SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/22/2019 Wild 1107679 Ducks’ sled hockey events empower athletes with 1107702 A closer look at new Wild disabilities 1107703 Minnesota-based ex-teammates sing praises of new Wild GM 1107704 The 12 best playing careers of Minnesota pro head 1107680 Coyotes’ prospect pool still middle of the pack led by coaches or top executives Hayton, Soderstrom 1107705 Restricted free agent Joel Eriksson Ek re-signs with Wild 1107681 The Athletic: Coyotes could make leap, become breakout 1107706 Five things to know about new Wild General Manager Bill playoff team Guerin 1107682 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 17 Arizona Coyotes 1107707 Wild hire Bill Guerin as new general manager 1107708 Bill Guerin will be Wild's next general manager Bruins 1107709 Attack on neighbor puts '' skater Mark 1107683 Boston Pride add a goalie; Bruins ink defensive depth Pavelich in jail; family suspects CTE behind violence 1107684 Bruins forward Brett Ritchie brings lacrosse background to 1107710 Wild sign Joel Eriksson Ek to two-year, $2.975 million ice contract 1107685 Nathan MacKinnon gives perfect description of training 1107711 Wild name longtime NHL player, executive Bill Guerin with Brad Marchand general manager 1107686 Charlie McAvoy and the Bruins play the waiting game 1107712 Wild name Bill Guerin fourth general manager in franchise history 1107687 10 storylines to watch as Sabres prepare for training camp to open 1107713 Can Canadiens star Carey Price hang on until GM's reset 1107688 Sabres draft pick Dylan Cozens back on Harborcenter ice is complete? following thumb surgery 1107689 As summer nears its end, Rasmus Ristolainen is still on Devils the Sabres. So what next? 1107714 Devils’ most important players: No. 14 Will Butcher | Still a factor on power plays 1107690 Matt Gaudreau, Johnny's lil' bro, signed to Flames' farm team 1107715 Derick Brassard’s odyssey brings him to Islanders in New 1107691 Flames hoping a fresh start and an old coach can help York return Milan Lucic find his game 1107716 Derick Brassard agrees to one-year deal with the Islanders 1107717 Thomas Greiss hoping to form bond with new Islander 1107692 After summer of deliberation, Hurricanes pressing Justin Semyon Varlamov Williams for an answer 1107718 It’s not too late: Where the Islanders can still turn for top-9 forward help 1107719 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 16 New York 1107693 SportingNews Top 50 NHL Prospects lists Boqvist at 10 Islanders and Kirby Dach at 13 1107720 Mark Pavelich, former Rangers and ‘Miracle on Ice’ player, 1107694 Colorado’s ‘special’ teams: What to expect from charged in attack on neighbor Colorado’s power play and kill 1107721 Mark Pavelich, former Rangers star, accused of beating man with pole over ‘spiked’ beer 1107722 Limited options for Tony DeAngelo, Brendan Lemieux in 1107695 Zach Werenski seeking three-year contract at $5 million- Rangers contract standoffs plus annually, source says 1107723 What's the holdup with the NY Rangers signing Tony 1107696 ‘God gives us only what we can handle’: Blue Jackets pay DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux? surprise visit to ailing fan 1107724 Rob O'Gara gets a 'clean slate' in the AHL, with an eye on making it back to the NHL 1107725 Tanner Glass rejoins Rangers as part of hockey 1107697 Inside the offseason training program and the gym that operations staff helped build Stars center Tyler Seguin 1107726 The Gifted: Rangers prospect Adam Fox has all the 1107698 Bill Guerin named new Wild GM, becomes latest ex-Star makings of a perfect power-play quarterback employed by Minnesota this offseason 1107727 Training camp intrigue: Battle of the prospects looms for 1107699 Jonathan Ericsson facing battle to remain in Red Wings’ the Senators lineup 1107728 Senators sign Colin White to long-term deal Flyers 1107700 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 15 Florida Panthers 1107729 Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere working hard, trying to rebound from last season 1107730 Why Travis Konecny may be most important factor for a 1107701 KINGS ANNOUNCE SCHEDULE CHANGE + SPORTING successful Flyers season NEWS PROSPECT RANKINGS 1107731 Penguins assistant Bill Guerin named Wild general manager 1107732 Penguins Predictions: Will Patric Hornqvist rediscover his power-play prowess? 1107733 He had served as Pittsburgh's assistant GM since 2014 1107734 State of the Penguins Franchise: Is this another beginning? Or the end? 1107735 Sharks' biggest threats to winning : Salary cap constraints Maple Leafs 1107736 Steady Tavares won't be a distraction at Leafs camp 1107737 TRAIKOS: Experts agree Leafs' Marner will be behind if he misses camp 1107738 Moving man: Kenny Agostino believes he’s the right fit for the Maple Leafs 1107743 Ben Kuzma: Canucks hoping to get Boeser contract extension done before camp opens 1107744 How ’s extension and big offseason bets complicate the Canucks’ long-term goals 1107739 Place your bets: A look at all of Vegas’ prop bets for the Golden Knights 1107740 Capitals of the Year Bracket: Oshie's Kung Fu kick vs Ovechkin's snipe 1107741 Confident and healthy, prospect Jonas Siegenthaler aims to secure a full-time job with the Capitals Websites 1107745 Sportsnet.ca / Elias Lindholm has a theory about Flames' post-season flop 1107746 Sportsnet.ca / Senators believe Colin White contract is a key to a brighter future 1107747 USA TODAY / New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton talks about busy offseason, salary cap crunch and more 1107742 Poolman hears opportunity knocking on Jets' blue line SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1107679 Anaheim Ducks Ralph DeQuebec, center, coaches players during a sled hockey clinic at Great Park Ice rinks in Irvine on Saturday.

The Kings help fund a six-year-old sled hockey program in Riverside Ducks’ sled hockey events empower athletes with disabilities whose teams travel to tournaments and host a tournament each year.

Ralph DeQuebec, a Paralympic hockey gold medalist from Harbor City, Providing a way for kids and adults to gain confidence is a win that participates in a sled hockey clinicat Great Park Ice rinks in Irvine on doesn’t show up in the NHL standings. Saturday. “Programs like this are really refreshing because it gets back to the basics of what hockey’s all about: creating a sense of community while By HELENE ELLIOTT we’re out on the ice together and having fun and trying something new,” said Jesse Chatfield, director of marketing for The Rinks facilities and SPORTS COLUMNIST Great Park Ice. “It gets away from the triple-A level hockey, the competitive nature, and goes back to having fun and developing bonds AUG. 21, 2019 10:22 AM and teamwork.”

The Ducks have a head start toward launching a sled hockey program: Their smiles were tentative at first, a reasonable reaction from the brave Rink 1 of their four-sheet complex was built with glide-on benches to souls who had never before been strapped into a small sled and shown enter and exit the ice and low glass panels so hockey players can see how to propel themselves around the ice using short hockey sticks the ice when they’re resting. equipped with a sharp pick at one end and a flat blade at the other. Without a glide-on bench, players must sit on the ice and wait for line A few mishaps occurred, but it wasn’t long before joyful chaos reigned changes. Having a glide-on bench “totally legitimizes it,” DeQuebec said. among the armada of about 50 sleds that darted around Rink 1 at Great “Any time you can do something like that to make the sport feel normal, Park Ice in Irvine last weekend at the Ducks’ try-it sled hockey clinic. I’m all for it, any time.”

Longtime sled hockey players, including many who participated in an Aaron Loy of Carlsbad, who lost his lower legs to bacterial meningitis exhibition tournament featuring adult teams backed by the Ducks, Kings during his freshman year at UC Santa Barbara, also appreciates the and Vegas Golden Knights helped the newcomers adjust to their sled-friendly features. surroundings and the sensation of speed. “It’s great, especially for some of these younger kids,” said Loy, who has Participants ranged from 7 years old to 50-somethings and their skill played on the U.S. national development sled hockey team. “It’s already levels varied, but their enthusiasm overcame their chilled hands. In a sled awkward enough for them mobility-wise. For them to have these little they were all athletes and all part of a family — the hockey family, which ramps and to have really nice sleds is what makes it inclusive.” welcomed them with open arms, sleek sleds and the promise of new Ralph DeQuebec goaltends during a sled hockey clinic at Great Park Ice adventures. rinks in Irvine on Saturday. Sled hockey — sometimes called sledge hockey — gave a new purpose Loy was playing club lacrosse and intramural soccer when he was to Ralph DeQuebec, a Purple Heart recipient who lost his legs above the stricken in 2013. Afterward, while rehabilitating, “I didn’t have a team knee in June 2012 while serving as a Marine bomb technician in sport, which I’d always grown up with, both helping the physical aspect Afghanistan. and the mental aspect of playing a sport again, going fast,” said Loy, who Ralph DeQuebec, a Paralympic hockey gold medalist from Harbor City, took up sled hockey in 2015. coaches players during a sled hockey clinic at Great Park Ice rinks in “This is a full-contact sport, compared to some other adaptive sports you Irvine on Saturday. can do, and a lot of people like that. These kids have maybe grown up in He learned about sled hockey while he was healing from some of his wheelchairs or other things and they are kind of sheltered a little bit and dozens of surgeries, and he joined a program in Washington. He now they get to hit someone, just like everyone else who plays soccer, immediately loved the contact but soon became intrigued by the game’s and football.” strategy and became a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at Warrior Hockey involves stand-up play. Mike Vaccaro, who is affiliated the 2018 Paralympic Games. with USA Hockey, slowly led players through drills last weekend, letting “I had a bad day at the office and turned it into something good,” he said. them find their pace and maybe a refuge.

DeQuebec, a former San Pedro resident who now lives in Denver, He played hockey as a kid in Buffalo but drifted away from it; the sport returned to Southern California to share his expertise during the tryout became a lifeline in his recovery from brain and facial injuries he suffered event on Saturday and a clinic on Sunday. He was easy to spot with his in Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade hit a wall in front of him. dark mustache, muscular shoulders and sled decorated with American “I found hockey again and it just turned me around,” he said. “Every team flags. I go to, everybody I talk to, there’s always one story of somebody that “Every time I come out, these events get bigger and bigger and bigger, was on the verge of losing it or getting divorced or just couldn’t deal with and my heart just fills up every time I come out here and this ice is it anymore and had family issues, and hockey didn’t fix the problem, but it packed,” said DeQuebec, 36, who played baseball, basketball and helped them cope with the problem. The same thing happened to me.” football and ran track at San Pedro High. And it can happen for many others, one sled or Warrior at a time. “I expected 20 people, maybe, and I saw all these kids and got butterflies LA Times: LOADED: 08.22.2019 in my stomach because I remember the first time I was on the ice, how I was scared and intimidated, but it eventually took me somewhere. If I could give that back to the kids, why wouldn’t I?”

The try-it sled hockey clinic and a Warrior Hockey try-it clinic for injured and disabled former military members were the first of several events the Ducks plan to hold in order to measure the interest in establishing sled and Warrior programs. They already support youth and adult sled hockey teams in San Diego, home of their affiliate.

The programs in Irvine would be for boys and girls and would mix adult and youth players until they get enough participants to create age- specific groups. Information will be available at www.anaheimducks.com/sledhockey and www.anaheimduckscom/warriorhockey. 1107680 Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes’ prospect pool still middle of the pack led by Hayton, Soderstrom

BY TOM KUEBEL

AUGUST 21, 2019 AT 1:59 PM

Dealing away one of its top prospects in order to acquire Phil Kessel this offseason didn’t seem to adversely effect the overall prospect pool of the Arizona Coyotes too much.

According to a recent ranking by The Athletic, the Coyotes farm system dropped from No. 15 in 2018 to No. 17 in 2019.

Although the Coyotes dealt 2017 first-round pick Pierre-Oliver Joseph to Pittsburgh to land Kessel, their two most recent first-round draft picks made up the bulk of the top-end talent.

Barrett Hayton and Victor Soderstrom were ranked as the to top two prospects in the Coyotes system, respectively.

Hayton could make his NHL debut this upcoming season for Arizona. He scored 66 points in just 39 games with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) last season and also recorded four assists in five games for Canada in the World Junior Championships.

The former No. 5 overall pick started the 2018 season with the Coyotes but was scratched for the first two games and sent back to the Greyhounds.

Soderstrom was selected No. 11 by the Coyotes in 2019 and has spent the last two seasons with Brynas of the . In 30 games for the Brynas junior team, the defenseman scored 14 points with four goals and 10 assists.

Last season, he was called up to the professional team and scored seven points in 44 games as a 17-year-old.

Defenseman Kevin Bahl, defenseman Kyle Capobianco and winger round out the top-five prospects for the Coyotes. Capobianco and Merkley could press to start the season with the NHL club if things go their way, while the 6-foot-6, 229 pound Bahl played for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL last season.

Out of the 28 prospects listed, seven played for the Tucson Roadrunners, including Capobianco and Merkley.

The site also ranked the top 10 players in the Coyotes organization aged 23 or under. NHL regulars Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Jakob Chychrun and Christian Dvorak were the headliners of the group listed below:

1. LW Clayton Keller (21)

2. C Barrett Hayton (19)

3. C Nick Schmaltz (23)

4. D Jakob Chychrun (21)

5. C Christian Dvorak (23)

6. D Victor Soderstrom (18)

7. D Kevin Bahl (19)

8. D Kyle Capobianco (22)

9. RW Conor Garland (23)

10. LW Lawson Crouse (22)

Arizona Sports LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107681 Arizona Coyotes

The Athletic: Coyotes could make leap, become breakout playoff team

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

AUGUST 20, 2019 AT 1:59 PM

The Arizona Coyotes’ acquisition of Phil Kessel has been much- discussed and well-documented. How it will affect the Coyotes’ chances of success this season has been a common of prognostication.

Kessel and other factors have some feeling like the Coyotes could have a big year this season. That wasn’t the case, apparently, for the statistical model of The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn.

An article from Sean McIndoe, also of The Athletic, said “Luszczyszyn has kindly given me a sneak peek at the ten teams his model expects to have the worst seasons in 2019-20. I’m going to try to figure out why it’s wrong, and why those bottom-feeders will actually turn out to be playoff teams, if not Cup contenders.”

The Coyotes ranked seventh on Luszczyszyn’s list, meaning the model pegged them as the seventh-worst team in the NHL. Last year, they were the 14th-worst team in the league, so this would be a significant step backward for Arizona. Already, that raises an eyebrow. The model said the Coyotes would have a point total in the mid-80s and have a 1-in-4 chance of making the playoffs.

McIndoe wrote, “To be honest, I’m a little surprised to see the Coyotes show up here. Dom’s model isn’t projecting any significant improvement for the Coyotes, despite them being a young team that battled through injuries and just added a legitimate star winger.”

He defended the Coyotes further:

Their big problem last year was that they couldn’t put the puck in the net; Clayton Keller led the team with just 47 points, which wouldn’t even have cracked the top five on a dozen teams. So they went out and got Phil Kessel, who always wears out his welcome eventually but scores plenty in the process. That won’t turn them into some sort of offensive juggernaut, but it will help.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes finished sixth in goals against, largely on the strength of Darcy Kuemper’s breakout. He’s no sure thing to repeat that performance, but they’re also getting Antti Raanta back and have some depth in the system. Pencil them in for another top-ten finish defensively and add a few more goals from Kessel and the kids, and the Coyotes should finally have the breakout we’ve all been waiting for. Granted, sometimes those breakouts never come. But as the 2017-18 Jets and 2018-19 Hurricanes remind us, sometimes they do, and when it happens the jump can be a big one.

Kessel had 27 goals and 55 assists for 82 points last year, which would have led the Coyotes in both goals and points by a huge margin had he had that same production in Arizona. His roster in Pittsburgh was more loaded with superstar talent, but even with some regression, Kessel figures to play a huge impact for the Coyotes.

And as McIndoe notes, goal prevention was a big factor in Arizona’s success last year. It’s true that part of that hinged on a monster season from backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper, but it’s also true that systems and defensive personnel play a role in why the Coyotes were able to limit goals. Furthermore, as McIndoe does point out, starting netminder Antti Raanta is back.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107682 Arizona Coyotes him with the puck. He won’t be a power play guy in the NHL, but he’s got average hands and has good offensive instincts. Under pressure he can be forced into errors, but he also made some impressive plays last 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 17 Arizona Coyotes season that convinced me there’s more there. You add in OK feet – but very good for his size – and there’s NHL projection there for a guy who can take on a regular shift in the NHL and kill a lot of plays.

By Corey Pronman 4. Kyle Capobianco, D, Tucson-AHL

Aug 21, 2019 Aug. 13, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 196 pounds

Tier: Very good/legit bubble

Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL Capobianco was one of the better defensemen in the AHL the past two organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into seasons. His skating and offensive IQ make him a legit NHL prospect. tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and Capobianco is so easily able to evade pressure with the puck and lead an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of rushes with his speed. He’s not a flashy stick handler, but he’s confident Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete with the puck, sees the ice very well and can make plays from the blue ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. line. His value is more in the offensive half of the ice than the defensive. He has the size and feet to make some stops, but he’s never been a true The Coyotes’ system is one I debated a lot this summer. Barrett Hayton top defender. Capobianco got some NHL time this season before an is a huge piece. I like Victor Soderstrom, although drafting him at No. 11 injury ended his season. was a bit high for me. I’m sure Coyotes fans will be quick to point out I said the same about Hayton, who I have since come around on. I think 5. Nick Merkley, RW, Tucson-AHL the Coyotes have several quality defensemen on the way to go along with a potential star in Hayton. May 23, 1997 | 5-foot-10 | 194 pounds

Key additions: Victor Soderstrom, Matias Maccelli Tier: Legit NHL prospect

Key subtractions/graduations: Dylan Strome, Conor Garland, Adin Hill, When Merkley returned from injury, he continued his success from the Pierre-Olivier Joseph previous season in the AHL, although he didn’t really take a step forward. Merkley’s strengths continue to be evident. He’s a highly skilled and 2018 farm system ranking: No. 15 intelligent playmaker. He’s able to make plays through seams and make defenders miss. Merkley isn’t the biggest forward, but he competes well 2019 draft grade: B-minus and is strong on pucks. The concern is his very average skating ability, Prospect Rankings particularly for a smaller forward, combined with concern among some scouts about what his ultimate role will be if he can’t score in the NHL. 1. Barrett Hayton, C, Sault Ste. Marie-OHL 6. Jan Jenik, C, Hamilton-OHL June 9, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds Sept. 15, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 165 pounds Tier: Elite/high-end bubble Tier: Legit NHL prospect Hayton was one of the most dangerous players in junior hockey. He has the ability to be a dominant offensive weapon and a reliable 200-foot Jenik started the season playing pro hockey in the Czech Republic player. His skill and overall offensive creativity are outstanding. He has before crossing the pond and becoming a key piece for Hamilton. He is a very quick hands and is not afraid to try to make a difficult play. Hayton well-rounded prospect. He’s a very smart offensive player who can make sees the entire ice and can make high-end passes in tight areas. He can tough plays and be a driver with his smarts and skill. His quickness be a top-end playmaker in the NHL, and he has a decent shot on top of showed improvement from last season to where he was able to it. Hayton showed more speed and pace in his game, cleaning up his challenge defenders with a fair amount of speed. He plays hard but stride and attacking more with speed. I don’t think his quickness is a sometimes crosses the line with his physicality. The production hasn’t selling point, though. He has the potential to be a top-line center in the been outstanding, but he’s only a day removed from being 2019 draft NHL and could play in the league next season. eligible.

2. Victor Soderstrom, D, Brynas-SHL 7. Nate Schnarr, C, Guelph-OHL

Feb. 26, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 179 pounds Feb. 25, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 181 pounds

Tier Very good/legit bubble Tier: Legit NHL prospect

Soderstrom started the season in junior but quickly moved up to the SHL Schnarr had a good final OHL season, as an important part of Guelph’s level, logging significant minutes and getting power play time as a 17- title run. He was an interesting player to debate this season because year-old. Soderstrom is a great puck mover, showing high-end IQ moving often he wouldn’t really pop, but he’d have a few points at the end of the the puck and ice in his veins under pressure. Sometimes he’s a little too night. I think he’s a smart and skilled offensive player who can move calm, letting guys close in on him and trying to be too cute, but typically pucks well and surprise folks with his playmaking ability. There is a he’s efficient on zone exits. He’s smooth with the puck, but has very question of what Schnarr is in the NHL, though. Is he quick enough to quick hands and is able to make plays through defenders from a drive play? Is there enough skill to be a power play guy? I’m not sure the standstill and off the rush. There were several times this season his answer to either of those questions is yes, but I’ve seen flashes from him game popped with a wow-caliber skill play. For a smaller guy, his game in all those areas to think he’s got a real shot to play at the bottom half of could have more speed. His skating looks fine when he winds up and a roster. gets going, but he lacks explosiveness and doesn’t have a ton of pace in 8. Matias Maccelli, LW, Dubuque-USHL his game. Despite his size, he’s a good defender. He closes gaps very well due to his IQ, using his body and stick to break up pucks, and makes Oct. 14, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 165 pounds a lot of stops. Tier: Legit NHL prospect 3. Kevin Bahl, D, Ottawa-OHL When I initially saw Maccelli in the 2017-18 season and in the early parts June 27, 2000 | 6-foot-6 | 229 pounds of last season, I was skeptical of his NHL prospects, but he grew on me. He evolved from a nice skills player into a 20-plus-minutes a night anchor Tier: Very good/legit bubble for Dubuque, playing in every situation. Maccelli’s game starts with his I was down on the Bahl pick in the second round last year, but I’ve really skill. He’s a great puck handler who can create separation from warmed up to him as a prospect. Bahl projects to be one of the top defenders with his hands. He’s also a great playmaker who can hit seam physical forces in the league as a 6-foot-6 defenseman who leans on passes consistently and run a power play. He’s not the biggest forward, checks regularly. I knew about that last season, but I’ve seen more from but Maccelli competes fine and can kill penalties. He skates reasonably well when he gets going, but my biggest issue is the lack of pace in his game. Maccelli doesn’t often challenge defenders with speed with the Dec. 23, 2000 | 5-foot-10 | 148 pounds puck and struggles making plays on the move. I have confidence in the talent but am curious how he’ll be able to play at the pro pace as he Tier: Has a chance heads to next season. When I saw Savunov last season, I didn’t see much to get excited about. 9. Alexander Daryin, RW, Yaroslavl-MHL But after he got an invite over the summer to play for the Russian national team, it made me take a second look. His skill set isn’t dynamic, Aug. 16, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 159 pounds but he has above-average skill and quickness to go along with a high compete level. He makes intelligent plays at both ends of the rink and Tier: Legit/chance bubble shows the vision to make creative plays versus men.

Daryin went from playing on Yaroslavl’s junior B team to looking like one 15. Ty Emberson, D, Wisconsin-Big 10 of the most talented young players in Russia. He plays the game the way I like and the way offense is created in today’s NHL. He’s quick, he’s May 24, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 194 pounds skilled, he competes and his game is full of pace. Daryin was often asked to bring pucks up the ice, and to use his speed and great hands to enter Tier: Has a chance the zone with control. He’s very creative and can make skilled plays Emberson had a good year. He didn’t put up big offensive numbers, but through defenders. He moves the puck well. His decision-making isn’t he still played a healthy amount of effective minutes for Wisconsin. always the best and he can force plays, but often he makes good reads. Emberson is a mobile, physical defenseman. I’ve never seen much skill He’s more of a shooter than a passer, though. He’s got an accurate shot in his game, but he flashed more offensive IQ this season to make me that he can pick corners with. He competes fine for pucks but his think he could be a decent pro. With Wyatt Kalynuk and K’Andre Miller emotions can get the best of him. returning next season, he won’t get more power play time, in all 10. John Farinacci, C, Dexter-US High School likelihood.

Feb. 14, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 185 pounds 16. Dennis Busby, D, Flint-OHL

Tier: Legit/chance bubble Jan. 6, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 190 pounds

Farinacci captained both Team USA and his prep team, and projects to Tier: Has a chance be a reliable two-way center as a pro. He has great hockey sense, After missing a lengthy amount of time from a knee injury, Busby was a showing poise with the puck and a mature understanding of the center solid offensive contributor for Flint. The strength of his game is when he position. He can execute the difficult passes and is looking to make a has the puck on his stick. He’s a skilled and mobile defenseman who play. He’s got very good puck skills. At the higher levels, like the Hlinka likes to activate into attacks. He’s a very creative puck-mover who can Gretzky and USHL, his skill didn’t really stand out. But at the prep level, create chances from the blue line or off rushes. He played defensive he dangles and shows a lot of confidence making plays in small areas. minutes for Flint, but I think at the pro level he will have to make He’s not the biggest guy, but Farinacci competes well and engages significant strides in his defensive play to be more than an AHLer. physically. His main fault is his skating. His speed is average at best and he struggles to gain separation. Some scouts have argued to me that a 17. Brayden Burke, LW, Tucson-AHL midseason lower-body injury might have made that fault seem worse Jan. 1, 1997 | 5-foot-10 | 165 pounds than it is. Tier: Has a chance 11. Ivan Prosvetov, G, Saginaw-OHL Burke built off his successful time in the WHL with a good rookie pro March 5, 1999 | 6-foot-4 | 176 pounds season, as one of Tucson’s top scorers. He has high-end vision and Tier: Legit/chance bubble patience, and showed he could make high difficulty plays versus men. My concern with his NHL projection would be that he’s undersized and, Prosvetov is a player I’ve steadily come around on, as he had some for his size, is a mediocre skater. impressive stretches in the OHL last season, including a very good postseason. He’s a large human at 6-foot-4 with high-end athleticism, 18. Cam Crotty, D, - and not just for his size. He’s very active in the net, sometimes too active, May 5, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 183 pounds but he can make the tough first save and second save very well. With his big frame and quickness, it feels like his legs are always covering the Tier: Has a chance lower half of the net. He has good instincts on reading developing plays but can lose pucks and can make some weird or odd decisions at times. Crotty’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s a player who BU played a lot. Crotty is a big defenseman with good feet who can make 12. Tyler Steenbergen, LW, Tucson-AHL stops. This season he showed a little more offense, which made me think he could be OK moving the puck at the pro game. Some scouts are still Jan. 7, 1998 | 5-foot-10 | 187 pounds concerned there isn’t much offensive upside, but there are some who Tier: Has a chance think he’s got a real chance to play.

Steenbergen had a decent rookie pro season. He’s a very good skater 19. Aku Raty, RW, Karpat- Finland Jr. and goal-scorer who can finish from mid-distance consistently. He has July 5, 2001 | six-foot | 170 pounds good offensive skill, but the question is if he’s dynamic enough with the puck to create enough offensive zone time to make the most of his Tier: Has a chance scoring. As an undersized forward who isn’t a top-end defensive penalty killer, he may be a tweener, but he has enough talent to remain Raty is a good skater who competes hard and makes some plays. The interesting. main question is his skill level as he likely won’t be a driver of offense at the pro level, but scouts like all the other components of his game. He 13. Lane Pederson, C, Tucson-AHL didn’t play great in international play last season, but he was better with his club team. He’s a player who left me wanting when I saw him, but a Aug. 4, 1997 | six-foot | 190 pounds lot of scouts had time for him. Tier: Has a chance Depth Players I never really thought of Pederson as an NHL prospect prior to this Erik Kallgren, G, AIK-Allsvenskan (Age: 22): Kallgren is a blocking-style season but anytime a 21-year-old leads his AHL team in scoring you goalie with a big, sturdy frame who had a good year in the Allsvenskan. I have to pay attention. His speed and skill aren’t high-end and thus I am don’t see NHL quickness in him but his size and IQ could make him a still skeptical, but he showed he could drive offense and make plays in call-up in a pinch. the AHL. Pederson also has a bullet shot and showed the ability to consistently beat goalies from a distance. He’s OK off the puck, but if he Jordan Gross, D, Tucson-AHL (24): Gross is very smart and can make becomes an all-situations player, it could help him carve out an NHL role. tough plays. He’s not the biggest defenseman, and while he skates well, I wouldn’t call it elite. 14. Danil Savunov, C, Penza-VHL Cam Dineen, D, Tucson-AHL (21): He is a good puck-mover, but is Tier Definitions: undersized. He skates well but could be a tad quicker. Dineen has attributes that could translate, but I question if he’s high-end enough for Special NHL prospect: Projects as a true NHL star, someone who is the NHL at his size. among the best players in the league.

Liam Kirk, LW, Peterborough-OHL (19): I was skeptical of Kirk’s pro Elite NHL prospect: Projects as an impact player, someone who is top prospects, but in the OHL he had enough flashes to be interesting. He 10-15 percent in the NHL at his position. has speed and skill but I don’t think either are high-end. He also needs High-end NHL prospect: Projects as a first-line forward or a top-pair to better off the puck. defenseman.

Filip Westerlund, D, Frolunda-SHL (20): I’ve always been interested in Very good NHL prospect: Projects as a top-six forward, top-four Westerlund’s high-end IQ and poise, but his offense hasn’t really come defenseman or starting goaltender in the NHL. along like I thought and he’s still a mediocre skater, particularly for his size. Legit NHL prospect: Projects to be a full-time NHL player in the bottom half of a roster. Anthony Romano, C, Sioux Falls-USHL (18): Romano has a good talent base. He’s skilled, makes plays and skates well. He competes well, too. Has a chance: The prospect has a chance to make it as a full-time player He’s small, though, and lacks a dynamic offensive element. He was a if some improvements are made. part of the USHL champion. Depth Players: These are prospects who do not have NHL toolkits, but Valentin Nussbaumer, C, Shawinigan-QMJHL (18): Nussbaumer is very could be good AHL players and provide depth to an organization. skilled and smart, but he’s small and his skating is a concern. The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 Michael Callahan, D, Providence-Hockey East (19): I don’t see much upside in Callahan due to his limited skill, but he’s big and mobile. It’s possible when his role increases with Providence so does the scoring.

Dean Stewart, D, Nebraska-Omaha-NCHC (21): Stewart skates and moves the puck fine, and played heavy minutes for Omaha. There isn’t a lot of wow factor here, but he could be a solid pro.

2019-20 Impact

I expect Hayton to make a bid to make the team out of camp, and he could help the team next season. Capobianco seems right on the cusp of becoming an NHLer. There aren’t many openings in Arizona, but if injuries allow him to get ice time, he could flourish. Merkley should push for time, too, if he stays healthy and plays well.

Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under)

Clayton Keller, LW (21)

Barrett Hayton, C (19)

Nick Schmaltz, C (23)

Jakob Chychrun, D (21)

Christian Dvorak, C (23)

Victor Soderstrom, D (18)

Kevin Bahl, D (19)

Kyle Capobianco, D (22)

Conor Garland, RW (23)

Lawson Crouse, LW (22)

Keller had a down year relative to his standards. I’m a big believer in the player. I think he’s a dynamic playmaker and will find a way to become an impact guy, even if he frustrated folks this past season. Schmaltz is a highly skilled passer who looked very good in Arizona prior to getting hurt. He’ll never be a two-way rock, but he will create a lot of offense. Chychrun continues to progress fine. With his skating and puck game, he’s going to pop off one of these days. Dvorak had a tough year with injuries, and when he was healthy, he didn’t show much offense. But I think a year with full health and he’ll be a fine NHLer, even if he lacks the dynamic abilities to be a top guy. I was very high on Garland as a junior, came off the bandwagon at the start of his pro career and now I’m back on. He’s so skilled and smart. There were early concerns as to whether, at his size, he’d have the elite speed required, but he showed this season he could create offense in the NHL. Crouse is a fine player and doesn’t have zero offense, but it seems like he’s trending toward nice third-liner territory.

Player Eligibility:

A skater no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 25 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 50 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

A goalie no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 10 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 25 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15. 1107683 A Wilbraham native, Guerin spent the past eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, working as the player development coach and assistant to the general manager.

Boston Pride add a goalie; Bruins ink defensive depth In 64 games with the Bruins in the 2000-01 season, Guerin scored 28 Bruce Cassidy eyeing extension, and Bill Guerin is GM of the Wild goals with 35 assists.

Boston Herald LOADED: 08.22.2019

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected]

Boston Herald

PUBLISHED: August 21, 2019 at 4:30 pm | UPDATED: August 21, 2019 at 6:08 PM

The Boston Pride have signed more skaters to their roster than any other NWHL team heading into the 2019-20 season, and made a splash early this week with an addition between the pipes.

The Pride signed Swedish National Team goaltender and NCAA all-time saves leader Lovisa Selander on Tuesday. Selander posted a 2.29 GAA and was second in the nation in save percentage (.942) with RPI last season. She also was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, and was named RPI’s team MVP.

“I am very excited to be joining the Boston Pride this season and feel fortunate to be continuing my playing career in the States,” Selander said. “I look forward to being challenged every day in the NWHL by competitive teammates as well as playing alongside two of my college teammates (Marisa Raspa, Whitney Renn). I can’t wait to get the season started.”

The Pride’s goaltending corps looks different than a season ago, when they were led by rookie Katie Burt with veteran Brittany Ott. Neither have signed for this season, with Selander and former Boston University goalie Victoria Hanson the only goalies on the roster.

Selander also was RPI’s first-ever CCM/AHCA National All-America First Team selection.

“Lovisa will be a difference-maker for our team,” Pride coach Paul Mara said. “We are really proud to have her join the Boston Pride.”

Bruins add PTO

The Bruins are bringing in former Panthers and Oilers defenseman Alexander Petrovic on a professional tryout agreement, sources confirmed to the Herald.

The 6-foot-4 defenseman played for a $1.95 million salary cap hit a season ago. He was traded from Florida to Edmonton late in the season, where his stint was cut short by concussions.

The Bruins have plenty of defensive depth, but Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo remain unsigned as restricted free agents. The B’s have ample options on the blue line, as youngsters Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon have more experience under their belt, but adding another veteran presence on the back line can’t hurt.

Cassidy extension looming?

The Bruins and coach Bruce Cassidy have begun negotiations for a contract extension, according to reports.

Cassidy has one year left on his deal, which would expire after the 2019- 20 season. In 191 regular-season games, Cassidy has led the Bruins to a 117-52-22 record since taking over for Claude Julien during the 2016- 17 season.

The 54-year-old helped turn that season around with an eventual playoff berth before the Bruins were dismissed in the first round by Ottawa. The B’s then reached the second round of the playoffs in 2017-18, and last season went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Under Cassidy’s leadership, the Bruins have finished second in the Atlantic Division in each of the past two regular seasons.

Guerin named Wild GM

Former Bruins forward Bill Guerin was named general manager of the on Wednesday. He will replace the recently fired . 1107684 Boston Bruins hockey-like, with three periods, a hard floor, and with physicality encouraged.

“Lacrosse is played in tight quarters, nobody really uses the outside of Bruins forward Brett Ritchie brings lacrosse background to ice the rink,” he said. “Taking the ball through the middle, you get checked Recently signed forward was, at first, a highly recruited box lacrosse by two or three guys, trying to fend them off and trying to score translated player pretty well to hockey. Guys I saw playing who were lacrosse players too, like or back in the day, Gary Roberts, guys who were good lacrosse players did the same thing where they were good in tight spaces. Just like subconsciously maybe you have an By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] edge. … Kids now have great eye, great skill growing up, but growing up Boston Herald learning to use your body and fend people off is probably an advantage.”

PUBLISHED: August 21, 2019 at 4:00 pm | UPDATED: August 21, 2019 With an established NHL career, Ritchie has no regrets turning his at 5:58 PM talents to the ice, and he’s the type of player Bruins fans could find endearing quickly.

“It was like a 50-50 thing,” Ritchie said. “It was every summer playing Brett Ritchie had superstar potential. lacrosse, and loved it. You got to score and stuff, it was really fun. Everyone played it, you play at home and everyone is there. I miss it a Growing up in Orangeville, , the newest Bruins forward was lot. It was an easy decision to play hockey over lacrosse because of the drawing the attention of professional scouts. In one of the best programs opportunity, the NHL over the NLL. for his sport in the country, there were plenty of other future elite players competing alongside him. “But as far as love of the game, what I enjoyed doing more, I don’t know what I liked doing better.” Then, he chose hockey instead. Boston Herald LOADED: 08.22.2019 “There is no doubt in my mind he would be one of the top end players in the National Lacrosse League if he chose to continue to play,” said former lacrosse teammate Jeremy Noble, now a professional player himself.

Ritchie made a solid choice to stick to hockey, most recently signing a one-year deal with the Bruins for $1 million. He had an up-and-down campaign with the Dallas Stars a season ago, but in the past has been a 16-goal scorer in the NHL.

Lacrosse was the less luxurious option. Plenty of NHLers could have starred in the pro ranks of lacrosse, but with hockey much more in the mainstream, it leaves athletes with an easy choice.

The two sports, though, are very much intertwined, and Ritchie still fondly recalls his lacrosse roots.

“I played lacrosse before I played hockey, since I was old enough to walk I was playing lacrosse,” he said. “Orangeville is a crazy lacrosse town. Lacrosse comes before hockey, which is kind of rare in Ontario, especially near Toronto, but it’s always been that way. There’s always been deep roots with box lacrosse.”

Ritchie played both box — or indoor — lacrosse and field, but it was on the floor where he shined.

“I mean, he was dominant,” said Dillon Ward, his former teammate and now the goaltender for the NLL’s Colorado Mammoth. “My rookie year in Junior A, he was a call-up for us when he was in minor midget, he was 14 going up against 16- to 21-year-olds. Brett was always big, and very strong. He could get anywhere he wanted on the floor, and had the touch to put the ball in the back of the net. There’s no doubt that if he didn’t go the hockey route, which obviously worked out for him, he would be one of the best lacrosse players in the game.”

That’s not to say he didn’t show flashes in the outdoor game as well.

“Brett may have been the most talented lacrosse player I have seen at his age,” said his coach at Ontario’s Hill Academy, Brodie Merrill, also considered one of the best defensive players of all time. “Had the rare combination of size, athleticism, skill, competitiveness, work ethic, and next level game IQ. … He could play pro lacrosse if he picked up a stick tomorrow.

“He’ll be a great fit with the Bruins with the style of hockey he plays.”

That strong game is a big reason the Bruins were attracted to Ritchie. After falling in the Stanley Cup Final to the more physical St. Louis Blues, the Bruins have had a focus on bulking up.

Ritchie posted a career-high 57 penalty minutes a season ago despite playing just 53 games. The Bruins would love to see his scoring touch return, especially while they try to find a stable solution for the second- line right wing slot, but the hard-hitting element of his game is appealing.

Some of that comes from his lacrosse background, in the more intense version of not only indoor lacrosse, but the Canadian style that is more 1107685 Boston Bruins

Nathan MacKinnon gives perfect description of training with Brad Marchand

By Nick Goss

August 21, 2019 2:04 PM

If you closed your eyes and pictured what it would be like training with Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in the offseason, Nathan MacKinnon's description is probably what would come to mind.

The Colorado Avalanche center, who tallied a career-high 99 points last season, recently detailed the experience of training with Marchand over the summer.

“Marchy is like exactly how you think,” MacKinnon said on Barstool Sports' "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast. “The whole time he’s just chirping everybody on the ice, like just carving everybody. If you lose the puck, he’s all over you. If he snipes, he’s showing everybody. But he’s an awesome guy, I love being around Marchy, he’s an awesome guy.”

Sounds like the Marchand who Bruins fans know well.

Marchand is one of the NHL's best trash talkers and an expert at getting under opponents' skin. He's also one of the most talented players in the world. Marchand posted a career-high 100 points (36 goals, 64 assists) last season -- his third straight year scoring above a point-per-game rate.

The veteran left winger should enter the 2019-20 campaign with plenty of motivation after how the Bruins' 2019 Stanley Cup playoff run ended in June.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107686 Boston Bruins What makes McAvoy’s case even trickier is his status as a 10.2 (c) player. Unlike Werenski and Provorov, who have three years of pro experience, McAvoy technically has two, even though he entered the Charlie McAvoy and the Bruins play the waiting game NHL in 2017. As such, McAvoy is not eligible to sign an offer sheet and is two years away from being eligible for arbitration. Werenski and Provorov need one more year to gain arb rights, but both can sign offer sheets.

By Fluto Shinzawa It can be perceived as enough of a difference for the Bruins to consider McAvoy on a lower tier than that of his comparables. In 2014, Torey Krug Aug 21, 2019 and Reilly Smith, both 10.2 (c) players, had few choices other than to sign identical one-year, $1.4 million extensions out of entry level. The Bruins were tight against the cap that year, just like they are this season. The calendar says August. The weather says summer. Smith signed on Sept. 28. Krug signed on Oct. 5, three days before the By those measures, Charlie McAvoy’s absence of a contract for 2019-20 season opener. It may be that McAvoy experiences a similar wait. Curran is not costing his representative sleep. The Bruins’ preseason opener is declined to say what McAvoy, who is living in Boston this summer, would Sept. 16 against New Jersey. do if an agreement does not take place by the start of camp.

“The conversations have been going fine and they’re still continuing,” For now, the wait continues. said Michael Curran, McAvoy’s agent. “Time will come where we find a meeting place. I just don’t know when it’s going to be. Charlie wants to be The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 a Bruin.”

It would be one thing if McAvoy were an outlier. In previous offseasons, the 21-year-old would have qualified as such. By now, most second contracts have been signed.

But this is the summer of the stalemate. High-end players exiting the entry-level system, gazing at the raises previously granted to Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and , have not agreed on any solutions to extend their employment to such wallet-plumping degrees.

The exception is Sebastian Aho. The center’s signature on Montreal’s offer sheet, swiftly matched by Carolina, is perhaps the only reason he is locked up for five years and $42.27 million. Otherwise, the list of players seeking second contracts is as long as the red line, from McAvoy to Toronto’s Mitch Marner to Tampa’s Brayden Point.

McAvoy even has company, so to speak, on the right side of his own blue line. Fellow Bruin Brandon Carlo is also unsigned.

Therefore, in terms of context, it may not be as unsettling for McAvoy to be without a deal than it would have been in previous years. Not only does McAvoy have buddies like Columbus’ Zach Werenski waiting for agreements, he has Toronto and Tampa Bay, his two fiercest division rivals, negotiating with players they cannot afford to be without.

McAvoy is one within a cluster of like-minded prodigies. Fellowship is always comforting when salary and term remain cloudy concepts.

“This time now, it does seem there’s a lot more kids eligible to receive those big contracts by virtue of how good they are,” Curran said of the breadth and depth of stars leaving entry level. “If I’m a team with a stud forward or D-man and I can lock him up for six, seven, eight years, and you have a cap that’s going to increase — well, you hope — I’d be doing the same thing and locking him in.”

The perception around the league is that this cohort will shrink rapidly after one agreement takes place. Once Marner, for example, signs his deal, using Matthews’ contract as a comparable, it will set the market and allow other clubs and agents to formulate crisper contractual parameters.

This does not necessarily help McAvoy and the Bruins. Most of the comparables for defensemen are older. Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin, for example, signed his seven-year, $37.1 million second deal on July 12, 2017.

The blue-line market has changed since then. Everyone would probably agree that Seth Jones is a better defenseman than Werenski. But Jones signed his six-year, $32.4 million extension with the Blue Jackets on June 29, 2016.

Three-plus years later, Columbus may not want to pay any defenseman, including Werenski, more than Jones. The market, however, has changed to the point where Werenski would be within his rights to ask for more than $5.4 million annually. Noah Hanifin signed his six-year, $29.7 million second contract on Aug. 30, 2018. Hanifin ($4.95 million annual average value) had 83 points after three seasons. Werenski has 128.

So for McAvoy and his fellow defensemen to come to terms, it would likely require one of them to put pen to paper and set the market. The tricky thing is that nobody wants to go first. The likelihood is that the first to agree, be it Werenski or McAvoy or Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, will establish a baseline. The ones to follow could get more. 1107687 Buffalo Sabres second season with the Sabres? His development will be aided by the presence of assistant coach Steve Smith, who worked closely with Dahlin last season.

10 storylines to watch as Sabres prepare for training camp to open Will Krueger try to keep Dahlin with one defenseman, perhaps Miller? Can we pencil in Dahlin as the power-play quarterback? Dahlin focused on improving his shot this offseason, which should help him develop into By Lance Lysowski one of the league's top defensemen.

Published Wed, Aug 21, 2019|Updated Wed, Aug 21, 2019 5. Second-line center: Is Casey Mittelstadt ready to solidify himself as the Sabres' second-line center? This is an important season for the 20-year-

old. He struggled in the faceoff circle and defensively during his rookie A number of questions surround the Buffalo Sabres with training camp, season, winning only 39.7 percent of his draws and posting a minus-19 only three weeks away. rating.

This will be new coach Ralph Krueger's first camp with the team, Mittelstadt spent this offseason focusing on upper-body strength and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remains on the roster, and there are a conditioning after struggling with the grind of an 82-game NHL season. few new players who could fill prominent roles this season. There is also He will be a restricted free agent next summer, and Dylan Cozens should the possibility that General Manager isn't done adding or be NHL-ready in 2020-21. If Mittelstadt falters in camp, the second-line subtracting from the roster. center job should be Evan Rodrigues' to lose.

Regardless if Ristolainen remains in Buffalo, the Sabres' training camp 6. Sam's time: Sam Reinhart missed the start of training camp last should be ripe with competition at forward, defense and in goal. With that season because he was an unsigned restricted free agent. The 23-year- in mind, here are 10 storylines to watch as the team prepares for its first old winger still scored 22 goals among a career-high 65 points while camp under Krueger: playing all 82 games. Now, Reinhart will attempt to earn a lucrative long- term contract. 1. First camp under Krueger: You've heard Krueger speak and you've likely heard about his resume, which includes one full season as an NHL Reinhart will be a restricted free agent next summer, when the Sabres head coach, an impressive tournament at the in are projected to have more than enough cap space to lock him up long- 2016 and a stint as chairman of English Premier League's Southampton term. He was outstanding at the IIHF World Championship in the spring, F.C. playing his best hockey during Canada's semifinal and gold-medal games. However, there are many unknowns entering Krueger's first season as Sabres coach. He has spoken of the importance of playing with pace and Rather than reuniting with Eichel and Skinner, Reinhart could be asked to allowing talented forwards to use their creativity, but how does that factor drive his own line. into goal prevention? 7. Skinner hype: All eyes will be on Skinner after the 27-year-old signed Krueger will need to install the type of sound defensive structure the an eight-year, $72 million contract in June. Some will wonder if last Sabres lacked during Phil Housley's tenure as coach. Training camp will season was an aberration, yet Skinner has been among the league's top provide at least a few clues as to how Buffalo will try to protect its own 5-on-5 goal scorers for the past half-decade. net in 2019-20. Skinner has scored at least 24 goals in five of the past six seasons, but 2. The Ristolainen situation: Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remains how will he handle the expectations of the new contract? Can he surpass on the Sabres' roster, despite expressing frustration during locker his success from last season? How will Skinner perform if he's not on a cleanout day in April and recently hinting to a Finnish news outlet that he line with Eichel? wants out of Buffalo. 8. The new guys: Colin Miller was acquired in a trade from Vegas and His departure seemed imminent when the Sabres acquired right-shot could possibly be paired with Dahlin. Henri Jokiharju, a 21-year-old right- defensemen Colin Miller and Henri Jokiharju this summer, yet Krueger shot defenseman brought over in the Alexander Nylander trade, will push and General Manager Jason Botterill sound prepared for Ristolainen to for a roster spot and has an excellent opportunity to make the team if play a seventh season in Buffalo. There's no guarantee Ristolainen will Ristolainen is traded prior to the season opener. Perhaps the two most still be on the roster when the season opens Oct. 3; however, it will be intriguing additions are at forward, where the Sabres added Marcus interesting to see what role he plays if he's at training camp. Johansson and .

Will Ristolainen be used on the top pairing? What sort of power-play role Both are natural left wings but one of two could shift over to the right will he have with Miller and Brandon Montour also on the right side? side, potentially joining Eichel and Skinner on the top line. Regardless of What will Ristolainen say to reporters when asked about wanting out? which line they play on, both should help address the Sabres' lack of Oh, and there's also the chance Ristolainen isn't on the roster when supplementary scoring and are excellent 5-on-5 players. Additionally, the camp opens, which would solve the logjam on the blue line. Sabres added three players on one-way deals who will compete for roster spots: defenseman John Gilmour, center Jean-Sebastien Dea and 3. Who plays on the top line with Eichel? Jack Eichel posted career highs forward Curtis Lazar. in goals (28), assists (54) and points (82) last season — his first in the eight-year, $80 million contract he signed prior to the season opener in 9. Young forwards: The Sabres added the aforementioned players while 2017-18. Following the most recent season finale, Eichel expressed losing only one NHLer from last season's roster: Jason Pominville. That some frustration with his own play, particularly during the season's means only one roster spot may be available between Victor Olofsson, second half, and spoke of wanting to be among the NHL's elite players. Tage Thompson and C.J. Smith.

The Sabres need an elite season from Eichel, and he'll be positioned to Olofsson scored a career-high 30 goals in Rochester last season — his top last year's production if he's able to play with Jeff Skinner, who first in North America — while Thompson mostly struggled until his scored a career-high 40 goals in 2018-19. There's no guarantee they will demotion to the Amerks in March. Smith is coming off a 28-goal season be paired together. After all, Botterill told reporters during FanFest that and appeared in 11 games with the Sabres in 2018-19. lines will be juggled throughout camp to determine chemistry and roles. 10. Hutton vs. Ullmark: The goalie competition has to be considered wide Skinner will likely end up as the first-line left wing, but who plays on the open after what happened last season, right? Neither Carter Hutton nor right side? Linus Ullmark solidified himself as the unquestioned starter, and the arrival of a new coaching staff should give both something of a clean 4. Dahlin's sophomore season: Word out of Sweden is Dahlin has gotten slate. bigger and stronger since his rookie season. Scary thought, right? The 19-year-old had a historic debut season, despite playing on a struggling Hutton should be considered the early favorite because he was more team and not having the luxury of being paired with the same right-shot consistent with on-ice results and technique in goal. However, the door is defenseman. open for Ullmark to take the starting job. The 26-year-old focused on his conditioning this offseason. He signed a one-year, $1.325 million contract Dahlin's bouts with consistency, particularly on defense, led to him being left off a few Calder Trophy ballots. How will he perform during his this summer and will be a restricted free agent next offseason. This is his chance to show team brass that he could be a No. 1 goalie.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be playing for Rochester after he is done recovering from hip surgery.

Buffalo News LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107688 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres draft pick Dylan Cozens back on Harborcenter ice following thumb surgery

By Lance Lysowski

Published Wed, Aug 21, 2019|Updated Wed, Aug 21, 2019

Dylan Cozens was back on the Harborcenter ice Wednesday morning, participating in a variety of drills with Dennis Miller, who is in charge of the Buffalo Sabres' rehab and development.

Cozens, drafted seventh overall by the Sabres in June, did not appear to be limited at all by his surgically-repaired left thumb, though it was a non- contact workout. However, Cozens, who was expected to miss up to three months after undergoing surgery last month, was instructed to not provide injury updates to the media. It's unclear if the 18-year-old center will be able to participate in the Sabres' prospects challenge Sept. 6-9, or when the team's training camp opens the following week.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was also on the ice with Cozens and Miller on Wednesday, and was instructed not to speak to reporters. Luukkonen, who underwent double-hip surgery this offseason, did not face any shots during the hour-long skate but worked on lateral movements. Cozens and Luukkonen are scheduled to attend the NHLPA Rookie Showcase on Sunday in Washington D.C.

Cozens' injury occurred on the final day of Sabres development camp June 29, when Cozens was upended by defenseman Brandon Hickey during his team's first game in the 3-on-3 French Connection Tournament. Cozens took off his glove, revealing his thumb in an unnatural position before leaving for the dressing room in Harborcenter.

Cozens, who was ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the fifth-best North American skater in the draft, scored 34 goals among 84 points in 68 games for the Western Hockey League's Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, tied for 10th in the league.

Buffalo News LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107689 Buffalo Sabres Toughing it out through potentially awkward moments in the locker room to get the best deal possible makes it worth it in the end. It wouldn’t be the toughest thing the room has faced during Ristolainen’s tenure As summer nears its end, Rasmus Ristolainen is still on the Sabres. So anyway. what next? Having any kind of tumult in the locker room isn’t a good thing, especially with a young group.

By Joe Yerdon Take a look at the Avalanche lineup the night Duchene was traded. The average age of the 20 players suited up was around 25.5 years old. Aug 21, 2019 Since we don’t know what the Sabres’ opening night 20 will look like, of the 27 players that could be part of the opening day 23-man roster

(injuries aside), their average age comes out to 26.1. That could flex If it’s felt like we’ve talked about Rasmus Ristolainen in one way or higher or lower depending on how things shake out. another all summer, you wouldn’t be wrong. As time ticks away to the The wild thing is that Avalanche team went 8-6-0 to start the season with start of Sabres training camp, his situation is still unchanged. But while Duchene and went on to make the playoffs with 95 points, edging out the nothing has changed roster wise over the past few weeks, the vibe now Blues by a point for the final wild card spot and fourth place in the wicked feels a bit different regarding the 24-year-old defenseman. Central Division. That division featured the 114-point Presidents’ Trophy- Nearly two weeks ago, Ristolainen told MTV Sports in Finland that he winning and 113-point Winnipeg Jets and a 101- has been dissatisfied with his situation in Buffalo and that he takes it point Minnesota Wild team. Pretty stiff competition in what was a brutal upon himself that he hasn’t helped the Sabres win more games. That’s division to play in. not entirely dissimilar to what he said at the end of the season, but saying That’s not to say waiting for the right deal to move Ristolainen will be the he hasn’t been able to enjoy hockey evokes memories of Ryan O’Reilly’s magic elixir that gets the Sabres to the postseason. They’re not parting words with the Sabres. Understandably, that wound is still a bit forecasted to be a terribly good team in 2019-2020, but much like the fresh. 2017-2018 Avalanche, the Sabres, too, are going to play a pair of games Even if Ristolainen hasn’t asked for a trade specifically, it would appear in Sweden in November, only against Tampa Bay and not Ottawa. It’d be clear that a change of scenery might do him and the Sabres well. Of a heck of a coincidence if history repeated itself with a big trade before course, the team is viewing things differently. heading abroad. It’d be even spookier if it turned the fate of the Sabres around the way it did with Colorado. Coach Ralph Krueger said Saturday that he’s planning as if Ristolainen will be in the lineup and that he’s looking forward to working with him to The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 help improve his game. GM Jason Botterill was a bit more reserved, but echoed Krueger’s feelings.

“We continue to interact with Risto, we’re continuing to try and set this team up where we’re putting Risto in positions to have success and, yeah, he wants to win,” Botterill said. “We also want to put him in a situation where he plays very well and that’s what we’ve tried to do with some of the acquisitions (this summer). We’ve tried to add depth to our defense. We’ve added competition to our defense, but we’ve also added depth… We’ve tried to add to our group to ease some of the responsibility from certain players.”

We’ve written plenty about the amount of depth added, which will be necessary with guys like Lawrence Pilut and Zach Bogosian coming off surgeries. Yet when looking at this whole thing from the outside, the persistent feeling that something’s got to give with Ristolainen has not gone away. The Sabres aren’t being aggressive about moving him. Ristolainen, while seemingly unhappy, hasn’t (publicly) asked to be moved, but there’s still tension in the air.

We’ve looked at situations such as how Ristolainen could wind up in Tampa Bay and we’ve looked at what Buffalo could get in return for him in a trade. We’ve mentioned Winnipeg and Anaheim as potential suitors – there are others that would fit the profile too – but what happens if he doesn’t go anywhere other than Buffalo?

The start of training camp or the regular season doesn’t necessarily create a deadline to make a move, although a summer of questions could make it awkward when Ristolainen has to come back in front of his teammates and the media.

A somewhat similar parallel – although he made a much more declarative statement about wanting to be traded – would be to look at how things ended for in Colorado. In 2017, he went to camp unhappy after asking for a trade that didn’t materialize until the middle of a game versus the Islanders in November.

MATT DUCHENE IN STREET CLOTHES LEAVING THE ARENA WHILE THE AVALANCHE PLAY THE ISLANDERS PIC.TWITTER.COM/RVBMXSWUW2

— BRADY TRETTENERO (@BRADYTRETT) NOVEMBER 6, 2017

That was followed by former teammate Erik Johnson airing out the frustrations that built from playing alongside a teammate who wanted out. As time has shown since the deal, things worked out pretty perfectly for Colorado in the three-team deal that sent Duchene to Ottawa and defenseman Samuel Girard from Nashville to Colorado. Coincidentally enough, Duchene had to face Colorado in his first two games with Ottawa when the teams met for a pair of games in Sweden. 1107690 Calgary Flames anymore, to be honest. Guys want to be just as good as him, so they’re not going to chirp about it.”

Along with Gaudreau, the Heat have also signed forward Mitch Hults and Matt Gaudreau, Johnny's lil' bro, signed to Flames' farm team defencemen Terrance Amorosa and Zach Osburn to minor-league contracts.

Wes Gilbertson Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.22.2019

Published:August 21, 2019

Updated:August 21, 2019 8:20 PM MDT

Here is a transaction that Calgary Flames fans never expected to see — Gaudreau to Stockton.

Hang on, not that Gaudreau.

Johnny isn’t going anywhere — he remains the net-filling fan favourite at the Saddledome — but his younger brother Matthew has signed a minor- league pact to continue his own quest with the Flames’ farm club, the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat.

Just to be clear, you will not see the Brothers Gaudreau skating side-by- side this upcoming season.

In fact, Matthew isn’t even eligible for a call-up to Calgary under his current contract. It’s an AHL/ECHL deal, so the 24-year-old winger would be assigned to the if he doesn’t stick in Stockton.

“My goal is to be in the AHL for the whole entire season,” Matthew said.

That would be a stride in the right direction.

While Johnny, 26, jumped straight to The Show after his collegiate career with the and has since been invited to five straight instalments of the NHL All-Star Game, the next step for Matthew — a fellow alum of the NCAA’s Eagles — is to establish himself as a regular at the second level.

Now entering his third winter in the professional ranks, he has so far skated in a grand total of 17 AHL games, all with the New York Islanders’ affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn.

Matthew has scored once and collected four assists in those outings. His resume also includes 24 goals and 36 helpers in 88 appearances in the ECHL.

“My first year in Bridgeport, I made the team out of camp right after college and I had a great pre-season and a great few games, and then I was up for nine games but then I lost something and I knew I wasn’t doing well so I expected to be sent down that time,” Matthew said. “And then last year, I got called up (to the AHL) and I did really well — I played eight games and had four points and was playing really good hockey. But they had a very young team also that had a lot of NHL guys come back down, back and forth, so there wasn’t really a spot for me at the time.

“But I feel like for me, from the start of the season, I could make it all the way through this year in the A.”

Johnny, who led the Flames with 99 points in 2018-19, will certainly be pulling for him.

Matthew admitted that he once struggled with the pressure of having a big-name older brother — and the on-ice banter he would hear as a result — but it doesn’t bother him any longer.

“When I was younger and a little immature, I would get upset about it,” Matthew said. “Especially in the USHL, I heard it a lot. My brother had pretty much the most points in the season before, and then I come in the next year. So I heard it from a lot of people in the USHL. And then when I got to college, I heard it from some people, but not as much.

“But as it kept going on and on, I just said to myself, ‘There’s nothing to be upset about, getting compared to him.’ John is probably one of 10 players that become as good as what he is doing. You have him in a category with (Connor) McDavid, with (Sidney) Crosby, with (Patrick) Kane, with all of those guys. Any one of their brothers, they would feel the same way. You can’t get upset that somebody is comparing you, because they are just better than anybody else, really.

“I think of it as my own path. With him being so good and people saying stuff, I don’t get upset about it anymore. And I don’t really hear it 1107691 Calgary Flames Another attempt to break the hosts’ hold on home ice? Lucic recalls the Bruins’ equipment staff reconfiguring the seating plan in Vancouver so, as closely as possible, it matched the stall-by-stall layout of their dressing Flames hoping a fresh start and an old coach can help Milan Lucic find room in Boston. his game Asked about it, Ward laughs. There is much more in Lucic’s memory than the staffers’ hopeful gesture.

By Scott Cruickshank “It’s amazing his recall, how much thought he puts into it,” Ward said. “Looch doesn’t forget things like that. He’s a studious man. He’s a Aug 21, 2019 hockey nut. He loves the game. He’s extremely knowledgable about the tradition of the game. He can tell you about all the different players that

have played through the generations. Barely an hour before the biggest game of his life, Milan Lucic is sitting in “It doesn’t surprise me that he would recall some of the things in (my) the visitors’ quarters, sandwiched between stallmates Adam McQuaid letter — I’m sure some of the other guys don’t remember anything in it. and Brad Marchand. But that’s the way Looch is.” What’s immediately in store for him and his teammates, Lucic is not Playoff runs — those Bruins also marched to the 2013 final (and fell to exactly sure. the Chicago Blackhawks) — create bonds. Linked by all those special Another video session? Likely not. A rehash of special-team tendencies moments, flush with behind-the-scenes stories, there develops an and defensive-zone habits is wholly unnecessary. There are few undeniable closeness between people. mysteries remaining by this stage of the spring. After all, like the Time, too, strengthens ties. Lucic and Ward worked side by side in Vancouver Canucks, the Boston Bruins are more than 100 games into Boston for seven years. “We’ve gone through some water together,” the campaign — and six games into their 2011 Stanley Cup showdown. Ward said. On this fateful day, the players see assistant coach Geoff Ward, with a Now, a reunion is only weeks away. couple of pages in hand, take the floor. Ward is entering his second season as associate coach of the Calgary Unbeknownst to them, Ward had wiled away the afternoon’s antsy hours Flames. And Lucic, of course, was swapped for , who’s now in the team hotel by penning a letter to his four children, reflecting on taking his act to Edmonton. what hockey means to him, in particular, the Bruins’ run that spring. After showing the note to head coach Claude Julien, Ward had been The relationship with Ward had been tight enough that Lucic waived his convinced to read it in the pregame meeting. no-move clause, paving the way for July’s provocative one-for-one trade.

Because of the early puck-drop for Game 7 — 5:20 p.m. local time — the To him, this isn’t just another coach. players had trooped into the dressing room around 4 o’clock. Settled in their seats, Ward begins his heartfelt message. A couple of minutes’ “I spent more than half my career on the same team as Wardo,” Lucic worth, it holds their attention — they are rapt. said. “When I was younger, when I was struggling, he always found a good way to help me out of things, identifying what helps me succeed “I remember he got choked up as he was reading it,” Lucic said. “It was a and what helps me play at my best. big moment for all of us. It was definitely motivating, just because you saw the emotion come out of him. You saw how much it meant, not only “That’s why I’m excited to get back to working with him with the Calgary to him as a coach or us as players to be in that moment, but (what it Flames.” meant to) all the people closest to us that we had a chance to achieve They broke into the NHL in 2007-08 — Lucic as a burgeoning power something that we all dreamed of achieving. forward out of WHL Vancouver (taken 24 draft slots after the Flames “When you reach that point, you have to find another way to motivate. latched onto netminder Leland Irving in 2006), Ward fresh off a 24-24-4 You’ve already watched a million videos, you’ve already broken down the winter as skipper of Iserlohn Roosters of the . other team’s PP, you’ve already broken down the other team’s PK, D- At first blush, it appears to be a mismatched pair, the 19-year-old hopeful zone and all that craziness. You’re just trying to find a way to motivate. and the 45-year-old career coach, but they came together quickly in “He chose to find something that meant a lot to him.” Boston.

A young man back then — the week before he had turned 23 years old “I think it helped us,” Ward said of their first-year fellowship. “We were — Lucic had been struck by Ward’s sincerity. And time has done nothing both new to the league and we were able to talk about things a little bit to diminish the sentiment expressed by his coach. If anything, the easier, a little more openly than we maybe would have. It was kind of passing eight years — a span in which he’s become a husband and cool.” father to three — have enhanced the words of Ward. As Lucic puts it, “We kind of grew together.” The two would end up “At the time, you understood what he was trying to say,” Lucic said, “but I spending hours in each other’s company. He refers to himself as one of definitely appreciate it more, now having my own kids.” Ward’s “projects,” meaning he was someone who garnered extra attention. “So we got to know each other right off the bat.” That night the Bruins, stoked, bulled their way to a 4-0 triumph. While Ward appreciates the notion that his note played a role in spurring on the Much of it, at least in the early days, was video work. Studying clips and guests, he insists that the players themselves ensured the championship. making assessments and suggesting adjustments.

“Nothing was going to stop those guys,” he said. “Whatever was said From there, the coach-player dynamic evolved. before the game, during the game, after the game, they knew exactly “The nice thing? It went both ways,” Ward said. “I learned an awful lot of what they had to do.” things from him … it was a real give and take. We were open with each Nevertheless, hockey people being hockey people, steps had been taken other, honest with each other, from Day 1. We were able to establish a to maximize the opportunity for success. real solid rapport.”

Such as the Bruins, after Game 6, scrapping some ice from the surface But at the professional level, sit-down sessions mean reinforcing what of TD Garden into a Gatorade bottle to lug to Vancouver. It had been a the player does well, of course, but also clamping down on weaknesses. homer series to that point, so why not? Before the team meeting, Nathan Criticism, no matter how constructive, can sting — especially for a Horton — sidelined “but part of the glue of our room,” according to Ward youngster trying to find an NHL foothold. — snuck out and poured the water onto the sheet. “Sometimes, you need to learn that people say things that you may not “The cameras caught him doing it — he was like to hear at the time,” Lucic said. “Looking back, we had those hard looking a little bit guilty,” Ward said. “And when he came in, he said conversations that were really helpful for me. It wasn’t like he would yell something like, ‘It’s ours now, boys. This is our ice now.'” at me or anything like that. It was having heart-to-heart conversations.” Maybe not surprisingly given Lucic’s snarling in-game countenance, it Ward, for one, isn’t panicking about No. 17’s contributions. was not always nods and yups and grins from his side of the table in the coach’s office. “I think there’s a lot of Looch left and he’s going to have the opportunity to show that. He’s going to be fine. There’s no pressure on him to come Ward chuckles. in and do anything extraordinary. We want him to do the ordinary things that Looch does and that’s going to be good enough. “If he was pissed off about something, he’d let you know,” Ward said. “But usually when he went away and thought about it, he’d be the same “He’s going to probably give us more than we ever thought he would.” old Looch the next day. He understood very easily that … it doesn’t mean we don’t like you as a person or we’re going after your self-esteem. The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019

“He was a guy who brought so much positive energy to the rink every day, you loved to work with him. He wants to know where he stands and how he’s playing. If he thinks things should be going a different way, he’s not afraid to tell you that, either. It was a real easy give-and-take relationship. Never difficult.”

And sometimes, their rink chats were just that — chats. Two cronies bantering, enjoying each other’s company and swapping tall tales over coffee.

“When you’ve been with somebody for so long,” Lucic said, “you get to know them on a personal level, more than just as a coach.”

Indeed, when Ward is asked to describe the basis of their connection — mentor, friend or strictly coach-player? — he replies that it’s all of the above, adding that members of those Bruins squads, the skaters and the schemers, were all “extremely close. I’m positive our relationship will start off where we left it the last time we were together.”

With the aim of mining the very most out of No. 17 this season, this familiarity seems like a solid starting point for the Flames and their followers.

When Ward raves about the 31-year-old’s style — which is as well- established as Calgary’s burning desire for that brand of force — he’s referring to more than dirty looks and post-whistle shoves. Because Lucic also carries a reputation for being a productive and constructive presence, even away from prying eyes. Yes, the ol’ good-in-the-room routine.

“A great guy,” Ward said. “He brings a lot of emotional leadership, which I think is good. Everyone needs that emotional spark once in a while. We’d really stressed an awful lot in Boston about how important it was that everybody led when they had the opportunity. Milan certainly took his turn.

“He’s not afraid to say things to guys and, of course, he backs up what he says with how he plays. He’s a really easy guy to follow. And he’s really likable. He’s a knowledgeable hockey person. He takes an interest in all his teammates.”

As always, Lucic spent the offseason in Los Angeles. There, his phone has been buzzing since the headline-grabbing deal between the provincial rivals. From around the league, pals are keen to see him rebound in Calgary.

“They know I was struggling in Edmonton,” Lucic said. “I know, talking to a lot of people, they enjoyed watching the Flames the last couple years, so they’re excited to see what I can bring to them this year.”

So the 6-foot-3, 231-pound winger, too, is getting anxious.

Lucic skated more this summer than is typical for him. And not just because that is the trend around the league — the young stars, he says, have been at the heart of that change — but to rediscover his mojo. “Trying to get my touch and my feel and my confidence back. Mainly my confidence more than anything, so I can feel comfortable heading into camp.”

Helping on that front are friendly faces in Calgary. Ward, of course, but also good pal Brian McGrattan, a development-team staffer for the Flames.

“There’s a really good environment in place that’s going to allow Looch to flourish,” Ward said. “I don’t anticipate him being any different than how he was when we were together before — I think he’s going to bring the same sort of attitude to work every day, he’s going to bring the same demeanour to the dressing room. In that regard, it’s going to be welcomed by me.”

After posting 23 goals in 2016-17 — his seventh season of 17 or more tallies — Lucic’s output has dipped significantly. The past two winters, he’s rustled up only 16 goals, total. 1107692 Carolina Hurricanes

After summer of deliberation, Hurricanes pressing Justin Williams for an answer

BY LUKE DECOCK

AUGUST 21, 2019 02:15 PM

It hasn’t yet reached the point where the Carolina Hurricanes need an answer from Justin Williams. There’s no absolute deadline.

But with less than four weeks to go before training camp opens, they would certainly like to know soon whether their is going to be there on Sept. 12 or not.

“We’re getting close to that,” Hurricanes general manager said in a phone interview. “I don’t want to set a date. I’m just going to have to talk to him and say we’re close. We’re always trying to improve. We don’t have a lot of spots either way. It’s not like it’s critical.”

Williams on Wednesday said via text message that he was visiting family in northern Ontario and had “nothing to report.”

“What I do know is he’s talked to a lot of people,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said in a phone interview. “We’ve talked about it. He’s talked to a lot of other people who have recently stopped playing to get their thoughts. He’s definitely taking the time, because he wants to make the right decision. But we’re getting into crunch time here.”

The Hurricanes have given the 37-year-old as much latitude as possible to make up his mind, but as it gets deeper into the summer, there does come a point where the Hurricanes need to figure out not only what their roster is going to look like but their dressing room, with or without Williams -- who after scoring 23 goals last season, still should have plenty to offer.

The salary cap is the least of it. While the Hurricanes are up against the cap thanks in large part to the $6.25 million Patrick Marleau buyout, Williams would still be easy to fit. As an over-35 player, the Hurricanes can offer him a contract full of easily achievable incentives that would count against the cap next season, when they’re out from under the Marleau buyout.

They would have some roster gardening to do, with 14 forwards for 12 spots if Williams comes back, and the sooner they know whether Williams is returning, the sooner they can explore trade options if he comes back. Again, there’s no real hurry there: The August trade market is notoriously slow, but if there is a deal to be made, you’d like to be able to make it.

Then there’s the matter of leadership. Williams thrived in the captain’s role last season, in lockstep with Rod Brind’Amour, finally given that responsibility a year late, and would slot seamlessly back into that position even if in a slightly reduced role on the ice.

If Williams isn’t coming back, the Hurricanes have big decisions to make. Does Jordan Staal deserve a second shot at the captaincy he shared with Justin Faulk in 2017-18, or is he a better fit in a secondary role? (Both Staal and Faulk seemed to thrive relieved of that responsibility last season.) Is Sebastian Aho ready for a bigger role? Is Jordan Martinook more useful as a keep-things-loose-leader-without-a-letter type than he is with one?

There’s only one easy answer to the leadership question, and it’s Williams.

But the Hurricanes need an answer from him on the bigger question first.

“I think he’s getting pretty close to making a decision, I know that,” Brind’Amour said. “I would expect to hear something for sure, if not this week, it’s coming up quick. Obviously, we have to know.”

This is obviously an agonizing decision for Williams, or it would have been settled long ago. He certainly hasn’t rushed into it, using the luxury of months to give this deep consideration, but he’s running out of time. It marches on regardless, the season just around the corner.

News Observer LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107693 Chicago Blackhawks

SportingNews Top 50 NHL Prospects lists Boqvist at 10 and Kirby Dach at 13

By Kelly Twardziak

August 21, 2019 12:11 PM

NHL draft analyst Steve Kournianos released his list for Top 50 players in NHL pipelines for the upcoming 2019-20 season. To the delight of Blackhawks fans everywhere, Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach were ranked at number 10 and 13 respectively.

NHL prospect rankings: Top 50 players in NHL pipelines for 2019-20 https://t.co/C9dneFJerg

— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) August 21, 2019

Kournianos described 19-year-old defender Boqvist as a dominant rookie with 40 assists and 20 goals during his tenure with the London Knights. Fans speculate whether the Blackhawks will keep Boqvist on his junior squad for another year or pull him up to play with the American Hockey League Rockford Ice Hogs.

Kournianos said Dach was one of Team Canada’s top players at the World Junior Summer Showcase. The 18-year-old center is sure to be one of Canada’s main forwards during World Juniors and Dach has the flexibility to play anywhere in the Blackhawks lineup. Dach’s entry-level contract allows him up to nine NHL games this season, giving him the chance to return to the AHL or NHL after his junior season in the Western Hockey League is finished.

Both Boqvist and Dach are key player for the future of this team and it will interesting to watch the Hawks develop these younger players.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107694 Colorado Avalanche Burakovsky. The 6’3” 200-pound winger didn’t see powerplay time in Washington but can fill a shooting role on Colorado’s second unit.

The second center role, previously occupied by Carl Soderberg, will be Colorado’s ‘special’ teams: What to expect from Colorado’s power play filled by either Compher or Kadri; whichever player Bednar elects not to and penalty kill use on the top unit. Colorado’s PP2, led by newly extended Sam Girard, will be expected to take pressure off the top group. The Avs averaged almost seven minutes (6:59) of power-play time per game last season, BY LUKE MARSHALL and the top unit routinely took on more than four minutes of that time.

AUGUST 21, 2019 The penalty kill

Then: Old and ineffective

For a team sporting the least amount of five-on-five time in 2018-19, you Colorado’s 25th ranked penalty kill led the NHL in shorthanded could say special teams are important for the Colorado Avalanche. opportunities and allowed the fourth-most goals against last season. Led by a defensive pair featuring Erik Johnson and Ian Cole, the Avalanche In fact, Colorado’s performance with the man advantage and killed only 78.7% of their penalties. disadvantage is critical to their success next season. The now over 30-year-old players were most frequently joined by fellow Last year, the Avs’ power play ranked seventh-best in the NHL while their defenseman Patrik Nemeth (27), who left for Detroit during free agency penalty kill finished seventh-worst. Offseason moves transformed the to earn a 2-year, $6 million contract. Nemeth averaged 3:13 of Avalanche lineup, but how were their special teams impacted? shorthanded time last season, comparable to Cole’s 3:17 and Johnson’s The power play 3:06. Nemeth was the most effective penalty-killer of the three, forcing shots to the perimeter of the zone. Then: Goals, goals, goals Cole and Johnson are known for their shot-blocking and their physical During a season in which they led the league in power-play opportunities play, but not their mobility. Cole ranked second on the team in hits plus (286), the Avalanche tallied 63 goals and converted on 22% of their blocked shots, while Johnson ranked fourth. Despite sacrificing their chances. They ranked fourth in power-play goals behind the Tampa Bay bodies game in and game out, the two were ineffective at shot super-team, Florida Panthers, and Stanley Cup finalist Boston Bruins. suppression. When compared to those all-star littered squads, the Avs should be pleased with their performance. However, there’s room for improvement Shot-blocking and hitting often disrupt opposing power plays, but active until they take over the top spot. stick play leads to interceptions, clearances, and ultimately kills.

Colorado won 21 games at home and only 17 on the road last season, Matt Nieto, Gabriel Bourque, and Carl Soderberg frequented the man but surprisingly maintained a 20.9% conversion rate at the Pepsi Center disadvantage as well, each averaging near two and a half minutes per as opposed to 23.3% in opposing barns. game. While Bourque and Soderberg won’t be donning Avalanche sweaters next season, Nieto will see significant PK minutes in their wake. Power play time was split unevenly last season, to say the least. The top line plus Tyson Barrie played an average of four minutes per game with The Long Beach, California native was one of Colorado’s most effective the man advantage to round out a clear first tier. Alex Kerfoot, Colin penalty killers last season and did so using his positioning and active Wilson, Tyson Jost, Sam Girard, and Carl Soderberg all averaged close stickwork. He cut passing lanes and kept high-danger shots from the low to two minutes while J.T. Compher split the difference with just over three slot by pressuring opposing forwards. That defensive play will be needed minutes per game. come October on a penalty kill that may not have gotten any better this offseason. Now: Young blood Now: Just as old and potentially less effective Key departures: Tyson Barrie, Alex Kerfoot Key departures: Carl Soderberg, Patrik Nemeth, Gabriel Bourque Key additions: Cale Makar, Key Additions: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Kevin Connauton, Calle Rosén In over 315 power-play minutes last season, Barrie took advantage of his chemistry with the big three and registered 23 points (all assists). NHL The Avalanche penalty kill got immediately younger when Carl newbie Cale Makar will be expected to take over Barrie’s power-play Soderberg was traded to Arizona in late June. The 33-year-old was role, but it’s unlikely that he replicates No.4’s efficiency in his first NHL Colorado’s most utilized center last season, averaging 2:29 in campaign. shorthanded minutes. He was fairly effective, but won’t be missed much on a bottom-feeding group. In return, the Avs got defenseman Kevin J.T. Compher will likely join Makar on the top unit, though Nazem Kadri Connauton, who played big PK minutes for the Coyotes. could fill that position given his PP1 experience in Toronto. The youthful PK didn’t last long, however, with the addition of 34-year-old Bednar will have an interesting choice to make. On the one hand, penalty-killing specialist Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The former Vegas Compher has experience playing with Colorado’s number one group and Golden Knight will provide stability on Colorado’s PK1. Bellemare played recorded five assists on the power-play last season. Plus he’ll likely be the most shorthanded minutes of all Knights forwards on a group that fresh for extra time considering his limited role at third-line center. successfully killed 80.9% of their penalties (12th in the league). The French center will likely join Matt Nieto, Ian Cole, and Erik Johnson to On the other hand, Kadri put up nine assists as a mainstay on a Toronto round out the Avs’ top penalty kill. power play featuring two natural centers in John Tavares and Auston Matthews. Therefore, playing out of position alongside MacKinnon and But with Nemeth gone and both Cole and Johnson recovering from crew should be a smooth transition for the eight-year veteran. offseason surgeries, the Avs could have a defensive problem to start the season. While Johnson will likely join the lineup in the team’s first few While replacing Barrie’s power-play production may prove difficult for games, Cole is expected to be out until December. During that time, an Colorado’s bench boss, Kerfoot can be easily substituted by some of unproven penalty killer is going to be forced to step up. Colorado’s skilled forwards. The Harvard graduate logged only the seventh-most average power-play time out of all Avalanche skaters last Nikita Zadorov was left on the Avs’ second penalty kill last year, but the season with 2:05 per game. 24-year-old big man may be forced to jump up in Cole’s absence. Almost just as likely, however, is that one of the Avs’ plentiful bubble But Kerfoot’s production was skewed by a late-season call-up. After an defensemen will occupy that spot. Barberio, Connauton, or even Rosén injury to Mikko Rantanen in late March, Kerfoot was asked to step up for could prove valuable to Jared Bednar and crew as a shorthanded option. PP1 minutes. In that time, he logged four of his 12 power-play points. In fact, their ability to kill penalties may be the deciding factor for a third- The mildly-used second power-play unit, where Kerfoot spent the pairing roster spot. majority of 2018-19, benefited from some valuable additions in the Avs’ There’s one more blue-liner who could see an increased PK role next busy offseason. Kerfoot’s replacement likely lies in newly-acquired Andre season. The newly-inked Sam Girard is getting paid the big bucks to be on Colorado’s future top pairing. That role includes killing penalties when your team is in need. On a team searching for shorthanded help, the Avs will likely test Girard in a PK role on the second unit. His play there could decide the makeup of Colorado’s defense as a whole.

Finally, J.T. Compher will again be called upon to aid Colorado’s special teams. The versatile center will likely lead the second penalty kill alongside Matt Calvert. On the back of two goals in the same penalty, Compher’s three shorthanded points tied for the team-best last season. Hopefully, the 24-year-old will take a step forward in the defensive end after a season in which his PK usage resulted in 15 goals against.

Amid drastic summer changes to the roster, it appears Colorado’s special teams took a hit. The Avalanche lost its top producing defenseman and number one power-play quarterback in Tyson Barrie. Barring an anomaly from Cale Makar on the top unit, the group may struggle to replicate last year’s success.

Inexperience on their retooled penalty-killing units will test Colorado’s coaching staff as they try to coax results out of an overhauled group.

Makar, Zadorov, and Girard, among other special teams hopefuls, elevating into their top special team roles will be key to the Avalanche making the postseason for its third straight year.

BSN DENVER LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107695 Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski seeking three-year contract at $5 million-plus annually, source says

Brian Hedger

The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger

Aug 21, 2019 at 1:41 PM

Aug 21, 2019 at 6:28 PM

Rather than a long-term journey to unrestricted free agency, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is apparently looking for a shorter bridge to cross.

An NHL source closely monitoring the league’s logjam of restricted free agents told The Dispatch on Wednesday that Werenski, 22, is seeking a three-year “bridge” deal for his next contract rather than a longer-term extension with a higher average annual value (aka salary-cap charge).

The source said a three-year deal for Werenski would likely include a cap charge that “starts with a 5,” meaning somewhere higher than $5 million and lower than $6 million per season.

Werenski’s agent, Pat Brisson, said he would have no comment for this story. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen did not return a message seeking comment.

Werenski, 22, is the Jackets’ last remaining restricted free agent expected to sign a new deal. (Lukas Sedlak is technically an RFA forward, but has signed with a team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.)

Werenski is among a sizable pool of RFA players who have yet to sign, as GMs across the league and agents engage in a waiting game to see who signs first. There are currently 10 RFA defensemen unsigned, which includes Werenski, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov, the New York Rangers’ Anthony DeAngelo and Pittsburgh’s Marcus Pettersson.

Werenski played all 82 games last season, coming off shoulder surgery, and led all RFA defensemen with 44 points on 11 goals and 33 assists. He has 128 points on 38 goals and 90 assists in his first three NHL seasons, putting him at the top of the stack statistically.

Werenski, Brisson and Kekalainen all told The Dispatch last week they hope to get an agreement done before the Jackets open training camp Sept. 13 — with Kekalainen saying he is “not the least bit worried.”

It is a situation that is drawing a good deal of interest across the NHL, though. Unsigned players and their agents are waiting to see what kind of deals Werenski or another RFA defenseman — perhaps Provorov — will get.

The Dispatch was also told that Provorov’s camp started negotiations asking for a whopping $10 million a year from the Flyers, presumably on a long-term deal.

Werenski would likely get $7 million a year, or more, on a long-term deal that could cut into his first year or two of UFA status. According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, Werenski would still have one year left of RFA status if he signs a three-year deal, but he would have added arbitration rights for leverage.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107696 Columbus Blue Jackets hospital room wondering, hoping, praying for my own kids. You just feel that. You also know these kind of moments can take your mind off those terrible times. That’s all you try to provide.

‘God gives us only what we can handle’: Blue Jackets pay surprise visit “We’ve had it done for us so I know how important it is. Some wonder if to ailing fan these small gestures mean anything. They really do. You are living it every day and you are watching your child battle something. These little moments let you forget about it. It’s about letting them be a kid, letting By Tom Reed them enjoy life. That’s what we all want for our kids.”

Aug 21, 2019 The Blue Jackets Foundation learned of Ryan’s plight through the Cleveland-area Special Spaces chapter. Foligno, Dubinsky and other

team representatives were only too happy to make the drive from NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio — As an NHL player, Nick Foligno must Columbus, which included a stop at Browns training camp. make split-second decisions when time and space are in short supply. Foligno said his message on the dry-erase board is “words I live by.” As a team captain, he must also find the right words to inspire in “I’m a religious guy and I could tell by his cross, Ryan is as well,” Foligno moments of adversity. said. “And even if you’re not religious, at times like these, you’re looking Standing in the bedroom of a 13-year-old cancer survivor, Foligno for answers from anywhere. … If you live by those words, you can find delivered on both counts Tuesday afternoon to brighten the day of a some strength somewhere that you never thought you had.” suburban Cleveland family whose resolve has been buoyed by the Wearing a red T-shirt and gray Under Armor cap, Ryan savored every generosity of the hockey world. minute of the visit. Like a typical 13-year-old kid, almost all of his Foligno and teammate Brandon Dubinsky paid a surprise visit to the comments were peppered with “cool” and “awesome.” home of Blue Jackets fan Ryan Kuchta. The Columbus players supplied Dubinsky asked him about his favorite teams (Blue Jackets and Golden the young goalie with a team jersey, pucks, autographed pictures and an Knights) and his favorite goalies (Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre invitation to their Nov. 15 game at Nationwide Arena on “Hockey Fights Fleury) while also sharing stories from his own career. Dubinsky and Cancer” night. Foligno stickhandled pucks with Ryan in the basement and posed for Ryan led the two pros on a tour of his house, which includes a goalie net numerous photos with the family, which includes 18-year-old sister Nikki. and shooting pad in the basement and a hockey-themed bedroom There was plenty of hockey-related humor, too. recently remodeled by Special Spaces, a nonprofit organization that builds “dream” rooms for children with life-threatening illnesses. “Do you ever get mad and put your sister in goal?” one of the players asked. Foligno and Dubinsky spent most of their 40-minute visit acting like big brothers, joking with Ryan and asking him questions about his love for a Ryan will require chemotherapy treatments into the spring, his dad said, game he hopes to resume playing in the coming months. The two Blue but signs are encouraging. Monday, the youngster went back to school Jackets forwards admired his autographed stick collection and certified for the first time since November. He had no idea the ring of the doorbell contract from the minor-league Cleveland Monsters that pays him $1 and would deliver two of his Blue Jackets heroes. affords him four season tickets. A few years ago, Ryan was in Columbus ready to attend his first NHL “One dollar,” Dubinsky said. “We gotta get you a better deal.” game when his youth hockey coach called and notified the family he needed Ryan to return to North Royalton immediately because the The highlight of the visit was Foligno’s quick thinking at the sight of a team’s other goalie was sick. Always a team player, Ryan obeyed his crucifix hanging from the boy’s neck and two dry-erase boards that hang coach’s wishes and missed the chance to see his beloved Blue Jackets. on a wall beneath Ryan’s elevated bed. One board features a quote attributed to Wayne Gretzky: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you “Man, you are a really good teammate,” Foligno said. “I would have don’t take.” snapped.”

“Hey, Ryan, do you mind if I write on this other board?” Foligno said. Ryan’s parents were unaware Foligno and Dubinsky were visiting the house. The only message from the Blue Jackets was to have their son at The seventh-grader at North Royalton Middle School nodded home around 3 p.m. for “a big event.” approvingly. His eyes grew wide with wonder as the 6-foot winger grabbed a black marker, got into a crouch and scribbled on the board. The visit was only the latest goodwill gesture from the hockey world. Ryan has received autographed sticks from various NHL players and an “Watch your head,” Ryan said. outpouring of support from local youth hockey organizations. The captain wrote: “God Gives Us Only What We Can Handle!” Best “I honestly don’t know how we would have made it through this without Wishes! Nick Foligno. the hockey community,” his mother said. “They have been so good to “There you go, bud,” Foligno said looking at Ryan. The expressions on us.” the faces of the boy’s parents, Denise and Gary Kuchta, were something Athletes routinely take time away from their schedules to visit with ill to behold. children. Dubinsky and Foligno don’t consider themselves special in that Life has been a day-to-day struggle with uncertainty since Ryan was regard, but they also understand the power of their presence in diagnosed with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma on Nov. 14. The households like the Kuchtas’. They see it in the awestruck faces of kids aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which mostly afflicts people and the looks of gratitude from parents. under 35, is treated with chemotherapy. Side effects include a weakened As soon as Dubinsky and Foligno walked down the driveway, Ryan ran immune system, reduced muscle strength, hair loss, fatigue, nausea, into his room and placed the autographed pucks he received in a place of vomiting and dizziness. pride on his shelf opposite his bed. Both Foligno and Dubinsky have three children. The captain’s life has “You want to be there for kids like this,” Foligno said. been rocked by death and medical emergencies for a decade. His mother, Janis, died of cancer in 2009. Last season, while helping the Kuchta has himself a $1 contract. He also has a priceless bit of Blue Jackets win their first playoff series in franchise history, Foligno inspiration, scribbled on a dry-erase board, that will motivate him to get twice had to take leaves of absence to tend to ailing children. The back in nets someday soon. family’s 5-year-old daughter, Milana, born with a congenital heart defect, was hospitalized with a virus in December and underwent surgery in The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 Boston. In March, their 22-month-old son, Hudson, was hospitalized with pneumonia after the boy’s right lung collapsed.

“It breaks your heart,” Foligno said. “You just feel for the family because you know what they are going through. Personally, I have been in a 1107697 Dallas Stars "It's the Connor McDavid effect," Nichol said, then paused, "or the Tyler Seguin effect."

Seguin said the day typically starts at 6:30 or 7:30 a.m. He'll arrive at the Inside the offseason training program and the gym that helped build gym and stretch out. He'll work out for an hour in the weight room or on Stars center Tyler Seguin the track. He'll hop on the ice to skate a bit. Then he'll eat lunch and leave.

By Matthew DeFranks The workouts can vary, and Nichol likened it to a buffet of options. During the season, Nichol's staff is four people, but it swells to about 30 during Sports Reporter the summers. There are doctors, orthopedic surgeons, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists. There are skating and stick-handling

coaches. There is boxing, mixed martial arts, gymnastics, sand training Editor's note. This story was originally published on Nov. 15, 2018. and Pilates to disrupt a routine.

TORONTO -- Tucked away in the north end of a high school rink in "Just let your imagination run wild," Nichol said. "It's kind of a buffet of Toronto, 5 miles removed from the and in relative stuff." anonymity in the suburbs, is the starting point for one of Tyler Seguin's Seguin said, "The UFC fighting is fun. We do this thing called beach longest relationships in hockey. blast, which is like a volleyball thing we do. We train with Team Canada A pair of doors located beyond the goal at St. Michael's College School volleyball team, do their workouts and then play a game. We actually go leads to an unimpressive but integral setup for Seguin each summer. do gymnastics too. It's probably the hardest workout of the summer." They reveal a small weight room, painted red on the bottom half of the What Seguin does during workouts, though, Nichol has a hard time walls, white on the top half and connected by a metal ceiling that looks finding with anyone else. more like hurricane shutters than they do a training facility for top NHL players. "There's things he can do in the gym that I don't know how many guys in the NHL can do that," Nichol said. "He's doing chin-ups with 110 pounds The six hanging lights are white and bright. There are countless medicine strapped to him for reps. I'm sure there might be a couple of other guys in balls and dumbbells, ropes and plates. It's a small place. And it also the NHL that can do that. I don't know how many, if any. includes Matt Nichol. "If they are the guys that are doing that, they're probably not at the level "People aren't going to come here for the beautiful aesthetics of our of skill that he has and they're also probably in the gym pounding weights space," Nichol said. "It's a tiny, little dungeon in the back of a rink." five days a week, obsessed, focused, measuring every gram of this and Nichol's gym is small and no nonsense, which he found the players didn't that. The fact that he can do that is pretty impressive what he can do." mind. "If they want to sit in a hot tub or a steam room, they can get one at Nichol said Seguin's reputation as a naturally gifted freakish athlete their house," he said. "They don't need it here." clouds the reality of his work ethic. Seguin is the guy who hovers around Nichol is now a renowned trainer, the pioneer of the sports drink BioSteel 3 or 4 percent body fat, and the player who posed nude for ESPN The that's popular in Canada and among hockey players. He is a former Magazine's Body Issue. strength coach and nutritionist for the and has been He's the guy who sometimes has trouble keeping weight on during the training Seguin since 2009, before he was a No. 2 overall draft pick, a hockey season. And he's doing all this while averaging nearly 35 goals Stanley Cup champion, a trade chip and a Dallas Star. per season since his trade to Dallas. Nichol trains 30 NHL players and 30 junior hockey players each summer "Guys like Tyler are often written off like 'Oh, he's super skilled,'" Nichol in a system that was dedicated to speed before most of the league was. said. "Even some of the guys that know him are like, 'Ah, he's a freak He also trains basketball and football players, but hockey is what he's because he can eat what he wants and do what he wants.' known for. It is Toronto, after all. "I think his attitude and the way he carries himself sort of perpetuates that Through all those players and all the years, Seguin is still one of his first myth, but he's actually one of the harder working guys. Extremely hard- clients. He's been with Nichol through the pressure cooker leading up to working guy. Extremely strong. People are like 'Ah, he's got nice abs. the 2010 NHL draft, when Boston selected him in the first round. He's He's got good hair, the tattoos.' But I think they miss the fact that he's in been with him though the growing pains as a teenager with the Bruins. here grinding." He's been with him as long as he's been the top-line center for the Stars. Seguin added: "I kind of like it like that. You don't need to give away your "I think his passion for it [separates him], how much pride he takes in secrets all the time." making us individually better," Seguin said. "It's kind of like we have another team there. It's a summer team with guys from all different Dallas Morning News LOADED: 08.22.2019 teams. It does feel like a team. You leave your equipment there. You have your own hockey rink there. It's just been the perfect setup for the last decade."

Nichol said Seguin and he were introduced through mutual connections with his agent and chiropractor, and Seguin's stock was already high when he began training with Nichol. The debate at the time surrounded whether Seguin or would go first to Edmonton. (The Oilers picked Hall, and he and Seguin have been traded in lopsided deals.)

"He didn't get too many carrots when he first started here," Nichol said. "He got a lot of sticks. His first summer here, he was the youngest guy in the group and he didn't get any concessions. We were yelling at him a lot, and he was in the back of the line, last in order. You work out when you're told, not the time you want to."

At the time, Nichol was preaching speed work on the track. It's part of the reason he landed at St. Michael's in the first place, because the adjacent football field could serve him well. Speed work was also one of the separators for Nichol vs. other trainers. Before the advent of speed in the game, players wanted to get bigger and stronger.

Now, most players want to get faster, so other trainers have incorporated more track work. 1107698 Dallas Stars

Bill Guerin named new Wild GM, becomes latest ex-Star employed by Minnesota this offseason

By Jeffrey Cooperstein

Sports digital editor

For the third time this offseason, a former Stars player is joining the Minnesota Wild.

On Wednesday, the Wild announced former Stars winger Bill Guerin as their new general manager, joining Mike Modano and Mats Zuccarello as a trio of ex-Stars to take their talents to "The State of Hockey."

“I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, as General Manager of the Minnesota Wild." —

 News → https://t.co/uM3vPSoWqs #mnwild pic.twitter.com/kU0yhA6khQ

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 21, 2019

After a career-high 41-goal season in 2001-02 with the Boston Bruins, the Stars signed Guerin to a five-year contract. Guerin struggled in his first year in Dallas despite the team having success under first-year coach en route to a 111-point season which earned them the President's Trophy. In Guerin's second season, he put up a career- high 69 points followed by a 40-point year in 2005-06.

After the 2005-06 season, the Stars bought out the final season of Guerin's contract. Guerin played the next season with the St. Louis Blues, where he was named a Western Conference All-Star.

Guerin is the third player who has previously suited up for the Stars to join the Wild this offseason, and the second to join the front office.

Mats Zuccarello signed a five-year $30 million contract on the first day of free agency, the same day the Stars signed Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry.

Former Stars defenseman Greg Pateryn is also on the Wild's roster, as well as Ryan Hartman, whom the Stars acquired and subsequently released this offseason.

Earlier in the offseason, Mike Modano joined the Wild as an Executive Advisor, working on the business side of operations. He will begin his new role on Sept. 1, according to the team website.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107699 Detroit Red Wings

Jonathan Ericsson facing battle to remain in Red Wings’ lineup

By Ansar Khan | [email protected]

Posted Aug 21, 6:02 AM

(Another in a series of player profiles prior to training camp.)

Jonathan Ericsson

Position: Defense

Age: 35

Height/Weight: 6-4/220

2018-19 stats: 52 games, 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points, minus-10 rating, 35 penalty minutes.

Career stats: 662 games, 27 goals, 98 assists, 125 points, minus-9 rating, 531 penalty minutes.

Contract: One year remaining at a $4.25 million cap hit.

2018-19 in review: Missed 16 games early in the season (Oct. 4-18 and Nov. 3-23) and sat out 10 of the final 12 games due to injuries. … Scored third career game-winning goal Oct. 28 vs. Dallas. … Lone two-point game Jan. 12 at Minnesota (two assists). … Lowest average ice time (17:08) since 2011-12. … Season-high 24:35 in ice time Dec. 6 vs. Toronto. … Season-high nine hits Dec. 20 vs. Carolina. … Second-worst plus-minus rating of career. … Fewest points in a full NHL season.

2019-20 outlook: Ericsson was plagued by injuries at the start and end of the season and struggled with consistency once again. After a good start in the 2017-18 season, he has posted a minus-23 rating in his past 95 games.

Ericsson was a healthy scratch for back-to-back games on a couple of occasions, for the first time in his career. He’ll likely start the season alongside as the third pairing (depending on the unit’s health), but unlike past seasons, Ericsson won’t have a guaranteed spot in the lineup. It’ll depend on his performance.

Defense continues to be the weak spot on this team, but coach Jeff Blashill will have other options for the third pairing (Danny DeKeyser, Mike Green, Patrik Nemeth and Filip Hronek are projected as the top four) – including Madison Bowey or Oliwer Kaski. Dennis Cholowski, who started strong last season before fading and being sent to Grand Rapids, also will be competing for a spot.

Ericsson is among the veteran defensemen the Red Wings will try to move at the trade deadline (along with Green and Daley, but he’ll need to be healthy and playing reasonably well to draw interest for a draft pick.

Quotable: “There’s been a lot of injuries. Too many. Myself, a few times this year and some of the other guys a few times, so it’s frustrating, especially because you never get any good rhythm. You come back and maybe you’re not feeling the best when you come back and you’re basically playing a little banged up.” – Ericsson.

Key question: Will Ericsson rebound with a healthy season and maintain a regular spot in the lineup, or will he be a frequent healthy scratch?

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107700 Florida Panthers play the puck and is very good at doing so. One nitpick of his game is he doesn’t often make the spectacular save, but scouts will argue it’s because he is never out of position. As a 6-foot-3 goalie with his 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 15 Florida Panthers athleticism and IQ, he projects to start in the NHL.

4. Aleksi Heponiemi, LW, Karpat-Liiga

By Corey Pronman Jan. 9, 1999 | 5-foot-10 | 148 pounds

Aug 21, 2019 Tier: Very good NHL prospect

Heponiemi was a top scorer in Finland’s top pro league, as a driver on a top team. He’s an elite playmaker. Heponiemi has the unique vision and Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL creativity to find options other players wouldn’t be able to and to run a organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into power play in the NHL at a high level. He can make skilled plays through tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and defenders, but he’s at his best when he’s trying to make a play to his an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of teammate. Inside the offensive zone he’s lights out, but his average Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete speed and 5-foot-10 frame may keep him from getting possession in the ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. NHL as much as he’s done at other levels. I think he’ll make it because of how skilled and smart he is, but some scouts I’ve talked to are skeptical. Florida’s system graduated top prospect Henrik Borgstrom but remains solid on the backs of several top forward prospects and one of the best 5. Serron Noel, RW, Oshawa-OHL goalie prospects in the league in Spencer Knight. The system isn’t that deep, but the top-end is very good. Aug. 8, 2000 | 6-foot-5 | 216 pounds

Key additions: Spencer Knight Tier: Very good/legit bubble

Key subtractions/graduations: Henrik Borgstrom, Jayce Hawryluk, I underrated Noel in his draft season and this past season he showed his Samuel Montembeault skill more consistently. He wasn’t a top offensive player in the OHL, but his toolkit is tantalizing. He’s 6-foot-5, skates very well for a big man, has 2018 farm system ranking: No. 9 good puck skills and can make offensive plays. There were moments he could overpower OHL players with his combination of size, speed and 2019 draft grade: C skill. He forces plays more than I’d like, but he also made some high-end Prospect Ranking passes that I didn’t think he had in him. He gets to he front of the net and makes plays in small areas. I see him projecting out as a top-nine, if not 1. Grigori Denisenko, LW, Yarolsavl-KHL a top-six forward in the NHL.

Junne 24, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 176 pounds 6. Logan Hutsko, RW, Boston College-Hockey East

Tier: High-end NHL prospect Feb. 11, 1999 | 5-foot-10 | 172 pounds

Denisenko was, in my view, the best player at the world juniors. He was Tier: Legit NHL prospect good in the KHL but on a top team in Yaroslavl he didn’t get consistent ice time, although in the second half that picked up. He has the toolkit to Hutsko is a very interesting prospect who, after being devastated by succeed in the NHL. Denisenko is a good, if not a very good skater. He’s serious injuries for years, has had two mostly healthy seasons at college. got elite hands. He’s got great vision. He can score goals. He’s not the He’s full of skill. Hutsko can dangle and make plays with the best college biggest guy, but he has a real edge to his game and isn’t afraid to either hockey players and projects as a power play guy at the pro level. He attack the net or engage in the chippy stuff. At the junior level the past looked quicker this season than I remember him being and was able to two years I’ve seen Denisenko dominate his peers with his skill and push the pace with his speed and skill. The production wasn’t amazing vision. At the pro level that hasn’t come yet, but there seems to be a lot this past season, but Boston College, in general, had issues scoring and of optimism in the scouting community that it is right around the corner. he’s so far behind in his development schedule due to the missed time. If He has one more year left on his KHL contract. he doesn’t go off next season I’ll be concerned, but I still really like this prospect. 2. Owen Tippett, RW, Saginaw-OHL 7. Brady Keeper, D, Maine-Hockey East Feb. 16, 1999 | 6-foot-1 | 216 pounds June 5, 1996 | 6-foot-2 | 194 pounds Tier: High-end/very good bubble Tier: Legit NHL prospect You could argue there was no more talented player in the CHL in 2018- 19 than Tippett. He can dazzle like few others. He’s got elite skill, elite Keeper was a top defenseman in Hockey East and got a one game offensive instincts and a bullet shot. Inside the offensive zone he can appearance with Florida at the end of the season. He is a super smart make defenders look foolish with his ability to deke one way, and either two-way defenseman with a good skill level. There were numerous plays make a flashy behind the back pass off a move or fire a wrist shot top he made through the season, be it threading a tough seam pass, banking corner. He skates well and can push the pace when he wants to. The pucks off walls or bodies to himself or stretching the ice, that showed off issue with Tippett is consistency. He is frustratingly inconsistent. A player his very high hockey IQ. His skating is OK, but what makes him a good with his talent level should have destroyed the OHL, but I went to several defender is his sense on top of being quite physical and tough to play games where he was just ordinary. He doesn’t attack the net and he against. He’s followed an unusual path to this point, but he has legit NHL takes stretches of time off, but boy when he’s on is he fun to watch. I tools and could help the Panthers. believe in him a lot because of his skill level. 8. Ryan Bednard, G, Bowling State University-WCHA 3. Spencer Knight, G, USNTDP-USHL March 31, 1997 | 6-foot-5 | 201 pounds April 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 192 pounds Tier: Legit NHL prospect Tier: Very good NHL prospect Bednard was a top goalie in the WCHA and signed following his junior Knight has been a top prospect for years. He didn’t have the dominant season at Bowling Green. He’s a very large goalie at 6-foot-5, his frame season many expected, but he was still quite good for most of the has filled out, and he takes up large chunks of the net even when on the season and finished strong with a fantastic U18 tournament. Knight is a goal line and in his butterfly. I like his hockey sense a lot. He reads plays super smart goalie without any extra movement in his game than he very well. He’s aggressive when he needs to and never seems that out of needs to square up a puck. There’s no panic in the way he plays, yet he position. He reads shots very well and isn’t an automatic into a butterfly can move quickly to get to pucks. When a tough save needs to be made, on high shots, which is imposing at his size. His lateral agility is OK. For he’s there, square, in perfect form even if it requires him to move to get a big man he moves fine with the occasional high-level save, but I’ve also there. He has very powerful legs to get across his crease. Knight likes to seen him caught because of his lack of top-end quickness. 9. Santtu Kinnunen, D, Pelicans-Liiga his game. I could see him evolve into a solid defender who can kill penalties and move the puck well enough to help an NHL team at the March 25, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 154 pounds bottom of the roster.

Tier: Legit/chance bubble 15. Anthony Greco, RW, Springfield-AHL

Kinnunen intrigued me a lot when I saw him in the summer, and while he Sept. 30, 1993 | 5-foot-10 | 176 pounds didn’t make Finland’s World Junior team, I overall liked his season. He’s a long defenseman whose skating has improved, and he has offensive Tier: Has a chance upside. Kinnunen can make poised plays with the puck from his end or off the blue, or rush them up the ice. I wouldn’t call him a top defender, Greco was one of the best forwards I saw in the AHL last season. He but he has a good reach and brain that he can break up enough plays. was a consistent threat because he was one of the best skaters at that He hasn’t become a go-to guy at the Liiga level, but I like where his game level. He put a lot of pressure on defenders with his speed and created a is heading and could see him breakout next season. few chances a game in that manner. Greco has above-average skill and vision too, and overall was a top offensive player for Springfield. He’s not 10. Max Gildon, D, New Hampshire-Hockey East the biggest guy at 5-foot-10, and that is the biggest limitation keeping the 25-year-old from the NHL. At his age he’s a bit of a longshot, but I have May 17, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 192 pounds to give credit to how good he looked last season.

Tier: Legit/chance bubble 16. Carter Berger, D, Victoria-BCHL

Gildon played a ton of minutes on a subpar New Hampshire team. He Sept. 17, 1999 | six-foot | 201 pounds has a pro toolkit. Gildon is 6-foot-3, skates well for his size, has above- average skill and a big shot. He will be able to run a pro power play and Tier: Has a chance can impact the transition game. Scouts have some skepticism about his defensive play, but he played heavy minutes in college. I don’t mind the Berger was one of the best offensive defensemen in the CJHL as a third- player. The offense and defense aren’t high-end, but I see attributes and, year eligible prospect. He’s a very mobile, skilled defender who at times whenever I’ve watched him, he’s showed well. I could see his game can really pop with his offensive abilities, but other times I questioned his translating well once he signs. overall hockey sense and instincts. I know several scouts who see NHL potential in him, but I’m not as sure there. 11. Vladislav Kolyachonok, D, Flint-OHL 17. Cliff Pu, RW, Springfield-AHL May 26, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 183 pounds June 3, 1998 | 6-foot-2 | 187 pounds Tier: Legit/chance bubble Tier: Has a chance Kolyachonok started off his season in London, which then offloaded him to Flint due to having too many imports. He was a huge part of that team After a semi-promising junior career, Pu’s first pro season was a disaster, the rest of the season, playing a ton of minutes in all situations and being fourth-lined in Carolina’s system, demoted to the ECHL and having a great U18 tournament. Kolyachonok is a very smart and mobile promptly traded for the second time in twelve months to Florida as an defenseman who can transition the puck well. He’s not a guy who is important part of the Jeff Skinner trade. There are still good attributes in going to wow you with his skill level, but he sees the ice quite well, with his game. He’s 6-foot-2, he skates very well, he has some offensive the ability to run a power play and hit seams. He’s a good skater who creativity, but the pace of the pro game seemed too much for him at showed he could skate with the quicker forwards in the OHL and kill times. He needs to compete harder and create more to get back on track. plays with his feet. He will skate pucks up, but I wouldn’t call him a Depth Players natural puck rusher. The question on Kolyachonok is whether he has enough offensive upside for the NHL. Jonathan Ang, RW, Springfield-AHL (Age: 21): Ang is a very good skater and competes hard, but he’s small and the skill isn’t anything noteworthy. 12. Rodrigo Abols, C, Orebro-SHL , D, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL (26): Prow is a high-end Jan. 5, 1996 | 6-foot-4 | 187 pounds puck mover, but he is limited by his skating and average defensive play. Tier: Has a chance The 26-year-old was one of the best defensemen in the AHL last season.

Abols had a good year in Sweden and, after being unsigned by the Justin Schutz, LW, Salzburg-Alps Hockey League (19): Schutz has good Canucks following a tough time in major junior, he earned a contract with skill and sense, and competes hard. He’s undersized, though, and I don’t Florida. He’s 6-foot-4 and a good net-front presence on the power play. see any dynamic traits there. Abols can get his stick on point shots well and has sneaky good vision Cole Schwindt, RW, Mississauga-OHL (18): Schwindt is a skilled and making plays in those tough areas. His skating is decent. Every now and intelligent big body forward who can make plays around the net. His then his stride breaks down, but I’ve also seen bursts of good speed from skating is quite poor and will need to improve a lot to be an NHLer. him. He’s progressed enough that I think he has a real shot, even if some scouts I’ve talked to still remain skeptical after what they saw last time he Owen Lindmark, C, USNTDP-USHL (18): I like Lindmark’s speed, his was in North America. compete level and his hockey sense, but I don’t know if his puck game will ever be good enough for the NHL. 13. Henrik Rybinski, RW, Seattle-WHL 2019-20 Impact June 26, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 176 pounds Tippett, Heponiemi and Noel should all get looks at camp, but I’d lean to Tier: Has a chance sending Noel back and having Tippett and Heponiemi push for ice time Rybinski bounced around between several teams last season before this season – even if both have to start in the AHL. Greco should be on finding his game with Seattle and playing well in the second half. He the radar, particularly if they need a penalty kill type as opposed to a plays the game the way I like, with skill, creativity and impressive vision. scorer. Keeper is a tough one to read, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he He’s an average skater but he can help a team at both ends. I’ve seen played right away. flashes of top-end skill, but it’s not consistent. Finally, he needs to Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under) improve his finishing touch. Aaron Ekblad, D (23) 14. Riley Stillman, D, Springfield-AHL Grigori Denisenko, LW (19) March 9, 1998 | 6-foot-1 | 196 pounds Henrik Borgstrom, C (22) Tier: Has a chance Owen Tippett, RW (20) Stillman had an OK first pro season, being an average AHL player and getting one game up with Florida. He’s never been a guy who wowed Spencer Knight, G (18) me, but I have time for him. He’s mobile and tough to play against, and Aleksi Heponiemi, C (20) while he’ll never be a dynamic skill player, I think he has some offense to Denis Malgin, RW (22)

Serron Noel, RW (19)

Logan Hutsko, RW (20)

Brady Keeper, D (23)

Ekblad is one of the top young defensemen in the league. On the same team as Keith Yandle he doesn’t put up giant points, but he could likely with first power play time. He has all the tools to be a top-pair defenseman for a long time. Borgstrom had a tough first pro season with some positive stretches. He’s super skilled and smart, but the pace seemed to be a big adjustment for him. I still like the player a lot, and he’s so talented that I think he’ll be a good top-six forward, but I may have gotten ahead of myself with his projection this time last year.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107701 Los Angeles Kings Expecting more to come over the next couple of days, until then Insiders.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 08.22.2019

KINGS ANNOUNCE SCHEDULE CHANGE + SPORTING NEWS PROSPECT RANKINGS

ZACH DOOLEY

AUGUST 21, 2019

Good evening, Insiders! Stepping in this week with Jon out of town. Just a couple of quick housekeeping notes as rookie camp quickly approaches.

Schedule Change

Another afternoon start……media rejoice!

The LA Kings announced a schedule change on the time front today – The Kings game on Saturday, November 16 has been changed from a 7 PM start time to a 1 PM start time at STAPLES Center. From the official team release:

The Los Angeles Kings have announced the following game time change pertaining to the club’s 2019-20 NHL regular season schedule, the 20th Anniversary at STAPLES Center:

The November 16 game at STAPLES Center has moved from 7 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The game against the Vegas Golden Knights will remain “Country Themed” and the afternoon contest will also be included in the club’s new Kids’ Days series (increasing from three games to four games). All fans in attendance on November 16 will receive a Bandana Giveaway.

Sporting News Prospect Rankings – Kings at #2

The Sporting News put together a list of the top farm systems in the NHL earlier this week and the Kings ranked second across the league’s 32 teams. Led by top ranked prospect, and 2019 first-round pick, Alex Turcotte, Los Angeles trailed only the New York Rangers in the rankings.

The rankings were based on five categories – Point production, age, NHL games played, NHL readiness and experience, and draft ranking. Here is the excerpt specifically on the Kings prospect pool –

If there’s only one good thing to come out of not making the playoffs for the third time in five years – amassing high picks at the draft has to be it. No team has done a better job at selecting elite offensive talent without the benefit of multiple top-10 picks than the Kings. Yes, their 2019 selection of stud three-zone center Alex Turcotte at fifth overall was their highest since taking Brayden Schenn in that same spot 10 years earlier; however, after Turcotte, the depth chart is lined with impressive kids taken either late in the first round or immediately thereafter. Slick center Rasmus Kupari was one of the top teenage point producers in the SM- Liiga, and second rounders Akil Thomas (2018) and Arthur Kaliyev(2019) were two of only nine 100-point scorers in the OHL last season. All three should be top threats for their respective nations at this year’s IIHF World Junior Championship.

What makes the Kings’ system stand out beyond the notable names is depth by position. Few teams have a pool with as many quality goaltenders, beginning with undrafted Cal Petersen who should start the season in the NHL and looks like a legitimate challenger to dethrone No. 1 netminder Jonathan Quick. Behind Petersen are Lukas Parik, David Hrenak and Matt Villalta who is a likely candidate to spend the upcoming season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. On defense, critics are raving about Mikey Anderson’s development and first-round quality in second rounder Kale Clague and 2019 first-round pick Tobias Bjornfot with the former gunning for a top-6 spot on opening night and the latter the favorite to be Sweden’s No. 1 defender at the world juniors. And although mum’s the word on the health of 2017 first-rounder Gabe Vilardi, he still is one of the top playmakers among all NHL prospects.

When you consider that Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who played NHL games last season isn’t in these rankings……and neither is 2019 second-round selection Samuel Fagemo, defensemen Sean Durzi and Markus Phillips, or second-year professionals Sheldon Rempal or Daniel Brickley, the depth of the current Kings prospect pool, which has been heavily restocked over the past few seasons, looks even more impressive. 1107702 Minnesota Wild

A closer look at new Wild General Manager Bill Guerin

Staff Report

AUGUST 22, 2019 — 12:33AM

About Bill Guerin

Age: 48 (born Nov. 9, 1970 in Worchester, Mass.)

Front office experience: Pittsburgh Penguins 2011-19, player development, assistant general manager, two Stanley Cups

Playing experience: Right winger, NHL, 18 seasons, New Jersey, Edmonton, Boston, Dallas, St. Louis, San Jose, N.Y. Islanders, Pittsburgh. Stanley Cups with New Jersey (1995) and Pittsburgh (2009). Totaled 429 goals and 427 assists in 1,263 career games, plus 39 goals and 35 assists in 140 playoff games. He also played for the in three Olympic Games — 1998, 2002 and 2006. Won a gold medal in the .

College: Boston College. Drafted first round (fifth overall) in 1989.

Family: Wife Kara. Daughters Kayla, 22; Grace, 20; and Lexi, 16. Son Liam, 18.

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107703 Minnesota Wild “They’re looking for someone to figure out how to get a Stanley Cup to Minnesota,’’ he said. “They’ve got a lot of work to do, and he knows what works. He’s not going to be afraid to put on the work boots, wear gloves Minnesota-based ex-teammates sing praises of new Wild GM and start swinging the sledgehammer around.

“He might not be popular on some of the things he might do in the room,’’ Hankinson added, “but at the end of the day, he’s all about doing what he By Randy Johnson can to put the team first.’’

AUGUST 21, 2019 — 9:39PM Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019

If you listen to a trio of Bill Guerin’s former teammates, the Wild is getting just what it needs.

“He was a great teammate – he stuck up for guys and scored goals,’’ Ben Hankinson, a former teammate, said at Da Beauty League on Wednesday night.

“He’s one of those guys you hated playing with but loved to have on your team,’’ added Chris McAlpine, who played with Guerin for two seasons in New Jersey.

“You knew what you were going to get every night from him,’’ echoed Tom Chorske, a three-year Devils teammate of Guerin’s. “It was a pleasure an honor to play with him.’’

Guerin, of course, won’t be playing for the Wild, which on Wednesday hired the 48-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager to be the fourth GM in team history. But those attributes that helped the Wilbraham, Mass., native score 429 goals and amass 856 points in an 18-year NHL will translate well in leading the Wild, according to those ex- teammates.

“On the other side of it, management, he’s paid his dues – scouted, built teams through the minors and through the draft in Pittsburgh, and he’s won [the Stanley Cup] there a couple of times,’’ said Hankinson, who played minor-league hockey with Guerin at Utica of the AHL before both were called up to the Devils. “Everybody knows him, likes him and respects him, and he’s going to do very well.’’

Hankinson also knows Guerin as an opponent. As an agent for Octagon Hockey, the former Gopher has matched wits with Guerin during contract negotiations for players such as Jake Guentzel.

“He knows when to pull the hammer out and when to use it,’’ Hankinson said. “It’s been fun dealing with him. He’s going to be a good hockey mind.’’

McAlpine, who also works Octagon, was thrilled with the Wild’s decision to hire Guerin and expects him to succeed where previous GM Paul Fenton, who was fired on July 30, didn’t.

“He’s played a long time and with a lot of guys and had a lot of success as a player. That’s not by coincidence,’’ McAlpine said. “This is a guy who comes and makes people better around him. … You’ll see the difference right away on how he interacts with players.’’

Chorske recalled how Guerin was part of the Devils team that progressed in the early 1990s, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final in 1994 only to lose to the New York Rangers in double overtime in Game 7. The next year, it was the Devils who were hoisting the Stanley Cup. That, he said, will help as a manager.

“He had such a long [playing] career, and that experience alone is huge. That gives him another level of expertise,’’ Chorske said. “Particularly in this organization, he steps in as one of the most decorated general managers that they’ve had. That’s going to carry some weight. There’s a linage there around the league that is important as well. He’s been mentored by some of the best minds in hockey – people like Mario Lemieux, other GMs like and .’’

Guerin’s gregarious personality – “He’s still a good-time Charlie,’’ Chorske said – addresses a key area for the Wild, too.

“I really thought they’d need someone who can connect with the fanbase and the hockey community here,’’ Chorske said. “There’s been a fair amount of trust that’s been lost in the relationship between the fanbase and media and organization. Billy, more than anyone, will be able to reestablish that relationship and that connection, because that’s the kind of guy he is.’’

Hankinson knows that Guerin has a serious side, too. 1107704 Minnesota Wild

The 12 best playing careers of Minnesota pro head coaches or top executives

By Michael Rand

AUGUST 21, 2019 — 4:07PM

Bill Guerin was named the fourth general manager in Wild history on Wednesday, and in the process he joined an impressive club: top executives or head coaches of Minnesota pro teams who had strong playing careers.

Here is a ranking of the 12 current or former head coaches or general managers of the Wild, Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Lynx and Minnesota United — who held those jobs within the last 25 years — who had the best playing careers:

1: Paul Molitor: The former Twins manager is a Hall of Famer with 3,319 hits, good for 10th all-time. He cranked out 225 of those hits for the Twins in 1996, the year he turned 40. He also hit .418 in 13 career World Series games.

2: Kevin McHale: A Minnesota and former Gophers great like Molitor, McHale, the former Wolves GM and interim head coach, was named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of its first 50 years. He scored 17,335 points with the Celtics and won three NBA titles.

3: Jacques Lemaire: A Hall of Famer just like the first two members of this list, Lemaire had 835 regular-season points and another 139 (in 141 games) in the postseason with Montreal, where he won eight Stanley Cups in 12 seasons. He was, of course, the first head coach in Wild history.

4: Bill Guerin: The new Wild GM scored 20 goals in a season with an NHL-record seven different teams and finished his career with 856 points in 18 seasons. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and was inducted into the U.S. in 2013.

5: Adrian Heath: Minnesota United’s head coach had a brilliant playing career and was a key member of the Everton clubs that won English Premier League championships during the 1984-85 and 1986-87 seasons. He finished with 120 career goals, including 91 in the first division.

6: : The former Wild GM was Lemaire’s teammate in Montreal and won four Stanley Cups of his own there. He finished his career with 185 goals and 471 points between Montreal and Calgary.

7: Jennifer Gillom: The former Lynx coach in 2009, before Cheryl Reeve was hired, Gillom scored 2,896 points in her WNBA career. She was named to the All-WNBA first team in 1998 and was a league all-star in 1999.

8: Leslie Frazier: The former Vikings head coach had 20 career interceptions in just 65 games (49 starts) before his career was cut short by a knee injury suffered in the Super Bowl won by the Bears following the 1985 season.

9: Sam Mitchell: The ex-Wolves coach had 8,636 career points in 13 NBA seasons, 10 of which came with the Timberwolves. Until last season, when he was passed by both Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell ranked No. 2 on the Wolves’ all-time scoring list behind Kevin Garnett.

10: Rocco Baldelli: The current Twins manager had his playing career cut short by a medical condition, but he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2000 draft and finished with a solid .278 career average.

11: Manny Lagos: Minnesota United’s sporting director scored 27 goals during his Major League Soccer career and made three appearances for the U.S. National Team in the early 2000s.

12: Kurt Rambis: His record in two years as Wolves coach was an unfathomably bad 32-132, but as a player Rambis was the ultimate selfless “glue guy” and defensive stalwart for the Lakers – with whom he won four NBA titles.

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Restricted free agent Joel Eriksson Ek re-signs with Wild

The 22-year-old was the team's first round pick in 2015 and scored seven goals last season.

By Sarah McLellan

Star Tribune

AUGUST 22, 2019 — 1:10AM

Restricted free agent Joel Eriksson Ek signed a two-year, $2.975 million contract with the Wild on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old center will get $1,450,000 in 2019-20 and $1,525,000 in 2020-21 as the first official signing of new General Manager Bill Guerin.

Eriksson Ek had seven goals and seven assists in 58 games with the Wild last season, and had nine points in nine games with Iowa of the AHL.

He was the Wild’s first round pick (20th overall) in 2015, captained Sweden’s world junior team in 2017 and won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2017 World Championships.

Winger Kevin Fiala and defenseman Louie Belpedio are the Wild’s other unsigned restricted free agents.

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Five things to know about new Wild General Manager Bill Guerin

The 48-year-old has transitioned from a star college player to an NHL leader to a team executive.

By Michael Rand

Star Tribune

AUGUST 21, 2019 — 5:10PM

Bill Guerin was hired as the new general manager of the Wild on Wednesday, and we’ll learn a lot more about him when he is introduced at an 11 a.m. Thursday news conference.

In the meantime, here are five things to know about the new Wild GM:

1: Before being hired by the Wild, Guerin was No. 2 in command with the Penguins behind general manager Jim Rutherford and also was in charge of Pittsburgh’s top minor league team. He held that role since 2014 and was a player development coach for three years before that.

2: Guerin, 48, is the fourth general manager in Wild history and the third to have played in the NHL (in addition to Paul Fenton and Doug Risebrough. was the only GM who wasn’t an NHL player). Guerin had the most successful playing career of the Wild GMs. Guerin, a classic big forward, played 18 seasons in the NHL, scoring 429 career goals with eight different teams while winning Stanley Cups with the Devils in 1995 and Penguins in 2009. When he retired in 2010, he ranked No. 7 all-time among U.S.-born players with those 429 goals. In a 2003 ESPN profile, Stars general manager described Guerin like this: “Power winger. Score ya 30 or 40. Got a mean streak. Sticks up for his teammates on the ice. Good in the room. And come playoff time, makes ya harder to beat.”

3: Guerin was born in and played at Boston College. Guerin’s father was Irish and his mother, Ligia, Nicaraguan. Per a Masslive.com story in 2010: “His late father, Bill Guerin Sr., enjoyed watching his son play for the Bruins and was often quick to note he was the first player of Latin American heritage to make an impact in the NHL.”

4: The Penguins won Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 while Guerin was assistant GM. It’s hard to say exactly what his style will be as the person in charge of Wild personnel decisions — will he, for example, embrace analytics? But as the search unfolded, former Star Tribune Vikings writer/current Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hockey writer Matt Vensel wrote, “The Wild are looking for a leader and a ‘hockey guy.’ Guerin fits that mold.”

5: Guerin does figure to be a commanding presence. Per a recent article by The Athletic’s Rob Rossi, this is what Penguins star — who knows Guerin as both a teammate and an executive — had to say about him: “He just came at me, chirping me, and I didn’t know what to think. At the time, I think I was, like, ‘Is this guy for real?’ But it didn’t take long before you learn that’s just him being himself. He gives it with the best of them. He takes it, too. … He doesn’t mind telling you anything. But that’s what makes him who he is. There’s nobody like Billy G.”

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107707 Minnesota Wild

Wild hire Bill Guerin as new general manager

By DAVE CAMPBELL

Associated Press

AUGUST 21, 2019 — 7:30PM

The Minnesota Wild have hired Bill Guerin, who won two Stanley Cups as a player and two more titles in the front office with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as their new general manager.

Guerin was announced Wednesday as the fourth GM in the team's 19- year history, three weeks after predecessor Paul Fenton was fired by owner Craig Leipold. Guerin spent the last five seasons as assistant general manager of the Penguins, who won consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He also worked three years in player development prior to that for the club he skated for in the final two of his 18 seasons in the league as player. He was on Pittsburgh's title-winning team in 2009.

The 48-year-old Guerin, who signed a multi-year contract that the Wild did not disclose terms for, will supervise the hockey operations department including all matters relating to player personnel, coaching staff, scouting department and minor league operations.

As he attempted on July 30 to explain his decision to dismiss Fenton after just 15 months on the job, Leipold praised the former Nashville Predators assistant general manager as a "tremendous" scout who lacked the necessary acumen in other areas.

"It was the other portion of being a general manager, the organizational part, the strategic part, the management of people, the hiring and motivating of the departments," Leipold said. "When I talk about not being a good fit, that's what I'm referring to."

Leipold, clearly stung by his whiff on a longtime lieutenant, initially said the Wild would be wise to hire a replacement for Fenton with prior experience as an NHL general manager, and former GM was one of the reported candidates. In the end, though, Guerin rose to the top after the search conducted by Leipold, president Matt Majka and executive adviser Mike Modano. He'll be the third GM in three years for the Wild, who played their first eight seasons under the direction of Doug Risebrough and then Chuck Fletcher for nine years.

Guerin had 429 goals and 427 assists in 1,263 career games with eight different teams . He also won a Stanley Cup in 1995 with the New Jersey Devils, who drafted him fifth overall in 1989. Guerin, who is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, played in four All-Star games and in three Olympics.

Guerin, who will be introduced at a news conference at on Thursday, immediately got to work. About two hours after the Wild confirmed his hiring, they announced that center Joel Eriksson Ek signed a two-year, $2.975 million contract. He was a restricted free agent. Eriksson Ek, the team's first-round draft pick in 2015, had seven goals and seven assists in 58 games last season.

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107708 Minnesota Wild former Stars goalie Marty Turco recalled, even dressing up in costume for a Halloween flight during the 2003-04 season. Guerin and his wife, Kara, have four children.

Bill Guerin will be Wild's next general manager “When he was playing, he was always involved — whether it was NHLPA Former player, Penguins exec replaces Fenton. stuff or just our locker room,” Turco said. “Always being entertaining, and the whole family was involved. Bill and Kara, they’re good people.”

His former teammates aren’t surprised Guerin has ascended to the GM By Sarah McLellan chair. Former Wild forward Matt Cullen, who crossed paths with Guerin when Cullen played for the Penguins in recent years, believes Guerin is Star Tribune well-suited for this role in Minnesota. AUGUST 22, 2019 — 12:36AM “He’s kind of been through everything,” said Cullen, explaining that Guerin was accessible to players who wanted to pick his brain and that players respected his reputation. “He’s won it. Those experiences Among the Wild’s final moves of the offseason is one of its most become really valuable when you put yourself in a general manager significant. position when you’re trying to relate to all your players and try to figure out the best way to use everybody.” After firing Paul Fenton as general manager last month, the team’s unusually late search for a replacement ended Wednesday when the There’s little left to do with the roster with training camp only three weeks organization hired former Penguins executive and NHL standout Bill away. Guerin as the fourth GM in franchise history — an acquisition that installs someone described by former colleagues as a charismatic, determined Winger Kevin Fiala and defenseman Louie Belpedio are the only and experienced leader at the helm of the Wild. remaining restricted free agents unsigned after the Wild re-signed center Joel Eriksson Ek to a two-year, $2.975 million contract Wednesday. But Guerin will be introduced Thursday at Xcel Energy Center. defenseman is eligible to sign an extension, and coach Bruce Boudreau is in the final season of his four-year deal. “He understands players,” Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford said. “He understands what they go through. I think that’s a big thing. It’s not long What’s also looming for Guerin is the opportunity to stabilize the Wild ago since he played, so he understands today’s game and today’s after a year-plus of adversity, a transition that could determine players.” expectations for years to come.

With its roster nearly set, the Wild created a gaping hole at the top of its “He’ll have an understanding going in what he wants to do,” Rutherford organizational depth chart when it dismissed Fenton on July 30 — an said, “and once he gets into it and training camp, I would suspect that abrupt departure that capped a tumultuous, 14-month tenure that he’ll do what he feels is going to make the team better.” included the team missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019 Barely three weeks later, the Wild selected the 48-year-old Guerin from a robust list of candidates that was vetted by owner Craig Leipold, team President Matt Majka and executive adviser Mike Modano (a former teammate of Guerin’s). Former Flyers GM Ron Hextall, Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby and Hurricanes GM Don Waddell were among those who interviewed for the vacancy, a league source said. The team announced Guerin will receive a multiyear contract.

For the previous five seasons, Guerin was the Penguins’ assistant GM and served as GM of their American Hockey League affiliate for the past two. Although Seattle ultimately tabbed the experienced to become its inaugural GM earlier this summer, Guerin was on its radar — a nod to his growing profile.

“Really good person. Really passionate person,” said Oilers bench boss Dave Tippett, who coached Guerin when the two were with the Stars. “Got along so well with his teammates and [is] obviously committed to winning. … I think that’s a really good pick for Minnesota.”

Before joining management, Guerin was Pittsburgh’s player development coach and helped guide some of the prospects who went on to be part of its 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championship squads.

Those weren’t Guerin’s first titles, however. He captured one as a player with the Penguins in 2009 and his first in 1995 with the Devils, only two of the highlights of an illustrious playing career that spanned eight teams and 18 seasons and landed the Worcester, Mass., native in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 1,263 NHL games, Guerin racked up 429 goals and finished with 856 points as one of the game’s elite power forwards after playing two seasons at Boston College and getting drafted fifth overall by New Jersey in 1989.

But his production wasn’t the only impression Guerin made. He emerged as a binder, pulling the locker room together with a friendly disposition, funny personality and even-keeled outlook.

“He never seemed like a young guy,” said former Devils teammate and current Coyotes assistant coach John MacLean. “He fit in so seamlessly with everybody, and that’s basically how he’s went about his career and his playing career. He just seems to meld with everybody, young or old. People are attracted to him.”

When he joined Dallas in the early 2000s, Guerin was a bona fide leader. He didn’t shy away from sharing his opinion and was “larger than life,” 1107709 Minnesota Wild Gevik said that since she started worrying about her brother she’s been consulting with an expert working with some former National Football League players with similar psychological difficulties.

Attack on neighbor puts 'Miracle on Ice' skater Mark Pavelich in jail; “All the research is out there about CTE,” she said. “This should not be a family suspects CTE behind violence surprise here.”

Pavelich's family says act may be linked to head injuries in hockey Gevik said she was pleased when the judge ordered that Pavelich be career. examined for any mental or psychological difficulties. “He needs medical care,” she said, while also understanding that CTE can only be confirmed in a post-mortem examination. “Maybe now he can get the help he By Paul Walsh needs.”

Star Tribune The NHL has faced criticism for its handling of head injuries despite a long list of rules, studies and league-player committees focused on AUGUST 21, 2019 — 8:53PM enhancing player safety.

The league reached a court settlement last year with hundreds of retired A member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey team that won Olympic players who claimed harm from head injuries while playing, but the NHL gold for the United States is jailed in northeastern Minnesota on charges admitted no fault or wrongdoing. Each player who opts in would receive that he attacked a neighbor with a metal pole. $22,000 and could be eligible for up to $75,000 in medical treatment. Pavelich has not made a claim, his sister said. Mark Pavelich’s sister says his aggression is uncharacteristic and may be related to head injuries suffered on the ice, including during his career According to the charges and other court filings: in the (NHL). Deputies arrived at Pavelich’s home and in the yard found the pole, Pavelich was booked into the Cook County jail last Thursday night and resembling a tension bar, that they say was used to beat Miller. appeared Monday in Cook County District Court on charges of second- Inside, a shotgun was found under a bed upstairs and seized by a and third-degree assault, possession of an illegal shotgun and member of the U.S. Forest Service. The butt of the gun was gone and possessing a gun with a missing serial number. replaced with a bent tree branch, leaving the weapon shorter than the Pavelich, 61, a land developer in Lutsen, remains held in lieu of $250,000 legal limit. Its serial number had been scratched off. bail and was ordered by District Judge Michael Cuzzo to undergo a Pavelich was arrested at the entry to his home. Miller made it back to his hearing on his mental competency to stand trial. house and was going “in and out of shock,” the charges read. Cuzzo wrote that based on the allegations he sees “sufficient probable Pavelich has been a virtual recluse away from the ice since he and his cause” for the court to have “reason to doubt [the] defendant’s fellow amateur skaters channeled David and stunned Olympics watchers competency to understand the proceedings against or to participate in his with their “Miracle” victory over the game’s then-Goliath, the Soviet own defense.” Union. That semifinal triumph in the Olympics propelled Pavelich and his Grand Marais attorney Tyson Smith appeared on Pavelich’s behalf at the teammates into modern sport immortality and onto the gold medal stand five-minute hearing. Smith said Pavelich’s mother and sister were there in Lake Placid, N.Y. as well. Smith otherwise had no comment and said he expected Pavelich Pavelich, the creative center who starred for Eveleth (Minn.) High School would be hiring someone else to represent him as the case proceeds. and the University of Minnesota Duluth, assisted on ’s Pavelich is scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 20. winning goal against the Soviets. Team USA’S story was turned into the Pavelich’s sister, Jean Gevik, said the family is convinced that “all the Hollywood hit movie “Miracle” in 2004. concussions and the blows he had in the NHL” left Pavelich suffering Pavelich soon moved into the NHL, playing five seasons with the from CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain Rangers and scoring 99 goals in the first three seasons. He joined the disease that has been linked to erratic behavior and deaths among in 1986-87, but only for 12 games. hockey and football players and others in sports that inflict trauma to the head. After a brief pro stint in Italy, he was out of the game before a career- ending two-game stint with the San Jose Sharks in 1991-92. His time in “Mark is the most kind and gentle person you’d ever know,” said Gevik, the NHL spanned 355 games, tallying 137 goals and 192 assists. who teaches in the Twin Cities and spends summers near Pavelich’s home on property that her brother gave her. “This is a totally different In 2012, Pavelich’s 44-year-old wife, Kara, died in an accidental fall from guy.” a second-story balcony at their home. Two years later, Pavelich sold his gold medal for $262,900 through a Dallas-based auction house, The Sheriff’s Office said its deputies were dispatched on a call from the explaining that he was not in financial trouble and just wanted to provide victim about the assault. James T. Miller, 63, reported being struck with a financial security for his adult daughter. 3- to 4-foot-long metal pole by Pavelich after returning from a full day of fishing to the hockey star’s home in a remote area several miles down a Correction: A previous version of this story included a headline that dirt road near Deer Yard Lake. Pavelich had accused Miller of “spiking misstated Pavelich's first name. his beer,” the criminal complaint read. Star Tribune LOADED: 08.22.2019 Miller was hospitalized in “a tremendous amount of pain” and suffering from two cracked ribs, a bruised kidney and a fracture to one of his vertebrae, along with possible internal bleeding, the charges detailed. The beating also left bruises on his arms and legs and a large mark across his back.

Gevik said she started seeing changes in her brother two to three years ago, specifically with “anger issues, damaging property.” She added, “He never hurt anybody, not even in the NHL,” where he played somewhat undersized at 5 feet 8 inches, 175 pounds, and only occasionally got in fights.

“Even when he’d get battered around, he’d never retaliate,” she said.

Gevik said that , Team USA’s coach at the 1980 Games and later in the NHL with the New York Rangers, once recalled that “Mark had one very bad head injury that he was surprised Mark lived through.” 1107710 Minnesota Wild

Wild sign Joel Eriksson Ek to two-year, $2.975 million contract

By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected]

Pioneer Press

PUBLISHED: August 21, 2019 at 3:40 pm | UPDATED: August 21, 2019 at 3:46 PM

It only took new general manager Bill Guerin a few hours to make his first move with the Wild.

After being announced as the team’s new general manger Wednesday, Guerin quickly got to work, signing restricted free-agent center Joel Eriksson Ek to a two-year, $2.975 million contract. He will be paid $1.450 million in 2019-20 and $1.525 million in 2020-21.

Eriksson Ek, 22, had seven goals and seven assists) in 58 games with the Wild last season. He was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and hasn’t necessarily panned out to this point, amassing 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 148 career games.

Still, there’s reason to believe Eriksson Ek could reach his full potential given a bigger role. He has flashed his massive skill set at various times wearing a Wild sweater with his biggest issue being his consistency. While it’s unclear how coach Bruce Boudreau plans to fill out his lineup card this season, Eriksson Ek stepping into a top-six role could do wonders for his development.

Now that Eriksson Ek is locked up, the next move for Guerin will be re- signing dynamic winger Kevin Fiala and depth defenseman Louie Belpedio.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107711 Minnesota Wild Guerin also will have to figure out where defenseman Jared Spurgeon stands entering the final season of his contract, and might want to start a dialogue with top prospect Kirill Kaprizov soon.

Wild name longtime NHL player, executive Bill Guerin general manager “I like a lot of the pieces that we have,” Guerin said in an interview with the Wild’s website. “I know what a special opportunity this is. I just want to come in here and get better. This team can definitely get better, and if By DANE MIZUTANI | [email protected] we do the right things at the right time, everything is here for us to win.”

Pioneer Press That way of thinking for Guerin not surprisingly falls in line with that of Leipold. He has no interest in a rebuild, and while things might be a littler PUBLISHED: August 21, 2019 at 12:22 pm | UPDATED: August 21, murkier now than when he thought “tweaks” would be enough get over 2019 at 5:27 PM the hump last offseason, his overall mindset hasn’t changed.

“We are kind of in an area of not really knowing where we are going to After an extensive search over the past month, the Wild officially named go,” Leipold said last month. “I really sense that we need to get Bill Guerin general manager of the franchise on Wednesday. recharged and we need to get refocused on who we are as a team. We should be a playoff team. I look at it and I believe we are a playoff team. “I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin,” owner Craig Leipold We have to get everybody believing that and moving in the same said in a team release. “(He) has been a winner throughout his hockey direction.” career and I am extremely pleased to be able to add his experience to our organization and The State of Hockey.” Pioneer Press LOADED: 08.22.2019

According to the team release, Guerin will operate under “a multi-year contract” with the Wild. He will be formally introduced at a news conference set for 11 a.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

It’s a new beginning for Guerin, 48, who spent nearly two decades in the NHL as a player, and nearly decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an executive. He will be just the fourth general manager in franchise history, and takes over for Paul Fenton, who was fired abruptly last month after only 14 months on the job.

“The culture wasn’t the same,” Leipold said last month of his decision to fire Fenton. “It was just a feeling that we didn’t have the right leader for our organization.”

The hope is that Guerin will bring a sense of stability to the Wild, while also getting them back into contention for the Stanley Cup.

After making the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the Wild took a step back last season, missing the playoffs in Fenton’s only season as GM.

“I honestly believe we have a team that can make the playoffs and will make the playoffs next season,” Leipold said last month. “I think we are going to need to get a general manger that has a lot of trust with the players. I think that will be a factor. We are certainly going to probe how the general manager will interact with players and motivate players. That will be part of the interviewing process.”

That guy is Guerin, who started with the Penguins as a player development coach, and grew into the role of right-hand man to general manager Jim Rutherford. He was promoted to assistant general manger in June 2014, and he played a pivotal role in helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

His resume clearly impressed top Wild officials Leipold, team president Matt Majka and team advisor Mike Modano, the trio that conducted interviews with what is believed to be at least a dozen candidates before picking Guerin.

In addition to his obvious chops in the front office, Guerin was a top player in the NHL, amassing 429 goals and 427 assists over an illustrious 18-year career, spending the most time with the New Jersey Devils. He played for eight different teams, winning the Stanley Cup twice as a player — with the Devils in 1995 and with the Penguins in 2009. He also was a three-time Olympian, representing Team USA in 1998, 2002 and 2006. The U.S. won a silver medal in 2002.

His wealth of knowledge gained as a player and an executive will help considerable since he is now in charge of helping the Wild navigate their way through a highly competitive Central Division that features the reigning Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

There’s a long list of things Guerin will have to address with training camp only weeks away.

Guerin got right to work Wednesday, signing Joel Eriksson Ek to a two- year, $2.975 million contract. That leaves re-signing restricted free-agent winger Kevin Fiala as perhaps his most pressing issue. 1107712 Minnesota Wild his teammates’ stature, Guerin was quick to hurl the type of comical barbs often heard inside locker rooms.

After being traded to the Penguins in 2009, Guerin proved that to Wild name Bill Guerin fourth general manager in franchise history Penguins captain and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby.

“He was so comfortable right away,” a laughing Crosby said on the By Michael Russo Spittin Chiclets podcast last week. “Didn’t take any time. First time I met him, I remember it was in the training room, and he just started Aug 21, 2019 unleashing on me, just started chirping me right away. I loved it.”

FROM FAMILY TO WHAT DRIVES HIM, @RYAN_CARTER22 GETS TO KNOW NEW #MNWILD GM BILL GUERIN  In Dec. 2010, announcing his retirement after 18 years as a high-scoring PIC.TWITTER.COM/LRBXCW9ZUV forward in the NHL, Bill Guerin didn’t know what his post-playing career had in store for him. — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) AUGUST 21, 2019

The only thing he knew with all certainty? “I want to stay in the game.” Earlier this year, Hall of Fame hockey writer Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked Guerin the manager what he would say Less than nine years later, after working for the Pittsburgh Penguins in about Guerin the player in a scouting report. player development for three years and as assistant general manager for five, Guerin has been named the fourth GM in Wild history, the team Guerin said, “Competes. He has good outside speed. Will try to hit holes confirmed Wednesday. The Athletic first reported the news. in the offensive zone to try to get shots and will play with a bit of an edge most nights. … And extremely good-looking. Can be sleepy on some Guerin, who flew to Minnesota on Wednesday to finalize his contract, will nights. Most of his career, he was coachable. There were a couple of be introduced at a Thursday morning press conference. dark years where he was a little more difficult.” “I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin, a four-time Stanley Guerin, a former Boston College standout, was a 13-time 20-goal scorer Cup champion, as general manager of the Minnesota Wild,” owner Craig and scored at least 25 goals in a season eight times, including a career- Leipold said in a press release. “Bill has been a winner throughout his high 41 with the Boston Bruins in 2001-02 after scoring 40 for the Bruins hockey career, and I am extremely pleased to be able to add his and the year before. experience to our organization.” He played 18 seasons for the New Jersey Devils, Oilers, Bruins, Dallas The 48-year-old replaces Paul Fenton, who was fired July 30 after one Stars, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and turbulent season as the head of the Wild’s hockey operations Penguins, where he ended his career following the 2009-10 season after department. Guerin, who also interviewed for the job last offseason, parts of two years with Pittsburgh. bested a pool of candidates including Montreal Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby and former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall. It’s In 2009, Guerin was a big trade-deadline pickup for the Penguins by believed the Wild interviewed more than a dozen candidates, including then-GM Ray Shero. Acquired from the Islanders for a conditional draft the final one Tuesday. pick that March, Guerin scored seven goals, including two game-winners, and 15 points during the Penguins’ run to their first Stanley Cup since THE CALL  #MNWILD PIC.TWITTER.COM/49744GH7MT 1992. Guerin had previously won a Cup with Jacques Lemaire’s Devils in — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) AUGUST 21, 2019 1995.

Guerin, a U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer who won two Stanley Cups as a He finished with 429 goals and 856 points in 1,263 regular-season player and two more as a Penguins’ executive, has long been regarded games and another 39 goals and 74 points in 140 playoff games. A as a future GM. As Penguins GM Jim Rutherford’s respected second in native of Worcester, Mass., Guerin ranks seventh amongst U.S.-born command, Guerin gained a reputation as a strong talent evaluator, a players in regular-season goals and 14th in regular-season points. hard worker and a leader that can motivate co-workers. Guerin was in Guerin represented USA Hockey often, playing on three Olympic teams every trade conversation the past few years and somebody Rutherford (1998, 2002 and 2006) and two World Cup of Hockey (1996 and 2004) relied upon for advice and analysis. teams. He was teammates with Hall of Famer Mike Modano on all five of The latter was probably the most intriguing to Leipold, who said last those teams, the two winning an Olympic silver medal in 2002 and a month that Fenton demonstrated that he wasn’t “the right leader for our World Cup gold medal in 1996. Modano, who joined the Wild in May to organization.” act as an executive advisor on the business side of the organization, was part of the Wild’s three-man interviewing team with Leipold and team After the one year of Fenton, Leipold originally wanted to hire somebody president Matt Majka and has great respect for Guerin. with former GM experience. But Guerin’s two impressive interviews and everything Leipold and his interviewing team had heard about Guerin as Guerin also played in four All-Star Games, including the 2004 event at St. they did their due diligence apparently alleviated concerns and convinced Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and the 2001 All-Star Game in Colorado them that Guerin was the right person for the job. where he was named MVP.

It’s believed Rutherford was especially persuasive in his belief that After Guerin retired, Shero — who now manages the Devils — hired Guerin is ready to run his own team. Guerin to be a player development coach in Pittsburgh. A number of the players Guerin worked with played significant roles on the Penguins’ Guerin joins the Los Angeles Kings’ as the only two GMs in 2016 and 2017 Cup-winning teams. In 2014, Guerin was elevated to be the NHL whose playing careers ended less than a decade ago. one of Rutherford’s right-hand men as assistant GM. When Jason Botterill left the Penguins in 2017 to become GM in Buffalo, Guerin It’ll be interesting to see how Guerin builds his staff. Longtime NHLer added the role of AHL Wilkes-Barre’s GM to his vast responsibilities. , a close friend of Guerin’s, is one candidate to join Guerin in the front office at some point. The former Islanders coach and special Fifteen months after Guerin’s original courtship by Minnesota, the Wild assistant to the GM is still being paid by the Islanders but free to depart are a very different-looking team than they were heading into last year’s for any team. camp.

Wild assistant GM Tom Kurvers has two years left on his contract and is Last summer, the Wild were coming off a sixth straight playoff berth (the expected to stay on in some capacity. Chris O’Hearn replaced co- only team with a longer run was Guerin’s Penguins) and still possessed a assistant GM Shep Harder in April, was named director of hockey core that included Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter. operations and has been tasked with negotiating player contracts. Andrew Brunette’s role as director of player personnel was never filled. Now, those three players are gone, new acquisitions Kevin Fiala, Ryan P.J. Fenton, Paul’s son, co-ran the draft in June and is still employed by Donato, Victor Rask and Brad Hunt are preparing for their first full the organization. seasons with the Wild and the team will be looking for significant contributions from youngsters Luke Kunin, Jordan Greenway and Joel As a player, stars and role players alike loved Guerin for his on- and off- Eriksson Ek and strong seasons from an older core that includes 30- ice leadership and self-deprecating sense of humor. It also didn’t matter somethings Mats Zuccarello, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu, Eric Staal and Devan Dubnyk.

It’s a unique situation to come into at this juncture, with training camp beginning Sept. 12. But it’s been Guerin’s dream to run his own team, and he has said he feels the Wild provide a tremendous opportunity.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107713 Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens were a playoff team during the second half of last season and that should be a cause for optimism when they begin the 2019-20 campaign on Oct. 3 against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C.

Can Canadiens star Carey Price hang on until GM's reset is complete? A Stanley Cup team? Not likely, although the St. Louis Blues’ improbable Price's age has been a subject of concern and debate since he signed an title run during the spring and the Canadiens’ 1993 championship are $84M extension that runs through 2025-26, when he will be 38. examples of what can happen with a bit of luck.

The Cup prospects will be a little better down the road. People who know about these things say the Canadiens’ prospect pool is one of the best in PAT HICKEY hockey. The question is whether they can count on Price in four or five years, but history says there’s time for the kids to catch up to Price. MONTREAL GAZETTE Patrick Roy won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche at age 35; Updated: August 21, 2019 the Boston Bruins’ Tim Thomas won a title at 37 and New Jersey Devils great was 40 when he appeared in his last Cup final. The late Jacques Plante won a Vézina Trophy when he was 39 — he shared An acquaintance, someone who bleeds bleu-blanc-rouge, descended it with a 36-year-old youngster named Glenn Hall — and again when he into a state of depression on the weekend. was 42.

“What’s troubling you?” I asked. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 08.22.2019 “Carey Price is 32,” he replied as tears fell into a pint of Molson Export.

The age of the Canadiens’ star goaltender has been a subject of concern and debate ever since he signed an eight-year, US$84-million contract extension in 2017 that runs through the 2025-26 season, when he will be 38 years old.

For some fans, the deal — which carries a cap hit of $10.5 million per season — is a waste of money because Habs general manager hasn’t surrounded Price with (a) big centres who can score goals, (b) a left-handed defenceman who can play alongside an even older Shea Weber and/or (c) a backup goaltender who can take some of the workload, although the Habs are betting new acquisition Keith Kinkaid can help in that regard this season. They fear that by the time Bergevin completes his rebuilding — excuse me, retooling — Price’s career will be over.

Then there are other fans who believe that the Canadiens should move on and trade Price because he’s not that good.

As we prepare for the start of another training camp, let’s look at some of those concerns, and we’ll start with that last suggestion that Price isn’t that good.

Anyone who believes that should talk to the people who are in the best position to judge goaltenders, the players who are trying to score on him. When you talk to opposing players, they’re quick to tell you how much they respect Price’s ability. Friend and foe alike frequently refer to him as the best goaltender in the world.

On any given night, that description may or may not be true, but when NHL players were polled last season, nearly one-third of them — 29.9 per cent — said Price was the best goaltender in the NHL. Pekka Rinne was next (17.3 per cent) and Andrei Vasilevskiy was third (17.1 per cent).

Price has been called upon to perform for Canada at the highest level and delivered Olympic and World Cup gold. Price’s critics claim that any goaltender could have won at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games playing behind a loaded Canadian lineup. The reality is that Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock’s insistence that some of the best offensive talent in the world play defence forced Price to defend razor-thin margins in a 2-1 quarter-final win over Latvia and a 1-0 semifinal win over the United States. Price allowed only three goals and finished the tournament with a 0.59 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage.

Of course, that was five years ago and we should look at what Price has done lately.

At first glance, last season was sub-Price. He had a 35-24-6 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Those numbers were above average, but not what people have come to expect from Price.

But a closer look indicated that Price was much better than his numbers showed in 2018-19. Early in the season, the Canadiens were struggling to fit newcomers into head coach Claude Julien’s system and there was a gaping hole on defence as Weber completed his rehab from knee and foot surgery. Before Weber returned in December, Price’s record was 6- 6-4. With Weber in the lineup, his record was 29-18-2.

If age was catching up to Price, it didn’t show. He played 66 games, including 28 of the last 29 games after Julien lost confidence in backup netminder Antti Niemi. Price was 6-2-1 in his last nine starts. 1107714 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ most important players: No. 14 Will Butcher | Still a factor on power plays

By Chris Ryan

Updated Aug 21, 6:59 AM; Posted Aug 21, 6:05 AM

The start of Devils training camp is just a few weeks away.

To help you prepare for the 2019-20 NHL season, NJ Advance Media will be counting down the 18 players most important for the Devils’ success this winter.

Continuing the countdown, we’ll take a look at No. 14 on our list: defenseman Will Butcher. The countdown will continue through Sept. 6, when the No. 1 player will be revealed.

So here’s a look at Butcher’s 2018-19 season, what he brings to the table for 2019-20 and what to expect from the defenseman.

Top 18 Countdown

No. 18: Miles Wood | No. 17: Blake Coleman | No. 16: Pavel Zacha | No. 15:

And now on to No. 14 ...

Will Butcher

Position: Defenseman

Age: 24 (25 on Jan. 6)

2018-19 stats: 78 GP, 4 G, 26 A, 30 P

Look back at 2018-19

Butcher didn’t match the production of his 2017-18 rookie season, where he posted 44 points, but 2018-19 again saw Butcher as a steady source of offense. Part of the dip came due the team’s overall regression on the power play. When finishing 10th in the NHL in power-play percentage in 2017-18, Butcher had 23 points on the man advantage. He had 14 in 2018-19, despite playing nearly the same amount of time. The Devils finished 21st in the NHL in power-play percentage.

One of Butcher’s big focuses during 2018-19 was shooting the puck more, and while his goal total didn’t spike — he had four goals against five in 2017-18 — he did put the puck on net more, particularly at 5-on-5. He posted 88 even-strength shots, compared to 52 in his rookie season. That led to three 5-on-5 goals vs. just one in his first season.

What he brings to the table

While Butcher played a lot of sheltered minutes during his rookie season, typically getting plenty of offensive-zone starts and lighter matchups, the Devils steadily upped his workload and competition in 2018-19. His ice time jumped more than three minutes per game to 19:06 per night, and he should start on the same footing in 2019-20.

Butcher probably won’t be in line for penalty-kill minutes, but he should be in line for similar responsibilities.

2019-20 expectations

Even with the addition of P.K. Subban, another defenseman capable of running a power play, Butcher should get plenty of opportunities on that unit. Considering the Devils constantly rotated players around Butcher due to injuries last season, he should benefit from healthy bodies and the influx of talent on the man advantage.

Butcher likely won’t make the jump to be a top-pairing defenseman, barring a major jump in his defensive play, but he’s someone who could certainly handle a second-pairing role while driving offense in all areas of the game.

Star Ledger LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107715 New York Islanders

Derick Brassard’s odyssey brings him to Islanders in New York return

By Michael Blinn

August 21, 2019 | 5:17pm | Updated

Derick Brassard is back in New York.

The former Rangers center agreed to a one-year contract with the crosstown Islanders, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is reportedly for $1.2 million.

Brassard posted 69 goals and 174 points over three-plus seasons with the Rangers and has totaled 176 goals and 451 points over a 12-year career that has included stops in Columbus, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Florida and Colorado.

The 31-year-old pivot has struggled since being sent to Ottawa in a 2016 trade that brought to Broadway. Brassard has been dealt three times since 2018, and posted a career-low 23 points in 70 games with the Penguins, Panthers and Avalanche last season.

Brassard will provide depth down the middle for the Islanders, likely filling a bottom-six role behind Mat Barzal and Brock Nelson.

There is potential for Brassard — the Blue Jackets’ No. 6 overall pick in 2006 — to rediscover some of the scoring touch that led him to average over 20 goals and 50 points with the Rangers, but the Isles will have to hope he can find it in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan.

New York Post LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107716 New York Islanders

Derick Brassard agrees to one-year deal with the Islanders

By Andrew Gross

With Colin Stephenson

Updated August 21, 2019 7:19 PM

Lou Lamoriello hinted last week he was still looking to add to the Islanders’ stable of candidates for the third-line center role left empty when Valtteri Filppula signed with the Red Wings.

Derick Brassard just shot to the top of the list.

The Islanders on Wednesday announced the ex-Ranger center had agreed to a one-year deal after playing last season for the Penguins, Panthers and Avalanche as he completed a five-year, $25 million deal. Brassard's deal with the Islanders is worth a reported $1.2 million.

“It was a long process, obviously,’’ Brassard, 31, said on a conference call a little more than an hour after the team announced his signing. “I just had to be patient with everything. I had a rough season last year, bouncing around teams. I met with Lou and Barry (Trotz) a few weeks back in New York, and when I looked back at everything, I thought it was the best opportunity for me to be successful to win some games and to come back to my old self.”

Lamoriello had listed restricted free agent wing Anthony Beauvillier (still to be signed), who played center in junior hockey, Tanner Fritz, prospect Otto Koivula and college signings Mason Jobst and Bobo Carpenter as candidates to compete for Filppula’s spot.

Brassard gives the Islanders a more accomplished option, though one whose production has dipped since the Rangers traded him and a seventh-round pick to the Senators on July 18, 2016, for Mika Zibanejad and a second-round pick.

Brassard, who has 176 goals and 275 assists in 786 NHL regular-season games after being selected sixth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2006, combined for 14 goals and nine assists in 70 games for Pittsburgh, Florida and Colorado last season. He had one assist in nine playoff games for the Avalanche. He was a combined minus-19.

While acknowledging he had “a bad year’’ last season, Brassard pointed out that he’s played a lot of extra hockey with the 99 playoff games he’s played, and he’s had surgeries on his wrist and shoulder. The wear and tear, he suggested, has something to do with his decreased production.

This summer, he said was the first in a long time where he hasn’t had a surgery or been rehabbing some sort of injury. He’s been able to train and work on his game the whole time, he said.

“I’m just looking forward to bouncing back this year,’’ he said. “I think that’s a really good fit for me, playing there with the Islanders. They play four lines, in your face, and use every one. I’m just looking forward to having a big role on the team to help them go back in the .’’

While he may no longer be a top-six forward, Brassard should be able to help the Islanders’ power play, which ranked 28th in the NHL last season at 14.5 percent (33-for-227). And his playoff experience should help, too. Brassard earned his “Big Game Brass” nickname for his playoff performances, specifically with the Rangers.

Brassard has 60 points in his 99 career postseason games and compiled 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 49 playoff games with the Rangers.

That included six goals and six assists in 23 games in 2014 as the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Final, and nine goals and seven assists in 19 games as the Rangers reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final the following year.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107717 New York Islanders the ice. If you play well, you’ll get the ice time. If you don’t play well, then we’ll see you on the bench.”

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.22.2019 Thomas Greiss hoping to form bond with new Islander Semyon Varlamov

By Andrew Gross [email protected] @AGrossNewsday

August 21, 2019 3:42 PM

Thomas Greiss worked alone on the ice for more than an hour on Wednesday at the Islanders’ practice facility in East Meadow, rimming pucks around the boards, dropping to his knees to stop imaginary shots and testing his post-to-post agility.

The goalie’s solo workout followed two days of skating with several teammates as the informal practices leading up to September’s training camp have begun. Monday and Tuesday’s group included Semyon Varlamov, signed as an unrestricted free agent to replace Robin Lehner as Greiss’ partner in net.

Their budding working relationship will be crucial to the Islanders’ upcoming season, just as it was last season when Greiss and Lehner shared the Jennings Trophy as the Islanders allowed the fewest goals in the NHL.

“It’s just respect, communication, just working together,” said Greiss, 33, entering the final season of his three-year, $10 million deal. “It’s not rocket science, just good people and having fun with the game and holding the same rope.”

Lehner, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Blackhawks after unsuccessful negotiations with the Islanders, drew much of the attention last season as he compiled a 25-13-5 record with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage then started all eight postseason games. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie and won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication after detailing his battles with addiction and mental illness.

But Greiss posted similar numbers, going 23-14-2 with a 2.28 GAA and a .927 save percentage, a huge improvement over his 13-8-2, 3.82 and .892 in 2017-18.

“It was a good year for everybody,” Greiss said. “Everybody can look in the mirror and be proud of themselves. But it was just a first stepping stone. We’ve got to progress from there, keep it going and not regress.”

Whether Greiss was surprised with the offseason goalie switch, he’s not saying.

“It’s out of my control anyway,” Greiss said. “I keep up with what’s happening. But I don’t follow it too closely or worry about it too much.”

Varlamov, 31, who signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Islanders after eight seasons with the Avalanche, went 20-19-9 with a 2.87 GAA and a .909 save percentage last season. But he has battled injuries — he missed the last six weeks of 2017-18 with a lower-body issue and was limited to 24 games the previous season after suffering a torn groin.

“I’ve met him a few times here, he’s a great guy so far,” Greiss said. “I think we’ll build a good relationship and I’m looking forward to playing with him this year. He’s very athletic, a fast guy. He’s been in the league for a long time for a reason.

“I think we’re definitely a little different,” Greiss added when asked to compare his playing style to Varlamov, who also stands 6-2. “He plays a little wider, more aggressive. I haven’t seen him too much from him playing in Colorado. We’ll see when we’re out there. New goalie coaches always adjust a little bit here and there.”

Islanders director of goaltending Mitch Korn and goalie coach Piero Greco both were credited with helping to improve Greiss and Lehner last season.

Last season, coach used Greiss and Lehner fairly equally but not in a strict rotation. If a goalie was playing well, Trotz tended to let him keep the net.

“I have no clue what happens,” Greiss said when asked whether he expected to split time with Varlamov. “It depends what’s happening on 1107718 New York Islanders There aren’t many top-nine wingers left in free agency. Mainly, there are depth wingers the Islanders could also consider. Two buy-low options are Tobias Rieder and Devante Smith-Pelly. In Smith-Pelly, the Islanders It’s not too late: Where the Islanders can still turn for top-9 forward help would be adding a bottom-six winger who could provide secondary scoring and help on the penalty kill. In Rieder, they’d be getting a speedy winger with something to prove after posting just 11 points, and no goals, in 67 games last year. By Shayna Goldman If adding an inexpensive, pure offensive player is the objective, then the Aug 21, 2019 Islanders could look to an old friend in Thomas Vanek. Though criticized for his play in his own zone, Vanek can score at the rate of a first liner while playing third-line minutes. Another option, albeit a more expensive The 2019-20 New York Islanders are looking a lot like … the 2018-19 one, is Patrick Maroon, who could be a second net-front presence behind Islanders. .

While that team took strides forward, it still had notable flaws. The Trade Options question throughout the year was whether their defense and goaltending could do enough to make up for some of their offensive woes. But there Earlier this offseason, Staple explored the market for forwards the was only so much the Islanders could do to elevate their offense in- Islanders could flip for a defender. As the summer has rolled on, those season, and many figured finding upgrades in that area would be high on potential targets have changed. J.T. Miller, Erik Haula and Nazem Kadri their 2019 offseason checklist. have all moved. Jason Zucker has stayed put in Minnesota, but he may no longer be available as the Wild try to clean up ex-GM Paul Fenton’s Instead, the Islanders missed out on free agent Artemi Panarin, took on mess. higher salaries with a few contract extensions for their mainstays and made a change in net — although that was the highlight of last season. So, who is left for the Islanders?

Using The Athletic’s Arthur Staple’s projected lineup, as well as Sean Kyle Turris Tierney’s WAR lineup creator that features data from Evolving-Hockey Nashville Predators and Emmanuel Perry, the Islanders are projected to have an 82-point season. The data predicts that their forward group will have a Wins Center Above Replacement value of 4.83 over the full season, which ranks 26th in the league if we measure using all 31 projected depth charts from The Age: 30 Athletic’s writers. Contract: 5 years remaining x $6,000,000

Luckily for the Islanders, there’s still time to add another top-nine forward After Nashville signed Matt Duchene July 1, Turris was bumped down a this offseason — whether in free agency, through a trade or from within. line. It also committed the Predators to $26.1 million in cap space for four Their options are just more limited than they were back in June. centers, which is why they may opt to move one.

Free Agency While Turris carries a higher cap hit than Bonino, his skill makes him the The bargain-bin options remaining in NHL free agency may at least preferred target. General manager said last month he’s provide the Islanders with a replacement for their third-line center last hoping Turris has “a rebound year” because they technically have the season, Valtteri Filppula. Tanner Fritz is the most likely in-house option to space to keep him. That’ll change when needs a new fill that role since few others are ready for the position right now. contract next year.

For replacement options beyond Fritz, there are a few free agents worth Turris’ lackluster 2018-19 season — particularly after returning from looking at. To get a better understanding of what they may cost, we’ll use injury — may ultimately give the Islanders the opportunity to buy low. But @EvolvingWild’s contract projections. like the Predators, they’d be paying $6 million for a third-line center unless they can convince Nashville to retain salary, which may be a Brian Boyle tough sell for the next five years. The Islanders would then find themselves with expensive center depth next year between Mathew Center Barzal’s second contract, Brock Nelson’s $6 million cap hit and Turris’. Age: 34 But if his post-injury play is not indicative of what’s to come, the Islanders Projected contract: 1 year x $1,255,877 would be adding a center capable of adding offensive spark to their middle-six. Over the years, Boyle’s all-situation minutes have been closer to that of a fourth liner than a third. With the Islanders, Boyle could fill the fourth-line Cody Eakin center role with Casey Cizikas, one of their more trusted depth players, Vegas Golden Knights moving up to the third line. While they shouldn’t expect Cizikas to reach 20 goals again, after nearly doubling his shooting percentage last year, Center he can still absorb more minutes if needed. Age: 28 Adding a player like Boyle would provide a steady presence on both ends. He can also contribute on the penalty kill and as a big-bodied Contract: 1 year remaining x $3,850,000 presence on the second power-play unit. The Golden Knights have already had to dig themselves out of a salary Oscar Lindberg hole by trading a few players. They’ve gotten back under the cap and expiring contracts next summer will give them even more space, but that Center doesn’t mean they’re done making moves.

Age: 27 One player Vegas could still move is Eakin in the last year of his contract. Trading him would open up the 3C role for prospect Cody Glass. Projected contract: 4 years x $3,413,210 Plus, with only six defensemen signed, the Knights may want a seventh The Swedish center, after starting with the Rangers from 2015-17, for insurance. That’s where the Islanders could come in. While Nick bounced from Vegas to Ottawa and now is looking for his next NHL Leddy may be too expensive for Vegas, Thomas Hickey is an opportunity. Lindberg may be an even better fit than Boyle in a fourth-line inexpensive option who would give them defensive depth. If necessary, role. He’s played fourth-line minutes the last few seasons, but his even- the Isles could even add to Vegas’ return with a future asset, since strength scoring rate is more similar to that of a middle-sixer. While he Eakin’s value may be high after his 2018-19 campaign. doesn’t play much on the power play, he’s another pivot option for the penalty kill. Vlad Namestnikov

Other options New York Rangers Center/Left Wing — RFAs Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, who may take up that space and more. Age: 26 The Jets already moved defender Jacob Trouba to clear some space, but Contract: 1 year remaining x $4,000,000 it doesn’t mean they’re done. With their cap crunch in mind, a player In Namestnikov, the Islanders would be adding a center to elevate the whose name has been featured in trade speculation is Ehlers. third line and versatility, as he plays both wing and center. If Ehlers is in fact available, the Islanders should be jumping at the The Rangers are working their way through a cap crunch, and one chance to add him. The 23-year-old winger scores at the rate of a first- solution is moving salary out — even if it means retaining a percentage. liner at even strength and his play-driving has made the Jets a better That could make Namestnikov a more attractive short-term option for the team with him on the ice. His power-play production would also be Islanders while their prospects develop in Bridgeport. welcome on the Islanders.

Along with what should be a reasonable cost, Namestnikov’s ability to As a team that’s trying to contend right now, the Jets likely won’t be as transition the puck up the ice facilitates the play of his linemates interested in future assets as the Kings. They’d lean more toward players wherever he’s slotted. Even when he’s not scoring, his underlying who can contribute right now and alleviate some of their cap constraints. numbers have been solid over the years (other than this past year with That may mean the Islanders move a young player who comes at a low the Rangers, although the same could be said for most of the team). His cost, like Anthony Beauviller. The Jets might also be looking to improve all-situation play would give the Isles options both on the power play, their blue line, so Nick Leddy could be an option too. But if Leddy were to likely the second unit, and the penalty kill. Plus, as evidenced by his time go to the Jets, the Islanders would either have to retain salary or take in Tampa with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, particularly in 2017- another play in return — like Dmitry Kulikov. While they don’t exactly 18, he can fit well with top players when asked. need any more defenders, he could bolster their depth or be flipped for other assets. Or, the Islanders could keep him in case a player like But will trade with the rival Rangers? He didn’t make a Devon Toews slumps in his second season, or Noah Dobson (if he single trade with them while he was general manager of the New Jersey makes the team) struggles, and shed the salary at the end of the year Devils. when his contract expires. That lines up with when Barzal and Ryan Pulock will be looking for extensions. Tyler Toffoli Other options Los Angeles Kings With the Mitch Marner contract situation in Toronto, the Maple Leafs may Left/Right Winger need to clear space, and Kasperi Kapanen would be a savvy addition for Age: 27 the Islanders. Zach Hyman could also be an option, especially with the Lamoriello connection — he signed Hyman to his second contract. Contract: 1 year remaining x $4,600,000 If the Vancouver Canucks are in need of space to extend RFA Brock As much as a center would help the Islanders, there’s no question a top- Boeser, maybe Tanner Pearson is on the move again. His two-year nine winger could elevate this forward group. That’s why Toffoli is a contract worth $3.75 million on average could make him a cost-effective player for the Islanders to consider. option.

For the Kings, moving players on expiring contracts is an essential part of Another player who could be on the move is . The the rebuilding process. Toffoli’s 2018-19 season may also motivate them Lamoriello connection is there and Kovalchuck was reportedly interested to trade him sooner rather than later, as he scored just 34 points in 82 in New York when he signed with Los Angeles. Plus, his influence on the games, a 13-point drop from the season prior and 24-point drop from his power play could help the Islanders improve that aspect of their game. best season in 2015-16. Charlie Coyle is another interesting case who would fit the Islanders’ Still, it isn’t going to be an easy decision for the Kings, as The Athletic’s needs because he plays both center and wing. While the Bruins may not Lisa Dillman and Josh Cooper explored during the season. be looking to trade him, his next contract could motivate them to do so for other assets. Before last season, Toffoli’s scoring rate was that of a top-six forward and the Kings generated much more offense with him on the ice. Even Promoting from within this past season when the winger wasn’t scoring much, his underlying numbers were positive — from his 52 percent Corsi that ranked second The Islanders are already promoting from within if Michael Dal Colle on the team to his 55 percent expected goals share. It all makes Toffoli a becomes a mainstay and Beauviller plays higher in the lineup. But there’s prime candidate for a bounce-back season. one particular player who stands out as a “promote from within” candidate in Josh Ho-Sang. Los Angeles’ uninspiring blueline outside of their first pair could sway their interest in Islanders defenders, whether it’s Nick Leddy or someone To this point, Ho-Sang has just 53 NHL games and 24 points to his along the lines of Scott Mayfield. But as they rebuild, draft picks and name. There’s only so much to be drawn from that small of a sample prospects may be the way to entice the Kings. Holding all of their picks size. Small samples can skew a player’s underlying numbers. At best, over the next three seasons, and a number of prospects in Bridgeport, they can indicate whether or not to give a player a longer look. the Islanders could afford to do that. In the 10 games Ho-Sang played in 2018-19 at 5-on-5, the Islanders took Adding Toffoli would force a winger out of the lineup, likely one of Leo 59 percent of the shot share with him on the ice and were expected to Komarov, Matt Martin or Cal Clutterbuck. For our purposes, it’s score 60 percent of the goal share. So, even though he had just two Clutterbuck since his status for opening night is still up in the air as he points, his numbers below the surface were encouraging and could have recovers from back surgery. Either way, a fourth line of two of those motivated the coaches and front office to give him a longer look. wingers on Cizikas’ wing projects to about the same value. Replacing The bigger picture, outside of his 10 games last year, or even his NHL Fritz with a replacement-level forward boosts the third line to a projected career to this point is that his game isn’t complete. His flaws are amplified full season WAR of 2.9, and the forwards to a collective 7.42. at higher levels because there’s less room for error, even if the skill is Nikolaj Ehlers there. There’s even less room for it when there are off-ice and character questions. Winnipeg Jets If this is going to be year that Ho-Sang makes it, he has to be willing to Left/Right Wing elevate his game. Barry Trotz is experienced in working with offensive players to refine their defensive games, but the player has to put in the Age: 23 effort. Ho-Sang also has to be put in a position to succeed — and that Contract 6 years remaining x $6,000,000 likely isn’t on a line with Fritz and Komarov.

The Jets are going to need to find a way to clear some more cap space. The options are there for the Islanders to take their offense to the next According to CapFriendly, they have just under $17.6 million in space. level and take another step forward this year. The question is whether That may seem like a lot, but it only includes eight signed forwards, they’ll do anything about it. Until that’s answered, it’s fair to doubt their seven defenders and two goaltenders. Plus, it’s missing two key players chances this season. The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107719 New York Islanders wouldn’t call him a top playmaker, though. The main issue historically with Koivula is his skating. It’s still not good, but it’s improved enough to where he’s on a legit NHL track given his size, talent level and 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 16 New York Islanders production.

4. Bode Wilde, D, Saginaw-OHL

By Corey Pronman Jan. 24, 2000 | 6-foot-2 | 192 pounds

Aug 21, 2019 79 Tier: Very good/legit bubble

Wilde had a great 18 year old season, hitting the ground running in the OHL and being one of the best players in the league all season. He’s a Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL player whose toolkit stands out immediately. He’s 6-foot-2, can skate and organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into has high-end skill. When Wilde winds up with the puck and you see a tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and defenseman his size dangle through opponents on his way to a scoring an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of chance, you can see the potential he has. Wilde also has a cannon of a Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete shot, and scored 26 goals between the season and playoffs. I saw many ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. high-end plays from Wilde from his zone and the offensive zone. He has great outlets and is a creative playmaker. He can be a victim of bad The Islanders’ farm system is a highly divisive one. I could poll scouts on turnovers, and he will frustrate coaches with how many risky plays he Oliver Wahlstrom, Bode Wilde, Kieffer Bellows, Ruslan Iskhakov and makes in situations that can backfire. For that reason, he may not be a Simon Holmstrom, and get a very wide range of opinions. Some scouts tough minutes defenseman in the NHL. think this is an elite farm; others think they’ve taken too many risky bets and it could go poorly. Their ranking tumbled a bit after I had to admit I 5. Kieffer Bellows, LW, Bridgeport-AHL may have overrated some players this time last season, like Wahlstrom and Iskhakov, even if players like Dobson and Otto Koivula went the June 10, 1998 | 6-foot-1 | 194 pounds other way. Tier: Very good/legit bubble

Key additions: Simon Holmstrom Bellows had a rocky first pro season, but I still like the player a lot. I really Key subtractions/graduations: Michael Dal Colle, Devon Toews debated still tagging him as a very good/projected second-line forward, but it was hard to do that on a guy with 19 points last season. The toolkit 2018 farm system ranking: No. 5 is top-six level, though. Bellows is skilled, has great hockey sense, and an elite, elite shot. He can score from anywhere in the offensive zone. He 2019 draft grade: C also competes hard and isn’t a typical sniper who hangs out around the Prospect Ranking dots. He can score from there, but he also plays around the net. His skating isn’t a selling point, but it’s average. He needs to get better 1. Noah Dobson, D, Rouyn-Noranda-QMJHL defensively and be more consistent offensively, but I believe he will get it going. Jan. 7, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 183 pounds 6. Ilya Sorokin, G, CSKA-KHL Tier: High-end NHL prospect Aug. 4, 1995 | 6-foot-2 | 176 pounds Dobson had as good a season as you could have hoped for as a fan of the Islanders. He was dominant in the QMJHL, anchoring the QMJHL Tier: Very good/legit bubble and CHL champion. He was very good at the world juniors for Canada, as well. Dobson is a five-tool prospect. He’s 6-foot-3, he’s mobile, he has Sorokin was dominant in the KHL, clearing a .940 save percentage skill with the puck, he has great hockey sense and he has a big shot. between the season and playoffs, and being the main reason why CSKA Because of his sense, skating and size, he can defend size and speed won the league. There is an effortlessness to his game. Sorokin has very well. I think he will be a tough minutes defenseman in the NHL. I good quickness and can make tough saves, but he always seems to be also underrated his offensive game last season. He can make seam square to pucks. He reads opponents plays so well and is always set to plays, his skill isn’t amazing, but he has 1-on-1 ability. He may not be a make stops. He’s not the biggest at 6-foot-2, but he’s aggressive with his true first power play type, but he could spot there. There is no visible angles and forwards never seem to have a lot of net to shoot at. He’s weakness in his game, just a bunch of strengths. proven all he can at the KHL level, all that’s left for the 23-year-old is to cross the pond. His deal with CSKA expires after the 2019-20 season. 2. Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, Bridgeport-AHL 7. Ruslan Iskhakov, RW, Connecticut-Hockey East June 13, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 187 pounds July 22, 2000 | 5-foot-8 | 152 pounds Tier: Very good NHL prospect Tier: Legit NHL prospect Wahlstrom had a tough season, struggling to get it going at the college level for Boston College for lengthy portions of the season. A strong Iskhakov was up and down as a freshman at UConn, as he looked more world juniors and end to the season in the AHL showed glimpses of the comfortable in the second half. His game is all about skill. He’s dynamic player he could be. Wahlstrom is a highly skilled player with size and an with the puck and can make defenders look silly with his stick handling. elite shot. Inside the offensive zone he’s very dangerous with his ability to He’s a very good passer as well who makes incredibly creative passes. create chances and finish them. He’s a good playmaker, with flashes of His game is unique in how he plays with the puck on his stick. He can very good, but his shot is what he leans on. His skating worried me a bit arguably try to do too much, though, and often gets caught getting too more from his draft season. It’s fine, but he’s not overly quick. His major cute with his dangles and centering/drop passes. He’s a very good skater issue is consistency and competing for pucks, which can make him but not blazing fast, as you’d prefer at 5-foot-8. He does compete, frustrating. I still believe in the player a lot because he’s so talented and I though, and gets to the net. don’t think his season was that troubling, even if it was to some degree. 8. Simon Holmstrom, RW, HV71-J20 SuperElit 3. Otto Koivula, C, Bridgeport-AHL May 24, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 183 pounds Sept. 1, 1998 | 6-foot-4 | 220 pounds Tier: Legit NHL prospect Tier: Very good NHL prospect Holmstrom’s junior career has been bumpy to date due to multiple Koivula had an excellent first season in the AHL, as one of Bridgeport’s injuries the past two seasons, as he had hip surgery and tore a ligament top players and one of the better 20-year-old players in the league. He’s in his thumb. When healthy, he’s generally drawn praise from scouts, and a big man at 6-foot-4 and is very coordinated with the puck for a large he played well at the junior and international levels. Holmstrom is a very forward. Koivula often makes plays through defenders and has the skill to skilled and smart winger. He makes a lot of smart decisions and finds break open a shift. He can create for his teammates and finish plays. I options consistently well. With HV71, Holmstrom was often used in setups to make plays from behind the net, and he did so very well, finding players in high-percentage areas in a variety of ways. He has collegiate player and impressed in his brief time in the AHL after he slippery skill, and while he won’t often go end-to-end, he can get through signed with the Islanders. defenders and have the odd impact shift with his skill. Holmstrom competes well. He’s not overly physical, but he engages defenders well 14. Parker Wotherspoon, D, Bridgeport-AHL and will battle for space. His skating is fine. He can show the odd burst Aug. 24, 1997 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds where he turns defenders, but his overall pace is average. Tier: Has a chance 9. Sebastian Aho, D, Bridgeport-AHL Wotherspoon has been solid in the AHL the past two seasons. He hasn’t Feb. 17, 1996 | 5-foot-10 | 176 pounds been a top defenseman on his team, and his numbers haven’t been Tier: Legit/chance bubble great, but a part of that was playing on deep blue lines with offensively talented players in Toews, Vande Sompel and Aho. I think Wotherspoon Not the one who signed an offer sheet this summer, the other one, was a has skill in his game, but it’s been inconsistent. He is a good skater, and top defenseman in the AHL this past season. Aho’s skating stood out can defend due to his skating, size and competitiveness. consistently at the AHL level. He’s so good at transporting pucks up ice, activating off the line and jumping into rushes. His skating allows him to 15. Jakub Skarek, G, Pelicans-Liiga survive defensively at the pro level despite his 5-foot-10 frame. Aho has Nov. 10, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 196 pounds always had offense in his game, good hands and instincts to make plays. The question with him is whether he has enough to be an NHLer. He’s Tier: Has a chance not going to be a shutdown player, and in the past two years, while I’ve Skarek is a very gifted athlete, as a 6-foot-3 goalie with legit high-end liked his puck game, he hasn’t blown me away in the AHL. lateral agility. He can make tough saves consistently and the way he 10. Mitchell Vande Sompel, D, Bridgeport-AHL moves makes him stand out to anyone who watches him. His performance has been very inconsistent the past few years, though. I Feb. 11, 1997 | 5-foot-11 | 198 pounds don’t think his sense and puck-tracking are poor, they are fine. He has Tier: Legit/chance bubble moments when he’s locked in and he stays with the play. He also has moments where he’s over sliding pucks, losing them and has too much Vande Sompel had his second straight quality season in the AHL. He’s a chaos going on around his crease. player you notice when he has the puck on his stick. He’s a great skater who can push the pace and create controlled entries with his quickness. 16. Ben Mirageas, D, Providence-Hockey East He’s also a very intelligent player who shows great poise moving pucks May 8, 1999 | 6-foot-1 | 181 pounds at both ends of the rink. Vande Sompel is undersized, but defends fine because of his feet and brain. He’s not a top-end defender, though, and Tier: Has a chance his offense doesn’t blow you away, which leaves a question of what role Mirageas had a fine year on a good Providence team, playing on both exactly does he fill in the NHL. special teams for them. He’s a player with an interesting toolkit. He’s 6- 11. Samuel Bolduc, D, Blainville-Boisbriand-QMJHL foot-1, skates well and has above-average skill. He can make stops with his mobility and stick, but I saw some lapses in games. The thing with Dec. 9, 2000 | 6-foot-4 | 212 pounds Mirageas will be more consistency from his game, as he has the tools to Tier: Legit/chance bubble be an impact guy at the college level. He’ll have more opportunity next season to put up numbers. Bolduc was the top defenseman for a rebuilding Blainville team this season, logging big minutes in all situations. His athletic tools are very 17. Reece Newkirk, C, Portland-WHL impressive. He’s a 6-foot-4 defenseman who skates well, not just well for Feb. 20, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 172 pounds a guy his size. He’s able to lead a rush and escape pressure effectively. Bolduc may never be known as a first power play unit type, but he’s got Tier: Has a chance sneaky good hands and he can make skilled plays through opponents. Newkirk had a good, productive season for a quality Portland team. He’s He also has a cannon of a shot. He’s not going to pick corners, but he skilled and competes very hard, but I don’t see his skill level or speed can create havoc off his shot. Bolduc uses his size well and closes on his being anything significant, especially for his size. Some scouts like him checks using his speed and frame. His main issue is his decision making. because of the compete level and they think there’s some offense, but Bolduc often forces plays that aren’t there and too many times makes a they acknowledge he likely won’t be a power play type in the pros. pass into feet or onto an opponent’s stick. With that said, he will have instances where he makes a good play that makes you believe he’s got 18. Cole Coskey, RW, Saginaw-OHL some playmaking in him. June 1, 1999 | six-foot | 190 pounds 12. Linus Soderstrom, G, Bridgeport-AHL Tier: Has a chance Aug. 23, 1996 | 6-foot-4 | 196 pounds Coskey had some good stretches last season, earning an invite to USA’s Tier: Legit/chance bubble World Junior camp. He has good skill and offensive instincts but is a very average skater. He was a player I debated a decent amount with scouts, Soderstrom hasn’t played hockey in a long time, as he’s suffered through because he would have moments where he looked like a real player, but numerous injuries the past few years and did not play any hockey in then long stretches where he didn’t. I didn’t mind the gamble in the 2018-19. When healthy, he projects as an NHL goalie because of his seventh round by the Islanders because he’s got the tools to be a solid size and hockey sense. Whether that’s a backup or a starter is pro if he finds consistency and gets quicker. debatable, but his play on the ice is not the question right now. It is simply whether he can stay healthy. He showed up healthy to Depth Players development camp, which is a good sign. His quickness has never been a huge selling point, so I will be curious how quick he looks if he does Logan Cockerill, RW, Boston University-Hockey East (Age: 20): He has indeed start the season ready to go. great speed and I think there’s more offense than he’s shown so far, but for such a small forward he’ll need to score more. 13. Grant Hutton, D, Bridgeport-AHL Arnaud Durandeau, LW, Halifax-QMJHL (20): He has good skill and July 25, 1995 | 6-foot-3 | 205 pounds competes fine, but he’s undersized and a mediocre skater.

Tier: Legit/chance bubble Mason Jobst, C, Ohio State-Big 10 (25): He’s a very skilled, smart and competitive small center with very average quickness. Hutton is an interesting prospect because he’s a 6-foot-3 defenseman who skates well for a big man and has a cannon of a shot. He can help a Robert Carpenter, C, Boston University-Hockey East (23): He has skill pro power play with his trigger man abilities. His puck game is so-so. His and competes hard but for his size he lacks an NHL gear in his skating. hands and vision are not his selling point, but his feet allow him to bring pucks up the ice and dish off to someone off an entry. He was a fine Blade Jenkins, LW, Saginaw-OHL (19): Jenkins has good skill and can score goals, but quickness is an issue and he’s not a true driver of offense.

2019-20 Impact

The Isles don’t have a huge opening for Dobson, but I think he should very much be in the mix for a spot out of camp. Koivula is a candidate for games as well. Bridgeport has a lot of guys but nobody who jumped out as clearly NHL ready. Aho, Vande Sompel, Wotherspoon or Hutton could help in an injury bind.

Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under)

Mathew Barzal, C (22)

Noah Dobson, D (19)

Anthony Beauvillier, LW (22)

Oliver Wahlstrom, RW (19)

Otto Koivula, C (20)

Josh Ho-Sang, RW (23)

Bode Wilde, D (19)

Kieffer Bellows, LW (21)

Michael Dal Colle, LW (23)

Ruslan Iskhakov, RW (19)

Barzal’s production took a step back, but I’m still a huge believer in the player. He’s very skilled, quick and intelligent and I think he’s an impact forward. Ho-Sang is a very tough player to evaluate. I saw Bridgeport games where he looked clearly above the AHL level with his speed, skill and vision, but he sill doesn’t produce to the level he should be able to. I like the player but at some point he’ll need to get it done. Some will argue he’s not given opportunity, which I don’t think is unreasonable, but scouts still think he’s a lightning rod when asked if they would try to trade for him. Dal Colle’s skating will likely keep him from justifying his draft slot, but he’s very skilled and can make plays. I think he’s an NHLer, just not in the upper half of a lineup.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107720 New York Rangers

Mark Pavelich, former Rangers and ‘Miracle on Ice’ player, charged in attack on neighbor

ASSOCIATED PRESS |

AUG 21, 2019 | 11:16 AM

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Mark Pavelich, a forward on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic hockey team who went on to play for the New York Rangers and two other NHL teams, has been charged with assault for allegedly beating a neighbor with a metal pole and breaking several of the man’s bones.

The 61-year-old Pavelich attacked his neighbor last week at Pavelich's home in the small Lake Superior community of Lutsen, Minnesota, after they returned from fishing, authorities allege in the criminal complaint. Pavelich told investigators he believed the man had "spiked" his beer, leading to the alleged attack, it states.

First responders found the neighbor in shock with “obvious disfigurement of his leg,” KMSP-TV reported. He also had a bruised kidney, two cracked ribs and a fractured vertebra.

Pavelich faces charges of second- and third-degree assault, possession of an illegal shotgun and receiving a gun with an altered or missing serial number. During a hearing Monday in Cook County District Court, the judge ordered a mental competency hearing for Pavelich, who didn't have an attorney listed in online court records as of Wednesday.

He remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail, the Star Tribune reported.

Pavelich played five seasons with the Rangers and parts of one season each with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks, potting 137 goals and dishing out 192 assists in his 355 NHL games. He also played professionally in Europe.

Pavelich had two assists in the United States' "Miracle" 4-3 win over the Soviet Union in the semifinals of the 1980 Olympic tournament. The U.S. went on to beat Finland in the finals to win the gold medal.

In 2012, his 44-year-old wife, Kara, died in an accidental fall from a second-story balcony at their home. Two years later, Pavelich sold his gold medal for $262,900 through an auction house, saying he wanted to help his adult daughter.

New York Daily News LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107721 New York Rangers

Mark Pavelich, former Rangers star, accused of beating man with pole over ‘spiked’ beer

By Associated Press

August 21, 2019 | 12:45pm | Updated

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — A former professional hockey player and forward for the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic team has been charged with felony assault for allegedly beating his neighbor with a metal pole, breaking several bones.

Mark Pavelich, 61, faces multiple counts. According to a criminal complaint, the assault happened last week in Pavelich’s home in northern Minnesota after he and his neighbor returned from fishing.

The complaint says Pavelich told authorities he believed the man “spiked” his beer, prompting the alleged assault. KMSP-TV reports the victim had a bruised kidney and several broken bones including two cracked ribs and a fractured vertebra. First responders found him in “shock” with “obvious disfigurement of his leg.”

Pavelich played for the Rangers, North Stars and Sharks during a seven- year NHL career. The center totaled 318 points over five seasons on Broadway, where he started his NHL career in 1981.

A judge ordered a competency hearing for Pavelich.

Online records don’t list an attorney to comment on Pavelich’s behalf.

New York Post LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107722 New York Rangers understood. But this is reality under the CBA. Players exercise leverage when they have it. Teams have the right, if not obligation, to do the same.

Twenty two days until camp. Limited options for Tony DeAngelo, Brendan Lemieux in Rangers contract standoffs New York Post LOADED: 08.22.2019

By Larry Brooks

August 21, 2019 | 9:48am

The scenario hasn’t changed since the July 31 buyout of Kevin Shattenkirk. Indeed, one might argue that the scenario hasn’t changed since the final week of June when the Rangers submitted one-year, $874,125 qualifying offers to Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux, who are restricted free agents without arbitration rights.

And who remain unsigned 22 days before the Blueshirts are due to report for medicals on Sept. 12 for the opening of training camp.

It is understandable that the youngsters might be a bit miffed at the offers that have not changed through a summer that began with the front office committing a combined $19,642,873 per to sign Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba to seven-year deals. But it is equally understandable for the Rangers to stand on the QOs while exercising their rights and leverage granted by the CBA.

This is not unique to DeAngelo and Lemieux. The team would not budge off their QO to J.T. Miller for $874,000 in 2015-16. Miller signed it that July 15 and has done quite well since, getting a two-year deal worth $2.75 million per the following summer before earning the five-year contract for $5.25 million per from the Lightning last summer following his trade to Tampa Bay.

DeAngelo’s agent, Pat Brisson, and Lemieux’s representative, , politely declined to provide updates on talks between their respective clients and the Rangers. The same holds true for New York management.

At this point, though, it does not appear that the Rangers are inclined to move off their initial bids. That means that DeAngelo and Lemieux, each of whom play with a necessary jagged edge not necessarily prevalent throughout the roster, have only two means of leverage.

One is to withhold service and not play, which wouldn’t seem to represent much of an option at all for two guys who have yet to make their mark in the NHL but are in line to get that opportunity this season. They could play in Europe but would face the exact same scenario upon returning. And though their absences would hurt the Rangers, it is far- fetched to expect management to cave as a consequence.

The players’ other alternative is to attempt to attract an offer sheet — or at least a credible threat of one — that would force general manager Jeff Gorton’s hand. Neither DeAngelo nor Lemieux is in especially prime position to cash in, but the compensation return for players at their respective pay grades is light, so that works in the players’ favor. The Rangers would receive no compensation as return on an unmatched offer sheet of $1,395,053 or below and only a third-rounder for an unmatched offer sheet of between $1,395,053.01 and $2,113,716.

Cap space of course would become a sticky issue if the Rangers were forced to match. The team currently has approximately $3.685 million with which to work off a shadow roster of two goaltenders, five defensemen and 12 forwards. The seventh defenseman would account for between $730,000 (Darren Raddysh) and $1.075 million (if it is Brendan Smith on the NHL rather than AHL roster). So management would have choices to make.

But if DeAngelo can post 30-to-40 points this year, he will be in line for upwards of $3 million per when he becomes arbitration eligible next summer. So why would he sign an offer sheet for around $2 million per? And Lemieux, though numbers do essentially all of the talking in arbitration, also could boost himself into a much higher pay grade next summer than he could via an immediate offer sheet now. He could become a very important Ranger this year.

It is tough on these two players, especially when they will be called upon to ride to the rescue if the Rangers’ finesse-oriented kids and much higher paid teammates are roughed up. It may not be terribly fair. That is 1107723 New York Rangers When asked if he needs to make a trade, Gorton said, “Not in order to sign them. I think we can sign them right now and feel comfortable with how it fits going forward.”

What's the holdup with the NY Rangers signing Tony DeAngelo and Is a trade coming? Brendan Lemieux? If the Rangers do end up making a trade, the most obvious candidates are players in the final year of their contracts like Vlad Namestnikov, Vincent Z. Mercogliano Ryan Strome and Chris Kreider.

NHL writer Namestnikov is represented by Daniel Milstein, who acknowledged hearing the trade rumors but said he hasn’t heard anything specific from Published 1:01 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2019 | Updated 8:52 p.m. ET Aug. 21, the Rangers. 2019 “I’ve had a couple conversations with Jeff Gorton, but nothing in particular,” Milstein said. “Vladdy and I talk all the time. He is training hard and will be ready for the season. He loves playing for the Rangers Feb 23, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers defenseman but understands it’s business.” Tony DeAngelo (77) plays the puck against New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri (21) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Strome's agent, Mark Guy, told the USA TODAY Network that he hasn't heard anything about trade possibilities from the Rangers and that his Jeff Gorton only has one more task to check off his list in what has been client is expecting to be with the team when camp begins. a stellar offseason aside from the admittedly “really difficult decision” to buy out Kevin Shattenkirk. It would be a surprise to see Kreider traded before the season begins. If the Rangers decide to move him before he becomes a free agent, it Actually, two tasks. would likely be at the midseason trade deadline. But he's seen as top-six The New York Rangers general manager’s much-improved roster still forward entering camp. has a pair of unsigned restricted free agents — defenseman Tony 'There's plenty of time to go' DeAngelo and forward Brendan Lemieux. Eventually, something has to give. But what are the options? Gorton spoke to the USA TODAY Network on Tuesday and expressed confidence in getting the deals done before training camp, which begins If the Rangers make a trade — either before camp or during — they can in less than a month. up their offers to DeAngelo and Lemieux and make everyone happy. But if they don’t, the stalemate could continue. “I think that we can sign those guys now, and we’re attempting to do so,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll get that done in the next couple of weeks here The Rangers could draw a hard line and hope one or both eventually and they’ll be ready to go in camp.” accepts the qualifying offer. But they would rather not go down that road and strain the relationship between organization and player(s). According to Lemieux’s father, Claude Lemieux — a four-time Stanley Cup champion as a player who now represents Brendan and a number of From the players’ perspective, they have two choices if the negotiations other clients — contract talks have been “quiet” lately. sour and they refuse to sign the qualifying offers — find another team that’s willing to extend an offer sheet, in which case the Rangers would “We’ve had some conversations, but really nothing of substance to date,” have seven days to match it or let them go, or holdout. If either decides he said this week. “There’s not a lot going on.” to holdout, they have until Dec. 1 to sign a deal or become ineligible to DeAngelo is represented by Pat Brisson — the most powerful agent in play for the remainder of the season. the NHL, according to Forbes — who said he “has no comment at this Those extreme scenarios seem unlikely. Claude Lemieux expressed time.” optimism that a deal will come soon — “There’s plenty of time to go, and Both RFAs are 23-year-old role players who are expected to impact the I’m hopeful that we’ll get something done,” he said — and the Rangers NHL roster this season. The right-handed DeAngelo has added surely don’t want this to become a lingering issue. responsibility after the buyout of Shattenkirk, while Lemieux should The organization is filled with positive vibes right now, and Gorton will do provide grit and depth to the bottom-six forwards. everything in his power to make sure that remains the case. Stalled negotiations “They’re both good players,” he said. “They’re valuable to the The Rangers began the offseason by extending qualifying offers to five of organization and what we’re doing. We like them both a lot, on and off their restricted free agents. Jacob Trouba, Pavel Buchnevich and Vinni the ice. We’re trying to get them signed and get them in the best deals for Lettieri each signed in July, with Trouba netting the most substantial deal the Rangers right now, and for the future. We’ll figure that out as soon as at $56 million over seven years. possible.”

So why have negotiations stalled with DeAngelo and Lemieux? Bergen Record LOADED: 08.22.2019

Clearly, neither is willing to accept the one-year qualifying offer for $874,125. (Both players made $832,500 last season, which is multiplied by 105% to come up with the qualifying offer, according to CapFriendly.) They’re likely looking for more years, and certainly higher salaries.

The problem for the Rangers is that they don’t have the cap space to accommodate two salaries much beyond the qualifying offers.

The cap situation is fluid, but the best projection right now puts the Rangers at just under $79.5 million. (That includes the savings if they send veterans Matt Beleskey and Brendan Smith to the minors.) The salary cap is $81.5 million, which leaves about $2 million total for DeAngelo and Lemieux.

“It doesn’t help,” Claude Lemieux said of the tight financial situation. “They still have a few players to sign and there’s not a whole lot of cap space to go around. I think it makes it more complicated for everybody.”

To find common ground, the Rangers may need to free up more money. But a trade doesn’t necessarily have to happen first. Gorton can sign both players and go over the cap, as long as he maneuvers his way back under before opening night Oct. 3. 1107724 New York Rangers

Rob O'Gara gets a 'clean slate' in the AHL, with an eye on making it back to the NHL

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinASteph

August 21, 2019 5:58 PM

Rob O’Gara sounded excited as he talked about the next chapter in his hockey career. The 26-year-old from Nesconset, who played for the Rangers’ Hartford Wolf Pack farm team last season, signed a contract Monday with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, the top farm team of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

“I’m excited because it’s kind of a clean slate, and I don’t think a lot of people are expecting a lot from me,’’ O’Gara said in a telephone interview this week. “So, there’s no pressure.’’

O’Gara, a 6-4, 207-pound defenseman, signed a one-year, $75,000 deal with San Antonio and will report to the Blues’ training camp Sept. 11. Since his contract is with San Antonio, and not St. Louis, if he were to have a great camp and make the Blues’ opening night roster, he’d need to negotiate an NHL deal with them. The possibility also exists that if he were to play well enough in the preseason to catch the eye of another NHL organization, he could sign an NHL contract with that team – though the Blues would have the right to match the offer if they wanted to keep him in their organization.

“So this is better than a PTO [professional tryout] or something like that,’’ O’Gara explained. “I’m basically still an NHL free agent. And it’s kind of nice to have the security of a [minor-league] contract, with the ability to show that I’m healthy and have a lot to offer.’’

O’Gara played the final 22 games of the 2017-18 season with the Rangers after they acquired him from Boston in the February trade that sent Nick Holden to the Bruins. He then signed a one-year deal with the Rangers as a restricted free agent last summer. But with the Rangers having started a rebuilding phase that saw them acquire several highly drafted defense prospects -- as well as draft picks they used to select even more defensemen -- O’Gara failed to make the team out of training camp and was assigned to Hartford. His season there was cut short when he needed surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. He played 47 games for Hartford, scoring three goals, with eight assists and 64 penalty minutes. He was a plus player (plus-3) on a team that finished last in the Atlantic Division of the AHL and allowed 57 more goals than it scored.

This summer, O’Gara got married, but otherwise has focused on rehabbing his back. He said he is completely healthy now and doing everything he’s cleared to do. He expects to be cleared for full contact in early September.

Entering his fourth professional season, O’Gara said he still believes he has what it takes to be an NHL player, though he isn’t putting pressure on himself to make that happen next month.

“I think it’s not going to be easy to go into training camp – especially with a team like that – and make the team,’’ he said. “But I wouldn’t rule it out. Going into my first Bruins camp a few years ago, it was packed on defense. But there were some injuries, and I had a strong camp, and the next thing I knew I was starting the season in Boston.’’

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107725 New York Rangers

Tanner Glass rejoins Rangers as part of hockey operations staff

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinASteph

Updated August 21, 2019 11:58 AM

The Rangers on Wednesday announced the hirings of former Blueshirts enforcer Tanner Glass and former Blackhawks, Hurricanes and Devils forward Tuomo Ruutu as Assistant Directors of Player Development, as well as former Blue Jackets executive Chris Morehouse — the son-in-law of team president John Davidson — as the team’s Director of North American Scouting.

In addition, the Rangers announced that Marshall Davidson — John Davidson’s brother — and Derek Ginnell have been hired as amateur scouts, and Steve Konowalchuk will shift from being an amateur scout to a professional scout. The club also announced that David Cunniff has been hired as an assistant coach for their Hartford Wolf Pack farm team, and that Chris Hoeler has been added as the Wolf Pack’s video coach.

Glass, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, finished his professional playing career in France in 2018-19. He will work under Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer to help develop the Rangers’ North American prospects. Ruutu, who was an assistant coach for Finland’s gold-medal winning squad at the 2019 World Championships, primarily will work with the Rangers’ European prospects.

Morehouse spent the past seven seasons in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ organization, the last three as Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting. Marshall Davidson spent the past six years with Columbus as an amateur scout, and the previous five years with the St. Louis Blues as an amateur scout. Ginnell has been with the Blue Jackets for the last five seasons as an amateur scout.

Konowalchuk, who played parts of 14 seasons in the NHL with the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, joined the Rangers last season as an amateur scout.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107726 New York Rangers For me, there are four:

The threat of the shot. There are power-play quarterbacks who can be successful without this. Morgan Rielly ran one of the best power-play The Gifted: Rangers prospect Adam Fox has all the makings of a perfect units in the league last year and teams never respected his shot. But that power-play quarterback unit would have been even better if they did.

The ability to walk the line. This is essential. Every power-play By Scott Wheeler quarterback needs to be able to corral the puck off the boards and walk the line. It’s imperative not only in creating lanes for that aforementioned Aug 21, 2019 shot but in creating space for the flanks. And if that defenceman bobbles the puck frequently, good penalty killers will take advantage for

breakaways back the other way. In hockey, as in life, there are archetypes built on hyperbole and Deception and the element of surprise. Every power play has its go-to buzzwords that are designed to fit every player into a pre-defined box. plays. Coming into a game, opposing teams have studied those Scouts and evaluators often fall prey to lazily characterizing young tendencies. The best power plays have a defenceman who is prospects in this way: the power forward, the two-way centre, the speedy unpredictable, and will make a different play when it’s available — or has winger, the one-dimensional scorer, the stay-at-home defenceman. But the puck skills required to show one way and go the other. sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a player who is so different from everyone else in approach or ability that he is able to distinguish himself Finding the balance between poise and pace. Power plays are designed through his uniqueness. These players have turned one skill into the to move the puck quickly. A lot of that depends on how quickly the body of their game, and they illustrate the varied ways hockey can be defenceman moves it. The best power-play quarterbacks are masters of played at the highest levels. “The Gifted” is a 10-part series that one-touch passes and shots that keep defenders scrambling. But there examines, through video, the NHL’s most fascinating prospects and the are also defencemen who try to move the puck so quickly that their unique skill sets that define them. By popular demand, “The Gifted” is forwards aren’t able to properly get open or set screens. Sometimes, back for a third year at The Athletic. It runs every Wednesday from July slowing the power play down to reset is key. A defenceman’s ability to 24 to Sept. 25. pick and choose when it is time to play slowly or play fast separates the best power play options in the league from everyone else. The Gifted (2017 series): Part 1: Carl Grundstrom | Part 2: Jordan Kyrou | Part 3: Vitaly Abramov | Part 4: Juuso Valimaki | Part 5: Vili Saarijarvi | Here, through a series of his power-play highlights from last season as Part 6: Filip Chlapik | Part 7: Travis Sanheim | Part 8: Timo Meier| Part 9: well as a complete review of three full games, I’ll detail how Fox checks Kirill Kaprizov | Part 10: Elias Pettersson all four boxes.

The Gifted (2018 series): Part 1: Miro Heiskanen | Part 2: Casey Before we dive in, some housekeeping on those three games: All were Mittelstadt | Part 3: Dylan Strome | Part 4: Oliver Wahlstrom | Part 5: against teams that were nationally ranked at the time (No. 6 Quinnipiac, Gabe Vilardi | Part 6: Adam Boqvist | Part 7: Evan Bouchard | Part 8: No. 10 Clarkson, and No. 20 Union) to give you the best view of Fox Kristian Vesalainen | Part 9: Jonathan Dahlen | Part 10: Morgan Frost against tougher competition. On the whole, Fox picked up six assists and 12 shots in the three games, with points on 60 percent of Harvard’s The Gifted (2019 series): Part 1: Cale Makar | Part 2: Nick Robertson | goals. Harvard went 2-1 in the three viewings, outscoring their opponents Part 3: Jason Robertson | Part 4: Aleksi Heponiemi | Part 5: Adam Fox | 10-9. Against Union, as part of a four-point night for Fox, Harvard went 4- Part 6: Dante Fabbro | Part 7: Emil Bemstrom | Part 8: Cody Glass | Part for-4 on the power play. Fox wears No. 18 in all clips. 9: Martin Necas | Part 10: Bode Wilde The threat of the shot The numbers speak for themselves. Because defencemen aren’t going to be taking backhands from the point Adam Fox (a defenceman!) and his 1.45 points per game led the NCAA (or even the slot), there are two important skills that the best power-play in scoring, ahead of Detroit Red Wings signees Ryan Kuffner and Taro defencemen almost always have: Hirose, as well as Chicago Blackhawks third rounder Evan Barratt. An accurate wrist shot that tends to stay low to create rebounds and He outproduced his nearest teammate by 17 points. He was plus-23 on a redirects. team where no other player was higher than plus-13. A hard one-timer that can cleanly beat goalies. He was a one-man offence and made Harvard the ninth-best offence in NCAA hockey (3.21 goals per game), contributing on 48 of his team’s Fox has the latter. He’s not Shea Weber or Zdeno Chara but he’s 103 goals (or 47 percent). comfortable relying on his one-timer to turn on pucks in a way that many defencemen in today’s game aren’t: In the last decade, no defenceman has bested that production. The one-timer is particularly valuable when the power play has broken The players who’ve come the closest from a raw points perspective down, the quarterback is under pressure, and his teammates aren’t open. include Brendan Smith (1.24 points per game), Cale Makar (1.20 points Though the sequence below against Clarkson happens at even-strength, per game) and Justin Schultz (1.19 points per game). it’s indicative of Fox’s willingness to let it rip (you’ll notice that none of his Those same players didn’t drive their teams in the same way Fox did, three forwards have available sticks, too): either. Schultz came the closest, contributing on 42 percent of his team’s But it’s skill No. 1 that really separates Fox. goals (44 of 105), followed by Makar’s distant 32 percent (49 of 151) and Smith’s 30 percent of his (52 of 171). His wrist shot comes off of his stick quickly, he doesn’t have to walk into it (ie. He’s capable of releasing it from a variety of stances), it stays low, So how did he do it? How did Fox put together a season for the history and it almost always gets through: books? The threat of the shot is less about actual outcomes (your defenceman is It all starts with the power play. Fox drove offence at even strength, too. never your primary option as a scorer on the power play) than it is about But he exists in a league of his own with the man advantage. On a team how it opens up the rest of the power play. with just two players who scored more than 10 goals last season, Fox ran what was often the No. 1 power play in college hockey (their 28.3 percent Watch how tight Quinnipiac feel they have to play Fox at the point here, clip ultimately finished second, just shy of University of Massachusetts’ going down to block a shot that never comes when Fox decides to pass 28.5 percent). after drawing three of the four penalty killers into his shooting lane, opening up the one-timer for a teammate: Unlike every other part of “The Gifted” series, this analysis will focus specifically on that one facet of Fox’s game: his unique ability to run the And now look for that same stacking from the crease out on this power power play. play against Union:

It starts with a question: What are the component parts of the ideal There, the outcome isn’t a goal but Fox’s intentions are the same: Draw power-play quarterback? everyone’s line of sight to him and feign shot. Being a threat to score also means activating into areas where that threat There, he’s showing off some exceptional footwork and puck handling is real. And that means the power-play quarterback needs to be prepared skill. When he slides the backhand pass through the slot after drawing all to move off of the offensive zone blue line and take chances like this: the attention, he’s also showing that he anticipated the play one step further than everyone else on the ice. Or like the early shot attempt during this sequence: Often times, that’s what deception is all about. It’s not about the Sometimes, establishing that threat is simply an exercise in using it. On immediate outcome of the resulting play, but the way Play A sets up Play this power play draw, Fox is showing the Quinnipiac defenders that if B to make Play C. This is a perfect example of that. they don’t slide out of the dot to him, he’s going to attack that open space. Nothing special, right? Fox throws a pass to Walsh but it’s actually Walsh who sets up the goal. Odds are, they react differently on the ensuing faceoff and someone else is then left open. But when that space is there, the defenceman has to be While this is true, watch it again to notice Fox’s little stop up (which the willing to take it — and talented enough to occasionally finish it. Fox does Union players think is to prepare for a shot) and how fixed all four Union both. penalty killers are on Fox, opening up the space that allows Walsh to get moving. The ability to walk the line Finding the balance between poise and pace Built into that shot threat has to be this second skill, which was on display in the goal he scored against Dartmouth above. Increasingly, NHL power plays are about how fast the offensive team can move the puck and how fast the defending team can recover. Part of being an excellent power-play quarterback is being able to get to the middle of the ice, where your shot has to be respected, and then And the defenceman is a central player in that race. They need to be using that area to your advantage by hitting your teammates in their able to act, almost without thinking, like Fox and Harvard do on this set sweet spot. play to the goal line:

At its basic level, we’ve all watched that play happen over and over This sequence breaks down only after the Harvard forward starts thinking again. It looks like this: about it too much:

But the best defencemen add a third layer to it by remaining But there’s also value in allowing all of the other components of the unpredictable. When they begin to anticipate where the pass is going power play to get open. Sometimes that means slowing things down. after walking the line, players like Fox learn to adjust. You’re at a man-advantage after all.

Watch the flair he puts onto it here with a faked pass, a faked shot, and a This is where Fox is particularly valuable, particularly through the neutral stutter step to get his shot through: zone.

On the primary assist below (teammate Jack Drury deflected the shot in He’s not in a rush. He’s not worried about the time on the clock. He’s front), that walk helps him open up his shot in a different way: worried about making the right play to help create the entry:

There, there’s the initial right-to-left movement ahead of the give-and-go Once that entry has been created, he’s willing to wait for that with Riley Walsh (No. 2). But there’s also some subtle left-to-right aforementioned goal line play to open up (or any of Harvard’s other set movement when he gets it back in the form of a quick shuffle that draws plays). The result, is goals: the defending forward too far. This is true at even strength too. You want to shadow Fox? He’ll just Watch from a closer angle for the misalignment he creates with the make the simple play at one side of the ice, knowing it will end up with an intended shot blocker to create his seam: available player he just swapped spots with for a one-timer at the other side of the ice: When Fox releases the puck, the shot blocker’ stick isn’t anywhere near his lane: Want to give him too much attention? He’s happy to play that game, suck you in, and then give the puck to someone else: Again and again, this is a consistent element in Fox’s game. When he takes the puck east-west, he makes his own lanes with a quick stutter. Want to prevent him from creating the entry himself? That means Here, the defender bites down to one knee and he just waits an extra someone’s open for it out wide: second: He’s not in a rush, even if you are: Deception and the element of surprise Ultimately, the art of the power play is the art of using an advantage of Though there have been elements of Fox’s ability to execute on one (or two) players so that it’s just that: an advantage. unexpected plays or dictate an opposing player’s movement to them (look no further than the above still frame), those plays are just the tip of Fox has mastered the four ways that he can have the largest possible the proverbial iceberg. outcome during that two minutes. And while it makes him a special player in one small portion of a 60-minute game, its learned skills will help make Fox’s greatest skill is his knack for the unpredictable, and for making him one the rest of the time too. opposing players move how he wants them to. And that’s what “The Gifted” is all about. You can see it in flashes like this at even-strength, where Fox forces the Union defender off-balance before breaking past him to the inside with a The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 lateral step.

But it’s most evident on the power play, where Fox knows he’s the centre of attention and he uses that to force opposing players to over commit. This deception isn’t always in the form of an attack to the middle for the shot, either, though.

In fact, sometimes he’ll sell that as his intended purpose before going somewhere unexpected with the puck, like he did with this fake shot into a behind-the-back pass ahead of an intended redirect at the side of the net…

Sometimes, it comes in the form of walking the line before quickly stopping up to shoot before the defender has recovered. That looks a lot like the still frame I highlighted earlier.

But it also looks like this power-play goal:

Other times, he’ll just flat out break ankles, like he did on this brilliant secondary assist: 1107727 Ottawa Senators

Training camp intrigue: Battle of the prospects looms for the Senators

Ken Warren

August 21, 2019 6:27 PM EDT

There remains room for a couple of older bodies when the Ottawa Senators open training camp in a few weeks, but don’t be fooled.

Camp will pretty much be all about the kids looking to do what they can to impress new head coach D.J. Smith.

“We’re working on a few things…there will probably be one or two (professional tryout offers),” Senators general manager said Wednesday.

“The goal is to give the youngsters and the newcomers the best opportunity to showcase themselves.”

After Wednesday’s signing of Colin White, the Senators have 10 forwards under guaranteed NHL contracts. If the club begins the season with 13 forwards, the battle from three jobs could involve Max Veronneau, Rudolfs Balcers, Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Alex Formenton, Jonathan Davidsson and Nick Paul.

If Thomas Chabot, Dylan DeMelo, Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey and Mark Borowiecki are the givens on the blueline, the fight for the remaining two (or three) defence spots will include Christian Jaros, Christian Wolanin, Erik Brannstrom and Max Lajoie.

The Senators are expected to open rookie camp on Sept. 5, with a rookie showcase tournament – also featuring the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets – being played Sept. 6-9 in Belleville.

Rookie hopefuls will be invited to the opening of main training camp the following week.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107728 Ottawa Senators Dorion deflected away questions about Chabot and Tkachuk, saying Wednesday was a day to talk about White.

“Every situation is different from the other,” Dorion said. “When we move Senators sign Colin White to long-term deal forward with other contracts, we are going to look at what is best for the organization and hopefully players like Colin, in his age group, want to buy in for the long-term success of the team.” Ken Warren As for today, though, the Senators did what they had to do in locking up August 21, 2019 3:29 PM EDT White long-term.

While the pressure is mounting around the NHL to sign countless high- profile restricted free agents, including Mitch Marner in Toronto, Mikko Only 22 years old and with a guaranteed $28.75 million now coming his Rantanen in Colorado, Brayden Point in Tampa, Patrick Laine in way, centre Colin White has inherited some big-league pressure and Winnipeg and Matthew Tkachuk in Calgary, the Senators have expectations. completed their necessary summer business. Bring it on. “I don’t think it ever entered my mind that I wouldn’t be in (training) An hour after the six-year deal with the Ottawa Senators was officially camp,” said White. “From the start, I told my agent (Kent Hughes) that I announced Wednesday, White said the goal was “to outplay that wanted to be there.” contract.”

Still to play out in the massive rebuilding project is convincing Thomas Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.22.2019 Chabot and Brady Tkachuk to also sign long-term deals in the future, but the White signing is a positive step for an organization that in the early stages of the reboot.

White and/or the Senators could have opted for a shorter-term bridge contract, but the potential for a brighter tomorrow was a big part of the appeal in the deal.

“It’s what both parties wanted all along,” White said. “I truly believe in Ottawa, with the young group we have. It’s the right move for both myself and Ottawa.”

The contract calls for White to make $4 million in both the upcoming season and in 2020-21. White will earn $4.75 million for the following three seasons and ends with $6.25 million salary in 2024-25.

By then, we’ll all have a much clearer idea of how close the Senators came to their pledge of spending close to the salary cap to fashion a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The Senators believe White is a vital piece of the necessary core, potentially developing into a rock-solid two-way centre who could play at any time against any rival line.

While also seeing spot duty as a right winger in his first full NHL season in 2018-19, he scored 14 goals and 27 assists in 71 games. In 94 career games, he has 16 goals and 31 assists.

Originally drafted by the Senators 21st overall in 2015, he has never been afraid to aim high. As a proud Boston boy, he has looked up to Bruins star Patrice Bergeron, four-time winner of the Frank Selke Award as the NHL’s best defensive forward, as a role model.

“We have only scratched the surface of his potential,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He competes at both ends of the ice and (fans) underrate his speed. For us, he has taken huge steps in the right direction.”

Complete defensive commitment — especially among centres – will be vital part of the new mandate for the forwards under incoming coach D.J. Smith. The Senators yielded 302 goals against in 2018-19, the most since the 2006-07 Philadelphia Flyers.

White, who says he’s excited about the “new energy” surrounding Smith, will arrive in training camp with full intentions of being a centre, but allows that “you never know what happens.”

He has spent his summer training sessions on eliminating (bad) “habits” in his game.

White also talked about having so many “close friends” in the dressing room, including Chabot and Tkachuk. White played with Tkachuk’s older brother, Matthew, on United States national teams and the families are close.

Maybe, just maybe, White’s commitment to a long-term contract helps in the Senators pursuit of their future signings. Chabot is due to become a restricted free agent next summer, followed by Tkachuk in the summer of 2021.

“We’ve been good friends from a young age,” White said of Tkachuk. “To grow tat relationship would be pretty special.” 1107729 Philadelphia Flyers “When you’re 29th in the league and have a pretty bad season, and you were expected to have a pretty good one, you know some changes are going to be made,” he said.

Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere working hard, trying to rebound “It was cool to see Fletch make some moves,” said Gostisbehere, who from last season added he was disappointed rugged defenseman Radko Gudas was dealt. “For us, it’s a good team on paper. Now, it’s up to us and the coaches to get everyone on the same page, get everyone together, and by Sam Carchidi put the results out there.”

Breakaways

Shayne Gostisbehere has had an interesting off-season. Gostisbehere will probably be paired with Myers. They were together for most of Myers’ 21 Flyers games last season. “He’s a good player. He’s The Flyers’ 26-year-old defenseman traveled to southwest France to visit hungry," Gostisbehere said. “We play kind of a high-risk game, and for his grandmother, made a pit stop in Greece, and spent some time in Walt us, we have to have short-term memory [when a mistake is made] and Disney World and with his family in South Florida. keep our confidence.” ... Training camp for veterans will start Sept. 13 in But he’s spent most of the summer working out at the team’s Voorhees Voorhees. ... There will be a Flyers-Islanders rookie game Sept. 11 in training facility, trying to rebound from a subpar season. Allentown.

“I’ve worked a lot on the mental side of my game,” the swift-skating Gostisbehere said after starring in an informal, 10-player scrimmage Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 08.22.2019 Tuesday at the Skate Zone. “Just being a good pro and really taking care of my body this summer. Just getting in there and putting in the work and having a good mindset and staying positive. Things aren’t always going to go my way out there, especially with the style of game I play.”

Instead of returning to Florida for the off-season, Gostisbehere has trained in the area the last few summers.

“I’ve got a girlfriend who is a nurse at CHOP,” he said, referring to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “It’s not all about me. She takes a lot, so I’ve got to give a little, too.”

Gostisbehere is trying to bounce back from a 37-point season — a 28- point drop from the previous year — in which he had a minus-20 rating. He played part of the season with a leg injury, but he says he is 100 percent healthy.

As Gostisbehere goes, so go the Flyers. At least that’s been the case in his four years with the team. They made the playoffs in his two strong seasons and missed them in his two down years.

The former Union College star burst into the NHL in 2015-16, scored 17 goals — a record for a Flyers rookie defenseman — in just 64 games and finished second in the rookie-of-the-year race to Artemi Panarin. He set an NHL rookie record for defensemen with a 15-game point streak, finished with a plus-8 rating, and sparked the Flyers into the playoffs.

An 11-game point streak is the longest by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.

Gostisbehere slumped in his sophomore year (seven goals, minus- 21 rating), however, and the Flyers missed the playoffs. He regrouped the next year (13 goals, 65 points, plus-10) and helped the club reach postseason play.

Last season, he struggled, and the Flyers missed the playoffs. His name came up in off-season trade talks, but he remains a part of the Flyers’ plans and figures again to quarterback the power play.

“Obviously, it was a tough season for most of us,” Gostisbehere said. “I’ve bounced back before from a tough season. I think if we collectively as a team have a good season, the outcome will be there as individuals. I’m not too worried about the individual aspect of it. As a team, I think if we all do good, the rest will take care of itself … and we’ll be a playoff team for sure.”

Celebrating Shayne Gostisbehere being the fastest Flyer defenseman to 100 points.

General manager Chuck Fletcher revamped the defense in the off- season by adding right-handed veterans Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, with a combined 209 playoff games on their resumes.

The other expected defensemen — Gostisbehere (12), Phil Myers (0), Ivan Provorov (6), and Travis Sanheim (4) — have combined to play in 22 playoff games.

Gostisbehere, mindful that Chicago and Ottawa were the only teams that allowed more goals than the Flyers (3.41 per game) last season, wasn’t surprised by the moves. 1107730 Philadelphia Flyers Is it asking a lot to expect this all from him at the start of this season? Honestly, no. We have seen time after time that he is capable of doing such things but it’s time he puts it all together. Plus, that new contract of Why Travis Konecny may be most important factor for a successful his will come in to play as well — he’ll need to bring his A-game with a Flyers season bridge deal to earn a high-value, long-term contract, or prove that he is worth the big bucks right out of the gate of being an RFA.

It’s a big year for everyone repping the orange and black, but all eyes By Brooke Destra should certainly look to Mr. Chirper himself and his possible career-best season ahead. August 21, 2019 12:55 PM

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.22.2019 While Travis Konecny is an RFA and due for a new contract before the start of the 2019-20 season, it’s important to take a look at what our expectations should be for him heading into October.

After analyzing his potential contract, Konecny and his performance since starting his professional career lingered on my mind for quite some time. He's been a key player in crucial moments but has also fallen short and we honestly never know which version of him the Flyers will get.

Konecny is just one of the many pieces in the young core who need to own their role, and while all of them finding their stride is a key factor to a possible postseason run, T.K. may be the most crucial.

Time to step up

The 22-year-old is entering his fourth season as a pro — the training wheels need to come off and it’s time for a level of productivity like we’ve never seen before. This can simply start with Konecny becoming his own player and not being as reliant on who he shares a line with.

Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier are two players who can elevate anyone on their line, which has a direct affect on Konecny’s stats. With it being far too early to predict possible lines, there is always a chance that he isn’t alongside two of the best forwards in the league.

The biggest factor in all of this is if it will knock his confidence or be a booster to advance his play even further. My hope is the latter.

A big step was needed in 2018-19 production-wise but 49 points just was not enough — only two assists separate these numbers from his in 2017- 18.

Accuracy ... and lack thereof

There’s no denying that Konecny can find his way to the net. He had the fourth-most shot attempts on the team with 182, behind only Giroux (229), Couturier (223) and Jakub Voracek (210).

The issue, however, was the level of inaccuracy and the absurd amount of times the puck found the post instead of the back of the net. He ended his season with 24 goals but if he straightened out his shot, he would’ve easily had 30-plus goals. On the surface, a few goals wouldn’t seem like a big deal but considering Couturier was the only player who reached the 30-goal mark? It would have improved the offense quietly but effectively.

New enforcement

There is no one else in the league like Wayne Simmonds and filling that gap in the roster and locker room is going to be tough. The team lost a leader, an enforcer and while there are many players stepping up in a leadership aspect, the Flyers are well beyond the bully days that once branded the franchise. With trading Radko Gudas in the offseason, the lack of physicality is shining very clearly through the current roster.

Konecny is a chirper, he is able to get under the skin of anyone he is matched up against but most importantly, he sticks up for anyone who may need backup. It’s been seen time and time again, if Simmonds or Gudas was not on the ice, Konecny would come to defend one of his teammates without hesitation.

There is the possibility of defenseman Samuel Morin making the roster but with that uncertainty comes an open opportunity for Konecny. Even though he’s one of the smaller builds on the roster at 5-foot-10, he can pack a punch.

Missing puzzle piece

This is the year we need to see just why Konecny was the 24th overall pick in his draft class back in 2015. He needs to drive play, become an asset rather than a filler on the power play, remain a force to be reckoned with — and do it consistently. 1107731 Pittsburgh Penguins

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.22.2019

Penguins assistant Bill Guerin named Wild general manager

JERRY DIPAOLA

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 2:07 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin, who won a Stanley Cup with the team as a player in 2009 and advanced within the organization to perform simultaneous front-office roles, was named the fourth general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

He will be introduced by the Wild on Thursday during a news conference.

"I just want to come in here and get better. This team can definitely get better and if we do the right things at the right time, everything is here for us to win." — Bill Guerin

Guerin has worked for the Penguins for the past eight years. He was a player-development coach for three years and assistant GM for the past five. Within his duties as Penguins assistant GM, he also had been GM of the the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since 2017, looking for depth free agents and signing players to AHL contracts.

Guerin, 48, had been a trusted assistant of Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford almost from the day he retired as one of the finest American-born players in NHL history. After he was promoted to assistant GM in 2014, the Penguins won Stanley Cups in ’16 and ’17 with Rutherford and Guerin at the helm.

“I’m happy for Bill. He’s worked toward this. He deserves the opportunity,” Rutherford said. “He’s a guy who has prepared himself for the job.”

On the other side of it, however, Rutherford said, “We lose guy in the front office who has worked closely with me.”

“He had voice in player transactions, in running Wilkes-Barre, did a good job in player development. These are areas where the other people are going to pick up the slack.”

Rutherford said he doesn’t expect fill Guerin’s position immediately.

“We’ll move the duties around. I’ll take my time,” he said.

“Right now, I feel unless somebody comes along that I haven’t thought about, I’ll think I’ll leave that assistant GM position open.”

He said the recent addition of former player Matt Cullen to the front office will help.

“The other thing where Billy had worked was talking to some players about things that he can bring to the coach (Mike Sullivan) or bring to me,” Rutherford said. “Hiring Matt Cullen was important in that area. He will work with the coaches and work with me. He’ll pick up some of Billy’s duties.”

As a player, Guerin recorded 429 goals and 427 assists over 18 seasons. Most of that time was spent with the New Jersey Devils. He played for eight teams and won the Stanley Cup twice as a player, with the Devils in 1995 and the Penguins. He’s also a three-time Olympian, representing Team USA in 1998, 2002, and ’06.

Other candidates for the Wild job reportedly included former Flyers GM Ron Hextall, current Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, former Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, New Jersey assistant Tom Fitzgerald, Columbus assistant and others.

Guerin’s clearest link to the Wild organization is via the team’s executive advisor, Mike Modano, a teammate of Guerin’s with the Dallas Stars from 2002-06.

“Bill has been a winner throughout his hockey career,” Wild owner and chairman Craig Leipold said in a statement. “I am extremely pleased to be able to add his experience to our organization and The State of Hockey.”

“Great guy, a very honest, tell-it-like-it-is guy,” Cullen told Wild.com. “He’s done a real nice job in Pittsburgh and has really good relationships with the players there.” 1107732 Pittsburgh Penguins B. Between six and 12

There are enough signs of erosion in Hornqvist’s game to think he’ll end up with a respectable but not eye-popping power-play goal total. There Penguins Predictions: Will Patric Hornqvist rediscover his power-play will still be pucks bouncing in off his shin pads, but there will be fewer prowess? pinpoint Kessel passes to cash in on and a little less ice time as Guentzel continues to grow into his role as the team’s top goal scorer.

JONATHAN BOMBULIE

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 6:01 a.m. Tribune Review LOADED: 08.22.2019

Last year, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Patric Hornqvist had a good first half and a terrible second half of the season. That cannot be debated.

He had 15 goals in 34 games when a puck to the face gave him the fourth documented concussion of his career Jan. 8. He had three goals in 35 games after returning to the lineup.

What can be discussed is the reason for the downturn.

Now 32, it’s possible that Hornqvist’s numbers plummeted because his hard-nosed style of play has begun to create wear and tear on his body that he just can’t overcome.

At the end of the season, he dismissed that idea vigorously.

“I just didn’t play well and had that slump there for a long time and it’s hard to get out of those when you get in those and it feels like you’re doing the right thing and the puck doesn’t go your way and you get frustrated and that’s probably the worst thing you can do,” Hornqvist said. “I learned a lot from this season. We didn’t have the result that we wanted as a team and for myself too, I didn’t play as good as I can.”

Hornqvist backed up his words by promptly joining Team Sweden for the World Championships in Slovakia and recording seven goals in seven games of pool play.

It was an encouraging sign for the Penguins, who will need increased production from Hornqvist on the right wing now that Phil Kessel is gone.

A good barometer to see if the rebound continues this season is Hornqvist’s power-play goal total. When he racked up 29 goals in 2017- 18, 15 of them came on the power play. Last season, he managed only six.

THE QUESTION

How many power-play goals will Patric Hornqvist score this season?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A. More than 12

While there’s no denying Hornqvist is getting older, his style of play on the power play hasn’t changed one iota. He still barrels to the front of the net, where he irritates opposing goaltenders and stands in position to score on screens, tips and rebounds. The big difference last season was his shooting percentage on the power play. Over the previous three seasons, he scored a total of 34 goals on a shooting percentage better than 20%. Last year, he managed a similar number of shots, but only 12.5% of them went in. He’s due for a big-time regression toward his career mean.

B. Between six and 12

While Hornqvist remains a strong net-front presence, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll never again rack up 15 power-play goals like he did two years ago. Most notably, who knows what the Penguins’ top power play will look like this season? It’s entirely possible that swapping out Kessel for Alex Galchenyuk will be detrimental. Also, how long can Hornqvist hold off 40-goal scorer Jake Guentzel in the battle for power- play ice time?

C. Less than six

If Hornqvist stays healthy, it’s foolish to predict he’ll score fewer than the six power-play goals he netted last season. That said, Hornqvist’s track record with concussions is serious business that must not be taken lightly. Part of his job description is taking abuse from the biggest, most physical defensemen on the opposing team while he parks himself at the top of the crease. It’s a hard place to stay healthy.

THE PREDICTION 1107733 Pittsburgh Penguins “I probably will wait for a period of time – maybe even until the end of this coming season,” Rutherford said. “I have a list of people, people in mind, but instead of giving somebody that title right now and react to it so quick, He had served as Pittsburgh's assistant GM since 2014 I would rather think about it a little bit longer and just spread out some of Billy’s duties.”

In the meantime, several members of the front office, including assistant MIKE DEFABO general manager Jason Karmanos, could pick up some of Guerin’s responsibilities. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Former center Matt Cullen, who recently joined the Penguins in a Player AUG 21, 2019 2:27 PM Development role, will also have an opportunity to contribute.

“The timing of hiring Matt Cullen is really important for us,” Rutherford Bill Guerin is dropping the “assistant” from his job title. said. “He’s going to be able to do some of those duties that Billy was doing.” The Minnesota Wild announced on Wednesday that they have hired Guerin, who previously served as a Penguins assistant general manager, That leaves two more long-term questions: How much longer does to fill their vacant general manager position. Rutherford plan on staying in his role, and could the Penguins have his replacement on staff? For years, Guerin’s name has come up to fill general manager openings, including with the Wild. Just one year ago, Guerin interviewed for the Rutherford, 70, is signed with the Penguins through the 2021-22 season. Minnesota job when the club elected to hire Paul Fenton. But when the While he shows no signs of slowing down, he is approaching the point Wild missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Minnesota where it’s fair to question how much longer the Hall of Famer will stay in fired Fenton just one season into his term, opening the door for Guerin’s the game ... or maybe not. new opportunity. Rutherford reiterated that he has no plans to step aside anytime soon. “Bill has been a winner throughout his hockey career,” Wild owner Craig “People want to keep asking me about it because of where I’m at in my Leipold said in a statement. “I am extremely pleased to be able to add his career and my age,” Rutherford said. “But I don’t think it has anything to experience to our organization and The State of Hockey.” do with anything. I’m still working here. They still want me to work here. Guerin, 48, has been Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford’s I’m still doing my job. assistant since 2014 and the top assistant since 2017. He also served as “Like I’ve told people who have been asking me that for years, I’ll be here the general manager of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes- longer than them. That’s certainly happening.” Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to that, he was a player development coach for the Penguins from 2011-14, helping to groom some of the youngsters who contributed to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Post Gazette LOADED: 08.22.2019

As a player, Guerin played 18 seasons for eight different teams and won two Stanley Cups, including one in Pittsburgh in 2009. When he retired in 2010, he ranked No. 7 all-time among U.S.-born players with 429 goals.

“I was fortunate enough to work under a lot of great people in Pittsburgh that gave me an opportunity," Guerin told the Minnesota Wild team website. "I enjoyed going through those steps and learning from everybody along the way. It's all experience and you need that experience to prepare you for this job.”

During the interview process, Minnesota reached out to Rutherford. The Penguins general manger praised Guerin’s contributions on the ice and within the front office.

“His leadership as a player and also in the front office was really important to the Penguins,” Rutherford said on the phone Wednesday night. “His development of players. His voice, working side-by-side with me on player transactions. Billy prepared himself for the position he just got. I’m very thankful for the job he did with us.”

While Rutherford was happy to see one of his assistants earn new responsibilities, Guerin’s departure creates a number of vacancies – and a few questions.

The Penguins will, eventually, have to replace Guerin's general manager duties in Wilkes-Barre and his assistant general manager responsibilities with the Penguins.

25 years later, remembering the summer of the Pittsburgh Phantoms

Rutherford said he plans to name a new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton general manager in about the next week or two. One person that Rutherford plans to consider is Mike Vellucci, who was named the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton coach in June.

Vellucci helped the capture the Calder Cup last season while serving as the AHL team’s coach and general manger. So he has considerable experience in this type of dual role.

“He’ll be one of the people I consider,” Rutherford said.

As far as filling the assistant general manager job with the Penguins, that could take considerably longer. Rutherford said he has an informal list of candidates. However, he's planning to take his time to make sure he hires the right candidate. 1107734 Pittsburgh Penguins what we witnessed last year will not only remove Malkin from that discussion, it could end the Penguins’ playoff streak.

A return to form, however, could give the Penguins one of the deepest State of the Penguins Franchise: Is this another beginning? Or the end? and most talented forward units in hockey. You know what you’re getting from Crosby. Malkin is a mystery because age is undefeated and he looked like he had lost a step last season. But this is still an all-time great By Josh Yohe player who could transform the Penguins from fringe playoff contention to a Stanley Cup contender. His talent is that special. Aug 21, 2019 Depth chart analysis

Center: As usual, this is an area of great strength for the Penguins. When the Penguins’ season came to a humiliating conclusion April 16, it Crosby remains arguably hockey’s greatest player and is only a few became apparent, perhaps for the first time, that the model franchise of months removed from a season that saw him produce 100 points while the NHL’s salary cap era had arrived at a crossroads. playing the finest defensive hockey of his career. He was a marvel, and Since 2007, the Penguins have produced 13 straight postseason the Penguins wouldn’t have sniffed a playoff spot without his brilliance. appearances, have won the Stanley Cup three times and have reached Malkin will very much be in the spotlight when training camp begins, but the Stanley Cup final four times. They’ve reached the conference final there is optimism throughout the organization that he will enjoy a bounce five times in that stretch, have manufactured four Trophies and back campaign. three Hart Trophies. They have been excellence and entertainment. During that stretch of time, no franchise, not even the Blackhawks nor the Crosby and Malkin are always going to make the Penguins’ situation at Kings, has authored such a tale during the past generation. center a good one. But having Nick Bjugstad as a No. 3 center would be a big deal for the Penguins. This is a player capable of scoring 25 goals And now, they might be done. even without playing on the top power play. Few NHL teams produce By the end of Game 4 against the Islanders last spring, the Penguins such a luxury in the form of a third-line center. Jared McCann also is a appeared to be on the same path as those Kings and Blackhawks. They natural center and fully capable of providing the Penguins with good looked lethargic, content with their feats and either unwilling or unable to minutes from the No. 3 center spot. play “the right way,” as Mike Sullivan likes to call it. Their legs have never Teddy Blueger will almost certainly begin the season as the Penguins’ looked the same since 2017, when they required 20 games in their final fourth-line center. Although the sample size last season was small, three series — three of those games went to overtime — to claim the Blueger was very good. He is an adept defensive player, a perfectly solid Cup. Two springs later, it looked and felt like the beginning of the end. penalty killer and displayed some legitimate goal-scoring touch. He But was it? The Penguins made some changes this summer and still appears to be a real keeper. boast a lineup that would make most franchises blush. They’re deeper The Penguins are absolutely loaded down the middle. now, though without Phil Kessel. They appeared to be on a similar path in 2015, only to flip the switch and author back to back championships for Left wing: This could be a strong area for the Penguins, which hasn’t the first time in two decades. Maybe they turn back time for a few more been the case for the past couple of seasons. While Jake Guentzel can years. They have earned the right to scoff at the idea their championship play either side, let’s assume he’ll see the majority of his time on the left window has closed. Starting in training camp in a few weeks, the wing. When you score 40 goals in a season and are among the all-time answers will begin to reveal themselves. leaders in playoff goals per game in league history, it’s safe to say you’re a star. Guentzel most certainly is. One of the more fascinating, unpredictable seasons in franchise history is nearly upon us. Standing at the crossroads, let’s examine the state of the Alex Galchenyuk is another player who could play on the left or right Penguins franchise. side. While Jim Rutherford said in late June he expected Galchenyuk to play on the right side, many in the organization are under the belief that Biggest on-ice question he’ll be Malkin’s left wing to start the season. Galchenyuk doesn’t Will Evgeni Malkin rise again? possess an especially high hockey IQ, but he is a skilled player and hasn’t enjoyed the luxury of playing with a player like Malkin. Expect There are plenty of other issues with the Penguins, which we will address Galchenyuk to start on Malkin’s left wing. His speed and hands should later in this article. How will Phil Kessel’s departure impact them? Can help him score around 25 goals. Matt Murray stay healthy for an entire season? What about the blue line? Can Sidney Crosby duplicate last season’s two-way brilliance? Will Mike The Penguins liked Brandon Tanev enough to give him a six-year Sullivan get his team to appear occasionally interested in playing contract. This could be a kind of player for the Penguins in defense? that he’s an excellent penalty killer, a physically abrasive player and has enough scoring touch to play on the third line. Malkin, though, is the biggest question facing these Penguins. Sure, he produced 72 points in 68 games last season, and for mere mortals, this is Zach Aston-Reese’s first two NHL seasons haven’t been bad, but they’ve a perfectly impressive season. Malkin is different and expectations for a been a bit underwhelming. The Penguins are hopeful to receive more Hall of Famer of his ilk are considerably different. He was a turnover from him. machine and a penalty waiting to happen last season. His goal-scoring Right wing: This unit won’t possibly be the same without Kessel and, touch was absent for long stretches. Perhaps the most distressing aspect while his goal-scoring at even strength was subpar last season, there’s of Malkin’s game last season was his inability to assert himself when the no way this unit will be as good without Kessel. Such players are difficult Penguins truly needed him. One of the trademarks of Malkin’s game over to replace. the years has been his ability to seemingly will the Penguins to victories. He is the rare athlete who has the ability to flip that mythical switch. I’d expect Bryan Rust and McCann to play on the right side on the top Crosby has been consistently greater throughout their respective two units. Neither player is a star, but both are eminently capable of careers, but it could be argued that Malkin is more physically gifted and performing at a high level in the top-six. that he has always showcased the ability to take over games. Then, there is Patric Hornqvist. He managed only three goals in his final Last season, however, that unteachable ability was gone. Malkin has 39 games last season after sustaining his fifth concussion in five years. trained this summer in Florida and in his native Russia. He is among the The Penguins likely will start him on the third line, and they are hopeful greatest players of his generation and a profoundly proud man. At 33, his the old Hornqvist will surface. When he’s locked in, few players are more prime years are very possibly behind him, but Malkin assuredly is very valuable for the Penguins. But he was never locked in during the second much invested on having a bounce back season. The Penguins’ fate half of the season. during the 2019-20 season depends on it. Remember, the Penguins are still largely about star power. This has always been the case. They aren’t We’ll put Dominik Kahun here. Funny thing about him is that he’s pretty going to win a battle of scoring depth or goal prevention against many comfortable at any of the forward positions. He could be the Penguins’ teams. It’s just not who they are. Malkin is still a star. But is he still one of No. 3 center or play on the left wing, but we’ll slot him here for now. I can hockey’s best 10 players? He wasn’t last season. Another season like tell you the front office is excited about Kahun’s presence in this lineup. He could literally play on any of the four lines and be effective. The Crosby and Malkin will be on the power play. So will Letang. Those are Penguins view him like Rust in this regard. the three givens. The other two spots would appear to have four candidates: Guentzel, Hornqvist, Galchenyuk and Schultz. Despite Dominik Simon is a player who I’d bet on being in the lineup when the allowing a league-leading 15 shorthanded goals last season, the season begins. He can play either wing but is generally more comfortable Penguins don’t like deploying two defensemen on the power play, so it’s on the right side. He does everything well, except for finishing. The unlikely Schultz will team with Letang. Galchenyuk is an intriguing player, possession game he creates figures to give him a sweater on opening and his shooting ability makes him a contender for the power play. night. However, from what I’ve been told, it’s most likely that Guentzel and Left defense: Brian Dumoulin is one of the NHL’s best defensemen. He is Hornqvist will play on the top unit with Crosby, Malkin and Letang. the Penguins’ best defensive player, is an under-appreciated puck-mover Figuring out the specific role for Guentzel will be a key. and simply does everything well. He is among the five most important Penguins. Dumoulin is quickly becoming one of the best and most The Penguins have finished third, first and fifth, respectively, on the dependable defensemen in franchise history. He keeps getting better. power play during the past three seasons. It has represented a major strength, and it could be aided by a second power play unit that figures to Marcus Pettersson is, at worst, a very good third-pairing defensemen showcase some combination of Schultz, Galchenyuk and Bjugstad. who quickly found a home with the Penguins. Is he a legitimate top-four player? We’re likely to find out the answer to that question at some point Penalty kill: It’s been pretty ordinary for the past three seasons, going this season. 17th, 20th and 19th, respectively, during the past three seasons. Matt Cullen, an important man on the penalty kill, is now gone. Jack Johnson was involved in trade talks with Minnesota in May. However, he remains property of the Penguins. He was much better However, Tanev is a superb penalty killer and figures to play a big role playing on his natural left side last season, but it’s clear his skating has there. The Penguins started using Crosby and Guentzel in a penalty regressed from earlier in his career. Johnson has been working feverishly killing role and likely will again this season. Partially because of this this summer. It will be interesting to gauge his form in the preseason. deployment, the Penguins finished third in the NHL by scoring 12 shorthanded goals. Juuso Riikola remains an interesting player for the Penguins. He was good enough to be a third-pairing guy last season but was more of a The Penguins’ penalty killing has been average for years and, on paper, training camp phenom than anything else during his first North American it looks like that will be the case once again. Look for Letang, season. Gudbranson, Johnson and Dumoulin to get the bulk of the penalty killing work on the back end. Forwards in this role figure to be Crosby, Right defense: Letang remains a star. He has his bad moments — the Guentzel, Rust, Tanev, McCann, Blueger and Aston-Reese. previous two postseasons weren’t so great — but remains one of the NHL’s 10 best defensemen. The Penguins, as currently constructed, In the pipeline aren’t the Penguins without him. He jumpstarts their transition game, has gotten much better on the power play in recent years and is a strong one- Center: There isn’t a ton to work with here, but Jordy Bellerive remains on-one defender. When he has a bad night, the entire arena notices. an interesting player. He dealt with considerable adversity last summer There is nothing subtle about him. But he is a special talent and must when suffering burns in a house fire. However, his development hasn’t stay healthy this season. been stunted. He is a highly skilled player with an NHL future. Otherwise, the Penguins don’t have much in the way at center in their system now What to do with Justin Schultz? He’s a good, right-handed, top-four that Blueger is a lock to make the NHL roster. defensemen. There are only so many of those guys. But he’s not a star. And he is a free agent next summer. This is a delicate situation for the Left wing: Things look pretty good here. Samuel Poulin, the first round Penguins. pick in 2019, is at least a couple of years from being NHL ready but gives the Penguins a legitimate prospect to work with. Also, the Penguins love was wonderful during his brief stint with the Penguins. Filip Hallander, their second-round pick from 2018. He is a very good He makes a lot of money ($4 million) and is no analytics darling, but even skater and projects as a power forward at the NHL level. Kasper those numbers were good following his trade from the Canucks. Can he Bjorkqvist, a second-round pick from 2016, is another player the thrive if he doesn’t play with Pettersson? Can he keep doing what he did Penguins like a lot. last season? There are questions to be asked. My opinion is that he found himself in Pittsburgh and will continue to be effective for a third- Right wing: Keep an eye on Nathan Legare. The Penguins feel like they pairing defenseman even if he makes more money than is ideal. managed an absolutely steal in the third round in June. Legare, like so many of their best forward prospects, projects as a power forward, and Chad Ruhwedel remains perfectly serviceable. he also showcases plenty of skill. He might be a good one. It’s about time to find out about Sam Lafferty, who doesn’t blow you away with skill, but Goal: Matt Murray remains the present and the future. He has one year who quietly has produced at every level. remaining on his contract but will only be a restricted free agent next summer. While Murray comes with his imperfections — his glove hand Left defense: The Penguins really like Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who was can be shaky and he needs to prove he can be durable — the Penguins acquired in the Kessel trade. He’s not yet NHL ready, but the Penguins believe the good far outweighs the bad with their 25-year-old goaltender. believe he can become a fixture on their blue line starting in a couple He was very good during the Penguins’ second-half surge last season. seasons. He’s only 20 and a former first-round pick.

Casey DeSmith figures to be the backup goalie again. He was Right defense: Calen Addison will be in the NHL someday, but he’s still in outstanding in the first half last season during Murray’s struggles but need of a couple of years of development. He’s undersized but a faded a bit in the second half. Still, he gives the Penguins a perfectly wonderful skater and loaded with skill. The second-round pick from 2018 reasonable backup. will someday be in Pittsburgh and, considering the age and contract situations of Letang and Schultz, his presence in the organization is a Tristan Jarry figures to be traded at some point before the season good thing. begins. Jim Rutherford wanted to deal him this summer but there was a limited trade market for goaltenders. He would have to clear waivers to Goal: There isn’t a lot here, but keep your eye on Emil Larmi, the 22- return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and probably wouldn’t. The Penguins year-old goaltender the Penguins signed out of Finland this summer. don’t want to lose the former second-round pick for nothing. They believe He’ll be in Wilkes-Barre this season and is a player who intrigues the he has a future as an NHL goaltender but don’t project that he would Penguins’ front office. ever exceed Murray’s level of play, which is why they’re willing to part ways with him. Salary cap watch

Special teams Well, this is a problem. A big one. The Penguins’ roster, as currently constructed, won’t look the same come opening night Oct. 3 as they are Power play: Kessel’s absence almost certainly will be felt. His vision from slightly over the salary cap. Rutherford has confirmed that he’ll be the left side of the ice made the Penguins’ power play extraordinarily making a trade between now and opening night. The most likely players good during his four seasons in Pittsburgh. It remains to be seen what to go, in no particular order of probability, are Rust, Bjugstad, Jarry, alignment Mike Sullivan will ultimately choose. Johnson and Gudbranson. Jarry alone likely wouldn’t be enough to put the Penguins under the cap. Moving forward, the salary cap situation isn’t pretty for the Penguins. Some significant contracts will come off the books next summer, including Schultz and Galchenyuk. Of course, the Penguins don’t really want to lose those players. Plus, other players — notably McCann, Murray and Kahun — figure to be making significantly more money in the next couple of years. Guentzel’s salary takes a big jump starting this season. The higher the cap goes in the future, the better for the Penguins.

Final assessment

Anyone who proclaims knowledge of how this season will go is lying to you. The Penguins are a mystery. It’s impossible to bet against Crosby leading his team to the postseason because that’s simply what he does.

It’s also impossible to ignore how disturbingly stale the Penguins looked against the Islanders last spring when, for the first time in the Crosby era, the Penguins were completely lifeless.

The Eastern Conference is frighteningly loaded. Stanley Cup contenders are clearly visible in the form of the Lightning, Maple Leafs, Bruins and Capitals. The Panthers should be good. The Sabres should be better. The Rangers and Flyers would appear to be considerably improved. The Devils are scary now. The Blue Jackets remain imposing despite having lost some talented players. What the Hurricanes did may not have been a fluke. Barry Trotz never misses the playoffs despite how unimpressive the Islanders roster may be.

This could absolutely be the season that sees the Penguins fall out of the postseason.

The smart money, however, would still appear to be on the Penguins reaching the playoffs. Crosby is Crosby, and Malkin has far too much pride to simply let last season define the latter years of his career. Plus, the Penguins are very deep up front and figure to score a ton of goals.

Issues are aplenty on this roster, but star power remains and the combination of Crosby, Malkin and Sullivan is a tough one to bet against. Stanley Cup contender? That remains to be seen. Playoff team? Yes, I believe so.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107735 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' biggest threats to winning Stanley Cup: Salary cap constraints

By Brian Witt

August 21, 2019 6:00 AM

The Sharks' top priority this offseason was getting Erik Karlsson inked to a long-term contract.

Mission accomplished, but at a significant cost -- and I'm not just referring to the $92 million Karlsson will earn over the next eight seasons.

That isn't to say Karlsson isn't worth it. He most definitely is. During San Jose's most dominant stretches last season, he was unquestionably the Sharks' best player. Had he not suffered a debilitating groin injury that severely limited him at times during the postseason, it might have been San Jose winning its first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and not the St. Louis Blues.

Karlsson is worth the contract, and certainly would have received a similar offer -- if not larger -- on the open market. When healthy, he's the best defenseman in the game.

But in order to lock up the former Norris Trophy winner to a long-term deal, the Sharks had to face a harsh reality. It simply wasn't going to be possible to sign both Karlsson and former captain Joe Pavelski to market-rate contracts. In a salary-cap league, teams are forced to make tough choices.

Karlsson is in. Pavelski is out.

Sharks general manager doesn't just chase the big fish; he's quite adept at landing them. Every team wants to have star players, but in order to have them, you have to pay for 'em.

The Sharks have a lot of big fish. Karlsson, Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Evander Kane are all making at least $7 million per season for the next six years. That's a lot of money tied up in a small portion of the roster. Add in the contracts for Timo Meier (four years, $6 million AAV), Tomas Hertl (three years, $5.25 million AAV) and Martin Jones (five years, $5.75 million AAV), and you have a pretty good idea of San Jose's core for the foreseeable future.

And that's a major threat to the Sharks' ability to win a cup anytime soon.

San Jose has 21 players signed for the upcoming season with just over $4.6 million remaining in projected cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Moving forward, though, the Sharks won't have much wiggle room.

Outside of the aforementioned core, only Marcus Sorensen, Barclay Goodrow and Dylan Gambrell are signed beyond this coming season, and all three are due to become free agents the year after that. That means that San Jose currently has just 11 players under contract for 2020-21, with only $19.5 million remaining in projected cap space to fill out the rest of the roster. Looking ahead to 2021-22, the Sharks have only eight players under contract, with $22.625 million remaining in projected cap space.

Wilson has done a tremendous job identifying undervalued lower-salaried players that have provided depth throughout so many playoff runs. He's also done well to acquire top-end talent through the draft, despite frequently being without a first-round pick. Given San Jose's salary situation, and the fact that the Sharks don't have a first, fourth or sixth- round pick in 2020, nor a second-round pick in 2021, it's essential that Wilson continues to be successful in those two areas in particular.

If he's not, the Sharks won't have the depth to compete for a Cup in the near future, no matter how many big fish they have.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107736 Toronto Maple Leafs regular season and still have an impact in the playoffs is definitely a good sign.”

At the end, the Growlers had to travel hundreds of miles west to play the Steady Tavares won't be a distraction at Leafs camp in the final. They lost coach early in the season when concussion symptoms from his playing days flared up, with John Snowden taking his place. Lance Hornby “The adversity our team faced … that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever August 22, 2019 done,” Elynuik said. “It was electric (June 4, championship night in St. John’s). Every person I’ve ever met in Newfoundland is kind, open and

they take people in. They have a lot of history there.” Listing the concerns of the Maple Leafs as training camp looms goes Elynuik was an unsigned third-round draft pick of the Hurricanes before something like this: signing with the Marlies last year. His father, Pat, won a Memorial Cup Sign Mitch Marner, mute any talk about Mike Babcock’s future, get Zach with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and played 526 NHL games. In a Hyman and Travis Dermott healthy, set a plan on defence with veteran-laden Leafs farm system, the 6-foot-5 Hudson found his groove newcomers Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci, determine a backup goalie, and with the Growlers in his first pro season, after 86 points his last junior integrate the new assistant coaches and any other recent player year with the WHL Spokane Chiefs. additions. Like the big trophy, all winners are supposed to get a day with the Kelly What the club shouldn’t fret about is John Tavares, spared scrutiny after Cup, but when it was on its Western Canadian leg this week, Elynuik was being as good as advertised in the first of his seven-year, $77-million US with the Leafs. contract. He had a team-high 47 goals, recorded 93 points (including the “We had some unreal times with it,” said Elynuik. “I’m sure guys are playoffs), and didn’t miss a game. having a good time with the Cup, their family and friends. While Tavares agreed on Wednesday during an informal workout that “I’d never won something like that before. Now my goal is to win another he’s enjoying the calm compared to one summer ago when he was talk championship. There’s no feeling like it.” of the town, that doesn’t mean he’s in cruise mode. The big men coming to camp, such as Elynuik, Marlies winger Mason He was certainly working up a sweat with a group of teammates, old and Marchment, and lanky Russian rookies Korshkov and Ilya Mikhayev new, including offensive drills with GTA pal Jason Spezza. Tavares is know they won’t be too much further ahead than peers in the job search approaching his 11th NHL season. just because they’re big. “The hunger is always there, you just appreciate it more and just don’t Marner, Andreas Johnsson and a number of prospects are under six feet, want to take any year for granted,” Tavares said. “Careers are so short.” but skate like the wind and play tough. Marchment, on the last year of an Tavares skipped much of this traditional August conditioning at the entry-level contract, relishes his villainous role, but also showed some team’s training base last year, with a wedding to get through on top of a scoring touch (double figures in goals the past two seasons, 10 tidal wave of interest that followed his leaving the New York Islanders for combined in playoffs). However, several fringe NHLers were signed by his boyhood team. the Leafs at bargain prices in late July to keep the camp battles interesting. Now he’s strictly channeling adrenalin toward the Oct. 2 season-opener against Ottawa in hopes he and the 36-year-old Spezza set good “My hands in tight are pretty good, but I have to keep working on that,” examples this month for rookies such as Yegor Korshkov and Jeremy Marchment said. “It’s going to come down to me playing my game. I like Bracco, who practised with the vets on Wednesday. (job) competition. I’m ready.”

“It’s great, it gets you excited again that camp and the season are around the corner,” he said. “We want to get back at it, build off of last year (100 Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.22.2019 points, but another first-round playoff loss), have a better ending.

“Whether it’s guys we’ve acquired who’ve already established themselves or even a lot of our prospects, it’s big. As I play more in the league, you think about when you were young and how these guys are excited to be out here with a lot of the veterans.

“It really pushes guys like myself, because you see (younger players’) development and skill set. You work with them, find ways to get better and develop chemistry, culture and an identity within the organization, top to bottom, to have a team that’s going to be good a long time.”

Though both are centres, Tavares and Spezza had some nice puck exchanges on Wednesday, evident of their long pre-Leafs period as summer training partners. There’s also a nice balance of sweater numbers, Tavares’ 91 and Spezza’s 19.

“I’ve known Jason a long time and have a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person,” said Tavares. “He’s a great father, great family guy. His presence will be big for us in the long term, especially losing Patty (Marleau) and Ron (Hainsey).”

In case you forgot, the Leafs are going on 53 years without a Stanley Cup.

But for the second straight camp, they’ll benefit from players who had short summers after winning a minor-league title. After the Marlies hoisted the Calder Cup in 2018, the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers won the . Growlers expected at camp this year include big centre Hudson Elynuik.

“Any time you get a chance to go that far in playoffs and win a championship, it’s going to help in different areas,” said Elynuik, another early arrival to the summer skates. “Being able to get through a long 1107737 Toronto Maple Leafs And yet, Marner is not Nylander. He’s more proven as a player. And he also might be more self-motivated.

No two players are the same. While Nylander struggled to keep up with TRAIKOS: Experts agree Leafs' Marner will be behind if he misses camp the pace of the NHL upon his return, Montreal’s Shea Weber also came back in December and never missed a step.

Michael Traikos A couple of years ago, Johnny Gaudreau missed camp because of a contract negotiation and ended up with a career-worst 18 goals and 61 August 21, 2019 4:40 PM EDT points in 72 games. Of course, that same year Anaheim’s Rickard Rakell also missed the first 10 games of the NHL season. When he returned, he

hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. A year after William Nylander sat out the first two months of the season Many years earlier, Pavel Bure scored twice in his season debut on Jan. due to a prolonged contract stalemate, Mitch Marner is apparently 20 following a contractual holdout and a trade to the Florida Panthers. He heading down a similar path. There are reports that he and the Leafs ended up scoring 13 goals and adding three assists in 11 games. might not sign a new deal until the start of the season — when the team can officially activate $10.55-million in available cap space for the injured “I don’t think Mitch is Pavel, but he’s not far off,” said former NHLer Jeff David Clarkson and Nathan Horton — forcing him to miss all of training O’Neill. “How the hell could training camp be that important when guys camp. are saying they don’t want to get hurt in pre-season games?”

If so, Marner is reportedly planning on spending those two weeks with a Even Nichol admits that training camp isn’t as important as it used to be. team in Switzerland. In the past, players used the two-week camp to literally toss out their smokes and get in shape for the season. Today, with players skating and It’s not an unusual decision. Nylander also trained away from the Leafs, training year-round, it can be a nuisance more than anything. preferring to skate briefly with a pro team out of Austria. But ultimately, it didn’t do him much good. “The first couple of days of camp is a bit of a gong show,” said Nichol, citing the team-mandated fitness tests. “You don’t know if these guys are When he finally signed a contract and returned to the NHL on Dec. 6, he auditioning for the Navy Seals or NHL. It might be more detrimental than was nowhere close to the player the Leafs had expected (and paid beneficial.” generously for), finishing with just seven goals and 27 points in 54 games.

That’s the fear now with Marner. And it’s not just a Toronto problem. Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.22.2019 The number of restricted free agents still without contracts is something the league has never seen before. With less than a month to go before the start of the training camp, there is a real possibility that several impact players, including Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy and several more will be sitting out.

Some will get deals done before the season eventually begins. But even if it’s for a week or a day or two, spending training camp away from your team — whether you’re working out in Austria, Switzerland or in Toronto — is far from ideal.

“As far as getting into four pre-season games, it’s a huge prepper for the season,” said former NHL forward Colby Armstrong. “It really, really is. To miss that is tough. There’s no doubt about that.”

The team Marner is reportedly interested in joining, Zurich SC, is the same one that Auston Matthews played for in 2015-16 and includes several former NHLers, such as Dominic Moore, Kevin Klein and Drew Shore. According to ex-coach Marc Crawford, the Swiss league is “a better league than the AHL.”

Marner will skate with pros. He’ll work out with them. He’ll stay in shape. But it won’t be the same as the NHL.

“There’s a different philosophy in terms of the workouts and the style of workouts,” said Armstrong. “There’s a lot of Olympic lifting, squats and cleans. I don’t know what it will be like in Switzerland, but the day to day workload is competitive and tough.”

Beyond that, he won’t be around his teammates — or current NHLers, for that matter.

There is something to be said about competing with like-minded players who have the same goals and expectations as yourself. Marner won’t be taking passes from linemate John Tavares. He won’t be challenging Morgan Rielly or Jake Muzzin to one-one-one battles. He’ll essentially be training by himself.

As motivated a player as Marner is, that’s a dangerous proposition for a team needing him and Tavares to build on the 73 goals and 182 points they combined for last season.

“There’s nothing I can say that’s better than watching a guy do one more rep than you,” said BioSteel founder Matt Nichol, who spent several years as the Leafs’ strength and conditioning coach. “You need to be competing against other guys like that. They might have been training all summer. But if you’re by yourself, you can’t replicate being together with 20 or 30 NHL guys who are competing as hard as you.” 1107738 Toronto Maple Leafs In his four seasons at Yale, Agostino finished with 41 points in 37 games in his junior year. Yale won the national championship that season.

After four seasons, Agostino signed a two-year entry-level contract with Moving man: Kenny Agostino believes he’s the right fit for the Maple the Calgary Flames just two days after Yale was eliminated in the ECAC Leafs quarterfinals. His rights had been traded from the Penguins as part of the deal.

By Joshua Kloke And just four days after signing a contract, Agostino was playing his first NHL game against the Nashville Predators. After four seasons playing a Aug 21, 2019 “rougher, grinding” game in NCAA, he was astounded at how “clean and precise” the NHL was. He was minus-one with no shots on goal in his

debut. Agostino finished the season with the Flames, but wouldn’t play Daniel Tkaczuk lost count of how many times he’d give Kenny Agostino another NHL game for almost two years. that look. The first time Ryan Huska saw Agostino play he did a double-take. As Early in the winger’s lone season with the AHL’s , the head coach of the Adirondack Flames he knew Agostino was skilled, Agostino would often forgo the safe play, instead trying to force the high but he wasn’t sure just how skilled. risk, high reward one. “Sneaky skill,” Huska, now an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames, When it wouldn’t pan out, Tkaczuk, the Wolves assistant coach at the said. time, would fix his glare and Agostino would nod his head. “He has that uncanny ability to find open ice and do things that people “The next time, he’d make the play,” said Tkaczuk. aren’t expecting to be done.”

Agostino didn’t need to reply. He’d been getting a variation of Tkaczuk’s In his first full pro season, Agostino was scoring just fine as he led a bad look throughout his career. With his high-end skill, it was the type of play Adirondack team in scoring with 43 points in 67 games. Huska said the he was convinced he could always make. coaching staff saw him as the player who was able to produce most consistently. “Kenny tried to make a home run play everywhere,” said Tkaczuk. On the other side of the continent was a Calgary Flames team that had But it’s not for skill alone that the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Agostino four defencemen in its top eight scorers. as a free agent last month. They see something that perhaps the other teams he’s been with have not. So, Agostino wondered: Why am I not getting called up?

And Agostino is hoping to prove that his stay with the Leafs, his 10th “The line between a player going from the AHL to the NHL is sometimes team in five seasons, should be a long one. very, very small,” Huska said.

Head coach Bruce Shatel wasn’t sure what to make of Agostino when he Agostino led his AHL team in scoring again next season, but save for a arrived as a freshman trying out for the hockey team at the Delbarton two-game call up in March, his phone didn’t ring. School in Morristown, New Jersey in 2006. According to Shatel, Agostino So, Agostino wondered: What am I missing? wasn’t an impressive skater and stood at “maybe 5-foot-2, 120 pounds.” He began to think back to what Allain was trying to instill in him about Agostino said even that assessment is generous. being well rounded. There was enough young skill in Calgary, with “(I was) 5-foot-nothing,” said Agostino. “I was the smallest kid on every Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan having established themselves as team I played on my whole life up until high school. I was the definition of full-time NHLers. a late bloomer.” Could Agostino be something more than just a point producer? A few practices later, Shatel had his answer. Agostino, he realized, was “You realize in a hurry that there’s a lot of skilled guys around you,” blessed with hands that could make plays in tight areas, and that his Huska said. “So you have to add to your game and do a lot of other hockey IQ was “exceptional.” things really well.” From a young age, Agostino learned to play a shifty game to Agostino called it an epiphany: He had been an offensive weapon his accommodate for his frame. His low centre of gravity allowed him to keep entire life. But to make it to the NHL, he would have to accept his role as the puck low in the offensive zone longer than coaches expected, and his a bottom six forward, provide depth when needed and commit to playing ability to create offence out of nowhere, was, according to Shatel, a hard-nosed, two-way style of hockey. “crazy.” His coaches understood he had been raised to score points. “It’s something you can work on as a player, but you either have it or you don’t,” he said. “But we wanted to see him take some pride in killing penalties or be on the ice in the last minute of play,” Huska said. Agostino eventually grew to 5-foot-11 and became Delbarton’s all-time leading scorer. In his senior year, he scored four goals in the state final to Agostino was nearing his 23rd birthday. The NHL was already skewing finish the season with 50 goals and 83 points in 27 games. younger. His runway was shortening.

“No one’s ever gonna sniff that,” said Shatel. “If I have a guy score 20, The St. Louis Blues took a chance on Agostino as a free agent with a that’s a solid year.” one-year, $625,000 contract but again assigned Agostino to the AHL to start the season. After winning his third straight state championship in his senior year, Agostino was drafted in the fifth round by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He Agostino implemented his new approach. He looked to his teammates briefly entertained the idea of turning pro, but the offer to play at Yale and began making simple passes instead of trying to carry the puck on University was too tempting. his own. His work off the puck, particularly when forechecking, became evident. The more engaged he became defensively, the more chances At Yale, head coach Keith Allain said he didn’t want to utilize Agostino in he ended up generating in the offensive zone. just one area of the ice, especially since he was playing against older, stronger players. He wanted Agostino playing in the offensive zone just With the Chicago Wolves, Agostino would go on to finish the 2016-17 as much as the defensive zone. season with 83 points in 65 games, leading the AHL in scoring and winning the Les Cunningham Award as AHL MVP. “His skating improved, his defensive game improved, his consistency improved, and he matured as a young man and grew to realize the work Once Agostino found a healthy balance between his work on and off the ethic and approach needed if he was to make hockey a career,” Allain puck, Tkaczuk noticed a difference. said. “We didn’t want to take his ability to make reads away,” Tkaczuk said. “It’s where I grew up,” Agostino said of his time at Yale. “His willingness to open up helped.” But it was the seven-game call-up with the Blues in February that provided him with the confidence he could eventually compete in the NHL.

After signing another one-year deal, this time with the Boston Bruins, another AHL stint with the Providence Bruins followed the next season. By 2018-19, the Montreal Canadiens had seen enough to sign him to another one-year contract and make him a mainstay on their roster from November on. Even after being waived by the Canadiens in February, Agostino maintained a level head.

“You have to look at everything as an opportunity,” said Agostino of his time bouncing from organization to organization.

The New Jersey Devils claimed Agostino off waivers and he rewarded them with nine points in 15 games in March as he bounced between lines. He was dependable, and didn’t become discouraged by yet another curveball in his career.

As The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler noted in his assessment of Agostino, the new Leaf now favours the simple play and offers the kind of stability Mike Babcock requires from his bottom six forwards. Gone is his propensity to make high-risk plays. Agostino believes he’s proven his game has evolved over his 63 NHL games last season.

The two-year deal with the Leafs is his first multi-year contract since his entry-level deal signed in 2014. Agostino believes the audition to become an NHL player is over. He’s realized the “home run play” is a hallmark of his past.

“Sometimes the smart play is to get a puck in deeper,” Agostino said. “That’s really where I started to grow in the last couple of years.”

The Leafs could very well get the best of both worlds with Agostino.

If the departures this summer from the Leafs roster have taught us anything, it’s that the -led Leafs are all-in on skill. It’s for that reason that Agostino could have a home, in some form, on the Leafs roster.

And if the forward is ready to accept a position on the fourth line and be responsible defensively, he may earn Babcock’s trust early.

He’ll have to prove himself to an entirely new coaching staff, yet again. But if Agostino is betting on himself, that’s a bet he’s more comfortable than ever making.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 1107739 Vegas Golden Knights However, I believe Stone will surpass that mark due to improved linemates and heavy minutes on the Golden Knights top power play unit. In 25 games with Vegas last season (including the playoffs) Stone scored Place your bets: A look at all of Vegas’ prop bets for the Golden Knights 11 goals, which is on pace for 36 over a full 82-game season.

Mark Stone, left, and Max Pacioretty combined to score 11 goals in seven playoff games last season. (Stan Szeto/USA Today) By Jesse Granger Max Pacioretty regular-season goals: 27.5 Aug 21, 2019 After Vegas traded Tomas Tatar, top prospect Nick Suzuki and a second- round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for Pacioretty, the veteran winger had a somewhat disappointing debut season for the Golden Knights. There are still 25 days until the Golden Knights take the ice for the first preseason game, Sept. 15, against the Arizona Coyotes. There are 44 Pacioretty battled multiple injuries throughout the year, and finished with days until they play their next meaningful game — the regular season only 22 goals — his second-fewest in his last six seasons. Prior to the home opener against the hated San Jose Sharks on Oct. 2. 2017-18 season, Pacioretty had strung together four consecutive seasons with more than 30 goals. After a down year with Montreal (17 Training camp is still a few weeks away, and it’s extremely early to be goals), and an underwhelming start in Vegas, the question remains making full-season predictions, but that isn’t stopping the world’s most whether Pacioretty has simply declined as a player or if he’s able to famous sportsbook — the Westgate SuperBook — from posting its bounce back. hockey proposition bets for the upcoming season. Betting on hockey has skyrocketed in Las Vegas since the introduction of the Golden Knights, He will play top-six minutes, and should receive quite a bit of time on the and in response the SuperBook has added a plethora of Golden Knights- power play, so the chances to reach 28 goals will be there. He scored specific wagers fans can make. five goals in only seven playoff games, which could be a preview of what’s to come. I’ll try to break each prop bet down, analyzing which side is more likely to happen this year in Vegas, starting with team totals and working my way Verdict: Under to individual player props. Luszczyszyn’s projections expect Pacioretty to match his 2018-19 total Golden Knights total regular-season points: 102.5 with 22 goals, and that feels pretty spot on. Even if Pacioretty does exceed expectations, I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to reach a lofty total of The oddsmakers are projecting a major improvement from the Golden 28. Knights this season, setting their regular-season point total at a whopping 102.5. That’s tied for the second-highest in the entire NHL, behind only William Karlsson regular-season goals: 24.5 Tampa Bay at 108.5. Here’s a look at the rest of the Pacific Division. Karlsson’s line is set right where he finished the 2018-19 season, with 24 These odds see the Golden Knights running away with the Pacific goals. Division, which would be a stark difference from last season when Vegas finished in third place, 14 points behind Calgary. The Golden Knights top center suffered the heavy dropoff many expected after his breakout season with 43 goals in 2017-18. The In order to hit the over on this bet, Vegas will have to improve 10 points question now becomes: Is Karlsson closer to the 43-goal scorer from two from last season despite not adding much during the offseason. The years ago, or the 24-goal scorer from last season? Golden Knights lost Erik Haula, Colin Miller, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Ryan Carpenter, without adding a single player who’s a surefire NHL I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle. Karlsson is unlikely to player. ever top 40 goals again, as it took an astronomical shooting percentage of 23.4 to make that happen, but he played well enough to score more On the other side of the coin, Vegas is also likely to have No. 1 than 24 last season. The center had the second-most high danger defenseman Nate Schmidt (last year he was suspended the first 20 scoring chances on the team with 90. games) and top winger Mark Stone (acquired at last season’s trade deadline) for the entire schedule this time around. In the 62 games after Verdict: Over Schmidt’s return, Vegas went 43-32-7, which extrapolated over 82 Karlsson will likely center the Golden Knights top line, and top power play games would be 100.5 points. Much closer to the set total for the 2019- unit. He continues to adapt to a top-six role after playing only checking- 20 season. It’s an extremely small sample size, but in the 19 regular- line minutes in Columbus, and this season should be another good one season games Stone played for Vegas the team went 11-6-2, which is on for the Swede. Luszczyszyn’s projections have him soaring over the 24.5 pace for 103.5 points over 82 games. total with 29 goals.

Verdict: Under Jonathan Marchessault regular-season goals: 24.5

With a full season of Stone and Schmidt, the Golden Knights are very Just as overinflated shooting percentages are likely to regress back to likely a better team than a year ago, but betting on a 10-point the mean, so should surprisingly low shooting percentages. In 2018-19 improvement despite no real offseason additions isn’t wise. The betting Marchessault led the Golden Knights in shots, and it wasn’t close. The market seems to agree, considering the line opened at 103.5 and has 28-year-old winger took 278 shots on goal and the next closest player on already been bet down to 102.5. Vegas was Shea Theodore with only 202.

Mark Stone regular-season goals: 31.5 Unfortunately for Marchessault, he scored on only nine percent of those Stone scored a career-high 33 goals last season, and did the majority of shots (his 25 goals were still good enough to lead the team). In 2016-17 it playing on the worst team in hockey. Marchessault shot 15.5 percent to score 30 goals, and in 2017-18 he shot 10.1 percent to score 27. Stone’s most common linemates during his time with the Senators last season were Colin White and Brady Tkachuk — both were playing their Verdict: Over first full season in the NHL. Now in Vegas, Stone will have the It’s likely Marchessault shoots over 10 percent this season, and with the opportunity to play with some combination of , William power play minutes he receives he is likely to top 24.5 goals for the Karlsson, Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. fourth straight season. Luszczyszyn’s projection has him at 28 goals, That’s obviously a major upgrade in surrounding talent regardless of which is closer to what I’d expect from Marchessault. which combination coach Gerard Gallant lands on. In his second full NHL season in 2018-19, Alex Tuch scored a career- Stone has scored at least 20 goals for five straight seasons, and at the high 20 goals and 52 points. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today) age of 27 he is expected to have his best season yet in 2019-20. Alex Tuch regular-season goals: 19.5 Verdict: Over Unlike the forwards listed above, Tuch’s 2019-20 goal output is heavily According to The Athletic’s analytics expert Dom Luszczyszyn, Stone is dependant on his linemates. Vegas’ top six projects to be one of the best projected to fall short of the 31.5 total with only 29 goals this season. in the NHL, but as of now Tuch may be the seventh forward who gets left games in eight different seasons, and his average win total during those off the top two lines. years is 37.25 (he’s never won less than 34 games in a season in which he played at least 60 games). Last season Tuch played 385 minutes of even-strength hockey with Cody Eakin as his center, and the duo had an on-ice Corsi percentage of only But after Fleury’s late-season injury, and solid but unspectacular play in 49.26, and were dominated in high danger scoring chances 69-51. the postseason, it would make sense for him to sit more this season in However, in the 412 minutes of even-strength hockey Tuch played with favor of backup Malcolm Subban to conserve his energy for what Vegas Stastny as his center, the two had a tremendous on-ice Corsi percentage hopes is a long playoff run. of 57.68 and a massive 101-64 advantage in high danger scoring chances. According to Luszczyszyn’s projections, if Fleury plays 60 games his expected wins are 34. If he plays 55 games that drops to 31 (a half win In the last two seasons in Vegas, Tuch’s goals, shot attempts and below the total) and if he plays only 50 games his expected wins are only scoring chances are all higher when he isn’t on the third line with Eakin. 28. He could be the first player to be elevated to a top-six role when injuries occur, but is that enough to wager he’ll match or top his 20-goal output Verdict: Under from last year? If the Golden Knights can avoid falling into the early season hole they did Verdict: Stay away a year ago, they won’t have to ride Fleury quite as hard as they did in 2018-19. By playing Subban more often, it will allow Fleury to maintain If the Golden Knights had held onto Nikita Gusev, the third line may have his phenomenal play well into April, May and possibly June. I lean under been a potent one. As it currently stands, Tuch may suffer from not because I believe that will happen. If you think Fleury will play 60-plus playing with the talent on the top two lines. Luszczyszyn’s projections games again, by all means take the over. currently have Tuch at 19 goals, which is almost exactly where the oddsmakers have him. There are too many outside factors, and if Tuch All of the bets above are at the standard betting line of minus-110, wins a top-six job in camp he would likely easily top this number. meaning you must bet $110 in order to profit $100. In order to win more Because of that I suggest avoiding this bet, it’s a great line. money for the same wager, you must increase the odds. The Westgate SuperBook allows bettors to do that by choosing which player will lead Reilly Smith regular-season goals: 17.5 the Golden Knights in goals. Here are the odds:

Sports bettors are often familiar with the “bounce-back effect” in the NBA playoffs. It’s a strategy where bettors wager on whichever side lost the most recent game in a series, hoping they’ll bounce back with a win (or at The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 least cover the spread) in the following game. It’s a strategy that has proven successful over time, though not as much recently.

Why am I writing about the NBA? Because Smith’s career goal numbers have been consistently up and down, alternating between good and bad years every other season. Over the last six years, Smith has scored 20, 13, 25, 15, 22 and 19 goals.

Using that pattern, Smith is due for another 20-plus goal season in 2019- 20. However, there were short stretches in 2018-19 where Gallant moved Smith to a smaller role, and if Tuch does steal a top-six job in camp (or at any point during the season) Smith is the most likely candidate to lose ice time.

Verdict: Over

All of the numbers point to this being an easy “over” bet. Luszczyszyn’s projections have him at 22, and he has scored more than 17.5 goals in four of the last six seasons. However, there’s always the chance his role is reduced, which means this isn’t a slam dunk.

Paul Stastny regular-season goals: 14.5

This number is low due to Stastny’s abbreviated 2018-19 season, where he missed nearly two months with a leg injury. However, Stastny scored 13 goals in only 50 games last season.

Yes he’s getting up there in age at 33, but Stastny’s injury was a fluke accident where a diving player rolled under his leg, and he hasn’t shown a tendency for injuries to this point. The previous year he played all 82 games, and he’s averaged 68 games played over the last six years. Add in the fact that Stastny’s production skyrocketed when Stone was added at the deadline, and this looks like an easy “over” bet.

Verdict: Over

In 24 games with Stone in the lineup Stastny scored eight goals. That’s a pace of 27 goals in an 82 game season. While it’s highly unlikely Stastny reaches that total, he nearly topped the line of 14.5 goals in 50 games last year. Numbers say Stastny will land right around 18 goals, which is what Luszczyszyn’s model projects.

The Golden Knights are expected to be very good this year, and should compete for a division title. If they reach the Westgate’s point total of 102.5 points, it means they’ll likely have somewhere between 45 and 48 wins as a team.

How many of those go to Fleury? It will be up to the way Gallant and goalie coach Dave Prior decide to handle his workload. Last season Fleury played 61 games, and led the entire NHL in games played and ice time prior to a late-season injury to his back. If he receives that type of workload again, he will fly past this total. Fleury has played at least 60 1107740 Washington Capitals JJ Regan: Not every underdog matches up. This one is a blowout.

Ryan Billie: I didn’t know that was allowed, kicking it out of his hands. Very resourceful. Capitals Goal of the Year Bracket: Oshie's Kung Fu kick vs Ovechkin's snipe Rob Carlin: Yeah, this is just an overmatched MAAC team going up against Duke or Kentucky. To quote Dickie V - Its blowout city, baby!

Staff Report Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.22.2019 By NBC Sports Washington

August 21, 2019 11:00 AM

With less than a month before training camp opens in mid-September, we are taking one last look back at the 2018-19 season as we dive into the best goals of last year. We compiled our bracket based on the cumulative rankings of our Capitals team, from reporters to producers and everyone in between, and now is your turn to help us determine the best Capitals goal of 2018-19. Below is a Slack conversation between the members of our Capitals content team. jmurph: Day 3 of our Goal of the Year bracket pitting T.J. Oshie’s kung-fu kick goal from Game 2 of the First Round last year against Carolina and an Alex Ovechkin slot snipe against the Avalanche. Where shall we start?

JJ Regan: First, I want to here from McNally who had this Ovechkin goal ranked 5th. To me, I would put both Ovechkin's one-timer (No. 16) and Vrana's goal (No. 15) over this one.

So please, defend yourself

Rob Carlin: Here?? Really JJ?? Let’s work on your grammar before taking shots at McNally.

Don’t you write for a living??

JJ Regan: I am not a morning person.

Mourning person

Missed opportunity jmurph: well Brian, what do you have to say for yourself? bmcnally: I also am not a morning person and probably watched the video at 8am. There's my excuse.

Rob Carlin: I’m stunned this Ovi goal even made the list. It’s pedestrian for him. bmcnally: It's still pretty, pretty good. It's not 5th. It's a nice move to cut to the middle and I think we're underrating the shot

JJ Regan: Let's be clear, it's a good goal. A fine goal. Impressive in fact. But it had no business coming up against TJ Oshie's kung fu kick. bmcnally: But I'll concede this could probably go on the "Worst goals allowed by the Colorado Avalanche in 2018-19" list and not this list

Ryan Billie: It’s a fine goal. Seen it tho a million times.

Rob Carlin: I love the Oshie goal. But the whole thing is Matt Niskanen’s pass through the neutral zone. It’s a thing of beauty. Sure, Osh finished in style. But that outlet was perfection. bmcnally: And to be fair....I don't think I ranked it ahead of T.J. Oshie's goal. If I did I had a brain injury that day. The kung fu kick is an all timer for me. I love its so much jmurph: this is true, you ranked the Oshie goal #1 on your list

JJ Regan: What makes it even better was that it was against Justin Williams who seemed to take that entire series personally. Pro athletes always find ways to motivate themselves so maybe that was just his way of pumping himself up for the series, but I loved Oshie kicking the stick right out of his hands. jmurph: Agreed, even thinking about sticking your leg up is something most wouldn't come close to attempting in a playoff game. To try it, and successfully knock the stick out of Justin's hands is something else bmcnally: The reaction to the kung fu kick is great, too. Like he wants to argue with the ref or have some penalty called but instead just goes "Aw, hell that was ridiculous." 1107741 Washington Capitals It could be the most scrutinized and intense battle in camp. The competition could also be influenced by Kempny’s health and salary cap considerations. The Caps are currently more than $1.3 million over the Confident and healthy, prospect Jonas Siegenthaler aims to secure a full- cap, according to CapFriendly’s calculations, and Siegenthaler is not time job with the Capitals subject to waivers.

Siegenthaler, though, says he’s just worried about what he can control.

By Tarik El-Bashir And that’s outperforming the others.

Aug 21, 2019 “I know there are young guys behind me pushing for a spot,” Siegenthaler said. “I just have to go into this camp and show what I’m capable of and what I can do on the ice, off the ice. It’s going to be a battle the whole camp, and I’m going to show what I can.” ARLINGTON, Va. — Jonas Siegenthaler arrived in Washington on Monday, more than three weeks before the start of Capitals’ training Suiting up for — and performing solidly in — the last four playoff games camp and about two weeks earlier than he usually does. gave him a needed shot of confidence. Now, he’s got to bring that newfound confidence to camp. Why? “I have (to) show every day that I want to be the dominant guy in every Simple: the next month and a half represents the most critical stretch of drill,” he said. “If I have a one-on-one battle, I have (to) be the dominant Siegenthaler’s burgeoning NHL career. The 22-year-old defenseman guy and win that battle.” intends to be as prepared as possible to seize the opportunity that’s in front of him.

“That’s the reason why I came here early,” he told The Athletic. “I want to The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 work as hard as I can — and be on the ice as much as I can — before training camp starts.”

Siegenthaler and goalie Braden Holtby are the latest to join the growing group of players skating at MedStar Capitals Iceplex each weekday morning. On Wednesday, the crew included veterans John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Lars Eller as well as prospects Alex Alexeyev, Ilya Samsonov, Joe Snively, and Bobby Nardella. (Michal Kempny, who is coming off a hamstring injury that required season-ending surgery in April, was also at the facility but he did not go on the ice.)

The informal practices are a step up in intensity for Siegenthaler, who had been working out and rehabbing (more on that later) in his native Switzerland this offseason. Strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish runs the practices, which feature skills, scrimmages, timed intervals, and off-ice workouts.

With ice hard to find back home this time of year as the pro leagues start up, Siegenthaler said his best option for ramping up his conditioning was to come to D.C. He figured the sessions would also be a good test for his surgically repaired knee.

Siegenthaler hurt himself last summer but gutted through some soreness and discomfort last season. After the Caps’ first-round ouster, though, the decision was made for Siegenthaler to have the knee repaired.

“There was a little piece of meniscus that was getting into my joint when I was moving it,” Siegenthaler said of the previously undisclosed injury. “It wasn’t like that bad. The only thing was I couldn’t straighten my leg.”

After rehabbing the knee this summer in Arlington immediately following the procedure and at home in June and July, Siegenthaler said he’d focused on regaining his normal skating stride on the right side.

“The whole summer I had to get used to using my leg again because I haven’t straightened it like the whole season,” he said.

Two practices in, Siegenthaler says the knee feels strong.

“It’s good now,” he said. “Not bothering me any.”

Now that he’s healthy again, Siegenthaler said he’s ready to zero in on his next task: earning a full-time job in the NHL with the team that selected him in the second round (57th overall) of the 2015 draft.

After appearing in 34 regular-season games with AHL Hershey and 26 with the Caps in 2018-19, Siegenthaler replaced Christian Djoos in the lineup following Game 3 vs. the Hurricanes in the opening round of the playoffs. Siegenthaler didn’t come back out and, thus, he’s expected to get the first crack at securing a spot on the left side of the third pair, presumably alongside newcomer Radko Gudas.

But Siegenthaler is not the only player eyeing that job.

Djoos, who was awarded a one-year, $1.25 million contract in arbitration last month, figures to be in the mix. The team is also intrigued by Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary, who were selected in the first and second rounds, respectively, in 2018. (Alexeyev, by the way, also arrived in D.C. early in the hopes of giving himself every possible edge.) 1107742 Winnipeg Jets all situations and averaged about 20 minutes of ice time per game paired with Logan Stanley or Cam Schilling.

In mid-March, following a 5-4 overtime loss to the Texas Stars, Vincent Poolman hears opportunity knocking on Jets' blue line said, "Tucker Poolman was playing like he was in the wrong league. He was outstanding."

By: Jason Bell The former University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks standout had a pair of assists that night, and was in the midst of registering two goals Posted: 08/21/2019 3:07 PM and five assists in seven contests.

"It was just good to be playing again," said Poolman. "I thought I developed and got better throughout the year. It was about the minutes The 26-year-old defenceman is heading into training camp with the and playing in all situations, compared to the year before. You can work opportunity to fill one of two gaping holes on the Winnipeg Jets' blue line on so much when you’re playing, and you have a little more leash to do after Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot found significantly greener pastures things and see your limits. You’re playing so much, you get more elsewhere in NHL free agency last month. confident, you make more plays and you get better." The native of East Grand Forks, Minn., who split last season between the Poolman said he credits the very men he hopes to help replace with Manitoba Moose and the American Hockey League club's injured list, aiding in his NHL readiness. would like to swap his Moose jersey for one bearing the Jets' logo for good. He played 24 games for the Jets in the 2017-18 campaign. "(Myers and Chiarot) are great guys. When I played with them they were so helpful as veteran guys, talking to me and just being able to watch Poolman isn't planning to make any major revisions to the way he them work. They were great to learn from," he said. approaches his craft. "Sitting next to them in the locker room, talking about whatever it might "On a personal level, it’s definitely exciting. But you still have to go out be, you just glean things from every conversation. I just enjoy being there and earn it. Show results, show what type of player you can be," he around guys like that." said Wednesday, during an informal skate at the Iceplex. "At the end of the day it’s just like my first two years trying to make it, taking care of my business and showing that I can do things on a consistent basis." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 08.22.2019 The 6-4, 215-pound mobile blue-liner, who missed Manitoba’s final eight games of the 2018-19 regular season with an ankle injury, spent the spring and early summer healing up at home and resumed skating in early July. He arrived in Winnipeg about 10 days ago and will skate daily for a couple of weeks before enjoying a week at home ahead of camp next month.

Winnipeg has six veteran D-men in the fold: and Neil Pionk, both right-handed, and Josh Morrissey, Nathan Beaulieu, Dmitry Kulikov and Anthony Bitetto, all left shooters. Cash is tight, and with forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor still to be signed it’s unlikely general manager can shop for defensive help at this stage of the off-season.

That adds to Poolman's attractiveness; he's a right-shot defenceman who is in the second year of a three-year contract (average annual value of US$775,000).

A cheap price tag doesn’t guarantee employment with the big club, but sound reads and physical play in the defensive zone, sharp passes and heady offensive decisions certainly help as he battles Sami Niku, a skilled but slight, left-shot blue-liner, and the journeyman Bitetto for work on the third pairing.

Poolman, a fifth-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, demonstrated a simple but effective approach during a small sample size in 2017-18 when he replaced then-injured and now-departed Jacob Trouba. But his development was likely hampered some because he had a regular seat in the press box for weeks at a time instead of performing in the AHL.

“(Myers and Chiarot) are great guys. When I played with them they were so helpful as veteran guys, talking to me and just being able to watch them work. They were great to learn from. Sitting next to them in the locker room, talking about whatever it might be, you just glean things from every conversation. I just enjoy being around guys like that.”

— Tucker Poolman

In his second pro season, Poolman suited up for just 43 games with the Jets’ minor-league affiliate — shelved for nearly two months due to the lingering effects of a concussion and whiplash suffered Nov. 23, and later the ankle trouble – but still earned the team award for "best defender."

Neck pain was a greater concern than any cognitive symptoms, he said.

"It was my first concussion. It was more of a stiff neck for a few months and it just wouldn’t let go. I was with a chiropractor and saw a few doctors. It was a weird thing. Other than that, I felt really good after, no problems reading or watching TV," he said. "It’s tough not being healthy enough to go out there and play."

He was finally cleared to return to the ice on Jan. 12, and Moose head coach Pascal Vincent gave him plenty of responsibility. He was used in 1107743 Vancouver Canucks million cap ceiling and then get creative to be cap compliant by opening day of the regular season.

At least there are no lingering health concerns with Boeser. He competed Ben Kuzma: Canucks hoping to get Boeser contract extension done again in the annual Da Beauty League in Edina, Minn. this summer — before camp opens playmaking takes a premium over hitting — and posted 17 points (9-8) in seven games.

BEN KUZMA A year ago, Boeser played in that league after being limited in off-season training because of a back injury that shut down his 2017-18 season and August 21, 2019 2:51 PM PDT nagging wrist ailment. The former Calder Trophy finalist added weight and a slow start last fall produced a nagging groin strain that morphed

into an adductor inflammation and hernia scare by early November. Canucks are wary of Timo Meier's four-year, backloaded deal that After missing 11 games, the winger returned and in the next six games expires with a big qualifying offer responded with two-goal and three-goal efforts. It would be the catalyst There’s reason to believe a contract extension should be for optimism. His six power-play goals were also a tease of what could reached before the Vancouver Canucks open training camp Sept. 13 in happen in a special-teams alignment with Pettersson and possibly Victoria. Hughes.

Not only are there favourable comparables and continuing dialogue to Boeser’s shooting accuracy was second best on the club at 12.4 per cent establish parameters where the Canucks’ right-winger slots in amid a sea — Pettersson led with an impressive 19.4 — but the winger’s mark of superlative NHL restricted free agents, there’s motivation for a healthy dropped from 16.2 the previous season. Boeser to take his game to another level with a strong start this fall. Benning also expects to sign RFA winger Nikolay Goldobin to add to the While other RFAs await the big domino to fall to set the negotiation bar cap conundrum. The mercurial Russian was a frequent scratch last — Mitch Marner is pushing for US$11 million annually and considering season — four consecutive games and six out of 10 — before getting a practice options with Zurich of the National League in Switzerland if the longer look in February. Toronto Maple Leafs can’t come to terms with their 94-point winger But Goldobin would sit out 19 times and didn’t play in the final six games. before camp — there has been little to suggest Boeser’s agent is trying He finished seventh in team scoring with 27 points (7-20) in 63 games to hit a home run. and many wondered if his career was finished. Ben Hankinson obviously believes his client ranks with many RFA peers, Goldobin has little contract leverage but he would create a big logjam of especially if you pro-rate Boeser’s 56 points in 69 games last season wingers at camp. over a full campaign. That would amount to 66 points and aligns him with Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks, who on July 1 agreed to a four-year, “Guys who deserve to be here will be here and we’ll probably have to $24 million extension with the San Jose Sharks. make some tough decisions,” Benning said when asked if the club would be willing to demote veterans. It’s also the same pro-rated point total to match RFA winger Kyle Connor, who like RFA teammate Patrik Laine, hasn’t reached terms with the “That could happen but we have options and LTIR (long-term injury relief Winnipeg Jets. for Antoine Roussel) and different options. A lot depends on camp.”

“Those are some of the names we’ve used,” Canucks general manager Jim Benning said of Meier and Connor comparisons. “They (Boeser’s camp) have been reasonable and we’re continuing to talk to get to some Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.22.2019 common ground. I’m hopeful to get something done before camp, but we’re not there yet.”

The only devil might be in the details.

Hankinson has an appetite for a four-year extension at $7 million annually because today’s elite players are outperforming longer commitments. Meier’s contract is backloaded to give the Sharks an initial break on actual annual salary, but not later.

The deal calls for $4 million in each of the first two years, then $6 million and a whopping $10 million in the final season. And because Meier would still be a RFA when the contract expires, the qualifying offer would be that $10 million.

That obviously works in the player’s favour, whether he’s having a good, bad or injury-plagued season, and the only clawback for the Sharks would be team-requested arbitration in an attempt to reduce the QO by 20 per cent.

“That scares me a bit,” said Benning because Boeser would also be a RFA after a four-year deal.

Benning prefers the salary structure of Bo Horvat’s six-year, $33 million extension — $6.5 million in the first year followed by $7M, $5.7M, $3.5M, $5.7M and $4.4M — that the centre signed just before training camp on Sept. 8, 2017.

In four years, Benning will also have big-ticket salaries on the books in Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes and it will also be the last year of Horvat’s extension.

“We’re looking at all of our options and are talking what long and short deals look like,” said Benning, knowing a longer deal would buy free- agency years on Boeser.

Benning also needs to take a hard look at the salary cap. With only $5 million in available space, he could sign Boeser and go over the $81.5 1107744 Vancouver Canucks I believe the Aquilinis when they say they’re confident in Benning’s vision, but I’d be surprised if 2019-20 wasn’t seen as a “show me” year.

Assuming this is the case, one might naturally wonder why ownership How Jim Benning’s extension and big offseason bets complicate the extended Benning before seeing the results of his project unfold. Canucks’ long-term goals Sportsnet’s believes that the main reason for getting it done now was to eliminate distractions and to prevent Benning from entering a critical year as a lame-duck GM. The optics element can’t be By Harman Dayal ignored either as it improves the Aquilinis’ reputation as owners that are capable of showing faith and being patient with their staff — framing the Aug 21, 2019 Canucks as a more desirable destination for executives.

The long-term consequences of an aggressive offseason The Vancouver Canucks aren’t strangers to dropping bombshells in the To get to the point where Francesco Aquilini is looking forward to dog days of summer. opening night and the bright future it brings, the Canucks have had to Last July, Trevor Linden departed as the club’s president amid rumours make short-term-focused acquisitions that could limit the team’s long- of friction with ownership over the direction of the rebuild. This year, in term flexibility. At the end of the day, an organization’s singular goal the middle of August, the Canucks confirmed on Tuesday that general should be to build a Stanley Cup contender — whether that be in the manager Jim Benning was receiving a three-year contract extension. present or future — and your moves need to be centred with that as the top priority. You can argue about the merits of handing out such an extension in the first place, but it’s the odd timing that raises the most eyebrows. The age-old cliche that once you sneak into the playoffs anything can happen really hasn’t proven itself to be true. CanucksArmy’s Petbugs Many have questioned why, if the Aquilinis were confident enough in showed that over the last 18 years, teams that have finished top-10 Benning to extend him before seeing what his roster overhaul translated during the regular season have won the Cup all but two times. In other to this season, didn’t they make that decision before the draft? After all, words, through 18 playoffs, only two teams seeded lower than 10th have the incentives for general managers facing an uncertain future risk being won the Cup — the 2012 Kings and the 2019 Blues. Let that sink in — polluted. There’s naturally a greater risk of such executives making two out of 108 teams. The Kings were a team with excellent shot metrics moves aimed at saving their job rather than conducting business with the that suggested they were a much better team than they had shown franchise’s long-term interests in mind. during the regular season in which they won it all, while the Blues were not only tied in points for the 10th seed but were projected as legit Perception matters in these instances and Benning’s contract status contenders before the season started. shaped the market’s reaction to some of the Canucks’ big bets this offseason – particularly the decision to trade a conditional first-round pick Providing this context is important because building your team with the for J.T. Miller and the commitment of five years to 29-year-old Tyler vision of a powerhouse is the only avenue to have a realistic chance at Myers. winning the Cup. This is relevant, for one, because of all the emphasis being placed on the playoffs as an ultimate goal. While I don’t think the offseason would have played out much differently if Benning had a new contract before the draft, within the context of the There’s nothing wrong in passing through this phase as you’re building Canucks’ long-term organizational pattern, it would seem that towards something greater. Going straight from rebuilding to a deep ownership’s top interests and immediate success overlap — they’re just playoff run is rare and while a few early exits might be painful, it’s as interested in making the playoffs as any GM looking to save his job important in building the postseason experience necessary to eventually would be. overcoming the hump. The problem arises when you invest too many of your future assets for this phase when you’re in the mushy middle — and If it wasn’t clear enough that guiding the team on an accelerated that’s what appears to be happening in Vancouver. ascension back to the playoffs is a top priority for ownership before, surely it became crystal clear last summer when they reportedly rejected Three to four years seems to be the earliest for when the Canucks could Linden’s proposal of a slower process that might see the team bottom out realistically compete for a Cup. If the Blues and Capitals winning it all for a year or two. taught us anything it’s that you need a long runway/window of contention to set yourself up with a good chance of winning the Cup. With this in Benning said on Tuesday that the club realized they needed to rebuild mind, the Canucks’ contention window appears to be three to eight from after the 2014-15 season where they got knocked out in the first round. In now. Vancouver’s two most expensive summer acquisitions in J.T. Miller the interim though, it seems the club has lost games like a rebuilding and Tyler Myers look a lot less appealing when considering the potential team without actually rebuilding. opportunity cost during this timeframe. While taking advantage of lottery picks from losing and, to their credit, Starting with Miller, I think it’s important to note that in a vacuum, the drafting well, the club has refused to accumulate assets for potentially trade is fair from a value perspective. First and third-round picks are valuable veterans like Chris Tanev, missed out on weaponizing cap unknowns, while Miller at 26-years-old is relatively young, locked up for space to acquire future assets and have traded away more picks than four years and precisely what you’d like as a top-six forward acquisition. they’ve acquired. Where I take issue is with the timing of giving up a future first-round pick. Going back to last summer’s machinations provides crucial context on The four years in which Miller’s under contract and will provide the most the continued elevated stakes for Benning in the short-term, despite the value are the ones where the Canucks are unlikely to win a Cup. A trade three-year extension. If the roster Benning has assembled falls like this should be made when you’re a playoff contender and believe considerably short again, it’s tough to imagine a scenario where he Miller is one of the final pieces to cement your status as a Cup remains GM given that making the playoffs are the clear expectation contender, not while you’re supposed to be in the latter stages of a even with the new deal. Missing out on the postseason this coming year rebuild. would make it five consecutive seasons without playoff hockey under The key question, of course, is the value of the conditional first-round Benning and the list of general managers who’ve survived such a long pick is. For the Canucks, first-round picks have been gold as the core drought is an extremely short one. four of Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat The Aquilinis have proven in firing Mike Gillis and John Tortorella — who have come exclusively based on these selections. In the five years that had a combined eight years left on their contracts — that they’re not the current management group has been in place, they’ve yet to add a afraid to bite the bullet and cut bait with staff that have term left. core or foundational piece outside the first round — whether it be through mid to late-round picks, trades or free agency. Meanwhile, the complication with prematurely hitting the accelerator on the turnaround – as Vancouver did this summer – is that if the Canucks It’s good that the first-round pick is lottery-protected for 2020, but the haven’t collected enough assets to build a long-term Stanley Cup coming draft class is shaping up to be remarkably deep. One NHL scout contender, these moves risk mortgaging the future and compromising the called the 2020 draft “an extremely strong year, especially for the CHL club’s long-term flexibility even further. given how weak it was [in 2018].” If the Canucks make the playoffs next season, giving up a pick between Let’s recognize one thing before wrapping up — the sky isn’t falling say 16th and 23rd overall doesn’t sound so bad, but the similarly talented down. The Canucks have a really bright future led by their young core 2015 class where players like Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Thomas and it’s nice that the team certainly looks set to be competitive in the Chabot and Brock Boeser were picked in that range is a reminder of just short run for a change. I still believe that with a strong long-term vision how much talent could be available if the 2020 draft is as deep as many and shrewd management, Vancouver can mature into an upper-echelon believe. There’s also the potential scenario where Vancouver misses the team capable of legitimately challenging for the Cup at some point. playoffs this season and is obliged to giving up an unprotected first for 2021 in a year where there’s no guarantee as to how competitive the At the same time, it’s important to keep a constant eye on how the short team will be. and long-term priorities of the organization are being managed and this offseason’s aggressive moves would indicate that they’re perhaps Sure, you might have to wait two to three years for that type of player to pushing their chips in too aggressively, too soon. For Benning, it’s arrive at the NHL level, but they’ll be entering their most productive years evident that the immediate results this coming season will shape his job on cheap contracts during the contention window while someone like security despite his extension. It was important for the Canucks to make Miller will either be with another team after his contract expires or he’ll be moves to improve in the here and now at some point, but they could have exiting his prime. yielded comparable value without sacrificing as much in the way of future risk. Think of it is yielding say 80 percent of the value for 50 percent of I understand fans’ opposition in waiting for such a player and not wanting the cost when considering a possibility like that of simply signing another to endure more suffering in the meantime, but there is a reasonable free-agent forward instead of trading a future first-rounder for Miller. middle ground where the Canucks could have improved the team to a similar extent in the short-term while taking a much smaller risk. What if Will the opportunity cost of losing a future first-round pick in the Miller they signed one of Ryan Dzingel who had 56 points last year (signed at a trade and the cap constraints that comes with signing Myers put a major $3.4-million cap hit for two years with Carolina) or Marcus Johansson dent in the fruition of this rebuild? I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but it ($4.5 million for two years)? certainly makes the long-term course that much harder to chart.

Dzingel and Johansson obviously aren’t quite as impactful as Miller, but would you rather have Dzingel, plus your first and a third picks or Miller? The difference between the two isn’t significant enough to impact the The Athletic LOADED: 08.22.2019 playoff odds in any meaningful way (0.7 wins according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s model), while the first round pick alone is worth its weight in gold.

The opportunity cost of cap flexibility

The Myers acquisition didn’t cost the Canucks any assets aside from cap space, but it’s a move that’s likely to limit the team in the future.

Myers looks the part of a number four/five defenceman any way you slice it and while that provides a significant upgrade in the short-term, the timing again doesn’t make sense from a long-term perspective.

Luszczyszyn’s model projects that Myers will be a replacement-level defenceman by year four of his contract when he’s 32-years-old. The last couple years of his deal look quite frightening and while that’s the territory that comes with most free-agent deals, it should scare off teams that are still a ways away.

For contending teams the value during the first few years of signing a marquee free-agent like Myers could be worth the potential pain experienced in the last couple of years when their window will likely be closed. For the Canucks, their arc is the opposite. The years in which Myers will provide his most value (the first two, maybe three years) will be burned in seasons during which Vancouver won’t be serious contenders. Just as Myers declines and will be set to make $6-million as a bottom-pairing defenceman, the Canucks will have their actual window start opening. That seems like it could present a problem.

Three years from now, Vancouver is projected to have a combined $18- million in cap space tied to Myers, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel. Myers and Roussel, in particular, are still useful players now, but the odds that they’re worth their contracts in 2021-22 are low. This will come, of course, the same time as new extensions for Pettersson and Hughes will kick in. I don’t doubt the ability of the Canucks being able to retain all their top talent cap wise for a second, but I do question the opportunity cost of being able to support them with other pieces.

Last summer, we saw teams who’ve managed the cap well in St. Louis and San Jose land stars Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Karlsson respectively for cents on the dollar because they were one of the few teams that had the space to take on their entire contracts. We saw the same thing happen this summer when P.K. Subban and Erik Haula were sold off for really cheap prices by teams that couldn’t afford their salaries.

The common retort when it comes to Myers is those wondering what the alternative would have been. In a market where right-shot defencemen like Colin Miller, Jacob Trouba, Henri Jokiharju and the aforementioned Subban moved for reasonable prices, I can’t help but imagine that there wasn’t a realistically priced alternative available (even outside the names that were moved). Heck, if the Canucks signed a UFA forward and held onto their first, they could have built a package around that for a young defenceman if they really wanted.

Conclusion 1107745 Websites Despite the bitter ending, it was a big season for Lindholm.

He found immediate comfort in Calgary — saying he enjoyed things like regularly putting on a winter jacket again, after five temperate years with Sportsnet.ca / Elias Lindholm has a theory about Flames' post-season the Carolina Hurricanes — and took a big step in his production while flop playing alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

The fifth-overall pick from 2013 always believed he had big offensive Chris Johnston | @reporterchris numbers in him and finally proved it with a 27-goal, 78-point campaign. A right-shot forward, he also brought value by taking strong-side draws August 21, 2019, 9:41 AM (winning more than 54 per cent) and soaking up big minutes on the penalty kill.

“In Carolina I was moving here and there [in the lineup], and up and STOCKHOLM — If Elias Lindholm won the battle, Gabriel Landeskog down, and it was hard to find someone to build chemistry with,” said took the war. Lindholm. “[Flames coach Bill Peters] pretty much told me right away to At some point last year a friendly wager was hatched between two play with these guys. We sat down and had a couple talks. Swedes enjoying career seasons on dominant forward lines: Whoever “When I had a chance to play with them, I just tried to work hard every finished with more points would be treated to dinner at a high-end game and try to make plays, because if you don’t make plays with those Stockholm restaurant by the runner-up. guys they’re going to be pissed, you know?” It was a tight race. Lindholm had never finished higher than 18th in scoring among his Lindholm, in his first campaign with the Calgary Flames, surged ahead of countrymen in any given NHL season before topping all 89 Swedish the Colorado Avalanche captain by outpacing him 31-21 from the end of skaters that laced them up in 2018-19. It’s an unofficial achievement he December through the end of February. He then held on at the wire for a rightly takes pride in, but that comes with a caveat. narrow 78-75 victory. “You come to a point right now where it doesn’t matter: I would rather “I think I was ahead of him and then sort of right after we acknowledged take 40 points and go further in the playoffs,” said Lindholm. there was going to be a bet his line completely took off,” said Landeskog. Even if it would have meant splurging on a nice dinner for Landeskog this “Monahan and Gaudreau.” summer. At this late stage of the summer, it’s worth noting that Landeskog has yet to pay up. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.22.2019 The official word is that schedule conflicts have kept it from happening, but there may be some procrastination at play as well. Because when the chips were really down in the spring, Landeskog’s Avalanche dispatched Lindholm’s Flames in five games during an unexpectedly lopsided first- round series.

“That’s why I shouldn’t have to pay the bet,” Landeskog said with a laugh. “We won in the playoffs. We beat him.”

This is not something Lindholm needs reminding of.

A summer that’s included the typical hockey player’s diet of workouts, golf games and rest has also involved a fair bit of retrospection for the 24-year-old. He didn’t simply wipe the playoff stumble from his mind after returning home to Gavle, about two hours north of Stockholm.

“At the end of the day, we won Game 1 and we were kind of lucky,” Lindholm said during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour. “They were just too good for us, we didn’t have a chance. That was the first time during the season where I felt like ‘We’re having a tough time here.’

“Like, they were outplaying us.”

How did everything go sideways for the No. 1-seeded team in the Western Conference after a 50-win, 107-point season?

“I think as soon as we clinched, we were — you’re not doing it [intentionally], but without knowing it, you’re like ‘Oh, try to take a breather’ and relax a little bit,” said Lindholm. “And Colorado kept fighting for a playoff spot. As soon as the playoffs started they were ready to go and we weren’t. I think that’s what happened to Tampa as well. Yeah it’s tough, that’s probably something we can learn from. I think it all stings for everyone there, for our team, we were expecting more of ourselves and to go further in the playoffs.

“I thought we had a good chance to go all the way, but sometimes it’s a long way. It’s a long way to go all the way.”

Lindholm notes that the Washington Capitals got the job done in 2018 despite not having their strongest team of the prior decade. He’s got some extra insight there, too, since Nicklas Backstrom has become a neighbour, workout partner and close friend back in Gavle.

He even attended the veteran centre’s Stanley Cup party last August, keeping a safe distance from the trophy.

“We had the team to go far, but it’s got to click at the right time,” said Lindholm. “You look at Backstrom: Probably when they won they didn’t have the best players on the roster, but it just clicked for them.” 1107746 Websites On a conference call, Dorion said he believes White has only "scratched the surface" of his potential, though he declined to say what he expects that ceiling to be.

Sportsnet.ca / Senators believe Colin White contract is a key to a brighter Interestingly, Dorion said he thinks the organization might have future "underestimated his speed."

Incoming coach Smith is said to be a fan of White’s two-way game and is Wayne Scanlan expected to deploy him at centre. White has also played right wing for the Senators. August 21, 2019, 3:41 PM Whether White pans out as a first or second-line centre, he will be a key piece of the Senators puzzle for the foreseeable future. Now, the question: will his commitment make it easier to sign other key For months, the Ottawa Senators fan base has been waiting for a sign cornerstones down the road, namely defenceman Thomas Chabot and that the organization is functioning like a normal, competitive NHL White’s close pal, forward Brady Tkachuk? Chabot could become an franchise. RFA next summer, and Tkachuk in 2021. When would there be a significant player move that wasn’t primarily a Dorion cautioned that each negotiation is different, but hoped the White lateral hockey trade or a money-saving transaction? deal was a positive omen. Wednesday, that news arrived with a bang — a long term contract for "When we move forward with other contracts, we are going to look at centre Colin White, one of the team’s promising young players. White, what is best for the organization and hopefully players like Colin, who are who had been a restricted free agent, will have a cap hit of $4.75 million in his age group, want to buy in for the long-term success of this team," U.S. on a six-year contract. It’s the biggest deal the club has granted Dorion said. since winger Bobby Ryan was signed to a seven-year deal at $7.25M per, in 2014. While Dorion has been working behind the scenes, it has been a long, relatively quiet summer in Ottawa, with the Senators generating little White, 22, a former Boston College forward and prominent world junior buzz. With White done and the rookie tournament just two weeks away player for the USA, has quickly established himself as a key player on a (Sept. 6-9), hockey talk is bound to pick up. rebuilding team. In 2018-19, his first full NHL season, the six-foot-one, 190-pound White played 71 games for Ottawa and produced 41 points, "I definitely hope our fans are happy about getting this kind of contract including 14 goals. If not classically , White at least showed himself and commitment done," Dorion said. to be feisty and strong on the puck.

If many had reservations about the young centre committing long term to Ottawa with its financial challenges, White wasn’t among them. By Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.22.2019 signing, he delivers a message to fans and to teammates.

"We’re all really close friends," White said, of the predominantly young Senators. "We enjoy being with each other. I don’t think there was much convincing to do… there’s a lot of great hockey players in that group."

Both parties were keen on a longer term, rather than a bridge deal.

"I truly believe in Ottawa and what we have as a young group there," White said. "It was the right move for myself and the team. I couldn’t be prouder than to be a Senator for the next six years."

Interestingly, the contract is back loaded and does not contain any bonus structure. The breakdown: $4 million in 2019-20 and 2020-21, $4.75M in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 and $6.25M in 2024-25.

With the signing, the Senators’ projected cap hit vaulted to $70,609,999 according to Cap Friendly.

Asked if the new contract brings any extra heat to perform, White suggested the opposite.

"If anything, there’s less pressure," he said. "I can just play for the next six years, have fun and try to outplay that contract, for sure, is a goal of mine. And continue to improve any way I can."

Over the summer, White has been working with a skills coach to fine tune his offensive game. He was a point-per-game player in college.

Given the flak the hockey club took for taking on Ryan Callahan’s contract, just to put him on the LTIR list, it’s safe to say that the enthusiasm around the hockey operations side was palpable, in anticipation of releasing the news on White.

In a text message, Pierre Dorion expressed his excitement over the signing, combined with the new culture under incoming head coach D.J. Smith.

"I think you will see a big difference in attitude, and how we play this year," Dorion said.

In a statement, Dorion said he felt it was vital to lock up White to a long- term deal.

"We’ve identified Colin as one of our core young players who will help drive our team’s success in both the short and long term," Dorion said. "Colin plays the 200-foot game that is so coveted in today’s NHL. He can skate, play on both special teams and is a character player and leader who loves hockey and this city." 1107747 Websites to work around it. … We sat down, we went through all the scenarios, and it was the best move short term and long term for us.

USAT: Could you characterize trade conversations? Were you not happy USA TODAY / New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton talks about busy with what was being offered and that’s why the buyout became the most offseason, salary cap crunch and more logical option to clear cap space?

JG: You go through everything. When you’re handling a salary cap, Vincent Z. Mercogliano, NHL writer there’s a number of different ways for general managers and organizations to get around the salary cap and get underneath it. Trades Published 2:07 p.m. ET Aug. 20, 2019 and buyouts are obviously factored in there. You go through those scenarios, and we did that, and I think ultimately you can see what we’ve

decided. We’re comfortable moving forward. To say it's been a busy offseason for New York Rangers general USAT: Where does the salary cap stand right now? You still have two manager Jeff Gorton is probably an understatement. unsigned restricted free agents. Do you feel like another move needs to In a span of about three months, Gorton has signed star forward Artemi be made to create enough room to get Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Panarin, traded for defensemen Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox, and Lemieux under contract? selected Kaapo Kakko (and a host of others) in one of the most historic JG: I don’t think so. I think that we can sign those guys now, and we’re drafts in franchise history. He also navigated a salary cap crunch, which attempting to do so. Hopefully, we’ll get that done in the next couple of led to buying out the contract of New Rochelle native Kevin Shattenkirk. weeks here and they’ll be ready to go in camp. And he still has two restricted free agents to sign. USAT: Are both players looking for something beyond the one-year, USA TODAY: With the whirlwind of activity this offseason, could you qualifying offers? have asked for it to go any better? JG: I never like to get into my discussions with the agents and the Jeff Gorton: You always hope for the best and you want to address some players. I like to keep that as private as possible, and that’s what I’ll of your needs and improve your team and move it in the right direction. continue to do. But listen, they’re both good players. They’re valuable to When you head into the summer, you hope for all of those things and I the organization and what we’re doing. We like them both a lot, on and think that we feel really good about our summer. As we head into training off the ice. We’re trying to get them signed and get them in the best deals camp, looking forward, we’re in a pretty good place. for the Rangers right now, and for the future. We’ll figure that out as soon USAT: I know you’ve tried to temper the expectations for the team, but as possible. the talent level has obviously risen. Do you feel like this is a playoff team USAT: But you’re saying you do not think another move — trade or now? otherwise — is necessary to create more wiggle room? JG: I don’t think we’re ready to talk about anything like that. We’re JG: No, not right now. Not in order to sign them. I think we can sign them excited about camp, looking forward to getting the guys all here and right now and feel comfortable with how it fits going forward. bringing some of the new guys in. We’re anxious to see how everyone is going to fit in together and looking for all the young guys to take a step, USAT: But in terms of being cap compliant once opening night comes on and some of the guys who have been here to take another step. Oct. 3? Hopefully, everything clicks as soon as possible. JG: Obviously, when opening day comes, we have to be at the cap USAT: Has it been exciting for you to visualize what the lineup might look number — and we will be. But I think in terms of signing these players, like and the possibilities for the season? there’s nothing stopping us from signing them.

JG: When you’re in the draft and you’re able to get the second pick overall and you get Kakko, you try to factor in where he’ll be. Then free agency with Panarin and the trade with Trouba — you’re able to make USA TODAY LOADED: 08.22.2019 these moves and I’m anxious to see how it all fits on the ice moving forward. … It’s an exciting time to be around the Ranger organization, and I’m sure it’s exciting for the fans.

USAT: In terms of the young guys who have the best chance to make an impact on the NHL roster this season, would it be Kakko, (Vitali) Kravtsov and Fox?

JG: I mean, I don’t know. People ask that question all the time — 'Who’s got a chance to make the team?' I always like to leave that to the players to come in and earn their spot. Everything is on paper right now. We’ll let the camp play itself out. We’ve got a lot of time for that.

USAT: I’m sure the Kevin Shattenkirk buyout wasn’t an easy decision. But once the Trouba deal got locked in, was it inevitable in your mind that something was going to have to happen to clear some money?

JG: Yeah, I think so. When you’re adding the kind of players we added — and obviously there’s some salary involved and you have salary cap issues you have to deal with. There’s only so much to go around. As you’re projecting and adding these players, you know that something is going to have to give and you’re going to have to make a move. We went through the process of looking at everything, and ultimately buying out Kevin was a really difficult decision. He’s a player that we liked a lot and still do. He’s a great person and I wish him well, but it’s just the nature of the business.

USAT: Out of the guys you could have bought out, Shattenkirk offered the most immediate savings. (Close to $5.2 million this season.) But are you concerned at all about next offseason and the cap hit? (Which will be more than $6 million.)

JG: We’re always concerned, but right now, I think that was the best decision to make for us for this year. Looking forward, I think we’ll be able