neither of them will be the best player on the team Before he boarded his flight to Vancouver for the NHL Draft, Hugh Weber when the 2019-20 season begins. Taylor Hall is one year removed from made it clear to the Devils’ sales staff that this was going to be a working the only MVP season in Devils history, and he’ll have as much to prove weekend. The barbecues, pool parties and beach trips? Sorry. They to the NHL as the Devils have to prove to him. were going to have to wait. Hall is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Much of his “Get ready,” he told them, because the man in charge of the team’s progress will evaporate if he decides to bolt, but Shero has sent a strong business side was in close contact with his counterpart in hockey message to Hall that the Devils are no longer plodding along on a never- operations. Weber, the Devils president, wasn’t sure exactly what would ending rebuild. transpire over the two days. The future is now. The future is compelling. This was the best 24 hours “But we knew this would potentially be a huge weekend for us,” Weber that this franchise has had in seven years. The Devils, yawn-inducing said over the phone from Rodgers Arena as the draft continued on and forgettable for too long, have become one of the most interesting Saturday afternoon, “and that we’d have to capitalize from a business teams in hockey. standpoint.” Hugh Weber was right. His sales staff better get to work. Now. He was right. Star Ledger LOADED: 06.24.2019 Wow, was he right.

The first move that general manager Ray Shero made on Friday night brought Devils fans to their feet. The next one, in the minutes before the second round of the draft began just 16 hours later, likely knocked them on their backs.

Everyone knew, from the moment good fortune struck again for Shero and the team won the draft lottery, that elite prospect Jack Hughes was likely coming to New Jersey. That, in itself, is a franchise transforming moment, and reason that thousands of Devils fans packed the plaza around the Prudential and roared when team legend Martin Brodeur announced the pick.

The Devils finished the 2019 NHL Draft on Saturday, adding a plethora of prospects behind No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes.

But getting PK Subban for next to nothing? That trade rocked the NHL. The Devils not only had secured the best American prospect in years, but they acquired an elite defenseman who also is one of the league’s truly transcendent figures.

In short: The Devils just got a whole lot more interesting.

“From a business standpoint, to have a rising star in Jack Hughes, and then to have PK Subban, who is bigger than hockey in many ways, that’s a powerful weekend for the brand,” Weber said. “The message we have to get across to people is, now is the time you want to be a part of this.”

So the sales staff went to work on a Saturday. This isn’t a case of waiting by the phone for eager fans to flood the phone lines -- the Devils could clone a 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky and that isn’t going to happen -- but rather working the potential customers who are on the fence.

For years, Weber has taken potential season ticket holders or business clients on tours of the Rock, selling a vision and a plan. “And the response would be, ‘Yeah. Sounds good. We believe you. Yeah.’" The last 24 hours is the proof.

The Devils really do have a plan, and they do have a GM who can execute it, and while this roster is still very much a work in progress, it’s impossible not to think that this team will be among the most improved in the NHL next season and compete for a spot in the playoffs.

These 16 hours, however, are about more than that. Hughes and Subban are more than just two talented hockey players. They will create a boatload of buzz about this franchise. The Devils, for all their success in winning Stanley Cups, have never had a player like either of them.

To be clear: This franchise has three numbers -- 3, 4 and 27 -- hanging in the rafters as proof that it has had its fair share of great defensemen. Subban’s fame, however, goes beyond hockey. He is dating skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, has more than 1.1 million Twitter followers and has been a lightning rod in the sport through his career. 1148400 New Jersey Devils “I don’t want to get too much into Xs and Os, but I think generally if you look at what’s made the New Jersey Devils successful it’s been team play.”

Just win, baby: P.K. Subban eager to return NJ Devils to winning ways Subban may be the star that shines the brightest across the river from the city with the brightest of the bright lights but none of it means anything unless he can bring the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey. Abbey Mastracco, NHL writer Published 5:50 p.m. ET June 23, 2019 Bergen Record LOADED: 06.24.2019

VANCOUVER — It was the late Al Davis, the owner of the Raiders, who coined the term, “Just win, baby,” but it’s P.K. Subban, the New Jersey Devils’ new defenseman, who may be bringing it back.

Subban knew the cap-strapped Nashville Predators would likely have to trade him and his $9 million salary cap hit but he wasn’t expecting to be traded to New Jersey, a team that plays in the No. 1 media market in the country. The marketing and branding opportunities that come along with the exposure of New York City is great, but that isn’t what the most marketable player in the NHL is after.

He’s after a Stanley Cup.

Oct 25, 2018; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall (9) plays the puck against Nashville Predators defenseman P.K. Subban (76) during the second period at Prudential Center.

“I’m coming to win,” he said on a conference call with reporters Sunday afternoon. “I’m not coming for participation. I want a Stanley Cup ring and I want to win it with New Jersey.”

There’s no doubt the defenseman is going to boost the profile of the Devils. Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, who was chosen first overall by New Jersey at the draft on Friday night, have boosted the profile of the team within the hockey community but Subban is a crossover star. He’s dating an Olympic skier, Lindsey Vonn, he hangs court-side at NBA games with various celebrity types and he’s posed in fashion magazines.

So when he was traded to a team across the river from the mecca of entertainment and culture some speculated he would use the opportunity to boost his own profile. But he insists it’s never been about that.

P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on October 25, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.

“There’s always a business side to that and people like to talk about that in regards to me and my time in the league,” Subban said. “But winning is the most important thing. Winning helps every business. If you win, it’s going to take care of everything.”

For him, playing in New Jersey means a chance to play with Hall, Hischier and Hughes. It means a chance to play in a system that prioritizes skill and work ethic and a chance to return a once-storied franchise to its former glory.

“You can have the best individual season of your career but if you’re not playing on a team that plays well as a team you’re not going to win,” he said. “So I’m just excited I’m going to be playing in a system where everyone can kind of excel and flourish and you can feel good about knowing who is going to give you a chance to win every night.”

When the Devils went to the playoffs a year ago they did so by playing with a certain edge to their game. They were tough to play against. It was their calling card, it’s what made them successful and it’s what pushed them over the edge and earned them key points in tight games.

They lost that last season. The “New Jersey vs. Everybody” mentality wasn’t there. They don’t know why they lost their mojo but they knew once they lost it they had lost the season.

Subban wants to help them regain that toughness.

He’s coming off a down year, having played in a career-low 63 games, but he feels little pressure to bounce back. He’s sure his best hockey is ahead of him and that he’ll thrive in the Devils’ system.

“It’s always been tough to play against the New Jersey Devils because they don’t give you much,” Subban said. “In past years, even when the Devils haven’t maybe had the most talented players, they’ve been able to win because they showed a commitment to a system. The difference is now they have a lot of skilled, high-end talent in the lineup that can make the difference and play solid defense so we can transition to offense. 1148401 New Jersey Devils

P.K. Subban’s eye-opening confidence in Hughes, Devils’ core

By Mollie Walker June 23, 2019 | 6:58pm | Updated

P.K. Subban has been through this before.

That was something the newest Devil wanted everyone to know during his introductory conference call Sunday afternoon. Barely a day removed from the blockbuster trade that sent him from Nashville to New Jersey in exchange for defensemen Steven Santini and Jeremy Davies plus two second-round picks (34th overall in this year’s draft and the team’s 2020 second-rounder), Subban was relaxed and nothing short of his usual personality.

Some of that might be due to the open communication he had with Predators general manager David Poile, who was transparent about the team’s decision-making while battling the salary cap. And after the team’s early exit in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the hands of the Stars, it became likely things were going to change.

For his 10th year in the NHL, Subban was prepared to join his third team.

“Winning. Winning is the most important thing to me,” Subban said in response to how he’ll integrate into a new, larger market. “The one thing I look at is that I’m not necessarily playing for a contract, or you know, I haven’t had individual accolades or any of these things. I’ve been fortunate to have these things throughout my career to understand that the most important thing in my life has always been to win a championship. And I haven’t had one yet.

“For me, it’s a tremendous opportunity, with an organization that has a history of winning and knows how to win.”

The young talent in the Devils organization is what excites Subban the most as he looks ahead to the 2019-20 season. The 30-year-old views it as an opportunity for him to step into a leadership role and raise the expectations of the franchise as a whole.

With the recent addition of first-overall pick Jack Hughes on Friday and the star presence of 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, Subban sees a group that can help him reach his goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

“A lot of teams in the National Hockey League would dream to have that talent and I know for a player, with me playing and going into my 10th year now, understanding how important it is to have talent around you and great players,” Subban said. “I think Jack is just going to complement all the great players, their veterans and young players that are already there.”

Devils head coach John Hynes was able to welcome his new star with a phone call shortly after the trade and Subban was impressed. Already knowing quite a bit about Hynes through mutual friends — one of whom is reportedly Hynes’ former college roommate — Subban came to admire the four-year Devils coach even more.

Subban likes the idea of playing for a coach who has taken a young team and moved it in the right direction, hoping he can bring some experience and complement the team Hynes already has. No. 76, which is expected to remain his number this season, said he always strives to earn a coach’s trust when he first begins with a team. Subban knows the history and impact he’s made on the league is a big part of why he was brought to New Jersey, and the 2013 Norris Trophy winner plans to play to his reputation.

This is a fresh start in Subban’s eyes but also an opportunity. A new chance for him to lead a team and continue to compete for his first-career Stanley Cup.

“My main objective is to come in and be a good mentor for the young guys, but I’m coming to win,” Subban said. “I’m not coming for participation, I want a Stanley Cup ring and I want to do that in New Jersey.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148402 New Jersey Devils “It’s not like I’ve only played in the league for a short period of time. It’s my 11th year as a pro and my 10th in the NHL. That’s a lot of years. I think in half of them I’ve been able to contend for Norris trophies and all Where the Devils stand now and what might still be on the wish list that stuff and have great seasons. I trust in that. I trust in the process to be able to take care of my body and the training that I do in the offseason to ensure I can play 82 games.

By Corey Masisak Jun 23, 2019 “I’m confident that I have a lot of great hockey in me. That’s the thing — once you hit the age of 30 everyone wants to look at you like you’re on

the way down. For me, I have a lot of hockey left to give, a lot of great VANCOUVER — It’s still early in the offseason, particularly because of hockey left to play and I feel great.” the NHL’s delay in setting the salary cap ceiling, but the three teams that Subban’s game does not come from a standard mold, and he’ll add some have improved themselves the most are the ones from the Metropolitan wrinkles for the Devils when it comes to moving the puck and creating Division that didn’t make the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. more possession time. He is the type of player that a coach could tweak The Rangers have traded for top prospect Adam Fox, top defenseman parts of the system, whether it’s at even strength or on the power play, to Jacob Trouba and selected Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 fit Subban’s skills better or allow the Devils to use some of his unique draft. The Flyers have traded for center Kevin Hayes, defensemen Matt strengths. Niskanen and Justin Braun and signed Hayes to a $50 million contract “I think there’s a possibility of that,” Hynes said. “I think what you want to extension. do as coaches is put them in situations where you can maximize their Then there are the Devils, who traded for P.K. Subban on Saturday abilities. Whether that’s anyone on our team or a guy like P.K. or Jack or morning, just hours after selecting Jack Hughes with the first choice in (Taylor) Hall or (Will) Butcher or Nico (Hischier) or (Kyle) Palmieri, the draft. Whether or not the Devils add more impact talent, they’ve whoever is in those areas, if it’s the power play you want the five-man already become a much more interesting team for next season. unit with the players in the best position to succeed and try to get them to play to their strengths.” “We were excited. It was a chance to add an extremely talented player, one of the best defensemen in the league,” Devils coach John Hynes Hynes and his coaching staff will have the rest of the summer to said near the draft floor at Rogers Arena. “(Subban) really fills a need brainstorm and tinker with ideas about how to best incorporate Subban. and a void, which is obviously a ‘D’ who can play some big minutes. He’s Even though the trade was consummated Saturday morning in a big, strong player who can play against other team’s top lines. He’s can Vancouver, Hynes said he did not spend the day thinking about who produce offense. He is he good on the power play. I think the Subban might play with or where he or Hughes could work on the power combination of the player — and some of the energy he brings — we feel play. like with our group continuing to move forward was pretty important.” “Not today, just to be honest,” he said. “We’ll probably go through some Subban immediately becomes New Jersey’s top defenseman. He can log of that after the draft is done, but the other thing is we need to see how heavy minutes, both in quantity and quality. He’ll help the rest of the things go this week. You can really start to map it out when free agency defense corps slot into roles that will relieve a little pressure and give the is mostly done and it’s the dead of summer. That’s when you can really team a better chance to win matchups featuring depth players. dig into that, because barring anything that might happen at training camp, you really know what your core is going to be.” “Winning is the most important thing to me,” Subban said. “It’s not like I’m playing for a contract or haven’t had individual accolades or any of these We can’t wait that long, obviously. The two biggest questions will be who things. The most important thing in my life has always been to win a does Subban play with at even strength and where does he fit on PP1? championship and I haven’t had one yet. For me, it’s a tremendous New Jersey now has three righthanded defensemen who are capable opportunity with an organization that has a history of winning, knows how top-four guys in the NHL. Subban is joining Damon Severson and Sami to win and trusts in that system for me to come in and be a part of it and Vatanen, who have each led the team in time on ice per game in the past try to win a championship.” two years (Vatanen in 2017-18 after he arrived in a late November trade, His ability to skate and pass the puck out of danger should be an Severson last year). immediate boost for a club that struggled mightily with defensive zone The two lefties who are locked into spots, assuming no one from the clearances last season. While Subban’s offensive skills receive most of current corps is traded and no other external options are added, are the attention, he has also been excellent at defending zone entries for Andy Greene and Will Butcher. Rookie Ty Smith is a favorite to land the much of his career, another area where the Devils need significant sixth spot, but restricted free agents Mirco Mueller (lefty) and Connor improvement. Carrick (righty) will also be trying to crack the lineup. “John Hynes just added a huge weapon to his repertoire,” said Rachel It wouldn’t be easy for Subban, Severson and Vatanen to be the team’s Doerrie, who previously worked in the Devils’ player information/video top three minute-munchers and all play on the right side. department and now co-hosts the Staff & Graph podcast with Ian Tulloch. “P.K. Subban is everything the Devils need. He had a down year last “I would certainly prefer (three lefty-righty pairs) if you can. Obviously year, but his track record would indicate he’ll bounce back. sometimes lineup-wise you can’t do that,” Hynes said. “But if you can have some pretty good pairs that are lefty-righty with guys on their strong “He brings a physical element and level of compete that the Devils love. side, there are a lot of benefits to it. We’ll see how it goes. It always At even strength, he spends more time in the offensive zone than the comes down to how guys play and what’s the best situation for this defensive zone. He has a big shot, which has long been missing from team.” New Jersey. His threat from the point will free up space, because that is a player that teams will have to respect his shot. His controlled zone If you just lined them up by minutes from last season, the pairings would entries were down last year, but given that he will be the go-to guy on the be: backend, I would expect that to rebound. The Devils struggled to break the puck out last year and Subban is one of the league’s best ‘D’ with Greene-Subban possession exits. He skates with force, makes quick decisions and isn’t Butcher-Severson afraid to take the risk to make the better play.” Smith/Mueller/Carrick-Vatanen Subban turned 30 last month, and has three years left on his contract. He missed 19 games last season, which were the most in his career, and his Greene has played a lot of minutes for a long time, but will be 37 in 31 points were the lowest total in a full season. October. Subban could absorb a couple minutes per night at even strength that Greene might have otherwise played, which could help him “I always have something to prove,” Subban said. “I don’t think there is continue to be one of the league’s top penalty killers. any such thing as a good year or a bad year. I think there are challenging years. I think everybody has gone through years where things happen Butcher and Severson have played very little together to this point — less that are out of your control. With professional sports as an athlete, I think than 100 minutes at even strength last season — because Butcher has you have to focus on the big picture because everybody wants to focus been paired most with Ben Lovejoy on the third unit or Vatanen on the on the here and now because that’s what the business is driven on. second. If the Devils want to scale back Greene’s usage just a shade, PP, Subban has one of the biggest one-timers in the NHL and it is a would Butcher or even Smith get a tryout next to Subban? threat teams will have to respect.”

If Hynes is OK with breaking up the lefty-righty mix, this could be another With Subban at the top of the zone, there’s only four spots left. And let’s potential combination: be honest — Hall is written down for PP1 in ink. If Hynes just wants to load up, the other three would be Hischier, Hughes and Palmieri. There Vatanen-Subban are all sorts of combinations to imagine.

Butcher-Severson What about Subban/Hall-Palmieri-Hughes/Hischier? Or Subban/Palmieri- Smith/Mueller-Greene or Greene-Carrick Hischier-Hall/Hughes? In both of those scenarios, Hischier and Hughes probably wouldn’t be acting as strictly “net front” guys, but more looking This would maximize the ice time for the three righties, plus give Smith a to hang out below the goal line and dart in and out of the danger areas veteran mentor to play with at the start. It’s entirely possible that if like Marcus Johansson did last season. Subban, Severson and Vatanen are the top-three in ice time, there will just be some shuffling in the middle of games. Subban in particular, but If the Devils went with Butcher or Smith up top and Subban on a wing the other two as well, could hop out on the ice for extra shifts in certain opposite Hall, then one of Hughes, Hischier and Palmieri is definitely situations. It would require everyone to develop familiarity with each ending up on PP2. other, which might not be an easy task with two newcomers (Subban and “Taylor Hall is remarkably effective at the net front on the PP, even Smith) trying to learn how to play with everyone and vice versa. though that isn’t his preferred spot,” Doerrie said. “It will be interesting to The other burning question is the power play. New Jersey has used a 1- see where he slots in, either the flank or the net front. Hughes is probably 3-1 setup in recent seasons, with four forwards and a defenseman on best suited for the flank or the bumper (the middle of the 3 in a 1-3-1 PP1 and three forwards with two defensemen on PP2. setup), rather than the net front. Wherever those two go, will determine if Nico is on PP1 or not. Either way, the PP just got a whole lot more Let’s assume Subban has to be PP1 to start the year. His power-play dangerous.” time and production got wonky in Nashville, in part because the Predators’ setup and plan stunk. Former colleague Tyler Dellow wrote Adding Subban is a massive boost, but the Devils could still be in the many words about how bad it was, and Smith’s former coach in mood to add another veteran impact player to the defense corps. Shero Spokane, Dan Lambert, was hired to revive it. Plus, the Predators had a did a great job acquiring Subban without having to deal one of Vatanen, deep stable of capable defensemen that included Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis Severson or Butcher, but it seems likely that one of them would move if and Matthias Ekholm. New Jersey did trade someone else.

Here’s a list of names: It would be particularly helpful if the defenseman was a lefty, but the Devils could also wait and let Smith try to prove he’s ready for top-four Hall minutes early in his career. Vatanen and Greene are both UFAs after this coming season, so there could be more changes coming in another 12 Hischier months. Hughes Another high-impact defenseman would help the Devils surge towards Palmieri Stanley Cup contender status, but a more realistic move for the summer of 2019 could be a goal-scoring forward to help balance out the top two Zajac lines.

Bratt As it stands now, the Devils have Hall, Hischier, Hughes, Palmieri and Jesper Bratt with solid holds on a top-six spot. That leaves one for any Butcher number of combatants at the moment for the sixth spot. Jesper Boqvist, Severson Blake Coleman, Miles Wood or a true wild card could emerge.

Smith For now, the standard look up front could start with Hall-Hischier- Palmieri, which has been a great line for parts of the past two years. That Only four of those players can join Subban on PP1. might preclude Jesper Boqvist from earning a spot next to another rookie (Hughes). Jack and the Jespers has a nice ring to it, but that’s a really “It’s a great thing to have. One of the things that was strong the year we young, small trio. made the playoffs and is something we really believe in is internal competition,” Hynes said. “Unfortunately, last year we had a lot of injuries Bratt has also played on the top line, so Hall-Hischier-Bratt, Boqvist- and lineup changes and traded away some guys and as the year wore on Hughes-Palmieri could be an option. The Devils could also keep Pavel we didn’t have a lot of internal competition. There’s only five spots on the Zacha or Travis Zajac on Hughes’ line to help him out with some of the top power play. The five guys who are playing the best and earning it the toughest asks of the center position early in his rookie year. best and executing the best are going to be there. That is how you can really become a strong team and a competitive team. There’s There are still lots of options that have been reportedly available in a accountability that comes with that, and we really value that as an trade or are set to hit free agency in a week. Shero probably can’t add organization. You welcome that, and it’s something we’re going to another player with a contract like Subban’s, but there’s enough room in leverage this year.” the cap for this year and next to add a strong but not elite player on the wing. When New Jersey’s power play was at its peak over the past two seasons, the Devils lined up with Butcher up top, Hall and Palmieri on the Regardless of whether or not the Devils make any more external flanks, Zajac in the middle of the ‘3’ and Patrick Maroon’s posterior additions, they’ve already added two large entities to the locker room. parked in front of the goaltender. The power play struggled in the middle Hughes and Subban are going to elicit lots of attention and managing of last season, and the Devils began to use off-wing shooters on the several great players at once is not something Hynes has had to do at flanks more (think Palmieri on the left side, Hall on the right). the NHL level.

While Subban could be an intriguing choice to play on the left flank (and “I’ve been fortunate coming up to be able to coach a lot of high-end bomb away from the “Ovi spot” with one-timers like Alex Ovechkin does), players. It’s not out of the ordinary for me, to be honest,” Hynes said. “It’s putting him at the top of the zone makes a lot of sense. something that you understand, you do have a culture. It’s also about the players coming in. It starts with ownership and management and into the “When it comes to the PP, the coaching staff could be doing cartwheels coaches with the culture of how you want to do things. It’s an when you consider they’ve added both Hughes and Subban,” Doerrie understanding that talented players want to do certain things and express said. “With Subban, he becomes your PP QB, skating the puck into the themselves in certain ways. OZ. I would think New Jersey still plays four forwards on the PP, because that is their best option. “Taylor is a big personality with strong opinions on how he wants to do things. I think it’s important that we all understand how things need to “It would shift Ty Smith (should he make the team) to PP2, putting less work and how they do work, have strong communication skills and make pressure on the young guy. He will have more time to develop. On the sure we’re providing an environment where are our players are protected but also can thrive. It’s the player’s job to be able to fit into some of the things that we want to have and we think are important for this organization.”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148403 New Jersey Devils Poile admitted he needed a team to take full responsibility for the $27 million in cap space Subban will consume over the next three seasons. That certainly had an effect on the return.

This weekend became a signature moment for Ray Shero’s rebuilding Jeremy Davies was a deft pick by the Devils in the seventh round three project with the Devils years ago and had developed into the team’s third-best defense prospect behind Ty Smith and Reilly Walsh. He was likely to start this season in Binghamton, with a chance to make his NHL debut at some point. By Corey Masisak Jun 23, 2019 Steven Santini’s development has stalled in recent seasons. He signed a three-year contract before last season, but the money ($1.4 million per season) didn’t scream job security. The Devils will have Smith pushing VANCOUVER — Ray Shero spent four years trying to build a Devils for a role at training camp, and restricted free agents Mirco Mueller and roster almost from scratch. It has been a slow process at times, and New Connor Carrick were also probably ahead of Santini on the depth chart, Jersey began this weekend with two franchise players. which might have left Santini back in the AHL. They finished with it twice that number. Shero stockpiled draft assets for exactly this type of maneuver. The No. The Devils knew they were adding a foundational player Friday night with 34 pick is a pretty valuable one, but the Devils had four more in the next the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft. When Jack Hughes put on a red-and- 50 selections. After starting the weekend with 10 picks, they actually black jersey at Rogers Arena, it was instantly a pivotal moment in finished with 11 drafted players because they moved back twice later in franchise history. About 15 hours later, Shero cemented this weekend as the draft to pick up extras. potentially the signature one of his tenure by acquiring Norris Trophy- It’s worth noting that the other two big trades Saturday — Patrick Marleau winning defenseman P.K. Subban in a trade with the Nashville Predators. to Carolina and J.T. Miller to Vancouver — featured first-round picks as “It’s great for our market. It’s great for our franchise,” Shero said. “I think part of the return. Subban is a better player than both, but his salary and in our area, we deserve to have a Jack Hughes, a Taylor Hall, a Nico the Predators’ desire to shed all of it put Shero in a position of great Hischier and now P.K. Subban, and be relevant. leverage.

“This is the entertainment business. We want people who are passionate. The Devils had about $35 million in salary cap space heading into the We want people who are hungry. We want people who entertain and offseason, given the ceiling is now set at $81.5 million. Subban becomes these kids do. Certainly, P.K. does.” the most expensive player on the roster, but even after factoring in contracts for Hughes and restricted free agents Will Butcher, Pavel Subban is the most high-profile defenseman the Devils have had since Zacha, Stefan Noesen, Mueller and Carrick, there is still plenty of room Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens played together from 1992 to for Shero to make further upgrades this offseason. The Devils do have to 2004. He won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and has been a finalist for the be mindful of next summer, when Hischier will need a large raise and award two other times, most recently two years ago. there could be new, expensive contracts for Hall and Sami Vatanen.

Adding Hughes and Subban to a roster with Hall and Hischier gives the Hall’s contract status has been a big storyline since the end of the Devils the potential to have four game-breaking talents, and they put the season. If Shero had duel motivations — improving the club and showing club much closer to the top half of the NHL than it was a couple of days Hall that New Jersey can be a long-term destination for him — adding ago. Hughes is a going to be huge addition, both on and off the ice. Subban in addition to Hughes looks like a strong signal of his intent to Subban is another jolt of excitement, and “what to make of the new-look back up his message of wanting to add more talent with real actions. Devils” will be one of the top storylines around the NHL as the regular season approaches. “I talked to Taylor before we did this because he knows P.K.,” Shero said. “He was really supportive. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if By his standards, Subban did have an off year last season, but he has he wasn’t. We want to improve the franchise. Of course, we want Taylor been one of the premier defensemen for much of the past decade. His to stay. Of course. We know that. He’s under contract for another year.” ability to dictate a game offensively, whether it is carrying the puck out of danger or into it for the opposing team, combined with his shooting, The defense corps was the top area of need after a disappointing, passing and competitive tenacity, has made him one of the most valuable tumultuous season. Goaltending was also a huge issue, but the play in players in the league. net stabilized during the second half of the season. The Devils could also still use a top-six forward and maybe even another top-four defenseman He has also been one of the league’s brightest personalities, most to really give the roster a turbo boost. marketable players and most impactful community advocates. From jersey and ticket sales to national television interest to community It’s too early to say if just adding Hughes and Subban would be enough engagement, Subban has a proven track record of being good for his to make the Devils a playoff contender, but just reaching the postseason organization’s bottom line and overall profile around the league. isn’t the long-term goal. For the Devils to push past the middle of the pack and reach the upper tier of the league where the Stanley Cup “He’s not only an incredible player on the ice, he’s had consistent contenders reside, they needed more impact talent. Hughes and Subban feedback from fans (and) from people who have played with him, and it’s can be those types of players, not just marginal upgrades but true drivers that he is an incredible teammate, great on the ice and more importantly, of a great team. he’s great in the community,” Devils president Hugh Weber said. “In terms of relevance and what we’re trying to do to build up the Devils and Shero made the biggest move of his New Jersey tenure three summers what they stand for, he’s a great infusion of energy and an amplification ago. On a day that shook the NHL with three seismic transactions, the of what we’ve talked about wanting to be previously.” Devils traded Adam Larsson to Edmonton for a future MVP.

Subban has three years left on a contract that carries a $9 million cap hit In an intriguing twist, Subban was part of the next earthquake 17 minutes and he turned 30 years old last month. Two years ago, he finished third later. The Canadiens traded one of the most popular players in the club’s in the Norris Trophy voting, and if he had that type of season in 2018-19, storied history to the Predators for Shea Weber. Right after that, Steven he likely wouldn’t have been available, even with the Predators in cap Stamkos signed a new deal with the Lightning, ending one of the most trouble. dramatic forays into restricted free agency of the cap era.

“Just from talking to (Nashville GM David Poile) the past four or five days, Now Subban is on the move again. The trade mirrors the one Shero there are a lot of teams that are under pressure from cap woes and they made for Hall in a couple of ways. were one of them,” Shero said. “I wasn’t sure if it was going to come back One, the player is not at a high point in his value — or at the least the around to us or not. This was the right time and the right moment and if it other team saw it that way. The Predators, like the Oilers three years was there, we wanted to do it.” ago, were willing to take a lesser return for a high-value asset. The Devils are going to bet on a bounce-back season. Given what New Second, the Devils were in a position to make the move in part because Jersey had before this weekend, it’s a relatively low-risk bet. Even at 85- of the salary cap flexibility and a strong desire to add star-level talent. 90 percent of his best, Subban would easily a big upgrade for the Devils, Hall’s arrival became the first big flicker of hope for better days to come. and the potential for a massive reward is there. That flame may have dimmed a bit during this past season, but with New Jersey’s second draft lottery win in three years and now the events of this weekend, Prudential Center should be rocking opening night. It now houses a fan base buzzing about newfound stars and heightened expectations.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148404 New York Islanders

Lehner still focused on re-signing with Islanders

Andrew Gross

Robin Lehner has maintained all along that he wants to remain with the Islanders as he approaches unrestricted free agency. President and general manager Lou Lamoriello has said he hopes to be able to re-sign the goalie.

And working out a contract extension with his current team apparently remained Lehner’s lone focus as the window for impending UFAs to talk to other teams opened Sunday.

“I’ve got no plans to talk to another team at this point,” Lehner told Newsday on Sunday. “From my understanding, that’s not Lou’s intention either. Hopefully, it will work out so we can finish what we have started.”

The free-agent market opens July 1. Lehner, coming off a one-year, $1.5 million deal, and captain Anders Lee, completing a four-year, $15 million pact, are among the Islanders’ impending UFAs.

Lee could be the second straight captain the Islanders lose to free agency after signed a seven-year, $77 million deal with the Maple Leafs last year. Lee said at a charity event in Manhattan on Saturday that he expects to enter the interview process and talk to other teams.

“You know what? I never thought we’d be to this point, but I guess it’s the nature of what this week means,” Lee said Saturday. “But that doesn’t change how I feel.

“There’s not really a day or a moment that I haven’t put my thoughts into everything. I hope it all works out. I haven’t enjoyed thinking about the other options.”

Lamoriello and Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy, had a lengthy chat in the stands at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday on the second day of the NHL Draft.

Lehner and Lee are believed to be seeking longer contracts than Lamoriello is offering, with financial terms not necessarily the issue.

Lehner was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the top goalie, after setting a career high for wins with a 25-13-5 record and compiling a 2.13 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday night after detailing his battles with addiction and mental-health issues on the first day of training camp.

“Got to keep pushing, end the stigma,” Lehner said in concluding his acceptance speech. “I’m not ashamed to say I’m mentally ill. But that doesn’t mean mentally weak.”

Lehner also acknowledged in Las Vegas on Tuesday that his past troubles are a factor in the current negotiations.

Islanders forwards Valtteri Filppula and Tom Kuhnhackl and defensemen Luca Sbisa and Dennis Seidenberg are the team’s other impending UFAs. Forwards Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho- Sang are impending restricted free agents without arbitration rights. All have been extended qualifying offers.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148405 New York Rangers created by defensemen this year — say by Yegor Rykov or Joey Keane, if not 21-year-old Adam Fox — could have impact on the course of action with Shattenkirk.

Rangers’ raging Kreider-Panarin debate isn’t so simple 3. If the Rangers seek a veteran fourth-line center on the open market (Is that honestly the spot in which Lias Andersson can flourish?), there would be no better choice than Brian Boyle, who has grown into one of Larry Brooks the most respected leaders in the league.

And if Kreider goes, Boyle could provide a solid net-front presence on the power play. Regarding the Rangers, who will be doing their due diligence on the impending free-agent market while keeping their eyes on the blue-chip 4. You know who could add to the fourth line? Calgary pending free heavy prospect camp that opens Monday. agent Garnet Hathaway, who skates, plays a mean-edged game and would come at a reasonable price. 1. The most critical, far-reaching decision is this as the unrestricted free- agent interview window opens ahead of July 1: Attempt to extend Chris 5. If Panarin were to sign for $11.5 million, that would amount to 14.1 Kreider for somewhere around $6.75 million per for six years, or attempt percent of the cap, which would become the second-highest percentage to sign Artemi Panarin for probably at least $11.5 million per for seven hit in Blueshirts’ history. When Scott Gomez signed for seven years at years. $7.357 million-plus per, he accounted for 14.6 percent of the 2007-08 cap of $50.3 million. Or, alternately, neither, which would mean trading Kreider and declining to make the 27-year-old (28 in October) impending free-agent winger the New York Post LOADED: 06.24.2019 second- or third-highest paid player in the league.

No one is suggesting Kreider can match Panarin’s elite skill. Funny thing, though, each scored 28 goals last year, though the Columbus winger notched 59 assists to Kid K’s 24. Everyone gets it. All things being equal, you choose Panarin every time.

But nothing about this would be equal. There’d be close to a $5 million difference per year in cost, if not more, by going Panarin’s way. The Rangers would be bringing in an outsider who does his best work on the outside, even if parcels of it can be downright stunning. For $11.5 million per, it better be.

And though it may be unfair to generalize, when is the last time the Rangers threw money at/bribed a free agent to come to New York and it worked out? I’d say Marian Gaborik, who scored 40-plus goals in two of his four seasons chafing under John Tortorella’s direction, but that was 10 years ago.

On the other hand, there have been all these shiny toys over the years, from Scott Gomez and to Wade Redden to Brad Richards to Dan Boyle (thankfully only two years on that one, even if two too many) to Kevin Shattenkirk, who for various reasons all performed less than advertised and expected.

President John Davidson knows Panarin as well as just about anyone (maybe not as well as Florida coach Joel Quenneville, who had him for the first two years of the winger’s career in Chicago), so the Rangers will make an educated decision here.

But $80 million-plus over seven years? Panarin is a talented one, all right, but, A) Is he really worth that, even on the inflationary free-agent market? And, B) Is this necessarily the right time for the Blueshirts to go all in on this player?

Because you know what? Big-time players become available every season. There is a possibility Taylor Hall will become a free agent next summer. Hall or Panarin? That’s an easy one. The 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner every time. And if not Hall, there will be someone else because there always is, and because the NHLPA’s ignorant decision to depress the cap will force teams to shed big-time players with big-time cap hits.

Now, Kreider. The Rangers still have not talked numbers with the winger’s agent. Maybe Matt Keator will insist on a deal that matches the $50 million bonanza over seven years Kevin Hayes was awarded by the Flyers, even if centers generally have more value on the market. But maybe the priority for Kreider will be to get as much as he can from the Rangers. Maybe the Rangers’ priority should be to keep one of their leaders who plays north-south and gets to the net more often than anyone on the roster, even if not quite often enough.

Maybe the Rangers will get blown away by a trade offer for Kreider. Maybe the parties won’t be able to agree on numbers once they are on the table.

Maybe the Rangers go into next season without Kreider or Panarin.

But either/or, apples/oranges, I. Take. Chris.

2. There was Traverse City, training camp and the exhibition games yet to come, but Brett Howden announced his presence as a man among teens at last year’s prospect camp. It is possible similar impressions 1148406 New York Rangers bit of everything going on. This time of year is really busy and if something changes, we’re ready for it.”

New York Post LOADED: 06.24.2019 Panarin? Shattenkirk? Rangers’ makeover can come in many forms

By Brett Cyrgalis

June 23, 2019 | 9:25PM

The Rangers could still look very different in another 10 days. But if they don’t, then general manager Jeff Gorton is just fine with the heavy lifting he has already done.

“I don’t feel like we need to do anything, to be honest with you,” Gorton said Saturday after one of the biggest drafts in the club’s history this weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia, having taken 18-year-old Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2-overall selection. Now the week-long free-agent “courting period” begins, when teams can talk to pending free agents before the market opens July 1.

“I think the last few years we try to take advantage of situations, when times come for us to jump on something, we try to do that,” Gorton said. “If something comes along and we think it’s good for us short term and long term, we’ll do it.”

No question the Rangers will inquire about Artemi Panarin, the dynamic winger leaving Columbus who knows new team president John Davidson very well and represents the class of the group available. But an annual salary-cap hit around $11 million might be tough to swallow for seven years — especially since the NHL and NHLPA announced that the ceiling for next season is going to be $81.5 million, less than the projected $83 million that was the basis for a lot of the early offseason maneuvering.

Gorton won’t know exactly how much cap room he has until he locks up his restricted free agents, the most notable being long-coveted righty- shot defenseman Jacob Trouba, obtained in a trade with the Jets just a few days before the draft. The other RFAs that need to be given new deals are Pavel Buchnevich and Brendan Lemieux up-front, along with Tony DeAngelo on the back end.

That could turn the current $17 million in space into less than $5 million pretty quickly. Adding another big-ticket player would then necessitate moving some money. That brings in the possibility of trading Chris Kreider, entering the final year of his contract with a $4.625 million hit and seemingly at a standstill in negotiations for an extension. Also in play on a lesser level would be Vladislav Namestnikov ($4 million) and Jimmy Vesey ($2.275 million), or even Buchnevich, once his deal gets done.

If a trade can’t be done, there is also the option of buyouts, with defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk ($6.65 million per for the next two seasons) and Brendan Smith ($4.35 million for the next two seasons) as the prime candidates.

“We’ll have some conversations about what to do,” Gorton said. “If free agency, or trades, [means] we have to make some decisions and go that route, that’s something we’ll be ready to do.

“I think it’s all part of the plan. If we game plan for something and it happens, and we’re spending some money or something like that, then we would have to consider how else we need to move money around. Nothing is decided.”

The club is also conducting the most interesting prospects camp in recent memory, starting Monday at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conn., while their practice facility in Tarrytown undergoes renovations. It will be the first time Kakko dons a Rangers sweater on the ice, and with so many other interesting young players there, it should be quite the spectacle.

There will then be organizational meetings on Tuesday, as Gorton and Davidson try to get everyone on the same page as they plan for the rest of the offseason.

So a lot has been done already, and the Rangers like where they are. But there is also a lot more than can happen before it’s clear just what the Blueshirts will look like come October.

“We have to juggle everything at once,” Gorton said. “We’ll jump in at development camp, we’re going to talk to some free agents, we have some conversations going with some teams about trades. There is a little 1148407 NHL new position elsewhere, but it won’t be with Seattle – where Mandrycky relocates permanently this week after helping train her Wild replacement.

Leiweke and Bruckheimer say they accomplished all they needed to here No new GM yet, but a key hockey operations pickup by NHL Seattle on the GM front – so much that they left post-breakfast and a day early should help make that call without attending the second stage of the draft Saturday morning. After arriving Friday morning, they’d held a series of meetings with hockey officials and potential candidates – all before an afternoon news session June 23, 2019 at 12:49 pm Updated June 23, 2019 at 6:01 PM with reporters, which they were a half-hour late to because of traffic after one such meeting. By Geoff Baker Later, they hit the floor of Rogers Arena for the opening round of the NHL

draft on Friday night. But more so than observing the player selections, VANCOUVER, B.C. – Tod Leiweke and Jerry Bruckheimer spent the final they spent three hours moving between various team tables and having morning of the NHL draft enjoying breakfast with their incoming Seattle side discussions, both together and individually, about their GM post. franchise’s newest hockey operations hire. “Tod knows a lot of people and I know a lot of people,’’ Bruckheimer said. While the duo didn’t land a general manager after a furious 24 hours of “So, we talked to people about who they liked and it was great. We got a exploratory private meetings here, new NHL Seattle hockey analytics lot of great information.’’ specialist Alexandra Mandrycky certainly will help with a search now For Bruckheimer, the ideal candidate “has got a vision, is well-respected moving on to the next phase. Described by some NHL insiders as a “rock within the industry and has some gravitas.’’ star’’ in her field, Mandrycky spent the past few seasons with the Minnesota Wild where she had a major hand in player evaluation and On the vision part, he wants: “Somebody who’s got a vision on how to personnel decisions. build the team. That’s what you want to know. How do you build a team? How do you make it competitive?’’ And for Leiweke, the NHL Seattle president and CEO, and Bruckheimer, the principal team owner, who both came to the draft with the explicit Leiweke now has “a list” of candidates, some of whom they already met purpose of refining their list of GM candidates, Mandrycky, 28, will play a with here. They gauged candidates’ interest level and queried them on key role in determining whether one of those men gets hired this team-building philosophies to form “a composite sketch’’ of whether summer. they’d fit with the “different type of organization’’ NHL Seattle hopes to become. “Analytics isn’t just a department for us, it’s a way of life,’’ Leiweke said as he sat with Mandrycky and Bruckheimer on Saturday morning at a “I wouldn’t call it an interview, that’s maybe not entirely fair,’’ Leiweke restaurant in the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, where some of their GM said. “But we talked to people. We’re not going to drop names as we go conversations from Friday had taken place. “The world is changing. It’s along. But we are going to be transparent. I mean, we talked to people in an informed approach. And Alex (Mandrycky) will play a part in our GM this restaurant.’’ decision. We’re feeling good about fresh eyes on this.’’ Now “full on’’ in their search, they’ll try to further narrow the field – with Mandrycky’s official start date is July 1, with the title of Director of Hockey Mandrycky’s help — ahead of formal interviews and a call on whether to Administration and a say in all major personnel decisions. For now, the hire somebody. And while Leiweke continues to preach patience, he GM vetting is her top priority. won’t need all summer to decide whether the future GM is already on the list. “The fact is she had a fantastic reputation as one of the best in our industry,’’ Bruckheimer said, pausing between spoonfuls of oatmeal. “So, “We’re not a group that lets grass grow under our feet,’’ Leiweke said. “I we’re very fortunate that she had some connections to Seattle and we think the more time you have to get ready for the expansion draft, the were able to get her to come work with us.’’ better.’’

Mandrycky’s husband, Christian, who she met while earning an Seattle Times LOADED: 06.24.2019 engineering degree at Georgia Tech, is finishing a doctorate degree in bioengineering at the University of Washington – which caused them to move to Seattle from her native Atlanta in 2013. The pair had maintained separate apartments in Seattle and Minnesota since Mandrycky’s hiring by the Wild in January 2016.

“I’d spend something like three weeks in Minnesota, then come back to Seattle for a week and a half,’’ Mandrycky said. “So, a lot of commuting between both.”

She’s eager to delve into the GM candidates.

“You can look at their past track record,’’ she said. “So, we’ll be looking at their draft history, their trade history and their contracts. Specifically, different managers with different organizations have different philosophies on how they evaluate players.

“And ultimately, we want our organization to be successful in evaluating players. We want to be able to have conversations with the candidates and find out what they feel like they did well. What they feel like they maybe regret.’’

Mandrycky has few regrets about her time with the Wild, which broke her into professional sports. She’d become interested in hockey through her husband, a Buffalo native and avid Sabres fan – one of their first nights out in Seattle was an Everett Silvertips junior game — and then delved into the statistical aspects of the sport as a way of keeping her analytical and programming skills sharp after graduation.

She discovered hockey data sets online and began tinkering with them. Eventually, she and Andrew Thomas worked together on the War-on- Ice.com analytical website before the Wild hired both – Thomas as lead hockey researcher and Mandrycky as hockey operations analyst.

The Wild opted not to renew Thomas in April and then Mandrycky turned down the team’s contract offer in May. Thomas has yet to announce a 1148408 Ottawa Senators

Pierre Dorion still trying to make changes as draft weekend wraps up

Bruce Garrioch

VANCOUVER — The one deal Pierre Dorion made on the weekend was significant because it helped the club get a new prospect in net in Mads Sogaard.

But, the Ottawa Senators general manager admitted he wanted to do something a little bigger and the fact there aren’t any new faces on the club’s roster after the NHL draft wrapped up in Vancouver wasn’t for a lack of trying.

“We’ve set the possible groundwork for free agents we want to pursue and possible trades for a couple of veteran players that will help our group grow,” Dorion said before leaving the draft Saturday. “From our side things, we’ve had more trade discussions this weekend than the previous three years that I’ve been the GM.

“We know what we have to do, we’re going to follow the plan, but we have a good idea what our intentions are.”

The talking period for unrestricted free agents started Sunday and Dorion planned to get on the phone to speak with some veterans.

Though there has been talk the Senators may have interest in 35-year- old Dallas Stars centre Jason Spezza, who started his career in Ottawa, its doubtful the club will go that route unless there’s a change of heart.

Next up is development camp that starts Tuesday at the Canadian Tire Centre with the likes of prospects Erik Brannstrom, Josh Norris and Jonathan Davidson along with the players drafted this weekend.

“It’s going to give our fans a chance to see the likes of Josh Norris and Jonathan Davidson for the first time along with Brannstrom and (Vitaly) Abramov for an extended period,” said Dorion. “It just speaks to the depth and with a guy like (Alex) Formenton competing with players of his own age.

“All of these things really make it exciting for us — including the six players we got over the course of the weekend.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148409 Ottawa Senators “He’s telling people by coming in that he’s not bigger than anyone and he’s willing to put his boots on and go to work.”

Spending the week in Vancouver was good for Smith to get a chance to Ottawa Senators coach D.J. Smith will get a first-hand look at club’s sit down with the club’s scouting staff and to find out what they think of prospects some of these prospects. He’ll take part in development camp and free agency before heading back to Windsor. The plan is to move into his Ottawa home Aug. 15. Bruce Garrioch “It’s been really hectic coming back-and-forth from my hometown to Ottawa. It’s going to slow down here after free agency is done and I’ll get (six weeks) of summer in before we get going,” Smith said. “You work VANCOUVER — The NHL draft weekend is over and now D.J. Smith will your whole life for this opportunity and it’s exciting to work with Pierre be able to get an up close and personal look at the Ottawa Senators top every day. prospects. “He’s doing everything to build the team for now, but also knows this is Before heading back to his off-season home in Windsor for six weeks about some of the young kids and they’ve got to play and how they’re and making the move to Ottawa in mid-August, the Senators newly-hired going to fit in. It’s a big puzzle right now so I’m just letting them do their head coach will return to the city Monday to prepare for development thing.” camp that will get under way Tuesday at the Canadian Tire Centre. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 While Smith has been on the job since he was introduced by general manager Pierre Dorion on May 23, the arrival of the club’s top prospects will be the first opportunity for the 42-year-old former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant to get a peek at some of the youngsters that will play a big role for the Senators down the road.

Smith has a good handle on the club’s new faces but now he gets a chance to see them on the ice in an Ottawa uniform. The Senators picked up six new prospects in the draft.

“You never know who’s going to play on your team,” Smith said in a draft weekend interview at Rogers Arena. “There’s darkhorses and there’s all kinds of things that happen. Certainly the plan is to develop these kids slowly, but in saying that it’s going to be exciting to watch some of these kids play that were knocking on the door or were maybe in the American league.

“Then you have the drafted players and they all think they’re ready to play tomorrow, but certainly there’s time. It’s an exciting time for Ottawa I believe. There’s kids that are going to be knocking on the door every night and with as many picks as we (had) we should be able to see some good players.”

He’ll be keeping a close eye on guys like Alex Formenton, Drake Batherson, Logan Brown and Erik Brannstrom because they’re expected to push for spots next season.

“Part of working with Pierre is determining what’s the right thing for (a guy like Formenton) or those players,” Smith said. “Is it to play in the minors? Is it to come up? We’ve got to make sure that these kids develop and that’s on me.

“I’m going to make sure I do everything in my power to realize the potential for these kids.”

Smith won’t go on the ice for development camp, he’ll leave that to Shean Donovan and the club’s staff which will include Chris Kelly for this camp. Smith doesn’t want the young players to try to do anything they’re not capable of accomplishing.

“Just come in and do what you do,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, your talent is going to show itself in time. (They) want to show it right away but ultimately it’s to be the best player that you can be at 22, 23 or 24-years-old. It’s not a race to get there right away and I know kids want that right away.

“It’s important that they get there and stay there. It’s my job that when they get to the NHL that they stay.”

Among the participants will be second-year winger Brady Tkachuk. The No. 4 pick in last years draft suited up for 70 games last season and won’t go on the ice with the prospects, but will participate in the off-ice sessions.

Tkachuk was in Vancouver for the weekend visiting friends who were getting drafted and announced the club’s first pick Friday night Lassi Thomson. Smith has a lot of respect for what Tkachuk brings to the table on a daily basis and there’s little question the guy is captain material.

“He’s a core guy going forward,” Smith said. “He’s a guy that showed last year he means business in the National Hockey League. He was a kid that was out there banging around with men. He not only showed that he belonged, he’s going to be an elite power forward and he takes his craft really serious. 1148410 Ottawa Senators a lot at play in this. The kid himself has to be comfortable with it and he’s going to refer to his agent.

“I’m sure the Kelowna Rockets will be calling to try convince him to go SENS’ NO. 1 PICK: Lassi Thomson surprised he didn’t have to play the back. We spoke to a couple of his teammates during the combine and waiting game they talked about him going back to Finland to play in the league next season, and they were pretty upset by that because they thought he was a key piece moving into the Memorial Cup next year.” Bruce Garrioch The Senators believe Thomson can be a contributor and that’s why they took him so high.

VANCOUVER — The look of surprise on Lassi Thomson’s face told the “We don’t expect him to be another Erik Karlsson,” said Mann. “But when story. you start looking at guys like Torey Krug and (Matt) Grzelcyk, those guys that can contribute on the power play and still play 5-on-5 minutes, those There the Finnish-born defenceman was Friday night, sitting in the 100 are the types of players that you’ll see. level at Rogers Arena while the first round of the NHL draft was still taking place in the bowl of the rink, surrounded by reporters asking if he “He’s a guy that’s going to move the puck up the ice quickly and had any inkling he was going to be selected No. 19 overall by the Ottawa contribute at the offensive blueline. I’m looking at a team that played in Senators. the Stanley Cup final as a comparable because ultimately that’s what we’re looking for, and that’s to be a team that can play in the playoffs.” The Kelowna Rockets blueliner didn’t see this pick coming, and he was quite prepared to have to wait until Saturday morning to find out his NHL Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 future. Yes, Thomson met with the Senators at the NHL combine in Buffalo earlier this month, but there wasn’t anything in the interview with Ottawa that made him think they were such big fans.

“It was pretty similar interview to everybody else, but I couldn’t expect this,” said Thomson, who had 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points as the top-scoring rookie defenceman in the Western Hockey League last season.

Thomson fits the bill for where the Senators are headed during this rebuild because he’s an offensive defenceman who can move the puck. The job of blueliners now is to get the puck up the ice to the forwards and join the play. That’s something Thomson can do.

There were some who thought the Senators went off the board by selecting Thomson, but the people who make these decisions know better than a lot of the experts who pass along their opinions. GM Pierre Dorion and chief scout Trent Mann both talked about volatility in the first round and many of the picks were unpredictable.

Did Thomson help his cause by coming overseas to learn the North American game at such a young age?

“If he stayed in Finland, he probably would have had more opportunities on the international stage,” Mann said. “Being in the Western Hockey League, it eliminates some of those opportunities on the bigger stage and they weren’t a playoff team in the WHL either, so that plays a part in it as well.

“That’s possible (he would have been taken higher if stayed in Finland), but when it comes to the draft you have no idea how it’s going to shake out and it just depends on how the picks (unfold), and then you kind of respond to it. This kid here, there’s probably teams that were just in behind us that probably would have made that pick shortly after us.”

Of course Mann knew Thomson was caught off guard, but the Senators don’t tell players that they’re on the club’s radar screen. It’s called the element of surprise, and playing your cards close to your vest is important in this process.

“He was surprised because when we met him at the combine he wasn’t really sure what the range would be,” Mann said. “He said late first round was what he was vying for, but you also saw (other kids) earlier in the draft a little bit surprised too.

“Things happen at the draft and there’s surprise sometimes because we’re not going to tell (a kid), ‘If you’re sitting there at No. 19 we’re going to take you,’ because we don’t do that. A little bit of surprise, maybe for some people, but at No. 19 we felt the best player available to us was Lassi Thomson.”

Now a decision has to be made on where Thomson should play next season because he has options. He can return to Kelowna where the Rockets are hosting the Memorial Cup, he can play for his hometown against men in Finland or there’s a third option of sending him to the American Hockey League to suit up for the .

That’s a discussion that will be had during development camp in Ottawa.

“The one scenario of the American league is the most recent conversation we just had and we knew the other two options on the front end,” said Mann. “Most players don’t have those kinds of options. There’s 1148411 Ottawa Senators As longtime scout Ottawa Don Boyd noted, the Senators couldn’t ignore Sogaard’s size and there are the inevitable comparisons to Ben Bishop. Goaltending coach Pierre Groulx met with Sogaard at the combine last The Senators head back to Ottawa with six new faces from NHL draft month in Buffalo and liked what he heard.

“There’s the obvious size factor for sure,” Boyd said. “Today in the NHL, goaltenders, for the most part, are getting bigger and in many cases are Bruce Garrioch the biggest guys on the team. It’s because of the speed of the game and the way is game is played in front of the net with pucks getting through

and pucks hit big (players). VANCOUVER — The Ottawa Senators staff packed their bags and made “He’s athletic enough to make the side-to-side moves and get to pucks their way back to the national capital Sunday morning armed with a new quickly. He tracks very well.” group of prospects that they hope will suit up for the organization down the road. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 Like the rest of the 31 teams that took part in the two-day NHL draft that wrapped up Saturday at Rogers Arena, the Senators left the table satisfied after they picked up six new prospects that will take part in the club’s development camp scheduled to get under way Tuesday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

As a result of the draft, the Senators picked up three forwards, two right- shot blueliners and a goalie. The goal when the scouting staff arrived in Vancouver was to provide the organization with more prospects to choose from as this rebuild enters its second season and at a pivotal stage with newly-hired coach D.J. Smith taking over.

“We got quality people, quality players and we feel we’ve just helped build some depth in some key areas that need a little bit of potential,” said chief scout Trent Mann.

General manager Pierre Dorion was happy with the work done by Mann and the staff.

“All-in-all I feel really good,” Dorion said before leaving the building Saturday afternoon. “Sometimes the passion of what the scouts show when you’re about to make a pick tells you a lot about it. The quiet fist pumps under the table, just their reactions and how they shake another scouts hand after the selections have been made puts us in a good a spot.

“We added good assets (Saturday) and they’re bit different because we added two guys that are a bit older (in Viktor Lodin and Mark Kastelic) but we feel that they’re late bloomers, they’re high character people, they’ve got talent. For us, in a nutshell, we’re really happy with the assets we acquired this weekend.”

So, are the Senators an improved team as they arrive back in Ottawa?

“Without a doubt we feel we’re a better than we were when we got here with the assets that we acquired, but it’s also the variety and the quality of the assets that we acquired,” Dorion said.

“Now, you’re going to find 31 teams that are going to tell you they’re happy leaving here and what we targeted this weekend we feel we’ve come out ahead of where we were before we got here.”

While the Senators surprised a few people by selecting Kelowna Rockets blueliner Lassi Thomson at No. 19 Friday night and American winger Shane Pinto with the No. 32 selection, the decision to deal the No. 44 and No. 83 selections to the Carolina Hurricanes for the No. 37 to select goalie Mads Sogaard from the Medicine Hat Tigers as an eye-opener.

That gives the club seven goalies in the organization but the club wanted Sogaard, a Danish netminder who came overseas last year to play in the WHL. The Senators felt if they waited until the No. 44 selection reached them he was going to get snapped up so the scouting staff asked general manager Pierre Dorion to make a move.

A former scout, Dorion, who saw Sogaard at the world juniors in Vancouver during the holiday season, had no issue with making the deal for the 6-foot-8 Sogaard who is from the same hometown as Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie .

“We go by the recommendation of our scouts and our guys felt that this guy had first round potential,” said Dorion. “He’s got the potential to be a starting goalie one day and you can never have too many goalies. It’s about projecting what’s going to be on the radar three, four or five years down the road.

“We know we have guys that are going to be in the minors this year — or possibly on the big team — but it’s about projecting down the road. We just couldn’t pass up a guy of that talent and a guy of that upside. That’s why we moved up to get him.” 1148412 Philadelphia Flyers

After NHL draft, Flyers still searching for backup goalie behind Carter Hart

by Sam Carchidi,

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Cam Talbot and Brian Elliott, veteran goalies who can become unrestricted free agents July 1, are among the candidates to be Carter Hart’s backup with the Flyers.

But the Flyers are also exploring other options.

The Flyers may try to sign a free-agent goaltender like the Hurricanes’ Curtis McElhinney, or general manager Chuck Fletcher could venture into the trade market.

“There are a couple balls in the air right now. We’ll see here in the next little while,” new coach Alain Vigneault said at the NHL draft Saturday when asked about the backup goalie.

Talbot, who turns 32 next month, struggled last season with Edmonton and the Flyers – he had a combined 3.40 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage in 35 games -- but he had two strong years under Vigneault when they were with the New York Rangers.

In 2013-14, Talbot had a 1.64 GAA and .941 save percentage for the Blueshirts, then was almost as dominant the next season (2.21, .926).

“Cam’s a good goalie,” Vigneault said. “I’m not quite sure what happened the last couple years. … I like him as a goalie.”

McEllhinney, 36, is coming off a solid season (2.58, .912) season with Carolina. The 34-year-old Elliott (2.96, .907 last season) has had problems staying healthy in his two years with the Flyers and that might push the team in another direction.

Open-minded coach

Vigneault said he was keeping an “open mind” on the team’s style of play this season.

“As coaches, you’ve got to put in the system that maximizes what you have. Not quite real sure what I have yet,” he said. “I’ve got different ideas on how we can play. We’ll figure it out here as we move along.”

Breakaways

With the cap set at $81.5 million, Fletcher believes some cap-strapped teams will have to make moves and there will be opportunities to make deals with them. … The Flyers’ prospect camp starts Tuesday in Voorhees. … In the NHL draft, defensemen were the most popular selections. There were 66 defensemen taken, followed by centers (54), right wingers (41), left wingers (34), and goaltenders (22). … Canada led the way with 63 players drafted who were born in that country; the United States was second with 59 players. ... Nashville said it doesn’t plan to re- sign former Flyer Wayne Simmonds.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148413 Philadelphia Flyers As for the defensive pairings, “that’s why you have training camp,” Vigneault said. “What you want to do is you want guys to earn their ice time, earn their position on the team. Everybody’s going to get an New coach Alain Vigneault has had a hand in Flyers’ makeover opportunity. Everybody’s got a clean slate. They can go out there and prove what they can do. That’s what they like about the veteran presence that we have and the good young players. It’s going to be competitive and competition brings out the best of people.” by Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.24.2019

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Shortly after he was hired, new Flyers coach Alain Vigneault met with general manager Chuck Fletcher and discussed the team he was inheriting.

They talked about needs. They talked about the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Last week, Fletcher acted, acquiring veteran defensemen Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, signing second-line center Kevin Hayes, and buying out Andrew MacDonald.

Maybe they weren’t the most glamorous moves in a market that saw defensemen P.K. Subban and Jacob Trouba traded to the rival Devils and Rangers, respectively.

But they were upgrades, and they were appreciated by Vigneault.

“Chuck delivered on what we talked about when I got named,” Vigneault said at the NHL draft Saturday in Vancouver. “When we met, we talked about improving our team, solidifying our defense. We’ve added two experienced right-handed shots. One is very strong defensively in Justin Braun. One [Niskanen] is an all-around defenseman that can play five- on-five, kill penalties, and play on the power play, and he has a Stanley Cup. We liked that.”

Vigneault had a role in steering Hayes to the Flyers. He coached him for four years with the Rangers and they had a good relationship. In the days leading up to Hayes’ signing a seven-year, $50 million deal, Vigneault twice called the 6-foot-5, 216-pound center and told him how much he’d fit on the team.

“We’ve added a centerman, a big strong centerman,” Vigneault said. “Our center position looks real strong and has a lot of depth. We can keep on the wing. We’ve improved our team. We know we still have work to do, and we’re going to do it.”

Asked how much he politicked to get Hayes here, Vigneault said: “When they asked my opinion, in my mind, Kevin’s a top-six forward who can kill penalties. I didn’t use him much on the power play, but he did get some time this year, and he’s effective. I know he’s become a real solid pro, and I know he wants to win. When we put all those check marks together and our needs in Philly, we felt he fit the bill, and he decided to come to Philly.”

The Flyers traded a fifth-round pick to Winnipeg for the right to negotiate with Hayes, who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

“I think Chuck and his crew did a great job when they brought him to Philly,” Vigneault said. “I talked to [Hayes] a couple of times. It worked out. He’s happy, and we’re happy.”

Hayes, Vigneault said, “has become a real solid pro. I saw the evolution of him from year one, two, three, four. Not this year, but in the four years. Kevin has really understood the importance of preparation, the importance of training, the importance of being a good teammate. I know from him being with me with the Rangers that he wants to win. We owned his rights, but, in a couple of days, he could have gone anywhere. One of the reasons he picked Philly is he feels like I do — that we have a good team and we’ve got a chance to win.”

Vigneault didn’t talk to Fletcher directly about acquiring Niskanen and Braun, but they exchanged ideas on the type of defensemen the Flyers needed after allowing the 29th-most goals in the NHL last season.

“That’s more Chuck and our scouting staff,” Vigneault said of targeting Niskanen and Braun. “We discussed the needs of our team: Right- handed defensemen. I’ve always felt better with a right-handed D and a left-handed D [on a pair]. When we discussed that, they had a list. Chuck was able to do what he does and what does real well — talk to other teams and see what was available. Niskanen was there and Justin Braun became available. I think for our team we’ve got young [Phil] Myers on the right side, also. We should have those guys be able to play their position. I think in the long run it should help." 1148414 Philadelphia Flyers

Bobby Brink should ease the pain over the Flyers' passing up of Cole Caufield in 2019 NHL draft

By Jordan Hall June 23, 2019 4:10 PM

If there was any frustration among the fan base over the passing up of Cole Caufield, it was somewhat alleviated by the Flyers' work in the second round.

Let's be clear, that was not on the Flyers' mind when making the selection.

But on Friday night in the first round of the 2019 NHL draft, the Flyers had a chance to take Caufield, a popular 5-foot-7 right winger regarded as the best goal-scorer in the class. The 72-goal, 100-point American had dropped deeper than many anticipated, all the way to the Flyers at No. 14, even after the team moved back three spots.

The Flyers went with Cam York, a defenseman they had watched a ton of and really wanted (see story).

On Saturday afternoon in the second round, the Flyers just so happened to draft a right winger with first-round talent and prolific scoring ability. They traded up 11 spots and forfeited a third-round selection in order to grab Bobby Brink at No. 34 overall (see Flyers' draft recap).

No, Brink was not on Caufield's level, but he's pretty good and has similarities. The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder was ranked as the 20th-best player in the draft by TSN's Craig Button and put up eye-catching numbers with 68 points (35 goals, 33 assists) in 43 regular-season games for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.

"We had him slotted higher [than No. 34 overall]," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Saturday via a conference call. "Bobby was the guy that we were hoping was there. We knew he wasn't going to last very long in the second round, so we paid the price to move up; but to get a player of his caliber, we were happy to do that.

"He's not the biggest body, but he's extremely smart, highly skilled, very competitive. He picked apart the USHL league, which is hard to score in; coming right out of high school and dominated. He's very strong on his skates, he's got great edges and he's slippery."

Brink may have dipped into the second round because his skating isn't a notable strength. Flahr cleared up some of the doubt on that topic.

"His skating is different," he said.

"I don't think he's a burner as far as speed at this point, but his skating is always in the right spot and it doesn't seem to impact him at this point. He'll be the first one to tell you he's got to get quicker and stronger to play at the next level, but at this point in his physical development, we don't see an issue.

"He's a little bent over, but he's one of those kids that is down low, he's always moving his feet, he's on his edges. He opens up his feet, creates different angles and passing lanes. As far as straight out speed, I wouldn't say he's the fastest, but he always seems to get there."

Brink was there Saturday and the Flyers didn't want to miss him. They got a smaller, high-scoring right winger, less than 24 hours after passing up on one.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148415 Philadelphia Flyers Service rankings from 173 at the midseason mark to 125 in the final assessment.

No. 165 RW EGOR SERDYUK — The Russian had an impressive Meet the Flyers’ 2019 draft class showing as a rookie in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Serdyuk racked up 25 goals and 40 assists in 63 games for the Victoriaville Tigres and was named to the QMJHL’s All-Rookie team and Dave Isaac, NHL writer Published 9:07 a.m. ET June 23, 2019 | Updated had the most goals and points by a rookie. 9:09 a.m. ET June 23, 2019 “He possesses a great vision and passing abilities that allows him to open the play well and create many zone breakouts and entries,” wrote Andy Lehoux of futureconsiderations.ca back in November. “His precise There was a lot of conjecture that Flyers general manager Chuck wrist shot and quick release are quite impressive too. He is versatile Fletcher would trade his first-round pick, that the go-for-it-now mentality offensively and can create scoring chances for his linemates or lead the the team has adopted would take over and put the NHL draft on the back offense by himself.” burner. No. 169 G RODDY ROSS — The token goalie pick in the draft, Ross Fletcher did trade the pick, but only to move down three spots and get a adds to a pretty stacked goalie pool for the Flyers that already includes second-round pick for doing so. He said that he was going to shift his Swedes Felix Sandström and Samuel Ersson as well as born focus to the draft after signing Kevin Hayes to a seven-year, $50 million Kirill Ustimenko, who will start his entry-level contract in North America contract and did so…even while other teams in the Metropolitan Division this season. Ross, 18, has plenty of time to develop with the Seattle buked up. The Rangers acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba before Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. drafting Kaapo Kakko second overall and the Devils traded for P.K. Subban after selecting Jack Hughes first overall. Andy Eide, of 710 AM ESPN in Seattle, reported that the power went out at Ross’ home in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan so the family hooked While the Flyers may look to counter those moves eventually, they did up to a car battery to watch the draft and Ross told Eide he didn’t realize plan for the future in making seven selections over the weekend in how nervous he was until he found out he was drafted. Cool story there. Vancouver. Most, if not all, of the prospects will attend this week’s development camp which begins with on-ice sessions Tuesday at the No. 196 RW BRYCE BRODZINSKI — The alliteration-heavy draft class team’s practice facility in Voorhees. wrapped up with another American forward. Brodzinski has plenty of hockey in his blood. Two of his older brothers, Johnny and Michael, were No. 14: D CAM YORK — With the prospect pool shallow on defensemen, drafted by the L.A. Kings and San Jose Sharks respectively, and his the Flyers took the best one the USA Hockey National Team father and uncle both played college hockey. Development Program had. The 5-foot-10 blueliner set a program record with 65 points this season and is heading to the University of Michigan in Brodzinski, who will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall, had 36 the fall. goals and 91 points in 29 games for Blaine High School in Minnesota and was named USA TODAY’s ALL-USA Boys Hockey Player of the Year. “He’s gonna need a couple years realistically a year or two before he’s His coach, Chris Carroll, told USA TODAY, “We often hear of kids that gonna turn pro and things change,” Flyers assistant general manager are snipers or playmakers. He’s both.” Brent Flahr said. “We have some good forwards in the stable. We have a couple defensemen coming. At this time he was the best player for us Courier-Post LOADED: 06.24.2019 and a player we’re happy with.”

No. 34 RW BOBBY BRINK — Many mock drafts had Brink going in the first round and after Friday night the Flyers must’ve gotten a strong feeling about him because they traded up 11 spots the next morning to select Brink. Undersized at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Brink has had to make up for more than size. A lot of scouts had concerns about his skating, but the Flyers obviously think that’s an issue that can be fixed or that his skills with the puck on his stick are more important.

Brink was named the USHL’s forward of the year and was named a first- team All-Star in the USHL. After 35 goals in 43 games for the Sioux City Musketeers this season, Brink will play at the University of Denver in the fall.

Ronnie Attard was all smiles after the Flyers selected him in the third round. He was one of three defensemen the Flyers picked in their seven- player prospect class.

No. 72: D RONNIE ATTARD — At 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, Attard provides some size to the Flyers’ defense prospect pool and is another college player. After three seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, the last one as team captain, Attard will attend Western Michigan in the fall where he’ll be a teammate of Flyers prospect Wade Allison.

Attard is excellent with the puck on his stick and is more physically developed because he’s also older. The 20-year-old from White Lake, Michigan was passed over in the last two drafts and the Flyers scooped him up this time after he had a season where he put a lot of tools together. He has an excellent shot and likes to join the rush and get low in the offensive zone.

No. 103 D MASON MILLMAN — Flyers scouts saw their first three selections mainly through games of the highly-watched NTDP team that produced a ton of top prospects this season. Millman is a Canadian prospect who had a solid first season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit.

Scouts say that while Millman makes good decisions with the puck and moves it quick, his shot could use some work. He had three goals and 22 assists in 66 games for the Spirit this year. He had a particularly good second half of the season, which helped him rise in the Central Scouting 1148416 Philadelphia Flyers In fact, the University of Michigan commit is the kind of “modern defenseman” fans begged the Flyers to acquire during the darkest days of the Paul Holmgren era, when the team fixated on plodders (Nicklas The breakdown: Evaluating the Flyers’ 2019 draft class and the new Grossmann, Luke Schenn) or “can-do-everything-a-bit-but-nothing- regime’s workmanlike approach particularly-well” guys such as Andrew MacDonald. York can skate, move the puck and jump into the attack, and his hockey sense is top- notch. He might lack the upside to become a No. 1 defenseman, but it’s not hard to envision him as a high-end No. 3 or even a borderline top-pair By Charlie O'Connor Jun 23, 2019 blueliner.

The big question is whether the Flyers will ultimately be vindicated for For the frustrated corners of the Philadelphia Flyers’ fan base, draft choosing him over forwards such as Peyton Krebs, Alex Newhook and, weekend in Vancouver will be remembered for moves not made more especially, Caufield. than the many positive ones that did occur. There’s a decent chance they will be. Caufield was always a high-risk, But that’s what happens when a division rival (the New Jersey Devils) high-reward player, but when those guys also come with eye-popping trades an underwhelming package of assets to add defenseman P.K. numbers, fans tend to assume the best-case scenario is inevitable. Subban, one of the few active NHL players who even comes close to Caufield’s huge goal totals were at least in part due to the regular transcending the sport. It’s also a predictable reaction to watching the presence of Jack Hughes on his line, and despite Caufield’s diminutive Flyers’ front office pass up, not once but twice, flashy goal-scoring winger size, he lacks high-end speed and skating ability (it’s merely good). It’s Cole Caufield, a prospect who would have filled the organizational need possible to imagine him hitting a wall at a higher level, and his stock the loudest fans have been screaming about for years. dropping accordingly, as was the case with recently drafted snipers such as Kieffer Bellows and . For fans who desperately wanted the Flyers to make a “big” move, this draft was a missed opportunity. But for those satisfied with steady, That said, Caufield could hit, and if he does, the Flyers and their fans measured steps to improve the health of the organization overall, the might have to watch him score 35 to 45 goals per season knowing that weekend was far more of a success than a failure. he could have been wearing Orange & Black. It’s unfair to York that he’ll be linked to Caufield in the minds of many in the fan base, but fair or not, In the end, Friday and Saturday in Vancouver felt like two days of box- that’s part of the drama of the NHL Draft. checking for general manager Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers. A high-end defense prospect to replace the soon-to-be-graduated Philippe Myers in For me, the trade-down with Arizona goes a long way toward making this the pipeline? Check. A second-round pick to make up for the one dealt less about York versus Caufield. Picking up a second-round pick just for away in the trade for Justin Braun? Done. A forward with a first-round dropping down four spots was incredible value and a fantastic move by grade to complement Cam York in the draft class? Got one. Positive Fletcher and company. To gain that extra draft capital and still nab a conversations with pending restricted free agents, particularly Travis player in York, whom they had ranked in their top 10, was shrewd. Sanheim? Completed. A restocked blueline pool, which was one of the Taking York at No. 11 over Caufield would have felt like a reach and a stated goals of the draft by Fletcher and assistant general manager Brent real gut punch. Trading down to No. 14 and nabbing Caufield would have Flahr? Scratch that off the list. seemed like a home run in the moment, even though his career path Philadelphia isn’t finished with its offseason. “We know we still have work remains unknown. Trading down to No. 14 and getting York? It feels like to do and we’re going to do it,” head coach Alain Vigneault said on a solid double, and maybe more if one fully trusts the Flyers’ scouting Saturday, after praising the moves made thus far by his general department, which loves York. manager. But with three additions already on the board in Braun, Matt Round 2 (34th overall): Bobby Brink, winger, USHL Niskanen and Kevin Hayes, and over a week until the official start of unrestricted free agency, the Flyers seemed to approach the weekend Ultimately, the Flyers did not use the 45th pick — which they received in with a sense of calm, knowing that moves could happen but certainly the trade-down — to select a player. They instead packaged it with an weren’t immediately necessary. early third-round pick (No. 65) to trade back up and select Brink, a high- scoring winger prospect, at No. 34. “I wasn’t really expecting that, no,” Fletcher said Saturday when asked if he had anticipated an eventful roster-building weekend. “Obviously, we Now, I would be remiss not to state that even as the Flyers handily won made some moves coming into the week. I really wanted to meet with a the “value” trade with Arizona (487 to 397 per Michael Schuckers’ draft- couple of the agents for some of our RFAs, which I did. That’s a real pick value model), they “lost” the trade-up with Nashville that resulted in priority now. Getting those guys signed, how much of the cap space Brink’s selection (232-153). they’re going to take. We obviously have to get another goalie. It still feels like the right move. “I just think, depending on where the cap is, there’s going to be opportunities to get players, too, as the summer goes on. Teams are Essentially, the Flyers relinquished value equivalent to that of an early- going to get squeezed. There might be some vets that are squeezed out 20s selection in Round 1, and there’s a very strong case to be made that as well. There’s nothing definite, but I just feel that if we were a little Brink is actually that caliber of prospect. In fact, Fletcher gave him that patient here, things could work out (there), too.” valuation after the draft.

With the cap ceiling now officially set at $81.5 million, the Flyers aren’t “We felt York was a top-10 caliber prospect, and Bobby Brink is probably swimming in space after accounting for the coming contracts needed to close to top 20,” he said. lock up their restricted free agents. It will take some creativity for Brink exploded in his first full USHL season, racking up 35 goals and 33 Philadelphia to truly take advantage of those “squeezes” to which assists for 68 points in just 43 games. His 1.58 points-per-game rate Fletcher alluded. But don’t rule out that possibility, even though I’m not trailed only Alex Turcotte and Jack Hughes in the USHL, and bested quite sure how they plan to pull it off, considering their cap constraints. , Trevor Zegras and even Caufield — despite Brink For Fletcher and the Flyers, this Vancouver weekend wasn’t about calling playing the entire season at 17. His hockey smarts, competitiveness, a dramatic flea-flicker that brings fans to their feet. It was more a West shot and playmaking ability — it’s all plus, helping to explain why he was Coast offense (fitting for the locale), meant to steadily move the ball able to tear up the USHL when the original plan was for him to receive down the field and put the team in position to score points down the road. only a brief stint in the league before returning to high school, according to Flahr. “Highly, highly intelligent player,” Flahr said after the draft. We’ll find out in the coming days and weeks if they do that, or if the drive “Skilled, competitive, a little undersized, but he’s a hockey player, and a peters out in anti-climactic fashion. guy we had higher up on our board. He fell, and we’re excited about him.” Now, on to the picks. So why was he available at No. 34? For starters, he’s only 5-foot-8, and Round 1 (14th overall): Cam York, defenseman, U.S. National Team Caufield’s slide on Friday hinted that a height bias remains in NHL Development Program circles. Still, small size can be overcome — as forwards such as Alex Any frustration surrounding the York selection should have nothing to do Debrincat and Johnny Gaudreau have proven. As Fletcher put it with with the player himself. regards to Brink, “Obviously he’s a little undersized, but the effort, the “Millman’s a guy that I know Rick Pracey felt very strongly about. compete are oversized.” (Millman) really came on in the second half, ” Fletcher said. “Mobile, moves the puck, skates and was just really coming at the end of the But Caufield didn’t come with serious skating questions; Brink does. His year.” biggest detractors point to a stride they view as choppy and awkward, which — combined with his lack of size — supposedly will prevent him At first glance, Millman seemed like a reach, and he might well prove to from taking full advantage of his high-end offensive skills. be as much. His offensive production in the OHL was minimal in 2018-19 (25 points in 66 games), and he didn’t appear on many public draft lists. However, some in the industry believe the concerns about Brink’s skating But Pracey and the Flyers seem to strongly believe two things about are overblown. Count both Fletcher and Flahr in that category (at least Millman that go against industry consensus: He has significant untapped publicly). offensive upside, and his skating qualifies as truly plus.

“I don’t think his skating’s a problem,” the Flyers general manager said. “I “He was buried behind some pretty older defenseman there, but he’s a mean, he can continue to work on it in school, but he’s a very deceptive terrific skater, really likes to jump up into the play,” Flahr said. “As he got skater. He has the 10 and 2, I call it. The old Ulf Dahlen (a forward who more confidence, more ice time in the second half of the year, he started scored 301 goals over a 14-year NHL career). He has that ability to kind to go and take more chances and engage. He’s got a ways to go of stutter-step and he’s very elusive, and he’s strong on his skates. Like physically and get stronger, but with his mobility and skill set, we feel that every 18-year-old, he certainly can get bigger and stronger and a little he has a chance.” faster. That goes without saying for everybody, or most everybody. And that’ll happen at (the University of Denver, where he’s committed), it’s a Mitch Brown’s microstat tracking hints that Millman might be a player with great program.” that upside. Though the sample is just seven games, Millman compared favorably to the biggest name out of those older Saginaw defensemen, Flahr wasn’t as forceful in his defense of Brink’s skating, but, when Bode Wilde, the New York Islanders’ second-round pick in 2018. In terms asked, he pointed out areas where the winger excels. “He’s got great of shot assists and zone-entry creation, Millman was right there with the edges, he’s really strong on his skates for a small player,” Flahr noted. physically gifted Wilde. “He always seems to be in the right place at the right time.” Does this mean Millman will be the next Travis Sanheim, a defenseman If Fletcher and Flahr are correct, and the criticism of Brink’s skating ability poised to explode offensively in his Draft+1 season when given a larger is more about aesthetics than functional ability, then Brink legitimately role by his CHL club? Of course not. But if he flashes the kind of skating could possess first-liner upside — the rest of his skills are simply that ability at development camp this week that Flahr and Fletcher seem to good. If not, Brink will simply need to fix the one clear weakness in his believe he possesses, he immediately becomes a lot more intriguing as a otherwise stellar toolbox to reach his ceiling. prospect.

Round 3 (72nd overall): Ron Attard, defenseman, USHL Round 6 (165th overall): Egor Serdyuk, winger, QMJHL

The risk with Attard is obvious: He’s 20 and had already been passed Generally speaking, players in major Canadian junior leagues who slip to over in two drafts before finally getting nabbed this time around. Not the final few rounds don’t often pan out. Those leagues are heavily many players with his age factor become useful NHLers. scouted; the “steals” in the later rounds tend to happen because a team That said, not many defensemen score 30 goals in 48 games, in any discovered an uncut diamond every other team missed. Even still, the league, at any age. Serdyuk pick has promise.

Attard’s breakout season almost didn’t happen; he considered heading to Rarely do teams have a chance to draft a point-per-game CHL forward in Western Michigan to begin his collegiate career in 2018-19, but after Round 6, but that’s exactly what the Flyers got in Serdyuk, who scored discussions with his agent and family, chose to return to Tri-City for a 65 points in 63 games for a very weak Victoriaville Tigres club. Despite third USHL season. Helping to form a dominant pair with Rangers draft playing the entire season at 17 (he turned 18 in June), Serdyuk scored pick Zachary Jones, Attard delivered a monster year and got himself 10 more points than his closest teammate and helped his club generate drafted. 51.05 percent of the goals at five-on-five when he skated, compared to a horrid 38.21 percent when he sat on the bench. We’re talking about an “Attard, with our third-round pick, is a big, right-handed shot defenseman, impactful player in juniors. a late bloomer,” Flahr said. “Plays a heavy game, is physical, is mean, has got the big bomb of a shot. The feet have got to come, but he’s a Will his game translate to the next level? Serdyuk grades out well by projection going to Western Michigan. He’s a guy that had a huge year in playmaking metrics, and The Athletic’s Corey Pronman praised his shot. the USHL.” But the industry consensus seems to be that Serdyuk’s lack of a dynamic element caused his slip down draft boards. Flahr and the Flyers, The player largely echoed the assistant general manager’s assessment. predictably, don’t appear to share that viewpoint.

“I’d characterize (my playing style) by saying I’m a two-way defenseman, “He’s a skilled winger, he’s got some scoring touch,” Flahr said. I’m very hard to play against, I don’t like to lose battles, I like to play the “Obviously, he’s got to get stronger, but he’s a guy that Todd Hearty and body, I’m physical,” he said in rapid-fire fashion. “I’ve got a heavy shot, our guys out in Quebec that went out there to see him, thought he had and I bring a lot of energy, whether it’s off the ice, on the ice, whatever really good offensive instincts. Again, he’s not the biggest body, he’s got we’re doing.” The manner in which he answered certainly lent credence to get stronger, but he’s quick, and he has a good head for the game, so to his claim. it’s a worthy pick at that point.”

Maybe Attard was just feasting on younger competition this past season By the sixth round, the chances of acquiring an NHL contributor are fairly and will come back to earth once he faces collegiate talent in the NCHC, slim. But there’s plausible upside here, particularly if it turns out that a tough conference. But Attard’s breakout year wasn’t just good — it was Serdyuk was unfairly ignored this year due to the low quality of his historic. The third round seems like the right time to bet that something QMJHL team. clicked for him at an older-than-usual age, and his immense production implies that it’s not just a shot in the dark. If he hits, the Flyers are looking Round 6 (169th overall): Roddy Ross, goalie, WHL at a 6-foot-3, right-handed defenseman with a nasty streak and a plus The second of three players taken by the Flyers who had been passed slapshot, who is also a solid skater for his size. That’s a pretty desirable over in previous drafts at least once, Ross fulfills the -era skill set for any organization. tradition of taking at least one goalie per draft. (The Flyers’ streak has Round 4 (103rd overall): Mason Millman, defenseman, OHL now reached five drafts.)

When it gets to the mid and late rounds, sometimes all it takes for a Ross had been toiling away in lower-tier Canadian junior hockey leagues player to get drafted is one person in a war room banging the table for until he signed a contract in early January with the Seattle Thunderbirds him. of the WHL. Ross held his own in limited time in his new, tougher league, posting a 0.919 save percentage in 22 games. Flyers scout Rick Pracey appears to have been that person for Millman, a lefty shot blueliner from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit. “He’s a guy who is another late bloomer, big kid, got to grow into his body, but really competitive, has decent fundamentals,” Flahr said. “Obviously, he’ll have to get stronger, but he’s a really competitive kid, Speaking to the agents of the Flyers’ many restricted free agents was a and had a real strong push there for a team that he got a lot of shots on.” priority for Fletcher over the weekend, and he came away especially optimistic about the direction of talks in one case. Ross turns 19 in July, which isn’t ideal; Carter Hart had just concluded a 0.927 save percentage season in the WHL by this time in his “We met mainly with the Newport Group (agents for Sanheim, Travis development path. But as Flahr noted, the netminder does have an ideal Konecny and Scott Laughton), and I thought conversations went very frame for the position (6-foot-3), and he hit the ground running against well on Sanheim. So we’ll see how that plays out, hopefully, we can tougher competition last season. A big Draft+1 (or Draft+2 season if one move that forward maybe more quickly than I had anticipated. accounts for the fact that he was passed over once) performance isn’t out of the question. “I just think we’ve had good dialogue, and we’re on the same page with him. Hopefully, I’ll have more to say in a few days, next week sometime.” Round 7 (196th overall): Bryce Brodzinski, winger, USHS As for Konecny, conversations were more general and are still in the During their years with the Wild, Fletcher and Flahr often tapped into the initial stages, according to Fletcher. Talks with Laughton’s camp should fertile prospect pool of Minnesota. Both York (who attended Shattuck St. begin this week. Mary’s after leaving Southern California) and Brink (a Minnesotan through and through) had connections to the state, and Brodzinski made The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 it three with Minnesota ties in the duo’s first Flyers draft. Old habits die hard, apparently.

The good news is that Brodzinski absolutely destroyed high school competition in 2018-19, scoring 76 points in 23 games and earning Mr. Hockey honors, given to the state’s best high school player. He also held his own in a brief USHL stint (17 points in 19 games). The bad news is that, like Attard and Ross, this wasn’t Brodzinski’s first crack at the draft (he was passed over in 2018), making those results look significantly less impressive due to his age advantage over the competition.

Still, in the seventh round, taking a player fresh off a big season who is committed to a prestigious collegiate program (Minnesota) isn’t the worst move. If he flops, it was just a seventh-round pick. If he hits the ground running, you have exclusive negotiating rights with him for the next four seasons and can watch him develop. This feels like the Flyers getting the jump on a player they suspect might become a coveted college free agent in a few years.

Final draft thoughts

The strength of Philadelphia’s 2019 draft lies in its plausible upside. While none of the players beyond York — who even if he “busts” should at least become a decent bottom-of-the-lineup NHL defenseman — projects to be guaranteed contributors at the next level, we’re not talking about low-ceiling prospects here. Most likely, there are no superstars in this Philadelphia class. But there also aren’t any “if all goes well, maybe he’ll be a borderline roster player” guys, either.

York’s combination of hockey sense and puck skills could turn him into a fringe top-pair defenseman. Brink could be an impact scorer in the top- six. Attard could be a big, mean RHD, capable of playing a pivotal support role in the offensive zone with his booming shot. If Fletcher and Flahr are right about Millman’s skating ability and his offensive upside, a legitimate breakout could be on the horizon. Serdyuk is a scoring-winger prospect. Ross held his own in his first taste of major Canadian juniors action. Even Brodzinski is the type of pure lottery-ticket pick worth making in the final round.

Again, none of these players is certain to reach his ceiling — in fact, most of them likely will not. But there was nothing inherently flawed about the process in selecting them, which is always a worry when a new regime takes over for a largely successful one.

Did I have some issues with the Flyers’ draft? Sure. With the caveat that I am far from a prospect expert, I viewed the defensemen apart from Bowen Byram in the first round to be a tier below the top forwards, and the Flyers passed up quite a few of the latter to take one of the former. It’s also a bit eyebrow-raising that three of Philadelphia’s seven picks had been passed over in at least one previous draft. Late bloomers exist, but they have a pretty high fail rate and tend to have low ceilings.

But all of the machinations that led to the Brink pick — the trade-down from No. 11 to No. 14, the subsequent trade up to secure a player who fell too far, the guts to take a divisive prospect with high upside such as Brink — were worthy of praise, and bode well for future drafts. While a team’s first selection ultimately plays the biggest part in determining the success of a draft, it was the Flyers’ second pick that felt like it swung this particular draft more toward the positive end of the spectrum. Philadelphia very well might end up getting two top-half-of-the-lineup contributors out of the 2019 draft, an outcome that feels more than plausible in its immediate aftermath.

RFA updates 1148417 Pittsburgh Penguins everybody in the media and every Predators fan needs to remember there would be no hockey in Nashville if it didn’t exist.

Tribune Review LOADED: 06.24.2019 John Steigerwald: Maybe best deals are no deals for Penguins stars

JOHN STEIGERWALD | Sunday, June 23, 2019 10:07 p.m.

Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.

Somebody said that a long time ago, but nobody has been able to prove it because general managers, no matter the sport, never talk about the trades they could have made but didn’t.

So maybe Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford’s best trade will be the one he didn’t make with the Minnesota Wild involving Phil Kessel.

Kessel invoked his no-trade clause, and, if he does play for the Penguins next season, he might be motivated enough to have the kind of year that would, under the old theory, make it one of Rutherford’s best.

Of course, when that expression was first used, players didn’t have no- trade clauses, so this one doesn’t count.

By all accounts, Rutherford has spent a lot of time on the phone since the Penguins were eliminated by the New York Islanders in April, and he already could have made a lot of good trades by not making them if he turned down a lot of offers.

So what about Kessel? Would it be that bad if he plays another one of this 82-game seasons with the Penguins?

He scored only 27 goals last season and was a minus-19. The Penguins were 34-19 when he had a point and 11-18 when he didn’t. For what it’s worth, they were 12-23 when he was a minus.

I don’t think anybody is blaming him for the sweep by the Islanders. And it has been 10 years since the Penguins won a Stanley Cup without Phil Kessel.

Then there’s Evgeni Malkin. He scored only 21 goals in 68 games and finished minus-25. You don’t have to dig into the analytics to know he had a terrible year. He had enough turnovers to embarrass Vinny Testaverde.

The Penguins’ record when he had a point was 33-18. Their record when he was a minus was 7-27.

Malkin also has a no-trade clause, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Rutherford received some calls asking about his availability.

Malkin will be 33 in five weeks. It would be shocking if Rutherford could find a team Malkin would agree to that would be interested in giving Rutherford a deal that would justify the move.

The question is: Which would be a better addition by subtraction for the Penguins, Kessel or Malkin?

Malkin would subtract more from the payroll, help with the salary cap and bring more in return, and he’s no less responsible for the Penguins needing a shakeup than Kessel is.

You expect Phil Kessel to be Phil Kessel. You don’t expect Evgeni Malkin to be Phil Kessel.

Chances are both will start the season on the Penguins roster. Malkin will be the guy with the most pressure to be better, but Kessel will be the guy the fans turn on first.

• It is not too often a general manager says this after trading a star player: “I know we’ve taken a good player off our team, so I can’t sit here and say we’re a better team for doing that.”

That’s what David Poile of the Nashville Predators said after trading defenseman P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils for two second-round picks and two guys whose names you probably wouldn’t recognize.

It was a salary dump. Subban is making $9 million a year, and, Poile said, the Devils were the only team that offered to take on his full contract.

Predators fans will be frustrated by seeing a popular player dumped purely for financial reasons, and there are some in the media who have come to dislike the salary cap because it forces teams to move stars. But 1148418 Pittsburgh Penguins If the Penguins believe a team needs a nice blend of players — the physical and the fast — to be successful, that’s a perfectly reasonable position.

5 things we learned about Penguins from NHL Draft If the Penguins are haphazardly picking up players without a discernible organizational philosophy, that’s bad.

JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Sunday, June 23, 2019 4:08 p.m. 5. Why not both?

The Penguins kept their first-round pick for the first time since 2014, using it on winger Samuel Poulin. This was widely described as the The Pittsburgh Penguins had a largely routine weekend at the NHL Draft Penguins momentarily turning their back on their win-now ways to in Vancouver, picking up a handful of prospects and not making any of restock the prospect pool. the trades that had kept the rumor mill busy for weeks beforehand. Not so fast. Here are five things we learned from the draft about where the Penguins stand and what their plans are for the rest of the offseason. A year and a few days after the Penguins picked Kasperi Kapanen in the first round in 2014, he went to Toronto in the Kessel trade. Eight months 1. Still seeking the sweet spot after the Penguins drafted Angelo Esposito in the first round in 2007, he went to Atlanta in the Marian Hossa deal. As general manager Jim Rutherford flew back from Vancouver, the only move he had made so far this summer was a trade of Olli Maatta to A team can make its first-round selection and be in win-now mode. It’s Chicago for Dominik Kahun and a draft pick. That’s not a lot of change not an either-or proposition. for a team swept in the first round of the playoffs. Tribune Review LOADED: 06.24.2019 On the draft floor Friday night, Rutherford said it was “highly unlikely” he would trade Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin this summer. That would have been a massive amount of change for a core that has won three championships.

There’s a sweet spot somewhere in between.

Sweet spot, thy name is still Phil Kessel.

The most logical offseason move for the Penguins remains a Kessel trade. It would shake up a roster Rutherford has deemed stale, but it wouldn’t be a seismic shift.

Rutherford prides himself on his creativity in the trade market. Navigating Kessel’s limited no-trade clause and getting a respectable return might be his most creative brushstroke yet.

2. The oh-so-helpful GM fraternity

Remember when Rutherford said earlier this month he is operating as if Kessel will still be on the team in the fall? Draft weekend provided a great example of why he had to say that.

For salary cap reasons, Toronto needed to get rid of Patrick Marleau. Everyone knew it. Carolina squeezed a first-round draft pick out of the Leafs to take him off their hands.

For similar reasons, Nashville had to move P.K. Subban. It was no secret. The Devils picked up the All-Star defenseman for a song, all because they could accommodate his $9 million cap hit.

If Rutherford came out and said he absolutely, positively must move Kessel by opening night, he probably could get it done. But opposing GMs would make sure it was as painful a process as possible.

3. Metropolitan math

Speaking of the Devils, they improved dramatically by trading for Subban and drafting Jack Hughes. The Rangers are much better as well after trading for Jacob Trouba and drafting Kaapo Kakko.

Division standings aren’t necessarily a zero-sum game, but let’s face it. If the Devils and Rangers have better records, those points are coming from somewhere.

Some should come from Columbus, which likely is about to lose Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene to free agency.

Beyond that, where? Do the Capitals start to show signs of age? Do the Islanders and goalie Robin Lehner come back to earth? The Hurricanes don’t look like a fluke. The Flyers finally have a goalie.

It’s going to take a lot of work for the Penguins to avoid being the team that loses out in this Metropolitan math equation.

4. Philosophy class

In the Maatta trade, the Penguins got younger and quicker by acquiring Kahun. The first three picks the Penguins made in Vancouver, on the other hand, were bruising power forwards. 1148419 Pittsburgh Penguins Sweeteners in potential moves could be players such as Bryan Rust or Nick Bjugstad — young, with reasonable cap hits, versatility and some pretty decent numbers.

Analyzing what’s next for Penguins after NHL draft The X-factor will be whether Rutherford can find anything that makes the Penguins definitively better.

Jason Mackey: 4. We got clues about where the Penguins think the NHL is headed and how they’re constructed to compete. Interesting stuff.

Perhaps more than the NFL, NBA or MLB, the NHL really is a copycat VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Well, so much for that. league. Big and heavy with speed and skill — think Blues and Bruins in the Stanley Cup final — was brought up often in Vancouver, and the While many expected some sort of maneuvering out of Jim Rutherford in Penguins’ first three picks reflected that mentality and strategy. Vancouver, the Penguins general manager did no such thing. The problem is that Samuel Poulin, Nathan Legare and Judd Caulfield The only things he traded were draft picks — first to acquire a third-round won’t be ready for another two or three years, if then. selection and later to add an additional seventh-round choice. But if the Penguins think this is what’s necessary to win — and they’re At the start of the offseason, it was hardly what anyone expected, not wrong — they could look to tweak their NHL club to address get more Rutherford mostly abstaining here, especially when he talked about of this element as well. listening on some of his best players. 5. There was an admission that something isn’t quite right with the With that in mind, what unfinished business is there for Rutherford? Here Penguins, and that’s a good thing. are six things to focus on after a couple of days at Rogers Arena: Sure, it seems obvious after you lose in four games to the Islanders, but 1. What about that culture change, Jim? the Penguins haven’t always been the best at separating confidence from “We wanted to make some changes,” Rutherford said of his Penguins stubbornness. after the draft’s first night. This time, to their credit, it seems they’ve grasped the severity of their “We wanted to change a little bit of the culture in the room. We started to win-now situation: Get it together, or things could get ugly. do that. We’ll probably do more of it prior to training camp.” “We need to freshen things up, get a few new faces in there, then go Surely Rutherford didn’t mean changing the culture involved jettisoning about our business a little differently from a coaching point of view, from Olli Maatta, a quiet, soft-spoken and polite-to-a-fault Finn. my point of view, from the leaders of the team, try to bring it together earlier in the year,” Rutherford said. “That’s something we didn’t do last If anything, Rutherford might have been talking about bringing in year.” someone like Dominik Kahun, who’s young, hungry and under club control through at least 2021. The “few new faces” line, mixed with previous Rutherford comments regarding the need for leadership-type support around , Adding Kahun, 23, who had 13 goals last season, can’t hurt. He played would lead one to believe that the Penguins need someone with a little with skilled people in Chicago and should surely improve the Penguins more mileage on his tires than Kahun. That take would not be wrong. top nine. It’s also smart that Rutherford isn’t absolving coach Mike Sullivan or But as Rutherford alluded to, the Penguins aren’t done. pretending that the team’s abysmal start to the 2018-19 campaign was good enough. 2. Those moves, whatever they are, might be more of the nip-and-tuck variety than anything all that substantive. While he remains one of the NHL’s elite coaches, Sullivan retooling his approach could involve an increase in flexibility and a decrease in the Asked Friday about the possibility that the Penguins would move Kris number of times he changes his lines, hoping every few minutes Letang or Evgeni Malkin, Rutherford was fairly forthright in his answer. something might stick to the wall. “I’m prepared to say it’s highly unlikely,” Rutherford said. And whether it’s Sullivan, management, the strength and conditioning That should be good news to Penguins fans for a variety of reasons. staff or the players, everybody must be more cognizant of not frittering away points in October, November and December. For one, if you look at some of the returns netted over the weekend, Rutherford would have been raked over hot coals had he tried to move As the Penguins found out, with the possibility that a couple more points either Malkin or Letang. could’ve delivered a much more favorable matchup, every single one of them matters. In Toronto, general manager Kyle Dubas had to part with a conditional first-round pick simply to get Patrick Marleau’s $6.25 million cap hit off Oh, and coming together as a team? the books. Might help if Rutherford doesn’t average multiple trades per month during Malkin and Letang would’ve been more attractive than the 39-year-old, the first couple months, either. but by how much? It did appear to be a great market for those peddling 6. The Metropolitan Division isn’t getting any easier. high-priced, veteran talent. The Devils drafted Jack Hughes at No. 1 overall and traded for Norris 3. There’s no way Rutherford is done yet. Trophy winner PK Subban. The Rangers were second, selecting winger Free agency is coming July 1. And while Rutherford won’t be very busy Kaapo Kakko, and they also recently added defenseman Jacob Trouba. — he has roughly $4.7 million in space, with restricted free agent deals The Hurricanes theoretically could keep Marleau but a buyout is more left to settle with Teddy Blueger, Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus likely. They also made the Eastern Conference final this past season and Pettersson — there are a few things Rutherford can and will address. then drafted 12 prospects. Hard to take them lightly. One, the backup goalie situation. Tristan Jarry will be on a one-way deal Inside the division, only the Blue Jackets stand to get worse, while the this year and is prime trade bait. At $675,000, Jarry won’t open up much Capitals — who won the Metro this past season — are poised to pretty cap space, but Rutherford conceivably could pair him with another player much tread water. Not a bad thing. in the right deal. All told, it could be the NHL’s toughest place to play this season. Doubtful it happens, but moving Jack Johnson’s $3.25 million cap hit would provide relief. With Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel back, the Post Gazette LOADED: 06.24.2019 spot could be back-filled rather easily — provided anyone will take the contract. 1148420 San Jose Sharks

Sharks free-agency decisions: Should forward Micheal Haley stay or go?

By Chelena Goldman June 23, 2019 3:43 PM

When the Sharks claimed Micheal Haley off waivers this past winter, everyone wondered when he would get into his first scrap.

He wasted no time, taking on Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby the very next day.

Micheal Haley claimed off waivers yesterday, fights Crosby today. What a legend. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/gb7zAYhUs5

— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) February 22, 2019

After leaving San Jose in 2017, there was no better way for Haley to announce his return.

Love him or hate him, Haley comes as advertised. He's a no-nonsense kind of player whose job is to keep opponents in check when they try knocking his teammates around. And when it comes to laying down the big hits, he does so without hesitation.

Now, the 33-year-old forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Here's a look at why he might stay in San Jose, and why he potentially already has played his last game in teal.

Why he could stay

Fans have strong opinions toward Haley, but teammates and coaches love having him in the mix. San Jose wouldn't have brought him back otherwise. Even though Haley wasn't an every-day player, coach Peter DeBoer liked having him in his arsenal.

While many aren't fond of Haley's physical style of play, there's no denying he brings a level of toughness that most of the Sharks' lineup doesn't have. For San Jose to keep up with some of the West's meaner teams, it helps to have a player who doesn't mind playing with some grit.

Why he could go

With the opening of free agency rapidly approaching, San Jose will be busy moving players around in an effort to create salary-cap space to lock down some of its main players. With space being created so the Sharks can sign those high-priority UFAs, it isn't likely Haley would receive a long-term deal as a utility player.

The Sharks also need more skilled players in their bottom six. While having a physical player like Haley benefited the Sharks during their hard-hitting playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, what they really need next season is depth scoring. Haley tallied just three points in 19 regular-season games with San Jose, which doesn't quite help.

The verdict

The Sharks might love having a player of Haley's caliber on their roster, but it seems more likely he'll play for a different team next season.

San Jose has a lot of work to do in order to sign some of its big-name players who are about to hit the market, so a bottom-six skater such as Haley won't take top priority. Additionally, the Sharks need more depth scoring after their bottom two lines had trouble producing deep into the playoffs.

So, with those two elements taking top priority, Haley's second tour in teal might be over.

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NHL rumors: Sharks might trade Brenden Dillon for salary-cap relief

By Ali Thanawalla June 23, 2019 1:23 PM

The Sharks are in a bit of a pickle.

San Jose has several important unrestricted and restricted free agents it wants to bring back, but not a lot of salary-cap space to re-sign everyone.

So, one possible solution is to trade out some salaries to make the numbers work.

One player that could be a casualty is defenseman Brenden Dillon.

The Athletic's Kevin Kurz confirmed an Ottawa Sun report that the Sharks "might be willing to deal" Dillon in order to free up cap space to re-sign captain Joe Pavelski.

Dillon is scheduled to make $3.27 million next season, in the final year of his contract

Dillon has formed a formidable defense with Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, but the Sharks might be able to absorb the loss of Dillon with the emergence of Radim Simek.

The NHL on Saturday set the 2019-20 salary cap at $81.5 million. With $66,657,417 in salary on the books, the Sharks at the moment have $14,842,583 in cap space to try to re-sign their 10 free agents.

Sending out Dillon isn't optimal, but if the Sharks want to keep guys like Pavelski, Timo Meier, Joonas Donskoi and Kevin Labanc, they might have to bite the bullet.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148422 St Louis Blues

Blues 2019 draft pick capsules

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 22, 2019

ROUND 2, No. 62 overall

NIKITA ALEXANDROV

Center, Charlottetown (QMJHL)

Height/weight: 6-0, 183

The pick: The 18-year old anchored the top line for the Islanders in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Lefthanded shooter had 27 goals, 34 assists in 64 games and was plus-24.

Scouting report: Ranked No. 29 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Had a shoot-first reputation, but became more of a well-rounded player in 2018-19. Plays with great hockey sense.

ROUND 3, No. 93 overall

COLTEN ELLIS

Goalie, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

Height/weight: 6-1, 183

The pick: Considered the top goalie prospect in the Quebec League this season. Went 27-15-2 with three shutouts, a 2.47 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Scouting report: Ranked No. 8 among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting. Consistent performer who has worked to get better; high goaltender IQ.

ROUND 5, No. 155 overall

KEEAN WASHKURAK

Center, Mississauga (OHL)

Height/weight: 5-10, 184

The pick: Only 17, he had 16 goals and 31 assists last season in the Ontario Hockey League. Also played for Canada’s U18 team in the World Championships.

Scouting report: Ranked No. 149 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. A grinder, feisty performer, but good skater who is not without skill.

ROUND 7, No. 208 overall

VADIM ZHERENKO

Goalie, MHK Moscow Dynamo (Russia)

Height/weight: 6-2, 172

The pick: In 19 games, this 18-year-old had a 2.29 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage.

Scouting report: Was not listed among the 12 international goalies ranked by NHL Central, so he’s a bit off the grid.

ROUND 7, No. 217 overall

JEREMY MICHEL

Left winger, Val d’Or (QMJHL)

Height/weight: 6-0 165

The pick: Scored 16 goals with 42 assists in 64 games in the QMJHL. Lefthander turned 18 last month.

Scouting report: Ranked No. 160 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148423 St Louis Blues Conference in a coaches poll. Michel had 16 goals and 42 assists playing for Val d’Or in the Quebec League.

The Blues selected a goalie last year in Joel Hofer, and have Ville Husso Center Alexandrov heads list of 5 Blues draft picks and Evan Fitzpatrick in their minor-league system, but you can never have enough.

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 22, 2019 “As you know, when you’re winning a seventh game (in the Stanley Cup Final), they come in handy,” Armstrong said. “It takes a long time to develop goaltenders. They’re such an important part of it.

In drafting three forwards and two goalies Saturday in the NHL draft, the “If you can land the one your staff wants, it’s always good to sign one Blues are hoping what they lacked in quantity they will make up for in every year to kinda keep feeding the pipeline.” quality a few years down the road. This year it was two: Only once since 1983, when the Blues did not participate in the draft shortly after the league blocked their move to Saskatoon, have the Blues - Colten Ellis from Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec League was taken had fewer picks in a draft. with the last pick of the third round, No. 93 overall. (Fitzpatrick and Jake Allen also were drafted by the Blues out of the “Q.”) Without a first-round pick this year because of the Ryan O’Reilly trade with Buffalo last July, the Blues had to wait until Day 2 of the draft — held - Late in the seventh round the Blues went to Russia for goalie Vadim this year in Vancouver, B.C. — to join the party. Zherenko from MHK Moscow Dynamo.

At the end of the second round, No. 62 overall, they made center Nikita Ellis was considered the top goalie prospect in the Quebec League this Alexandrov from Charlottetown of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey year and was rated the No. 8 North American goaltender this year by League their first pick. After the pick was made at Rogers Arena, home of NHL Central Scouting. the Canucks, the Blues’ victory song — “Gloria!” — was played in the “He’s got elite sense as a goaltender; he’s got great goaltender IQ,” Bill arena. Armstrong said. “He’s a competitor. The one thing that stands out for us By the end of the day, three of the Blues’ five picks were from the league is the background and his character. His hard work. And his ability to get known as the “Q.” better and improve all the time.”

“(Alexandrov’s) a guy that came on late,” said Bill Armstrong, the Blues’ “There’s things that they have to work on. Like any junior goaltender they assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting. “He’s had got weaknesses. But he’s aggressive. He comes out, he challenges. And some huge, huge playoffs out there.” we’re ecstatic about him.”

Over two postseason with Charlottetown, Alexandrov had 24 points (11 Ellis has piled up experience for Rimouski Oceanic, with a 60-23-1 record goals, 13 assists) in 24 playoff games. Bill Armstrong, no relation to over two seasons. This past season he went 27-15-2 with three shutouts Blues GM , likens Alexandrov to current Blues center and a 2.47 goals-against average. Tyler Bozak. Alexandrov, Ellis, Washkurak and Michel all will be back in junior hockey “He’s got some similarities,” Armstrong said. “He kinda plays like him. next season as they continue their development. Those four are He’s somebody that we followed all year. We thought we could get him at expected to be in St. Louis this week for the Blues’ prospect camp at the end of the second, and we were able to.” Enterprise Center.

During the regular season, Alexandrov had 27 goals and 34 assists. As for Zherenko, the Blues picked up an extra pick Saturday when they traded a seventh-rounder in the 2020 draft to Toronto for the Maple “It’s a really great organization,” Alexandrov said. “They have a lot of Leafs’ seventh-round pick in this year’s draft — No. 208 overall. They good players. It’s exciting to get drafted by the Stanley Cup champion. used that pick on Zherenko, who had a 2.29 goals-against average and a And now we can win some more.” .936 save percentage in 19 games for Moscow Dynamo.

Alexandrov is of Russian descent but was born and raised in Germany. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 After a long career in European professional hockey, mainly in the DEL (German League), Alexandrov’s father Igor settled in Germany. Nikita Alexandrov says he visits his grandparents nearly ever summer in Russia.

The Blues spoke with him at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, so he knew they were interested.

“But you never know what’s gonna happen in the draft,” he said. “So obviously I’m really happy that St. Louis picked me and I’m looking forward to it.”

Bill Armstrong said the Blues were impressed with Alexandrov’s speed, hockey sense, and willingness to play inside.

“He’s really got some good top-end speed,” Armstrong said. “He creates a lot off the rush. He goes to the dirty areas. He gets involved. The biggest thing for him is he’s always in the right place at the right time.”

The Blues also selected forwards in the fifth and seventh rounds, adding center Keean Washkurak from the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League at No. 155 overall and left wing Jeremy Michel from Val d’Or of the Quebec League at No. 217 overall with the last pick of the draft.

Armstrong described Washkurak as “a little rat that’s got skill. He’s someone that never gives up. He’s always in the mix. Loves to get involved. Physical game. We really like his effort.

“He’s got some wheels. He can push the pace. He can be dirty and nasty, but at the same time he’s got some skill.”

Only 17, Washkurak had 16 goals and 31 assists last season for Mississauga. He was voted the hardest worker in the OHL’s Eastern 1148424 St Louis Blues Indeed, Boston took 12 shots, while the Blues finished the period with just four. But the Blues led by one as the puck squirted out of the St. Louis defensive zone. It hit Jaden Schwartz’s stick with 15.8 ticks left, Petro's Game 7 goal one for the ages just enough time to muster something.

Schwartz skedaddled. Near the Bruins’ blue line, he was met by Marchand. Schwartz eluded him while ricocheting the puck off the Jun 22, 2019 boards, between the Great Clips and Tide advertisements, to himself. Marchand, infamously, continued to skate off ice for a line change. Petro Benjamin Hochman trailed the play.

“What happens next – there’s a high IQ that goes with that,” Rivers said Joe Fiala and Joe Fiala wore their white jerseys because the blue Blues of Pietrangelo. “You have to identify the situation, the time left in the ones were indisputably bad luck, and this was Game 7 of the Stanley period and exactly where everybody is on that play. So Petro decided – Cup Final, no time for either Joe to mess with mojo. I’m going to jump in, because the odds of this backfiring and heading back the other way? The consequences are almost nil, so why not throw The father and son had worn the blue ones to Game 1, which St. Louis everything at them? And the thing that was most impressive was his lost, so it was the whites the rest of the way for road games. They sat – composure. Because, quite honestly, you make that read to jump up in but mostly stood – in Loge 1, Row 3, Seats 18 and 19, the father said the play at the end of a period, you feel the stress of the clock ticking over a week later, as if reciting his phone number. That’s where they down. Ordinarily a guy, especially a defenseman, would’ve wanted to just were, just three rows behind the Blues themselves, when, as the father shoot that puck right away. ... described, “Petro puts on the moves, baby!” “But it feels like the game slows down for guys that are so great like that, The cameras caught the father Fiala squeezing both fists high toward the and Petro’s an elite player. So I imagine that as crazy and hectic as it all TD Garden rafters, which won’t need redecorating, after all. was in that moment, the game probably slowed down for him.”

The Blues beat the Bruins in Boston. And while Alex Pietrangelo’s Pietranglo received a dumped-back pass from Schwartz near the right greatest Game 7 highlight will be his hoisting of the Cup, it happened in dot. Ten seconds left. Petro angled toward the masked Tuukka Rask … part due to his historic histrionics, when he made a move to but the captain slyly pushed the puck to his backhand. haunt the Bruins — like when Orr scored to haunt the Blues from 1970 until, well, that very night. “He fired it underneath Rask’s arm,” said Robinson, who likens Petro’s abilities to that of Brent Burns of San Jose. “It was a great play and a “That was a sweet, little fake-move-backhand – and then (placing the very skillful play – a play not too many players in the league could make.” puck) up high? Oh my goodness,” said Fiala, 61, who attended all seven Cup Final games with his son. “And (Brad) Marchand goes off the ice It was a Boston gut punch. The Bruins had dominated the first period and when he shouldn’t have. That made it a little sweeter, obviously.” already trailed by one.

The Petro goal. “And then we sneak in another one?” Fiala said. “It was crazy! We were beside ourselves. It made the possibly of the win so much more It put the Blues up 2-0 with only 7.9 seconds left in the first period. tangible.”

It’s one of greatest goals in Blues history, overlapping the Venn St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 Diagram’s circle of the Blues’ coolest goals, too.

It will forever be the game-winning goal from the game the Blues won – 4-1 – to earn their first Stanley Cup.

A score of lore.

“He’s kind of a seat-of-your-pants-type of hockey player, and he plays off of instincts,” said Larry Robinson, the Hall of Fame defenseman and senior consultant for the Stanley Cup champions. “And no better instinct in that Final than that goal. … I know when that goal went in, it sure helped the big lump in my stomach disappear. Because I felt that one was probably the game-breaker for us, especially the fact that it came so late in the period.”

For Jamie Rivers, June happened because of the previous July.

The former Blues defenseman remembers the call from the defenseman Pietrangelo, the current captain.

“Push us,” Petro told Rivers. “And if some guys don’t like it, too bad.”

Rivers ran offseason workouts for Pietrangelo and numerous other Blues. The captain had just become a father of triplets in July of 2018, “and I mean two days after they got out of the hospital, he’s calling me because he wants to get back on the ice,” Rivers recalled. “The way he operates forced those guys to keep pace with him. … And when things were bad (in November and December), everybody’s like, ‘Strip the ‘C.’ Petro’s not a captain, Petro’s not a leader.’ People have no idea how much this guy has done in the shadows. …

“I thought it was only fitting that he had such an amazing game in that huge moment.”

Really, he had amazing games throughout the postseason. But in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, Pietrangelo was a plus-3, the best of any player. He had an assist on the first goal, and of course scored the second.

As the first period switched from minutes left to seconds left, “we felt very fortunate to be ending the period 1-0,” Fiala said. “I thought the Bruins beat the heck out of us in the first period.” 1148425 St Louis Blues

Blues select Russian center Alexandrov in second round

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 22, 2019

With their first pick of the NHL draft, No. 62 overall at the end of the second round, the Blues selected center Nikita Alexandrov on Saturday.

Alexandrov played for the in the Quebec Major Junior League this past season, and had 27 goals and 34 assists in 64 games. He was plus-24.

Alexandrov is 6-0, 183 pounds and shoots left. Rated No. 29 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting he is of Russian descent, but was born and grew up in Germany.

At the end of the third round, No. 93 overall, the Blues went back to the "Q" _ taking goalie Colten Ellis of Rimouski Oceanic. Ellis, 6-1, 183, posted a 27-15-2 record this past season with three shutouts, a 2.47 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Ellis, 18, also appeared in 12 playoff games, with a 2.36 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He's originally from Nova Scotia.

The Blues didn't have a fourth-round pick, with that pick going to Toronto in the Feb. 2018 trade for Nikita Soshnikov.

In the fifth round, No. 155 overall, they selected center Keean Washkurak from Mississauga in the Ontario Hockey League. Only 17, he had 16 goals and 31 assists last season and also played for Canada's U18 team in the World Championships.

The Blues traded a 7th-round pick in 2020 for Toronto's 7th-rounder _ No. 208 overall _ and used that pick for Russian goalie Vadim Zherenko. They kept their No. 217 overall pick _ the last pick in the draft _ and used that to select left wing Jeremy Michel.

Zherenko, 18, had a 2.29 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage last year playing for MHK Moscow Dynamo.

Michel, 18, became the third player from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League taken by the Blues in this draft _ out of five players drafted. He had 16 goals and 26 assists for Val D'Or. A left-handed shooter, he's 6-0, 165 pounds.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148426 St Louis Blues

Stanley Cup coming to Busch on June 26

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 22, 2019

The Stanley Cup's many stops will take it to Busch Stadium on Wednesday, June 26 for ceremonies before and during the Cardinals game with Oakland.

Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko and Pat Maroon are scheduled to be on hand, along with team's coaching staff. The Cardinals said the Cup and the players will be celebrated in pregame and in-game ceremonies.

Twenty thousand fans aged 16 and older will receive a "Gloria-ous" T- shirt, highlighting the Blues and their run and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148427 Toronto Maple Leafs Fehr noted the union and NHL can’t resolve the Olympic participation question alone in labour talks because outstanding issues must also be negotiated with the International Ice Hockey Federation and International World Cup reboot on the table in NHL contract talks | The Star Olympic Committee.

Bettman doesn’t see why the sides can’t reach a deal on the World Cup, given they’re both in favour. By John WawrowThe Associated PressSun., June 23, 2019 “Yes, so it should get done,” Bettman said. “We’re going to ultimately come together and figure out something that everybody’s comfortable with.” VANCOUVER—With labour talks having already begun on an informal basis, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Don Fehr are in Toronto Star LOADED: 06.24.2019 favour of rebooting the tournament and holding it every four years.

The stumbling block to laying out a long-term calendar of international competition, however, revolves around the hot-button topic of the NHL competing at the Winter Olympics after skipping out on South Korea last year.

“One of the things I hope we will have is an agreement to establish the long-term schedule for international events which would include World Cups of Hockey,” said Fehr, stressing the plural “Cups” during an interview with The Associated Press at the league’s draft festivities in Vancouver this past weekend. “That’s a stand-alone event. It should not be seen as competing with or replacing the Olympics. It can be done.”

Bettman is on board when it comes to the World Cup.

“We think that’s a great event and it’s something we’ve been trying to work out for more than two years,” he said. “We’re all in favour of setting an international calendar, and it takes two to tango, so to speak.”

There’s a caveat, of course, and the reason why the sides aren’t tangoing just yet.

“We think the World Cup of Hockey can be a wonderful event, particularly if we don’t go to the Olympics,” Bettman said.

Though resolving a way to reduce the percentage of players’ salaries being held back annually in an escrow fund is the NHL Players’ Association’s most pressing concern with the collective agreement, international competition is also on the list.

And that’s where the World Cup — revived in 2016 — and Olympic Games participation will play a role once formal negotiations begin this summer leading up to September deadlines in which either side can choose to opt out and terminate the current contract by the fall of 2020. The owners have until Sept. 1, and players on Sept. 15, to reach their decisions and set the clock ticking toward another potential work stoppage.

“There have been a series of discussions. I don’t think I would call them formal negotiations yet,” Fehr said. “And if your next question’s going to be how it’s going to end up, I’m going to tell you, ask me in the middle of August because I don’t know yet.”

Players are unhappy with the league’s decision to skip the most recent Winter Games after having participated in the previous five. Shutting down the regular season for two weeks is an issue for owners, as was the time difference regarding South Korea, with games being played in the early morning for North American audiences.

The union sides with the league involving other issues regarding Olympic participation such as players’ medical insurance coverage and marketing rights. None of those apply when it comes to the World Cup because it’s jointly controlled by the league and union, with both sides splitting the revenue.

The World Cup’s return was greeted with a tremendous amount of fanfare when Bettman and Fehr shared the podium at the 2015 all-star game festivities in Columbus, Ohio, to announce the eight-team event would be held in Toronto the following year. There was even discussion — but no resolution — of having it held every four years. The World Cup was previously played in 1996 and 2004, and succeeded the , which was held five times from 1976-91.

Speaking only for himself and not the union, Fehr said he would prefer the NHL compete at the Olympics and then have the World Cup held every four years — with two years separating the events.

“If it was up to me, I’d do it all sooner rather than later, but we’ll see,” Fehr said. “The question is, can we get the agreement on all the intervening pieces.” 1148428 Toronto Maple Leafs Other Leafs such as ($4.5 million over the next three seasons) and Connor Brown ($2.1 million next season) could be on the move. Trading the Kadri contract, though, would be especially tough to Order of business just getting started for Leafs GM Dubas with Marner swallow. contract to resolve When the Leafs made their pitch to Tavares last year, Marner was said to be part of a video the Leafs used to convince Tavares to sign.

Terry Koshan Marner then went on to lead the Leafs in scoring with 94 points. Toronto wants him back, but agent Darren Ferris is expected to listen to other Published:June 23, 2019 teams once the window to interview restricted free agents opens on Wednesday, if the situation gets to that point. That shouldn’t upset Leafs Updated:June 23, 2019 9:23 PM EDT Nation. It’s fully within Marner’s rights to explore that avenue.

Bet on the Leafs trying to do all they can to get Marner done prior to July Kyle Dubas is just getting started. 1.

The Maple Leafs general manager has little choice. It would be nice for all involved to never know whether an offer sheet would have materialized. Life must have seemed fairly simple a year ago, when the biggest challenge was putting together a package that would hopefully entice Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 John Tavares to come home and sign with the Maple Leafs.

It worked to a T, with Tavares signing a seven-year, $77-million US contract. Tavares then went out and put up career numbers in points (88) and goals (47) while playing in all 82 games during the regular season, finishing second in team scoring to Mitch Marner, the man on who Dubas now focuses the majority of his attention.

Dubas got out from under the Patrick Marleau contract during the draft in Vancouver, and though the price was a first-round pick that now belongs to the Carolina Hurricanes, the move had to be made to free up Marleau’s $6.25-million cap hit.

And though nothing was announced officially on Sunday, the Leafs are close to signing restricted free agent forwards Andreas Johnsson (four years with an annual average value of approximately $3.4 million) and Kasperi Kapanen (three years and an AAV of approximately $3.2 million).

There were clubs interested in one of Kapanen or Johnsson in the event they would take on the Marleau contract in a trade. That Dubas was able to hold on to both — they’re needed now, where a first-round pick in 2020 or 2021 is not — was wise.

In a perfect world, Dubas (who took the time to walk with Morgan Rielly in the Toronto Pride parade on Sunday, and good on them) would have departed the draft with Marner under contract and have added a couple of defencemen. It’s believed the Leafs were heavily involved in trade talks to bring a defenceman or two to Toronto, and throughout the weekend speculation had them linked to P.K. Subban (before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the Nashville Predators), Kris Letang, Brett Pesce and Tyson Barrie.

Perhaps we will learn in the next week or so that Dubas was able to lay the groundwork for a trade while all 31 National Hockey League clubs were congregated on the West Coast.

What will continue to force the issue for Dubas, of course, is the salary cap. It didn’t help the Leafs, or several other teams, that the cap for 2019-20 will come in at $81.5 million, or $1.5 million lower than original estimates. That’s money the Leafs, obviously, could have used.

Once the Johnsson and Kapanen contracts are announced, the Leafs will have approximately $74.5 million tied up in contracts for next season, including Nathan Horton’s $5.3 million, which is done after 2019-20. Dubas likely will be pushed at some point to put Horton’s contact on long- term injured reserve, which would provide a bit of a cushion.

Dubas has talked to teams about defenceman Nikita Zaitsev, but the Leafs won’t give him away, never mind that Zaitsev would like a change of scenery.

The Leafs simply don’t have the bodies on the blue line to get prospects in return, especially with Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey expected to depart. What’s unfortunate for Toronto is Zaitsev is a right-handed D- man, which is what they covet.

“We’re willing to try to accommodate and work with him, but we need a similar player back,” Dubas said on Saturday. “Until we do that, we don’t have the depth on D and we don’t want to rush our prospects. That is what has been communicated to (Zaitsev’s agent) Dan Milstein.”

Zaitsev’s AAV during the next five seasons is $4.5 million. 1148429 Toronto Maple Leafs “You just want to treat them the right way. Often, when you go back historically, it’s not only acquiring a player, it’s having them decide to stay. We went through that with Jumbo (Thornton), Brent Burns, etc.

NHL interview period spices up UFA rumours “If you have to convince people to want to be here, that’s a problem. (But) when they choose to stay here and be part of this going forward, it means a lot to all of us.” Lance Hornby Pavelski just completed a five-year, $30-million contract with the Sharks. This past season, he finished with 64 points and led the perennial contenders with 38 goals. A distinct group of National Hockey Leaguers opened the curtains Sunday morning to find a number of teams at their door. After Karlsson and dealing defenceman Justin Braun to the Philadelphia for two picks, the Sharks have $15.342 million in cap space. They’re The interview period for unrestricted free agents to speak to all clubs among the lucky ones. started just after midnight and marks the countdown to open market on July 1. A smaller window for restricted free agents who might sign offer “When the cap came out at $81.5 (million), there’s five teams for sure sheets begins Wednesday. that are panicking,” Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told the media after taking Marleau’s onerous contract off the Leafs’ hands for a first- In some cases, the teams will do the travelling to make the direct pitch to round pick. “Everyone thought the cap was going to be $82 or $83 UFAs — remember the caravan of clubs that travelled to Creative Artists (million). That’s good news for us.” Agency in California last June to woo John Tavares? — or the player will come to them on tour. As an RFA, two-time Leafs’ leading scorer Mitch Marner has little leverage but to stay at home when training camp starts — or wait and The Athletic Miami tweeted Sunday it was expected goalie Sergei see if an offer sheet materializes. While the possibility of the latter is Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin were heading to Florida to meet probably higher than in past years because teams with RFAs are under a the Panthers’ brass early this week, a move the Columbus Blue Jackets more severe cap crunch, the price is still stiff and discouraging, starting had quietly worked to avoid all summer. The Panthers have cap space to with four first-round picks as compensation if the deal is for more than handle what could be an $11.5-million US annual salary for Panarin $10.568 million annually. alone. Matt Duchene, whom the Jackets already brought in at the trade deadline in hopes of a long playoff run to inspire the two Russians, is An NHL executive, talking to the Sun about the risk of offer sheets for himself expected to attract many suitors. The Colorado Avalanche are Marner and others reminded: “It’s the nuclear bomb you can drop on among other teams mentioned as possible Panarin appointments. another team. But do you want someone to come back and drop the bomb on you?” While many people connected the dots to Duchene and the Nashville Predators, once the latter shed P.K. Subban’s salary in a trade with the Waddell was asked about his own RFA, centre Sebastien Aho, and noted Devils on Saturday, expect Duchene to take his time. such deals “don’t happen in June and July.”

Tavares’ old team, the Islanders, could lose their second captain in as But at least this week’s release of the mute button should make things a many years as Anders Lee told reporters on Saturday he’ll start listening lot more interesting. to bids. Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.24.2019 “This was never an intention,” Lee told .com. “There hasn’t been an agenda or anything like that. I didn’t think we’d get to this point. I haven’t enjoyed it, but it is what it is. I hope it works out. They (Isles) are working on it right now.”

Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy, spoke to Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello as recently as Saturday at the NHL draft.

Anyone want to talk to a member of the Cup-champion St. Louis Blues’ defence? Carl Gunnarsson is available, though there are reports the 32- year-old prefers negotiating exclusively with the Blues for now. Ditto for forward Patrick Maroon.

Blueliner Anton Stralman, of the regular-season champion Tampa Bay Lightning, is also going to be busy speaking to teams this week.

In Toronto, the Patrick Marleau trade freed up money for RFAs Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to sign this week and also gave a glimmer of hope to UFA Jake Gardiner that he might not leave if savings are found elsewhere via another trade. But longstanding rumours have Gardiner getting a fresh start on a Midwest team close to his Minnesota roots.

Though fans should not expect UFAs to provide hometown discounts in these days of salary escrow grumbling, there’s something to be said for clubs who can create the right environment to make the player think twice about leaving.

The San Jose Sharks gave Erik Karlsson a year to get acclimatized before he had to make his UFA decision and he’s staying for eight years and $92 million. General manager is now trying to find numbers that work for two other favourable returnees, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, though he fully understands they can look around this week.

“Ultimately, they do have choices and they’re well aware of other cities, they talk to other players, wives talk to wives,” Wilson told the local NBC radio affiliate. “They should have choices. That’s part of this whole process. You take a look at the top players around the league and that (big money) they‘re getting is because there just aren’t that many difference makers. 1148430 Toronto Maple Leafs It’s that ability to see people who identify in many different ways gather that gets Dubas excited about what the Leafs organization can do for the city it calls home.

Marching in Pride parade part of Kyle Dubas and Morgan Rielly’s effort to “You see what sports can do in the community,” said Dubas. “Doing our promote inclusivity within Maple Leafs part, we want to make sure that we’re inclusive of everybody with the Maple Leafs and at MLSE.”

By Joshua Kloke Jun 23, 2019 Wearing rainbow-coloured shoes and Leafs shirts and marching in the Pride parade may seem like simple gestures, but they can have an important, far-reaching impact, according to Brian Kitts, co-founder and president of You Can Play. Morgan Rielly returned to his Toronto condo ahead of Sunday’s Pride parade to find a package. He’d told one of his sponsors that he was “This is not something that’s required,” Kitts said of their participation. marching in the parade, and inside the package were multiple pairs of “For them to speak out on their behalf of this community as allies, it’s a rainbow-coloured shoes to wear during the march. statement that really is unequaled. They’re really putting themselves out there personally. I think we as an organization and fans in general are Yet the Maple Leafs defenceman intends not just to wear the rainbow- deeply grateful for it.” coloured shoes at the parade but also to make them an essential part of his wardrobe to showcase the importance of aligning himself with the Kitts said that by Dubas and Rielly marching in the parade with You Can LGBTQ community. Play, there will be a greater awareness of what kind of education You Can Play are able to provide to professional and amateur teams. “This is something we obviously believe in as a team and as an organization,” said Rielly on Sunday. “I don’t think it’s a one-time event. “Any time you get a player involved, it’s a vote of confidence not just in I’m going to keep wearing them after this.” how they feel about the LGBTQ community but how they intend to represent sports,” said Kitts. Rielly and Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas marched in Sunday’s parade with You Can Play, an organization working to promote inclusivity Kitts said he’s seen a change throughout hockey not solely in a raised in all sports. Marching in the parade is part of the Leafs’ continued hopes awareness of the effect hurtful, homophobic slurs can have but in also in to “be the leaders,” according to Dubas, in taking part in Pride activities. “promotion of visibility.”

“I think you have to be as inclusive as humanly possible,” said Dubas on “When you get (players) not just worried about slurs, but when you get Sunday. “Every race, sexual orientation, every gender, everything. When them using Pride tape on sticks, when you get them showing up at Pride you’re a sports team, you see the impact you can have on the events, that says they’re on board with this in ways that five years ago community. And it’s more than just the games and wins and losses, it’s we wouldn’t have been talking about,” said Kitts. events like this, being supportive of everybody and making everybody feel welcome in the community and safe in the community. You’re In March, the NHL investigated an incident when Rielly allegedly used a fortunate to be able to work in sports, and one of the great fortunes is lots homophobic slur during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Rielly of people pay attention to it and lots of people are big fans of it. For us, was quickly cleared of wrongdoing by the league, and Rielly and Dubas that also means that everybody is included in that and feels safe doing addressed the media the following day. so.” “I think it’s an opportunity for us as a team to realize that there’s really no For Dubas and Rielly, marching in the parade was an essential part of place for slurs like that in sport and in life,” Rielly told reporters in March. their summer. Dubas returned to Toronto after two exhaustive days at the Dubas also made it clear in March that the Leafs were trying to create a NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver on Friday and Saturday, and Rielly arrived place of inclusivity for players, employees and fans. in Toronto on Sunday morning from his Vancouver home to attend the parade. “It’s incumbent on us in management to build an environment if someone were gay, or were questioning their sexual orientation, that they don’t feel Rielly has previously attended Vancouver’s Pride parade. that they have to come in here and be somebody that they’re not,” Dubas “I’ve heard the one in Toronto is way bigger,” he said while looking out at told reporters in March. “And that we can create an environment where the thousands of people gathered on Bloor Street to begin the march, even if they don’t come out, if they are gay, that they still feel safe within “which obviously it is.” the confines of our building.”

Rielly began his career with the Leafs in 2013. One year later, Dubas Since then, Dubas said the number of people who reached out to him was hired. In that time, Rielly and Dubas have come to share an affection regarding his and Rielly’s comments following the incident was for the city’s diversity. unbelievable.

“That’s the part of Toronto,” said Rielly, “that I really love.” “That was a key moment in recognizing how much you can do as a sports team in the community,” Dubas said Sunday. “There’s a lot of Morgan Rielly (Joshua Kloke / The Athletic) people out there looking for support, and they have a lot of pride in who they are. For us to show that (pride) in them, we have to do that. That’s Rielly notes how the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone campaign, which the very gratifying when you’re in sports and you can have that impact.” league is using to “drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities,” is a standard that should not be held true just for hockey And it’s an impact Rielly hopes he can continue to have. but also “in all walks of life and all jobs.” “This is something,” said Rielly, “we feel passionate about.” “I think it’s important that’s relayed,” said Rielly. “I think it’s important that you embrace Toronto for Toronto and what it is and the people here.” The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019

Dubas agrees. He sees the power teams like the Leafs can have to effect change on a wider scale by promoting an inclusive environment and also to welcome fans across “one of the most diverse cities in the world.”

“What I’ve seen over time is that as different events have happened in hockey or elsewhere, people to look to sports as their source of release and joy,” said Dubas. “With that, you bring in all the different people in the community.”

While watching the Toronto Raptors celebrate their NBA Finals championship parade last week, Dubas recognized how millions of people of all walks of life, as Rielly said, could gather in celebration. 1148431 Toronto Maple Leafs Targets such as those – and the continued interest in being a part of the Jake Gardiner talks – are evidence that the Leafs might opt to acquire more left-shot defencemen, despite their complete lack of righties if they Mirtle: With little salary-cap space, Leafs might have to think outside the move out Nikita Zaitsev. box in order to reshape their blueline What they have to give up for help on the blueline is a fascinating question, given their newfound commitment to keeping Kapanen and Johnsson as part of their young core. Fitting in another sizeable contract By James Mirtle Jun 23, 2019 won’t be easy, either.

Assuming Dubas can still get Mitch Marner signed for somewhere in the neighbourhood of $10 million, the Leafs’ cap situation is now far clearer VANCOUVER – What a complete and awful poison pill that Patrick than a few days ago. And it remains very tight, even without Marleau’s Marleau contract ended up being. money. The Maple Leafs had a really interesting draft this year given all they are That 21-player roster above leaves Toronto with just $565,000 in cap trying to do to clear cap space, but the story of the weekend was space. This lineup is obviously an unfinished portrait, however, given the surrendering their 2020 first-rounder the day after they didn’t have a pick Leafs are likely to move several players to open more holes. in 2019’s opening round. I asked several executives around the league how they felt about the deal and most seemed to understand and The Leafs could trade all three — Brown, Zaitsev and Sparks — in the appreciate why it was made. coming days. If they’re dealt solely for picks or futures, without money coming back, that would increase the Leafs’ available cap space to about But it was a grim reminder how expensive it can be to get out of a brutal $8 million (assuming, again, that Marner is signed to a deal with some contract just 24 hours before the NHL’s unrestricted free-agent interview term in the $10 million range). window opened on Sunday. But that’s with only 18 players on the NHL roster and holes at almost “They had to do it,” one rival team exec said. every position. Dubas has to somehow turn that potential cap opening What I liked about the Leafs day is that it was forward thinking. Yes, they into two more defencemen who can play the right side and a backup surrendered a first-round pick, which weakens the prospect pool, but they goaltender. And the Leafs will have to ensure they are comfortable with also locked in Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson for the medium their reinforcement options up front, too, given Zach Hyman’s injury and term. Given how tight the Leafs were with cap space, I expected they the uncertainty over what KHL signing can contribute at would need to squeeze them hard on shorter-term offers – perhaps even the NHL level. going through an arbitration war with Johnsson. Dubas can wait out the initial few days of free agency next week and try The problem with that approach would have been twofold: to unearth a few bargain buys, especially when it comes to, say, a second goaltender. (The return of McElhinney?) 1. Those players would have been able to put up big seasons next year and earn even bigger paydays on subsequent contracts, making the cap But the Leafs are going to have to swing something far bigger to reshape ramifications far more problematic in 2020-21, 2021-22 and beyond. their blueline. Every indication this weekend was that they’re willing to think outside the box and put some surprising names on the table to do 2. Other teams around the league were contemplating giving both so. Where talks go at this point is difficult to forecast. players offer sheets on July 1. A rival GM could have given either of them a one- or two-year deal for up to $4.227 million average annual value and The more I look at what they have and what they need, however, the surrendered only a second-round pick, which was attractive to rebuilding more I think it’s going to take trading a key player such as Nazem Kadri teams given the weak UFA class this year. or to shift things forward and better balance the roster. And it doesn’t feel impossible that Marner could be dealt, given the contract Matching offers like that would have been difficult for the Leafs, given impasse and the fact that Toronto really can’t afford to concede much everything else they’re trying to accomplish. more than it already has on the AAV.

So they locked up both for a midrange amount – roughly $3.2 million for Moving Marleau was difficult and costly, but it was also a binary decision Kapanen and $3.4 million for Johnsson – which ensures they’ll have that helped the Leafs keep their young talent, now and in the future. some decent scoring depth on Matthews and Tavares’ wings until at least 2022. Significantly upgrading the Leafs’ blueline, given their cap constraints and the market for D help, is going to be even harder. Teams had been trying hard to pry those players loose in most of Toronto’s trade discussions the past few weeks. “If you want us to take “If we can improve our D, we will,” Dubas said at the end of the draft. “I Marleau, give us Johnsson,” they’d say. Or “if you want us to take think our forward group is very good, but you’re always trying to improve Zaitsev, give us Kapanen.” everything. I understand what comes along with being in Toronto. I think everyone here is smart enough to know what our team needs. You guys Other GMs were well aware of the Leafs’ cap situation and attempted to watch the team and travel with them all year. Everyone has their opinion, take advantage. The fact Marleau has a 35-plus contract full of signing and it’s well-educated. Whenever those types of players are available, it bonuses and a no-movement clause made it extremely difficult to offload, is always going to be drawn back to us to see if we’re interested, and as the cap hit is indestructible and the buyout toothless. we’ll always investigate things that can make us better.”

A lot of NHL execs found the idea of paying for a pick with $6.25 million The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019 in cap space and $3.83 million in cash unthinkable.

In the end, Carolina was the only suitor that made sense.

The Leafs front office came away from the weekend satisfied that Stage 1 of a difficult offseason had been handled reasonably well. The Leafs know this cap dance they’re doing doesn’t leave much room for error, not if they want to improve the blueline, something that still remains at the top of the to-do list.

They’ve seemingly talked to every team in the league about every defenceman they could plausibly add, including some surprising names such as Darnell Nurse, a former Soo Greyhound whom Leafs GM Kyle Dubas apparently tried to pry out of Edmonton a few weeks ago in a blockbuster deal before talks broke down. They’ve also expressed interest in Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, which was a non-starter for the Canes. 1148432 Toronto Maple Leafs deals for Johnsson and Kapanen, their other two pending RFAs. As reported by the TSN insider tag team of Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger, those deals will end up around four years with a $3.4 million cap Kyle Dubas had a productive draft weekend, but the Leafs aren’t done hit for Johnsson and three years with a $3.2 million cap hit for Kapanen. yet That can’t happen without getting Marleau out of the way, especially with the cap not rising as much as expected.

By Jonas Siegel Jun 23, 2019 The Leafs pay a little more to both players right away but stand to reap value down the line — and maybe even sooner if Johnsson, in particular, is able to carry his final 55 games into next season (18 goals, 40 points). At worst, the 24-year-old should be good for 20 goals and 40 to 50 VANCOUVER — Kyle Dubas emerged from draft weekend looking, and points, especially if he continues to run with Auston Matthews. Kapanen sounding, refreshed. feels like a good bet for 20 goals and 35 to 40 points. And why not? Both players will end up landing right around 4 percent of next year’s cap The Maple Leafs GM managed to tick off some major boxes from his — Kapanen just under, Johnsson just over. The deals sort of mirror the long list of offseason priorities. The Patrick Marleau contract? Wiped second contracts the Leafs gave to Connor Brown (three years) and away. New contracts for coveted RFAs Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Zach Hyman (four) two summers ago, but with a slight and very Kapanen? Just about done. The Leafs even landed Nick Robertson, a reasonable premium given the offensive upside both Johnsson and left winger ranked inside the top 30 by both of The Athletic’s prospect Kapanen bring to the table. gurus, Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman, with the 53rd overall pick. Johnsson’s new deal, which buys up one year of UFA, will expire in It was a productive weekend for Dubas, albeit with major tasks still lying 2023. He’ll become one of four forwards and five players on the roster — ahead. Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev — signed for that long. The Marleau solution wasn’t perfect, and admittedly so for Dubas, who more or less confirmed that Marleau was looking to play elsewhere If he’s not dealt to address needs elsewhere, Kapanen will still be under (presumably, a return to San Jose). team control as an RFA when his deal expires in 2022.

“We were trying to do all that we could to help him,” Dubas said of the Dubas said it was a “huge relief” to finally know where those cap 39-year-old from the concourse at Rogers Arena, fellow GMs all numbers would land after having to guess and project for so long with the scattered around him after the seventh and final round wrapped up Marleau puzzle still unsolved. Saturday afternoon. “In our situation, with our cap (situation), we didn’t “And I think for us, (it’s important) knowing that they’re locked in and not want to do one of those trades where it was moving a salary or a cap hit just on for one year, and they’re going to be part of our group for a while,” that was going to take anybody off our roster, so you start to look at your he said. “They’re big young pieces for us, so that’s a big help.” draft capital. And when you’re talking about a $6.25 (million) cap hit and $4 million in cash (that Marleau was still owed), you start to have to pay a (Dan Hamilton / USA Today) hefty price, and that’s what we’ve done today.” But for whatever got done in B.C., big, difficult things still remain, the A first-round pick is a serious, if necessary, cost to getting out from under largest of which is locking up the final piece of the current core. the final year of the Marleau deal. Dubas was boxed in, though, with the no-movement clause Lou Lamoriello included in the three-year contract Mitch Marner, and all the other spicy, unsigned RFAs league-wide, can two summers ago. That gave Marleau final say on where he was going, start meeting with teams Wednesday. The Leafs, as Dubas noted, looked or not going, with a buyout presumably the only reason he lifted that back and found only one example since 2008 of a Group-2 free agent, NMC in the first place for his first trade — maybe ever. with no arbitration rights, talking to other teams. Many should join that group next week. Like his peers, from Calgary (Matthew Tkachuk) to (Marleau spent his entire NHL career with the Sharks before joining the Colorado (Mikko Rantanen) to Tampa (Brayden Point) to Philadelphia Leafs in 2017 and played both of his junior seasons in Seattle.) (Ivan Provorov) and beyond, Dubas is confronting that next-generation player who wants to get paid and paid now. The cost was high and leaves the Leafs without first-round picks in back- to-back years for the first time since 2003 and 2004. Dubas said the “It’s a little bit of a new world,” Dubas acknowledged. “Obviously, you market demanded it. And really, why wouldn’t a team like the Hurricanes, always hope you don’t go down to the final hour. Seems to be a specialty or any other club for that matter, demand something special to eat the of ours a little bit. remains of Marleau’s contract? If it wasn’t a prized pick, Dubas implied that the few teams interested sought the likes of Johnsson and Kapanen, “We’ll try to avoid it this time,” he added, referring to the Nylander which was obviously a no-go. standoff.

(Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today) Then, there’s the matter of Zaitsev and the question mark that sits atop the Leafs defence. So the price of the pick, while imperfect, was also necessary for a team in Stanley Cup mode with more important, timely moves to make. Dubas said it was “status quo” in regards to the 27-year-old’s trade request, which means that as of now no team has been interested in “You hate to be in that position and put that type of pressure on your absorbing the five years remaining on Zaitsev’s contract. Making matters scouts and then your development people,” Dubas said of surrendering more challenging: The Leafs apparently want a defenceman back in any another first rounder. “But when making that call, what we said as a such deal. “We don’t have the depth on D and we don’t want to rush our group, we could go that way and keep our picks, which are largely prospects,” Dubas said. unknowns. Or we could start to move players off our roster, which we really didn’t want to do, especially with the quality of the young players That seems mighty optimistic. If the Leafs can untangle themselves from that were being asked for in that exchange. We, in the end, decided the another spillover from the Lamoriello era, preferably without another pick was the way to go.” sweetener like the one surrendered in the Marleau deal, they need to do it even if they can’t get help back on the back end. This wasn’t Dubas’ mess, but one the Leafs needed him to clean up anyway. It was a complex situation, not only because of Marleau’s That said, the construction of the defence with, and especially without, control over the process but also the lack of teams in the position, willing Zaitsev merits real scrutiny. Right now, with everyone healthy (and Travis or not, to swallow the cap hit and contract. There was a chance, maybe Dermott won’t be to start the season), it would look like this: even a good one, of this not happening at all. As recently as Thursday Morgan Rielly – ? evening, Dubas said there was a “strong chance” Marleau was even back in Toronto next season. Maybe that was posturing to get a deal Jake Muzzin – ? done, or grim reality setting in. Calle Rosen – Travis Dermott Zapping Marleau’s hit from next year’s $81.5 million cap has meant the Leafs being able to go longer, with slightly higher cap hits, on second Justin Holl Disappear Zaitsev and suddenly, the Leafs need not one but two defencemen to play in their top four, and preferably two who play the right side. Landing one was going to be pricey and difficult (what with the lack of cap space and assets likely required in such a deal), but two?

“Obviously, we’ve got some work to do there,” Mike Babcock said from the draft floor.

Dubas reiterated what he’s said all along and that’s the Leafs desire to keep pending UFA Jake Gardiner, but, “We still don’t have that amount of (cap space).”

More magic is going to be required to bolster this group. Maybe that’s through dealing Zaitsev and perhaps Connor Brown, too, and then bringing back Gardiner. Or as a stab at cheaper depth, re-signing Ron Hainsey to a one-year deal if that’s on the table. Maybe Dubas will have no choice but to trade the valuable Nazem Kadri for the kind of piece the Leafs need, in particular, for their top pair.

Would they rather have sturdy depth at centre and a thin blue line, or get stronger on defence and slide Nylander over to the middle? Maybe another forward has to go?

The other thing to keep in mind is that the defence that opens the season in October isn’t necessarily the one that will line up in April.

There’s always another Muzzin out there at the trade deadline. Jared Spurgeon, for example, has only a year remaining on his contract. Maybe the Wild are out of it by then and willing to deal.

Dubas was bouncing all over the draft floor over two days in Vancouver. He chatted with Predators GM David Poile, connected with Sharks GM Doug Wilson and gave the thumbs up to Blues GM Doug Armstrong a few minutes before a swap of seventh-round picks — the Leafs in 2019 for the Blues in 2020. He was on his phone(s) constantly.

While he helped engineer the biggest free agent in franchise history during his first offseason in charge last summer, we didn’t really get a sense then how Dubas would handle difficult problems like the ones he’s been confronted with here. We’ve seen with the Marleau move that he’s willing to make hard choices (dealing a first-rounder, and revered dressing figure) for necessary solutions.

But he’s only just taken the first steps.

The Marner situation is murky and fraught with risk. The defence has holes. There might be no way out from Zaitsev’s contract after all.

In short, there’s more work to be done.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.24.2019

1148433 Vegas Golden Knights LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.24.2019

Golden Knights’ salary cap issues not as bad as they appear

By David Schoen / Las Vegas Review-Journal

June 23, 2019 - 9:30 PM

To those not schooled in the nuances of the salary cap — in other words, most people — the Golden Knights’ current situation appears to be problematic.

Kelly McCrimmon happens to know a lot about the cap. And the incoming general manager is less worried than Alfred E. Neuman.

“We’re comfortable, and it’s manageable,” McCrimmon said following the NHL draft Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia. “Every team has things to work through, and we’re no different.”

With center William Karlsson on the verge of signing an eight-year deal that a source confirmed Sunday will have a $5.9 million annual average salary, the Knights took care of their No. 1 offseason priority.

Now, McCrimmon and incoming president of hockey operations George McPhee can get to work on putting the club in compliance with the $81.5 million upper limit.

“The next 48 hours, those are the things that we’ll talk about,” McCrimmon said Saturday. “There’s a lot that goes on this week and yet, it’s impossible and probably not even healthy, arguably — your focus is on the draft. That’s such a critical event for all teams.

“With that behind us, we’ve got development camp that begins (this) week, and we can certainly work simultaneously. We’ll have our pro staff in Vegas. Our management will be in Vegas, and we’ll get going on that coming right up.”

Counting Karlsson’s contract, the Knights are approximately $7.525 million over the salary cap — teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent during the offseason — with $89.025 million committed to 13 forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender for the upcoming season.

That figure includes $5.25 million owed to David Clarkson, who hasn’t played since 2016 due to a back injury, $500,000 in retained salary from the Tomas Tatar trade to Montreal and the contracts of fringe forwards Curtis McKenzie ($750,000) and/or Valentin Zykov ($675,000).

Sources at the draft confirmed the Knights were trying to shed Clarkson’s contract but balked at the asking price, and defenseman Colin Miller ($3.875 million cap hit) also reportedly remains on the trading block.

Subtract another $1.425 million if McKenzie and Zykov eventually go on waivers and the situation isn’t quite as bleak as it appeared, with a little more than $3 million in cap space for five remaining roster spots.

“We’ve talked to teams all along,” McCrimmon said of potential trades. “I think all 31 teams have done that, and we’ll continue to do that. That’s just part of our business.

“You go through the critical dates at this time of year. You’ve got the draft, which of course is a really important event for all teams. And now we’ve got the week leading into free agency. Those are all the times of year where discussions will continue, and we’ll see where they go.”

Barring a major trade, the Knights’ top six forwards are all under contract, and the third line is shaping up as a competition between Cody Eakin, Erik Haula, Alex Tuch and restricted free agent Nikita Gusev. William Carrier, Ryan Reaves and RFA Tomas Nosek could make up the fourth line.

On defense, unrestricted free agent Deryk Engelland could re-sign, which would leave two roster spots open if Miller departs.

The Knights still wouldn’t be under the cap in that scenario, but they’d be closer. And that’s why McCrimmon’s sense of calm about the matter starts to make more sense.

“That’ll all come clear,” McCrimmon said. “I think the presence of the salary cap will influence a lot of activity that goes on in the next couple of weeks, right through free agency, let’s be honest.” 1148434 Vegas Golden Knights Who is William Karlsson?

Who knows. Maybe the guy who, before arriving here, had a career-high season of nine goals in 2015-16. Maybe the guy who then netted 43 Karlsson extension the latest sign of Golden Knights culture during a historic expansion run. Maybe the one whose total dropped to 24 last season.

By Ed Graney / Las Vegas Review-Journal Maybe a little of all those guys.

Is he a steal at eight years with an AAV of $5.9 million? Nobody knows. Not yet. This isn’t the first time things have pointed back to those nice but completely unsuspecting types that handle media relations for parts of In four full years, he has produced one incredible NHL season, a solid Bill Foley’s financial empire, much as William Karlsson isn’t the first one and two in Columbus where he was a depth forward with a good Golden Knights player to care more about term than dollars when it work ethic in every zone, and yet still got exposed in an expansion draft. comes to a contract extension. But know this: Like teammates such as Jonathan Marchessault and Alex It’s all defined by the same cause. Tuch and Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt and even the likes of Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty, some who took less money than what the It all circles back to how an owner runs his franchise. open market might have paid in time or simply desiring long-term security when traded to a place whose reputation is exemplary for how well it Karlsson reportedly has agreed to an eight-year extension with an treats players, Karlsson cared more about term than dollars. average annual value of just under $6 million, but don’t embrace what will be a popular yet altogether lazy reaction that such a deal is some sort of He wanted to be here for much longer than a minute. immense steal for the team. That’s a direct credit to Foley and what he has created. Nobody knows that and certainly can’t prove it right now, not even those rewarding him with such a contract, and they know more than anyone Once again, it all circles back to the owner. involved and, oh, about a million times more than anyone in my business Culture, man. If it’s not everything, it’s close. (present company included) offering opinions. LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.24.2019 Do you know when a team really gets a steal?

When the player over time proves it one.

That part is now on Karlsson, a 26-year-old center who, like a handful of teammates before, obviously made remaining in Las Vegas a priority over, perhaps, even the number of zeros on a paycheck.

Which brings us to something we absolutely know: Foley and his management team with the Knights have done an unbelievable job creating a culture that players want to be part of for the long term.

Which brings us back to those unsuspecting folks.

Foley’s portfolio is vast, from buying and revitalizing a struggling title insurance firm called Fidelity National Financial, to wineries and golf courses and hotels and ski resorts and steakhouses and fast-food restaurants and auto parts manufacturers.

But when he was awarded an NHL expansion franchise in 2016, despite his fondness for hockey and previous flirting with the idea of purchasing the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, he didn’t come off as someone with great knowledge in terms of how sports media operates. How stubborn and unrelenting and bothersome we can be.

Those who handled inquiries for him at the time were also, shall we say, unaccustomed to such a consistent barrage of requests. I mean, they struggled.

But even as they all sort of learned on the job about the world of sports and those who cover it and how best to work with them as a way to engage a new fan base, one thing remained constant: Foley demanded everything be done in a first-class manner.

No detail left unfinished, no corner cut, no advantage missed for his team to have the best opportunity at succeeding.

Maybe it’s the U.S. Army in him. The intense feeling of loyalty. Maybe the businessman. But his players are treated beyond compare. They want for nothing on and off the ice.

Yes, winning helps. A lot. The Knights were good from the beginning and appear to be set up for such ways in the future. Players like to win.

Yes, the part about no state tax helps. More cheese in the ol’ bank account is never a bad thing.

And, no, these sorts of discounts — I hate that word, given the market simply bears what both player and management ultimately agree upon — probably don’t occur in Buffalo, and I love Buffalo.

But it’s Vegas.

Someone ask James Neal how much he missed it last season.

Credit the owner 1148435 Vegas Golden Knights Marchessault is excited to have his linemate of the last two seasons along for the long haul.

“You being here for a long time makes me happy like these pics,” he Golden Knights, William Karlsson near 8-year extension posted Sunday on Instagram along with a series of photos of them together over the last two years.

By Adam Hill / Las Vegas Review-Journal LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 06.24.2019

June 23, 2019 - 9:43 am

Center William Karlsson has been clear about his desire to remain with the Golden Knights long term.

He will get his wish after agreeing to a new eight-year contract worth $47.2 million.

The restricted free agent’s deal will keep him in Las Vegas through 2026- 27. A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed the terms of the pact Sunday after it was first reported by TSN and The Athletic.

A spokesperson said the team was aware of the reports, but could neither confirm nor comment at this time.

Eight years is the maximum term allowable under the collective bargaining agreement for a player re-signing with his team.

The length of the contract gives Karlsson the security he was seeking in exchange for accepting a $5.9 million average annual value that may be less than market value for the cap-strapped Knights.

Karlsson had 24 goals and 56 points last season while playing on a one- year deal for $5.25 million that was agreed to last summer to avoid arbitration.

“(It would be) nice to just have a long-term deal just to not have to deal with these kinds of questions after every year,” Karlsson said after the season ended in April with a first-round playoff series loss to the San Jose Sharks. “I mean, this is where I want to be. Ever since I got here, I’ve been very happy, both on and off the ice. I see this team has a great chance of winning in the future. This is definitely where I want to be and be a part of.”

Incoming general manager Kelly McCrimmon said locking up Karlsson was among the team’s top offseason priorities.

“Every team has work that they have to do,” he said Saturday at the NHL draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We’re no different. William is a priority for us and we’re hopeful that sooner rather than later we can have him under contract past this year.”

Karlsson had a breakout campaign in the team’s inaugural season, netting 43 goals and 78 points, with a plus-49 rating for the Stanley Cup finalists.

The Sweden native has proved his worth on the defensive end, finishing sixth in voting for last year’s Selke Trophy. He was 17th on this year’s ballot for the award that goes to the league’s top defensive forward.

Karlsson’s durability has also been an asset as he is the only player to have appeared in every game — regular season and postseason — in franchise history.

His two strong seasons came on the heels of two relatively quiet seasons in Columbus where he totaled 15 goals and 45 points in 162 games over his first two full NHL seasons before being left exposed and selected by the Knights in the expansion draft.

General manager George McPhee said in April the team having another year of familiarity with Karlsson would be helpful in the process of negotiating a new deal.

“We just have more data to work with,” McPhee said. “We’re pretty clear on what kind of player he is, and I believe he is as well. We’ll get to work on it shortly and hopefully get it wrapped up.”

When the deal is made official, it will give the Knights six players signed through at least the 2023-24 season. Forward Mark Stone is also signed through 2026-27 and Alex Tuch’s contract goes through 2025-26. Defensemen Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore have deals that cover the next six seasons, and forward Jonathan Marchessault has five years remaining on his deal. 1148436 Vegas Golden Knights

Reports: Golden Knights sign William Karlsson to long-term contract

By Justin Emerson (contact)

Sunday, June 23, 2019 | 12:21 p.m.

It appears “Wild Bill” is here to say.

Golden Knights fans woke up Sunday to multiple reports that William Karlsson had agreed to a max-length extension to remain with the team through the 2027 season. The deal is expected to be official later this week.

The Athletic reported it would be an eight-year deal with a $5.9 million annual average value.

Karlsson had a disappointing season in 2018-19 after bursting into stardom two years ago.

In Vegas’ inaugural season, he was third in the NHL with 43 goals and racked up 78 points to help win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. He became a restricted free agent last summer but was unable to come to a long-term agreement and signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal.

Karlsson slipped to 24 goals and 56 points this season, but his defense never wavered and he maintained his chemistry with linemates Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith.

There was debate about how Karlsson should be valued, and whether the 43-goal scorer or the 24-goal scorer was closer to his true potential. Reports said Karlsson was looking for length and stability in his new contract while Vegas, already over next season’s salary cap, wanted a reasonable annual cap hit.

This contract appears to be the compromise, as Karlsson will take home less per year than comparable free agents like New York’s Brock Nelson ($6 million per year) and Philadelphia’s Kevin Hayes ($7.143 million) who recently signed new deals.

Neither Nelson nor Hayes, who both had more leverage as unrestricted free agents, signed for eight years, though both were eligible.

Karlsson is the latest member of the Golden Knights’ core to ink a long- term deal, becoming the sixth player to be under contract for at least five more seasons. He joins Mark Stone for the longest locked-up at eight years with Alex Tuch signed for seven, Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore at six and Marchessault at five.

The Golden Knights now have a projected cap hit of $89.025 million for next season, which is $7.525 million over the cap. Vegas will need to trade players in order to get under the salary cap so those with a bigger cap hit like Colin Miller and Cody Eakin appear to be natural candidates.

The Golden Knights have until the end of training camp, however, so a deal is not guaranteed to come immediately.

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148437 Washington Capitals Rounding out the list was Washington Post horse racing writer Andrew Beyer.

Washington Times LOADED: 06.24.2019 Stanley Cup-winning Capitals headline D.C. Sports Hall of Fame class

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Sunday, June 23, 2019

The D.C. Sports Hall of Fame’s newly-inducted Class of 2019 was a collection of athletes, executives, coaches and writers that spanned nine sports, from horse racing to football to swimming.

For the first time, it also included an entire team.

The 2017-18 Washington Capitals, the first team to bring a Stanley Cup to the city, were honored as the Hall of Fame’s first “team of distinction.”

Hall of Fame chairman Bobby Goldwater said the “team of distinction” designation will be awarded “irregularly, whenever the committee feels this is appropriate.”

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis was on hand to represent the team.

“I’m here to thank everyone for accepting and falling in love with the Washington Capitals,” Leonsis said. “My dream was always to make a team that was as good as the fan base … I hope our teams can win more championships because there was nothing that brought this community closer together and made us feel like we’re all in it together than that parade.”

The Capitals headlined a class that also included a former Redskins star, an Olympic gold medallist and the founder of D.C. United. The group was honored in a ceremony at Nationals Park before Washington’s game against the Atlanta Braves Sunday afternoon.

Longtime Redskins defensive end Charles Mann, a four-time Pro Bowler who played on all three of Washington’s Super Bowl-winning teams, described his fondness for the D.C. region. Though he hails from Sacramento, California, Mann felt that he “grew up here.”

“I came here at 22 years old, and I’m 58 now, so I’ve been here most of my natural life,” Mann said.

Other retired athletes in the class had deep local ties. NBA executive Danny Ferry was named the prep player of the year while playing at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. Before Tom Brown played for the Washington Senators and football for the Packers and Redskins, he was a three-sport athlete at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Arlington, Virginia native Tom Dolan won back-to-back gold medals in the 400-meter men’s individual medley at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney, respectively.

“I also won the very first gold medal for the entire U.S. contingent at (the Atlanta) Games, which — again, that’s not why you get in freezing cold at 4:30 in the morning, but it’s sure nice when it works out that way,” Dolan said.

Two University of Maryland coaches with national titles on their resumes were inducted: women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese, head of a Terrapins dynasty in the sport with 12 championships, and men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski, who led his program to titles in 2005, 2008 and 2018.

Cirovski had some nice words for fellow inductee Kevin Payne, calling him “one of the architects of the great soccer rise in this country.” Payne was one of the founding investors of , helped put an MLS team in Washington and served as the first president and general manager of D.C. United.

“We really created the fan culture in soccer in the United States at D.C. United, and I’m very proud of that,” Payne said. “We’ve had some success. We won a bunch of championships. I’m equally proud of that. But mostly what I think about when I look back on those years was the relationships that I developed with people.”

Two new members were inducted posthumously. Ray Flaherty, the first head coach of the Redskins who won NFL championships for Washington in 1937 and 1942, passed away in 1994. Allie Ritzenberg, a tennis player and coach who grew up in the District and taught George H.W. Bush and Jacqueline Kennedy, died last year at 100 years old. 1148438 Washington Capitals Washington Times LOADED: 06.24.2019

Leonsis says Danny Ferry still candidate for Wizards top job

By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Sunday, June 23, 2019

The owner of the Washington Wizards and a man who interviewed for their open general manager job were brought into the same room Sunday.

Danny Ferry was among those inducted into the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Nationals Park. Ted Leonsis was there to represent the 2017-18 Capitals team that brought the city its first Stanley Cup and earned the Hall’s first “team of distinction” award.

In an interview with The Washington Times, Leonsis confirmed Ferry is still in the running for the Wizards’ job.

The position remains vacant after Leonsis last week publicly denied rumors that the team was pursuing Raptors executive Masai Ujiri. He said he doesn’t expect to make a hire before the start of NBA free agency June 30.

Ferry, the son of longtime Washington Bullets general manager Bob Ferry, grew up in Bowie, Maryland and starred on the court at DeMatha Catholic High School and Duke University. Ferry was the general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, and earlier this year served as the interim GM for the New Orleans Pelicans for a few months.

Ferry had to step down from the Hawks in 2015 after reading aloud someone else’s scouting report on opposing player Luol Deng, which called Deng “an African” and made a racist comment about him.

Leonsis also spoke for the first time about Wizards first-round draft pick Rui Hachimura, expanding on a tweet last Friday that said “D.C. will love” the Japanese forward from Gonzaga. Leonsis praised Hachimura’s coachability, talent and personality.

“He’s a prototypical, next-generation NBA-like player,” Leonsis told the Times. “Six-eight, he really runs the floor, really can shoot. And we think he has a lot of upside still because he started playing at a later age. Compare that to a lot of players that come up through the AAU system, the high school system, they’re playing a lot of games. They have a lot of miles on them. It might be why we’re seeing so many injuries. We think he has a lot of upside and can develop and be healthy.”

The owner added that Hachimura’s new teammates will like the high charisma he brings to the locker room.

“We had him ranked much higher than ninth in our draft room,” Leonsis said.

On the Capitals, now one year removed from winning the Stanley Cup, Leonsis feels the team’s championship window is still “wide open.”

“Good thing we didn’t listen to the people who said the window was closing,” he said. “I think we have a really, really good mix of veteran players and young players. It was great to see our draft, and we’ve had two or three drafts where we’re now developing those players slowly, the right way, in Hershey (who are) getting ready to take the next step. So I think this team, the core will stay together and I think we’re gonna be really good next year too.”

The Capitals were knocked out of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes after a seven-game series. Most of last year’s team will be back in 2019-20, with center Nicklas Backstrom and goalie Braden Holtby entering the final year of their contracts.

Leonsis did not have any updates about his plans to add a sportsbook inside Capital One Arena, saying that Monumental Sports and Entertainment is waiting for the District of Columbia to finalize its regulations of legalized sports betting.

“I want to reiterate that we’re not creating or owning the sportsbook,” Leonsis said. “We’ll never touch the money. We just own the arena, and we are fortunate that the city’s passing this law and new regulations. So we’ll be able to work with a partner who will build the sportsbook in the arena, but it’s not ‘ours.’” 1148439 Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup champion Capitals headline group of 2019 inductees in to Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame

By Savannah McCann June 23, 2019 2:25 PM

Before first pitch against the Braves on Sunday, the Washington Nationals yielded the field for a celebration as the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame inducted 11 members to the 2019 class.

The class includes D.C. legends from sports such as football, basketball and soccer. The Hall of Fame created a new category to honor a "Team of Distinction." It is no surprise that the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions are the first to receive this honor.

Capitals' owner Ted Leonis accepted the award on behalf of the team. In a press conference prior to the ceremony, Leonsis announced that he is going to display this honor at Capital One Arena for the start of next season.

The full list of honorees are:

Andrew Beyer – covered horse racing for the Washington Post for four decades, created the Beyer Speed Figure

Tom Brown – two-sport professional athlete, played with the Washington Senators and Washington Redskins

Sasho Cirovski – winningest coach in U. of Maryland men’s soccer history, three-time NCAA champion

Tom Dolan – two-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer (1996 and 2000) and former world record holder

Danny Ferry – men’s basketball national player of the year at DeMatha Catholic High School and Duke University

Ray Flaherty (1903-1994) – first head coach of the Washington Redskins, two-time NFL champion

Charles Mann – two-time NFL Super Bowl champion during 11 seasons with the Washington Redskins

Kevin Payne – first president and CEO of DC United and four-time MLS Cup champion

Cathy Reese – three-time coach of the year with U. of Maryland women’s lacrosse, 12-time NCAA champion

Allie Ritzenberg (1918-2018) – fixture of D.C.’s tennis community for nearly eight decades

2017-18 Washington Capitals – 2018 Stanley Cup champions, brought first NHL title to D.C.

The Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1980 and honors over 100 members of D.C. sports from athletes, sports journalists and executives.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148440 Washington Capitals exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.” The award is named in honor of a longtime NHL coach and scout who joined the NHL’s Central Scouting Breaking down the Washington Capitals’ 2019 draft class Bureau in 2002 and assumed day-to-day responsibility for the department in 2005. McGuire passed away from cancer in 2011.

Aliaksei Protas By Brian McNally June 23, 2019 6:00 AM Position: Center

Age: 18 (Jan. 6, 2001) Thanks to a pair of trades, the Capitals finished their work early on Day 2 of the NHL Draft in Vancouver on Saturday. Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 190 pounds

Washington made just three picks to go with Friday’s choice of Connor Nationality: Belarusian McMichael at No. 26 overall. They made a second-round choice and Team: Prince Albert (Western Hockey League) followed it with a trade to get into the third round and then another trade to move into the fifth round. Here’s a breakdown of McMichael’s game, Pick: Third round, No. 91 overall and then a look at the players they went with on Saturday: Outlook: Leason’s linemate with Prince Albert. Another big body, he had Brett Leason 11 goals and 29 assists in 60 games and exploded in the WHL playoffs for another 12 goals and 10 assists in 23 games. He was the first WHL Position: Right wing player since 1996 to have back-to-back hat tricks in the playoffs. Age: 20 (April 30, 1999) Nicknamed “Viper” for reasons he wouldn’t disclose to reporters in Vancouver, but is fantastic nonetheless. Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds Washington didn’t have a third-round pick. That went to Los Angeles in Nationality: Canadian the Carl Hagelin trade in February. So the Capitals packaged the No. 118 pick (fourth round) and No. 129 pick (fifth round) to the New Jersey Team: Prince Albert (Western Hockey League) Devils to move up and grab Protas, who played hockey in the United Pick: Second round, No. 56 overall States as a 14-year-old in Colorado before returning to Belarus.

Outlook: A fascinating story. The Tri-City Americans took Leason with a Think Dainius Zubrus if looking for a comparison, a former Caps center third-round selection in the Western Hockey League draft in 2016. He who was also a big man who could pass a little bit. Protas has years of had talent. But at age 17 he had just eight goals and 10 assists. No NHL development to get to that level. Zubrus was an early linemate of Alex team drafted him. At age 18 he had one goal in his first 12 games with Ovechkin during his first two years in the NHL and became the first Tri-City and the team traded him to Prince Albert. He showed promise Lithuanian to play in over 1,000 NHL games. with 15 goals and 17 assists in 32 games there. Still, no NHL team From Cosentino: “He’s a big guy. Good puck protection skills and a really drafted him. good shot. His skating needs some work….But you can see he’s a big With one last chance, Leason put it all together at age 19 in the Western rig. And I think the thing about this guy is he’s more of a raw guy who you Hockey League. He scored a point in 30 straight games to start this past think is going to work on his skating down the line, but you do like the season with Prince Albert, he made Canada’s stacked World Juniors fact that he can play that cycle game down low with his puck protection roster and scored three goals in that prestigious tournament. In the end skills and if he gets an opportunity down low below the dots he’s got he scored 36 goals and had 53 assists (89 points) for Prince Albert, good accuracy to his shot, he’s got good depth to his shot and he shoots which went 54-10-2-2 and won the WHL title. Leason added 10 goals the puck with a heaviness to it.” and 15 assists in 22 playoff games. Martin Has “I think he’s going to be the steal of this draft whenever he’s picked,” NHL Position: Defenseman Network analyst Sam Cosentino said during the draft telecast. “You’re talking about a guy with size. North-south skating is fine. He needs to Age: 18 (Feb. 2, 2001) work on his edges. Raw in terms of his potential. Everyone gets scared away because of his age being a 20-year-old player now. That doesn’t Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 187 pounds scare me one bit.” Nationality: Czech

Indeed, Leason would be an over-ager (20) if he returned to juniors. Team: Tappara (Liiga - Under-20) Teams are allowed only three of those and he doesn’t seem like he has a lot left to prove at that level. So he will move faster even than McMichael, Pick: Fifth round, No. 153 overall the first-round pick who is just 18 and probably has two seasons of junior hockey left. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told reporters in Vancouver A Czech native who played juniors in Finland to get tougher competition. that Leason will play for AHL Hershey next season. He’s a big body with a good skillset and told reporters he’s a two-way defenseman who likes to join the rush and has a good shot. He slides Cosentino wasn’t finished. The reaction after Leason went from an into a Washington prospect group heavy on defensemen now after taking unknown to World Juniors? “All of the sudden you’re like “Who IS this one in the first round in 2016 (Lucas Johansan) and 2018 (Alex dude.’ Well - he’s a guy that a lot of people expected to be that guy when Alexeyev) and in the second round (Martin Fehervary) in 2018. Has was Tri-Cities took him in the third round. And now he’s a guy who is, to the only defenseman taken by the organization in this year’s draft. me, unstoppable. Dominant at certain points this year. Being a right shot guy, he’s really good at disrupting the breakout, he strips pucks. There is Washington thought enough of Has to trade back into the fifth round. a bit of a Mark Stone comparison when it comes to Brett Leason.” They gave up this year’s seventh-round pick (No. 211) and next year’s seventh-rounder to the San Jose Sharks to do so. According to Capitals That’s about as strong a compliment as you can give to a two-way player reporter Mike Vogel, Has grew up playing at the same rink in Prague as given that Stone just finished second in the voting for the Selke Trophy Washington winger Jakub Vrana, who brought the Stanley Cup there on as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Leason takes pride in that area – his day with it last summer. Has is expected to stay in Finland next even if he has a long way to go to get there. He named rugged Dallas season and hopefully make the jump to Tappara’s senior Liiga team Stars forward Jamie Benn as a player he patterns himself after. soon. He is very much a developmental prospect as a right defenseman.

“I’m a good overall forward in general. Just good 200-foot game and “[Has is] a very intelligent player. Very good positionally,” Capitals strong offensively,” Leason said. “I think I’ve got good vision and good assistant GM Ross Mahoney told reporters in Vancouver. “Projects hockey IQ out there and with a good shot. My defensive game speaks probably to be a really good two-way defenseman, more of a [penalty for itself. I think I’m fairly good there, too.” kill], good defender, he’s got the long reach. And he’s always been a leader on the Czech under-18, under-17 teams. We just think he’s got a Leason’s story is so good that he was presented the annual E.J. McGuire really solid all-around game.” Award of Excellence on Saturday. It goes to “a candidate who best Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148441 Winnipeg Jets 4. C Harrison Blaisdell, 18 (fifth round, 134th overall). Born in England, raised in Regina. 5-11, 181 pounds. Played last season in British Columbia Junior Hockey League, headed to University of North Dakota High hopes for Jets' draft picks this fall.

"Good, hard-nosed, hard-working kid, up and down. Plays centre and wing. I think (he had) 33 goals in 51 games. A competitive kid that’s Mike McIntyre always in the action. I like the upside with the skill there, the two-way component of his game, and going to a good place to develop." Posted: 06/23/2019 5:33 PM| Last Modified: 06/23/2019 10:57 PM 5. G Logan Neaton, 20 (fifth round, 144th overall). Brighton, Mich. 6-3,

190 pounds. Played last season in British Columbia Junior Hockey VANCOUVER — Mark Hillier is hoping the 2019 draft class for the League, headed to UMass-Lowell this fall. Winnipeg Jets will be a case of quality over quantity. "He had an outstanding season. We know he’s a (20-year-old), been While the Jets only had five picks over the two-day event, they believe through a couple of drafts, but he really matured this year. Had they’ve come away with five solid prospects who will help them down the outstanding stats in the regular season and even better in the playoffs. I road. That includes using the first two picks to land puck-moving believe he was 16-1 in the playoffs with a .940 save percentage or defencemen from Finland and Sweden, a couple centremen from Finland something like that. Played the RBC Cup, lost the final game, but just and Canada and an American goaltender. had an outstanding season. I think he’s got a long development path at U-Mass Lowell. ( goalie coach) Rick St. Croix, had a Hillier, the director of amateur scouting, shared his thoughts with the Free look at him as well. He gave it the thumbs up." Press on the newest additions to the organization, who will all hit the ice this week at the team’s annual summer development camp. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.24.2019

He said anyone who thinks the Jets are targeting players from Finland, or any specific country or league, is wrong.

"Don’t care where they play. People see we take two Euros in a row, are we going to take a third? If we think he’s the best player, we’re taking a third. I don’t care where they come from, I’m just trying to find NHL players and that’s the bottom line," Hillier said on the draft floor at Rogers Arena.

"It looks like everybody’s calling us Finnipeg but we don’t spend any more time in Finland than we do in Sweden or the Czech Republic or Manitoba or Saskatchewan."

1. D Ville Heinola, 18 (1st round, 20th overall). Honkajoki, Finland. 5-10, 176 pounds. Expected to spend at least one more year in Europe.

"Really skilled. Really smart. We think skill and hockey sense are his best assets. Ran the power play for the under-20 team there. Was a regular in the Finnish Elite League. Just drawn to his skill and hockey sense."

Hillier describes Harrison Blaisdell as s "good hard-nosed, hard working kid."

2. D Simon Lundmark, 18 (second round, 51st overall). Stockholm, Sweden. 6-2, 201 pounds. Expected to spend at least one more year in Europe.

"A real good skating, puck-moving defenceman. We think there’s a little more to come there, offensively. Coach told me he’ll get a chance on the first power play there this year, so we’re excited about his development. We saw him play in the under-20 tournament in February, where he played more and he was more of the No. 1 defenceman on that under-20 team. I saw him again at the Swedish junior finals in March, where his big team was eliminated and he was getting lots of ice time in all situations on his junior team. We just like his skating, puck-moving ability."

"I think the NHL game now is guys that can go back, get the puck and turn it up ice, and that’s what these two kids can do. They can skate, they’ve got skill, they can really pass the puck. Lundmark can really pass the puck and Heinola is skilled. I think that’s what the game’s all about now."

3. C Henri Nikkanen, 18 (fourth round, 113th overall). Nikkeli, Finland. 6- 4, 200 pounds. Once a projected first-round pick, a tailbone injury limited his games last season and pushed his stock down. Now healthy, expected to spend at least one more year in Europe.

"Didn’t see him a lot as an underage, but this year, he started at the Hlinka tournament in Edmonton. Had a really good, strong tournament there. Big, left-handed-shot centreman. The first couple of games at the Hlinka, I was just drawn to his two-way game, his smarts away from the puck. I think it was in his last game against Switzerland there, he had a six-point game. We went back and saw him, I think it was in the Czech Republic, in December. Really good, strong tournament. See him as a potential third-line centreman. He got injured, so he didn’t play the rest of the year. We really saw a guy that might have went a lot higher if he (hadn’t got injured). 1148442 Winnipeg Jets

Jets star forward a hit with kids

Jason Bell Posted: 06/23/2019 12:45 AM

MARK Scheifele tries his best to share a moment with every child that participates in his annual two-day hockey camp at the Iceplex.

That’s a mammoth task for the Winnipeg Jets centre — there’s 216 kids here this weekend, all wearing cages and No. 55 on their backs.

Jackson Deschambault for Scheifele camp kid story by Jason Bell. June 22, 2019

Jackson Deschambault got his moment with his hero Saturday morning. This fall, the eight-year-old Winnipegger will sign up for his second year of hockey at Kirkfield Westwood Community Centre.

And what words of encouragement did the Jets’ premier forward offer up?

"We were playing this scrimmage thing and he said I had good moves," Jackson said.

The youngster lamented scoring just once during his first season of organized hockey. But Scheifele and his guest instructors, Vancouver Canucks property Jett Woo and former Western Hockey League goalie Gavin McHale, both of Winnipeg, told him and the other kids to quit stressing about goals and assists.

"They said we should just play for fun," Jackson said.

Clearly, that’s the one lesson the Jets alternate captain hopes resonates with the young participants at his two-day camp, now in its fifth year. It’s in support of KidSport Winnipeg, an organization that’s paying the registration fees for kids from financially disadvantaged families, so the kids can participate in sports.

"It’s awesome. These two days are so much fun, getting to see kids smile and having fun playing hockey. It definitely puts a smile on my face, and I couldn’t be happier right now," Scheifele said. "It’s pretty cool to give back. When I think back, if 10 years ago I was to tell myself I was doing this in Winnipeg and getting a chance to make a difference, I’d be shocked. So, I’m ecstatic to be able to do something like this.

"I try to (meet each child). I like to think I have a pretty good memory and am pretty observant, so I like to try and get to everyone, whether it’s shooting on a goalie or stick-handling with a kid or just saying, ‘Are you having fun?’ That’s the easiest way," said the 26-year-old Kitchener, Ont., native.

Scheifele scribbled his name on the back of every sweater Saturday, creating a memory for those youngsters that will last a lifetime. And that’s important to a guy who vividly recalls his own brush with hockey greatness.

"I remember after a (Detroit) Red Wings game one time, me, my brother and sister knew Steve Yzerman was going to walk by a certain area, and right at the end of the game we ran to this area. Lo and behold, he’s right there and we got our jerseys signed by him," he said. "He was our favourite player growing up for all of us. To meet him and get our jerseys signed was pretty special."

Today, other special guest instructors will stop by, including former Winnipeg goalie Michael Hutchinson and Oakbank product Brett Howden, who begins his second season with the New York Rangers this fall.

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.24.2019 1148443 Winnipeg Jets upside is there. We went back and saw him, I think it was in the Czech Republic, in December. (We) see him as a potential third line centerman.

“He got injured so he didn’t play the rest of the year. I thought it was Jets add picks to pipeline: Wide variety of players chosen in 2019 NHL worth a really good dart there where we took him because we really saw Draft a guy that might have went a lot higher if he played a lot (more). Hopefully, we got a steal there.”

Ken Wiebe The Jets then chose Harrison Blaisdell in the fifth round and they’ll be able to get plenty of viewings of the skilled, feisty forward who will attend Published:June 23, 2019 the University of North Dakota this fall after a strong season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. Updated:June 23, 2019 2:14 PM CDT “Good hard-nosed, hard-working kid, up and down. Plays centre and

wing,” said Hillier. “A competitive kid that’s always in the action. I like the VANCOUVER – Like most directors of amateur scouting, Mark Hillier upside with the skill there, the two-way component of his game.” seemed like a pretty happy guy in the moments after the 2019 NHL Draft For the fourth consecutive year, the Jets chose a goalie in the late had wrapped up. rounds, selecting Logan Neaton, a Michigan product who starred with the By the time Saturday afternoon had arrived, the Winnipeg Jets had Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL last season. added a total of five players to the organization’s prospect pool. Neaton led his team to the BCHL championship and to the final of the While the initial reviews from draft pundits were mixed, Hillier was RBC Cup, where the Spruce Kings lost to the host Brooks Bandits. understandably upbeat about the guys who were chosen. He’s committed to attending UMass-Lowell, the same school Connor Nor was he concerned about any perceived bias of choosing European Hellebuyck attended after he was a fifth-round selection 2012. players – or more specifically, those from Finland, since two of the five “We know he’s been through a couple of drafts, but he really matured this picks came from there. year,” said Hillier. “Started the year at 6-foot-3. We think he’s grown an “It’s how it pans out. Don’t care where they play,” said Hillier. “People see inch. Had outstanding stats in the regular season and even better in the we take two Euros in a row, are we going to take a third? If we think he’s playoffs. I believe he was 16-1 in the playoffs with a .940 save the best player, we’re taking a third. If we think a fourth Euro is the best percentage or something like that. Played the RBC Cup, lost the final player, we’re going to take four in a row. I don’t care where they come game, but just had an outstanding season.” from, I’m just trying to find NHL players and that’s the bottom line. The Jets are happy with the depth in the system between the pipes, but “It looks like everybody’s calling us ‘Finnipeg’ but we don’t stay any more grabbing a goalie late isn’t necessarily part of the philosophy – it’s just time in Finland than we do in Sweden or the Czech Republic or Manitoba worked out that way in recent years. or Saskatchewan. We try to see all of them, wherever the players are.” “It depends on your team needs, too,” said Hillier. “If we thought we really The fact of the matter is that it usually takes two-to-four years to really had a goaltending hole or a need to go get a goaltender high, we would get a good handle on the evaluation of a draft class. do that. I don’t think that’s the case.

With the 20th overall pick in the first round, the Jets selected Finnish “The last couple of years we’ve added guys in the fifth and sixth rounds. defenceman Ville Heinola, who shoots left-handed but is comfortable We just add to the depth of the pipeline of goaltending. It’s worked out playing the right side – just like fellow countryman Sami Niku. well for us the last few years.”

“Really skilled, really smart,” said Hillier. “We think skill and hockey sense Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.24.2019 are his best assets. Ran the power play for the under-20 team there. Was a regular in the Finnish elite league. Just drawn to his skill and hockey sense going forward.”

On the second day of the draft, the Jets chose Swedish blue-liner Simon Lundmark, who is expected to remain in the Swedish Hockey League next season.

“We like his skating and puck-moving ability,” said Hillier. “We think there is a little more to come there, offensively. (His) coach told me he’ll get a chance on the first power play there going forward this year.”

The Jets are a bit thin up front when it comes to the top end of the prospect pool, but the back end collection is an impressive one that includes Dylan Samberg, Logan Stanley, Luke Green, Leon Gawanke, Jonathan Kovacevic, Declan Chisholm, Giovanni Vallati, Heinola and Lundmark.

“Especially (with) the two kids we just added. The NHL game now is guys that can go back, get the puck, and turn it up ice and that’s what these two kids can do,” said Hillier. “They can skate, they’ve got skill, and they can really pass the puck. That’s what the game is all about now. You go back, get the puck, start the rush going the other way and these guys can do that.”

In the fourth round, the Jets opted for what they hope is a value pick in Finnish centre Henri Nikkanen, who went into the season projected to be a first-rounder but slipped after an injury-plagued campaign limited him to 37 games.

Hillier was impressed by Nikkanen during the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton last summer.

“The first couple of games at the Hlinka, I was just drawn to his two-way game, his smarts away from the puck,” said Hillier. “I think it was in his last game against Switzerland there, he had a six-point game, two goals and four assists. So I really like the overall two-way game. The offensive 1148444 Winnipeg Jets 20-something minutes a night. With the depth of our team obviously his minutes are pushed down. We feel fully comfortable that if this is our defence going in, then that’s what it’s going to be. But obviously we’re Work just beginning for Jets: Draft complete, page turns back to roster having conversations out there. building “We have two UFA guys that everyone can have conversations with. It’s about keeping an open dialogue. The reality is we’re not going to be able to keep everybody.” Ken Wiebe Given how many internal contracts are left to sort through, the Jets aren’t Published:June 23, 2019 expected to be overly active during the wooing period, but they will be doing their due diligence and looking at options. Updated:June 23, 2019 12:57 PM CDT “There’s a reality. When you’re a team that is starting to have an

established core and you still have some things to get done with your VANCOUVER – had already heard rumblings about core players as well, there has to be a fit with both sides to start talking to the shrinking projections, but was probably still holding out hope the someone,” said Cheveldayoff. “Obviously, we’ve got some good pieces in salary cap number might still be closer to $83 million. place and you’re always looking to fill in around the edges.”

But when word officially came down late Saturday afternoon after the The combination of young players trying to earn more money coming out second day of the 2019 NHL Draft was complete, the ceiling for the of their entry-level deals and the cap-strapped teams having less room to 2019-20 season had been set at $81.5 million – with whispers abound work worth could lead to some interesting challenges in the days and that number could remain for 2020-21 as well. weeks ahead.

For a team like the Jets that is expected to remain a cap ceiling team, the For many teams, including the Jets, how they handle the turbulent times sudden loss of up to $1.5 million in cap space is tangible – even after could mean the difference between being a Stanley Cup contender and trading Jacob Trouba to the New York Rangers earlier this week. being on the outside looking in come playoff time.

“Once you close the binder on the draft you shift to the next phase of Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.24.2019 summer,” said Cheveldayoff, who spoke to reporters before the numbers were official. “Everyone’s got their own agendas, everyone’s got their own situations that they’re looking at. It’s not an easy time, so to speak, right now to worry about anyone else but yourself. Everyone is just doing what they need to do within their own organizations.”

On Sunday, the wooing period officially opened and that meant guys like defencemen Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot and forward Brandon Tanev were able to start speaking with other teams to gauge their level of interest before free agency opens on July 1.

Cheveldayoff was asked if he could see a scenario where some of those players could still remain in the fold.

“It’s the market. You can sit here and try and make your own market and do whatever you can or have the ability to do, but the market will set itself,” said Cheveldayoff. “I’m a guy where the doors are always open until the doors are closed. We’ll see how things play out this week.”

You can understand why Cheveldayoff wouldn’t want to close the door on those options, but when you consider the dollars that are going to be necessary to retain restricted free agent forwards Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Andrew Copp, it’s hard to envision a scenario where there is room to retain the pending unrestricted free agents.

The buzz around the draft in Vancouver is that Myers should have multiple suitors and could be looking at north of $6 million.

The Vancouver Canucks are believed to have interest in Myers and that level only rose when they were unable to secure a trade for either P.K. Subban, who went to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, or Colorado Avalanche blue-liner Tyson Barrie, who remains in limbo.

As for Chiarot, the belief was that he might return to the Jets on a cap hit that would have been easier to absorb, but it appears as though interest in the physical blue-liner is high – with sources projecting he could secure a three or four-year deal in the range of between $3-to-$4 million per season.

As for Tanev, he picked a great season to post career-highs, with 14 goals and 29 points in 80 games.

With fellow checkers Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel earning contracts north of $3 million as unrestricted free agents last summer, the belief is that Tanev’s camp is looking for something similar, if not higher.

That could force the Jets into searching for alternatives on all three of those fronts.

While there has been speculation the Jets could consider buying out Dmitry Kulikov, the fact he has only one year left on his deal means he could find himself in a prominent role on the second or third pairing.

“(Kulikov) is part of our team here,” said Cheveldayoff. “There’s lots of different situations that could come up over the course of the next week. He’s someone that when we signed him, he’s played since he was 18, 1148445 Vancouver Canucks The larger issue with Podkolzin is making him feel comfortable within the organization. The Canucks lost Russian defenceman Nikita Tryamkin a couple of years ago for a variety of reasons but, in the end, it was an Willes' Musings: Miller a step in the right direction, but Canucks still easy decision for the big defenceman to leave for home. He never playing catch up formed ties within the Canucks. He clashed with assistant coach Doug Lidster.

It’s hard to know what he would have become if he’d stayed in Ed Willes Vancouver but there aren’t a lot of 6-foot-7, 260-pound defensemen around who can skate. Published:June 23, 2019 The organization ended up losing an asset with an enormous upside. Updated:June 23, 2019 5:45 PM PDT You hope they learned from that experience.

• It generally takes four years to fully assess a draft but, at first blush, Following a fairly eventful weekend at Rogers Arena, we offer an all-draft there were a couple of teams who did well this weekend. New Jersey left edition of the Monday morning musings and meditations on the world of Vancouver with Jack Hughes and Subban. The Rangers took a sports. foundational piece for their rebuild in Kaapo Kakko. Montreal woke up with Cole Caufield available at 15 and took the draft’s best pure goal • On a superficial level, the Vancouver Canucks trade for forward J.T. scorer. Miller is easily justified. But all that pales in comparison to the Colorado Avalanche’s haul. The If Miller, who was acquired from Tampa Bay on Saturday, is the 23-goal, Avs gleefully took the best defenceman in the draft, the Giants’ Bowen 57-point player he was for two straight seasons, he represents a Byram, fourth overall; then nabbed elite centre Alex Newhook from the significant upgrade in the Canucks’ top-six. Victoria Grizzlies who’s headed to Boston College.

You could, in fact, make the case that, with power play time, he could The Avs also had their own second and two third-rounders and this turn into a 30-goal scorer and that would represent a massive year’s draft class will join a young core in Colorado which is stupid good. development for the Canucks. True, there’s something troubling about Cale Makar joined the Avs for the playoffs last season and will be one of his last season in Tampa, when he scored just 13 goals playing on the the Calder favourites heading into next season. Defenceman Samuel NHL’s highest-scoring team and couldn’t crack the top nine by the end of Girard just turned 21. Centre is 21. Nathan MacKinnon turns the year. But there’s a risk factor inherent in every trade and Miller’s age 24 in September. Mikko Rantanen turns 23 in October. They also have (26), size (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and contract (four more years at , last year’s first-rounder, and defenceman Conor Timmins US$5.25 million) mitigates a lot of that risk. developing their system.

But — and isn’t there always a but for this organization — it’s the In two more years, they’ll be the NHL’s it-team. circumstances around this trade which are troubling. The Canucks went into this weekend with some US$30 million in available cap space and • And finally, over the last five years the Canucks have formed an that put them in an enviable position. With so many teams facing cap awkward relationship with their rebuild. They’ve held its hand. They’ve pressure, there was ample opportunity for the Canucks to make a deal taken it on dates. They’ve sent it flowers. But they’ve never fully similar to the trades pulled off by New Jersey and Carolina on Saturday. committed to it and that’s frustrated their fan base..

The Devils landed P.K. Subban from Nashville for two second-rounders Every year over those five years, in fact, the Canucks have made either a and two marginal prospects, largely because they could afford to swallow trade or a free-agent signing designed to accelerate the process. his US$9-million contract. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, extracted a first- The Benning-Trevor Linden management team signed goalie Ryan Miller round draft pick from the Maple Leafs for taking Patrick Marleau off their and forward Radim Vrbata while trading for, among others, Derek Dorsett hands. in their first year of operation. In year two they traded for Brandon Sutter. For a deeper dive on this subject, we refer you to colleague Eric In year three they traded for Erik Gudbranson and signed, sigh, Loui Duhatschek’s piece in the The Athletic, which contains the following from Eriksson. In year four they signed UFAs Sam Gagner, Thomas Vanek, Preds GM David Poile. Michael Del Zotto and Alex Burmistrov. Last season it was Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller. “I will tell you this was hard (the Subban trade), even in my discussions with our owners. People have to understand that $9 million in cap space The result, unfortunately, has been four straight seasons out of the could be worth a first-round pick. For us it was worth two second-round playoffs and a roster cluttered with marginal NHLers. Miller should picks and two prospects. represent an upgrade from the players Benning has brought in but that trade is also part of the philosophy which has held this franchise back. “Toronto traded Marleau’s rights to Carolina. They’re getting a first-round pick for that. That saves Toronto 6.25 million in cap space. That’s That philosophy — we can rebuild and chase a playoff spot — also has unbelievable value for cap space.” ownership’s fingerprints all over it. Between Miller and what might come in free agency, the Canucks might have finally got things right but that’s a Back to the Canucks. Tampa was one of the team’s with cap issues whole lot of wishful thinking. when they dangled Miller but Bolts GM Julien BriseBois not only cleared Miller’s contract off his books, he picked up a first and a third-round pick Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.24.2019 in the process.

That first-rounder is lottery protected next year. If it turns out to be a mid- to late-pick in the first round in 2021, that’s a fair exchange for Miller. If the Canucks are still a 25th-place team two years from now and that turns into a lottery pick, well, at least Benning won’t be around to worry about this trade.

But here’s the point. The Canucks, it seems, are playing checkers when the NHL’s best organizations are playing chess. We’ll see how they do when free agency opens on July 1 but just once you’d like to see them on the leading edge of the league’s trends.

• That said, liked the Canucks’ draft. They’re going to have to wait a couple of years for first-rounder Vasili Podkolzin to play out his contract in the KHL but, as one scout said, you have to wait a couple of years for your first-rounder if he plays in the WHL or an NCAA school. The Canucks should get a fully formed player when the Russian forward arrives. 1148446 Vancouver Canucks The much-maligned Gardiner can move the puck and a Canucks’ left side that only really sports Quinn Hughes in that capacity, could use a boost. Ben Hutton is a restricted free agent and Olli Juolevi’s readiness Ben Kuzma: Benning wooing free-agent defencemen after trying the after December knee surgery is uncertain because he only started trade route skating last week. And RFA Derrick Pouliot isn’t expected to receive a qualifying offer.

The 6-foot-2, 203 pound Gardiner had 30 points (3-27) in 62 games this Ben Kuzma season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and had an expiring annual cap it of US$4.05 million.

Despite the steep asking price for Miller, and not making a back-end A top-six forward and a top-four defenceman were obvious off-season trade Saturday, Benning made good draft progress. But he wasn’t targets for . dwelling on it Sunday. The acquisition of J.T. Miller on Saturday solved the riddle of who will “It’s just another day,” he stressed. “I thought we had a real good start with and Brock Boeser next season. But who’s weekend. To get (Vasili) Podkolzin at No. 10 — because we had him going to align with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson? rated higher — was a good start. And Nils Hoglander at top of second Is there a solution on the horizon to prop up the NHL’s 26th-ranked round was a player we coveted and he fell to us.” offence? Or, has the unrestricted free agent courting period, which OVERTIME: Benning and coach Travis Green met Sunday to review opened Sunday, commanded more of the Vancouver Canucks’ attention other club RFAs who require qualifying offers before Tuesday at 2 p.m. to address their back end? PDT to retain negotiation rights. They are Nikolay Goldobin, Josh Leivo, “That (Miller trade) was just the start of what we’re trying to do to add to Tyler Motte, Markus Granlund, Brogan Rafferty, Josh Teves, Francis our group in that range, to support our younger guys and make us more Perron, Brendan Gaunce, Reid Boucher and Yan-Pavel Laplante. competitive,” said Canucks general manager Jim Benning. “There is still Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.24.2019 work to be done on that front and I’m going to keep pounding away.”

Can Benning add another winger before the costly pursuit of free agents?

“No, but I’m going see what happens through free agency and if something opens up, we want to be ready to add more to our top six,” he added. “But the focus is on our defence and try to figure out one guy and maybe two that can make us better.”

One way was to do it this past weekend to avoid sticker shock when the free-agent market opens July 1.

The pursuit of right-shot Colorado defenceman Tyson Barrie, 26, who became expendable after the Avalanche selected Bowen Byram fourth overall Friday in the draft to add to a back end that houses young standouts Cale Makar and Samuel Girard, hit a compensation snag.

There was an animated conversation Friday night on the draft floor between Benning and Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, so read what you will into that exchange.

A Barrie trade scenario would have seen a high draft choice and either a roster player or prospect go to the Avalanche, but Benning was never close on cementing a deal for back-end help.

“We had lots of conversations and the prices were too high,” said Benning. “I’m going to continue to look at our options on that (trade), but I don’t know if there is one or not. If there is, I want to make sure we’ve covered all of our bases and we’re ready for it.”

What Benning can control is selling UFA defencemen on committing to Vancouver. The city sells itself and nothing talks like term and money, but Benning can’t lose his way. There is US$17.6 million in available cap space, but an extension for restricted free-agent winger Brock Boeser is expected to eat up US$7 million annually on a multi-year deal.

There has to be some level of financial sanity. However, free agency is seldom sane and top targets are going to command big bucks.

Whether it’s the right-shot Tyler Myers, 29, or left-shot Jake Gardiner, 28, the UFA options in terms of age, fit and price range for the Canucks are few. Benning will interview two or three blueliners before July 1, but wouldn’t divulge who.

Although Myers is a polarizing 6-foot-8, 228 pound defender, he’s a wooing priority.

He’s good in the room and mobile for a big blueliner. But his play in his own zone, and especially decision-making, can be exposed. When Josh Morrissey and Dustin Byfuglien were injured this season, he was forced to log more minutes against better players. His Corsi-For puck- possession stats took a hit as the Winnipeg Jets surrendered more slot shots.

However, Myers has a big shot and might help the second power play unit. He’s also adept at killing penalties. But what’s that all worth? Myers is coming off 31 points (9-22) in 80 games and his expiring deal had a US$5.5 million cap hit. 1148447 Websites best hockey experiences playing for in Finland’s top loop, tearing it up on a line with the league’s scoring leader, Steve Kariya. He chose Switzerland and SC Bern for his next European excursion because the Sportsnet.ca / How Patrik Stefan’s love for hockey has come full circle – league had a good reputation and the country was home to top-notch Sportsnet medical professionals.

But almost from the first puck drop, Stefan knew he didn’t feel right. He played three games before a doctor told him he’d need to perform open by Sonny Sachdeva surgery on the hip, not with the intention of saving Stefan’s career, but just to keep him mobile long-term. He crashed head-on into the brutal

truth that his time on the ice was up. Though he’s relaxed on a beige Patrik Stefan was the No. 1 pick in a brutal draft class and his short-lived sectional in his living room, Stefan’s blue eyes have no trouble recreating career is best remembered for an all-time gaffe. But he's okay with that. the pain and panic of that excruciating period. “It was rough for me,” he This is why. says, explaining that red tape relating to his medical treatment meant he was stuck by himself in Switzerland for about six weeks because he Patrick Stefan was sitting on the Dallas Stars bench, still swimming in hadn’t moved his young family across the pond. “The first month, month miserable disbelief and reeling from an all-time gaffe when Marty Turco and a half was pretty tough,” he says. “All I could think of was that I swung by with a suggestion. Moments earlier, Stefan was on the verge of couldn’t play anymore. That was the only thing in my head. ‘It’s over. I’m vanquishing any drama on the night by sweeping a puck into an empty done.’ I was hoping to play until I’m 40 and get 1,000 games in the NHL, Edmonton Oilers net for a two-goal cushion with about 10 ticks left on the all these things, then all of a sudden [it’s just taken away].” clock. Instead, he had a bobble on the edge of the crease that, in operatic fashion, morphed from an embarrassing-yet-harmless blunder to Eventually, his constantly spinning wheels steered down more productive a lead paragraph in his soon-to-be-written career obituary when the roads. All Stefan knew for sure is he wasn’t suited to spending the next Oilers — in the frantic seconds that followed — charged up ice, snapped 50 years having long lunches and playing golf. He began running through off some quick passes and tied the hockey game with two seconds the typical second career options for people with his background, the remaining in regulation time. Venn diagram in his mind overlapping on one clear thing. “It had to be hockey,” he says. “I love that sport.” Ales Hemsky was the Oiler who equalized the contest and, by extension, blew the roof off the building and cued immediate and justifiable FRANCHISE FACE hyperbole. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” declared Stefan's road to the 1999 draft went through the International Hockey analyst Ray Ferraro — a one-time teammate of Stefan’s — on the League, a route not uncommon for top Europeans in the 1990s. Sportsnet broadcast. “Patrik Stefan, you should be embarrassed for what you just did, that does not belong in the National Hockey League.” Stefan’s affection for the game, at least playing it, likely peaked during the heady days when he was skating for the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the Ferraro’s statement surely captured the consensus of anybody watching, old International Hockey League. Stefan — who missed being eligible for excluding those in attendance who were likely too busy losing their minds the 1998 draft by one day thanks to his Sept. 16, 1980, birthday — came to process what just happened. And the part about not belonging in the to California from the Czech Republic during the second half of his pre- NHL proved eerily prescient because, about six weeks later, Stefan draft season. He liked the experience and committed to another IHL played his last game in ‘The Show.’ As the Stars goalie, though, Turco season during his draft-eligible year. At the time, the league was obviously had a much different perspective. And after a five-minute essentially equivalent to the American Hockey League in terms of skill overtime period solved nothing, the puckstopper was convinced he had level and the number of teeth-baring, grown men who were fighting — the tonic for a sullen Stefan. “I’m sitting in the corner because I’m still often literally — for a shot in the NHL. Following in the footsteps of fellow [thinking about] what just happened — and he says, ‘You’re going in the young Europeans like Radek Bonk, Petr Sykora and shootout,’” Stefan recalls. “I’m like, ‘No f—king way. There’s no chance, I by choosing the IHL, Stefan performed at a point-per-game clip. can’t even go out there and skate.’ But, I look back [and think], ‘What a However, he also missed large chunks of the year thanks to a pair of teammate.’” serious concussions. “I woke up in the hospital, both times,” he says. There’s not a whole lot Stefan can do about the fact his NHL time is The uncertainty surrounding Stefan’s health — the second concussion essentially bookended by being a first-overall pick and this absurd play ended his season early — added volatility to the top of a draft some that wound up putting a symbolic period of sorts on the fact he never people were already dubious on. When Brian Burke, in his first year as lived up to his initial high billing. It also doesn’t help his cause that, as the the Canucks GM, returned from the World Junior Championship in top selection 20 years ago in 1999, he unwittingly became the face of Manitoba that January, he broke the news to his amateur scouts that he what proved to be a historically weak draft class. Stefan, mind you, has planned to trade Vancouver’s pick. “I hated the first round,” Burke says. “I neither the time nor appetite for self-pity — he’s far too busy living a new hated them all!” version of satisfying hockey life. There’s just no evidence of it on YouTube. “People have no idea what I’ve been up to,” he says. “They The formation of that harsh opinion had a lot to do with the fact Stefan think I’m this guy who missed the empty net. That’s what I’m known for, was sidelined for the WJC and that two other heralded prospects — and this bust of a No. 1 pick. And you hear that left and right. That’s Daniel and Henrik Sedin — really didn’t show Burke much in the face of going to be with me forever, because I can’t change that. But I’m stiff competition provided by the American and Canadian squads. The certainly not going to be home and crying and feeling sorry for myself.” pair had actually been on Burke’s radar since the previous summer, when Canucks scout Thomas Gradin began raving about his Not by a long shot. countrymen, but Burke’s message at the time was: “Even if I loved these Patrik Stefan moves with a slight limp these days, but you get the feeling guys, how the hell are we going to land the pair of picks necessary to Hank would have beat him to the front door no matter what. For the snag both?” family dog, there are a few reasons to be alert on this warm, late-spring “We liked Patrik Stefan very much. We tried desperately to pick one, two day. Even before there was a knock at the door, landscaping tools wailed and three in that draft.” and hummed around the property, which is located in the leafy Detroit suburb of Birmingham. Still two cakes shy of his 40th birthday, Stefan His take on the Sedins flipped in the spring of ’99 at the World doesn’t even really notice the tiny hitch in his step. It’s getting addressed Championship in Norway. He started seeing those area passes they in July, when he’s scheduled to have a full-blown hip replacement. made to each other, the kind that put the puck to a spot where nobody Wearing a blue T-shirt and black shorts to go along with his buzzed head else is within 30 feet of it until a ginger Swede materializes from nowhere and beard, he still looks an enviable form of fit and it’s difficult to believe at top speed. The brothers made no secret of the fact that — even if it he played his last pro game in 2007. Like all players — especially the seemed a farfetched scenario — they would like to play for the same ones who are highly touted in their teens — Stefan hoped he’d be NHL club and Burke began stating that no team other than Vancouver competing until this late-30s juncture of his life. would be able to fulfill the Sedins’ wish. Turning that statement into something more than hot air, though, required finding some fellow GMs When he went to Switzerland for the 2007–08 season on the verge of his who were ready to horse trade. 27th birthday, it was with an eye to re-establishing his worth as a player after having arthroscopic hip surgery in the summer. A couple years What Burke didn’t declare on public record was that the Canucks — who earlier, during the lost NHL season of 2004–05, Stefan had one of his held the third-overall pick — were actively working to completely dominate the top of the draft. “ [Burke’s assistant GM] can especially in North America where the man wearing a tie spoke a foreign vouch for me on this: We tried to get the top three picks,” he says. “We language. He had some great bench bosses through the years and some liked Patrik Stefan very much. We tried desperately to pick one, two and he found hard to handle when they got hot. “There were lots of times I three in that draft.” didn’t know what to say back,” he says. It was those more contentious encounters that coloured Stefan’s view of coaching and it wasn’t until that Though he didn’t get a ton of traction on that front, six days before the day about 10 years ago in Orange County, running some old drills, that draft Burke nabbed the fourth-overall selection from the Chicago he tapped into a passion for teaching. “It was just instant love,” he says. Blackhawks, paying what he considered to be the steep price of defenceman Bryan McCabe and Vancouver’s first-rounder in 2000. Then Stefan jumped into the whistle world with both feet, eventually guiding he tried to shake loose the second top-three pick he desperately needed. James’s AAA teams full-time and helping out with Wyatt’s squads when The first-overall selection belonged to the Tampa Bay Lighting, while the he could. He’s a new-school thinker, one who relies heavily on video as a expansion held No. 2. Twenty-four hours before the teaching aid and forgives reasonable mistakes made in service of draft, Burke’s attempts to get newly appointed Tampa GM Rick Dudley to creativity. Whether working with up-and-coming players or counselling surrender the first selection were dying on the vine. Dudley told him he clients, Stefan relishes putting his experience to good use. Certainly, his was drafting Daniel Sedin and that was that. Burke went to bed Friday wisdom is hard-earned. night and told his wife at the time that he was going to be fired because he’d just traded McCabe and a first-rounder for Pavel Brendl, the While Stefan holds some great memories from Atlanta, the Thrashers Russian prospect who figured to go at No. 4. It was both Sedins or bust posted just a .311 points percentage through their first three campaigns in his mind. and the injury bug followed him to the NHL — he sustained a broken jaw, broken ankle and hyper-extended elbow. Atlanta drafted Dany Healtey Per their custom, Burke and Nonis were the first two suits on the draft and Ilya Kovalchuk in consecutive years and they quickly became the floor Saturday morning. They fixed their gaze on the entrances, waiting team’s go-to young guns. Stefan played fewer than 70 games in two of for Dudley to walk through so they could ambush him with one last his first four seasons, and it wasn’t until Year 5 that he skated a full 82 Godfather offer, ready to lay out as many future picks as it took to strike a and registered a respectable 40 points. That was the final season before deal. When Dudley emerged, he charged right up to Burke and said he the lost lockout year, when clutch-and-grab hockey still had a death grip would deal the first-overall pick for No. 4 and two more third-rounders. on the game. After his great lockout experience in Finland, Stefan Burke instantly knew he wasn’t the only GM with several balls in the air. crashed back to earth with another sour spin in Georgia. “I said [to Dudley], ‘You’ve already traded [No. 4], haven’t you?’” Burke recalls. “And he said, ‘Yep, I traded it to the Rangers.’ And they took He welcomed his 2006 trade to Dallas and the chance to start anew in a Brendl.” place littered with ring-wearing vets, where the conversation could be about something other than his status as a disappointing No. 1 pick. While assistant GMs Nonis and of Tampa filed the “You’re in the locker room and there’s ; Jere Lehtinen; transaction with the league, Burke sauntered up to Thrashers GM Don Sergei Zubov; Marty Turco,” says Stefan. “I’m like, ‘Holy shit.’ It felt like it Waddell — whom he knew coveted Stefan at No. 2 — and asked if he was a good fit for me.” wanted to be the star of the draft. “He said, ‘Watching you run around I have a pretty good f—kin’ idea who’s going to be the star of this draft,’” For what it’s worth, Stefan certainly wasn’t the only guy from the 1999 Burke says with a laugh. draft struggling to find his way. Aside from the Sedins, the only other big- time star from that year was Henrik Zetterberg, a seventh-round selection With owner Ted Turner on hand in Boston to see Atlanta make the first of the Detroit Red Wings. Of the 28 first-rounders taken that June, only selections in franchise history, Burke presented the opportunity for a little six managed 500 career NHL games, and the 26 skaters selected pageantry. If Waddell was willing to part with a third-rounder in 2000, combined for 4,579 points (2,111 of which belong to the Sedins). For Burke would do a ceremonial swap of Picks 1 and 2, granting Atlanta the reference, the 1998 draft — by no means a distinctly strong crew — honour of calling the first name and Burke the single trip to the podium he produced a total of 6,329 points from 25 first-round skaters. desired. “I didn’t want to go up twice,” he says. “[We wanted to introduce] them as a pair, like these are the twins — it’s not Henrik and Daniel, With high-end offence not really part of his repertoire, Stefan’s role these are the twins. It was important to us to get them on the stage diversified in Dallas and he started using his smarts and speed to kill [together].” penalties and sometimes shifted to the wing from his natural position of centre. One pro scout who was with the Stars at the time says Stefan’s Burke got his wish, Atlanta got centre stage and Stefan loved every cerebral approach would be a much better fit for 2019, when we see second. “I’m the first pick for them ever,” he says. “It was all very, very talent sprinkled throughout the forward trios as opposed to the old setup exciting. I was pretty fired up.” of two lines built for scoring and two others with spots reserved for bangers and fighters. And the notion that Stefan could be a top-nine guy MOVER AND SHAKER in the modern landscape doesn’t go far enough for Burke. “I think that’s Burke hoped to pick first, second and third, and liked Stefan more as a really uncharitable,” he says. “We had him ahead of the twins. He would prospect than the Sedins. He didn't get what he wanted, which might have been a good player for a long time and he was a good player for a have been for the best. short time. He didn’t tear it up like some of us thought he would or hoped he would, but he was a good player in our league. It’s too bad he [battled Stefan acknowledges he likes to do things his way. In addition to the injuries].” beat-you-down travel, one of the reasons he didn’t want to go into scouting was because he had little desire to watch kids play, turn in a It’s also unfortunate the site of his worst professional moment was the report, then let someone else decide what to do. His Czech Republic- Canadian city of Edmonton as opposed to a hockey hinterland; that the based agent, Jaromir Henys, suggested maybe he and Stefan could Oilers immediately capitalized on the mistake and that the entire ordeal partner, with the latter being stationed in North America. Stefan met his occurred so close to the end of Stefan’s NHL career, leaving him very Californian wife, Carolyn, when he played for Long Beach and the family little runway to erase the error. “It was not something I’m proud of, for — James was born in 2003, Wyatt in 2005 — settled in Laguna Beach, sure,” Stefan says. “Obviously I’ve seen the video a million times, I’ve south of Los Angeles. Stefan liked the idea of becoming an agent, but been reminded [a lot]: ‘How is that possible? [What an] awful player.’ You shortly after he started down his new path, Henys — who represented hear these comments.” many big-time Czech players — passed away from cancer. He pushed UNLUCKY NO. 13 on, however, and Stefan’s first client was Michal Neuvirth, a Czech goalie who played major junior for the Plymouth Whalers and now has a A new franchise without an established prospect incubator conspired with decade-long NHL career to his credit. In all, Stefan handles about a injuries to keep the player Burke says would have been good "for a long dozen players today including pros and amateurs, and he likes the time" from reaching his potential. boutique element of his business because it means he can pay personal attention to each guy. Even the kids he’s coached have asked Stefan about it, and he maintains the only thing he’d do differently is fire the puck on net sooner rather than Along the way, Stefan unexpectedly found himself back on the ice as carry it so close to the cage. His in-the-moment thinking was to keep the well. His nephew Matthew Akins — the son of Carolyn’s sister, Alyssa puck on his stick until he was in can’t-miss territory. “I’m just going to put Akins — picked up the game, perhaps unsurprisingly given uncle Patrik’s it on my backhand and slide it in, [but] it jumps over my stick,” he says. line of work. When Matthew’s Orange County Hockey Club coach was “As soon as that happens, it’s just panic mode. It’s like, ‘Holy shit.’ Then I sick one day, Stefan was a reluctant fill in. Coaching was something he fell, because it’s panic mode. A lot of people [say], ‘He’s an idiot because never truly considered in retirement. He was the quiet guy in the room, now he makes a second mistake [pushing the puck] back up [ice].’ You think I tried to push the puck back into the play? I tried to stop and push it back [toward the open net]. Pretty much every that could go wrong and worse — it just happened in those five or six seconds.”

Dallas actually wound up winning the Jan. 4, 2007, contest in a shootout that — because Turco was the goalie, not the coach — did not include Stefan. Just over a month later, on Feb. 14, Stefan skated in the NHL for the final time. Of course, he can play the “What if… ?” game — the injuries, being the original face of an expansion franchise that, bless its plucky heart, didn’t have the established infrastructure to support a struggling young kid — but he also has no interest in sounding like a whiner and is truly thankful for the time he got in the word’s best league.

“I wish I enjoyed it more,” says Stefan, offering up his only real regret.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Stefan has coached James, left, for years and next season will follow him to Portland and the WHL.

Hank, the Stefans’ fox-coloured canine, never settles for long in one place, moving from here to there, inside and out, before finally curling up on the end of James’s bed. It’s a strategic move because that perch offers a view to the laneway, allowing Hank to know the precise second Carolyn arrives home. The house in Birmingham actually won’t be home much longer, as the “For Sale” sign out front indicates. The Stefans originally moved to Michigan from California a couple years ago because its central location is good for Patrik’s business and the area offered a bevy of high-level youth hockey options. Both boys joined the Little Caesars AAA program and after coaching James for the better part of a decade, Stefan is heading west with him next fall to help ease the transition to the of the Western Hockey League. The plan is for Patrik to essentially billet James and another player he’s coached for many years, Jack O’Brien, while Carolyn and Wyatt remain in Michigan, sliding into the O’Brien home. (Jack’s mom, Karen, is a partner in Stefan’s agency and the families have become intertwined over time.)

James led Little Caesars — which also featured defenceman Luke Hughes, younger brother of Vancouver Canuck Quinn Hughes and the most recent first-overall pick, New Jersey Devil Jack Hughes — in scoring, playing the same centre position his dad did. The way things are tracking, he’ll garner significant NHL interest over the next two seasons, meaning Stefan will almost certainly find himself back at the draft in 2021. “I don’t [think] that far [ahead],” he says.

That one-day-at-a-time approach is very much something Stefan stresses with everyone in his orbit. “Stay on an even keel” may be the emotional equivalent of “get pucks deep” in terms of hockey clichés, but Stefan remembers the inevitable flip side to the many highs he experienced. “Then you get low,” he says. “And you’re really low and the gap is so big.”

Stefan — who tries not to smother the boys with hockey but sometimes finds himself telling them to cut the Fortnite and come watch the game — is happy James will have a new coach with a different voice next year, and he’s looking forward to kind of just being Dad. His son, however, still expects Stefan to wear a couple hats. “Obviously there’s going to be some pointers thrown around the house,” James says. “It’s going to be a really big change, but I think I’ll like it.”

This was supposed to be the time in life when Stefan transitioned from playing to the next chapter. If you want to put a positive spin on it, his relatively brief NHL career simply gave him a head start on finding another calling. “I don’t want to say powerful, but it’s been lots of great feelings for me,” Stefan says of guiding the younger generation. “That’s almost a way bigger thing than when I was playing.”

That makes living in the moment — regardless of what people want to bring up from the past — a very easy goal.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148448 Websites That’s what likely drove voters to pick him among the top three, though I had him slightly lower at fifth.

Without the extreme usage and poor partner last season, Subban’s Sportsnet.ca / Truth by Numbers: Is P.K. Subban on the decline? numbers trended upwards but not nearly as much as you would expect for a player of his calibre, and not wholly into the positives. That’s worrying, even if he was playing injured for much of the season, but on- Andrew Berkshire June 23, 2019, 8:26 AM ice statistics aren’t the be-all end-all, so let’s look at a few areas where Subban has typically been dominant relative to the rest of the league on

an individual basis. In a move that has been heavily rumoured to happen all spring, the Starting with turnovers, what I’ve done here is a bit different than usual, Nashville Predators traded P.K. Subban in order to clear up some cap as each data point represents how much better or worse Subban was at space to both re-sign team captain Roman Josi, and add some scoring not turning the puck over compared to the league average for up front. defencemen. The emergence of Dante Fabbro at the end of last season allows the Performance varies by zone, with Subban having two seasons of four Predators to maintain a strong top four on defence. GM David Poile also where he was a bit riskier in the neutral zone than the average drafted all three of Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm. The latter two defenceman, but overall with the puck on his stick, it was less likely to are signed to team-friendly deals relative to their talent level and league- result in a turnover over the last four years than every single defenceman wide value, plus Josi is the captain, so Subban was the obvious odd-man in the league, with only Drew Doughty coming anywhere close. out. 2017-18 especially, with more inherent risk involved with every turnover Not to mention that just like Shea Weber in 2016 when the Predators with a partner he couldn’t trust to back him up defensively, he was 15 per traded him for Subban in the first place, Subban is the oldest player in cent safer with the puck than a league average defenceman, an absurd that group. When you’re the oldest and (currently) most expensive, it’s level of clinical puck-handling for a defenceman who is counted on to easy to build the logic that you’re the most expendable as well. produce offence. Toss into the mix that Subban had an underwhelming season in 2018-19, Last season, though, there’s a decline in every single zone again. The and it starts to make sense. However, all of that logic collapses pretty overall picture remains excellent, being over five per cent safer with the severely if you look at the return Nashville got on this one; a decent-to- puck than the average defenceman is among the league’s best margins, good prospect in Jeremy Davies, a depth player in Steve Santini, and two but there’s still a drop-off that we can’t ignore. second-round picks. That’s a tough sell to the Nashville fanbase for a player who is one year removed from a Norris Trophy nomination. Looking at areas where Subban has individually stood out throughout his career, decline hasn’t exactly hit in a linear fashion. One thing that is very However, there are persistent whispers around the NHL about Subban’s clear is that his even-strength offensive production is drying up a bit. He’s troubles with his back over the last three seasons, he’s missed 35 games still over 10 per cent better at creating even-strength offence than the to injury over the last three seasons, and at 30 years old, his prime years average defenceman, but he used to be absurdly excellent at it. are behind him. Last season’s lackluster performance might lead a lot of people to believe that the decline for Subban could be swift, which is This could absolutely be a decline in his game, but there could be something the Devils clearly have to be aware for such a large cap hit, external factors as well. In Montreal, he was the guy the offence went but the risk is especially worth it when paying such a low price in a trade. through, whereas that was Roman Josi in Nashville, who was the one who was afforded the leash to make risky offensive plays on the regular. So the question going forward is what is Subban now? Is he still an elite talent? Going by the player ranking project I do for Sportsnet every In New Jersey, Subban will be the guy on defence, so I wonder if he summer, I have data on Subban going back to 2012-13, but the dataset begins to stand out in the way he used to offensively. If he doesn’t, I think gets far more robust in 2015-16 when Sportlogiq began to track every it’s safe to say his offensive game at evens has declined significantly. game. On the power play, he again seems to be around 10 per cent better than I haven’t tracked last season yet, but going back to 2012-13, Subban has average, with a huge drop off from his first season in Nashville, but not ranked first, fifth, first, third, third, and fifth in individual seasons in terms too far removed from his last season in Montreal. of overall positive impact on the teams he’s played on. There’s a slight decline in there overall, from his prime seasons in Montreal where he Subban is no scrub on the man advantage, and more than just creating was competing with Erik Karlsson as the best in the league, to the offence directly, he still rates as one of the better power-play Nashville years where he was solidly in the top five at his position but quarterbacks in the league when you factor in breakouts, entries, keeping falling behind Karlsson and Doughty. the puck in the offensive zone, and dishing to the slot.

From those lofty heights, there’s a long way to fall before Subban Defensively, Subban hasn’t seen any decline in his ability to recover, wouldn’t be a high impact player anymore, but the impression in some rebound and win defensive zone puck battles. He’s not quite at the elite circles seems to be that he was terrible last season, so let’s see if he level in those areas like Mark Giordano for example, but in areas without really fell down the proverbial elevator shaft, starting with differentials. a lot of spread across the NHL, a 10 per cent increase in efficiency over the league average is pretty huge. Looking at on-ice differentials only, the decline over the last couple of years looks real and severe, but there are a few factors we need to A lot more numbers need to be crunched before we can see how much consider here to put the numbers in context. some decline in Subban’s game will knock him down the overall rankings among defencemen, but at least for now and despite an injury that In 2017-18, Subban was nominated for the Norris despite pretty much hobbled him last season, Subban remains a No. 1 defenceman on most uniformly worse-than-team-average differentials, so what exactly teams at the very least. happened there? Whether he continues to be that for the remaining three seasons on his The biggest factor was Subban spent much of the campaign carrying current contract is anyone’s guess, but there isn’t enough of a fall off Alexei Emelin, while Ryan Ellis missed half the season in one of the here that would indicate a massive risk for the Devils. harshest defensive usage pairings in the league, with terrible quality of teammates and high quality of competition, with deployment that heavily Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.24.2019 stacked those differentials against him.

A hilarious aside: the season before,Shea Weber also had Alexei Emelin tank a half season of his on-ice differentials before finally being paired with Andrei Markov and looking great.

When you isolate Subban’s minutes without Emelin on the ice, everything rockets to team-best numbers despite the usage staying the same, and despite that harsh usage and unfortunate partner, he led the league for primary points among defencemen. 1148449 Websites seasons, these statistics are shown as the percentage better or worse than the league average for forwards in a given season.

This way, we can see how Perry compares in a specific statistic relative Sportsnet.ca / How should Corey Perry be valued as an unrestricted free to league average, instead of just a small number per 20 minutes that agent? may not give the context of the difference.

Right away we can see that Perry was a phenomenal offensive producer Andrew Berkshire June 23, 2019, 11:54 AM in 2015-16, far above league average as a shooter and playmaker, with his standout skill being the highly coveted high danger scoring chances, which fits with his reputation.

Corey Perry has earned the unwanted distinction of being the first Hart However the number of high danger chances Perry produces has steeply Trophy winner to be bought out of a contract in the salary cap era. Earlier declined since then, to the point where he has been below league this week, the Anaheim Ducks made the decision to cut their losses and average for two seasons in a row. shed the final two years of his contract that cost them $8.625 million against the salary cap. Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the The decision couldn’t have been easy. Perry has spent 14 seasons in a country’s most beloved game. Ducks jersey, he’ll finish his Ducks career just 12 games shy of 1,000 — and in fact no player has ever played more games for the franchise. He’s The first part of his game that fell off was high-end playmaking. He went currently third all-time in points in Ducks history behind Teemu Selanne from nearly 29 per cent better than an average forward in 2015-16 to and Ryan Getzlaf, and second in all-time goals behind only Selanne. over 16 per cent worse in 2016-17, but the rest of his offensive game wasn’t far behind. Perry won a Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard in 2010-11, and a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007. And on top of all those past Perry is still an above average scoring chance producer, but he is more accomplishments and emotions that can influence decisions in even the of a high slot shooter now, and he doesn’t create nearly as much offence most dispassionate organization, there’s the fact that the cap relief of the for his teammates as he used to. buyout isn’t great a year from now. Another area to focus on is that small sample “bounce back” year in Next season Perry’s buyout will count for just $2.625 million against the 2018-19 we referenced earlier. When you look at his individual salary cap, and in years three and four it’s just $2 million, but in 2020-21 contributions, that recovery doesn’t look nearly as strong. the Ducks will get hit with a $6.625 million cap hit for a player no longer With all this said, is Perry an unsalvageable player that all of the other 30 on their roster. teams in the league should shy away from? No, I don’t think so. If he So it won’t be easy for the Ducks to say goodbye to Perry, but there are a weren’t paid such a hefty salary the Ducks may not have chosen to buy lot of miles on him and at 34 years old his game has deteriorated. him out this summer. He may not be one of the league’s best wingers anymore, but if he’s healthy enough for the league to permit a buyout in But how much does Perry have left in the tank? For a long time he was the first place, he’s still capable of contributing goals and not being a one of the best wingers in the game and one of the top goal scorers, major defensive liability while doing so. period. He has faded so far from his prime and hasn’t had a 20-goal season since 2015-16, but is he worth a look on a bargain contract? Let’s The issue with a player like Perry on the free market is always going to take a look. be reputation and name recognition versus actual present day value. In today’s game and at his age, Perry should be seen as a team’s seventh- Relative to his teammates, Perry has been struggling to control shot and best forward, not making much more than league average salary; — shot attempt differentials in all four seasons we have complete data for. around $3 million, on a short-term deal. But the same isn’t true when we look at quality shots. Perry likely doesn’t see things that way because he’s used to being an To put things in context, the Ducks have been a bit all over the map in elite player, but giving him ‘Corey Perry money’ just isn’t responsible any the past four years. They were a good team in 2015-16, a very good more. That’s the harsh reality of the NHL, and as the saying goes: age is team the following season, then a strong defensive but poor offensive undefeated. team in 2017-18 and were straight up horrible this past season. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.24.2019 Perry struggled the most in 2017-18, though the bounce back you see in the numbers this season was in a small, 31-game sample. It’s important to point out that whenever you’re dealing with small samples the best bet is to rely on the dataset that has the most volume — in this case, that would be shot attempt differential relative to teammates, and by that measure, Perry cratered even further.

With that said, through Perry’s four-season decline the Ducks were never worse off in quality shot differential when he was on the ice versus when he was off. In that sense, this buyout can look a little shortsighted.

However, we also need to take into account that even as Perry declined both in his play and in the role he plays for the Ducks, he still spends a significant amount of time on the ice with Ryan Getzlaf, who remains a near-elite player in the NHL.

Perry has a long history of creating chances from in tight to the net, so some of the extra offence produced while he’s on the ice is going to go through him, but we shouldn’t make assumptions based on reputation. Wingers don’t usually have a big impact on protecting the net front in their own zone, so playing with a top centre like Getzlaf can really muddy the waters with what these on-ice statistics are really saying.

In order to see a clearer image of what Perry brings at this stage, we can look at his individual offensive performance over this same four-year period.

Usually when I use individual statistics, I plot them as per 20 minutes while the player in question is on the ice. But in order to show the change Perry has experienced relative to league-wide changes over the past four 1148450 Websites It’s hard to believe that prior to the Matt Duchene trade the Avs were derided for a lack of talent on the blue line. They’ve completely reloaded and now are one of the teams best set up for success on the back end Sportsnet.ca / NHL Draft Weekend Takeaways: The Canucks are heading into the future with all sorts of fleet-footed puck-movers. gambling Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game. Rory Boylen | June 23, 2019, 8:09 AM WILL THE SURPRISE MORITZ SEIDER REACH PAY OFF?

It was fitting that, this being the 2019 draft, the first player picked by The NHL Draft didn’t come through with the trade fireworks that were Steve Yzerman as GM of the Detroit Red Wings donned the No. 19 when being talked up in the week leading to it, but there were more than a few he was called to the stage. notable moves and decisions from the event. But Moritz Seider going sixth overall was the shock of the first round — Despite that lack of action, the host Vancouver Canucks turned heads even he was surprised to hear his named called there. After the second taking a few big cuts with their first-round pick and a Day 2 trade to try pick there was no consensus as to how the next 10 or so selections and accelerate their rebuild. The Leafs and Predators made deals to free would unfold, and although Sieder was a significant rankings riser in the up cap space that reminded us how valuable that room is to NHL teams second half, he leapt from an expected mid-round pick to being the these days. The Wings sent shockwaves through Round 1, Colorado second defenceman off the board. continued its fearsome build up and the USNTDP dominated. “It’s not a curveball in our estimate,” Yzerman told Elliotte Friedman on Before we focus in on the next week and the countdown to free agency, the draft floor. “I know Moritz wasn’t rated highly in all the mock drafts, here are some of our takeaways from draft weekend in Vancouver. but we felt the top five kinda went as we thought it would, but it was only an educated guess. And after that this next group of players, whether Had a team other than New Jersey won the draft lottery, there’s a very they’re forwards, wingers, centres, or defencemen there’s a good group real chance Kakko would have gone first overall and Jack Hughes would and we thought it could go in a lot of different directions. be the one driving to prove someone wrong. Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino noted on the Tape to Tape Podcast that it was his belief up to half of the “We had a chance to get a big, intelligent, smart, good-skating league would have picked Kakko first — it really was legitimate to wonder defenceman and we feel they’re hard to find so we stepped up and took if Hughes could have been dethroned this weekend. him.”

Hughes should become the first player drafted out of the USNTDP to Yzerman noted he did try to trade back for another asset and still land step right into the NHL and Kakko should also be in the Rangers’ lineup the defenceman, but when he couldn’t find a partner the Red Wings GM next season. Cosentino called him the most NHL ready out of this year’s felt comfortable choosing a player he wanted. draft class and after Kakko set a Finnish-league goal-scoring record for a player his age, he could have one of those instantly impactful seasons. Seider is coming out of Germany’s DEL, where he played for Mannheim. That’s not the same as someone coming out of, say, Finland or Sweden, Don’t be surprised if Kakko is a Calder finalist next April. He’s playing but there’s something to be said about any teenager who spent a full with a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove his new geographical season playing against full-grown professionals and held their own. The rivals made the wrong decision to take Hughes first. thing most prospects need to do as they rise through the professional ranks is get stronger physically, but Seider already has NHL size at six- “I hope so, that’s the goal,” he told Tara Sloane. feet-four and 207 pounds. He’s also a right shot who can move the puck AVALANCHE WILL HAVE A BLUE LINE TO BE FEARED and with the potential to be a top-pair NHL blueliner one day. Though this pick was a Day 1 surprise, he very well may end up as the best We know GM Joe Sakic wants to be aggressive in free agency this defenceman out of this draft. summer. The Avalanche seem on the cusp of breaking through, but there’s still work to do before then. They have to add scoring depth to He was also a draft-combine favourite. Stylish and with a fun personality, their forwards, but can at least hang their hat on having Nathan Red Wings fans will find Seider very easy to cheer for — he may even MacKinnon on the most team-friendly contract in the league. become a fan favourite one day.

Even as the Avalanche can think about making bold moves to try and VASILY PODKOLZIN COULD BE A GRAND SLAM PICK FOR firmly enter the “contender” category, there is still a very positive long- CANUCKS term outlook that could pay off here. This is a young team at the NHL “This is a man. He’s NHL ready,” Brian Burke said of Vasily Podkolzin level and there is an exciting crop of prospects still coming behind them. after the Vancouver Canucks nabbed him 10th overall. You saw one of them get a taste of pro hockey for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, and Cale Makar was electric. He’ll be one It wouldn’t be fair to call him a polarizing player because just about of the top Calder favourites next season. everyone agrees he’s a future NHL talent. He can skate, score, play with some sandpaper and won’t be stood up by anyone. At six-feet-one, 196 The marquee names out of Colorado these days are the three big pounds, he already has an NHL body or close to it and perhaps if he was forwards, but in short time it’s the blue line that could be the envy of the drafted out of the CHL instead of the KHL, he may have gone to Chicago league. On top of 20-year-old Makar you have 21-year-old Sam Girard third-overall or Colorado fourth-overall. already on the roster. In the system there’s 20-year-old Conor Timmins, who missed the entire 2018-19 season to a concussion, but the season But the issue with Podkolzin, and what made him a draft-day wild card, prior he was one of Canada’s top three players at the WJC and better was that he still has two years left on his KHL contract with St. than point-per-game player for the OHL’s Sault Greyhounds. For Petersburg and has said he intends to see that through. So whoever took veterans, is 31 years old and signed through another four him had to accept the fact there will be a little bit of a delay here. seasons. With that in mind, it made sense to look for teams that had success at Oh ya, and Tyson Barrie is still with the team, though he’s a year away bringing players out of Russia in the past as potential Podkolzin landing from from free agency and has been in every rumour mill for the past few spots. Detroit and Florida came to mind as possibilities. The Canucks months. That could be the chip Sakic uses to trade for forward help. We’ll certainly didn’t. In the salary-cap era Vancouver has taken just three see. players right out of Russia, the earliest being Nikita Tryamkin in the third round. Our own Iain MacIntyre described Russia as an historical Although there were centres Alex Turcotte, Dylan Cozens and Trevor “wasteland” for Canucks picks, but that didn’t dissuade this front office Zegras available to them, the Avs went with Vancouver Giants from taking a cut on a high-end talent who has a desire to come to the defenceman Bowen Byram fourth overall, who led all players in WHL NHL. playoff scoring. He was third among all WHL blueliners in regular season scoring with 71 points in 67 games and is a terrific skater who models his THE IMMENSE VALUE OF CAP SPACE game after Maple Leafs No. 1 defenceman Morgan Rielly. Not a bad addition to what’s already there. There were again all sorts of trade rumours coming into draft weekend There was no exceptional talent who fell in 2019, but there were three and while we were disappointed in the lack of movement on Friday, Day names who many thought would be called in Round 1 that all slipped to 2 started with a couple of noteworthy moves. Saturday.

We really anticipated a blockbuster in Vancouver. Big names all over Among our five big questions heading into the draft, we recognized were bandied about and, just maybe, we’d see something on the scale of Arthur Kaliyev and Raphael Lavoie as real wild cards. Both have last year’s Day 2 trade between Calgary and Carolina in which five immense goal-scoring upside — Kaliyev joined a short list of players that players were swapped in a hockey deal. But the P.K. Subban trade to the includes and John Tavares who scored 50-plus goals New Jersey Devils and the Patrick Marleau trade to Carolina were from the OHL in their draft year, while Lavoie went on a playoff tear by reminders of just how valuable cap space is. scoring 20 times in 23 games for the Halifax Mooseheads. But in both cases concerns about their skating and consistency turned off everyone Although various Canadian teams were reportedly in on Subban — and from taking them too early. Despite the two being late first-rounders on the Leafs you’d think would have been motivated buyers — the Devils most mock drafts, Kaliyev went to Los Angeles at 33rd overall and Lavoie were able to swoop in and land the exciting 30-year-old blueliner for what to Edmonton at 38th. amounts to fringe assets: Steven Santini, Jeremy Davies and a couple second-round of picks. At that value, despite any detractions, players with their raw goal scoring skill and pro potential are worth taking a shot on. The Predators did not retain any salary and so will shave $9 million off their cap hit right away. Given they are still loaded on the back end with As for Brett Leason, his age may have been a factor behind his fall. Dante Fabbro also on the cusp of full-time NHL duty the Predators have Twice passed over at the NHL Draft, Leason carved up the WHL and more pressing needs up front, plus Roman Josi is a year away from was absolutely dominant at times. He started the season with a 30-game being UFA eligible and needs a pay increase. Kyle Turris was a massive point streak, earned a role on Canada’s WJC team and led the WHL disappointment in 2018-19 and the power play left a lot to be desired, so champs in scoring. But he is 20 years old and has a six-foot-four, 201- you can expect GM David Poile to get busy upgrading parts of his pound frame, so that performance maybe doesn’t stand out as much as it forward group. Dropping Subban’s cap hit gives him way more freedom would for a player two years his junior. to act. “I think this could be the steal of the draft,” Sam Cosentino said on the Right away Nashville becomes a favourite to land pending-UFA Matt broadcast after Leason finally went 56th overall to Washington. Duchene, who can start talking to clubs other than Columbus on Sunday. But how much will he cost? Kevin Hayes just got a $7-million AAV from The bonus with Leason, too, is that he can advance up your pipeline the Philadelphia Flyers and it’s fair to assume Duchene will come in at faster than most players out of the CHL. Since he’s already 20, least a million above that. Washington can put him right on its AHL team if it wants, rather than being forced to choose between having him in the NHL or CHL next The Leafs are facing their own cap crunch. The good news is they leave season. There’s a chance Leason even gets a look on the NHL team at draft weekend reportedly close on signing both RFAs Kasperi Kapanen some point in 2019-20. and Andreas Johnsson, but the bad news is there’s no news on Mitch Marner. Meanwhile the defence is screaming for help and since the CANUCKS MAKE RISKY BET ON BEING A PLAYOFF TEAM IN NEXT salary cap will come in under the expected $82 million, there’s not much TWO SEASONS room for GM Kyle Dubas to make improvements. Vancouver hung around the playoff race longer than most thought they Marleau was a good bet to move somewhere this summer, but that would in 2018-19 and so now expectation within the team is starting to Toronto had to trade a first-round pick to erase his $6.25 million from turn towards actually being one of the West’s top eight in April. But how their books was a tough sacrifice to make. That’s one fewer valuable much of this off-season would be about pushing ahead at the expense of asset to use towards a roster upgrade along the lines of Jake Muzzin, but a gradual build up was uncertain. that’s the cost of business sometimes for a capped-out team that wants On Day 2 of the draft Vancouver signalled its intent and expressed how to contend. far along the management team believes this group is by sending a USNTDP OWNS THE FIRST ROUND conditional first-round pick to Tampa Bay for J.T. Miller.

The US program is here to stay. It probably won’t set records for early Basically what that means is the Canucks are betting on making the first-round picks again next season (Canada should again be a big factor playoffs if not in 2020 then absolutely in 2021. This comes on the heels in 2020 with Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafreniere at the top), but you of the team striking a two-year extension with Alexander Edler who will can get used to the Americans challenging Canada for most players continue to anchor the blue line with big minutes as Quinn Hughes finds chosen in the first round of future drafts. his footing in the league.

The 2019 class was certainly a special one for the USNTDP. Hughes In one weekend, the Canucks’ rebuild has leapt from promising with was the unsurprising first overall and the program accounted for seven of plenty of runway to make it work to one that now enters a vitally the first 15 players chosen in the draft, setting a record for the amount of important two-year window. Everything now becomes a little more urgent players picked off the same team in Round 1 of the draft — across any for GM Jim Benning, who you’d think needed to get this team into the sport. playoffs by 2021 to keep his job anyway — now if they fail to do that, though, his replacement will be working in a less-than-ideal condition. The Canadian contingent made up some ground in the second half of Round 1 and in the end, came out tied with the USA for most players Vancouver now risks succumbing to the same over-evaluation the chosen Friday night. But the Americans keep coming and as grassroots Ottawa Senators did when they doubled down on a surprising programs in states such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and California conference-final appearance by trading away their first-rounder to continue to grow, this trend should only pick up steam. Colorado before the team was ready for that kind of commitment. The result was the Avs got to pick fourth overall and took Bowen Byram this The USA won’t always own the top of the draft as it did in 2019, but the weekend, which is now the nightmare scenario being presented in front country should more regularly challenge Canada as the dominant country of Canucks fans. in the NHL Draft. Had Elias Pettersson not exploded the way he did and won the Calder ARTHUR KALIYEV, BRETT LEASON, RAPHAEL LAVOIE: THIS Trophy, this trade probably doesn’t happen. But his quick emergence as YEAR’S JOE VELENO? an elite scoring centre has emboldened the team to bet on the rebuild being a little ahead of schedule. Brock Boeser is a good bet to hit 30 In the 2018 draft, Joe Veleno was a shocking faller, dropping all the way goals for the first time and Bo Horvat complements Pettersson to make a to Detroit at 30th overall. Veleno was the first player ever granted legitimate one-two centre punch. Benning has talked about wanting to “exceptional player” status and granted early entry into the QMJHL and bring in more size to this lineup and though Miller isn’t Tom Wilson he produced near point-per-game numbers on a strong Saint John team. massive (six-feet-one, 218 pounds), he does have a physical edge and Part of the reason his offensive totals weren’t better was because he was strong net-front presence that is along the lines of what Benning was low in the depth chart, behind older players as the Sea Dogs went for talking about. league championships. But when Veleno was traded to Drummondville and given more ice time midway through 2017-18 he notched 48 points In no way are we knocking Miller. He is a strong transitional player, can in 33 games. This season, he finished with 104 points. be used in any forward position, in any situation, and is a playmaker first that should complement some of the snipers high up the lineup. He’s also signed through another four seasons so he brings cost certainty. But we do have to wonder if he is the kind of player who, at this point in Vancouver’s re-armament process, is worth giving up a first-round pick to acquire.

The Canucks don’t have to make the playoffs this season because the pick is lottery protected, but if they whiff in 2021 Tampa Bay is going to walk out of this as a massive winner. The Lightning had to shed some salary this summer and it’s not often a team in that position is able to recoup a first-round pick out of it. The Canucks and Benning are assuming all of the risk in this swap.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.24.2019 1148451 Websites Cole Schwindt │ 3rd round, 81st overall │ Florida Panthers

Big, right-shot centres, are hard to come by, and this player offers that package. Not to condone fighting, but a tussle with Josh Wainman on Sportsnet.ca / One standout selection from each round of the 2019 NHL February 13th happened to coincide with a 5 game point streak. Draft Understanding that he could hold his own, Schwindt started to use his size to his advantage, and ultimately put up 12 points over Mississauga’s Sam Cosentino June 23, 2019, 12:45 PM final 9 games of the season.

A good off-season could position him well to take a major step in point production next season. Two days, 31 teams and 217 players later and the 2019 NHL Draft is done. Brett Leason │ 2nd round, 56th overall │ Washington Capitals

Sixty-three players were selected from Canada — the most of any Steal of the draft potential. country — with the US, a close second, claiming 59 players. The Admittedly I’m biased towards Leason because he’s the player I’d had USNTDP set an abundance of records with 17 players taken in total, the most live viewings of this season. I watched him play in the regular eight of whom were selected in round one. We witnessed Dylan Cozens season, world juniors, playoffs and Memorial Cup resulting in a varying become the first Yukon born player taken in the first round. level of competition and a variety of pressure-packed situations.

All told, 27 players were selected that had previous ties to the NHL, lead The thing I like most is that he’s had very little hockey-specific training — by Hughes, whose brother Quinn spent the last month of the season with indicating that if he puts the work in, he can dramatically increase his the Vancouver Canucks. ceiling. On his best nights, he can be effective in a multitude of ways, The most heart-warming moment of the day had to be Everett goalie from blocking shots, to stripping pucks, disrupting the breakout, Dustin Wolf being selected by Calgary with the 214th overall pick. I can’t distributing or scoring. imagine having to sit with your family, watching all of the players you’ve Vasily Podkolzin │ 1st round, 10th overall │ Vancouver Canucks played with and against get selected and enjoy the moment with family and friends, while you sit there wondering what your future holds. A player I would deem a top-five pick seemingly has great value for the Canucks at 10. The Wolf family was forced to wait for more than three hours before hearing Dustin’s name called. The screams, the jubilation, the utter joy There are no holes in his game, but Podkolzin plays a North American could be heard and felt throughout Rogers Arena. style that is heavy on compete. He thinks the game well and can create offence in a variety of ways — whether that’s making accurate, hard Here’s my take on my favourite selection from each round. passes, taking it to the net, working out of the cycle or shooting it, he Raphael Harvey-Pinard │ 7th round, 201st overall │ Montreal Canadiens makes those around him better.

A smallish player who has the heart of a lion, Harvey-Pinard captained There are some concerns about his skating ability, but something I the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to President and Memorial Cup titles. believe will come in due time as he grows into his solid frame. Yes, the contract issue is a bit of a concern, but as scouts like to say, "the best Having experienced a pro camp with the Vegas Golden Knights, Harvey- players always want to come over and play in the best league." It’s not as Pinard will not be fazed by going to camp with Montreal. At the CHL if he was going to play in the NHL next season anyway. level, he’s a point producer, and he’s relied upon in crucial situations. Harvey-Pinard is like a second coach with his ability to think the game. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.24.2019 Hockey IQ is off the charts and when matched with work ethic gives him the chance to make it as a late pick.

Patrick Moynihan │ 6th round, 158th overall │ New Jersey Devils

The best endorsement of a player is that which comes from teammates.

When asked who is the most underrated player on their team, many of the USNTDP players replied with Moynihan. With the ability to play all over the lineup, Moynihan is lauded for the details in his game, for a never-ending motor that allows him to have success.

The production (68 PTS in 92 GP) was still impressive considering all of the other high-end options on their team. Another guy who will find a way to make it. Next stop, Providence.

Kirill Slepets │ 5th round, 152nd overall │ Carolina Hurricanes

Having watched Slepets on several occasions this season both in November at our Canada-Russia series and at the World Juniors, it was easy to see why Carolina took him as a 20-year-old. He possesses world class speed and an ability to anticipate the play, that leads to an abundance of scoring chances.

He does, however, lack finish in his game. That may ultimately be his downfall, but the fallback position for Slepets is a penalty-kill specialist — he has sneaky length and great hand-eye coordination that make him a threat short-handed.

Jordan Spence │ 4th round, 95th overall │ Los Angeles Kings

A player born in Australia, who moved to Japan and eventually back to his dad’s home province of Prince Edward Island, Spence had to live with a friend while waiting for his family to relocate just so that he could play at a competitive level.

Undrafted in his first year of QMJHL eligibility, the jumped up and took him in the second round of the 2017 draft. Before you know it, he’s put up 49 points best amongst QMJHL rookie rearguards en route to the league’s rookie of the year award.