News Clips 7-10-17
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News Clips 7-10-17 FROM LA KINGS INSIDER: effective during a 24-game stretch between November 30 and January 21, a period in which he was assessed only three minor penalties July 7, 2017 and scrapped with Chris Neil in the Senator’s By: Jon Rosen 1,000th NHL game after sending Bobby Ryan Player Evaluation: Nolan flying with a massive, open-ice hit. “I don’t think he was really at full runnin’ until probably the first of JORDAN NOLAN November,” Darryl Sutter said. “I think he’s gotten This season: 46 games, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, a little bit of that energy and enthusiasm back in his 44 penalty minutes, -3 rating, -3.2 CF%Rel, 10:51 game that was lacking for a long time. He’s a boy time on ice that’s got to understand what his role is in terms of what he can give, in terms of the physical part of the The good: Jordan Nolan, who was coming off a game and the staying out of the penalty box part of difficult season that ended when he underwent back the game and not turning pucks over – simple things surgery in March, 2016, appeared to be battling to like that – and he has to really stay in that wanting remain in the lineup early in the first half of 2016- to be a 10-minute player.” He did that for the first 17. By the end of the mid-November Eastern time in his career, jumping nearly two full minutes Canada swing, he had already been held out of the per game to a time-on-ice average of 10:51. lineup 10 times and hadn’t scored a goal since the mid-April game in Calgary that knocked the Kings The bad: Nolan’s most effective moments have yet out of playoff contention late in the 2014-15 season. to be sustained over a full season, and 2016-17 was It gets better from there! With a two-goal, first star no different. Those stretches include his arrival in performance at Arizona on December 1, and with the second half of the 2011-12 season, his several standout, chance-generating showings production over the first half of the 2013-14 season, through much of January, he became a mostly and this most recent late-fall, early-winter consistent “teen-minute” player in a checking, emergence that saw his name reliably written across energy role and was demonstrating an improved Sutter’s lineup card. While injuries have played a ability to hold onto pucks, make plays and drive the role, Nolan, who has more skill and better hands net without playing too often in the defensive zone than many other players his size or in his role, or causing turnovers. Nolan is sneakily strong at simply hasn’t been able to consistently sustain his zone entries, which was surely an asset in 2016-17, health, production and responsible play over a full a year in which he experienced interesting zone season, and immediately after he played 36 straight starts that skewed away from neutral zone faceoffs. games, he appeared in only one of the next 20 after (His opponents’ CF60, though, was among the lower-body injuries suffered against Colorado and lowest on the team, so the competition he faced Anaheim took him out of the lineup during the wasn’t overly fierce.) But things seemed to be team’s late-season playoff push. His inability to clicking well for Nolan during a mid-season surge remain in the lineup did not sit well with that saw him play in 36 consecutive games between Sutter, who referred to his first ailment as “a silly November 13 and February 1 as he raised his little injury” and, on April 6, was openly displeased minutes and adhered to the rigors and structure of that his forward wasn’t practicing. “I went on the an NHL energy role. “I think the way I’m trying to ice today and I was trying to figure out who the hell address the game and hold on to the puck more with wasn’t out there, and I figured out halfway through my feet so seems to be working a little bit,” Nolan [Nolan] wasn’t out there, so that’s about as much as said in late December. “I think I’m just playing I can [share]. We want guys really interested in more confident. I’m hanging on to pucks, I feel like practicing and playing tonight,” he said. Yeesh. It’s I’m not scared to make a play out there and I think not a surprise for an energy player on a low-scoring it’s just a lot of confidence. That’s really the main team, but not many goals were scored while he was thing I can say. I’m trying to make plays, I’m trying on the ice, and his 1.23 GF60 was the 18th lowest in to bring pucks to the net and I feel like it’s all kind the NHL among forwards with a minimum 475 of coming together now.” He was particularly minutes. Nolan has never finished a season with a positive CF%Rel, and his -3.2% in 2016-17 is His duties will be similar to his duties last year, but actually the second best rate he has posted in his with a touch more structure than when he was just career. starting to carve out a role in player development. Calling the opportunity “exciting” and describing Moving forward: With one year remaining on his how he loved the work undertaken with the contract at $950,000, Nolan will have an inside development team, he’ll again call upon the lessons chance at reclaiming his energy and physical role and subtleties he learned through an 872-game NHL but will face competition from players such as Andy career that included two Stanley Cup titles and a Andreoff, Justin Auger and Michael Mersch, all of Western Conference Championship and share that whom could slot into similar roles and would have with a young group of centers, who will have the to pass through waivers if the team decided to opportunity to benefit from his responsible and assign them to Ontario. With Adrian Kempe and respected game. In January, Ontario Head Coach Jonny Brodzinski also looking to crack the roster Mike Stothers noted that Stoll’s presence was good out of camp in admittedly different roles and for both the young centers, such as Mike Amadio, expectations, there will be an interesting placement and those with more miles, such as Andrew of diversely equipped pegs into the third and fourth Crescenzi, Brett Sutter and TJ Hensick. lines of a team that was not a high-scoring group one season ago. Nolan has done a good job bringing In describing his focus, Stoll explained that most a mid-season intensity into preseason games in the rewarding aspect of his work with the club was past, and given his experience, it’s probably his job making the younger players feel comfortable in the to lose. But there does appear to be a pattern in demanding world of professional hockey and Nolan’s six seasons, one more or less reinforced by watching them implement what they learned under his most recent campaign. He’ll carve out a strong his direction in live game settings. identity and share some secondary production for weeks-long stretches before ultimately settling on The work continued in earnest when he took the ice somewhere between 55 and 65 games played and and ran drills at development camp last week. nine or 10 points. Health in hockey goes well beyond the dings and sprains and blunt force “It was weird being out there,” he said. “I wanted to injuries sustained over a grinding 82-game season, take off the track suit and put on the equipment and and it’s great to see Nolan open up about having do some of the drills with the guys.” made a choice to cut alcohol out of his life entirely. Nolan surely deserves appreciation for serving as a As a member of the staff barely removed from his terrific role model and a voice for his own Ojibwe extended tenure as a player, that energy should community and for a tight brotherhood of First translate well to the club’s prospects, who will be Nations Canadian athletes. able to bank on the experiences and perseverance of someone who won two Stanley Cups as a player. July 6, 2017 He’ll join a staff headed by Senior Advisor to the By: Jon Rosen General Manager/Development Mike O’Connell Stoll Joins Development As Part Time and Director of Player Development Nelson Consultant Emerson that also includes former Kings Mike Donnelly, Glen Murray and Sean O’Donnell, as Jarret Stoll, who gained experience in a well as Dusty Imoo in Goaltender Development. development “internship” position last season, has More good news: Brantt Myrhes will return to the been hired as a Consultant on a part-time basis by club for a third year in Player Assistance. the team to work in Player Development. His position will allow him to continue to work with the club’s young centers in Ontario and elsewhere July 6, 2017 within the pipeline. By: Jon Rosen Shore Signs One Year, $925K Extensions The Los Angeles Kings checked another box off With Shore on board, remaining RFAs are Andrew their list of restricted free agents, signing Nick Crescenzi, Michael Mersch, Paul LaDue, Jonny Shore to a one-year, $925,000 extension.