Sport-Scan Daily Brief

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 07/19/19 Boston Bruins New York Islanders 1149838 Chris Kelly returns to Bruins as player development 1149863 Anders Lee Q&A: The Isles captain opens up on his coordinator contract negotiation and not getting complacent 1149839 Projecting the 2019-20 Bruins depth chart: mid-July edition 1149840 Bruins hire Chris Kelly as player development coordinator New York Rangers 1149841 Bruins bring back Chris Kelly as player development 1149864 Rangers’ Artemi Panarin shockingly critiques Vladimir coordinator Putin 1149865 Rangers sign forward Phillip Di Giuseppe Calgary Flames 1149866 Phillip Di Giuseppe agrees to a deal with the Rangers 1149842 Why the Flames and Oilers would (and wouldn’t) trade Sam Bennett for Jesse Puljujarvi NHL 1149867 NHL Seattle believes new GM Ron Francis can deliver — Chicago Blackhawks if given some chips 1149843 Blackhawks development camp notebook: After 4 days, 1149868 Multiyear deal signed, Seattle NHL general manager Ron Kirby Dach already emerging as leader Francis gets to work: ‘We’ve got a blank canvas’ 1149844 Can Adam Boqvist force his way onto Blackhawks this 1149869 Ron Francis has big hopes as GM of Seattle’s new NHL season? club 1149845 2019 Blackhawks development camp: Day 4 thoughts and 1149870 ‘Absolutely humbled’ Hall of Famer Ron Francis becomes takeaways first GM of Seattle’s NHL team 1149846 Blackhawks' Kirby Dach wears a mic during Prospects Camp Ottawa Senators 1149871 TRADE: Senators send Zack Smith to Chicago for Artem Colorado Avalanche Anisimov 1149847 Avalanche Film Room: Bowen Byram’s case for making the Avalanche Philadelphia Flyers 1149872 Noah Cates is a prospect the Flyers 'can't stop bragging Columbus Blue Jackets about' 1149848 Elvis Merzlikins' mask a tribute to 5th line 1149849 The value of honesty and why it was a key part of the Blue Pittsburgh Penguins Jackets’ season 1149873 Penguins prediction rewind: Change of scenery didn’t provide boost to Jack Johnson Dallas Stars 1149874 Report: Police rule death of former Penguins center Greg 1149850 No longer wanted in Anaheim, Corey Perry brings extra Johnson an apparent suicide motivation and a championship pedigree to the Stars 1149875 Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights grant wish for 1149851 One-time Stars villain Corey Perry looking to endear teenage cancer survivor himself to Dallas 1149876 Matt Vensel's Penguins chat transcript: 07.18.19 Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Detroit Red Wings 1149877 ‘Stan, Guy, love the show’: Ten years gone, SportsBeat 1149852 In wake of Greg Johnson death, ex-NHLer predicts remains in the hearts of Pittsburgh fans epidemic of head trauma consequences 1149853 Report: Police say Greg Johnson's death an apparent San Jose Sharks suicide 1149878 Sharks prospects to WATCH: Sasha Chmelevski has NHL breakout potential Edmonton Oilers 1149879 ‘Quite a few’ Sharks prospects could make their NHL 1149854 Why the Flames and Oilers would (and wouldn’t) trade debuts this season, says Doug Wilson Jr. Sam Bennett for Jesse Puljujarvi 1149855 Looking ahead to Oilers training camp: 35 players for 23 St Louis Blues jobs 1149880 BenFred: Blues celebration is making some folks look bad 1149856 What the Oilers’ 2020 cap situation suggests about Ken — and it's not the players Holland’s master plan Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers 1149881 Lightning’s Curtis McElhinney excited to join Tampa Bay 1149857 Once overlooked, invites to Florida Panthers development camp seek a second chance Toronto Maple Leafs 1149882 Charity will stay at home, but will Leafs forward Mitch Los Angeles Kings Marner do the same? 1149858 MASON BERGH RETURNS TO ONTARIO ON AHL 1149883 Hard to imagine Marner not a Leaf CONTRACT 1149884 Projecting the Marlies opening day lineup after a busy 1149859 MATT MILLAR JOINS KINGS ORGANIZATION AS summer by the Leafs REIGN GOALTENDING DEVELOPMENT COACH Minnesota Wild 1149860 After all the reshuffling, did the Wild gain in talent or flexibility? Montreal Canadiens 1149861 How a prospect becomes a pro: the offseason workout plans for the soon-to-be Canadiens New Jersey Devils 1149862 From suspect to strength in 7 months: Where the Devils’ intriguing goaltending situation stands Vegas Golden Knights 1149885 Golden Knights’ Chance to be made into Funko Pop! figure Washington Capitals 1149886 Alex Ovechkin will travel to China as an NHL ambassador next month 1149887 Alex Ovechkin to visit China as NHL ambassador 1149888 Alex Ovechkin headed to China as an NHL Ambassador 1149889 20 Burning Capitals Questions: What adjustments will coach Todd Reirden make in his second season? Websites 1149892 Marner's contract talks with Maple Leafs a roller-coaster of anticipation 1149893 Seattle job gives Ron Francis chance to prove himself as a GM 1149894 NHL’s Top 10 UFAs remaining: Latest rumours, reports 1149895 Is Talbot primed for a bounce-back season in Calgary? 1149896 Former NHL player Greg Johnson died of apparent suicide, according to report 1149897 New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin criticizes Vladimir Putin in interview on YouTube Winnipeg Jets 1149890 A little roster juggling could do the Winnipeg Jets a lot of good next season 1149891 Charting Winnipeg’s path back to being a Stanley Cup contender SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1149838 Boston Bruins

Chris Kelly returns to Bruins as player development coordinator

By Jenna Ciccotelli Globe Correspondent,July 18, 2019, 3:28 p.m.

Former Bruins forward Chris Kelly will rejoin the team as player development coordinator, general manager Don Sweeney announced Thursday.

Kelly, who recorded five goals and eight assists in 25 playoff games as a member of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup championship squad, spent last season as the development coach for the Ottawa Senators. Previously, the 38-year-old played 14 seasons in the NHL. In six seasons with Boston (2010-16), Kelly appeared in 288 games, scoring 43 goals and assisting on 58.

The Toronto native was drafted by Ottawa in the third round (94th overall) of the 1999 NHL Draft and reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Senators in 2007.

After returning to Ottawa for the 2016-17 season, he finished his NHL career (123-168—291 in 845 games) in Anaheim. He won gold with Team Canada at the 2017 Spengler Cup and captained the 2018 Canadian Olympic team to a bronze medal.

The Bruins also hired Andrew Dickson as an amateur scout.

Dickson, 48, has served in the same roles with Detroit and Columbus for the past 11 years.

Boston Globe LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149839 Boston Bruins Defensemen

Zdeno Chara-Charlie McAvoy

Projecting the 2019-20 Bruins depth chart: mid-July edition Chara, who turns 43 in March, is still an above-average defender and excellent penalty-killer. His skating continues to decline, but McAvoy’s mobility helps. Matt Grzelcyk can slide in with his old BU partner, By Matt Porter Globe Staff,July 18, 2019, 1:27 p.m. McAvoy, to give the Bruins a more dynamic look.

Torey Krug-Brandon Carlo

Bruce Cassidy likes to tinker with his lineup. Don Sweeney has given him A lot to like here. Krug is one of the game’s elite distributors and erased a flexible roster. Given that coach-general manager combination, doubts about his defense in the postseason. Carlo’s emergence as a projecting a limited four-line, three-pair configuration for the Bruins is an shutdown man was one of the driving forces in Boston’s run to Game 7 of unsatisfying exercise for the open-minded among us. They’re probably the Cup Final. going to show a bunch of different combinations game by game. What Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Clifton you see on opening night isn’t likely to be what you see in November, to say nothing of playoff time. Grzelcyk’s all-around game made a huge jump in his second season. The Bruins aren’t sorry to have a promising youngster such as Clifton A team that was 60 minutes from lifting the Stanley Cup didn’t change taking more reps with hard-edged Kevan Miller on the mend. much. Forwards Marcus Johansson (Buffalo) and Noel Acciari (Florida) left via free agency, and Sweeney signed four players — forwards Brett Lefty John Moore, when healthy, adds more depth and lets top prospect Ritchie (Dallas), Par Lindholm (Winnipeg) and Brendan Gaunce Urho Vaakanainen cook for another season in Providence, if needed. (Vancouver) and goalie Maxime Legace (Vegas) — who are unlikely to play significant roles. Goaltenders

We’re not talking our way into a cop-out, though. Since we have little else Tuukka Rask of news value to report — negotiations with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Would-be Conn Smythe winner. Any haters still out there? Expecting a Carlo are progressing slowly, though respectfully — here’s a look at what few to show up if he takes it easy in October. Old habits die hard. the opening night lineup could look like, with as many factors as reasonably possible considered. Jaroslav Halak

Forwards Excellent value at $2.75 million. He’s 34 with a year left on his deal. Rask is 32 and signed for two more. Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak The time is now for Bruins goalie prospects (Jeremy Swayman, Dan This assumes Bergeron, who ended the year with a groin injury, starts Vladar and Kyle Keyser) to climb the ladder. the season on time. Hundred-point man Marchand, as always, is on his left. We’ll keep Pastrnak here for now, maintaining one of the league’s Boston Globe LOADED: 07.19.2019 most impactful trios. If Anders Bjork (two left shoulder surgeries in two years) is both healthy and up to the challenge of riding there, it would allow Cassidy to drop Pastrnak to Line 2, boosting the top six as a whole. Danton Heinen could be a fit on the right side, too, though he may be more valuable as a third-liner.

Jake DeBrusk-David Krejci-Karson Kuhlman

DeBrusk is a scoring chance creator, and Krejci is one of the best second-line centers in the league. The right wing job could go to Pastrnak, as noted. Peter Cehlarik could make a push, if he can gain Cassidy’s trust. Third-line center Charlie Coyle might even get a look, if another bottom-six pivot (Trent Frederic?) knocked loudly enough.

For now, we’ll start it the way 2018-19 ended and go with Kuhlman, who could make a jump in his first full season after his spring fling. His ceiling may not be as high as Bjork’s, but he has wheels, works hard and is reliable — he won’t go away easily. One to keep on the back burner: if the rest of Zach Senyshyn’s game catches up to his skating, he’ll become a full-timer.

Danton Heinen-Charlie Coyle-Brett Ritchie

Heinen, a natural left wing, moves back to his strong side with Johansson gone. He also assumes more playmaking duty with Coyle and Ritchie, who can possess, cycle and work the walls and net-front. The Bruins would love it if Ritchie (16 goals for the Stars in 2015-16) finds some of his old touch. If not, he isn’t costing much (one year, $1 million), and the Bruins have plenty of kids to try. Cehlarik must clear waivers to be sent to Providence, so the Bruins will make sure they know what they have before sending him down. AHL standout Ryan Fitzgerald had poor shooting luck last year, but the Bruins believe he’s a good, if undersized, winger. Paul Carey and Chris Wagner could get runs with Coyle, their South Shore pal.

Joakim Nordstrom-Sean Kuraly-Chris Wagner

An effective fourth line loses a physical presence in Acciari, but the Bruins do not lack for depth here. Par Lindholm, a left shot, isn’t as sturdy as Acciari but takes faceoffs, kills penalties and brings more offense; based on the chances he had, his one-goal 2018-19 seems like a fluke. Ritchie can play in an energy role.

David Backes, if he isn’t buried in Providence, could help in limited stretches. Providence agitator Anton Blidh could get in the mix. 1149840 Boston Bruins

Bruins hire Chris Kelly as player development coordinator

By MARISA INGEMI and STEVE CONROY July 18, 2019 at 1:20 pm UPDATED: July 18, 2019 at 5:46 PM

The Bruins made an addition Thursday — not on the ice, but on their staff.

The team announced it has hired former Bruin and 2011 Stanley Cup champion Chris Kelly in the role of player development coordinator. Kelly served as a development coach with the Senators last season.

Jamie Langenbrunner has worked in that position the past four seasons. According to a source, Langenbrunner is expected to remain in the organization and continue to lead player development going forward. His title is unclear at this point.

Kelly, 38, played 14 NHL seasons, including six with the Bruins, after he was acquired midseason in 2011 and went on to be a contributor to their Stanley Cup run. Over the course of those playoffs, Kelly scored five goals and added eight assists.

Kelly spent the bulk of his career with the Senators, where he also made a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2007. He also played in Anaheim for 12 games to wrap up his playing days.

His career ended after a brief return to the Senators following breaking his leg early in the 2015-16 season with the Bruins, then a professional tryout agreement stint with Edmonton before his short appearance with the Ducks.

Kelly’s role with the Senators organization last season was similar, working alongside fellow former Senator Shean Donovan to “oversee and support the progress of players in the Senators system.”

The Bruins also announced the addition of Andrew Dickson as an amateur scout. He served the past seven seasons as a scout with the Red Wings organization, and before that with the Blue Jackets. Dickson, 48, played in the ECHL and in the NCAA with Colgate.

Boston Herald LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149841 Boston Bruins

Bruins bring back Chris Kelly as player development coordinator

By Darren Hartwell July 18, 2019 12:50 PM

Chris Kelly is back on the Boston Bruins, but he's trading in his hockey gear for a suit.

The Bruins announced Thursday they have hired Kelly as player development coordinator, while also adding Andrew Dickson as an amateur scout.

The #NHLBruins have hired alumni Chris Kelly as Player Development Coordinator and Andrew Dickson as an Amateur Scout: https://t.co/sDX7IXFAkz pic.twitter.com/gWaFnZvkGI

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 18, 2019

Kelly came to the B's as a player in 2011 and won a Stanley Cup during his first season in Boston. He went on to play 288 games for the Bruins over six seasons, tallying a total of 43 goals and 58 assists as a third-line forward.

The 38-year-old last played for the Anaheim Ducks during the 2017-18 season and spent last season as a development coach for the Ottawa Senators -- his first NHL team as a player -- before coming to Boston.

Dickson spent the last seven seasons as an amateur scout for the Detroit Red Wings.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149842 Calgary Flames 21-years old, he’s still at an age when many players have usually not even made the NHL yet.

minutes, only a notch ahead of Garnet Hathaway (1.37/60). Last year The two Alberta NHL teams have arrived at mid-July with work left to do (Bennett’s best of the three by this metric) he finished with 1.57/60 – the and are running out of time to get things done. While the Calgary Flames second-worst rate on the team, ahead of only James Neal (0.99/60). He’s appeared to be Stanley Cup contenders based on their 2018-19 regular also a guy who doesn’t tend to score on the power play. season, the playoffs were a reminder that there are additional pieces With four seasons and over 300 NHL games under his belt, Bennett is required. The Edmonton Oilers have collected another bunch of bottom- close to a finished product. While it’s not impossible that the 23-year-old six forwards but cannot seem to find a scoring winger for the top two might take another step forward, the chances of him suddenly breaking lines or a checking centre. out become less likely as time passes. Running parallel with those team storylines are the fates of two young As s result, Bennett has an opportunity to squeeze on to the port side. forwards, Sam Bennett of the Flames and Jesse Puljujarvi of the Oilers. The Flames two best forwards are left wingers (Gaudreau, Tkachuk) and Both men were chosen fourth overall (Bennett in 2014, Puljujarvi two their two best forward prospects are also left wingers (Mangiapane and years later), both have fallen short of expectations and both players are Dube). Unless he’s able to become a legit, top-six quality right winger, at crossroads with their respective teams — Bennett in search of another Bennett is going to be perpetually battling for ice time and opportunity. contract and Puljujarvi in search of a new NHL team. Puljujarvi isn’t as established as Bennett, and there’s more variance in Adding to the drama of the situation, Bennett fits Edmonton’s needs like his potential outcomes – he could still be a star, or be a bust – but he’ll a glove, while Puljujarvi also checks off multiple needs and offers an have ample opportunity to figure things out on Calgary’s right side. In intriguing option for the Flames. addition to everything else, moving Bennett for Puljujarvi would also save The idea of exchanging Bennett for Puljujarvi brings into play impressive the Flames cap space, felling two birds with one stone. According to possibilities and dangerous consequences for both teams and their Evolving Wild’s contract projections, Bennett will likely come in around respective GMs, Brad Treliving and Ken Holland. Would either team risk $2.8 million, whereas Puljujarvi should settle around $1.37 million. the negative impact if the trade went well for one team, badly for the Why the Flames would not make the trade other? It’s a fascinating trade idea. Here’s how a deal would look from all sides. Nevertheless, moving Bennett for Puljujarvi is hardly a slam dunk. Aside from the younger player’s higher “bust” risk, Bennett also brings some Why the Flames would make the trade qualities and intangibles the team doubtlessly values. Although he’s not a Calgary entered the offseason with three clear priorities: to find another great scorer, Bennett certainly finds ways to get the puck into scoring goalie, to clear up cap space and to improve their forward depth (notably positions in the offensive zone. His relative shot attempt per 60-minute on right wing). rate last year was the third-best on the team (4.15/60) behind Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund, while his scoring chances for rate was fourth-best Brad Treliving has managed just one of those so far with the signing of (2.05/60). Cam Talbot. The team still needs to clear space to sign restricted free agents Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, David Rittich and the Bennett accomplishes this by being mean, tenacious and eager to fight guy in question, Sam Bennett. They currently have between $9-to $10- for the puck (or just fight in general, if needed). Though he isn’t big at 6- million in available cap budget, and likely need more than $15 million to feet and 190 pounds, Bennett is one of the few Flames forwards who sign the rest of their RFA’s. relish the rough stuff and will hit to hurt. When he’s on, Bennett’s mix of speed, agility and sheer bloody-mindedness helps him dig pucks out of One of the options to free up the budget is to move Michael Frolik, who crowds and drive to the middle of the ice from the sideboards. For a team was the club’s second-line right wing last season. Even if Frolik somehow with noted anxieties about being “too easy to play against,” losing sticks around, however, the organization has lingering needs on the Bennett’s relatively unique skill set and abrasive identity probably seems starboard side. Elias Lindholm finding a home on the top line last year unpalatable. helped, but things fall off quickly after the 24-year old. Frolik, if he remains, is 32 and only has one year left on his contract. James Neal is a In addition, Bennett was one of the few Flames skaters who had a strong bad bet to provide much value moving forward (and the team would playoff. Though it’s generally unwise to heavily weight a five-game probably prefer to lose his contract if possible). Austin Czarnik is a sample over a much larger dataset, the team’s humiliating performance young, but a mostly unproven bottom-six forward. Depth pieces like against Colorado in the first round likely looms large in the minds of the Garnet Hathaway, Spencer Foo and Curtis Lazar all fled during free organization’s decision-makers. Trading one of the handful of guys who agency. showed up in Round 1 might seem like a step in the wrong direction.

Of the guys remaining, only Lindholm and Czarnik are natural right- Finally, there is the lingering fear of Bennett taking another step forward handers. You have to dig several layers deep to hit the next right-handed after being moved to the club’s biggest rival, with the attendant risk of forward in the organization – AHL sophomore Matthew Phillips, who is having to face him five times a year. Bennett can be an unpleasant guy years away from playing in the NHL (if at all). to play against in general, but he’d be especially galling if he added some finish to his game. On the other hand, Calgary has enviable depth on the left side, with Johnny Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Why the Oilers would make the trade Dube. Absent any notable moves, the club’s only option will be to shift a It is a truly rare thing to see the gap in quality between the top and left winger over to the right side to fix the extreme unbalance. bottom forwards fans witnessed in Edmonton a year ago. The structure In short, the Flames desperately need right wing talent up front. of the draft, the restrictions of the cap and most of the alterations to the Preferably big, skilled and naturally right-handed given the make-up of NHL game over the last 25 years were designed to ensure equality the rest of the roster. across all teams.

Enter Puljujarvi, a player the Flames scouts liked so much in his draft How the Oilers got here has been well documented, getting out of this year, Brad Treliving tried to move up in the draft to pick him fourth mess is the current issue. New general manager Ken Holland told our overall. Things haven’t worked for Puljujarvi in the NHL so far, but his Daniel Nugent-Bowman in May, “I’ve gotta try to build the bottom six. scouting report ticks all those boxes that Calgary is searching for. Scouts We’ve gotta do some work up front on our forward lines. I don’t have a raved about the player’s hockey IQ and passing abilities in 2016 and, at ton of cap space, but I’ve got some cap space.” He then proceeded to do just that, signing Markus Granlund and more recently Josh Archibald for bottom-six roles. The two areas not yet addressed could be filled by Bennett. The team certainty on the Puljujarvi deal, his poor production ensuring an needs a No. 3 centre to replace Ryan Strome, and badly needs a scoring inexpensive second contract. Bennett’s situation is less clear. He earned winger to play alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. While Bennett may be $1.95-million per year (via CapFriendly) in his second contract, a bridge best suited to the third-line role, chemistry is a funny thing, and it’s deal for two years. But Bennett showed well in the short playoff run and possible that the current Calgary pivot finds himself cashing passes from his agent may be looking for a handsome payday. If the ask is at the the Nuge, or even Connor McDavid in the future (allowing Leon Draisaitl outer marker (say, $3-million per year), the Oilers would be running close to play on the second line with RNH). Either way, Bennett is an to the cap. Holland has expressed a preference for a $1.5-million cushion established NHL player, a plug and play centre or winger. The Oilers and the team currently sits with about $3 million in extra space. need this player and Dave Tippett would find value in his utility. Conclusion Puljujarvi has shown flashes of brilliance over three seasons but the progression has been disappointing for all sides. He scored in his first Both clubs have a lot to gain and something to lose in a hypothetical NHL game—against the Flames—and delivered a stunning hot streak Bennett/Puljujarvi swap. Bennett is an established NHL player who fills a (he went 4-2-6 in a seven-game run at the beginning of December 2017) real gap in the middle of the Oilers rotation. Puljujarvi is the big, skilled during a long-forgotten two-week stretch. The Dec. 2 game that year right winger the Flames have been searching for since Jarome Iginla against Calgary was especially impressive, with the big Finn scoring retired. Bennett costs a bit more but is more of a sure thing. Puljujarvi twice in the first period. In fact, the Flames interest in Puljujarvi may be in has greater upside, but more downside risk as well. part because he’s been so strong against them, scoring 3-3-6 in eight Neither the Flames nor the Oilers have been able to address key depth career games. issues via free agency so far this offseason. Calgary’s internal right wing In the big picture, he was unable to sustain consistent production. options are limited, while Edmonton needs more established, top-nine quality skaters to support with their core pieces like McDavid, Draisaitl The frustration of three difficult seasons reached a boiling point in 2019, and Nugent-Hopkins. Both teams also enter the 2019-20 with imminent and this summer Puljujarvi’s agent spoke out and suggested a change of pressure to improve – in Edmonton’s case, to climb back out of the scenery would be best. “Sometimes a player and a team are not a fit,” Western Conference basement under the new regime. For the Flames, Markus Lehto said, “This seems to be the case here.” they need to prove their regular success wasn’t a fluke and find a way to make some noise in the playoffs. Ken Holland’s reaction has been to hold firm, saying he would do what is in the best interests of the team—even if Puljujarvi heads to Europe for There are myriad reasons the trade would not happen as well. Principal the 2019-20 season. While a commendable stance, the Oilers need good amongst them is each GM fearing the player he sends away taking a NHL players, and frankly a one-for-one deal involving a player of step forward with a hated rival. There’s a reason team’s prefer to trade Bennett’s quality would be scored a win by an enormous number of notable players out of conference whenever possible. Oilers fans. The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 Bottom line: If you have to cut your losses and trade Jesse Puljujarvi, Sam Bennett is a very nice return.

Why the Oilers wouldn’t make the trade

Math doesn’t care about frustration or controversy and math likes Puljujarvi. As an example, he has performed well with McDavid, scoring 2.06 points-per-60 during his career with the captain at 5-on-5 (via NaturalStatTrick):

2016-17 with McDavid: 0-4-4 in 84:01 (2.86 5-on-5 points per 60)

2017-18 with McDavid: 5-3-8 in 256:57 (1.87 5-on-5 points per 60)

2018-19 with McDavid: 1-1-2 in 66:46 (1.80 5-on-5 points per 60)

In viewing those numbers, it’s galling to see the opportunity missed during that second season. The McDavid-Puljujarvi combination won the possession battle in those 257 minutes (54.61 Corsi for 5-on-5) and 97 scored 4-7-11 with JP during that period (2.57 points-per-60 at 5-on-5). McDavid was more productive with Nugent-Hopkins (4.64 per 60) and Leon Draisaitl (3.13) but Puljujarvi was a teenager at the time.

Looking back, I believe Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan missed an opportunity by moving the youngster off the top line when things got tough. Puljujarvi remains a young player with enormous upside. His size/speed combination is rare, and he’s a right shot, something the Oilers don’t have in abundance. He’s on the right side of the puck when it’s turned over often enough for me to believe it’s coaching (as opposed to luck). Spending 40 games helping him find the range in 2017-18, despite frustration from all involved, was the better plan.

The biggest reason Edmonton would be hesitant to make the trade, in my opinion, is reflected in the numbers delivered by Puljujarvi while playing with McDavid in 2017-18. The fear of Puljujarvi emerging as a successful offensive player (even in a complementary role) down the QE2, might be enough to sabotage the deal. All this young man needs is confidence and the knowledge that management and the coaching staff believe in him. There’s a massive risk in dealing him to Calgary.

There are two possible downside issues in acquiring Bennett. The first is obvious: He has established his level of ability in the NHL and it is well shy of his original draft number. Per 82 games, Bennett has scored 30.5 points in the NHL. His career-high in goals (18) is something of a distant bell, having occurred in his rookie season (2015-16). In making a trade, Edmonton would be giving up potential for a more proven, less spectacular future.

The second item pertains to contract. Edmonton has some cap room, but not enough to cover an outrageous contract ask. There is more cost 1149843 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks development camp notebook: After 4 days, Kirby Dach already emerging as leader

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST Jul 18, 2019, 3:54pm CDT

Kirby Dach is a Blackhawks development-camp rookie, and he wasn’t even a Hawks prospect a month ago. But if the Hawks were to name captains for the camp-concluding scrimmage Friday morning, Dach would have a good case to be one.

The third pick in the 2019 draft, one of a mere handful of 18-year-olds in attendance, has been noticeable not only because of his size and skill — Dach’s puckhandling, not considered one of his stronger suits entering the draft, has been dazzling at times — but his leadership.

When MacKenzie Entwistle took a hard spill into the corner boards during a two-on-two drill Thursday, Dach skated over immediately at the end of the drill to check on him. -Entwistle was fine, but that moment has proved indicative of a week that has seen Dach seemingly grow every day.

“He’s got all the excitement to be on the ice,” general manager Stan Bowman said earlier in the week. “He’s focused, but he’s enjoying himself. He’s got a combination of attributes that we wish everybody had.”

There won’t, it must be clarified, be captains at the scrimmage, but Dach’s talent and poise will give him a massive advantage for whichever side he’s assigned to.

For all of its monotony, camp occasionally gets intense. Some friendly expletives were exchanged after the red team beat the white team in the aforementioned rotating two-on-two game.

Friday will be the closest thing to a -regular-season game any of these prospects will experience until September, so some mild stakes will be on the line.

Hagel builds off eight-game AHL trial

Brandon Hagel, originally a Sabres draft pick who signed as a free agent with the Hawks last fall, dominated last season as a fourth-year junior. The 6-1 winger had 41 goals and 102 points in 66 games for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, tying for fourth in the league in scoring.

“Obviously, it was a good year for myself, just growing as a person as well as a player,” he said. “I was an older guy, so just leading all those younger guys … helped me on and off the ice.”

Hagel joined Rockford for eight games at the end of the AHL regular season, recording one assist, and said that experience helped him get accustomed to what life will be like this coming season.

He also has continued a ramped-up offseason training regimen that he adopted after being spurned by the Sabres a year ago.

“My speed’s really important to me, and obviously I can keep improving on that,” he said. “The game’s turning really fast ... so I’ve got to be able to use my speed.”

Kurashev impressive in camp

Philipp Kurashev skyrocketed up the Hawks’ prospect hierarchy in 2018- 19, in large part because of a shockingly dominant world junior championship performance with Switzerland. He looks every bit a top-tier forward at camp.

No one’s straight-line speed has matched Kurashev’s, and he has demonstrated a quick first stride, too.

The 2018 fourth-round pick, who had 65 points in 59 games in the QMJHL last season before appearing in three late contests for Rockford, said that he grew up idolizing Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin.

That’s a high bar to reach, but his -ascension in the last year suggests a lofty ceiling.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149844 Chicago Blackhawks "We talk about almost everything," Boqvist said. "(Have a) better gap, the first few steps on the ice, how to handle the guy in the corner. It's nice to have a guy like Brian. He kind of knows me as a human being now as Can Adam Boqvist force his way onto Blackhawks this season? well."

John Dietz Campbell, a team ambassador, declined an interview request, saying he wanted to focus on helping the prospects on the ice this week.

What's next? During last year's training camp, 18-year-old Adam Boqvist showed right from the get-go that he could hold his own. Boqvist, who returned to the ice this week for the first time since losing to Entwhistle's Storm in mid-April, will continue his summer training in Whether going up against other Blackhawks prospects or veterans, or Sweden with his brother and other NHLers like Nicklas Backstrom. He'll facing opponents in exhibition games, Boqvist impressed everyone so then return to take part in the annual Prospect Tournament in Traverse much that coach Joel Quenneville kept the young defenseman around for City, Michigan in September. an extra week. Then training camp starts, and it will be up to Boqvist to play well enough For a while, there was even talk he could make the team. that coach Jeremy Colliton has no choice but to keep him around.

That obviously didn't happen, and Boqvist ended up spending the season For that to happen, Boqvist must prove he can slow down NHL forwards with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. on a consistent basis.

A year later, it's fair to wonder if a wiser, stronger Boqvist might do what After all, as offensively talented as he is, Boqvist's primary job is still to Alex DeBrincat did two years ago and muscle his way onto the roster. help keep the puck out of the net. There are two flaws with that line of thinking, however: "His offensive game is probably more developed than his defensive • Unless there's an injury or an unforeseen trade, the blue-line spots are game, but he's come a long way," Bowman said. "Probably the biggest mostly sewn up. thing I've noticed is his defending with the stick. He's got a very active stick and that's going to be something he'll have to be good at because • Throwing a soon-to-be 19-year-old Boqvist into the NHL before he's he's not a big guy." ready could slow his development. The Hawks have been patient with young D-men in the past and prefer them to gain more experience in the So can Colliton see using Boqvist this season? AHL, juniors or college. Well, he certainly toed the line -- and played a bit of defense himself -- So where does Boqvist stand? when asked that question Wednesday.

Well, GM Stan Bowman indicated that the Hawks are leaning on letting "I saw a couple of games during the year, but again, we gotta be careful," him turn pro, meaning Boqvist will either be with the Hawks or in the AHL he said. "This (development week) is a snapshot and at training camp with Rockford come October. and Traverse Cit y it'll be a much easier job to evaluate how close anyone is. … "In talking to Adam I think he wants to take that next step," Bowman said Wednesday as Boqvist and other prospects took part in the team's "(I) certainly can see he's maturing, he's getting bigger and stronger, development camp at Fifth Third Arena. "It's probably looking like (he'll more comfortable with this level of competition. go pro), but nothing's been determined for sure. "So that's a good thing. We'll see what happens." "He had a good introduction last year. In training camp I thought he fared pretty well, got in some exhibition games. He's taken a big step, he had a Daily Herald Times LOADED: 07.19.2019 big season."

'Tough to play against'

After a slow start offensively with London, Boqvist ended up scoring 20 goals in 54 games, and he added 10 more in 11 postseason contests. Eight of those 10 came on the power play, where Boqvist figures to be a huge difference maker for the Hawks one day.

"He's tough to play against. He's quick -- he gaps up on you quick," said fellow development-camp participant MacKenzie Entwhistle, whose Guelph Storm eliminated Boqvist's squad in seven games in the second round of the playoffs. "Then you give him time and space in the offensive zone, he's going to use it. He showed it against us.

"On the power play, he's got a great shot. I saw that too. He's a really good all-around player."

Boqvist credits some of his offensive explosion to changing his stick. He put more curve on the blade and lengthened it a bit.

"It worked," Boqvist said. "I just feel more comfortable with it."

Soup-er advice

Boqvist also grew more comfortable having former Hawks D-man Brian Campbell as a mentor.

Campbell, who volunteered to help with Boqvist's development soon after the Hawks took him No. 8 overall in June 2018, went to London at least a half-dozen times last season.

He attended games and practices, and also gave the young phenom pointers during video sessions. 1149845 Chicago Blackhawks Beaudin is kind of the forgotten guy, which seems odd because he was taken in the first round in 2018. But it might be because there's still a lot of room to grow in his game.

2019 Blackhawks development camp: Day 4 thoughts and takeaways After four years in the QMJHL, Beaudin is turning pro and is expected to start the season with the Rockford IceHogs. The Blackhawks like that they'll be able to have more of a hands-on approach in his development By Charlie Roumeliotis July 18, 2019 3:00 PM with him being under their roof on a daily basis.

"He's a smaller defenseman so it's going to be the defending part," Bowman said on what Beaudin's biggest transition might be. "We like his Here are four thoughts and takeaways from Day 4 of Blackhawks two-way ability. He was probably the top defenseman in the Quebec development camp at Fifth Third Arena: League last year. He was on a good team and played a lot of minutes. 1. MacKenzie Entwistle's growth Played all situations there so you're trying to find your niche as a defenseman and I think the biggest thing is don't get away from what you When the Blackhawks traded Marian Hossa's contract to Arizona last do well. summer, Entwistle was perhaps viewed as a throw-in on the surface in the seven-player deal. But he certainly wasn't viewed that way by the "He's a pretty smart player, he's got some creativity to his game. He's not Blackhawks. a high-risk player but he's got the ability to play offense as well as be defending and learning at his size how to play against bigger players. Entwistle was drafted in the third round, No. 69 overall in 2017. The Have a good stick, use his feet and his brain to defend. All the attributes Blackhawks had the very next pick at No. 70 overall and were preparing you want a player in the NHL to have. Good gap, force players to unload to take him. They ended up selecting Andrei Altybarmakyan instead, but the puck before they're ready to and when he gets it he makes pretty the organization had their eye on Entwistle and it was important for him smart decisions with it. So it's not one thing with Beaudin, it's becoming to be included in the deal with the Coyotes. an all-around defenseman."

Entwistle took a big step in his development this past season. He started 4. Dominic Basse’s side of the Mark Kelley story the season as captain of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, was traded to Guelph Storm and averaged more than a point per game. Guelph went One of my favorite stories from the NHL Draft came after the Blackhawks on to win the OHL championship, and he was a key reason why. drafted Basse in the sixth round (No. 167 overall), and it waas told by Blackhawks VP of amateur scouting Mark Kelley, who shared the journey In between all that, Entwistle represented Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF he went on to scout Basse for the first time: World Junior Championship. He scored three goals in five games and shined in a bottom-six, penalty-killing role. And that's exactly what he "The first time I went to see him this year I drove in a snowstorm. Luckily sees himself doing at the pro level, which the Blackhawks like to see it was 45 minutes from my house to get there and I got there and I get when players accept what kind of players they are. situated and I look out there, watched a little warmups, the game starts and he was on the bench. So he was coming off between periods, he "I was kind of slotted into a role that was sort of an energy, penalty kill was the last guy and I said to him, 'Hey, you! When are you playing?' sort of type of player," said Entwistle, who's up 10 pounds from last year. And he told me: 'I'm going to be the starter tomorrow and Monday.' So I "And I think for me that really helped me and it grew me as a player came back. He caught my eye." because at the next level that's sort of the player I'm going to be and I've kind of accepted that." I caught up with Basse on Thursday and got his side of the story and whether he recalls the encounter: 2. Alex Vlasic holding his own "I actually remember him. Good thing I didn't say something bad. I The biggest skater at Blackhawks prospect camp is Vlasic, who was thought he was just a parent. I was walking through and he's like, 'Hey! taken in the second round (No. 43 overall) in June. He's 6-foot-6, 198 When are you playing?' I was just surprised and was like: 'Sorry sir, I play pounds and is an absolute tower when you put him up against some of this day and this day.' And he's like, 'alright' and just left and I thought, the undersized forwards. 'OK, that's that.'"

He's a defensive-minded defenseman, and that's something the That was the only time Basse had any interaction with Kelley. He saw the Blackhawks are excited about because he would complement their other interview of Kelley explaining his side after the draft ended, but it wasn't offensive-minded blue liners well in the pros. At least that's what they're until development camp when he actually put a face to the name. hoping. "I kind of made a little sense of it when I came to prospect camp and I Skating is going to be something he has to continue to work on given his saw his face again and I was like, 'Oh wait I think I remember that face. large frame, but the Blackhawks feel he's ahead of the curve in that I've seen him somewhere.' And then it all came together when he said department and don't see it as a concern. that during the interview. It was pretty funny."

"He's pretty smooth," GM Stan Bowman said. "I think that's always the Other notes: challenge with guys that big. He covers a lot of ground with his reach but his skating, he's kept up quite well being one of the youngest guys here. — Kyle Olson did not participate in the on-ice session because of an He's tough to play against, he defends really well and I think that's a illness. strength of his guy. So I think it's just going to be a progression for him. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 He seems to have a pretty good understanding of his path and he's not trying to make the NHL [right away], he understands he's got some growth to do and I think those are the players that end up figuring it out as he's got a good idea of what it's going to take to become an NHL player."

Vlasic reiterated that he expects to play at Boston University for "maybe two or three years and then figure out what I'm going to do from there." Chad Krys recently turned pro after three years at BU, and Jake Wise is going into his sophomore season. Vlasic has been spending time around them this week, which has made it "pretty comfortable for me."

3. Nicolas Beaudin's transition to pro

The Blackhawks have high hopes for Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell, both of whom have been standouts at development camp. Same with Kirby Dach and Alex Nylander up front. 1149846 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks' Kirby Dach wears a mic during Prospects Camp

By Slavko Bekovic July 18, 2019 1:03 PM

When the Blackhawks made Kirby Dach the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, they lauded his skill level on the ice and maturity off it. And in his first week as a member of the franchise, Dach has done nothing to dispel the notion that he’s the organization’s top prospect, shining through the first few days of their development camp.

NBC Sports Chicago put a microphone on Dach for his second day on the ice as a member of the Blackhawks, and his skill level and leadership showed instantly.

"It's hard not to notice his skill level," said Bowman. "He's a big guy but he's got really soft hands, he's got that long reach and he's got a quick stick. He's pretty tricky with the puck. He's got the ability to hold it out so that guys can't poke it away and if they try to get it he can pull it through. He's got quick hands. And I think that's what you notice. He skates well for a big guy.”

Dach has been increasingly vocal on the ice, getting comfortable with other top prospects such as Adam Boqvist and Ian Mitchell – a group the Blackhawks hope can soon become the future core of the team.

“Between Dach and [Alex] Nylander and Boqvist and Mitchell, those guys sort of stand out as guys that are probably above everybody else,” said Bowman on Wednesday.

The Blackhawks will hold another split practice on Thursday at Firth Third Arena before a scrimmage Friday morning to wrap up camp. From there, Dach and the other top prospects will have to wait until training camp in mid-September to vie for the few remaining spots on the Blackhawks’ opening night roster.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149847 Colorado Avalanche Here we see Byram less involved in the play defensively but he still reads the numbers and gets himself up the ice to give another passing option to his teammate. Like the last clip, he’ll take the puck in stride and create Avalanche Film Room: Bowen Byram’s case for making the Avalanche offense with a little head fake that he loves employing.

Here is a little bit different. His team is on the power play, for one, and he’s also the guy way up the ice already receiving the puck at the start of BY AJ HAEFELE JULY 18, 2019 the clip.

From here, Byram enters the zone, stops to try to create a passing lane, loses control of the puck when two defenders converge on him, and then When the Avalanche took Bowen Byram fourth overall at last month’s blocks the clearing attempt. entry draft, it cemented Colorado’s future defense as one filled with stars. When Joe Sakic met the media shortly after, he was not shy about the When the puck hits Byram and settles back onto his blade, he skates to organization’s intention to give Byram a long look in training camp this the middle of the ice, draws the defenders back to him, and finds a year. teammate who eventually scores, giving Byram a primary assist on the play. With injuries to Erik Johnson and Ian Cole, it would stand to reason that spots are open along that blueline that otherwise may not have been. Byram’s ability to create offense is downright special and he has hands Cole’s absence until at least December means somebody is getting a that would make it easy to confuse him for a forward at times, as seen lengthy look. below.

The confident Byram has talked openly about trying to make the Avs right The clip begins with Byram playing a little two-high action and his away and get started on what could be a special NHL career. Even with teammate gets the puck deep into the zone to create offense. Ultimately, the injuries, though, there is going to be serious competition from guys the puck finds itself back up top where Byram is hanging out. like Mark Barberio, Ryan Graves, Kevin Connauton, and the recently acquired Calle Rosen. Once he gets it, he decides he’s a one-man army and dangles his way to the net, getting a great scoring chance on his backhand. How can Byram surpass all those guys and win a job? The offense is where a lot of young guys can step into the NHL and find He’s the modern day prototype of a franchise-caliber defenseman, for success early on. Where they really struggle is the speed of the NHL one. What that really means is instead of size and toughness, Byram’s game and processing what to do in their own zone. best attributes are his skating, puck-moving ability, and sky-high hockey IQ. With Byram, that combined with his strength (remember he’s still just a teenager) will be his biggest questions in the NHL. We do see some But don’t take my word for it. Let’s go to the tape to get a feel for just who issues with the puck crop up when he does get pressured but they’re not Byram is on the ice. very common.

Breakout machine Puck doinks

The modern day defenseman can no longer get by excelling purely in his In both of these clips, there are safer plays to make but Byram’s own zone but rather has to be good with the puck on his stick. This is confidence under pressure can occasionally lead to mistakes that send especially true when defensemen are retrieving dumped pucks and have the other team on an odd-man rush. Neither chance ended up turning to move it out of the zone quickly. Accomplish this and the opposing into anything in these situations but it’s an area he’ll have to clean up at forecheck is nothing but a minor annoyance. Fail and suddenly you’re the next level. stuck defending in your own zone and without the puck. The clip above is one of the rare clips where you find Byram making a When looking at Byram, we see several different examples below of his puck mistake in his own zone. He allows the pressure to get to him ability to break pucks out of the zone. For reference, he is always #44 in before he can make a sound decision with the puck and it ends up the clips. dangerously in front of his own net.

This one is the cleanest examples we’ll see of him breaking the puck out Luckily for Byram and the Giants, there were no opposing players lurking on his own. He begins the clip by gathering the puck after a lengthy in the area but it’s one of Byram’s few defensive zone mistakes with the defensive sequence and immediately looks to move the puck out of the puck so it felt noteworthy. defensive zone. Where Byram is going to excel defensively is in stopping high-danger Byram drops it to a teammate, moves up the wall, gets the puck back, chances from ever being created in the first place. and skates it into the other team’s zone. Once there, instead of dumping it and retreating to his spot on the blue line, he looks to create offense. Smart guy defense

While it doesn’t result in anything, these are the types of situations you In today’s NHL, the rise of analytics have shown the most effective see over and over again when watching Byram’s film. When he gathers defense is forcing dump-ins and breaking up plays at the blueline so pucks in the defensive end, the possession is usually over. Between his attacking teams never feel comfortable setting up their offense. great first pass and skating ability, the multiple avenues open to him in Transition offense is where the majority of even strength goals are breaking out are regularly taken advantage of. scored today so it stands to reason you’d like to build a defense around I’d strongly recommend when watching Byram that you keep “the best defenders who defend well against transition. The hulking physical defense is a good offense” in mind because that’s kind of player he is. lumberjack defenseman days are mostly done in this era as the guys who play that way have to come with other more modern skills in order to Aggressive offensive mentality stay relevant (see: Nikita Zadorov and his ability to skate pucks through the neutral zone). Another thing we see with Byram is that he not only kickstarts clean zone exits, but he regularly joins rushes up the ice. His ability to quickly scan In Byram, Colorado has a player who perfectly embodies what teams are the ice and recognize an advantage allows him to stress opposing looking for in defenders today. We see below multiple examples of his defenses to the max. hockey IQ leading the way to good defense.

Below we have several examples of Byram joining the rush to create Here we see Byram on the PK. As the puck enters his own zone, he offense. simply reads the play and comes across the ice to puck up the puck and clear it out of the zone. On the PK, that’s a solid 25 seconds killed In the first clip, we see Byram highlight at the beginning. He moves the between the attempted entry and the team retrieving the puck and trying puck around the boards and a teammate helps get it out of the zone. again. Byram immediately kicks it into high gear and gets up the ice to give his teammate another passing option upon entering the zone. This is one of my favorite clips of Byram, who we see highlighted at the start of the clip. Byram defends the neutral zone by diagnosing the play, Byram receives the puck and beats the goalie cleanly but rings the puck stepping up and catching a puck and sending it the other direction. off the post. When the puck again comes back his direction, Byram calmly reads what’s going on, beats two opponents to the puck and clears it back the other direction. In just that span of 15 seconds, Byram ended two rushes up the ice from the opposition and the puck was never in a position to create dangerous offense because of it.

And here in a clip of the teams playing four on four, we see Byram and his excellent gap control at work. It looks initially like he might be beaten but his transition skating is so solid that he’s able to keep the attacking forward to the outside.

As they wrap around behind his net, Byram continues following on the forward’s hip out high in the zone when an attempted pick play on Byram ends in an interference penalty and puts his team on the power play.

It’s that smart player’s kind of defense that is going to give Byram a chance to stick with the Avalanche this season.

And here in the last clip, we have the reminder that young players are roller coasters and can oscillate between brilliance and disaster in the same shift.

Here we see Byram making a good play at center ice to cut the puck off and send it in deep. As the play develops, we see Byram read the play and get back defensively in time but when the puck comes his direction, we again tries to cut it down before allowing possession in his zone.

This time instead of a clean play with his stick, Byram whiffs on the play and gives up a two on one as a result. Byram’s risk-taking pays off brilliantly and produces stifling defense when it works but this is the downside of playing that well.

To stick in the NHL, Byram will have to pick his spots a little bit more but he clearly shows the ability to fit perfectly into Colorado’s transition offense and plays the kind of defense that is tailor-made for the modern NHL.

Byram ultimately may not have his rookie season this year but you can bet with this kind of game, it’s not far off.

BSN DENVER LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149848 Columbus Blue Jackets The next chapter, as Merzlikins wears the new mask in his effort to replace Sergei Bobrovsky, ought to be just as interesting.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 07.19.2019 Elvis Merzlikins' mask a tribute to 5th line

Brian Hedger Jul 18, 2019 at 3:57 PM

Saying goodbye was not easy.

After spending a decade in Lugano, the Swiss city where Latvian goalie Elvis Merzlikins grew into a promising prospect for the Blue Jackets, bidding adieu to his “family” there put a lump in his throat.

There was a hug for the guy who cleaned the rink where Merzlikins became a star for HC Lugano – along with well wishes from the Zamboni driver who “knows me from when I was little kid and I was all the time making (problems) at the rink and he was screaming at me, you know?”

They aren’t the only members of Merzlikins’ extended “family,” in Lugano, either. The 25-year old NHL rookie-to-be is a popular guy there, primarily because of his gregarious personality and willingness to interact with fans.

“This was like, really, a huge family,” Merzlikins said in March, prior to living in Columbus for the end of the Jackets’ regular season and playoff run. “To say goodbye to them was kind of painful, but I think (when) I get to Columbus, of course, they’re gonna meet me. And I’m, uh, not like normal goalie.”

When it comes to interacting with fans, let’s just say Elvis lives up to his namesake. He thrives off the noise of a crowd at a hockey game, the ebbs and flows, and one of his goals is to gain the affection of Blue Jackets fans.

He won’t need to look far for a reminder. It’s literally painted all over his first NHL mask, which was designed by famed mask painter Dave Gunnarsson.

“Elvis knew what he wanted,” Gunarsson wrote in an Instagram post Thursday to reveal Merzlikins’ new lid. “He wanted a tribute design to the awesome fans of (the) Columbus Blue Jackets! Elvis told me his awesome ideas and I just put on the seat belt and started to paint!”

View this post on Instagram

Elvis Merzlikins, welcome to the DaveArt Family! It was so awesome to paint and create your first NHL mask! The coming NHL season is coming closer day by day. Elvis knew what he wanted, he wanted a tribute design to the awesome fans of Columbus Blue Jackets! Elvis told me his awesome ideas and I just put on the seat belt and started to paint! On one side the focus is on the fans with the slogan waving on a flag with maximum 3D FX… And on the other side a Blue Jackets general is marching with his army behind him… And all over the bucket are lots of cool mascot stingers…! Storytelling in every little detail, for example the red mountains in the background is a tribute to Switzerland were Elvis has been playing Thanks Elvis for your trust! We are already working on the next mask chapter! Thank you all for your interest. @merzly @bluejacketsnhl #DaveArt @nhl #DaveArtFamily #nhl #DaveArtTheCradleOfCreativity

A post shared by David Gunnarsson (@daveart) onJul 18, 2019 at 12:24pm PDT

The end result hit the target square in the middle.

The left side of the mask features a waving red, white and blue flag with “We Are The 5th Line,” written in blue ink. There are also large and small cartoon Images of the team’s mascot, Stinger, plus the painted face of a super fan – “Captain Blue Jacket” – who usually sits right behind the home bench for games at Nationwide Arena.

Merzlikins’ No. 90 is painted on the chin, while the right side has more versions of Stinger, a rendering of the Jackets’ goal cannon and, according to Gunnarsson, a “Blue Jackets general,” charging forward with a hockey-stick wielding army marching behind him.

There are also red mountains in the background, snow-capped, which is a stick tap to Switzerland and its Swiss Alps.

“Storytelling in every detail,” Gunnarsson wrote. 1149849 Columbus Blue Jackets The key is to challenge team members to find that balance. How did the Jackets do that?

Setting the standard The value of honesty and why it was a key part of the Blue Jackets’ season When it comes to a culture of honesty in the Blue Jackets’ locker room specifically, every player you ask has the same answer as to its origins.

“That has to start with Torts,” Atkinson said. “It’s pretty obvious he’s not By Alison Lukan Jul 18, 2019 afraid of controversy, but he’s the main reason why we had those open conversations.”

Last season, with the looming departures of some of the Blue Jackets’ The Blue Jackets’ head coach has always been upfront about his direct most talented players via free agency, the question of how the team approach in dealing with everyone he works with, be it his boss, his would handle the anticipated distraction was omnipresent. players or his coaching staff. That’s something Lencioni calls “entering the danger” meaning not being afraid to address issues with those “It was a crazy year,” Cam Atkinson said. “You can write a book about all involved. the things that went down this year.” “Torts does a heck of a job doing that,” Jones said. “Sometimes it’s not And now that it’s over, details of just how crazy some of the drama the comfortable, sometimes things get heated in the moment, but we’re all team had to manage internally have emerged. Meetings, regroupings … grown men, we all have to take it with a grain of salt and trust what is there were a series of interventions that kept the team on track and being said — whatever that point is.” helped it return to the postseason for the third consecutive year and win the first playoff series in franchise history. And Tortorella doesn’t just give honest feedback, he wants it given back to him in return. Foligno said some teams try to curtail how much input a But why did that approach work? Because the process was rooted in one player might have, but in the Columbus locker room, everyone is of the standards Jarmo Kekalainen has set for his club: honesty. constantly encouraged to give feedback to one another — be it to a coach or a player. “I’m a true believer in (honesty), and that’s why you have to have the courage to tell the guys what needs to be told face-to-face,” Kekalainen And that’s what set up the Blue Jackets players to manage the said. “If you don’t have the courage to say it face-to-face, then don’t say it challenges of last season. at all. That something that’s not negotiable in our culture or in our values.” Baking honesty into the culture

That’s surely a great leadership quote — but why does being honest Remember, for brutal honesty to feed commitment and results, it can’t really matter? just be from leadership down, it must exist within the entire team, and the Jackets as a group have followed Kekalainen and Tortorella’s example. The importance of honesty “When Torts does it, you just start to do it,” Jones said. “If a guy is As much as the idea of honest communication gets tossed around, not struggling or not doing something on the ice that you see, tell him. He every team enjoys it fully. Both John Tortorella and Nick Foligno said last may not like it, but you’re trying to make the team better.” year’s squad was the most honest team of which either has ever been a part. Blue Jackets teammates grew comfortable engaging in peer-to-peer accountability be it for behavior on or off the ice. They were also willing to “(Honesty) is necessary these days because there’s so much information mine for conflict and make sure that issues weren’t buried, rather that out there,” Foligno said. “Sometimes you get caught up in not knowing they were brought to the surface and addressed. what the truth is … with brutal honesty, it helps guys understand the message and the direction and then you have no gray area. “At the end of the day, it’s the players who have to go out there and battle and fight for one another and have each other’s backs,” Atkinson said. “I think that’s dangerous for a team to have a gray area. Then you don’t “(Honesty) can trickle down from the top but ultimately, we have to buy in know exactly where you stand. I think it’s been really refreshing for a and come together as a group and I think we did that.” franchise to be as honest as (the Blue Jackets) are.” The impact Foligno isn’t wrong. Leadership and organizational health expert, Patrick Lencioni has extensively studied what makes teams effective. His model, Ultimately, any skill is trained to drive results. The Blue Jackets didn’t which is described in his book “Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, outlines reach their ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup, but after that final the root causes of why teams don’t reach their potential. publicly acknowledged team meeting in Vancouver that employed brutal honesty, Columbus went on to win seven of their last eight games, For a team to avoid those dysfunctions and be successful, first it must secure a playoff berth, and sweep the highly favored Tampa Bay build trust that allows each member to share what he needs or when he Lightning. might need help. That level of communication allows for constructive conflict — brutal honesty — that then breeds the remaining key “It’s tough to have a heart-to-heart or open-minded conversation,” behaviors for a functional team: commitment to a purpose, the ability to Atkinson said. “When you’re done, it’s amazing — the weight lifted off be held and hold others to being accountable to that purpose, and then your shoulders, how a team can come together and believe. It’s crazy.” ultimately achieve results. On the whole, the team also answered all those questions surrounding its The Five Key Behaviors of Functional Teams ability to manage significant distractions through the course of a season. The Blue Jackets found a way to maintain the culture they wanted by As the visual above illustrates, because trust and the ability to have engaging in brutal honesty whenever it was necessary. Culture wasn’t constructive conflict lie at the foundation of a successful team, you can’t just a switch you could flip, it had to be nurtured and upheld. get to any of the next steps without honesty. “Culture is a day-by-day process,” Foligno said. “I don’t think it’s one “Honesty is the best situation for everybody,” Seth Jones said. “Get quote, or one saying, or one speech, and then all of a sudden you have everything out in the open, you’re around these guys every single day this culture. You have to act it out. I’ve seen that grow this year — guys and I think to have success you need honesty.” have come to each other and said what do you think of this it’s what I’ve been told or I’m thinking this. They take ownership of the team, as well. Not only do you need honesty, however, you need the proper kind. Using a concept Lencioni refers to as “the conflict continuum,” when it comes to “This year we took drastic steps in making our culture what we want to the level of honesty in communications, often teams can skew toward a become. We handled so much adversity and it strengthened us so much state of “artificial harmony” where everyone pretends to be fine, but because we had to walk the walk not just talk the talk.” issues go unresolved. Teams can also veer off course to the other extreme and become mired in “mean-spirited” conflict that is frequent, The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 personal and not constructive. 1149850 Dallas Stars

No longer wanted in Anaheim, Corey Perry brings extra motivation and a championship pedigree to the Stars

By Matthew DeFranks

ARLINGTON -- Corey Perry has erased last season from his mind.

Perry -- who signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract with the Stars two weeks ago -- only played 31 games for Anaheim last year, missing four months after surgery on his right meniscus and MCL during the preseason. When he returned, Perry put up career-low numbers for goals (six) and assists (four). His 14:49 of average ice time was his lowest since he was 21 years old.

The injury and the production led Anaheim to buy out the remaining two years on Perry's contract that carried a $8.625 million cap hit. He landed with the Stars, who could pay Perry an additional $1.75 million in bonuses based on games played and number of playoff rounds.

"You never want to hear that, that you're no longer needed or wanted," Perry said Wednesday after taking batting practice ahead of the Diamondbacks-Rangers game. "It is a business, I get it. But at the same time, it gives me motivation and I put last year behind me with the injury and all that. I don't really count it as a season, trying to come back in February is not the easiest thing to do. I'm going to come in to camp, I'm going to be 100%, feeling great and ready to play."

Perry, 34, has a pedigree as a goal-scorer, once scoring 50 goals on his way to the Rocket Richard Trophy nine years ago. In his 13-year career, all with Anaheim, only three times did Perry score fewer than 40 points: his rookie season, the 2012-13 shortened season and last year.

"Missing four months and trying to come back in February, I don't wish that upon anybody," Perry said. "Everybody's playing at top speed and you're playing catch-up. To play 30 games, it was great that I got to play, but at the same time, you want to go through training camp, you want to start the season off on the right foot. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Perry figures to start the season in the Stars' top six, but could also bounce around Jim Montgomery's lineup. His $1.5 million cap hit is palatable and Perry could become one of the best bargains in the league if he produces again. Plus, he brings with him almost unparalleled winning in his career.

Here are the championships Perry has won in his career: the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, a World Cup gold medal, a World Juniors gold medal, the Memorial Cup and the Ontario Hockey League title. Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer is the only other player to win those (swapping Perry's OHL title for Niedermayer's WHL ones).

"He's won almost every award there is to win in hockey," Stars goaltender Ben Bishop said. "I think him and one other guy are the only ones to win pretty much a championship in every single thing you can win a championship in. He's always been a great player. It'll be nice to have him on my team. I've been going against him for a while now. Definitely be a pleasure to have him on your side."

Perry said he chose the Stars out of 10-12 teams he heard from after he was bought out, and cited the Stars' advancement to the second round against St. Louis as evidence that they are close to winning.

This week, Perry found a place in Dallas to live and hopes to be settled by mid-August.

"Try to figure out where we are and how to get around," Perry joked.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149851 Dallas Stars social media from Ducks fans following his buyout is evidence that he was adored by people who watched him work day-in, day-out for their own team. Now Perry is a Star, and committed to helping bring the One-time Stars villain Corey Perry looking to endear himself to Dallas Stanley Cup back to Dallas. He’s confident the tone among Stars fans will change now that the pest is on their side.

Ben Bishop joined Perry in batting practice, and the results were By Saad Yousuf Jul 18, 2019 lopsided. Bishop hit three home runs, all to deep left field, while coming close about another dozen times. Meanwhile, Perry threatened the

boundaries a handful of times but never left the ballpark. To be fair, For more than a decade, cheers would ring through the stadium and Bishop has a baseball background dating back to his high school days in admiration would fill hearts around the Metroplex any time the No. 10 Frisco. jersey emerged from the dugout at Globe Life Park. So the irony was Count Bishop among the people happy that Perry is on his side now. “It’s palpable when Corey Perry — arguably the player Stars fans despised unbelievable … He’s won almost every award there is to win in hockey … most in the past decade — took batting practice wearing Michael He’s always been a great player, it’ll be nice to have him on my team. Young’s trademark number, which will officially be retired in just over a I’ve been going against him for a while now so it will definitely be a month. pleasure to have him on (my) side.” The disdain for Perry isn’t unique among Stars fans; he is loathed by Bishop was in St. Louis for the aftermath of the Blues winning the Stanley plenty of fanbases around the NHL outside of Anaheim. Perry plays with Cup. Despite being a St. Louis native himself, Bishop admitted it was an edge and is frequently referred to as a pest for his relentless, “tough to watch” after the Stars came one shot away in double-overtime sometimes boundary-pushing play. Stars fans don’t need a reminder of of Game 7 from taking down the eventual champs. “I mean, you’re happy that; his 2014 cup check on Jamie Benn in the playoffs still lives in infamy for the guys,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a very hard trophy to win, but in the Metroplex. Plenty of other fanbases have their own Perry you’re a little jealous. That’s probably the big word. You wish it was you moments, too – and, because he played his entire 14-year career up to out there. Obviously, we got a good taste of what it takes in how close we this point in Anaheim, no other NHL cities have had a chance to were, and hopefully, we can use it as fuel next year. Enjoy the rest of the reconsider their position on him over an extended stay. summer here, and we’ll be back at it sooner than later. That’s fine by him. When asked if he embraces the villain role, Perry Perry will wear No. 10 with the Stars, hence his wearing the No. 10 couldn’t help but laugh a little before admitting that, yes, he does. Perry Rangers jersey at batting practice. He’s from Canada and grew up a doesn’t concern himself with the perception of outside organizations or Toronto Blue Jays fan. That begs an important question: Was he rooting fanbases. He’s strictly focused on his job for the one he plays for. for them in 2015 and 2016 when the Blue Jays bounced the Rangers “You never want to go out there and look for dirty things … (but) I have to from the playoffs? “At that time I was,” Perry said with a laugh. get them off their game a little bit, and that’s how I’m approaching it,” he The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 said. “It’s part of the game, and it’s fun.”

Asking Perry to be a great player without playing on-edge would be like asking Miro Heiskanen to be effective without his smooth skating. It’s a package deal, he says, and the same attributes that annoy so many opponents or fans feed into the style that made him the NHL’s most valuable player in 2011.

“It’s just the way I have to play to be effective,” Perry said. “It’s one of those things, where if I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be effective playing my game on a nightly basis. I have to go out and do those things. It’s not like I’m going out looking for it, it just happens and it’s part of my nature.”

Perry is the prototypical “love him if he’s on your team, hate him if he’s not” player; an part of an archetype DFW knows well. Terrell Owens was a target of Cowboys fans’ wrath when he was in San Francisco and Philadelphia, but that hate quickly turned into adoration when he sported a star on his helmet. Boos for DeAndre Jordan after he spurned the Mavericks in 2015 turned to cheers when he signed with Dallas in 2018.

There is precedent for Perry with the Stars, too, in Antoine Roussel. Tyler Pitlick played against Roussel early in their careers before the two became teammates in Dallas. He thought much differently of him between the two experiences.

“I hated playing against Rous earlier in our careers,” Pitlick said last season. “You really hate the guy by the end of the game. He talks, he works hard and he knows the buttons to push. He knows how to make you hate him, I guess that’s a talent.”

Jason Spezza also played against Roussel before teaming up with him in Dallas and described him as, “Really the ultimate guy that you love to have on your team, but if he were on the other team, I would hate him.”

Perry is all of what Roussel was and then some. And then even some more: The guy quite literally wins everything. He is one of 29 players in hockey history to be a member of the Triple Gold Club (gold medals in Olympics Games, World Championships and win the Stanley Cup). He is just the second, after Scott Niedermayer, to combine that membership with gold at World Junior Championships plus a Memorial Cup win and a World Cup of Hockey win. And it’s not like he’s just been along for the rides: He’s scored at least 27 goals in every season he played a minimum of 50 games from 2007 to 2016.

Many would insist he is a winner because he’s a pest. Stars fans spent more than a decade finding him intolerable, but the outpouring of love on 1149852 Detroit Red Wings “The tough thing with brain injury survivors is you lose that sense of self, of who you really are," Carcillo said. "If you don’t have a firm grasp on that, your thoughts can run away from you.

In wake of Greg Johnson death, ex-NHLer predicts epidemic of head “The message is to not give up and keep searching and keep that hope trauma consequences because without hope, that’s when we start getting into that scary territory.”

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News

Published 7:35 p.m. ET July 18, 2019 Detroit News LOADED: 07.19.2019

Detroit — The news of former Red Wing Greg Johnson’s death, apparently by suicide, saddened Daniel Carcillo.

A former NHL enforcer who played 12 seasons, Carcillo has criticized the NHL for its handling of head injuries while lobbying for better health care for players.

Carcillo, 34, is a passionate advocate for the study of concussions and mental health, and founder of the Chapter 5 Foundation, which helps athletes find their new purpose as they transition into life after hockey.

In a police report obtained by The Detroit News on Wednesday, Johnson’s widow, Kristin Johnson, said her husband suffered "numerous concussions during his playing career,” but she witnessed no signs of depression.

At this point, there is no known connection between Johnson’s concussions and his death at age 48. But there has been increased scrutiny in recent years of head trauma in athletes, primarily football and hockey players, due to several diagnoses of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Carcillo believes the physical beating hockey players are taking from an early age is contributing to their mental and physical declines.

“I hope I’m wrong but I believe there’s going to be an epidemic coming as far as head trauma — and it just might get worse for a little while anyway," Carcillo said on Thursday.

“Until they changed the rules, we were hitting (body checks) at 4 years old. I hope I’m wrong but that’s why you have to educate.”

Carcillo has battled depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. He said the physical and mental toll has been enormous.

“There’s been a pretty steady amount of death it seems,” Carcillo said. “I didn’t know Greg personally but when you hear something like that about a former player — and I’ve battled a fair share of mental health issues — it definitely hits home.

“You want to be respectful to the family, but you also have to talk about it honestly and talk about what happened, because in an effort to educate people about possible signs or symptoms — or getting a discussion going about suicide, mental health, concussions — it all ties in to each other.

“In talking (to former players, teammates of Johnson’s) you get the sense he was a really good guy, from that region of Thunder Bay (Ontario), down to earth, and you feel for everybody involved.”

Carcillo said athletes are taught and encouraged to fight through injuries and the extracted toll can be dangerous.

“We’re damaged and we’re hurt and we don’t even realize it because we’re comfortable being uncomfortable,” Carcillo said. “You get into this real world after a career — for me personally and in my experience, I was physically, mentally and emotionally broken. If I didn’t stop, I was going to die, too.

“The lifestyle takes a toll, and you’re over-prescribed and under-educated about repetitive head trauma.

“A lot of us leave home at 15 years old and we’re very much broken inside. Even when we retire at (age) 30 or 40, that’s why this is still happening. Guys aren’t healing. They try to numb out symptoms that they don’t understand, they’re never educated about them, and there’s not a lot of help and some guys succumb to it.”

Carcillo said he obviously doesn't know what Johnson’s mental state was at the time of his death, but he can speak with clarity and conviction about his own struggles. 1149853 Detroit Red Wings

Report: Police say Greg Johnson's death an apparent suicide

Staff Report

By The Associated Press

Jul 18, 2019 Updated 12 hrs ago

DETROIT (AP) — A police report says the death of former Nashville Predators captain Greg Johnson was an apparent suicide, according to the Detroit News.

The paper said Wednesday it had obtained a Rochester police report, and that Johnson was found by his wife shortly before 10 a.m. on July 7. A gun and a single bullet were found near him. No suicide note was left.

The Oakland County Medical Examiner declined to discuss findings from an autopsy, according to the paper.

Johnson was with Nashville for the franchise's first season in the league. He spent the last seven years of his career with the Predators. He also played for Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago during his 12 years in the NHL.

The Detroit News said Johnson's agent, Tom Laidlaw, declined to discuss the specifics surrounding the former player's death.

Johnson was 48.

Macomb Daily LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149854 Edmonton Oilers 21-years old, he’s still at an age when many players have usually not even made the NHL yet.

As for Bennett, he would be one of the first candidates to move into the Why the Flames and Oilers would (and wouldn’t) trade Sam Bennett for Flames top-six should Frolik be traded this offseason. The problem for Jesse Puljujarvi the club is Bennett has more or less established that he’s best suited to the third line. Though he has a penchant for driving shots and chances at even strength, he also has a knack for rarely scoring on them (and his By Kent Wilson and Allan Mitchell defense remains suspect). Over the last three seasons, Bennett has a third liner (at best) rate of production at 5-on-5 at 1.38 points per 60 Jul 18, 2019 minutes, only a notch ahead of Garnet Hathaway (1.37/60). Last year (Bennett’s best of the three by this metric) he finished with 1.57/60 – the second-worst rate on the team, ahead of only James Neal (0.99/60). He’s The two Alberta NHL teams have arrived at mid-July with work left to do also a guy who doesn’t tend to score on the power play. and are running out of time to get things done. While the Calgary Flames appeared to be Stanley Cup contenders based on their 2018-19 regular With four seasons and over 300 NHL games under his belt, Bennett is season, the playoffs were a reminder that there are additional pieces close to a finished product. While it’s not impossible that the 23-year-old required. The Edmonton Oilers have collected another bunch of bottom- might take another step forward, the chances of him suddenly breaking six forwards but cannot seem to find a scoring winger for the top two out become less likely as time passes. lines or a checking centre. As s result, Bennett has an opportunity to squeeze on to the port side. Running parallel with those team storylines are the fates of two young The Flames two best forwards are left wingers (Gaudreau, Tkachuk) and forwards, Sam Bennett of the Flames and Jesse Puljujarvi of the Oilers. their two best forward prospects are also left wingers (Mangiapane and Both men were chosen fourth overall (Bennett in 2014, Puljujarvi two Dube). Unless he’s able to become a legit, top-six quality right winger, years later), both have fallen short of expectations and both players are Bennett is going to be perpetually battling for ice time and opportunity. at crossroads with their respective teams — Bennett in search of another Puljujarvi isn’t as established as Bennett, and there’s more variance in contract and Puljujarvi in search of a new NHL team. his potential outcomes – he could still be a star, or be a bust – but he’ll Adding to the drama of the situation, Bennett fits Edmonton’s needs like have ample opportunity to figure things out on Calgary’s right side. In a glove, while Puljujarvi also checks off multiple needs and offers an addition to everything else, moving Bennett for Puljujarvi would also save intriguing option for the Flames. the Flames cap space, felling two birds with one stone. According to Evolving Wild’s contract projections, Bennett will likely come in around The idea of exchanging Bennett for Puljujarvi brings into play impressive $2.8 million, whereas Puljujarvi should settle around $1.37 million. possibilities and dangerous consequences for both teams and their respective GMs, Brad Treliving and Ken Holland. Would either team risk Why the Flames would not make the trade the negative impact if the trade went well for one team, badly for the Nevertheless, moving Bennett for Puljujarvi is hardly a slam dunk. Aside other? It’s a fascinating trade idea. Here’s how a deal would look from all from the younger player’s higher “bust” risk, Bennett also brings some sides. qualities and intangibles the team doubtlessly values. Although he’s not a Why the Flames would make the trade great scorer, Bennett certainly finds ways to get the puck into scoring positions in the offensive zone. His relative shot attempt per 60-minute Calgary entered the offseason with three clear priorities: to find another rate last year was the third-best on the team (4.15/60) behind Tkachuk goalie, to clear up cap space and to improve their forward depth (notably and Mikael Backlund, while his scoring chances for rate was fourth-best on right wing). (2.05/60).

Brad Treliving has managed just one of those so far with the signing of Bennett accomplishes this by being mean, tenacious and eager to fight Cam Talbot. The team still needs to clear space to sign restricted free for the puck (or just fight in general, if needed). Though he isn’t big at 6- agents Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, David Rittich and the feet and 190 pounds, Bennett is one of the few Flames forwards who guy in question, Sam Bennett. They currently have between $9-to $10- relish the rough stuff and will hit to hurt. When he’s on, Bennett’s mix of million in available cap budget, and likely need more than $15 million to speed, agility and sheer bloody-mindedness helps him dig pucks out of sign the rest of their RFA’s. crowds and drive to the middle of the ice from the sideboards. For a team with noted anxieties about being “too easy to play against,” losing One of the options to free up the budget is to move Michael Frolik, who Bennett’s relatively unique skill set and abrasive identity probably seems was the club’s second-line right wing last season. Even if Frolik somehow unpalatable. sticks around, however, the organization has lingering needs on the starboard side. Elias Lindholm finding a home on the top line last year In addition, Bennett was one of the few Flames skaters who had a strong helped, but things fall off quickly after the 24-year old. Frolik, if he playoff. Though it’s generally unwise to heavily weight a five-game remains, is 32 and only has one year left on his contract. James Neal is a sample over a much larger dataset, the team’s humiliating performance bad bet to provide much value moving forward (and the team would against Colorado in the first round likely looms large in the minds of the probably prefer to lose his contract if possible). Austin Czarnik is a organization’s decision-makers. Trading one of the handful of guys who young, but a mostly unproven bottom-six forward. Depth pieces like showed up in Round 1 might seem like a step in the wrong direction. Garnet Hathaway, Spencer Foo and Curtis Lazar all fled during free agency. Finally, there is the lingering fear of Bennett taking another step forward after being moved to the club’s biggest rival, with the attendant risk of Of the guys remaining, only Lindholm and Czarnik are natural right- having to face him five times a year. Bennett can be an unpleasant guy handers. You have to dig several layers deep to hit the next right-handed to play against in general, but he’d be especially galling if he added some forward in the organization – AHL sophomore Matthew Phillips, who is finish to his game. years away from playing in the NHL (if at all). Why the Oilers would make the trade On the other hand, Calgary has enviable depth on the left side, with Johnny Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon It is a truly rare thing to see the gap in quality between the top and Dube. Absent any notable moves, the club’s only option will be to shift a bottom forwards fans witnessed in Edmonton a year ago. The structure left winger over to the right side to fix the extreme unbalance. of the draft, the restrictions of the cap and most of the alterations to the NHL game over the last 25 years were designed to ensure equality In short, the Flames desperately need right wing talent up front. across all teams. Preferably big, skilled and naturally right-handed given the make-up of the rest of the roster. How the Oilers got here has been well documented, getting out of this mess is the current issue. New general manager Ken Holland told our Enter Puljujarvi, a player the Flames scouts liked so much in his draft Daniel Nugent-Bowman in May, “I’ve gotta try to build the bottom six. year, Brad Treliving tried to move up in the draft to pick him fourth We’ve gotta do some work up front on our forward lines. I don’t have a overall. Things haven’t worked for Puljujarvi in the NHL so far, but his ton of cap space, but I’ve got some cap space.” He then proceeded to do scouting report ticks all those boxes that Calgary is searching for. Scouts just that, signing Markus Granlund and more recently Josh Archibald for raved about the player’s hockey IQ and passing abilities in 2016 and, at bottom-six roles. The two areas not yet addressed could be filled by Bennett. The team certainty on the Puljujarvi deal, his poor production ensuring an needs a No. 3 centre to replace Ryan Strome, and badly needs a scoring inexpensive second contract. Bennett’s situation is less clear. He earned winger to play alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. While Bennett may be $1.95-million per year (via CapFriendly) in his second contract, a bridge best suited to the third-line role, chemistry is a funny thing, and it’s deal for two years. But Bennett showed well in the short playoff run and possible that the current Calgary pivot finds himself cashing passes from his agent may be looking for a handsome payday. If the ask is at the the Nuge, or even Connor McDavid in the future (allowing Leon Draisaitl outer marker (say, $3-million per year), the Oilers would be running close to play on the second line with RNH). Either way, Bennett is an to the cap. Holland has expressed a preference for a $1.5-million cushion established NHL player, a plug and play centre or winger. The Oilers and the team currently sits with about $3 million in extra space. need this player and Dave Tippett would find value in his utility. Conclusion Puljujarvi has shown flashes of brilliance over three seasons but the progression has been disappointing for all sides. He scored in his first Both clubs have a lot to gain and something to lose in a hypothetical NHL game—against the Flames—and delivered a stunning hot streak Bennett/Puljujarvi swap. Bennett is an established NHL player who fills a (he went 4-2-6 in a seven-game run at the beginning of December 2017) real gap in the middle of the Oilers rotation. Puljujarvi is the big, skilled during a long-forgotten two-week stretch. The Dec. 2 game that year right winger the Flames have been searching for since Jarome Iginla against Calgary was especially impressive, with the big Finn scoring retired. Bennett costs a bit more but is more of a sure thing. Puljujarvi twice in the first period. In fact, the Flames interest in Puljujarvi may be in has greater upside, but more downside risk as well. part because he’s been so strong against them, scoring 3-3-6 in eight Neither the Flames nor the Oilers have been able to address key depth career games. issues via free agency so far this offseason. Calgary’s internal right wing In the big picture, he was unable to sustain consistent production. options are limited, while Edmonton needs more established, top-nine quality skaters to support with their core pieces like McDavid, Draisaitl The frustration of three difficult seasons reached a boiling point in 2019, and Nugent-Hopkins. Both teams also enter the 2019-20 with imminent and this summer Puljujarvi’s agent spoke out and suggested a change of pressure to improve – in Edmonton’s case, to climb back out of the scenery would be best. “Sometimes a player and a team are not a fit,” Western Conference basement under the new regime. For the Flames, Markus Lehto said, “This seems to be the case here.” they need to prove their regular success wasn’t a fluke and find a way to make some noise in the playoffs. Ken Holland’s reaction has been to hold firm, saying he would do what is in the best interests of the team—even if Puljujarvi heads to Europe for There are myriad reasons the trade would not happen as well. Principal the 2019-20 season. While a commendable stance, the Oilers need good amongst them is each GM fearing the player he sends away taking a NHL players, and frankly a one-for-one deal involving a player of step forward with a hated rival. There’s a reason team’s prefer to trade Bennett’s quality would be scored a win by an enormous number of notable players out of conference whenever possible. Oilers fans.

Bottom line: If you have to cut your losses and trade Jesse Puljujarvi, Sam Bennett is a very nice return. The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019

Why the Oilers wouldn’t make the trade

2016-17 with McDavid: 0-4-4 in 84:01 (2.86 5-on-5 points per 60)

2017-18 with McDavid: 5-3-8 in 256:57 (1.87 5-on-5 points per 60)

2018-19 with McDavid: 1-1-2 in 66:46 (1.80 5-on-5 points per 60)

The second item pertains to contract. Edmonton has some cap room, but not enough to cover an outrageous contract ask. There is more cost 1149855 Edmonton Oilers No. 7 defencemen, as he’s signed and his cap hit impacts the roster whether he plays in Edmonton or Bakersfield.

The key battle to watch in preseason might be Caleb Jones versus Looking ahead to Oilers training camp: 35 players for 23 jobs William Lagesson. Jones can wheel; he’s going to impress Tippett with his ability to close gaps and retrieve pucks. His game is still maturing defensively, but there’s a lot to work with for the new coach. Lagesson is By Allan Mitchell not as fluid on his feet but makes great decisions and can defend very well. It might come down to preference in style, and both men are likely Jul 18, 2019 to be heard from this winter.

Right defence (6) The salary cap dictates NHL roster decisions in the cap era. If a team This is an important position to watch during preseason. Adam Larsson is has 23 one-way contracts, chances are you can name the lineup in mid- the No. 1 right defenceman, but after that things could change under summer. There are exceptions to the rule, and as luck would have it, this Tippett. Larsson played 21:37 one year ago, with Kris Russell (20:25) not year’s Edmonton Oilers should have more than the usual number of jobs far behind and Matt Benning (14:56) a clear third option. in play during training camp. Tippett has a large group of candidates for the second-pairing job, First, there’s a new general manager and a new head coach. Traction beginning with Russell. He’s a veteran and despite poor possession gained by Colby Cave during his time with the team last year gets him a numbers has shown well in five-on-five, outscoring against elites (Puck roster spot, but he’ll have to beat out Kyle Brodziak, Gaetan Haas and IQ has him outscoring elites 15-14 a year ago, the only top-four Oilers others for an NHL job. defenceman over 50 percent). Second, there’s a large group who have contracts of around $1 million or Benning has performed well, but the perception is he’s ill-suited to a less, meaning a demotion or recall doesn’t impact the salary cap. If second-pairing role. I think it’s worth giving him an opportunity, and coach Dave Tippett is deciding between Joel Persson and Caleb Jones Tippett might find Benning to be the best option. for a roster spot, the money gap in contracts is unlikely to be a consideration. Among hopefuls, the big name to keep in mind is Joel Persson. Although he’s not famous among Oilers fans, his last two seasons in the SHL have There are 35 roster players with at least a chance to make the Oilers’ been impressive. He can move the puck effectively and could be a roster in 2019-20. Fans should expect one or two stragglers to arrive via power-play option from the right side. A strong preseason could get trades and free agency, but the signing of Josh Archibald this week Persson into the opening-night lineup. suggests the heavy work of the offseason is nearing completion. Here’s a look at the players who will push for a roster spot beginning this fall. Ethan Bear struggled with injuries last season and will have something to prove, and Evan Bouchard would have to blow the doors off preseason Goalies (2) to overcome the organization’s desire for all rookie pros to spend time in Mikko Koskinen is the No. 1 goaltender entering camp, but free-agent the AHL. Here’s the truth: Bouchard is capable of doing it. His pure pickup Mike Smith is in a very good position. It wouldn’t be an upset to passing ability is intoxicating, and if Persson fumbles in training camp, see Smith win the top job in training camp and get the opening-night Bouchard could (once again) make the opening-night lineup. start, although it’s a lock (barring injury) these two men will break camp. Centre (7) At five-on-five, among goalies who played 500 or more minutes one year The marquee position for Edmonton, there’s still work to do this fall on ago, Koskinen ranked No. 44 in save percentage (.916) and No. 50 in the third line. Connor McDavid (41 goals) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (28) high-danger save percentage (.804) via Natural Stat Trick. Smith finished are vital to the team’s success and will lead the top two lines in 2019-20. No. 50 in save percentage (.906) and No. 44 in high-danger save It’s a rock-solid depth chart, so good that the team can afford to move percentage (.816). Leon Draisaitl to the wing. I don’t believe the other goaltenders headed to camp will be in the mix for The third and fourth lines are an issue, and the options are not strong at NHL employment during training camp. Shane Starrett impressed with this time. Ken Holland signed Swiss RH centre Gaetan Haas, who will the Bakersfield Condors last season but probably needs to repeat the come to camp and try to win a job. If he doesn’t, it’s unlikely Haas goes success of 2019-20 to get a look with the big team. Dylan Wells and to Bakersfield; he’ll probably return to Europe. In the strange world of the Stuart Skinner are talented prospects who had good moments in the AHL NHL, that gives Haas an advantage. Cooper Marody has a chance to a year ago, but they are unlikely to make it late into the preseason with make an impact at centre. He is very skilled and was an impact player in Edmonton. the AHL one year ago. He can also make the team on the wing. One final item: There are pockets of goaltenders on NHL teams who are Jujhar Khaira can play centre or wing, but with the free-agent signings going to require either trades or waivers. Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh this summer, he would appear to be a better fit at pivot for next season. Penguins, Jack Campbell of the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathan Bernier Colby Cave showed well last season after being picked up on waivers, of the Detroit Red Wings are all facing difficult roster battles entering while Kyle Brodziak appeared to lose a step. He’ll come to camp this fall camp. It’s possible a trade or waiver claim changes the equation for and could surprise. I doubt he’d accept an AHL demotion, so LTIR is an Edmonton, but that kind of move happens only because of injury or a option. complete disaster in preseason. There are options. Left wing (7) Left defence (6) Leon Draisaitl scored 50 goals and didn’t win the Rocket Richard Trophy, The big news at this position over the summer came just before free and that’s the only thing that didn’t go his way all season. Edmonton agency, as Andrej Sekera was bought out by the team. It frees up a spot badly needs something close to a repeat performance in 2019-20. Milan for a regular in the lineup and might mean a position shift (right to left) for Lucic spent much of the spring and summer in the rumor mill, but we’re Kris Russell. It’s also possible lefty Caleb Jones wins the third-pair job on mid-July and he’s still on the roster. His possession numbers are good, his natural side. but the team needs him to score in the 15-20 goal range to be effective. The two big names at this position are Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse. Based on the past two seasons, it seems a stretch. The two men were on the ice for much of the 2018-19 season, with Markus Granlund will be a key part of Holland’s reworked bottom-six Klefbom (23:58) finishing just ahead of Nurse (23:49), leaving about 12 forward group, providing offence, penalty killing and solid checking while minutes of regulation (and overtime) to the third man on the depth chart. also filling a mentor role. It’s a big job for the veteran. Joakim Nygard is a The most important thing for Edmonton’s success in 2019-20 is the good fast, talented Swedish winger who brings enough offence to warrant a health and effective play of these two men. roster spot with the team. The third-pair lefty could be Russell. There’s a chance for a long shot I have Tyler Benson listed on the AHL roster, but he has an enormous (Dmitri Samorukov, as an example) to impact things enough to stay late chance to make the team and begin the year in a prominent spot. If he into camp. No one can discount Brandon Manning hanging around as the outscores Lucic and grabs playing time with skill centres in the preseason, expect Benson to make the club and possibly build on early momentum. He’s an outstanding passer and can play with high skill. Tomas Jurco and Joe Gambardella are also in the conversation in what is a very crowded depth chart. Jurco has scored 22 goals in 201 NHL games, and Gambardella is a strong forechecker and aggressively pursues every puck, something Tippett values.

Right wing (8)

The right-wing depth chart is the one that might turn Ken Holland’s hair grey over the coming season. A veteran group at the NHL level, the group lacks the kind of natural skill at the top that one associates with a contending NHL team.

Zack Kassian (15 goals) and Alex Chiasson (22) delivered outstanding performances compared to their own established career levels in 2018- 19. It’s unfair to expect the same kind of production in 2019-20, and that might mean movement up and down the depth chart for both men. Veteran Sam Gagner (five goals in 25 games after coming over in a trade) might grab some of the skill minutes, and recently signed Josh Archibald (12 goals) can also chip in.

Jesse Puljujarvi may or may not be part of the team this winter, but there’s an enormous opportunity for him to work his way up the depth chart with Edmonton. Kailer Yamamoto is a talented winger, but his wrist issues from last season are a worry. It’s possible Kirill Maksimov (who just turned pro) could impact preseason and hang around for some time — he has real scoring talent.

AHL types who fit the Tippett style are Josh Currie and Patrick Russell. If they don’t make the opening-night roster, expect a recall during the year.

What does it all mean?

This thing is wide open. A year ago I did the same exercise and named 28 players for the 23 available roster spots. The Oilers had 17 contracts north of last year’s “burying line” ($1,025,000) for the 2018-19 season. Add the men making fewer dollars but likely to make the team (Jesse Puljujarvi, Ty Rattie, Jujhar Khaira and Pontus Aberg) and we had 21 of the 23 names locked and loaded on July 20.

Not this year. The number of roster hopefuls has risen from 28 to 35, and there’s a distinct possibility we see some contracts buried. This year’s “burying line” is $1,075,000, via Puck Pedia. I count Kyle Brodziak ($1,150,000) and Brandon Manning ($2,250,000) as candidates for Bakersfield. I also count 14 contracts under $1 million with a solid chance to make the team.

There’s a new manager, there’s a new coach and there’s a massive need for scoring wingers and centres, plus kids on defence who can skate and move the puck. It sounds crazy, but Dmitri Samorukov is going to be in the conversation for a roster spot if he delivers a strong training camp.

It’s been years since so many NHL jobs in Edmonton are open for competition. We could see a wild training camp and preseason, followed by a flurry of trade and waiver activity just in front of rosters becoming final. For once, paying attention to the training camp roster is going to be a worthwhile pursuit for Oilers fans this fall.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149856 Edmonton Oilers rough estimate of a $1 million extension), Bouchard as the new rookie regular and Bear as the seventh defenceman (at his qualifying offer salary).

What the Oilers’ 2020 cap situation suggests about Ken Holland’s master That helps a bit, leaving Edmonton with roughly $21.5 million to fill just plan seven slots. The problem is that most of those positions are going to be pricey. With that money, the Oilers need to add:

By Jonathan Willis Five forwards, including two or three top six options (depending on the prospects) and a third-line centre; Jul 18, 2019 A top-four defenceman (probably Nurse);

A goalie (probably a starter). After a mostly quiet summer, the Oilers still have the necessary cap space to make another move. Figuring out Nurse’s contract is a whole article by itself, but it’s likely to be expensive. For our purposes here we’ll just use the most recent The calculations will vary slightly, but as it stands Edmonton will ice a comparable – the six-year deal signed by Esa Lindell in Dallas – as a complete roster and still have about $3.5 million in space under the upper stand-in. Adjusting for our $83.5-million cap projection, that means Nurse limit. General manager Ken Holland prefers to leave some of that space comes at $6-million annually on a long-term deal. That will be a for Mike Smith’s bonuses and an in-season reserve, but even allocating conservative estimate if Nurse tops 40 points again. $2.5 million for both that leaves the Oilers with somewhere between $1.7 and $2 million to spend on another player ($1 million in open space, plus The goalie is trickier, as there are a range of possible outcomes, the additional room opened by bumping someone off the 23-man roster). everything from Edmonton running Koskinen as its long-term No. 1 to buying him out entirely. A $5-million starter would probably be That should be sufficient money to sign one of the remaining free agent accompanied by a buyout and a cheap backup, which would free up centres on the market. In a league where Ryan Dzingel had 56 points some money, so for now we’ll just project a Petr Mrazek-type 1A/1B and earned a two-year, $3.4-million AAV contract, players like Derick signing to go along with a returning Koskinen. Brassard or Riley Sheahan or Brian Boyle can’t very well expect to command much more than the money the Oilers still have at their Just to make things a little easier for the last step, let’s also project a disposal. Granlund/Archibald-type signing in a third-line role and a Haas/Nygard- type signing in a depth role and see where that leaves the Oilers. Alternately, it’s enough room to take some other team’s unwanted contract off its hands. Holland has a little bit of flexibility still, and whether Add in Holland’s preferred in-season reserve of $1.5 million and the that flexibility is more valuable than avoiding an Andrej Sekera buyout Oilers have about $8.3 million left to sign two top six wingers and a third- would have been will ultimately be determined by what Holland does with line centre. It isn’t enough money. It’s an improvement on the summer the money and how Sekera performs in Dallas. 2019 situation, to be sure, but it just isn’t enough money.

Still, it’s not much money, and fans hoping for more aggressive additions This suggests a couple of possibilities. are going to have to wait another year, and possibly longer than that. The first is an aggressive approach on the trade market. Kris Russell, A bunch of problems come off the Oilers’ books next season. The Gryba who will make just $1.5 million in salary after his $1 million signing bonus buyout ends, the Manning and Brodziak contracts projected here as is paid, could be catnip to some teams but will still have some no-trade buried end, and so does the Gagner overpayment. The upper limit will protection. Milan Lucic, owed $10 million in real dollars over three years climb, probably only by the same modest amount it did this year but even as opposed to an $18 million cap hit over the same span post-signing that will add an extra $2 million in space. bonus will be in a similar spot.

It’s important not to exaggerate the impact of all that, though. Ignoring Alternatively, the Oilers could look to the trio of Nurse, Klefbom and Gagner for a moment, the others account for just $3.5-million in cap Larsson as forward trade bait, banking on a rich stock of prospect savings – money which could conceivably all be eaten up signing Nurse defencemen to ultimately supplant them. to a contract extension. The issue with this possibility is that in many ways it applied almost as Many of the big-ticket issues remain. Lucic and Koskinen have years left well to the Oilers’ situation this summer. Holland has so far opted for a on their deals, bets they so far show little sign of being able to cover. The conservative approach, the same careful, cautious tack he took for years Russell and Pouliot commitments have another year to run. The Sekera in Detroit. Given that history, it’s hard to imagine him morphing into an buyout will go on for three more years, which again makes one wonder if aggressive wheeler-dealer in one summer. the Oilers were well-advised to make that particular move. The other option is incrementalism.

Put it all together, and the Oilers can expect to have roughly $26.5 million There’s a running joke online that the Oilers would be in a far better to fill 13 roster spots. position today if their 2015 GM hiring had been a potato rather than Peter Some of those spaces will be filled by prospects, which is generally a Chiarelli. The thinking is that under the potato, Edmonton’s hockey ops good way to save money. staff would have signed its RFAs, retained its existing talent, and that a team making those simple maintenance moves would be in a far better Up front, it’s probably reasonable to expect three graduates: two from the position today than a team subjected to Chiarelli’s creativity. higher-end group (Tyler Benson, Kailer Yamamoto, Cooper Marody and Ryan McLeod) and one from the fourth-line side (Joseph Gambardella, That it’s probably true explains why the gag is so enduring. Patrick Russell and Josh Currie) in a depth role. Let’s pencil in Benson, The potato description doesn’t capture Holland’s summer 2019 moves, Yamamoto and Gambardella. as he’s been active in free agency, but he has been quite cautious.

Defence is tougher. Edmonton will have to make decisions on three The RFAs have been taken care of competently. Halfway through July players – Jones, William Lagesson, Ethan Bear – and will likely do so on everyone is buttoned down save for Jesse Puljujarvi, whose outspoken a fourth RFA, Persson. There will also be significant pressure from the reluctance to sign has shown no indication of sparking an emotional farm, as high-end prospects Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov will reaction – or activity of any kind – from Edmonton’s staff. be entering their second pro campaigns. In a year where the stated goal is to “compete for a playoff spot” There is clearly pressure to break rookies in this season, which was (translated from NHL-speak, that means ‘to probably miss the playoffs, another factor in the Sekera buyout. When I look at that group of six, it but not by too much’) the team’s UFA shopping also falls broadly in line seems reasonable to me to pencil in three for next year: one of this with the slow-and-steady approach. That Smith, Granlund, Archibald, year’s rookies in a regular spot, one of the high-end AHL prospects in a Nygard, Haas and Jurco are all on one-year deals could be an effort to regular spot and one of the other waiver-eligible prospects in a reserve keep the books free for the summer of 2020, but it’s easy to look at the role. roster and think it was done with the thought that some of those players As with the forwards, we’re going for a general rather than specific might be harvested for draft picks at the trade deadline. picture here. I’ve pencilled in Jones as the graduating regular (with a A look ahead to the Oilers’ financial situation in 2020 suggests that the steady approach Holland has taken this summer is unlikely to be a one- off. Despite his caution, there is no windfall of cap space coming a year from now.

That’s not to say the Oilers are in for a five-year rebuild. The presence of McDavid, Draisaitl and Klefbom on reasonable long-term contracts and the team’s already rich crop of prospects should shorten the timeframe considerably. Yet any leaps forward are still more likely to be powered by Bouchard, Samorukov and Philip Broberg than they are pricey forays into free agency.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149857 Florida Panthers Being a “student of the game” was the exact mandate written on the locker-room whiteboard on Day 1.

Zach Solow heard the message when he attended the Panthers’ Once overlooked, invites to Florida Panthers development camp seek a development camp last summer. After taking the message to heart, he second chance returned to Northeastern University and scored a team-leading 15 goals in his sophomore campaign.

By Erin Brown “I just did a lot of listening, did what they were teaching here,” Solow said. “That was protecting the puck and attacking the net. I tried to do Jul 18, 2019 that last season, and it paid off for me personally scoring some goals.”

Solow not only appreciates the Panthers’ mentorship in his pursuit of a professional career. The native of Naples, Fla., is hopeful the opportunity CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — As an 18-year-old, Anthony Wyse was just allows him to eventually play in the NHL for the team he followed growing hoping to salvage his hockey career. up. Instead of preparing for the possible dream of being drafted by an NHL But an added benefit of attending camp so close to home is practical — it team in 2014, the defenseman was crossed off scouts’ lists as he was in keeps costs down. the midst of a 10-month rehab after surgery to repair the labrums in both hips. The franchise foots the bill for players who have surrendered their NCAA eligibility. Those who are on scholarship, however, must cover their own “I know some people have had that injury and never come back,” Wyse costs to attend professional camps. Students must also keep up with said. “I was honestly more focused on just being able to continue my summer coursework while away. hockey career. I wasn’t projected to be a high draft pick. Sometimes that doesn’t work out in people’s favor. So I wasn’t, obviously, happy. I had “When you get a chance to battle with first-rounders, second-rounders been working 18 years trying to get drafted.” and all the draft picks, you’re going to do whatever it takes to put your name on the map,” Solow said. “You’re going to pay whatever price for Since his return to the ice in 2015, Wyse has emerged as a workhorse travel, gas, whatever it is. You’re going to come and compete.” for the University of New Hampshire, earning the Wildcats’ Best Defenseman Award in consecutive seasons. It has helped him attract No one put a specific price tag on the out-of-pocket costs, but the general attention from NHL teams, most recently the Florida Panthers. consensus among players is a minimum of $1,000. The financial commitment can add up for those who attend multiple camps. Families The Panthers invited Wyse and 14 other undrafted players to take part in often bear the brunt. their annual development camp. For these players once overlooked, the summertime gathering offers a second chance to showcase their For instance, Tyler Inamoto, a junior at Wisconsin and Florida’s fifth- abilities. round choice in 2017, attended his third camp.

“It means a lot,” Wyse said of the invite. “It means that I feel like at least “There are a lot of sacrifices that families have to make, either time or I’m doing something right during the year to get noticed, get invited, monetary commitments,” said Barry Inamoto, Tyler’s father. “Putting your because not many people get that opportunity. (I’m) just humbled, son into AAA hockey in the hopes of getting a scholarship, financially, it’s excited and trying to make an impression any way I can. I’m undrafted, probably better to just save your money. But, obviously, if your kid loves so my name is not associated really with the organization. So anything I hockey and that’s his passion, as parents we try to do everything we can can do just to make an impression.” to support them.”

Development camp consists of activities to help the young adults The Panthers are also thankful. understand what it takes to become a professional. The Panthers hold three days of on-ice practices for skill development and off-ice sessions “All of our college prospects are here,” McCabe said. “We’re excited our led by various team personnel. On the fourth and final day, players families are able to invest in them to get down here. We feel it’s very scrimmage. Outside of spending time with each other at a nearby hotel, beneficial to have our guys here to build that bond that we all talk about.” players also took part in a team-building bowling outing. Those ties, McCabe hopes, build a strong culture that comes back to the Bryan McCabe, Florida’s director of player personnel, said the week is Panthers as these players turn pro. the culmination of months of scouting. “All the guys here are not guys we pulled out of a hat,” said Florida’s “All the guys here are not guys we pulled out of a hat,” McCabe said. director of player personnel, Bryan McCabe. “They’re guys our scouts “They’re guys our scouts believe in or saw along the line that we think believe in or saw along the line that we think have something that can have something that can help our organization out.” help our organization out.” (Eliot Schechter / Florida Panthers)

Of the 906 individuals who played at least one game in the NHL last In the case of Matteo Pietroniro and Santtu Kinnunen, the opportunity to season, 16 percent never heard their names called on draft day. By meet before heading to Finland for the season is a good example. comparison, 34 percent of the players were first-round selections. Unable to secure a professional contract in North America, Pietroniro “The draft is over,” McCabe said. “No one asks what draft pick you were signed with the Lahti Penguins of Finland’s SM-Liiga — Kinnunen’s team when you show up at camp in September. No one cares. It’s about what — to help him “mature as a player and a person.” you do on the ice: your performance, how hard you work, the passion, The pair sat next to each other in the locker room during camp. Kinnunen energy you bring to the rink every day. took the American under his wing, offering tips and teaching him a “The undrafted guys, I told them to use it as fuel. We’ve had a lot of guys “Finnish word of the day.” in this organization that were undrafted, signed to an AHL deal, put on an Pietroniro’s butterflies from being at his first pro camp quickly NHL deal and play games for us. That should be their goal.” disappeared.

At Florida’s camp, the opportunity to impress was abundant. Outside of “I knew coming in here this was a great experience,” he said. “Instead of GM Dale Tallon, coach Joel Quenneville and the Panthers’ player being nervous, enjoy every moment of it and take in as much as I can.” development staff, coaches from the Springfield Thunderbirds, Florida’s AHL affiliate, got an up-close look at players while running on-ice drills. A As the Panthers check in on Kinnunen, their seventh-round pick in 2018, representative from the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits scouted from they’ll likely do the same with Pietroniro. the stands. “I think coming here they wanted to see what kind of player I was, what “You want to see the guys be competitive, and it’s not just the physical kind of person,” Pietroniro said. “I think I’ll be on their radar. They’ll be part of it,” Thunderbirds coach Geordie Kinnear said. “I think players watching me while I am in Finland.” need to be hungry all the time, come to the rink and want to get better, be a student of the game. If I look at the great players, they’re all students of A little more than a week after camp wrapped up, the Panthers signed the game. I think this is part of being a student because that’s how you invitee Jake Massie to a two-year, entry-level deal. get better.” For the other invitees, the journey has been long and uncertain, but the signing is a reminder there is still hope.

“Everyone is going to be different,” Solow said. “Me, personally, if I feel I am ready to make the jump, I would do it. If not, I’m definitely not going to rush into playing pro hockey when you can return to college and grow and develop there. I’ve seen some guys rush into it and it hasn’t panned out, and I’ve seen guys be patient and it work in their best case.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149858 Los Angeles Kings

MASON BERGH RETURNS TO ONTARIO ON AHL CONTRACT

ZACH DOOLEY

JULY 18, 2019

The Ontario Reign added their second AHL contracted player of the summer, agreeing to terms with forward Mason Bergh on an AHL deal for the 2019-20 season.

Bergh is a familiar face, after he made his professional debut with the Reign last season on an ATO. The six-foot tall forward joined the team in late-March after his NCAA career at Colorado College came to a close and scored a goal in his professional debut, the game-opening tally against Stockton on March 31.

Bergh’s redirected goal was his only professional point of the season, as he appeared in a total of three games with Ontario. While his time with the Reign was a small sample size, Bergh got a look on the top line alongside Matt Moulson and Brett Sutter in his debut – not a bad due to play your first professional game with – and showed a nice blend of speed and skill in his short audition. Though a different style of player, Bergh will have the chance to earn a spot on what is looking like a young Reign roster in his first pro season, similar to what Kyle Bauman did last year.

Prior to beginning his professional career, Bergh completed a four- season collegiate career with Colorado Collage, where he eclipsed the century mark with 105 points from 149 games played with the Tigers. Bergh totaled a career-high 40 points (18-22-40) during his junior season in 2017-18 and led the team in scoring as a sophomore in 2016-17. The Eden Prarie, MN native also served as a two-year captain, wearing the “C” during both his junior and senior seasons.

As a senior, Bergh was a national finalist for the NCAA Senior CLASS Award. He was also named Colorado College’s Van Diest award winner as the institution’s top senior male athlete.

Bergh joins Sutter as players contracted to the Reign on AHL deals for the upcoming season. Of the five AHL contracted players from the 2018- 19 Ontario Reign, Sutter has re-signed, Philippe Maillet and Sam Herr have signed elsewhere, while Bauman and Jamie Devane remain as unrestricted free agents.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149859 Los Angeles Kings

MATT MILLAR JOINS KINGS ORGANIZATION AS REIGN GOALTENDING DEVELOPMENT COACH

ZACH DOOLEY

JULY 18, 2019

The Ontario Reign announced today that Matt Millar has joined the organization as the team’s goaltending development coach.

Those that have attended Kings development camps over the last few summers might recognize Millar, at least by face – The El Segundo, CA native has worked at the camps for the past five years alongside Bill Ranford and Dusty Imoo. Suddenly, the man working with Kings netminders at the most recent edition makes sense!

Millar is the de facto Imoo replacement on staff – Imoo recently departed the Kings organization to join Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, where he will also work with the Chinese Olympic program in developing goaltenders. Millar joins as a familiar face, not only having worked at development camps, but also being an El Segundo native, where the Kings practice. The last name Millar might be of significance to Kings fans as well – Matt’s father, Peter, served as the equipment manager with the Kings from 1989-2006.

Millar joins the Kings organization from the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, where he has worked since 2013. Millar first joined Dubuque as the team’s goalie coach and director of hockey operations, before he was promoted to assistant coach in 2017. Millar helped lead the Fighting Saints to the playoffs in each of his six seasons there, including an appearance in the Clark Cup Finals in 2016.

In addition to his USHL experience, Millar has worked with USA Hockey, serving as an assistant coach at the Five Nations Tournament (2016) and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (2017), as well as a scout with the United States National Development Program. Millar also worked as a scout with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes from 2009-2011.

As a player, Millar was a goaltender at the NCAA Division III level with Bethel University and the University of Minnesota-Crookston. He also skated at the junior-college level at Dakota College at Bottineau for one season. Fun fact, Kings alum Dustin Penner also played junior-college hockey at Bottineau, though Penner was injured during Millar’s season there. Millar also worked at Bethel as a goaltending coach for five seasons.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149860 Minnesota Wild Framing it that way reinforces the bets Fenton is making on his ability to evaluate talent and try to remake this roster on the fly. Because in terms of cap flexibility, the Wild sure seems to have less of it than when the After all the reshuffling, did the Wild gain in talent or flexibility? reshuffling started.

*Want to go in a completely different direction from the last 500 words? Here’s a picture of Jack White and other members of The Raconteurs By Michael Rand taking in Tuesday’s Twins game a night after playing The Armory.

JULY 17, 2019 — 11:45AM

Star Tribune LOADED: 07.19.2019 Welcome to the Wednesday edition of The Cooler, where it’s time to spend some time on the ice. Let’s get to it:

*When Wild general manager Paul Fenton embarked on a roster shakeup in the middle of last season, the intent seemed clear on two fronts: 1) See if an injection of new blood would create a better dynamic down the stretch that might propel the team into the playoffs and spark a run; 2) Add a combination of youth and payroll flexibility to pave the way for a bigger shift in direction during the offseason.

Number 1 obviously didn’t happen. Number 2 is coming into focus but still in question.

Barring anything dramatic (like, say, a Jason Zucker trade that still hasn’t happened amid chatter that has died down), the Wild’s offseason activity might be drawing to a close. Sure, Minnesota has a couple more notable restricted free agents to sign (Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala), but after signing Ryan Donato on Tuesday the others can’t be far behind.

As such, we are in position to take a look at where the Wild stands with payroll, talent and flexibility in order to judge (at least to this point) the net result of the reshuffling that began in earnest six months ago.

Note: Salaries are yearly cap hits and length of remaining contract includes 2019-20. Estimates for Eriksson Ek and Fiala via Evolving Hockey).

KEY SUBTRACTIONS

Mikael Granlund ($5.75 million, 1 year left); Nino Niederreiter ($5.25 million, 3 years left); Charlie Coyle ($3.2 million, 1 year left).

KEY ADDITIONS

Ryan Donato ($1.9 million, 2 years left); Kevin Fiala (Estimated $3.1 million, 2 years left); Victor Rask ($4 million, 3 years left); Mats Zuccarello, $6 million, 5 years left); Ryan Hartman ($1.9 million, 2 years left).

OTHER NOTABLE DECISIONS

Eric Staal (2-year extension, $3.25M per year); Joel Eriksson Ek (estimated 2-year deal as RFA at $1.35M per year).

So: Had the Wild kept the status quo — no trades, no outside free agent signings, keeping Eriksson Ek, they would have been on the hook for about $15.5 million in salary in 2019-20 with Granlund, Nino, Coyle and Ek. That would have diminished to $6.6 million in 2020-21 had they let Coyle and Granlund walk in free agency.

As it stands (estimated), the Wild will be on the hook for $18.25 million next season between Donato, Fiala, Rask, Zuccarello, Hartman and Ek, and the same number in 2020-21.

If we keep Hartman (a low-leverage signing) and Eriksson Ek out of it, it looks like this:

$14.2 million status quo in 2019-20 with Granlund, Coyle and Nino, which is down to just one player (Nino) and $5.25M beyond next year.

$15 million (estimated) in 2019-20 and 2020-21 for Donato, Fiala, Rask and Zuccarello, with longer-term commitments to both Rask and Zuccarello.

I think it’s fair to say the Wild would need to get a jump from two out of the three of Donato, Fiala and Rask next season to feel better about their short-term lineup vs. what they would have had by doing nothing.

And the bigger-picture question: Would you rather have Donato, Fiala, Rask and Zuccarello in 2020-21 for $15 million or would you rather have Niederreiter and $10 million more in cap space — which is what the Wild would have had just by playing out this coming season and letting Granlund and Coyle walk? 1149861 Montreal Canadiens of the AHL once the Warriors were eliminated, playing seven games for the Laval Rocket.

Evidently his workout regimen includes hiking up hills near Montreal with How a prospect becomes a pro: the offseason workout plans for the his fellow top prospects. soon-to-be Canadiens Bulking up is a familiar theme with athletes who are just out of their teens. But hockey is about more than just muscle power.

By Sean Gordon Suzuki, for his part, said he’s seeking to make refinements to his skating Jul 18, 2019 stride.

The London, Ont., native has worked for years with skills guru Dwayne Blais (who notably collaborated with multiple Washington Capitals There is a garage in Roblin, Man (population: 1,614). Well, to be more players in their Stanley Cup season) and has worked out of Blais’ Total accurate there are dozens, but inside this particular one you’ll find a sled, Package Hockey facility since he was in eighth grade. upon which weights can be stacked for pushing and pulling. But he’s also the type of kid who likes to gather multiple opinions and Also, there’s a rack for squats and bench pressing free weights. viewpoints.

“There’s some pylons and stuff too,” said Josh Brook, the 20-year-old Thus, he’ll be doing some work with former Olympic figure skater Barb Canadiens prospect who grew up in the house attached to the makeshift Underhill, whose NHL pupils include Mitch Marner and, perhaps more workout centre. notably for a player who has often been criticized for not playing with enough pace, Brayden Point. The accoutrements are rudimentary as these things go; it has nevertheless helped produce three Western Hockey League players “(Underhill) worked with (the OHL) Guelph (Storm) and I got to work with (Brook’s little brothers Jakob and Aidan play for the Prince Albert Raiders her a little bit, but she told me I can come anytime, skate with the Leafs and Medicine Hat Tigers respectively). guys, get out there or have a private session with her,” Suzuki said, later adding: “She wants to lengthen my stride and be more like, in her terms, But for a guy whose ambition is to carve himself a spot in an NHL lineup, more bouncy and being ready to accelerate at any moment. You kind of or at the very least an AHL one in his first full pro season, it’s not quite up see like Marner, he’s kind of my size and that guy can fly out there and to snuff. Nor are any of the other local facilities. she’s been working with him for a long time, so hopefully I can pick up “I’m from a pretty small town, there is a gym, but it’s not really set up for a some things that can help me.” hockey player to work in,” Brook said in a recent interview. That’s not to say Suzuki isn’t also focused on acquiring man-strength. And so he has spent the bulk of the past two summers working out at the The Canadiens’ fitness staff is overseen by Patrick Delisle-Houde, a Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard. This year he’ll spend essentially former major-junior and university player who holds an advanced degree all of it there. in exercise physiology. The 2017 second-round draft pick is among the headliners of a Montreal It has become an article of faith that summer training has a huge impact prospect class that turns pro this season. The group also includes first- on player performance, but there are also mounds of academic research rounders Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki, as well as lesser-heralded establishing the correlation between weight, strength, generally high names like seventh-rounder Cayden Primeau and 2018 undrafted free levels of fitness and on-ice hockey success. Bulk and stamina are built agent signing Joël Teasdale. over time, and the rigours of a hockey season tend to lead to So how does a young player prepare physically, mentally and otherwise physiological changes, notably to fatty and lean tissues; those, in turn, for their first professional year? The Athletic decided to ask them. must be addressed in the off-season, but without verging into over- training. As one might expect, different players have different priorities, and some of Montreal’s prospects will have longer summers than others to focus on Perhaps at this point it would be worth highlighting the title of Delisle- them – Brook’s season ended in March, when his Moose Jaw Warriors Houde’s master’s thesis: Seasonal Changes of Physical Fitness were eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs, Suzuki and Attributes in Collegiate Ice Hockey Players. Teasdale played in the Memorial Cup and didn’t stop playing until late So when an actual expert hands Suzuki a series of isolated exercises May. that are intended to improve his explosiveness, he takes pains to execute It won’t surprise anyone to learn Montreal’s player personnel office sets them religiously. up bespoke to-do lists in terms of off-season skill and physical “My testing scores were good but they can definitely be better,” Suzuki improvements. said. “They were happy with my explosiveness but I think I can take it to “Everyone leaves (development camp) with a plan . . . they have access the next level.” to the strength trainers, the nutritionists, the psychologists, so if a player Rocket coach Joël Bouchard, who ran proceedings at development shows up to (training) camp and isn’t ready, something isn’t right,” said camp, also made a point of suggesting on-ice drills and assigning tactical Francis Bouillon, the Canadiens’ player development coach. homework that will help Suzuki bolster his defensive-zone game against That Brook is working under the careful watch of the team led by bigger, faster players in the pro ranks. Canadiens’ sport science director Pierre Allard in Brossard isn’t an “They sent me back with a few things,” the 20-year-old Suzuki said with a accident, nor is it unusual. There’s a steady parade of draft picks, minor smile. pro players, and even NHLers coming through the facility over the summer months. If strength is a unifying theme for first-year pros, so too is working with peers and established pros. “It varies through every week, it’s not always the same. But Paul Byron is in here most of the time . . . all the NHL players who are there you can Suzuki will skate with other London-based players like his buddy and learn from because they put in the work to get there,” Brook said at the junior linemate and soon-to-be Flyer Isaac Ratcliffe, the Canucks’ Bo conclusion of the annual development camp in late June. Horvat, and Blues prospect Jordan Kyrou. Later in the summer, he’ll jump on the ice to play in the scrimmages run by the ‘older guys’, Drew The Manitoban is typically in the weight room five or six days per week, Doughty and Logan Couture. and by development camp was also on the ice a handful of times per week. The cadence will accelerate as the calendar winds closer to It’s a similar story for Teasdale, who grew up in Repentigny and trains at September. the rink and gym complex Bouchard built in Boisbriand.

“It’s really just a lot of skills and skating right now, closer to camp time it The Memorial Cup MVP has the added benefit of knowing Bouchard as will get more into battling drills and that kind of stuff,” he said. well as anyone – he played three seasons for him with the Blainville- Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL – but mostly he’s relying on a coterie Brook’s objective is to continue to build strength to withstand the rigours of buddies and older players (the group includes Canadiens prospects of playing against men; the 6-foot-1, 192 pound defenceman got a taste Morgan Adams-Moisan and Phélix Martineau, who shuttled between the ECHL and AHL last year) to help him reach new heights.

“It’s mostly the same four or five guys, we have pretty good chemistry, we always have fun together even when it’s time to work, so it’s a pleasure to be in the gym every day,” Teasdale said. “Those guys are all a little older than I am so yeah, when I see them push it forces me to push harder as well, but it’s only good for me.”

Whereas Suzuki is inquisitive and keen to explore different avenues, Teasdale is more of a blind trust kind of person.

“Honestly, I’m just leaving it in my trainers’ hands,” he said. “I’m out at Boisbriand, I don’t really know much about (exercise science), I just rely on them and do what they tell me!”

Basically, they’re telling him to be in the gym five days per week.

Teasdale’s challenge at the next level primarily involves improving his footspeed, so he’s also doing power skating workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays and occasionally plays in a scrimmage on Wednesday mornings before hitting the gym (Boisbriand has a large contingent of NHL and AHL players who play in a three-on-three league that runs most of the summer).

He’ll often hop on for a twirl on Wednesday nights as well with his pals.

One of the main reasons pro players are pro players is they can’t ever seem to get quite enough of being at the rink.

Take the case of Primeau, who spent a month getting kicked out of arenas in Slovakia after his collegiate season at Northeastern ended.

Training realities are a little different for players who come up through the NCAA.

For one thing, they play fewer games. On the other hand it gives them more time to spend in the gym working out in fancier, more strictly supervised conditions than what most if not all major-junior teams offer.

“The last couple of years I’ve spent two months at Northeastern and two months at home,” Primeau said, “but this year I’ve mostly just been at home.”

You may be aware that Primeau grew up in a hockey clan, he also lives in Voorhees, N.J., just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, where his old man played and several other NHL players summer.

He spends his offseason working alongside the likes of people like Dennis Seidenberg, but the main formative experience for Primeau this year was his stint at the World Championships, where he served as Team USA’’s third goalie.

“Being able to experience that will definitely help, I mean, just being on the ice and being around elite level players every day just makes you better,” he said.

The main benefit of the up-close view of how hard the Johnny Gaudreaus and Patrick Kanes of the world work is that it sets a bar.

And then, Primeau and his fellow Canadiens prospects are provided with all the necessary resources required to clear it.

It’s a voluntary service, but not really; basically every prospect avails himself. The truism holds that everyone thinks they’re in shape until they show up at an NHL camp for the first time.

Primeau, who is expected to share the net in Laval next season, is following a similar gym and on-ice routine and plan to previous years. Just more of it, and faster.

“I’m definitely ramping it up,” he said. “You have to.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149862 New Jersey Devils Here’s a breakdown of every goalie the Devils drafted between 1991- 2014:

That’s 14 goalies in 24 drafts who combined to play a total of 76 games From suspect to strength in 7 months: Where the Devils’ intriguing for the Devils. goaltending situation stands While Brodeur was crafting his Hall of Fame career, it didn’t matter much that New Jersey had lost its touch with identifying and developing young By Corey Masisak goaltenders. When he reached the twilight of his career, former general manager Lou Lamoriello used the No. 9 pick in the 2013 draft to land Jul 18, 2019 Schneider, after years of failing to find Brodeur’s successor through the draft.

Ray Shero’s tenure began just before the 2015 draft, when the Devils Seven months ago, the Devils’ outlook at the goaltending position, in selected Blackwood. New Jersey has selected a goaltender every year both the short and long term, was a mess. since he arrived, and have seemed to operate under the philosophy that Cory Schneider was pulled from a game Dec. 14 against Vegas and bigger is better. wouldn’t play again for nearly two months. He had the worst save Drafting a goalie every year can lead to a logjam. The Devils didn’t sign percentage in the NHL and hadn’t won a regular-season game in 2018. Cormier last summer because they thought Senn might come to North Keith Kinkaid helped New Jersey rally to win that game, but after a strong America and also landed one of the top college free agents, North three weeks to start the season, finished with a sub-.900 save Dakota’s Cam Johnson. percentage. The Devils then traded him to Columbus in February. Eddie That meant three guys (Blackwood, Johnson and Lack) were going to Lack was out for the season with a torn ACL. compete for two spots, and adding a fourth didn’t make sense. The Evan Cormier, a 2016 draft pick, was playing for a Canadian college Devils haven’t added a veteran to replace Lack this offseason. team after the Devils declined to sign him by the June 15 deadline. Gilles If they don’t, Senn and Cormier will battle for playing time with Senn, a 2017 pick, had spent most of the season as a backup in Binghamton while Schmid and 2019 pick Cole Brady play in the USHL Switzerland. (Brady is scheduled to spend a year with Fargo in the USHL before going Akira Schmid, a 2018 selection, had spent a month not playing for to Arizona State in 2020-21). anyone when a WHL team cut him after one game. Schmid was on his Schmid should be ready for a contract next offseason, at which point he third league by mid-December and had won two games for Omaha could join Senn and Cormier in a competition that would end up with one before leaving for the world junior championships. of them in the ECHL. Amid the doom and gloom, there was a glimmer of hope. Mackenzie Schneider has three seasons left on his contract and Blackwood has a Blackwood, drafted in 2015, had played pretty well for Binghamton and head start on that group to be his successor. A lot can happen in one was about to join Kinkaid for his first taste of the NHL. But even that hockey season at the position, though. Just look at the most recent one. came with the caveat that Blackwood’s results the year before were poor and included a demotion to the ECHL. While Senn might have been tempted to sign with New Jersey last summer, he had one year left on his contract with HC Davos at home in So much has changed in a short period of time. Goaltending went from Switzerland. He decided to honor that deal, but he also told the club it being a major flaw for the Devils at the NHL level to a strength in the would be his last before joining the Devils. second half of the season. Davos didn’t take the news very well. It didn’t help that Joren Van Blackwood had a great start to his NHL career. Schneider returned and Pottelberghe, a Red Wings draft pick and Senn’s partner in net, had also looked more like the goaltender he was pre-hip injury, which was one of hinted that he would be leaving for Detroit. the best in the league. Schmid dominated the USHL after world juniors. Senn earned more playing time and helped HC Davos avoid catastrophic Davos responded by signing NHL veteran Anders Lindback in mid- relegation. September and installing him as the No. 1 goaltender.

Injuries to Schneider and Lack left the organization scrambling for help, “They got mad and just got another goalie,” Senn said. “Then it was opening up an opportunity for Cormier in Binghamton that revitalized his really frustrating. It was something I learned much from. That happens a professional career. lot in Switzerland. I accepted the challenge, and at the end I think I played really good. “It was a crazy year,” Cormier said. “There is no other way to put it.” “For sure it was frustrating at first, but I also had more time to practice. I He was talking about his personal journey, but that goes for the entire worked a lot more with the goalie coach and worked on some things. Our organization at the position. The sample sizes for Schneider and team really struggled bad at the beginning of the season. I knew my time Blackwood were small, so there will be plenty of skepticism surrounding would come.” New Jersey’s goaltending as next season approaches. Davos is the most successful franchise in Swiss hockey, having won the Still, the Devils now boast a stable of young goaltenders, with several NLA title 31 times. The club hadn’t missed the NLA playoffs (top eight options to be the long-term successor to Schneider. There’s no high- teams in a 12-team league qualify) since 1993, the longest streak in the profile phenom like Florida’s Spencer Knight or Washington’s Ilya country. Samsanov, but they have one of the deepest collections of goaltending prospects in the league. This past season was a disaster for Davos from the start. The coach, Arno Del Curto, resigned in late November of his 23rd season. The team From 1983-90, the Devils drafted six goalies that played at least 300 spent the entire campaign at the bottom of the standings, and was forced games in the NHL, including the guy whose statue greets you outside into a prolonged fight to avoid being relegated to the second division. Prudential Center, with the 20th pick in 1990. They have drafted one goalie who reached the 300-game mark since, and that was Chris Mason Senn helped the club stay put, games that might prove to be a valuable in 1995. None of those games came in a Devils uniform after New Jersey experience for a young goaltender. declined to sign him two years later. “It’s a tough, tough time,” he said. “When you’re bad and losing and you The franchise that drafted Chris Terreri, Sean Burke, Kirk McLean and might go into the second league, it’s not just bad for you, it’s bad for the Martin Brodeur basically went a quarter-century without drafting and whole city and for the club. So much money is going to be lost. Mentally, developing an NHL starting goaltender. that’s really tough. It’s not just a sport then.”

Blackwood became the first goaltender drafted by the organization since Senn is from the same canton (mini-states) in the southern part of 1990 to play more than six games in a season for the Devils since Scott Switzerland as Devils center Nico Hischier. They both played for Visp Clemmensen racked up 40 in 2008-09 when Brodeur was injured. youth teams in 2009-10 and 2010-11 before Senn left for Davos, and even spent time on the same team despite Senn being three years older. They’ve remained friends, even going on a vacation to Germany together earlier this offseason. Senn missed out on a subsequent trip to Croatia because of development camp. He also got to play with Nico’s older brother, Luca, this past season after he joined Davos from SC Bern.

When his season was over, Senn came over to Binghamton for a couple of days to work with Devils goaltending development coach Scott Clemmensen. He’ll likely have a more extended stay there next season.

“We don’t know how much time he’ll take,” Devils assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. “It’s going to be a different game. Playing in Binghamton is tough for goalies because of the size of the rink, the shorter neutral zone, corners are a little more shallow. The pucks come to the net a little quicker. We believe he can be an NHL goalie.”

It was about 10 p.m. on deadline day in 2018 when Cormier got a call from his agent and found out, officially, that the Devils were not going to sign him. He had been at the draft two years prior, taken all the photos and attended development camps in Newark.

The relationship felt akin to a couple who casually dates for two years, then one party decides to break it off when it’s time to get serious. Cormier found another opportunity the next day — the Panthers called and wanted him to come to their development camp.

He went, and returned for training camp in September, but then went home without a contract. Florida didn’t have room for him, either. That led Cormier to the University of Guelph, but he hadn’t given up on his dream.

“Starting out in school was a little disappointing for me,” Cormier said. “It’s not where I wanted to be. I just accepted it and tried to work as hard as I could.”

He didn’t have a goalie coach at Guelph, so at one point he called Clemmensen for some pointers. Fitzgerald was scrambling in mid- December because Blackwood was moving up to New Jersey and he needed another goaltender for Binghamton.

The Devils added one of Adirondack’s goalies on a tryout, but Clemmensen told him that Cormier had called. That led to an amateur tryout contract for Cormier, and he made his AHL debut on Dec. 29.

“It hit me in Belleville,” Cormier said, referring to his debut in which he made 21 saves in relief. “That’s also where I played my first junior game. When we were there, I was looking around like, ‘Wow, I made it to this level.’ I’ve tried to soak it in every day and have fun. I’m playing pro hockey. What else could you want?”

Cormier left Guelph for Christmas break and never returned. He won four of his first five starts, and went from an ATO to an AHL contract and, finally on Feb. 24, the NHL entry-level contract the Devils had declined to give him in June.

“I’m just really grateful that I had the opportunity to come back and play with these guys again,” he said. “Now, I’m just ready to take the next step and really push the guys up top and get more experience and starts in the AHL and really develop. I want to get to the NHL. That’s my goal now.”

That’s the goal for Senn, as well. And for Schmid, who also had a crazy ride this past season but found a place where he could settle in and succeed. Once any of them get to the Devils, they could end up competing with Blackwood, who had his own long journey before he was an “overnight success” last year.

The Devils may have rectified a quarter-century long problem and returned to their roots of finding future NHL goalies in the draft. There is certainly a queue forming behind Schneider in the New Jersey goaltending pipeline.

“All good problems to have,” Fitzgerald said.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149863 New York Islanders It was awesome to see how well Lou did bringing Ebs and Brock back. Us older, free-agent guys, we like to think we’re a big part of the core here. We’re proud of that. This past year, there was a lot to take in from Anders Lee Q&A: The Isles captain opens up on his contract negotiation Barry, a lot to learn, a lot of change and we took that in stride. Now, we and not getting complacent don’t have to learn all that. We don’t have to figure out the system. We have our culture. We have all those things. We can get the ball rolling right away. The learning curve wasn’t too great for us last year, honestly — we had a pretty good start. But that learning curve is that much By Arthur Staple smaller and we’ll be that much more cohesive to start the year. Jul 18, 2019 It’s a pretty common theory that contract years bring out the best in players and long-term contracts can invite some complacency. How do you fight against that? Anders Lee re-signed with the Islanders for seven years at $7 million per on July 1, capping a surprising contract negotiation that went on a bit We can all look in the mirror and realize we haven’t accomplished our longer than most expected. The 29-year-0ld stepped into the void left by goals. We haven’t won anything. Yeah, we had a great season, but we’re John Tavares’ departure last July 1 and had a pretty successful first year out of there in the second round and in pretty ugly fashion. We still have as captain, with 28 goals on a team that exceeded expectations. a lot to accomplish and a lot to prove before any of that type of complacency should ever show up, not that it ever should. You have to He took some time earlier this week to chat with The Athletic about the keep demanding more of yourself, more from your teammates. We have contract talks and what the Islanders can do for an encore in 2019-20. a really good room. A lot of guys take pride in showing up every day, giving everything they have. It’s a natural thing, I understand that. But What was the negotiation and free-agency experience like? you have to check yourself and understand we haven’t done much at all It was a lot. It’s one of the bigger things that happens in your career, yet. when you have the ability to go to free agency or that contract year. A lot Can you take that next step with essentially the same group as last year? goes into it. Contract aside, just wanting to play well, have a good year, and on top of that you have a little pressure from behind knowing that it’s No one thought we would do what we did last year with our group. If leading up to a new deal. It was the culmination of a lot of things. I really we’re going into this year with that same conversation? Fine, we’ll do it did always know we were going to work things out with the Islanders. At again. So many teams every year, whether it was us or the Blues or times, it did become a lot because we wanted to stay and wanted to whoever, they end up proving a lot of people wrong. It doesn’t matter make it work. We just used as much time as we could. what group we have, we’ll do whatever it takes to win hockey games. It’s cliché, I get it, but whatever roster we have when the puck drops in Did you feel after being named captain on the eve of the season that the October we’ll be confident in and feel like we can win games with it. contract would be a fairly easy thing to get done? There was a photo going around social media in May of you and Barry Maybe a little bit, I did think that it would be easier. I really wouldn’t have having coffee. Was that a planned sit-down or something different, given it any other way. Even before that announcement, we had already had your contract status at the time? those conversations about extending and wanting to stay, so that was just another thing on my side that made me not want to leave. I told him, “If I’m not in the shootout, first guy every night, that’s it. Not coming back.” What did you learn from all of it? Player and coach, that’s really all. We’d had a couple weeks since the Probably that it is a business. I’m a decently emotional guy — friendship- season ended at that point so it was really talking about what had oriented, relationship-oriented — so there can be times where it’s hard to happened, about the summer. Barry puts in a ton of time right after the not take things personally. That can be difficult, to hear things you might year, when it’s fresh in his head. So we were talking about the season not want to hear. Once you get done with all that, those relationships are that had just ended and what was coming up in the fall. still there and nothing’s really changed. It’s just that business side that I really hadn’t gone through until this point. You just have to understand it’s How excited are you to have a full offseason with him in charge? not personal. It’s nothing against you. I’m not saying that happened a lot, but those feelings can come up. I definitely learned about that side of the It’s really exciting. We can hit the ground running knowing the group is hockey world — there’s the playing side and I definitely know there’s extremely similar to last year’s, we have that foundation to build off. It’s another side. only going to help us. Barry, Lane (Lambert), Lou — they don’t take any shortcuts. Our culture is, as players we reciprocate with everything we Was it difficult to balance your role on the team during and after the have to offer. season with the contract situation?

During the season, especially early on, it was pretty easy. It really is always in the back of your mind and that’s just human nature. You know The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 how important the year is. But it didn’t affect me during the season at all. Once the season ended, the contract kind of becomes the focus, so it’s a bit more intense. I always knew we were going to stay, that we were going to figure it out. But as that day comes closer and other things start to come into the fold, it does get more intense. You have the draft, the contact period, that all intensifies things for both sides. It was balancing what was coming with knowing it was going to work out. You’re human, though. It’s hard not to think about other things or worry about something that could go wrong at the last minute. It’s just hard not to be a worrier at times. But you can’t get upset — not that this was my experience — if you want two years and they only want to give you one. It’s all part of it.

Ultimately, are you happy with your deal?

It’s an incredible thing, the way my career has gone, the way I’ve wanted to continue to grow and keep getting better. I couldn’t be more fortunate. These are things you work for. Sacrificing time in the offseason, this is the culmination of that. Now there’s a lot more to be had. It’s been pretty motivating since it got done. Looking forward to working with Barry, Lou and the boys, figuring out the best way to go win a Stanley Cup. That’s what we work for. Now that this is behind us, I can focus on all the right things and not worry about anything else.

How do you see this team taking the next step? 1149864 New York Rangers

Rangers’ Artemi Panarin shockingly critiques Vladimir Putin

By Mark Fischer

July 18, 2019 | 8:40pm | Updated

Newest Rangers star Artemi Panarin fired shots at Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview that aired Thursday on YouTube.

In his native tongue, Panarin told Russian journalist Alexander Golovin that Putin doesn’t know right from wrong to become one of the first Russian athletes to publicly criticize the authoritarian leader. Fellow hockey star Alex Ovechkin, for example, has long gushed over Putin, and in 2017 started a social movement called “PutinTeam.”

“I think he no longer understands where — well, where — bad,” Panarin said, as translated by Google Translate. “It seems to me that it is already psychologically not so easy for him to soberly assess the situation, because there are many people who lead him to decisions.”

Panarin, who signed a seven-year $81.5 million contract with the Blueshirts this offseason, said he used to be a fan of Putin, but his stance wavered after coming to the United States in 2015.

While carefully repeating this was his opinion alone, the 27-year-old added that he is a fan of the two-term Presidential limit in the US. Putin is in his third consecutive term.

“I speak sincerely and with good intentions,” Panarin said. “Our mistake is that we treat him like a superman. But he is the same as we, and in theory serves us. I have no relation to him that he is a superman.”

New York Post LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149865 New York Rangers

Rangers sign forward Phillip Di Giuseppe

Staff Report

By Post Sports Desk

July 18, 2019 | 11:49am

As the Rangers decide how to handle their cap crunch, they’ve added another contract to the books.

The team announced Thursday the signing of free agent forward Phillip Di Giuseppe. The 25-year-old winger split time last year with the Hurricanes and Predators, recording one goal and three assists in 24 games. He also spent time in the AHL last season, putting up 12 points in 26 games.

A second-round pick by Carolina in 2012, Di Giuseppe has 41 points in 150 career NHL games.

New York Post LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149866 New York Rangers

Phillip Di Giuseppe agrees to a deal with the Rangers

By Colin Stephenson [email protected] @ColinASteph

Updated July 18, 2019 5:55 PM

The Rangers have reached a contract agreement with free agent forward Phillip Di Giuseppe, the team announced Thursday.

The move adds a depth player to the organization who could potentially fill a fourth-line spot on the roster, but more likely will be expected to be a key veteran presence with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

Di Giuseppe, 25, split last season with the Hurricanes and Predators, playing 24 games (one goal, three assists). He played 26 games in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and Milwaukee Admirals (five goals, seven assists). Di Giuseppe is a 6-0, 192-pound left-shooting winger who can play on either the left or right side. He was a second-round draft pick (No. 38 overall) by the Hurricanes in 2012, and has played in 150 NHL games over parts of four seasons (14-27-41). He reportedly signed a two-way deal that would pay him $700,000 if he is on the NHL roster.

The Rangers have had a good summer so far, but still have much work to do. They have four restricted free agents to sign – the biggest among them being defenseman Jacob Trouba, who they acquired in a trade with the Jets on June 17 – and they are going to have to clear space under the salary cap to do it. Trouba and forward Pavel Buchnevich have filed for arbitration, and have hearing dates set for July 25 and July 29, respectively. The organization still has not announced a coaching staff for Hartford as the interview process continues.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149867 NHL But between David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Tim Leiweke and other backers, the financial commitment remains strong. We’ll see if that continues to be the case.

NHL Seattle believes new GM Ron Francis can deliver — if given some Tod Leiweke was close to tears after Thursday’s news conference when chips he looked over at Ron Francis. It was the most tangible step taken since breaking ground in turning this NHL vision into a reality.

July 18, 2019 at 7:16 pm Updated July 18, 2019 at 7:40 PM There is no doubt that the passion is there for everybody involved. But for this team to become an NHL power, the money must be, too. By Matt Calkins

Seattle Times columnist Seattle Times LOADED: 07.19.2019

What’s the rudest thing you can say to people that have already invested hundreds of millions more dollars into a project than expected? That they better keep the money coming.

But that’s the advice for the NHL Seattle ownership group when it comes time to build a team. And that’s what this hockey-hungry fan base should expect of them.

Thursday, Hall of Fame center Ron Francis was introduced as the yet-to- be-named team’s general manager. He arrived after spending four years as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes, who never made the postseason under his watch.

Normally, such a playoff-less stretch might turn off an employer set to make the franchise’s most important hire. But in Seattle, the powers knew that Francis was working with a budget stuck in the penalty box.

In Francis’ final three years in Carolina, the Hurricanes had either the lowest or second-lowest budget in the NHL. And yet, through drafting and trading, Ron put together a team that finally broke into the playoffs the season after he was let go.

NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke saw what Francis was able to construct while ownership pinched pennies. So he’s damn intrigued by what Francis can do when ownership drops bills.

“When he was general manager, the team was up for sale, so it wasn’t perfect conditions for someone who came in. But he then did it the hard way. He drafted, developed and stayed patient,” Leiweke said. “He learned the hardest lesson there is in sports — how to take less chips and compete with the other teams. He’s going to get an equal number of chips here. We’re going to compete. We’re going to be a cap team. We’re going to have great facilities and the resources.”

Well, there it is. The team president is on record saying ownership is going to give Francis the stack necessary to build a Stanley Cup contender. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll deliver, as teams constantly misspend large sums of cash (see: Mariners). But if Leiweke is true to his word, his new GM will at least have the proper set of tools to build.

To Francis’ credit, he never disparaged his situation in Carolina. He said that his job has always been to work with the dollar amount he is given, and seems grateful for every opportunity that he got.

But this is also a man who was replete with options. He didn’t come to Seattle out of desperation but rather fascination — and freedom to operate was part of it.

“We talked about what their vision and what their plan is,” Francis said of NHL Seattle. “And I think this team is going to be in good shape as far as being able to go out and get players — whether it’s free agents or taking on players with bigger contracts — because they want to do things right.”

Priority one for Francis, after he hires a coach, that is, will be building through the expansion draft. That’s how the Vegas Golden Knights created a team good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season two years ago.

But sustained success is what is going to keep the fans coming to KeyArena every year, and it’s nearly impossible to do that without a willingness to spend.

So far, this ownership group has shown that willingness. KeyArena renovation costs were initially projected at $600 million, but have since ballooned to over $900 million. There is also an $85 million practice facility in the works, and God knows what else. 1149868 NHL admiration Francis carries throughout hockey after a career spanning parts of 23 seasons as a Stanley Cup-winning player and three more as an associate Hurricanes head coach before permanently joining the front Multiyear deal signed, Seattle NHL general manager Ron Francis gets to office. work: ‘We’ve got a blank canvas’ “He carefully laid a foundation of how to move that franchise forward,’’ Leiweke said. “Not just for the NHL, but with the AHL.’’

By Geoff Baker Leiweke added: “We believe Ron’s patience paid off. His patience in drafting. His fingerprints were all over both of those rosters. Eighty Seattle Times staff reporter percent of the goals scored were by the players he drafted — an amazing achievement.’’

And his patience outside of hockey is something NHL Seattle is counting Freshly minted general manager Ron Francis spent part of his on Francis for to help them sell the game within the community. Not introductory news conference Thursday discussing the importance of talked about by Leiweke on Thursday was how NHL Seattle ran tests on using any afforded additional time and why he won’t immediately hire a the names of their potential GM candidates with selected sports fans to coach for this city’s incoming NHL franchise. see how well they resonated. “I think we’re open to hiring the right guy at the right time,’’ Francis told The reputations of some candidates personality-wise from their NHL the assembled media members, political figures and hockey community playing days or prior GM stints apparently didn’t go over as well with fans officials at the KEXP gathering space adjacent to KeyArena’s ongoing as others did. But Francis scored well above the fray, which isn’t $930 million rebuild. “But I think it’s also important for us — since we’ve surprising given how — as Leiweke noted during the news conference — got a little bit of runway here — to make sure we take our time and go he’d won both the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and the Frank J. through the process. There are a lot of things that can change in that Selke Trophy for unselfish two-way defensive play as a forward during profession over the next couple of years.’’ the same 1994-95 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Francis, 56, has certainly learned the value of grabbing additional For now, Francis will take his time where it’s given. On the coaching “runway’’ in today’s ultracompetitive NHL, where the patience level of front, waiting a year or two buys time for an established coach to become teams and fans isn’t what it used to be. He ran out of afforded time his available — think Mike Babcock if the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t reach last GM job with the Carolina Hurricanes when a new owner pulled the the Stanley Cup final soon — and others to gain or regain seasoning in plug on Francis the spring of 2018, four playoff-free seasons into a the head position. rebuilding plan the Hall of Fame former player felt he’d need at least five for. Francis’s former Hartford Whalers teammate, onetime Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen — whose father, Bill, was a longtime Seattle It’s unlikely he’ll get five seasons to build a playoff team here, though Totems fixture in the 1960s — was hired this week as bench boss of Francis said in an interview following Thursday’s news conference that it Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego after coaching Canada’s entry in shouldn’t take as long to get his plan implemented this time. For one, he the Spengler Cup in Switzerland last December. Francis was a co-GM of added, this city’s team should get a variety of established players right that same team and it wouldn’t be surprising for Dineen — who was an away and won’t be completely rebuilding with youth like in Carolina. assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks until last year but hasn’t been a “I think here we’re going to look at it in a lot of different ways,’’ Francis professional head coach since 2013 — to get a serious look after a year said. “Obviously scouting in the NHL and the American Hockey League or two of San Diego work. for expansion draft players. We’re going to be scouting the amateur On the subject of the Spengler Cup, Francis said that annual tournament leagues for players that hopefully can get into our system sooner rather and his managing Canada’s world championship entry in Slovakia and than later. Austria this past spring helped bridge his time away from the league. “And then, I think the city of Seattle has a quality of life that it can offer. “When I was there, the passion really came back for me,’’ Francis said. The fact there’s no state income tax is going to be exciting to free agents. I’ve really been talking with this ownership group about what they want to And once Leiweke reached out and brought Francis in last month to meet do and how they want to keep their players and staff. Word’s going to get owners and tour the KeyArena site, the passion “became white hot to out that this is a very good place to play and so hopefully we can get that me.’’ (team vision) accomplished sooner rather than later.’’ By that point, as patient as Francis can be, he realized another year on He should get at least three actual seasons to do that here. Though NHL the sidelines wasn’t something he could handle. Seattle did not officially release contract details, Francis is thought to have a five-year deal, the first two of which will be spent preparing for the “This is going to be a fantastic opportunity,’’ he said. “We’ve got a blank franchise’s October 2021 launch. canvas. Sure, it’s a daunting task and a lot of work. But it’s a unique challenge that you don’t get every day.’’ And though Francis insisted multiple times he’s prepared to work with whatever resources he’s given by ownership, he did have “some conversations” on that front before taking the job. With the Hurricanes, he Seattle Times LOADED: 07.19.2019 continuously was given one of the smallest budgets in the league to work with.

“We talked about what their vision and what their plan is,’’ he said of NHL Seattle. “And I think this team is going to be in good shape as far as being able to go out and get players — whether it’s free agents or taking on players with bigger contracts because they want to do things right.’’

And all that should save Francis some precious time he ran out of in his previous gig. He acknowledged the hockey landscape has changed — referencing a USA Today article from last year on that topic — and that there’s less patience to produce a winner today than when he took the Carolina job in 2014.

“In Carolina, our vision was that we had to rebuild it from the ground up,’’ he said. “That takes time when you’re only getting seven draft picks a year and those kids need time to develop.’’

NHL Seattle president and CEO Tod Leiweke noted during Thursday’s event that much of the Hurricanes’ conference finalist squad from last season and Calder Cup championship AHL affiliate was stocked with a core of Francis selections. Leiweke repeatedly noted the respect and 1149869 NHL

Ron Francis has big hopes as GM of Seattle’s new NHL club

BY CHRIS TALBOTT ASSOCIATED PRESS

JULY 18, 2019 01:45 PM

SEATTLE

Ron Francis has all kinds of eye-popping statistics attached to his Hall of Fame career. He averaged more than point a game, is second in NHL history in assists behind Wayne Gretzky and fifth in career points.

When CEO Tod Leiweke and the ownership group of the Seattle NHL expansion team looked at his playing resume, though, they were most impressed by another statistic: Francis was voted captain by three teams for 14 of his 23 years, first earning the role at age 21.

That leadership ability spurred them to hire Francis on Thursday as general manager of the yet-to-be-named team — well ahead of their schedule.

"Ownership made an incredible commitment . in supporting this idea of let's do this a year early," Leiweke said. "If we're really here working for our fans, let's reward their belief. They said we're willing to make this commitment a year early. We're willing to bring on a general manager earlier than any other expansion team in the history of the NHL and that gift of an additional year will serve us well and give us a chance to scout and build and plan. But we had to find the right person."

They believe the 56-year-old Francis is that person, announcing his hiring at a news conference that was attended by the mayor and a state senator. He'll have complete control of building the organization under Leiweke. He said he's already drawn up an organizational chart that will guide hiring as the team prepares to open play in 2021 as the NHL's 32nd franchise.

And he's already started daydreaming about how his team will look.

"I think if you look at my past experience, it's a team that's fast," Francis said. "I think it's a team that needs to have skill and hockey sense. I like a team that's extremely competitive. And for me I think you need a team that has character. It's easy to be a good person when things are going well. When things get a little bit tough, that's when character rises to the top and pulls you through those tough times."

Character defined Francis' playing career. Jaromir Jagr, his teammate on the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins, called Francis perhaps the most underrated player in NHL history. After starting his career as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1981 draft for the Hartford Whalers, he played for the Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to the Whalers in 1998 after they moved to Carolina.

He guided that team to the NHL finals before retiring. He joined the Hurricanes' front office and worked through a number of jobs under Hall of Fame GM Jim Rutherford, including assistant GM and associate head coach. He was promoted to GM in 2014 when Rutherford left for Pittsburgh and held that position until an ownership change in 2018, a year before Carolina played in the finals.

Francis said he was depressed after leaving the Hurricanes, but found his drive again while working at the Spengler Cup and with Hockey Canada during last year's world championships.

"Getting around the NHL players again, the NHL coaches and stuff, the passion started burning again and I thought, 'OK this is really where I want to be,'" Francis said. "And when Tod called, I looked at the opportunity and said, 'What a great chance.' We get to build it from the ground up. We get to establish our culture and how we want to do it. I think it's a unique opportunity. It doesn't happen every day."

News Tribune LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149870 NHL hockey fans, there’s no corners being cut. They want the best venue. They want the best team. They want the best fan experience.

“Even with the practice facility, right ? It would have been easy to build ‘Absolutely humbled’ Hall of Famer Ron Francis becomes first GM of one rink. But they (are building) three. The reason was, it provides ice for Seattle’s NHL team the youth in the community to go out and skate.

“So, it’s not just about our organization. It’s about things that are right and BY GREGG BELL growing the product in this market.”

JULY 18, 2019 01:37 PM Leiweke thanked the team’s ownership group for OK-ing hiring a general manager a year earlier than they had planned. That approval came after some targets Seattle had in mind for potentially becoming the team’s first GM got hired elsewhere this summer. Steve Yzerman, who impressed SEATTLE Leiweke when they worked together with the Tampa Bay Lightning, They came wearing Seattle Metropolitans jerseys from our region’s became Detroit’s new GM. Ken Holland got the same job with Edmonton. original Stanley Cup title in 1917, Hartford Whalers jerseys from the Vegas assistant Kelly McCrimmon got promoted to GM for the Golden 1980s — and, in the case of Jenny Durkan, the jacket-and-pants attire of Knights. being Seattle’s mayor in 2019. That was a little over a year after Vegas set an absurdly high bar for Northwest hockey fans, local politicians, journalists and more came to Seattle by reaching the Stanley Cup finals as an expansion team, in Seattle Center on Thursday morning to celebrate Durkan announcing the 2017. first huge hockey hire for Seattle’s new NHL team. “Yeah, I used to joke you want to be the second GM in Seattle, based on It is, as franchise CEO Tod Leiweke said, “perhaps the most important what Vegas did,” Francis said, smiling. hire we will ever make.” Canada’s Sportsnet reported this spring the Ottawa Senators began Ron Francis is Seattle’s first general manager. He signed a multiyear showing interest in hiring Francis, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to contract. be their president of hockey operations. Francis was available after Carolina had fired him in the spring of 2018, though he was under “I’m absolutely humbled to be the first GM of this franchise,” Francis said. contract with the Hurricanes until this month, July 1.

Leiweke was humbled, too. That spurred Seattle into hiring him now to be its GM.

“It’s a dream come true,” Leiweke said. “He is truly hockey royalty and a Asked what is “uniquely Ron Francis” that he alone can add to make perfect fit for the team we are building.” Seattle’s team an immediate success, the new GM sighed.

Francis is a Hockey Hall of Famer. During his 22 starring seasons as a “Whoa, good question,” Francis said. player he won two Stanley Cups playing for Pittsburgh. He is second all- time in the NHL to Wayne Gretzky in assists. He is fifth all-time in points. “I think, Tod touched on the 23 years in the game. I don’t think that helps He is fourth all-time in games played. He was a captain teams in me so much in this role, other than a lot of those years I was a leader. Hartford, Pittsburgh and Carolina for 14 years. And twice I was fortunate enough to win a Stanley Cup. And I think when you win a Stanley Cup, that gives you something that other people don’t Then he was the architect of what grew into Carolina’s conference-finals have. You understand what it takes to be successful. You understand team this spring, while as the Hurricanes’ GM from 2014-17. how to build that team.

Francis said he will begin immediately to assemble a staff and front office “And it’s not an easy trophy to win. But we look forward to hopefully doing in Seattle. Eventually, he will hire a coach for the franchise’s inaugural that again here in Seattle.” NHL season that begins in the fall of 2021. Now that the team has its building going up, will soon break ground on its Speaking Thursday next door to the ongoing rebuild of KeyArena at practice facility and has a GM, when will Francis make his big hire? Seattle Center that will become the hockey team’s home—“one of the most beautiful arenas in the entire world,” Leiweke predicted—the 56- When will Seattle get its first NHL coach? year-old Francis said he was eager to form his master plan for the new “We are open to hiring the right guy and the right time,” Francis said. “But franchise. I think it’s also important for us, we’ve got a little bit of runway here. His challenge: build a champion from the ground up. We’ve got to make sure we take our time and go through the process.

Francis mentioned the world-class arena under construction. He cited the “There’s a lot of things that can change in that profession in the next support of Seattle Hockey Partners LLC owners; managing partner and couple years. So we’ll take our time and make sure we get the right guy billionaire David Bonderman and investors including film and television to lead our franchise.” producer Jerry Bruckheimer hired a GM a year earlier than they had planned. Francis talked about the Puget Sound’s untapped hockey market. About the new team having 32,000 season-ticket deposit News Tribune LOADED: 07.19.2019 holders, plus 25,000 more on a waiting list for tickets.

“Honestly, it just became, why not?” Francis said.

“This is just going to be a fantastic opportunity. We’ve got a blank canvas.”

The team is planning to break ground early in 2020 on a three-rink team headquarters and practice facility at Northgate, north of downtown Seattle.

By hiring a huge name in Francis to lead its hockey operations, Seattle just got even more momentum behind it becoming the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

“Sure, it’s going to be a daunting task and a lot of work,” Francis said. “But it’s a unique challenge that you don’t get every day, because not every sports team starts from scratch. ...

“It’s so unique. There aren’t a lot of those opportunities out there. Talking to Tod and to the owners and their vision for the town of Seattle and their 1149871 Ottawa Senators You have to think former Senators’ interim coach Marc Crawford played a role in this deal because he was just hired to be an associate on Chicago’s staff and will Smith was a solid penalty killer for Ottawa.

TRADE: Senators send Zack Smith to Chicago for Artem Anisimov “Trades like this are very difficult,” Dorion said. “Zack and myself have been in the organization for the same amount of years. When I was chief scout, he was in our first draft and we took him. BRUCE GARRIOCH “Zack’s contributions on the ice and in the community have been great. Updated: July 16, 2019 He and his wife Brittany are outstanding people. We wish them the best of luck in Chicago.”

The bottom line is the Senators feel they’re a better teams as a result of The summer of change continued for the Ottawa Senators. this deal. And, as a result, one of the longest-serving Senators got caught up in the “We feel _ our pro scouts, our management group and our coaching staff trade winds. _ that we’re really happy about this addition,” Dorion said. “We feel we’ve Trying to upgrade the lineup heading into next season, general manager strengthened our centre position and we’re a better team for it.” Pierre Dorion sent forward Zack Smith to the Chicago Blackhawks

Tuesday afternoon in exchange for 31-year-old forward Artem Anisimov. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 07.19.2019 The decision to acquire Anisimov, a Yaroslavl, Russian native, gives the club more up front in the skill department. He had 15 goals and 37 points last season with the Hawks and will help Ottawa’s special teams. Not only did he see time on the power play with Chicago, he was also used on the penalty killing units.

Smith, who was drafted by the club In 2008 and cleared waivers at the end of training camp last September, has been on borrowed time with the organization. He is scheduled to make $3.25 million the next two seasons and the Senators haven’t seen the kind of offensive production they expect out of him.

The Senators were one of the worst teams in the league offensively last season and they’re hopeful Anisimov can give the club some stability in that department up front.

“Artem is a big, competitive centre with excellent hands and playmaking ability,” said general manager Pierre Dorion. “He plays a 200-foot game and will contribute to our depth on both special teams. We’re acquiring an experienced player who can score and at the same time is responsible in his own zone. We really like how he will fit with the makeup of our team.”

The Senators made the deal involving Anisimov because it gives them an upgrade at the centre position and there’s always a chance that Colin White can be used on the wing. This sets up the possibility of some competition for playing time in training camp, but by no means is Logan Brown out of the mix for playing time.

“Artem fits in as one of our four centres,” said Dorion. “He’s someone that can play both special teams _ power play and penalty killing. He’s a proven 20-goal scoring and he’s done it on four occasions. For us, he’s a 200 foot, complete player.”

Make no mistake, this deal wasn’t done over night and these talks have been going on for awhile. After making a six player deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1 in a deal that brought defenceman Nikita Zaitsev to Ottawa with winger Connor Brown, this is another significant change for the Senators.

Anisimov received $2 million in signing bonus from the Hawks and will receive $2 million in salary next season. Next year, he makes $1.5 million, but has a $4.55 million cap hit and this move freed up $1.3 million in cap space for Hawks’ general manager Stan Bowman to work with going into next season.

If the Senators were going to move another veteran out, they wanted to bring another older player in because the youth here is going to need some guidance.

“We don’t want our team to be a bunch of young players,” Dorion said. “We want to have some veteran presence and it’ll be beneficial for these younger players to grow and develop. We look forward to having our fan see Artem play for us as soon as training camp.”

This wasn’t an easy decision for Dorion and the Senators. Smith has been here a long time and has been a heart-and-soul player for this team. He paid the price every time he stepped on the ice, but his offensive game has slipped and the Senators saw an opportunity to improve offensively by making this deal.

Smith and his wife Brittany Brodziak have been active in the community and they’ve left a mark here as they pack their bags to head to Chicago. 1149872 Philadelphia Flyers "When you're on a team like that and with a program like that, you don't want to leave too early and maybe hurt your career," Cates said, "especially with the opportunity that's in Duluth."

Noah Cates is a prospect the Flyers 'can't stop bragging about' After all, there's no real rush. Flahr, Fletcher and the Flyers know him well.

By Jordan Hall "So happy to be in Philadelphia," Cates said.

July 18, 2019 9:00 AM "I just need to play the way I can play, especially these next couple years with my development. They're on board with that, they're happy with where I'm at, but I've got to keep making strides."

The Flyers selected Noah Cates during the fifth round of the 2017 NHL draft, plucking him out of Stillwater Area High School in Minnesota with the 137th overall pick. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019

At the time, Brent Flahr, Chuck Fletcher and the Minnesota Wild were sitting at No. 147.

"A kid like Cates was right in our backyard," Flahr said. "One thing in Minnesota when you are there, you hate when Minnesota players, especially the good ones, go ahead of you."

Flahr can now thank Flyers amateur scout Nick Pryor. As the assistant general manager of the Flyers, Flahr no longer has to kick himself for missing out on Cates.

"Nick Pryor did a good job," Flahr said last month at development camp. "He was right near his house. They got him. He looks like a real good prospect for us."

As a fifth-round pick out of high school, Cates was once well below the surface in the Flyers' prospect pool. With time and hard work, he's beginning to blossom — and the Flyers see it.

"We talk about him every day and we can't stop bragging about him," Flyers player development coach Kjell Samuelsson said. "He's quietly gotten better and better every year, and everything we ask him to do, he's doing it."

In 2017-18, Cates scored nearly a point per game (21 goals, 34 assists) over 60 contests with the USHL's Omaha Lancers. He then followed it up by playing an important role for 2019 national champion University of Minnesota Duluth, recording 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) and a plus-12 mark through 40 games as a freshman.

What made the national title even sweeter was winning it alongside his brother Jackson Cates, for a school just shy of a 2½-hour drive from his parents Jeff and Jenny Cates.

"Awesome," Cates said. "I think they were at every game this year. It was so much easier for them that we were in the same spot, a couple hours from home. They're obviously so proud of us."

Couple his freshman year with a goal and two assists for the U.S. in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, and it was a productive 2018-19 for Cates.

"Just grew so much, developed so much with the college game — living on my own, going to school and everything like that," Cates said. "Just an awesome year all around and capping it off with that national championship was so special with my family."

Cates is far from the skinny, offense-first player he was in high school. He's gone from 6-foot-1, 165 pounds to 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. He's a smart, all-situation thinker — in large part because of his development with the Bulldogs and trust from head coach Scott Sandelin.

"My role kind of grew as the year went on, got more comfortable," Cates said. "A little bit of power play, some penalty kill, last-minute stuff — that's important to play in all those key situations, so important moving on to have that experience. To do it for a team like that, it was really special. I can't say enough good things about that program and the whole year in general. Coach Sandelin gave me a lot of opportunity and I'm so grateful for that opportunity and took advantage of it."

The Flyers noticed.

"He scored goals, he's on the ice when you're protecting leads, he's killing penalties," Samuelsson said. "He's a very rounded hockey player."

Cates said it's too early to tell how long he'll stay in school. 1149873 Pittsburgh Penguins • If the question had been worded better and specifically took into account durability and special teams, the middle-two prediction would have been wiser. Johnson didn’t miss a game and he was a regular on Penguins prediction rewind: Change of scenery didn’t provide boost to the penalty kill. Jack Johnson LESSONS LEARNED

This change-of-scenery thing is hard to figure out. Moving to Pittsburgh JONATHAN BOMBULIE was a magic elixir for Erik Gudbranson. It didn’t have anywhere near the same effect for Johnson. Tread lightly when making predictions that Thursday, July 18, 2019 3:27 p.m. expect a change of zip code to make a world of difference.

Last summer, beat writer Jonathan Bombulie made a series of Tribune Review LOADED: 07.19.2019 predictions leading up to the start of the 2018-19 season. Some were OK. Some were hilariously off the mark. In this series, Bombulie will explain what he was thinking and where his logic went off course.

THE QUESTION

Where will Jack Johnson rank in ice time among the Penguins’ top six defensemen by the end of the season?

A. Bottom two

B. Middle two

C. Top two

THE PREDICTION

B. Middle two

THE RIGHT ANSWER

A. Bottom two

THE RATIONALE

• A statistical look at Johnson’s career was not flattering, but he was due for at least a slight improvement in play by moving from Columbus to Pittsburgh. After all, he’d never made outlet passes to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin before. A change of scenery, a little more favorable zone- start deployment by coach Mike Sullivan and Sergei Gonchar’s influence looked like they would help.

• If Johnson played a little better than his career averages, he’d be in a group with Justin Schultz and Olli Maatta vying for ice time behind Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. That means he was likely to be third or fourth in total time on ice.

READER REACTION

A sample of Facebook comments:

• “Agree with the middle-pairing minutes assessment. He is a talented player that likely just needs to play in a better system with better guidance.”

• “I’m not going to expect the world of the guy. He’s not the savior of this team’s defense. That would be unfair. But, I do expect a better contribution to this team than other D signings such as (Christian) Erhoff or (Matt) Hunwick.”

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

• The question should have been more specific, because Johnson finished anywhere between third and fifth in ice time among Penguins defensemen depending on the way the stat is measured. In overall minutes, he was third. In minutes per game, he was fourth. In five-on-five minutes per game, he was fifth. Five-on-five minutes per game best reflects the spirit of the prediction, so that’s the one we’ll go with.

• An interesting note: Before the trade deadline, Johnson was third on the team in average five-on-five ice time per game. After it, he was sixth. That suggests his leash got shorter as the season wore on.

THE FLAWS IN THE LOGIC

• A move to Pittsburgh didn’t bring improvement to Johnson’s game. He pretty much was what he has been his entire NHL career. He has his plusses. For instance, he led the team’s defensemen in hits and blocked shots. He has his minuses. When he was on the ice five on five, the Penguins were outscored, 60-46. When he wasn’t on the ice five on five, the Penguins outscored opponents, 136-90. Coaches notice a stat like that and adjust ice time accordingly. 1149874 Pittsburgh Penguins

Report: Police rule death of former Penguins center Greg Johnson an apparent suicide

JONATHAN BOMBULIE

Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:23 a.m.

According to police, the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Greg Johnson was an apparent suicide, the Detroit News reported Thursday.

The newspaper, citing a police report, said Johnson, 48, was found by his wife on the morning of July 7 in a storage room in the basement of the couple’s Michigan home. A gun and single bullet were found near his body.

Johnson’s wife told police the longtime NHL center suffered multiple concussions during his playing career, but was showing no signs of depression. She said she was not aware of any financial problems and that the couple had no trouble with their marriage. There was no suicide note.

Johnson played 37 games for the Penguins over parts of two seasons in 1997. He is best known as the second captain in Nashville Predators history, playing the last seven seasons of his career with the team.

All told, Johnson scored 145 goals in 785 NHL games and won a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics and gold medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships.

Tribune Review LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149875 Pittsburgh Penguins

Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights grant wish for teenage cancer survivor

JONATHAN BOMBULIE

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 11:46 p.m.

Former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights granted the wish of a teenage cancer survivor, as documented by ESPN’s annual My Wish series on Wednesday.

Doron Coldwell, 13, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and began chemotherapy treatment in 2017. With his cancer in remission, Coldwell became a Golden Knight for a day.

He received a jersey and set of goalie gear, then received pointers from Fleury as he was introduced to the crowd and faced shots from Vegas players at the team’s practice facility.

Tribune Review LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149876 Pittsburgh Penguins a while, he has a great attitude and does a lot of work behind the scenes to help his teammates out, and he was solid last year when Murray was struggling then hurt. He helped turn their season around in Nov/Dec.

Matt Vensel's Penguins chat transcript: 07.18.19 Peter Diana/Post- Go to section Gazette D: Maybe a bit early but USA TV deal is coming up. Do you see them sticking with one network or doing a share like the NBA does with TNT MATT VENSEL and ESPN?

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Vensel: I can honestly say that I have not put any thought into that. Given that ESPN has so many NBA games on at the same time, I doubt JUL 18, 2019 2:20 PM they will try to get the NHL back. Maybe FOX tries to make a play? I dunno.

Matt Vensel: Don't be shy, folks. Send over a question if you've got one. Matt Vensel: Good afternoon, Penguins fans. Glad to be chatting with you today after taking a little time to try to minimize my farmer's tan. If Peter: Hello Matt -- What do you foresee the Lines and the D Pairings you've got a question, go ahead and fire away. I'll try to get to all of them. looking like. Also did you see a lack of consistency with Matt Murray last year or was the majority of the problem the people in front of him? AJ: It seems quiet on the trade front. Can you see the pens going into the season without signing Petterson, then making a trade early in the Matt Vensel: Hey, Peter. Consistency over an 82-game season remains season and signing Petterson then? the biggest concern with Murray. He has been excellent in the playoffs. You don't need me to tell you that. But he has yet to show that he can Matt Vensel: I believe it's their preference to get something done now stay healthy and play at a high level throughout the regular season. His with Marcus, though I suppose they could go that route instead. If he strong finish to the regular season this spring certainly gives hope that he continues to progress as a player, he's only going to become pricier. can do it. So we'll see. He doesn't need to play 60-65 games. But if he Feeds: What’s your take on JJ’s value? It was rumoured that LA, can post a .920-plus save percentage while making about 55 starts, he Anaheim and Montreal had interest in him. Would a team just have to will certainly deserve a payday around $6-7 million. give up a pick/player back? Do you think the Penguins would have to add Matt Vensel: As for the lineup, I'll take a stab. And given how often Mike a sweetener to get rid of him? What’s your take? Thabks! Sullivan changes his lines, we'll probably see these lines at least once. Matt Vensel: I do think it will take a "sweetener" to get someone to take Matt Vensel: Top line: Guentzel and Crosby are going to play together. on Jack Johnson's contract, mostly because of the term, not the AAV. I When Jared McCann was with them in March, they were the hottest line don't think his contract is as crippling as some make it out to be. There in the league for a couple of weeks. But Guentzel is more comfortable on are worse guys making more than $3.25 million a year. That said, if the his left, they say, and McCann on that line bumps Jake to the right side. I alternative is trading either Bryan Rust or Nick Bjugstad, I think the think Dominik Kahun will get a chance to skate with Guentzel and Penguins would be better off using, say, a third-round pick to move Crosby. If they don't click, it might be Bryan Rust again, assuming he isn't Johnson's contract. Look at it this way: Would you trade Johnson and a traded to get the Penguins under the salary cap. third-round pick for Bjugstad? I'd jump on that deal. Matt Vensel: Second: I expect Malkin and Alex Galchenyuk to play D: Everyone thinks the Tokarski signing was a precursor to trading together, with the left-shot Galchenyuk playing on the right side. If that's Janney. I think it was an insurance policy in case they lose him via the case, McCann, a speedy two-way forward, makes sense on the left. waivers. You thought? Matt Vensel: Third: Nick Bjugstad and Patric Hornqvist weren't that Matt Vensel: Well, they aren't playing Tokarski in Wheeling, nor did Emil productive when playing together late last season, but from a team Larmi come overseas to play in the ECHL. And I'm guessing they don't possession standpoint, those two with Dominik Simon often hogged the want three goalies in WBS. So you do the math... puck. I think Sullivan should have stuck with that line to open the PM: It’s more than likely that Pittsburgh will make a move before the playoffs. But I digress. So we'll say Bjugstad, Hornqvist and then either arbitration date. Who, in your opinion, is most likely going to get shipped Kahun or Simon on the third line, depending on who Kahun clicks with. out of town? He showed last year in Chicago that he can produce playing with top talents. So he'll get a chance to be a top-six winger here, I bet. Matt Vensel: As I alluded to a couple of questions ago, I think the likeliest candidates based on the size of their contract and their roles are Nick Matt Vensel: Fourth: Teddy Blueger is your fourth-line center. Brandon Bjugstad, Bryan Rust and Jack Johnson (if they can find a taker). I'd be Tanev, who signed a six-year deal, could wind up on this line. The right surprised if they traded Gudbranson. He was solid after the trade last wing could be Rust, Simon, Zach Aston-Reese or a surprise youngster. February and they desperately wanted to have three righties in the Matt Vensel: On D, Letang and Dumoulin are great together. The regular lineup. So I'd think he's someone they want to keep. question then becomes what they will do with Marcus Pettersson. If he John: Are there anymore trades before trading camp? plays with Justin Schultz, he is going to get a bump in playing time, which he deserves. But then you might have a bottom pair of Jack Johnson and Matt Vensel: Jim Rutherford admitted after the Penguins signed Brandon Erik Gudbranson, which might never escape the zone. We'll see. Tanev on July 1 that they will likely have to shed salary before the season to be salary cap compliant, thus the possibility of Bjugstad, Rust Aljohn: Do you know what the ask is roughly on Pettersson? or Johnson being traded to accomplish that. They are under the cap Matt Vensel: I do not, but I'm guessing he lands around $3-4 million per. currently, I believe, but that will change if they sign Marcus Pettersson, an RFA. Tristan Jarry could be dealt if someone offers something decent. Matt Vensel: I should add that's under the assumption they sign Marcus to a contract that runs three years or more. Matt Vensel: Note that dealing Jarry would not be for cap reasons. There's a logjam in Pittsburgh with Matt Murray and Casey DeSmith and Pat: Do you think there is a chance the Pens look at moving Hornqvist or they signed Emil Larmi to presumably play a lot in WBS. And since Jarry Schultz? I know Hornqvist has a NMC, but would he consider waiving, to will have to clear waivers this season, the time to move on may be now. say, Nashville? Also, Schultz is a UFA next summer and Pens have so many others to focus on. They can get great value for a top 4 RHD. AJ: The salary cap not going up to what it was expected really messed stuff up around the nhl huh? Matt Vensel: I don't see Hornqvist getting traded. For one, he has the no- trade clause you mentioned. Second, Jim Rutherford has talked so much Matt Vensel: It certainly didn't help teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, about needing more chemistry and character in the locker room. He's Toronto, Vegas and Tampa Bay that are snug against the cap ceiling. maybe their loudest leader and then plays like a madman. Third, who is AJ: Do you think they would trade desmith instead of Jarry for Murray going to want to trade for a 32-year-old winger with a sizeable contract insurance? and a history of concussions? Hard to see it happening.

Matt Vensel: Never say never, but I think DeSmith is an ideal backup. He Matt Vensel: I think at this point, Schultz is staying. Trading him now isn't is content in that role, he has shown he can play well after not starting in going to make them better, plus the Penguins want to re-sign him. AJ: Do you think the pens will change their system a little bit to stop the Matt Vensel: I'm a pretty simple man, FR. I love hockey. I've played for odd man breaks? three decades (man, I'm getting old). I still skate a couple of times a week when the 9-to-5 allows it. I also have two kids under 4, so they keep me Matt Vensel: The biggest issues with that this past season was that busy and keep me humble. I like good beer and good food, too. And I'm individuals were too often coughing up the puck while trying to make really pumped about fantasy football starting up soon. plays. Malkin and Kessel did it often. We saw Jake Guentzel get benched for doing it, too. The coaching staff is going to hammer this point home P Fang: What do you think Simon's role will be this year...and will they again. I also think adding speed and depth up front this offseason helps, quit thinking he is a top 6 forward? too, because they can improve at puck pursuit. Matt Vensel: I think he will continue to shuffle him throughout the lineup, FR: What do you think will happen with ZAR? Any chance he will be unless he starts producing with someone in particular. I'd encourage you traded? to not write him off yet. He's only 24 and just had a heck of a world championship. He could still be a 40-point guy. Matt Vensel: I don't think he will be traded because he's going to salary arbitration as an RFA. That's pretty common. But if he isn't going to make Jab: How do you think the Penguins off season has gone? Have they the team out of camp, and I don't think that's a sure thing (though I do done enough to improve the team and become a force again in the project him to make it), they could look to trade him for something. division and during the play-offs?

Rahn: If the dominoes fall this way: Johnson moved, Rikkola moves up Matt Vensel: When you are looking strictly at the team on paper, it's hard as a bridge to (my prediction) Niklas Almari either by season's end or for to argue that in terms of talent they got significantly better this offseason. start of 2020-21. Almari is also why moving Maatta wasn't preferred but But the Penguins believe the problem last season wasn't star-power but was possible. Thoughts? instead chemistry and desire. They are banking that the new guys they brought in will make them younger, faster and hungrier. We'll see if that's Matt Vensel: Yes, if Johnson is traded, that would seemingly solidify true and in turn makes them a real championship threat again. A big Juuso Riikola as a top-six defenseman this season. As for Niclas Almari, bounce-back season from 71 would go a long way. I don't know that he's considered among the team's top prospects. So it might be a stretch to think he'll be ready for the NHL within the next 14 anonymous: I live near and go to a lot of WBS Pens games. Do you ever months. The top defensive prospect is Calen Addison, who will probably come over to this side of the state to see them play? If I see you - I'll buy spend one more season in the WHL. you a beer and some CraB Fries!

Go to section Matt Vensel: I made the trip last year to do a profile on Teddy Blueger and check in on Tristan Jarry and others, but I have yet to attend a game. anonymous: I know Nick & Rust are always mentioned as trade bait - but I'll try to change that this season, if only to score some free crab fries. don't those 2 play the exact type of game that Sullivan is wanting to play? Is there anyone else you could see being traded? Matt Vensel: OK, folks. That's it for today. Thanks for the questions. Some really good ones in there. We'll do this again soon, I'm sure. Matt Vensel: I agree with you that these are players they should keep, not trade. But when you look at the contracts and consider how much Matt Vensel: Also, I forgot to mention this at the top, but Mike DeFabo space they will probably need to clear, they make the most sense up officially joined the Post-Gazette this week. He'll be joining me on the front. As I mentioned earlier in the chat, if I were the GM -- trust me, I'd beat this season and beyond. He's an award-winning journalist from make a lousy one -- I'd keep those two guys and find a way to shed Jack Latrobe. I'm really excited about him coming aboard, and you should be, Johnson's contract. Rust and Bjugstad are simply better players. too. He's got a bunch of great ideas already. If you've got a Twitter, follow him at @MikeDeFabo. If not, keep an eye out for his work. And if you Pat: Hypothetically, if the Penguins move JJ out with a 3rd, as you have any more Jack Johnson questions, he's your guy. suggested, wouldn't the team have too many top 9 guys. IMO, Sid, Geno, Jake, Chucky, McCann, Hornqvist, Bjugs, Rust, Tanev, Kahun and even Simon can/should be top 9 guys. Wouldn't it be wise, when looking at some of their cap hits, to move them out regardless just to create more Post Gazette LOADED: 07.19.2019 flexibility?

Matt Vensel: Depth up front was a major issue last season. Too often they only had one or two lines clicking at once. They need to get back to being able to roll four lines and feel good about it. If that means having, say, Rust or Simon on your fourth line, then so be it.

GG: As it stands, Pens have 12 forwards signed + RFA ZAR. Between those 13 forwards, only 3 are righties, and with all the trade talks, the 3 forwards I hear mentioned most are those 3 righties. Do you think they will struggle with so little right handed guys if one is actually moved?

Matt Vensel: You raise an excellent point, one I've thought a lot about when mulling potential lines. Clearly, they are not too concerned about it.

Bill: Matt, thanks for this chat forum. Love it! Do you have any updated info on any college free agent prospects that the Pens might be interested in?

Matt Vensel: Bill, take a glance at the list of current college players the Penguins had at their prospect camp last week. They are worth monitoring.

D: Last one. Any one at the prospects camp catch any one's eye?

Matt Vensel: Samuel Poulin was solid, as you would hope. Nathan Legare really impressed with his shot. I continue to be intrigued by Calen Addison. I wonder if he has any chance of making the NHL club this season. People were also buzzing about Larmi and Bellerive, too.

Andy: JJ - 3.25 x 5yrs... Tanev - 3.5 x 6yrs... Who gets the 3.75 x 7yrs contract next offseason?

Matt Vensel: I hope it's me. Maybe GMJR will see me playing pickup at the Lemieux Complex sometime and bring me in to be a third-pair D.

FR: Outside of writing, what are some of your other interests? 1149877 Pittsburgh Penguins SportsCenter grew in popularity on ESPN, but that was for a national audience. There was no talk of who should start for the Steelers: Neil O’Donnell or Bubby Brister. Or who should the Pirates play at first base. ‘Stan, Guy, love the show’: Ten years gone, SportsBeat remains in the Or, especially, how the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championship teams have hearts of Pittsburgh fans turned the area into a hockey hotbed.

There was a huge appetite for sports talk, but not much of a place to find it. By Mark Kaboly Enter KBL, a regional sports network that reached six states but focused Jul 18, 2019 on Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern Ohio. The network, which originally broadcast out of KDKA’s studio, wanted to create a sports talk

show for the booming cable business. “I had a picture in my mind of an armchair quarterback who knows it all So, in early 1991, SportsBeat was born. The idea was to have a writer’s and he would just worship Stan and Guy. They would be bigger than God roundtable on Monday that featured the legendary Beano Cook and to him and they would call up and say, ‘Stan, Guy, love the show’ — writers from the Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Press, followed by four Jimmy Krenn, aka the ‘Scorekeeper’ days of an interview-heavy show with KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani and And boy did Pittsburgh love the show. Junker. Pompeani worked as the leading man while Junker did a feature lead-in to the interview. It was a 30-minute show. They loved Stan. They loved Guy. They loved SportsBeat, and they enjoyed more than anything else calling the most popular sports talk “They approached me out of the blue and asked me if I would be show in the city’s long and storied history and talking Penguins, Pirates interested,” said Pompeani, already an established figure in the and Steelers. Pittsburgh market for a decade. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’ I thought it would be great to do. Guy Junker was the guy, and I’ve known him my entire life. Or, if nothing else was on their mind, they’d simply say, ‘Stan, Guy, love We’ve done high school play-by-play together and everything else. I the show.” thought it would be fun to do.”

“It’s been 16 years since I’ve been fired and hardly a day goes by … I will Junker was tending bar at the time after SNN, the first 24-hour sports be walking in the mall and somebody will come up to me and say, ‘love cable news channel based out of Washington, went bankrupt a week the show,'” Guy Junker said. before Christmas in 1990. The founder of KBL, Gil Lucas, called Junker and asked if he would be interested in the job. “It happened to me just the other day,” Stan Savran added as the two sat around the ESPN 970 studios, where they get together once a week to “I said, ‘Absolutely,'” Junker said. rekindle the sports talk relationship that captured Pittsburgh sports fans for an unprecedented 18 years and more than 4,500 shows. Flying by the seat of their pants because of the newness of it all, SportsBeat struggled in the early days. The biggest problem was making It has been 10 years this month since FSN Pittsburgh canceled the show part of the fan’s daily routine. SportsBeat, an offshoot of the radical radio-on-television format that first aired on KBL on March 11, 1991. The Monday night roundtable lasted only a few shows; the ratings weren’t good. And there was a more significant issue ahead: KBL’s “SportsBeat arrived before sports-talk radio became a 24-7, multi-station, contract to use KDKA’s studio was expiring. The network decided to constant harangue and ear irritant. So the pairing of personalities, the lease instead from rival station WPXI, which meant Pompeani was out. thirst for more sports talk and Pittsburgh sports being under-represented in broadcast media at the time, it was a perfect storm for a thunderclap,” “I understood when they called to tell me,” Pompeani said. said Chuck Finder, former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter as well Poor ratings, an unknown concept and, now, the well-known host was as the author of The Big Picture media column for the paper. “They gone. SportsBeat was hanging on, but barely. became a singular cultural icon, fused together in a memorable phrase.” There was one Hail Mary left in the Lucas’ arsenal: Savran, a well- Stan, Guy, love the show. established media personality in Pittsburgh for more than 15 years. Jimmy Krenn and the WDVE morning show dominated the radio waves Savran was the sports anchor on WTAE for a decade before getting fired in Pittsburgh at about the same time SportsBeat dominated local cable in November 1991. television. Krenn, a Pittsburgh native and a self-proclaimed huge sports KDKA offered Savran the sports anchor job alongside John Steigerwald, fan, was known for his comedic skits on the morning show. but Savran’s non-compete clause with WTAE prevented him from One day in 1993, the Scorekeeper was born. returning to the air for a year. Savran’s contract said nothing about cable as part of the non-compete. “Pittsburgh knows their sports and in the talk show world, the regulars would always call in with a nickname and this goes back to when I was a “I decided to take a gamble with KBL,” Savran said. kid listening to Myron Cope in the afternoons, so I came up with the In February 1992, SportsBeat was rebranded with Savran and Junker Scorekeeper,” Krenn said. “And the Scorekeeper would always start the (the two first came together in 1984 when Junker worked as a producer skit with, ‘Stan, Guy, love the show’ and end it with ‘I am going to hang for Savran’s 11 p.m. sportscasts on WTAE). The network also used the up and listen.’ The spirit of the character came from me loving the show. I SportsBeat format as a pregame and postgame show to help support the did it, and it instantly became huge.” brand. “That was the hook we needed,” Savran said. “People would then call the It still didn’t work that well. show and say, ‘Stan, Guy, love the show.’ Every caller would say that.” “When Genesee Cream Ale dropped out after the first year, we had no Before you knew it, there were commercials, there were promos, there sponsor, and Bill Craig, who was the general manager, came to us and were T-shirts and there were Stan and Guy’s face plastered all over Port said if we had any other offers that it wouldn’t upset him because he Authority buses. didn’t know how much longer we could go without a sponsor,” Junker “That became an ad campaign,” Junker said. “It was an amazing time.” said. “The first six to eight months we were together, financially, they weren’t doing well. Seven Springs became the title sponsor, and it took While radio shows on television is as routine as it comes now (Dan off after that.” Patrick Show, Rich Eisen Show, Gio and Boomer, Colin Cowherd, Jim Rome and many others), it wasn’t like that in the early 1990s. Stan Savran and Guy Junker are still getting autograph requests a decade after SportsBeat was canceled. (Courtesy of Guy Junker) Not only that, there wasn’t much in the way of local sports talk — about an hour or two per day on AM radio. No 24-hour sports talk radio “The show gained a lot of steam, and I thought it was a very good show,” stations. No internet. Certainly no podcasts or SiriusXM Radio. Local Pompeani said. “It was different and it was local. We didn’t have anything television newscasts — like today — didn’t have much time for sports to in Pittsburgh quite like that on a regular nightly basis.” show more than daily highlights. The pregame and postgame shows helped SportsBeat with its success, Junker said. “He kissed the football. To me, that was the best show we without question. But it was much more than that. ever did.”

There was a thirst for sports talk, and few choices. The Steelers won the “The look on his face was priceless,” Savran added. division in 1992; the Pirates made three straight NLCS appearances, and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. Stan and Guy were SportsBeat continued unaltered for 13 years while the network went the perfect pair to bring it all together. through a variety of changes — from KBL to Prime Sports to Fox Sports Pittsburgh to FSN Pittsburgh. Ratings were steady, even as the Penguins “They were two guys you wanted to have a beer with,” Krenn said. “That and Pirates struggled in the early 2000s and as other TV outlets started had a lot of appeal to people.” their own competing sports shows.

Savran and Junker became part of Pittsburgh’s rich history of TV duos. That all changed in 2003. Fox executives in Los Angeles did not like the show and wanted to fire Savran. “(They were) just a blast to welcome them into your home nightly, like a Paul Long and Don Cannon tandem or Patti and Daddy Bill Burns,” “The show and Stan and Guy were too Pittsburgh and not Fox/LA slick Finder said. “To me, they were the last of the serious, straightforward enough,” Savran said. “Local management told them firing me would be Pittsburgh sports-talkers. No edgy gabfests or guy talk or stir-the-pot-for- a huge mistake. The guy who tried to fire me eventually got fired in LA. 10-minutes planned discussions for these guys. They brought something Then they turned their sights on Guy.” of a topic or three, and threw it open to John Q. Zelienople for a live, impromptu chat. Granted, at its heart, the show was simply talk radio on At the time, both Savran and Junker were forced to do studio shows for TV, but it was fun to watch and listen to them.” the Fox affiliate in St. Louis. Junker bristled at that idea, and that was a convenient reason to let Junker go. Junker’s last show was May 16, SportsBeat was considered a lifeline to Pittsburgh natives who had 2003, the same week SportsBeat celebrated its 3,000th episode. scattered throughout the country — a way to touch base and get the news and opinions regarding Pittsburgh sports. There was no DirecTV, “Something didn’t feel right leading up to that, a lot of closed-door but there were the big old satellite dishes that allowed ‘John from meetings,” Junker said. “They were talking about renting out the Byham Montreal’ to call in often or a guy from Kansas City or Nicaragua, which (Theater) for the 3,000th show and then they were saying we didn’t have frequently happened, to talk about the Penguins, Pirates, Steelers or to do it on the exact date. It was strange.” whatever. The show was rebranded as ‘Savran on SportsBeat’ with Savran hosting “It was a way for a fan to stay connected with Pittsburgh sports,” Savran an hour-long show that basically served as a pregame show for both the said. “That was one of the services that we provided that they couldn’t Pirates and Penguins. That lasted six years before FSN pulled the plug get anywhere else.” altogether, now 10 years ago.

For SportsBeat, it was the Penguins that drove the show. “Their excuse was that we were only going to do shows that revolved around their properties, meaning the Penguins and Pirates,” Savran said. “Cope came on after he retired and said, ‘Gents, you guys are the same “Since SportsBeat covered everything, that was their excuse, although it as me,'” Junker said. ‘”I hopped on with the Steelers right at the time they would live on without the name in the context of pregame shows.” started to win Super Bowls, and you two did the same with the Penguins.’ I think we educated hockey fans at the time. It also afforded the station to reduced Savran to part-time and fire “at least three staffers” Savran worked with a daily basis, he said. “The timing was perfect for us.” “They literally begged me to stay on with them, knowing the backlash What made SportsBeat so entertaining is that you never knew what was they would get from canceling the show … and then having me leave going to happen next. altogether,” Savran said. “Guy’s firing and the cancellation of the show both broke my heart, literally. I had my open heart surgery three months The format allowed the show to switch things up — one day, the show is after the final show. a normal call-in episode. The next, there’s a mock NFL draft, with cut-out graphics pasted on the wall. Another might be taped from the porch of a “It was just two Pittsburgh guys talking sports, and they couldn’t fan’s ostrich farm. The 2,000th show featured Mister Rogers, Vin Scully, comprehend that,” he added. “When they canceled SportsBeat, it was Sammy Sosa and others wishing the guys well. devastating to me. We were on longer than Gunsmoke. It just crushed me.” But nothing much could match the guests who strolled into the studio, which included Chuck Noll not long after he retired in late 1991. Noll, a Stan and Guy got back together for a midday radio gig at ESPN 1250 in private man who could be just a tad intimidating, was a massive get for late July 2008, but it lasted only 26 months before the station switched the show. formats to Radio Disney.

“I had his home number and called him,” Savran said. “I was scared to Now, the two spend every Thursday together as part of Savran’s radio death and I even knew him a little bit. He was very intimidating.” show to rekindle the relationship, even if it’s only for an hour. Savran has tried to get Junker on full time, but Junker’s weekend sports anchor They got Buster Douglass right after he beat Mike Tyson, Reggie responsibilities at WTAE have made that impossible. Jackson pushing his Reggie candy bar, Evander Holyfield, Mario Lemieux, Jim Leyland, Bill Cowher, Armon Gilliam, Craig Patrick, Kevin “We just have this camaraderie and this feel for one another. It is McClatchy and others. amazing,” Savran said. “I said at the time that I would give up my TV gigs and finish my career (with Guy at ESPN 1250). I was really content.” It became a show where the athlete sought SportsBeat out, not the other way around. It’s just two friends talking sports. That was apparent the first time they were on the air, and it was still apparent this month as they sat for their The show had a deal with Pittsburgh Limousine, where it would send a regular hour together on the radio. limo to pick up guests. They would offer use of the limo for the remainder of the evening, after taping the show. In studio a few weeks ago, Savran threw a couple of topics Junker’s way five minutes before they went on the air. They then had chat that “The limo would pick them up at the house, drive them to the studio and if sounded like a something you would hear in a bar. they wanted to go to dinner, we had Ruth’s Chris certificates to give out,” Junker said. “We had a lot of schmoozing going on.” “We got engaged the same year, we got married the same year,” Junker said. “We do all kind of stuff together now. He comes over to my house One of the most memorable guests was Jim Baker, an insurance for Christmas, he came over for the Fourth for a cookout. He was there salesman from West Mifflin who swiped the ball from the turf at Three when I got the phone call that my mother died.” Rivers Stadium after Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception in 1972. Harris was a guest on the show, talking about the 25th anniversary of the catch when, unbeknownst to Harris, Baker walked onto the set and tossed Harris the football. The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019

“Franco didn’t know who this guy was and Stan sets it up and the guy tosses the ball across the set and Franco, and he got a tear in his eye,” 1149878 San Jose Sharks the most prominent example -- and Chmelevski's versatility bodes well for his chances down the line.

Best-case scenario Sharks prospects to WATCH: Sasha Chmelevski has NHL breakout potential Chmelevski earns a spot out of camp, and never really looks back. DeBoer utilizes the forward in a variety of roles as he tries to settle on the right forward combinations, eventually giving Chmelevski consistent By Marcus White minutes on Thornton's wing.

July 18, 2019 6:17 PM Separated by two decades in age, the pair finds strong chemistry and Chmelevski rides it to 15 goals in his rookie season. The void left by Pavelski, Donskoi and Nyquist is not entirely filled by the end of Chmelevski's first campaign, but the 20-year-old nonetheless helps by Editor's Note: This week, NBC Sports California will highlight five different delivering on his initial promise. Sharks prospects to watch heading into the 2019-20 season. Some have a chance to make the NHL roster as soon as this year, while others face Worst-case scenario critical years in their development. We continue with forward Sasha Chmelevski. After making the team out of training camp, Chmelevski's first professional season mirrors that of Finnish forward Antti Suomela. After getting his first taste of professional hockey to close out the 2017- Suomela started fast centering a line with Donskoi and Evander Kane, 18 season, Sharks prospect Sasha Chmelevski saved the best season of but was sent down to the AHL on Dec. 11 and did not suit up for the his junior career for what might have been his last this past year. Sharks for the remainder of the season.

The 2017 sixth-round pick scored six points in 10 regular-season and Chmelevski has no problems with the pace of the AHL thanks to his brief playoff games with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda in the spring of 2018, Barracuda experience, but still struggles to produce much offense and and followed that up 75 points (35 goals, 40 assists) with the OHL's doesn't return to the NHL as other players pass him on the organizational Ottawa 67's last season. He impressed for the United States at the 2019 depth chart. There's still hope for improvement in the second year of his IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver, then finished second entry-level contract in 2020-21, but he ends 2019-20 on the outside behind Montreal Canadiens prospect Nick Suzuki in OHL playoff scoring looking in at the Sharks roster. with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 18 games, as the 67's lost in the OHL's championship series. Making the big club out of training camp would be encouraging, but Chmelevski starting the season with the Barracuda would not be Chmelevski, who turned 20 on June 9, technically could return to major considered a setback. That could allow the forward to establish himself at junior as an overage player next season. But, he now is eligible to play in the professional level, and earn a look with the team soon after the the minors as a pro, and could even earn an NHL spot with a strong regular season begins. training camp this fall. Here's what to expect from the talented forward. Chmelevski should, at least, be in the mix for an NHL roster spot Sasha Chmelevski throughout the season. He has the potential to hang on to one by the end of it, which would be welcome news for a salary cap-strapped Sharks Draft year, position: 2017, sixth round (No. 185 overall) team in need of cost-controlled talent to surround an expensive core. If Position: Center he can, San Jose's depth up front would look much stronger moving forward. Shoots: Right

Height: 6-foot Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 Weight: 190 pounds

2018-19 team: Ottawa 67's (OHL)

Skill set

Chmelevski, who is from Huntington Beach, has a well-rounded offensive game. He has the on-ice vision to set up teammates, and a strong shot that he uses early and often. Over his last two regular seasons and playoff runs, Chmelevski combined for 585 shots on goal in 147 games, and has only been held without a shot four times during that span.

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson praised Chmelevski's "high-end hockey IQ" when the prospect signed his entry-level contract last summer, and Chmelevski won multiple awards with the 67's for his academic success. He told the Daily Pilot during his draft year that he grew up admiring Pavel Datsyuk's two-way game and Andre Tourigny, Chmelevski's coach with the 67's, said that one element of the center's game stands out above all.

"His best asset, for me, is his competitiveness," Tourigny told the Ottawa Sun in April. You play ping pong with Sasha, and if he loses, he will want to fight."

Chmelevski will have an opportunity to break camp with the Sharks in September. The departures of longtime captain Joe Pavelski and wingers Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist in free agency created openings among San Jose's forwards, and Sharks director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz that San Jose coach Peter DeBoer would "like to have two centers on each line [who] can take faceoffs" in addition to mentioning "competition at center."

As Kurz noted, it's possible that Chmelevski will be in the mix for a spot on the wing as well as one down the middle. Chmelevski conceivably could get a look on Joe Thornton's wing on the third line if DeBoer moves Kevin Labanc on to Logan Couture or Tomas Hertl's line, or one centering the fourth line if Barclay Goodrow moves back to the wing. The Sharks have long converted centers to wingers -- with Pavelski arguably 1149879 San Jose Sharks round pick in 2017, posted 43 goals and 105 points in 66 games in the QMJHL and looked good in the prospect scrimmages last month. Noah Gregor (fourth round, 2016) and Joachim Blichfeld (seventh round, 2016) ‘Quite a few’ Sharks prospects could make their NHL debuts this season, are two more prospects that Wilson Jr. specifically mentioned by name, says Doug Wilson Jr. selected when Burke still had the final say.

But perhaps the most intriguing forward will be a guy who Sharks fans already know. Antti Suomela made the NHL roster out of camp last By Kevin Kurz season as its third-line center, and played 27 games with the Sharks before he was reassigned to the AHL for good in December. He had Jul 18, 2019 three goals and eight assists for 11 points with the Sharks, and a modest 20 points (6g, 14a) in 47 games with the Barracuda. The 25-year-old recently signed a one-year extension. On the second day of the NHL Draft, just before the second round begins, there is a roll call. At every team’s table is a microphone, and The hope is that the former Finnish league star who was pursued by someone from each club announces the name of its general manager as many NHL teams last summer before choosing the Sharks will be better well as who will be in charge of making the selections over the public acclimated to his surroundings, and the smaller NHL ice surface, this address system. season.

For the first time in a long time, there was a different voice behind that “In a perfect world maybe he would have started in the American League microphone for the Sharks at the draft in Vancouver last month. and then got the NHL games, but he had such a good training camp he forced his way on to the team,” Wilson Jr. said. “If you had said at the “Doug Wilson, Doug Wilson Jr.,” said the latter, when the roll call reached end of the year that Sumo was going to play half the season in the NHL the Sharks. and half the season in the AHL, I think that would have been considered a success for Year 1. The Vancouver draft actually marked the third time that Wilson Jr. has been in charge of the Sharks’ selections, but it was the first time he sat in “Now he kind of knows how we play, he’s got the smaller rink front of the microphone at the draft table, calling out the names of the five (experience), he’s always been a good faceoff guy on his strong side, players chosen. Previously that role was reserved for longtime Sharks and he’s always been a good PK guy. He has the tools to play a certain executive and current assistant general manager Tim Burke, but he role at the NHL level, so this will be a big camp for him.” handed off those duties to his younger, up-and-coming colleague this year. Unless something unexpected happens between now and Oct. 2, it’s unlikely that there will be a rookie defenseman who makes the Sharks’ “It means a lot to me just because I’ve been working with Burkie for so roster out of training camp. The top six looks set with either Tim Heed or long,” Wilson Jr. told The Athletic this week in a phone interview from Dalton Prout taking the place vacated by Justin Braun, who was traded to Scottsdale, Ariz., where he and his wife, Haylie, are awaiting the Philadelphia in June. imminent birth of their second daughter. “It was a little bit of a symbolic thing from Burkie, but it was my third draft running it, and you know my But two defensemen in the system would seem to be particularly high on relationship with Burkie — he’s my best friend. It was just one of those the organizational depth chart. things he was great with. Mario Ferraro signed a standard entry-level deal with the Sharks in April “We were laughing because I told him next time we have a first-round and will begin his professional career in the fall after two seasons with pick, you can jump on stage again. And he said, ‘Yeah, that will be in the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) where was the defense about 25 years.’” partner of the emerging Cale Makar, who Sharks fans got a good look at in the playoffs against Colorado. Wilson Jr., Burke and the entire Sharks scouting staff are used to not having a first-round pick. They didn’t have one this year. They don’t have Wilson Jr.’s excitement about Ferraro, a second-round pick in 2017, is one next year. Their 2017 first-round pick, Josh Norris, was traded to evident. Ottawa as part of the Erik Karlsson deal. They didn’t have a first-round “I don’t know what else to say about Mario. His body is completely pick in 2016, and their 2014 first-round pick, Nikolay Goldobin, is long different. He looks like a Crossfitter how in shape he is and how strong gone. he is. He’s impossible to knock off of pucks,” Wilson Jr. said. “(Sharks Even so, the Sharks appear to have a solid group of prospects who could scout/development coach) Bryan Marchment did an unbelievable job with be ready to challenge for NHL spots this season and maybe even him over the last two years working with him on his stick, because when become impact players, due in large part to the players that Wilson Jr. we drafted him he had all this energy but he wasn’t closing plays. has unearthed since he took over in 2017. There are openings at “Over the last few years ‘Mush’ has gone in to see him and kind of forward, in particular, after Joe Pavelski, Gus Nyquist and Joonas showed him how to close plays at the blue line, how to hit guys stick-first, Donskoi all departed as free agents in the offseason. body in next. You can see that he’s more of a controlled chaos-type “It’s probably the most talented group of forwards that we’ve had, and player now where everything is controlled, when it used to be just energy. they bring different things,” Wilson Jr. said. “I really don’t know who’s Mario has taken leaps and bounds. We’re really excited for him long- going to jump up and be the surprise at camp and take a spot, but Pete term.” (DeBoer) has already told the kids, we’ve lost three wingers. There’s Ryan Merkley, the Sharks first-round pick in 2018 (21st overall), may still competition at center, and we’d like to have two centers on each line that be the top prospect in the organization after posting 71 points (14g, 57a) can take faceoffs. We’ve always done that, and we have a lot of guys in 63 games in the OHL with Guelph and Peterborough, where he was that can do that.” traded mid-season. Although he’s almost certainly slated to spend One of those would be Sasha Chmelevski, a sixth-round pick in 2017 another year in juniors — he doesn’t even turn 19 years old until August who might be the rookie in the best position to make the NHL team out of — Wilson Jr. is looking forward to seeing Merkley at the upcoming rookie camp after posting 35 goals and 75 points in 56 games for Ottawa of the tournament in the second week of September in Irvine. OHL during the regular season and another 31 points in 18 playoff Creating offense has never been a problem for Merkley. But Wilson Jr. games. Further, the 6-foot, 190-pound center could start his NHL career saw some improvements in Merkley’s overall game at the recent on the wing and be that second faceoff guy that Wilson Jr. mentioned is development camp, particularly in the neutral zone. important to DeBoer. “I think you saw at (development) camp a little bit better this year he was “Sasha has worked with (Sharks scout/development coach) Mike Ricci using his stick in the neutral zone to angle plays off,” Wilson Jr. said. for the last three years on his faceoffs and faceoff plays. I think Sasha “He’s more of a transitional D. The more plays you can break up in the took like 4,000 draws in his OHL career and he took 900 plus in the neutral zone and get it going the other way, the less time you have to playoffs this year, and he was at 63 percent,” Wilson Jr. said. spend in your D zone. We focused a lot on neutral-zone play with him There are other forwards, too. Alexander True, a free-agent addition last and angling and using his stick. He showed a lot of improvement in that July, led the Barracuda in scoring last season with 55 points, and at 6-5, area. the center would give the Sharks more size. Ivan Chekhovich, a 7th- “We’re expecting him to be a dominant player at the rookie tournament, come into training camp, have a really good training camp, and make the decision hard. But if he goes back to major junior he’s got to be a top player in that league like he kind of has been for the last two years.”

Another defenseman to keep an eye on in camp, according to Wilson, Jr., is Nick DeSimone, who spent each of the last two full seasons with the Barracuda and stuck around as one of the Black Aces in the playoffs. DeSimone had 14 goals and 32 assists for 46 points in 65 games with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate last season and will turn 25 in November. His 14 goals tied him for sixth in the league in goals among defensemen, while his 46 points were tied for seventh. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Sharks last week.

“Nick DeSimone had a huge year this past year,” Wilson Jr. said. “He’s 6- 2, right-hand shot, very good skating d-man. … I think he has a really good chance to show what he has during training camp and exhibition season.”

Jacob Middleton, 23, also remains after getting a taste of the NHL with three games last season. In fact, it’s Middleton who is currently listed as presumably the eighth defenseman on the Sharks’ roster on their official website.

In goal, it would seem to be a bit of a logjam. Antoine Bibeau and Josef Korenar remain, as does NHL backup Aaron Dell (for now), but the Sharks also added highly regarded college goalie Andrew Shortridge to a one-year deal on April 3. Wilson Jr. called the 24-year-old Shortridge “probably the best goalie in college hockey last year.”

There’s also Zachary Emond, whose numbers in juniors last season were downright ridiculous. Emond, a sixth-round pick in 2018, went 24-0-0 with Rouyn-Noranda with a league-leading .932 save percentage, league- leading 1.73 goals-against average, and seven shutouts, which, yes, also led the league.

Emond will go back to juniors this season, but the others could conceivably compete for playing time, particularly if the Sharks are ready to move on from Dell.

“This is probably the most excited we’ve been about our goalie depth in a long time,” Wilson Jr. said.

Perhaps the likeliest scenario is that several prospects will get at least a cup of coffee this season, either out of necessity or due to performance. The Sharks will still be driven by their high-paid stars, but in today’s league, getting depth contributions from young and inexpensive players has become a necessity.

“There are so many guys this year, a group of prospects that we’ve been excited about for a long time,” Wilson Jr. said. “Now they’re all finally turning pro together, so I think you’re going to see quite a few different players make their debuts this year.”

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149880 St Louis Blues

BenFred: Blues celebration is making some folks look bad — and it's not the players

Ben Frederickson

We've seen the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas, hanging poolside with women in bikinis. We’ve seen it with a salted rim, holding the Tyler Bozak family blend of margarita. It's even been in bed with Jordan Binnington as both recovered from a long night, wet towels stretched over both of their brows.

What fun it has been to follow along.

At least, for most of us.

Hangovers tend to pop up in the wake of the Cup.

Apparently hard feelings also follow for some.

Some folks are making themselves look bad. Somewhat surprisingly, it's not the players.

Have you all heard the commotion about the “Play Gloria” phrase? Philadelphia bar Jacks NYB, the venue the Blues were having a cold one in when they fell in love with their rally song, is now feuding with companies that latched onto the phrase. A trademark has been cited. Cease and desists have been sent. The bar is especially ticked at St. Louis based apparel company, Arch Apparel.

“Here’s the truth,” the bar posted to its Facebook page. “When we found out that other companies were using our PLAY GLORIA trademark to make money off of it, we reached out to them to try to make a deal with them. If they are going to profit from it, why shouldn’t we get a small piece of the pie. Wouldn’t you?”

I guess Blues players should demand a cut from all companies that have used references to the Laura Branigan song. Without their surge toward the Cup, the phrase would not have made any money for anyone. If you are a bar owner with "Gloria" on your jukebox, perhaps consider uniting forces in a class action suit. Shouldn't you get a small piece of the pie?

This is what happens when a good story comes about. People make themselves look silly tying to become a part of it.

It happened to Ken Campbell. The Hockey News scribe from Toronto seems very mad that Blues forward Robby Fabbri let his dogs eat pasta out of the Cup. When his Twitter complaint was not enough, Campbell wrote a column. Headline: “HEY GUYS, THE STANLEY CUP IS NOT A TOILET OR A DOG BOWL OR A FEED BAG, SO STOP TREATING IT THAT WAY.”

It takes a quick Google search to find a long list of the precarious situations the Cup has been placed in during its celebration tours. It’s been beneath water. It’s been in a fire. It’s been through some serious stuff. And that’s one small piece of the legacy that makes it the coolest trophy in sports. The Cup is hockey tough. Players who win it can celebrate as they please, within reason. Don’t like it? Tough.

Speaking of the Cup getting wet, the worst example of poor Cup behavior — at least so far — came at the Vegas pool party spot Wet Republic soon after the Blues got their hands on their prize. A member of professional boxer Tyson Fury’s entourage shoved a Cup-holding Blues player into the water while the guys were dancing to "Gloria."

Where was Campbell's outrage then?

No word on if Jacks NYB has sent a cease and desist to Wet Republic.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149881 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s Curtis McElhinney excited to join Tampa Bay

By Mari Faiello

Published Yesterday

TAMPA — A warmer climate and a great team are just two of the things Lightning goaltender Curtis McElhinney is looking forward to in the 2019- 20 season.

In an interview with NHL Tonight broadcasters, McElhinney said he is especially looking forward to being on the other side of the Lightning’s “high-powered offense” having “faced the brunt of it” last season when the 36-year-old goaltender played for the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I’m excited to get down there,” he said. “This is Round 2 in Tampa for me so hopefully it will be a little bit longer than the last time I went through there."

McElhinney will serve as a back-up role to Tampa Bay’s veteran goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy this season. Tampa Bay opted to sign McElhinney in part because of Louis Domingue’s upcoming unrestricted free agency in 2020-21. Domingue likely will look to play a larger role on another team.

In the interview he discussed what went into that decision-making process of choosing between what could have been a good opportunity for him individually playing a bit more vs. a good opportunity to play for a great team.

“Carolina was a unique situation,” he said. “Obviously, I got thrust into a bigger role, and it was a lot of fun. It had been 14 years in the making in terms of playing that many games. It was a real treat, but I’ve kind of thrived in this role as a back-up now, and I know they’ll (Tampa Bay) want to cut some of the games back and give me more of an opportunity to provide a bit of relief.”

McElhinney said Tampa Bay “was punched in the mouth” last season after getting swept by the Blue Jackets in the opening round of the playoffs, becoming the first Presidents’ Trophy-winning team in NHL history to get swept in Round 1. With most of the players returning from last season, the new Lightning goaltender doesn’t have any doubts that the team will be even more focused when the puck drops at the beginning of the season.

“When you’re heading to a team that has the expectations that Tampa does, it sets the tone right away that we mean business,” he said.

And one thing’s for sure about McElhinney: Winning is first and foremost in his mind.

“I think at this point in my career it’s more about being on a winning team,” McElhinney said, “and getting that opportunity to get back to the playoffs every year."

McElhinney is already starting his training back on the ice (even having his son shoot on him in goal). He is spending the summer in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, like he normally does. But when he’s not in-between the posts, he can normally be found in-between the pages of a book.

“My main objective is to become a better player every year,” he said. “And reading’s kind of my thing right now,...and you never know, you might pick up one or two things that can help in your career.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149882 Toronto Maple Leafs “Personally, I wasn’t happy with how I ended up with that series. I want to be better.”

To that end, he said he’s spending the off-season working on Charity will stay at home, but will Leafs forward Mitch Marner do the “everything,” but specifically on replacing his pass-first habit with a more same? consistent shoot-first threat. Is the shot getting harder?

“We’ll see when there’s a goalie in the net,” he said.

By Dave FeschukSports Columnist We’ll see when there’s a signature on the dotted line, actually.

Thu., July 18, 2019 If Marner hopes to be at training camp — an outcome he confirmed won’t be possible without a deal — the club has an inherent motivation to get the deal done before the season’s outset. A William Nylander-esque in- Given that the Maple Leafs remain ensconced in a currently motionless season signing, depending on how deep into the regular-season contract stalemate with star restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the schedule it occurs and how the contract is structured, can have the effect hockey club can only hope that nights like Thursday remind Marner of of ballooning a first-year cap hit, which can complicate Toronto’s already something essential. As a beloved member of his hometown NHL team, headache-inducing financial puzzle. Last season, when Nylander signed he’s living a Canadian dream. on the Dec. 1 deadline for restricted-free-agent deals, his 2018-19 cap hit went on the books north of $10 million, even though his annual average Witness the success of the Marner All-Star Invitational, the charity event salary was about $7.5 million, a technicality that effectively shrunk that began Thursday and continued Friday in Vaughan. Thanks in no Nylander’s cap hit for the remaining years of the deal to $6.9 million. And small part to Marner’s mastery of attracting endorsements and while that quirk suited the Maple Leafs last season, when they were encouraging fan engagement, the shindig is expected to raise something possessed of rare headroom thanks to having Marner and Matthews on in the range of $200,000 for Marner’s foundation, which is dedicated to their entry-level contracts, they’ve got no such leeway in the upcoming helping children in need. Part gala memorabilia auction, part on-ice skills campaign. competition featuring the likes of John Tavares and Nazem Kadri, this year the on-ice portion attracted 31 teams of regular folk who happily If Marner is seeking an annual average value in the neighbourhood forked over the $5,000-a-squad entry fee for the chance to share the ice occupied by Matthews and Tavares — something that begins with $11 with Marner and friends. million — the Maple Leafs, as currently constituted, would ultimately need to move money off the roster. There’d be more than a few ways to All of it only hints at Marner’s impressive commercial appeal. One do that, sure. One would be a trade of the likes of Nylander or Kasperi industry estimate had Marner currently earning a sum in the range of $2 Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson. But there are other possibilities, too. million in annual off-ice income from his wide range of corporate Like, say, pointing out to Marner that there’d be no Marner All-Star partners, more than double the base salary of his entry-level contract. Invitational, at least not one as big as this week’s, if he played in, say, Leafs all-star centreman Auston Matthews acknowledged Marner’s knack Columbus. for attracting such opportunities last season: “Mitch is the clubhouse leader (in endorsements), for sure.” “It means a lot. It’s only the second year and we’re sold out. That just means it’s going to get bigger and bigger throughout the years,” Marner So while the club could argue that Marner ought to look at his off-ice said. income as a unique benefit of attaching himself to the Maple Leafs brand — a benefit that ought to be taken into account when it comes to arriving And if hockey can be a transient business, Marner insisted his annual at a contract value — Marner’s camp could make the case that it’s charity event “will always be here (in the GTA).” Marner, on the basis of his boyish magnetism and on-ice dynamism, who’s earned every dollar of those deals. And no, as has been made Whether or not the same will be said for his dressing-room stall, only time clear, Marner’s not interested in cutting the Leafs a discount. will tell.

Back and forth it will go. But don’t expect that standoff to come to an end anytime soon. If Marner has a deadline in mind — and it’s a soft one, at Toronto Star LOADED: 07.19.2019 that — he said it doesn’t arrive until the Leafs open training camp Sept. 13 in St. John’s, some eight weeks hence.

“Every goal here is to be there for training and be at training camp. There’s no rush. We’ve still got a lot of time until that happens,” Marner said Thursday. “I think that’s what both sides understand, is that there’s a lot of summer still left. Like I said, (agent) Darren (Ferris) is doing a good job of his job, and unless something major’s coming up, he doesn’t really bring it up to me.”

In other words, Marner is focused on enjoying his summer and doing the usual hard work to improve his craft, all while avoiding the mentions and comments on various social-media platforms where he’s being lambasted as greedy and worse. He’ll leave the contract-related stress to Ferris and Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.

“Just go without the (social-media) comments — that’s probably a better idea now,” Marner said. “I’m just trying to stay away from all the talk and all the focus around it.”

That was the repeated gist of Marner’s media interactions Thursday. Not that he didn’t answer questions. He spoke about the “tough” loss of Kadri and Patrick Marleau, both trusted mentors who departed in separate offseason moves. And he laughed at Kadri’s post-trade threat of bodily harm should he encounter Marner in the proverbial train tracks.

“If (Kadri) comes, I’ll be ducking, and he’ll be going head over,” Marner said with a laugh.

He also looked back at another first-round playoff loss to the Bruins, when he managed four points in seven games, as a moment of harsh self-assessment.

“Their top guys came to play. Auston came to play. He had a great series, and so did John and a couple of other guys,” Marner said. 1149883 Toronto Maple Leafs “I’ve stayed off all social media. I didn’t want to focus on that. There’s nothing really good on social media anyway. For me, it’s keep my phone away.”

Hard to imagine Marner not a Leaf Not that he’s been far from his usual milieu since the Bruins bounced the Leafs in April’s playoffs.

Lance Hornby “A little bit of everything; skating, working out, going up to a lake and surfing. It has been an eventful summer, a lot of fun. July 18, 2019 10:31 PM EDT “Make sure I’m being consistent, make sure I’m ready to perform the same and hopefully be better and help our team.”

As Mitch Marner tried his best to evade contract talk, Maple Leafs fans The one that plays on Bay St. were busy bidding hundreds of dollars on a nearby signed photo of him celebrating a goal on Boston’s Tuukka Rask. Mitch Marner was sad to see the last of Nazem Kadri, but can’t wait to watch Tyson Barrie in action for the Maple Leafs. The back screen for his All-Star Invitational charity event featured his image in blue and white, Toronto sweaters hung everywhere, while a kid “It sucks seeing people traded from our team, especially Naz,” Marner wearing Marner’s No. 16 was on the silent auction program cover and a said of the Canada Day deal between the Leafs and Colorado huge celeb crowd gathered for Thursday night’s gala on the strength of Avalanche. “He’s a great mentor for a lot of our young guys. seeing him, John Tavares and former Buds such as Tie Domi. “But I know Tyson a bit, I played with him at the worlds (in 2017). He’s a While he didn’t have news choppers tailing him to this press conference great defenceman and means a lot to our team, a lot to our defence at a restaurant north of the city as Kawhi Leonard did, it’s hard to think of corps. the Markham-born GTA favourite son and two-time leading Leafs scorer “It’s hard to pin one thing (Barrie excels at). He has great vision, he can playing anywhere else on an offer sheet. get shots through from the point that seem impossible. It’s another puck He’d have a hard time pulling this event off in Carolina. moving d-man. (Alex) Kerfoot is another skilled forward.”

“He’s a hometown kid. I know he loves playing for the Leafs,” said minor- Marner had a lot of changes to track this summer. Kadri, Patrick Marleau, hockey pal and training partner Michael Dal Colle of the New York Ron Hainsey, Connor Brown, Calle Rosen and likely Jake Gardiner are Islanders. “Hopefully, he gets it done. gone. Barrie, Cody Ceci and Kerfoot arrived, and of course some Marlies and free agents will challenge for jobs. There’s no (New York) sell job here. He’ll be successful wherever he plays. I just wish the the best for him.” “Marleau called and let me know before it was released (he was being dealt to Carolina for a buy-out),” Marner said of his father figure, whose The centre who specializes in making something out of nothing on the ice four sons he adores. “I talk to him on a daily basis and I’m probably going was on the spot Thursday to make nothing out of something as a full to see him next weekend. He’s still very close to me and my family. bore forecheck of media tried to pry some contract developments from Whatever team gets him next year, he’s going to be great for them.” the restricted free agent. Marner also wished William Nylander good luck with his number change “I guess we’ll find out, but sooner than later,” he said of his preference to from 29 to 88, a switch that caused a lot of debate in a slow summer of settle. “I want to be there for the start of camp. Hopefully, it’s done then, local hockey news. but my agent (Darren Ferris and Marner’s father, Paul, were hovering nearby) and Kyle Dubas are (negotiating). They’ll figure something out.” “I know he wears 88 a lot at the worlds and he wore it before Toronto. It’s cool, good for him, he wanted that number since Day 1. Now he’s got it General manager Dubas has insisted that talks are ongoing and civil. But and I’m sure it will look good on him.” not surprisingly, Marner would be reluctant to attend the start of Leafs camp in less than two months without a deal, either the kind of multi-year pact Auston Matthews was awarded at an $11.6-million US average for Toronto Sun LOADED: 07.19.2019 five years or a bridge deal for good money at less term.

“Probably not,” he said. “There’s so much (injury) risk with that.”

It was this time last year, at Zach Hyman’s golf tourney, that William Nylander had an optimistic tone, only to have his contract standoff drag to within minutes of the Dec. 1 deadline. He and Marner have exchanged notes.

“I’ve talked to him a couple of times, just staying calm with it,” Marner said. “Your agent deals with it and the team deals with it. (Nylander’s) best advice? Stay out of it and enjoy your summer.”

That’s exactly what Marner’s been doing, secure at least in knowing a big pay day awaits somewhere. Yet, his strongest ties remain here, starting with his family, his girlfriend, good times at the cottage and this week, his second annual on ice skills event with several NHLers, OHL juniors, national women’s team stars and Paralympians.

When he heard another buddy Christian Dvorak, of the Arizona Coyotes, had never been to Canada’s Wonderland, they broke from training to brave some rides on Wednesday.

“I’m thinking about how much more money we can raise for a good cause,” Marner insisted. “There are a lot of familiar faces here. I think no matter what, I have a lot of friends and people I call family here. My event will always be held in Toronto. It’s a special place.”

The 22-year-old has been moved by the number of fans who’ve encouraged him to hang in during this uncertainty, and likely advised him not to be tempted by an offer sheet.

“There are Leafs fans everywhere you go, especially in Toronto. They’ve been funny through the whole event and I’m joking with them. The fan base is pretty good. I’m telling them the same thing I’m telling you. 1149884 Toronto Maple Leafs The bottom-six is where things get tricky. The candidates are a combination of Newfoundland Growlers, rookies and a few AHL veterans like Rich Clune and newly signed Darren Archibald.

Projecting the Marlies opening day lineup after a busy summer by the Training camp is going to be very interesting this year, as the young Leafs players battle for spots and the bottom-six begins to take shape. An early prediction of the third and fourth lines:

By Hailey Salvian Tanner MacMaster – Brady Ferguson – Colt Conrad

Jul 18, 2019 Archibald – Aaron Luchuk– Justin Brazeau

Third line

It’s been a busy summer for the Maple Leafs as Kyle Dubas tries to These three are some of the only players who suited up in a handful of reimagine his team for the 2019-20 season. games with the Marlies last season (other than Clune who will slot in periodically as he usually does). MacMaster played in 26 games for the The draft has come and gone. Development camp offered a quick look at Marlies last season after being traded from Utica and was re-signed for prospects still a few years away. And free agency is already three weeks this season. He is a solid utility guy, not an all-star, but at least he has old. With all that said and done, it’s clear that the Leafs are going to be a AHL experience. Ferguson can play on the wing or centre and has been very different team this season. an injury call-up to the Marlies a few times but has never experienced an extended look. This could be his year to try to stick in the AHL. Conrad In a recent projection, James Mirtle wrote that as many as 12 players joined the team on a tryout basis last season and slotted in for a few could be on Toronto’s opening-night roster who weren’t regulars last games, but will probably get more minutes this year. season. Fourth line A similar reality holds true for the Toronto Marlies and general manager Laurence Gilman, who is again overseeing the AHL club. This fourth line will be whatever Keefe wants it to be. If he wants a hard- hitting, grind it out line, he will create that. He could also have an all- Eight skaters who played regular roles in the Marlies Calder Cup defence Growlers line like he has done in the past when injuries plagued the only a few months ago are gone, some promoted to the Leafs (like team. This line is my best guess of who could win a spot out of camp, but Trevor Moore and possibly Michael Hutchinson), others packaged in without seeing any of these players on the ice together, that’s all it is at Leafs trades (Michael Carcone and Calle Rosen) and other prominent this point, a guess. Archibald is coming from the Belleville Senators and unrestricted free agents who signed elsewhere (Vincent LoVerde and will instantly be a veteran on a young Marlies team, so I expect him to Chris Mueller). slot in on the bottom-six. Brazeau led the OHL in goals last season and if The Marlies could very well have four new forward lines and likely three he can make adjustments quickly, could move up the lineup. defencemen who weren’t regulars on the team last year. Defencemen It’s difficult to project — due to the significant changes made to the roster The Marlies blue line will look more familiar than the forwards, with two of throughout the year — but here is an early look at what the 2019-20 three pairings from the Calder Cup run likely to stay intact. However, Marlies could look like when they open their season against the Belleville there are two big pieces that will be missing this year in Rosen and Senators on Oct. 5. LoVerde, which will make the group even smaller and younger than it Forwards already was. Here is how I see things starting out:

The Leafs signing Nick Shore and Kenny Agostino, who will fight for Rasmus Sandin – Timothy Liljegren fourth-line roles, probably means there won’t be any openings on the Andreas Borgman – Jesper Lindgren opening-day NHL roster for any Marlies. Meaning players like Jeremy Bracco and Pierre Engvall will stay in the minors. Even with notable Kristians Rubins – Mac Hollowell/Joseph Duszak players staying down, the Marlies forward lines are going to look completely different this season with the significant losses of Mueller and First pairing Carcone and the veteran presence of Colin Greening. The lines will likely This pairing worked together a lot last season and throughout the be shuffled a lot during the early portion of next season as head coach playoffs, especially when Rosen or Borgman went down with injuries. Sheldon Keefe tries to find the best use for his players and who has the They represent the future of the Leafs blue line and everyone seems to best chemistry. As of right now, only the top-six seems somewhat clear: want to know when they will be in the NHL. Have patience. They are fast, Mason Marchment – Adam Brooks – Bracco skilled and just need a bit more time being “the guys” in the AHL, which they will be this season. Keefe often praised Sandin and Liljegren as the Dmytro Timashov – Engvall – Yegor Korshkov reason the Marlies made it so far in the playoffs last season. Expect them to stick together next year, but also to shuffle around to pair with younger First line guys as they now become veterans on the team. I don’t know if this line is going to stick. Marchment and Brooks have Second pairing great chemistry, and they will likely stay together again this season, but Bracco may not be a fit. Bracco, who led the team in points and was Borgman and Lindgren played together during the Calder Cup run, so I second in the league last season, plays well with shooters and recreating have to expect that Keefe will keep this pairing together as well. Borgman the chemistry he had with Mueller last season isn’t going to be easy. This has had an interesting career featuring many peaks and valleys and will likely be the group to start, with changes made as some of the injury struggles. If he can stay healthy this season, he may finally have younger players start to get comfortable and possibly show they can play the breakout year he has been waiting for. Lindgren joined the Marlies with Bracco. during their playoff run and immediately slotted in on the third-pairing, bumping Duszak out of the lineup. Lindgren looked calm and poised with Second line the puck and Keefe was more than confident having him go in cold with Throughout the playoffs, Keefe said this line was one of his best, most maybe one practice under his belt. consistent groups. They were zone-entry machines and usually matched- Third pairing up against other team’s top lines. Engvall was being primed for a role at centre last season, and that will likely be the case this year. Timashov With Rosen packaged in the Nazem Kadri trade that brought in Tyson had a career year last season and is now a veteran on the roster. All Barrie and Alex Kerfoot, the Marlies have less depth on the left side. signs point to continued growth and another productive season. After Borgman and Sandin, Rubins is likely their next up to play on the Korshkov adjusted faster than many expected after joining the team for third pairing. Rubins spent most of his year with the Kelly Cup-winning the playoffs and should only get better with more games under his belt. Growlers but also played 15 games with the Marlies and looked solid. That being said, if Teemu Kivihalme doesn’t make the Leafs out of camp, he would probably replace Rubins on this pairing. This leaves Hollowell and Duszak to battle it out for the third spot on the right. Hollowell was given the nod more in the playoffs than Duszak was, but both were impressive. Hollowell probably wins this spot out of camp, but Duszak will make it a difficult decision.

Martin Marincin could also factor in here if he doesn’t make the Leafs out of camp or gets sent down at some point during the year. It’s not likely to happen, but something worth mentioning.

Goalies

Kasimir Kaskisuo

Joseph Woll/Ian Scott

Starter

Kaskisuo closed out the year as the clear starter for the Marlies after a rocky start to the season. In the playoffs, he was often the team’s best player. He will start again this season unless he returns to the form he displayed last October.

Backup/vying for a spot

Woll and Scott represent the future of the Leafs’ crease but will first spend a few years battling for a spot with the Marlies. Woll is big and athletic and has a bigger body of work. While Scott has progressed well and was named the top goalie in the CHL. It will be an interesting battle at camp to see who wins the Marlies job and who gets sent to the Growlers. Woll is probably ahead of Scott, but Scott has familiarity with Keefe after joining the Marlies for their 2018 Calder Cup run. There is also the potential of Hutchinson or Garrett Sparks joining the mix if they are sent down and clear waivers after Leafs camp.

As of right now, this Marlies team is incredibly different than last year’s club. But don’t think any of this is set in stone. By the end of their playoff run, Gilman and the Marlies had made 185 transactions and used 60 different players over the course of the year. I expect Gilman to be active this year to make this a competitive team.

The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149885 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Chance to be made into Funko Pop! figure

By Rochelle Richards July 18, 2019 - 4:23 PM

If you’re looking for a way to add to your Golden Knights collection, now is your Chance.

Funko announced Thursday a new batch of NHL mascots who will forever be immortalized as a Pop! figure, including Knights mascot, Chance.

Coming Soon: Pop! Mascots – NHLhttps://t.co/m1XKANb2fX pic.twitter.com/XpYWY6as25

— Funko (@OriginalFunko) July 18, 2019

Coming Soon: Pop! Mascots – NHLhttps://t.co/m1XKANb2fX pic.twitter.com/Y5nlhoiUgu

— Funko (@OriginalFunko) July 18, 2019

Five additional mascots will be included in the new collection:

— Gritty, Philadelphia Flyers

— Tommy Hawk, Chicago Blackhawks

— NJ Devil, New Jersey Devils

— Blades, Boston Bruins

No official release date has been set.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149886 Washington Capitals Ovechkin’s visit is also an opportunity for the Capitals to increase their presence in China. The team has had a partnership with O.R.G. Packaging for three years and hosted 25 youth Beijing Hockey Alex Ovechkin will travel to China as an NHL ambassador next month Association players in conjunction with the Beijing-based company in 2017. In April, Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced a deal with China-based Alibaba.

By Scott Allen July 18 at 10:00 AM “We’re honored to participate in this and be a part of it with Alex and the NHL,” Jim Van Stone, the president of business operations for

Monumental Sports and Entertainment, said in a phone interview. “I think The NHL won’t be hosting preseason games in China this September as it really goes a long way toward helping us to grow our brand in China it has for the past two years, so the league is doing what amounts to the and Asia as a whole, and it allows us to build some connectivity with our next best thing in its continued efforts to grow hockey’s footprint in the fan base in China. ... I think we’re on the beginning of a long road to build country of 1.3 billion. It’s sending Alex Ovechkin. the presence of hockey in Asia. The early returns are fantastic and there’s a really big opportunity to have a huge presence there." Ovechkin, who has been relaxing and preparing for the upcoming season at home in Moscow this summer, will travel to Beijing on Aug. 4 and Washington Post LOADED: 07.19.2019 spend the week in China, the NHL announced Thursday. The 33-year-old Washington Capitals captain, a Stanley Cup champion and one of the game’s biggest personalities, will visit youth hockey clinics and participate in business development meetings during his visit.

David Proper, the NHL’s executive vice president of media and international strategy, said the decision to approach Ovechkin about becoming the NHL’s first active player to make an individual trip to China as an ambassador for the league was an easy one.

“There’s no better person to show how great hockey is than Ovi, an all- around great representative for the NHL,” Proper said in a phone interview. “We are going to make sure that he gets to spend time with some of the youth that are playing the game in China, letting them see one of their heroes up close. ... Ovi has that kind of personality that’s very engaging with people. He has an ability to interact and really make people feel comfortable.”

The NHL has made a concerted effort to tap into the Chinese market over the last few years, striking a leaguewide partnership with China- based O.R.G. Packaging and broadcasting games on China Central Television (CCTV). In 2017, the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks played a pair of preseason games in Shanghai and Beijing. Last year, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky traveled to China to participate in a youth development and training program ahead of preseason contests between the Bruins and Flames in Shenzhen and Beijing. The Stanley Cup made its first visit to the country last September.

“Good on the NHL for realizing [the game is increasingly popular in China] and they’ve stepped in,” Gretzky said last August. “They were over there last year and they’re really trying to put a bit of an imprint of our game and our sport in China, and it just helps make our game bigger."

A few more shots of when the #StanleyCup visited one of the "Seven wonders of the World"

Great Wall of China.@HockeyHallFame @NHL #nhlchinagames pic.twitter.com/UtacX3kShc

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) September 10, 2018

In May, the league announced that there would be no preseason games in China this year “due to logistical challenges resulting from the multitude of events occurring in China during the same time frame.” David Abrutyn, Ovechkin’s longtime agent, said he and the NHL’s leading goal scorer since he entered the league in 2005 had been discussing a possible trip to Beijing, which will host the 2022 Winter Games, for a couple of years.

“I think Alex realizes that unlocking and accelerating the international growth of the game is probably key to the future of it,” Abrutyn said in a phone interview. “Alex has always taken great pride in giving back to the game. In D.C., he spends an awful lot of time in the youth community, and similarly back home [in Russia] during the summer from the time he first came into the league. There’s nothing like being able to give kids an experience to touch the game.”

“It is a huge honor for me to be an ambassador for the entire Washington Capitals organization and the National Hockey League for this special trip to China,” Ovechkin said in a statement. “I think it is very important to spend time to help make people all over the world see how great a game hockey is. I can’t wait to spend time with all the hockey fans there and I hope to meet young kids who will be future NHL players." 1149887 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin to visit China as NHL ambassador

By Adam Zielonka Thursday, July 18, 2019

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will visit Beijing the week of Aug. 4 to serve as an “international ambassador” for the NHL as it seeks to grow hockey in China, the league announced Thursday.

“It is a huge honor for me to be an ambassador for the entire Washington Capitals organization and the National Hockey League for this special trip to China,” Ovechkin said in a statement to NHL.com. “I think it is very important to spend time to help make people all over the world see how great a game hockey is. I can’t wait to spend time with all the hockey fans there and I hope to meet young kids who will be future NHL players.”

The Russian star’s week in Beijing will include attending youth hockey clinics and business development meetings.

“Alex represents the best in sports, as he epitomizes that combination of great talent, great personality and great sportsmanship,” said David Proper, the NHL’s executive in charge of international strategy. “He is the perfect person to represent the NHL’s efforts to grow hockey in China.”

No NHL player has ever hailed from China, a nation of more than 1.4 billion people, nearly 20% of the world population.

The league has held four preseason games in China, and earlier this year, it opened its first satellite office in the country.

Ovechkin spends his offseasons at his home in Moscow, where a flight to Beijing would take a little more than seven hours.

Washington Times LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149888 Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin headed to China as an NHL Ambassador

By Brian McNally July 18, 2019 11:29 AM

Capitals center Alex Ovechkin is headed to China the week of Aug. 4 to serve as an international ambassador for the NHL, which is trying to grow its presence in that country.

The NHL played two pre-season games in China last year between the Boston Bruins and the Calgary Flames. The year before the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks did the same.

Ovechkin’s trip to Beijing will include youth hockey clinics, a media tour and business development meetings.

The NHL and the NHL Players Association are hoping to generate interest in the sport in the world’s largest market. The preseason games played in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have drawn good crowds the past two years. The goal is to develop grassroots hockey programs at all levels, but especially for kids.

One other aspect of the trip: It generates publicity if the NHL decides to allow its players to return to the Winter Olympics in 2022 when they are hosted by Beijing. That issue needs to be worked out in the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations over the next year. NHL players had participated in every Olympic Games since Nagano, Japan in 1998 until the league refused to let players go to Pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics in South Korea last year.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149889 Washington Capitals bench was somewhat baffling giving that his underlying possession numbers were always strong, but he also produced zero offensively.

In the end, assuming his players don’t fall off a cliff this season, Reirden 20 Burning Capitals Questions: What adjustments will coach Todd will have a few obvious areas to address. There was a strain of thought Reirden make in his second season? around the NHL last spring that the Capitals were too wedded to what worked for them during the regular season and never really adjusted to how the Hurricanes were determined to play. By Brian McNally July 18, 2019 10:00 AM That’s an age-old conundrum in the playoffs, of course. Change too much and you’ll be accused of panicking. But it was hard to ignore how badly Washington was outplayed on the road against the Hurricanes. The long, endless summer is only halfway done. The Capitals last played And Carolina had a rookie head coach itself in long-time NHLer Rod a game on April 24 and will not play another one until Oct. 2. Brind’Amour, who famously said during the series that coaching was But with free agency and the NHL Draft behind them now, the 2019-2020 “overrated.” It came down to a coin toss in overtime of Game 7 and the roster is almost set and it won’t be long until players begin trickling back Capitals lost. Reirden took some heat for it. onto the ice in Arlington for informal workouts. Washington’s coaching staff was an odd mix, but it doesn’t appear there With that in mind, and given the roasting temperatures outside, for the will be any changes there. Reid Cashman, just 35 and an assistant at next three weeks NBC Sports Washington will look at 20 burning AHL Hershey the two years before, was in his first season as an NHL questions facing the Capitals as they look to rebound from an early exit coach, too, and – if we’re being honest – had a rough gig dealing with from the Stanley Cup playoffs, keep alive their Metropolitan Division title veteran blueliners like John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik. streak and get back to their championship form of 2018. There’s not much an inexperienced coach can tell players like that.

The list will look at potential individual milestones, roster questions, Scott Arniel gave Reirden an assistant with NHL head coaching prospects who might help and star players with uncertain futures. Today experience. That proved helpful. Goalie coach Scott Murray’s role didn’t we analyze coach Todd Reirden, who was always going to have a change much given that Mitch Korn had already scaled back his duties in difficult job in his first season as Capitals’ head coach given the previous years before leaving for New York with Trotz. Murray and expectations. Braden Holtby appeared to have a strong working relationship. Blaine Forsythe has been on staff for over a decade and runs the power play, The question going into 2019-2020: What lessons does Reirden pull from which did slip some to 12thin the NHL. last season, how does a year running his own bench infuse his tactics this time around and what changes, if any, does he make in player Reirden had to learn how to manage those coaches, blending a staff and management? finding the right way to delegate and trust. It’s a balance most rookie head coaches find tricky. A second year together should theoretically run There’s nowhere to go but down when you win a Stanley Cup. You can’t more smoothly with roles defined and respected. If that doesn’t happen, it do any better. Reirden knew that when he took over for Barry Trotz after will spell trouble. Washington won the title in 2018. In many ways, he kept the ship pointed in the right direction as a rookie coach. The Capitals won their fourth At times it seemed like Reirden and MacLellan weren’t always on the consecutive Metropolitan Division title. same page. Jaskin was a fourth-liner picked up on waivers before the season, but was basically iced after December. Maybe that's not such a But the Stanley Cup playoff loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was a big deal. But Reirden didn’t quite seem to know what to do with disappointment. With the Hurricanes going on to sweep Trotz and the defenseman Nick Jensen, either, after he was acquired from Detroit in a New York Islanders in the second round there was an opportunity there trade to bolster the blueline. for another deep playoff run and Reirden’s team wasted it. Jensen never looked comfortable playing primarily on the left side once There is plenty of good to build on. Yes, Reirden inherited a strong hand Michal Kempny was lost for the season with a torn hamstring. That’s a given that almost every player from a championship roster returned. But difficult position for any player on a new team in a pressure situation, but let’s not pretend everything ran smooth all year. Washington had a Jensen immediately signed a four-year contract extension after the trade seven-game winless streak in January to sit on during the All-Star break. so they’ll have to figure it out. Expect him to get heavy minutes as the replacement for Niskanen on the right side of the second pairing. If you’re going to withhold credit for a talented roster that in some areas can run on autopilot, you also have to acknowledge that Reirden There is probably much more behind the scenes that we don’t know – performed the same magic Trotz did the year before: He halted an ugly from interactions with individual players, who all have healthy egos of losing streak that could have sent the season spinning in a dangerous their own, to disagreements over strategy and tactics. NHL teams do a direction. pretty good job of hiding those fissures, especially when they’re winning, but a coach has to figure out that balance and intuitively know when to The Capitals returned from the break and a bye week on Feb. 1 at 27-17- scrap his own plan. 6. They were three points behind the Islanders in second place in the Metropolitan Division – though still six points from falling out of a playoff In the end, much of this is nitpicking. The Capitals won plenty in spot. Their position, if not alarming, was precarious. Reirden’s first year, they made the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years, they took the division again and they blew a series they should have But Reirden’s team recovered to go 8-4-1 before the NHL trade deadline won. That happened under Trotz, too. and then caught fire with help from some shrewd additions by GM Brian MacLellan. Washington finished 13-5-1 and won the Metro again. But the goal this year is clear: Keep the championship window open and make a deeper playoff run. No one knows when a Stanley Cup push will Reirden’s crew shook off another ragged start (8-7-3) and for the second happen, but Washington better be in the mix. Do that and Reirden’s year in a row surged in late November and December. In general he reputation will grow from coaching a roster that’s changed a lot since gave his top players, especially Alex Ovechkin, more minutes than in Trotz left last summer. Fall short and doubts will begin creeping in. If previous years under Trotz. You can’t really say that backfired since there’s any lesson that Reirden learned in his first season as a head Ovechkin had a dominant playoff series against Carolina. So did Nicklas coach it was that one. Backstrom. Those plus-30 players didn’t look spent in April even if some of their teammates did. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 07.19.2019 Maybe you can ding Reirden on the margins. Wouldn’t his fourth line have been harder to play against with Dmitrij Jaskin in the lineup? Did he bail on Andre Burakovsky too quickly? Did he not bail on Chandler Stephenson soon enough?

But those weren’t season-changing decisions. Burakovsky wasn’t producing until the trade deadline passed and he relaxed a little, Stephenson’s penalty killing was necessary. Jaskin being glued to the 1149890 Winnipeg Jets Let’s commit sacrilege here and split up the duo of Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele.

Instead of keeping all that talent together, let’s diversify the team’s talent A little roster juggling could do the Winnipeg Jets a lot of good next by better spreading it out. season Here’s a sample of what that could look like, including Laine finally getting a quality centre to play with:

Scott BilleckMore from Scott Billeck Connor – Scheifele – Laine

Ehlers – Copp – Wheeler

The dog days of summer are, well, sluggish. Roslovic – Lowry – Appleton

Hockey news is relegated to the latest speculation on restricted free Perreault – Little – Vesalainen agents, nail-biting as arbitration nears (for those eligible) and optimism or pessimism depending on your team’s respective lot in life. Here, Wheeler plays on the second line at right-wing. Copp, meanwhile, gets a bump to second-line centre and Little moves to the fourth line with With that in mind, what better time for some analytics-based speculation? Perreault as a driver to get Vesalainen going. Winnipeg’s roster is talented, but with the way things declined over the last half of this past season, let’s see what we can come up with with a On defence, we will keep the top two pairings the same but send Kulikov little line-juggling and finagling as we wait for next season to arrive. and his $4.3 million cap hit to the press box in favour of Tucker Poolman, who will pair with Pionk — the PP pairing, as it were. WAR is a statistic that is used to quantify the value a player has to his team’s success (or failure). WAR stands for Wins Above Replacement, a With that bit of juggling, we’ve found the team additional points over the statistic made prominent in baseball and adapted by several in different course of the season, giving the Jets 99, equalling their total from last models for hockey. season. Poolman improves the third pairing and mixing up the forward lines spreads out some of the wealth. The results take Winnipeg from a Using this, we can then have fun with different iterations of the Jets wildcard team into the top three of the division. roster, as it stands right now, for the coming season. Getting better, but can more be done? The model, made by hockey analytics writer/data visualizer Sean Tierney, who tweaked fellow analytics guru Dom Galamini’s initial line Small trade, big results? creator, takes individual WAR for forward, defence and goalies, combines it into team metric and outputs a guess at how many points a What if we left the forwards as they were set up above, with Wheeler and team will earn over a full season. Scheifele split and all the rest stays the same.

So let the games begin. Instead, let’s re-work the team’s defence and make a small trade that might amount to a few more points. The Stubborn Approach The Dallas Stars are reportedly shopping defenseman Julius Honka, an First, let’s take a look at a lineup very similar to much of last year, minus analytics darling who hasn’t worked out under three different coaches in the players who have left in free agency and otherwise, and including the Dallas. The reasons for that are largely unknown, but let’s say that the players added in free agency and otherwise. Jets get him and use him in a big role, for the sake of this exercise.

We’ll call this the stubborn approach, as it’s the very definition of insanity Honka comes in and Paul Maurice plots him in on the right side in a to keep throwing out the same trio of Nikolaj Ehlers, Bryan Little and pairing with Morrissey. Patrik Laine. But nonetheless, it’s going to be our baseline from which we can try to improve. We move Beaulieu with Byfuglien and put Niku on the third pairing with Pionk. Sorry, Kulikov. Here’s the lineup closest to last year’s using the current roster: The results are surprisingly good. Using the formula’s from the WAR line Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler creator, the Jets, theoretically, would move from 99 points to 104, a total that would have given them the Central Division title last season. Nikolaj Ehlers – Bryan Little – Patrik Laine With some adjusting up front, some movement on the backend, including Andrew Copp – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton an acquisition, the Jets have gained 10 points in the standings, moving to Mathieu Perreault – Jack Roslovic – Kristian Vesalainen a team WAR of 27.5, up nearly five from where we started.

Josh Morrissey – Nathan Beaulieu Now, all Kevin Cheveldayoff has to do is convince his counterpart Jim Nill to trade within the division. Sami Niku – Dustin Byfuglien Interestingly enough, adding unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner to the Dmitry Kulikov – Neal Pionk mix only resulted in one more point. Adding Rasmus Ristolainen, who’s name has swirled in trade rumours, made the team worse (a drop back to Connor Hellebuyck 99 points) — a function of his poorer analytical numbers. Laurent Brossoit One could go mad plotting players on different lines and coming up with Our baseline numbers are as follows: the team has a forward WAR of the most ideal combos. These are just a sample of what could be done. 9.49 (so nine and a half wins above replacement) across all four lines, a What’s interesting, but not really surprising, is that spreading out some of defence WAR of 5.42 among the three pairings and a goalie WAR of the top-end wealth — that is, Scheifele and Wheeler, allows for a more 7.74 between starter and backup. optimal lineup on opening night. This is something Maurice can do The team WAR becomes 22.66 when added together, or roughly 23 wins without adding or subtracting anyone from the lineup. It’s simply trying above replacement when rounding up, for the sake of this exercise. something different because the alternative — keeping it the same — faded pretty darn quickly last season. The formula estimates with the lineup as is above, the Jets would earn 94 points next season. Based on last year’s standings, it would be good Yes, injuries will inevitably happen and all of these projections are thrown enough for the first wildcard in the Western Conference. out the window when those take place, but it’s quizzical look how re- arranging lines and possibly adding a piece could dramatically swing It’s a bit of a boring look, however, as the WAR lineup creator allows for Winnipeg’s ceiling for points next season. as much or as little tinkering with the lines as one might fancy. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 07.19.2019 So let’s finagle.

Creative Thinking 1149891 Winnipeg Jets Here are Craig’s criteria (with Winnipeg’s 2017-18 accomplishments in bold):

Advance to the conference finals. Charting Winnipeg’s path back to being a Stanley Cup contender OR

Check four of the six boxes in these categories: By Murat Ates Jul 18, 2019 Finish the regular season with 100 or more points (or the equivalent in a lockout year).

Winnipeg’s Stanley Cup window opened wide in 2017-18. Has it already Finish in the top 10 in both the penalty kill and power play. slammed shut? Finish in the top five in the league in xGF%. I realize that sounds like an absurd question. Finish in the top five in the league in GF%. On the surface, the Jets are still a team on the way up. Their best player, Mark Scheifele, is still in the heart of his career at a team-friendly $6.125 Finish in the top five in the league in SRS (a metric from hockey- million cap hit for the next five seasons. Winnipeg’s best scorers, Patrik reference that factors in goal differential and strength of schedule). Laine, Kyle Connor and Nik Ehlers, are 21, 22, and 23 years old. The team has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, has stability in goal Advance to the second round of the playoffs the previous year. and boasts a power play that’s been top five in the league since the Using these criteria, here is a list of Stanley Cup contenders from 2008 to moment it was drawn up. now:

There is some inefficient money — I’ve argued for a Dmitry Kulikov As you can see, Winnipeg appears on the Stanley Cup contender list in buyout in the past; Bryan Little was an honourable mention in Dom 2017-18. Luszczyszyn’s recent look at the NHL’s worst contracts — but nothing I’d consider an anchor or an albatross. This is fully deserved on a number of levels.

Even if you disagree, there are ways out of each of those contracts. Making the Western Conference final earns the 2017-18 Jets contender status all by itself. Equally impressive, the Jets’ underlying numbers also Kulikov can be bought out later this summer or let go as a 2020 UFA. qualified for contender status. Winnipeg hit 109 points, finished in the top Little’s full no-movement clause becomes a modified no-trade next 10 in both special teams, finished third in goals-for percentage and was summer — and in time for Seattle expansion in 2021. Mathieu Perreault, the NHL’s league leader in Hockey Reference’s SRS metric. They were, whose possession impact remains intact but whose offence looks like it’s in short, the best NHL team Winnipeg or Atlanta have iced in any era. slipping, is UFA in 2021. Winnipeg may not need this cap space now but, if that need arises, I believe a creative GM could navigate Winnipeg’s cap So what happened in 2018-19? without profound loss. You will recall that Winnipeg did not make a repeat appearance in the Kevin Cheveldayoff has done well on that front simply by letting other Western Conference final. teams give big money and term to Tyler Myers, Brandon Tanev and Ben Instead, they were dispatched by the eventual Cup champions in the first Chiarot. As Laine and Connor get paid this summer — and Josh round. What’s worse is that the underlying numbers weren’t there during Morrissey gets a raise one year from now — the absence of UFA the regular season — despite a nearly identical roster to the previous overpays will be fully appreciated. season. So why entertain the thought that Winnipeg’s window has shut? Here are those six criteria once again: The closer you look at the season that just passed, the less rosy Winnipeg just missed the 100-point plateau with 99 points in 2018-19, 15 Winnipeg’s outlook becomes. fewer points than the previous season. Blake Wheeler is getting older and in turn is having less of an impact on The power play was ranked fourth but the PK dropped to 22nd. possession. Wheeler and Scheifele, the forward pillars upon which Winnipeg’s offensive excellence is supposed to be built, finished the Expected goals at 5-on-5 dropped from eighth to 24th. season below 50 percent in 5-on-5 shot attempts, scoring chances, high danger scoring chances and expected goals, via Natural Stat Trick. 5-on-5 goals for percentage dropped from third to 15th. Given that their offence is still there — each player posted the second- Hockey Reference’s SRS metric fell from first to eighth highest even-strength point totals of his career last season — one naturally questions the duo’s defensive impact. The 2018-19 Jets only hit the sixth metric: Advance to the second round of the playoffs the previous year. Together, Wheeler and Scheifele outscored their opposition 54-52 over the full season. Even if you don’t believe that large samples of underlying How does that happen on a team built in almost the exact same way? numbers predict future goals, you’d expect more than a two-goal win when 55 and 26 play together for 82 games at 5-on-5. The theories are endless, varied, and often contradictory.

Winnipeg’s defence — as currently constructed — is banking on steps The Jets did not meet expectations last season. Whether you blame the forward from multiple young players. I think it’s fair to expect progression weight of those expectations, the absence of Paul Stastny, the departure from at least one of Neal Pionk, Sami Niku and Tucker Poolman; a of Toby Enstrom, the compressed schedule, the injuries, the captain, the playoff spot in 2019-20 likely depends on more than one of those things coach, the goaltending, or the worst movie ever made, you’re probably coming true. The best case is that all three players — who have 156 NHL right. The pie chart is so full of available options that each slice is a sliver. games between them thus far — all take massive leaps forward. The It will be up to Paul Maurice and his staff to sort through each option this worst case is that Winnipeg’s season is about development on D and the summer. Jets miss the playoffs altogether. Given that Morrissey, Kulikov and Dustin Byfuglien missed 88 games between them due to injury in 2018- Toby Enstrom 19, the situation on Winnipeg’s back end strikes me as a little precarious. To some fans, especially fans of big, strong, hard-nosed defending, Meanwhile, there is growing evidence in other sports to suggest Enstrom’s inclusion as a possibility might seem ridiculous. championship windows are extremely short. Still, the Enstrom-Byfuglien pairing Winnipeg ran in 2017-18 enjoyed 53 On Monday, Craig Custance took inspiration from Jared Dubin’s percent of shot attempts, 59.4 percent of expected goals and outscored impressive work on championship windows in the NBA and applied it to its opposition 26-17 over 607 minutes. the NHL. With the help of Dom Luszczyszyn and Max Bultman, Custance chose key NHL metrics which, according to his 12-year study, What does this mean? It means that Enstrom-Byfuglien yielded some of differentiated true Stanley Cup contenders from the rest of the pack. the best results in the NHL in 2017-18. They cleared the zone with ease,

What makes a Stanley Cup contender? generated offence and played defence so positionally sound that Hey look, an intangible! Enstrom’s lack of size did not lead to a lack of results. I’m not sure if I’ve included it in this list because I sincerely believe it had For this reason, I predicted a step backwards for Winnipeg’s defensive an impact on the 2018-19 Jets season or because I got bored of all of the metrics in our 2018-19 season preview. Then Ben Chiarot stepped up “well, compared to last season” questions at training camp. I fully believe and outdueled Tyler Myers for the right to partner with Byfuglien and the that intangibles like pressure and expectations affect people — it’s just Jets got 640 minutes of above average results. As a pairing, Chiarot- that, given Winnipeg played to a 25-12-2 record (with average 5-on-5 Byfuglien enjoyed 51.6 percent of shot attempts, 51.8 percent of shot metrics) through the end of December, I’m not sure those factors expected goals and a 20-18 lead in real goals. apply here.

How much did it cost Winnipeg last season? How much did it cost Winnipeg last season?

The underlying numbers were much better with Enstrom and Byfuglien I don’t believe it did. together and Winnipeg came out seven goals better with Enstrom- Byfuglien than with Chiarot’s version. The rule of thumb is that a six-goal Will it get better next season? swing in goal differential is the rough equivalent of one win. It’s not Yes. After a first-round exit, it simply has to. Can one giant chip on the exactly fair to compare season-over-season results but, as a rough team’s collective shoulders lead to improved results out of the gate? estimate, Enstrom’s absence may have cost Winnipeg two points — the Again, that’s tougher to argue. Whatever ailed Winnipeg in 2018-19 didn’t difference between first and second place in the Central Division. The fully kick in until the new year, when Winnipeg’s 5-on-5 numbers fell off a 100-point cutoff is arbitrary, not scientific, but with those two extra points, cliff. you’d have seen Winnipeg check-off item No. 1 on Custance’s contender checklist. The Global Series / compressed schedule

Will it get better next season? Paul Maurice called Winnipeg’s schedule “a factor but not an excuse” at the draft in Vancouver. No. Enstrom is still gone and now Chiarot is gone, too. Meanwhile, Myers has signed in Vancouver. Winnipeg’s top seven defencemen right now, According to Hockey Reference’s SRS metric, which “takes into account sorted by average time on ice in 2018-19, are Byfuglien, Morrissey, average goal differential and strength of schedule,” they fell from first to Beaulieu, Pionk, Kulikov, Niku and Poolman. You could argue that eighth last season. If Hockey Reference is measuring strength of Byfuglien could carry any of the men listed after him to sound results but schedule as well as it aims to, then there might be something to I’m not sure it’s fair to expect a seven-goal swing back in the other Winnipeg’s schedule argument. direction. There’s also the small matter of Jacob Trouba’s absence — a Quantifying this impact is tough. It gets even tougher when you consider void which will hurt Winnipeg’s defence much more than it helps it next that Winnipeg survived the most difficult part of its schedule with an year. excellent record and above average underlying numbers. When the Jets Paul Stastny (and Kevin Hayes) hit their bye week in January, they carried a 26-13-7 record and average underlying metrics — 11th by shot attempts, 16th by expected goals. Paul Stastny’s arrival in Winnipeg was an instant success. Stastny Despite playing 21 of their final 36 games at home, the Jets collapsed at scored a goal and added an assist against Nashville in his very first 5-on-5, finishing the season 19th in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage and game as a Jet and he’d add 10 more points against the Predators to seal 24th in expected goals percentage. Was the team exhausted from its off Winnipeg’s seven-game win in the playoffs. A quick tour through the intense first half or simply not that good? video of Stastny’s offence shows several friendly bounces, particularly at 5-on-5, but Stastny also brought Laine and Ehlers above 50 percent by How much did it cost Winnipeg last season? shot metrics — a feat they didn’t hit with Little as their centre. Sincerely, I find this difficult to say. If schedule difficulty in the form of lots Winnipeg attempted to repeat its deadline day magic with Kevin Hayes of back-to-backs or time zone switches impacts a team, I’d expect last season and, in doing so, acquired a good player. In his 20 regular Winnipeg to have faltered more in the first half of the season and less in season and six playoff games combined, Hayes led the Jets in points per the second. If it builds up over the course of a season and leaves teams minute. spent, then there might be something to Maurice’s argument. Beyond this, we’re all guessing. How much did it cost Winnipeg last season? Will it get better next season? Given Stastny’s late arrival in Winnipeg during the Jets’ season as contenders, it’s tough to quantify. His 19 regular season games with To a degree, yes. There will be no NHL Global Series matches in Winnipeg were not the driver behind the team’s overall success in 2017- Helsinki, meaning fewer kilometres travelled and, more importantly, a 18. less compressed schedule during the rest of the year. To what end this helps Winnipeg, I cannot say, but I think the fact is that it will help. Still, it’s fair to say his absence was felt during the season we just watched. Depending on whether you use Corsica or Evolving Wild and Injury woes whether you look at last season or this season, Stastny’s performance Losing Byfuglien for 40 games, Ehlers for 20 games and Morrissey for 23 offers anywhere from 0.8 to 2.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per full games hurts. It simply has to. Take it from Maurice at the draft: season. That’s quite the range and doesn’t account for the ripple effect throughout Winnipeg’s roster had Stastny been on it — both in terms of “With Morrissey and Byfuglien out, that’s part of the factor why our changing roles and in terms of the Jets cap. defensive game wasn’t as good. They come back and you say ‘Boy you’re playing a better defensive game’ — well, I hope so. Dustin, at the Another way of looking at Stastny’s absence is that it cost Brendan time, is our highest-paid player and Morrissey is a brilliant young Lemieux and a first-round pick at the 2019 trade deadline. With Stastny defenceman. We’re going to miss those pieces.” and without the Hayes trade, Winnipeg would have been better on the ice and held onto valuable assets, too. On one hand, I completely agree with the coach’s assessment. Not only do Byfuglien and Morrissey defend particularly well but they each Will it get better next season? contribute to the Jets moving the puck up ice particularly well, too. There No. Andrew Copp will get time at centre. Jack Roslovic will get time at is a wall-to-wall pass in the neutral zone that Winnipeg likes to run to centre. Scheifele, Little and Lowry will definitely get time at centre. It is either defenceman rushing up the weak side of the ice, giving the Jets a theoretically possible that Blake Wheeler plays some centre, too. 4-on-3 at the opposing blueline. Without them, things got stagnant.

The options in Stastny’s echelon are few. His time in Winnipeg was short On the other hand, it doesn’t seem right to blame 2018-19 on injuries but the absence of his skills will resonate long after Vegas scooped him after Winnipeg’s 2017-18 team lost more games — and more games to up. Without a solution on the second line — or a reorganization of the key players — to injury and kept rolling over its opponents. Those 83 lines altogether — it’s tough to see how Winnipeg climbs into the top five games to Ehlers, Morrissey and Byfuglien in 2018-19 are nearly equalled in terms of expected goals or real goals scored at 5-on-5. There go items by 72 games lost by Byfuglien, Trouba and Scheifele the year before. No. 3 and No. 4. Tally it all up and, according to NHL Injury Viz, the 2017-18 Jets lost more cap hit per game to injury — by far — than last season’s team did. The weight of expectation How much did it cost Winnipeg last season? Otherwise? Finishing in the top five in 5-on-5 goals or expected goals percentage is a tall order — particularly with the defence Winnipeg will A lot — probably — but nothing at all when compared to the team that have to start the year. It could very easily be a tough season in Winnipeg, was a Stanley Cup contender from the year before. regardless of changes made by Maurice and his staff.

Will it get better next season? Will it get better next season?

This is a scary thought, particularly on defence where a completely On one hand, no. The same person is at the helm as before. As such, I ordinary number of injuries could yield substantial games played don’t expect revolutionary changes to Winnipeg’s systems. On the other, numbers for all of Niku, Poolman, Kulikov, Cameron Schilling and Nelson it was Maurice and his staff who redesigned Winnipeg’s game at 5-on-5, Nogier. It’s tough to say that Winnipeg will be more or less healthy next the power play and the penalty kill heading into 2017-18 and got terrific year; what’s simple is saying the current defensive depth chart is more results. vulnerable when injuries strike. Despite Maurice’s golf quotes about not needing to change grip, I do The coach think we’ll see change in Winnipeg this season. Winnipeg’s defensive If Paul Maurice looks at the strong opening five games in the first round game was worse last season than it was two years ago and Maurice against the St. Louis Blues as a sign of redemption — that Winnipeg had acknowledged that, later saying he’d identified his biggest areas of it right all along — then next season will be a difficult one in Winnipeg. concern this summer. It’s tough to improve a team’s defence when you subtract Trouba, Myers and Chiarot and add Pionk but systemic This is what Maurice told Ken Wiebe (a noted golfer; hence the analogy) improvements will be crucial to Winnipeg’s success. at the draft when asked if he needed to change his approach. Winnipeg’s Stanley Cup window opened wide in 2017-18. Has it already “I’m not ready to change the grip,” Maurice said. “We hit the ball down slammed shut? the fairway an awful lot. Had one go in the water on us in the playoffs. I’m not sure I’m changing my clubs or my grip yet. We’re a pretty good We’ve looked at several factors which may have impacted Winnipeg’s hockey team.” step backwards last season. They’re not well-positioned to get back into the top five or top 10 of enough categories to qualify as a Stanley Cup The thing about quotes like these is that, while they may reflect the truth contender this season. In fact, with the changes on defence, another step in the moment they’re spoken, they don’t always reflect a team’s back is more likely than one in a positive direction. underlying thinking. Whatever Maurice’s strategy for next year, it’s not exactly to his advantage to say “well, you’re right Ken — we’re going to But their window isn’t closed just yet. change up our man-to-man coverage this October, here’s how, and by One year from now, all of Scheifele, Laine, Connor, Ehlers, Roslovic, the way this is our new breakout.” Copp, Lowry, Morrissey, Niku, Poolman, Pionk and Hellebuyck will still Still, Maurice’s actions sometimes imply that the status quo is good be between 22 and 27 and under team control. Wheeler and Byfuglien enough. That Wheeler and Scheifele played every period of the season may decline and that is a risk but Winnipeg’s expensive veterans — together (except for one, late in a lost cause game in Colorado) is one Kulikov, Little and Perreault — will either be UFA or at least off full no- example. That no matter how well Ehlers played on that top line, it was movement-clauses. always going to be Connor in the playoffs is another. There wasn’t much To become Stanley Cup contenders once again, the Jets will need to fix variation in Winnipeg last season — just dogged determination that, their defence and improve at 5-on-5 and on the PK. That’s a tough task come playoff time, the team would find a way. but, as long as Winnipeg has prime-age, top-end talent, it has an I’ve been adamant that Winnipeg’s first five games against St. Louis were opportunity to do just that. This deep dive isn’t a declaration that the Jets better than any Jets hockey I’d watched in several months. The will be Stanley Cup contenders in two or three seasons but, from where I forecheck was better, Winnipeg moved the puck up ice better, the entries sit, the team has every chance to be right there. were better and, by eye, I’d pick the playoff Jets over any version of the The Athletic LOADED: 07.19.2019 team I watched in 2018-19. But the playoff Jets weren’t good enough. They lost in six games, giving up leads and collapsing at key moments as the Blues eventually took over.

Whatever the Jets were in 2018-19, their head coach was a big part of their success and their failure. If the team underachieved, then so did the coach.

How much did it cost Winnipeg last season?

The impact of a coach is difficult to isolate.

Does Maurice get credit for the power play, top five in back-to-back seasons? I think so because he and his staff designed the system. But perhaps the expectation when Laine’s one-timer is a weapon and Wheeler, Scheifele and Connor are on the ice should be a top-five power play.

Does he get credit for the penalty kill’s success in 2017-18 or its struggles in 2018-19? We’ve discussed how the Jets’ passive system gives up so many shots that, even though the team limited seam passes, it was probably due to decline — in fact, we predicted it last season. That decline is exactly what happened, particularly down the stretch, but without Byfuglien and Morrissey, perhaps that was inevitable.

The same applies to 5-on-5 where the team was average to open 2018- 19 and then decidedly bottom-tier in the second half of the season. Micah McCurdy of Hockey Viz recently posted a first draft of a coaching isolation visual — a heat map showing a coach’s impact on shots generated at both ends of the ice. McCurdy cautioned that he’s still working on the math behind the graphic but, as of the moment, it shows Maurice’s impact as almost exactly average.

I tend to think coaching has a bigger impact on special teams. For Winnipeg to check off the special teams box of Custance’s contender criteria, it will need to fix the PK and that’s likely on coaching. 1149892 Websites “There’s been no sell,” chuckles Islanders forward Michael Dal Colle, Marner’s longtime friend and major peewee linemate.

“I’m sure it’s been a little more hectic than usual for him, but he’s handled Marner's contract talks with Maple Leafs a roller-coaster of anticipation it well. He’s a first-class individual. He’s a great person.

“He’s just treating every day no differently than in years past. Hometown Luke Fox July 19, 2019, 12:33 AM kid. I know he loves playing for the Maple Leafs, so hopefully he gets it done.”

The hearsay of the day can be entertaining when all you have is VAUGHAN, Ont. – Right before riders of the Yukon Striker plummet breadcrumbs and there’s no hockey games on TV, but it’s important to down a 90-degree, 223-foot drop, they just hang there, peering over the zoom out and realize that Marner is but one of several elite RFAs inching edge. toward August.

Stuck still, way up in the air, for a full three seconds to contemplate what Tampa’s Anthony Cirelli, close friends with both Marner and the it might feel like to scream through the world’s tallest, longest and fastest Lightning’s Brayden Point, reminded the assembled media that there is Dive Coaster. Or wonder if the thing is up to code. plenty of time for the teams to lock up their stars.

For the queasy among us, those three seconds can feel like three “I know he loves Toronto,” Cirelli says. months, the mind whizzing through a series of what-ifs and shoulda- coulda-wouldas. Which would explain why Marner hasn’t signed one of these threatened offer sheets, even though he refused Thursday to say if he’d consider it. Which brings us to fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the unsigned Again: Ask Ferris. (Ferris is not speaking publicly these days.) Mitchell Marner, who scored a thrill bringing his pal, Arizona Coyotes forward Christian Dvorak, to Canada’s Wonderland Wednesday, where Marner did, however, address the trade of Patrick Marleau, a dear friend they conquered the Striker multiple times. with whom he speaks daily and is visiting next weekend.

“I was making a joke that we were being ride warriors there. It’s fun,” “He’s still very close to me and my family. He’s meant a lot to us,” Marner Marner beamed Thursday, as he walked the blue carpet at Dave & says. “Whatever team gets him next year, he’s going to do great for Buster’s for the opening-night party of his second-annual Marner Assist them.” Fund charity event. Though he said it “sucks” to lose Nazem Kadri to Colorado, Marner “It’s a nice ride, though.” spoke highly of defenceman Tyson Barrie, with whom he got to know when they won a silver medal with Canada at the 2017 world Yet when the business of hockey is concerned, Marner might as well be championships. still hanging way up there at the Toronto amusement park’s greatest peak — feet dangling over top of his city, fate unknown. “He’s a great defenceman,” Marner says. “He’s got great vision on the ice. He’s that D-man that can get shots through from the point that seem And for the card-carrying members of Leafs Nation, the anticipation — like they’re almost impossible to get through. Another puck-moving even if it all ends with laughter and relief and a memorable photo op — is defenceman who brings a lot of skill.” killing them this summer. Marner insists he’s not paying as much attention to his contract They’ve seen this movie before and fret they know the ending. stalemate as you are. Ferris will call when a deal is nigh.

They agonized as last summer’s critical restricted free agent, William Until then, the Maple Leafs’ leading scorer is heeding this advice, Nylander, skipped training camp, then a month-and-a-half of the real courtesy of his pal Nylander: “Stay relaxed. Stay out of it. Enjoy your season and then waited until the Dec. 1 deadline to sign, with only about summer.” the time it takes to microwave a Pizza Pop to spare. We might suggest Maple Leafs fans do the same. The anticipation will be Marner has run into that worry. The fans he bumps into at the airport or more excruciating than the result. at Wonderland all want to know when he’ll hurry up and sign already. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.19.2019 “There’s fans everywhere you go, especially here in Toronto,” Marner, 22, says. “It’s been kinda funny joking around with them.”

Except when you proudly post an Instagram video of landing your first 360 on a wakesurfer, which you gleefully land after five or six failed attempts, and are compelled to shut down comments on the post because of all the contract chatter.

“There’s nothing really good on social media anyways. For me, it’s keeping my phone away, relaxing and kinda enjoying the summer,” explains Marner, aware that nothing he can say to a scrum of reporters will end the constant swirl of speculation and opinionizing.

No. Only his and GM Kyle Dubas’s signatures on a dotted line will do that.

Are we there yet?

“Hopefully sooner than later. I want to be there for the start of camp, so hoping something can get done then. My agent and Kyle are doing it, and they’re going to figure something out,” says Marner, who would go the Nylander route and skip camp until a deal is in place.

“There’s so much risk with that. It’s just something you don’t want to risk.”

So as Marner, elusive off the ice as on, deferred all contract queries to his agent, Darren Ferris, Thursday evening, the rumour mill churns.

Earlier this week, it was suggested Dubas might welcome an offer sheet, just to end this mess and kick back like Don Waddell in Carolina.

Last week it was Columbus exploring an offer sheet. Before that, New York’s Lou Lamoriello, the man who drafted Marner to Toronto. 1149893 Websites the perfect fit for the team we are building. He has a proven track record in hockey management, a dedication to the community and an eagerness to innovate which fits our vision."

Seattle job gives Ron Francis chance to prove himself as a GM He won’t find the fertile field that Vegas had in their expansion draft. But Francis never required anything to be easy for him to succeed — as a player. Mark Spector July 18, 2019, 5:30 PM Now we see if he can translate that to the front office in Seattle.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.19.2019 As a player, Ron Francis had everything.

More skill than most, a ton of heart, a mountain of character, oodles of class, two Stanley Cups… You look up "hockey captain" on Wikipedia and there should be a picture of the Hall of Famer staring back at you.

As a general manager?

As the great Gord Downie sang, "Nobody cares about something you didn’t do."

After a humble debut in the manager’s chair in Carolina from 2014-18, Francis was named the first ever GM of Seattle’s incoming National Hockey League franchise on Thursday. It’s his chance to prove what he’s got as a manager, and Francis will have a budget that he never had in Carolina.

But he’ll also be greeted by 31 general managers who are much wiser, after many of them were hoodwinked by George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights when they raided NHL rosters a couple of years ago.

"Twelve seasons working in player development, coaching, scouting and management have led me to this moment and this role," Francis, 56, said in a release.

The knock on Francis in Carolina concerned his patience. He didn’t dive into the trade market, or the free agent market, fast or often enough for his critics. Of course, looking at the Hurricanes roster that he left behind may silence those people.

"We’re going to be active in the free-agent market. I think Seattle has so much to offer. It’s got a great quality of life," he said at his introductory press conference. "I think we’ll be one of only six teams in the entire league that has no state income tax so that’s going to be appealing for players to want to come and play here. I think when you put everything together and people see what the ownership group and (Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke) want to build here, people are going to want to play here and I think that’s going to help us be successful."

Seattle filed this job a year ahead of the original plans by the team, a sign of commitment by the NHL’s 32nd franchise. There is money here, with an ownership group fronted by investment banker David Bonderman and Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

The KeyArena is currently undergoing a $930 million renovation, and they’re building a practice rink that Francis will be asked to weigh in on, design-wise.

"Sure, it’s a daunting task and a lot of work, but it’s a unique challenge that you don’t get every day because not every sports team starts from scratch. So, I’m really excited about the challenge and looking forward to doing some good things here in Seattle," Francis said. "In talking to Tod and the owners and the vision of what they want to do for the town of Seattle and hockey fans, there’s no corners being cut. They want the best venue, the want the best team, they want the best fan experience.

"Even with the practice facility. It would have been easy to build one rink but they built three, and the reason is it provides ice for the youth in the community, go out and skate. So, it’s not just about our organization, it’s about doing things (that are right) and helping to grow that product in this market."

Hockey history is rife with former great players who thought they could coach or manager, and it turned out they were exactly that: great players. Francis started something in Carolina under some come serious financial constraints but could not see eye to eye with new owner Tom Dundon, who is the furthest thing from a hockey traditionalist.

In Seattle he’s in a hockey market with hockey people, and he has a budget that should allow Seattle to have an immediate impact in the Pacific Division.

"Announcing Ron Francis as our team’s first general manager is a dream come true," Leiweke said in a release. "He is truly hockey royalty and is 1149894 Websites “Just getting Timo done as recently as we did was where most of my focus was. We’ll start exploring whatever else we may do.”

Question: If an active Jim Rutherford can be elected into the Hockey Hall NHL’s Top 10 UFAs remaining: Latest rumours, reports of Fame, why can’t we just slide Jumbo in there already?

It’s the goats birthday today! Joe Thornton it’s always an honor to Luke Fox July 16, 2019, 7:32 PM watch you play it puts a smile on my face like a kid in a candy store! 40 years young and can’t wait for the new season pic.twitter.com/jcKmH5vPBi

Two weeks after the madness, here we sit. — Harris (@RHarris_19) July 2, 2019

National Hockey League general managers will need to dig deeper, and 3. Ben Hutton jobless players may need to lower their asking prices, but there are still a few gems — or at least some worthy gambles and depth additions — to Age: 26 be unearthed from 2019’s UFA class after the July 1 frenzy. Position: Defence

We round up the rumours and assess the value of the free agents who 2018-19 salary cap hit: $2.8 million are taking a more patient approach this summer (in some cases, that’s even by choice) and are still up for grabs a week in mid-July. Of all the UFAs still floating out there, none averaged more time on ice than Hutton (22:21). The left-shot defender is coming off a nice little 1. Jake Gardiner bounce-back season after a dismal 2017-18 but was curiously not Age: 28 qualified by the Vancouver Canucks, and they lost a 26-year-old defenceman for nothing. Position: Defence No doubt, Jordie Benn is a decent replacement for Hutton, and he should 2018-19 salary cap hit: $4.05 million slide in as a third-pairing guy in Vancouver. So would Montreal (Benn’s former club) take a look at Hutton, or is Ben Chiarot enough? Gardiner, a Minnesota native, enjoyed being a Maple Leaf, and despite his defensive lapses — which can be magnified — the Leafs weren’t The L.A. Kings also reportedly expressed interest here. happy to let him walk. We wonder if the Ottawa-area native would consider the Sens, who have The Canada Day acquisition of Tyson Barrie, however, officially brings plenty of cap space and could use more experienced NHLers. Gardiner’s tenure in Toronto to a close. (Rumour had it, the defenceman was partly waiting to see if there was a way Kyle Dubas could make If you’re a believer in plus/minus, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture here: room for a return.) Hutton has been a dash-21 or worse in three of his four NHL seasons. He’s a fifth-rounder who took a step last season, and at 26 his best days That Gardiner’s back ailed him during the post-season and he should still lie ahead. Next to Gardiner, he’s the most intriguing considered surgery should serve as a yellow flag for pursuant teams. defenceman available.

Yet he’s a solid power-play quarterback, an excellent skater and passer, Nothing imminent on Ben Hutton front. Don't expect anything to and a 50-point defender when healthy. He should be trying to fetch a happen today. Several teams still in pursuit to varying degrees, including long-term deal in the ballpark of $6 million to $7 million annually, using MTL & LA (@DennisTFP reported earlier LA initial offer was turned Tyler Myers’ deal in Vancouver as his base. down, they could circle back).

The Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens were rumoured to be — David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2019 interested in Gardiner, while the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons reported Florida, L.A. and hometown Minnesota as some of the player’s preferred The longer Ben Hutton stays on the market, the more I suspect the destinations. #Canucks are working on a Chris Tanev trade. That would allow Jordie Benn to slide to the right and open up a spot for Hutton to return. I made a case for Detroit’s Steve Yzerman to inquire. — Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) July 2, 2019 Now that Habs GM Marc Bergevin swung and missed on the Sebastian Aho offer sheet, does Gardiner become his next serious target? Or will 4. Justin Williams lefty Ben Chiarot — signed last week — suffice? Age: 37

The New Jersey Devils certainly have the cap and roster space to take a Position: Right wing run here. 2018-19 salary cap hit: $4.5 million How much of the delay is based on Gardiner carefully selecting his next home versus clubs being wary of the puck-mover’s injured back? Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Mr. Game 7 enjoyed his most productive season (23 goals, 53 points) in seven years last winter with the For our money, he’s the best talent still unclaimed. Hurricanes, captaining Carolina to its best season in a decade. 2. Joe Thornton Teammate-turned-coach Rod Brind’Amour called Williams the club’s most important player, and not just because he invented the Storm Age: 40 Surge.

Position: Centre The three-time Stanley Cup winner will be 38 when the puck drops on 2019-20, so it’s understandable that he’s seriously weighing retirement. 2018-19 salary cap hit: $5 million Incredibly, Williams has missed just three games total over his past eight When the ageless Jumbo Joe announced at the NHL Awards that he was seasons — that includes six deep playoff runs. keen to keep playing, GM Doug Wilson described the news as “a “We’ve been in contact with Justin here recently,” Hurricanes general pleasant surprise.” manager Don Waddell said on July 2. “He hasn’t given us 100 per cent The cap-crunched Wilson let UFAs Joonas Donskoi and captain Joe yet which way he’s going to go. I think he potentially could be leaning Pavelski walk for more money elsewhere on July 1 as he made re- toward playing, but I think in the next few weeks it will shake out.” signing RFAs Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc (a steal!) his priority. Williams built a house in Raleigh and would prefer not to move his family A popular theory: Labanc was convinced to accept a $1-million deal in again. part to save money for Thornton. “I’m going to take my time and make sure I make the right one, right?” “I think you know the relationship we have with Jumbo. He and I have Williams said upon season’s end. had conversations and talk every couple days. We’ll get that resolved in “Because if I’m all in, I’m going to be all in. If I’m not quite all there, then I due time,” Wilson said of Thornton’s inevitable extension. have to reassess the situation. I’m not going to be good if I’m 85 per cent all in. I’ve got to be all in. That’s the only [thing] that’s fair to me, fair to Position: Centre / Left wing the teammates, fair to everybody.” 2018-19 salary cap hit: $2.55 million Waddell: "I think Justin Williams could be leaning towards playing." Mostly we wanted to include Boyle here because of his incredible July 1 — Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) July 2, 2019 tweet (see below), but it helps that the veteran role player is still an effective centreman who can do all the little things (kill penalties, win 5. Derick Brassard faceoffs, block shots, provide leadership) coaches and teammates Age: 31 respect.

Position: Centre Boyle would be a nice add for the Oilers’ culture, so it’s intriguing that Edmonton is one of the clubs reportedly on his list. 2018-19 salary cap hit: $5 million Brian Boyle is reviewing his options. Told 5 teams have serious Brassard put up a career-best 60 points with the Rangers in 2014-15. interest in signing him. A decision could come later today, but he's not The following season, he rang up 27 goals. Since then, he’s gradually rushing things. been on a downward slide, playing with four franchises over the past two seasons and failing to stick. — David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 2, 2019

Bad fits? Player in sharp decline? 8. Deryk Engelland

Brassard is a centre who has shown in the past he can both check and Age: 37 score, and yet he’s nowhere near a $5-million asset anymore. Until he Position: Defence proves otherwise, he’s a third-liner. 2018-19 salary cap hit: $1.5 million Available centremen are scarce, however. This feels like a case of a player needing to lower his asking price, and we wouldn’t rule out a Two days prior to free agency’s opening, it appeared Engelland’s re- return to Columbus or New York, where Brassard enjoyed his most signing with Vegas on a one-year deal was inevitable. So, it is a bit success. curious that by July 8 an announcement on the veteran has yet to be made. He’s been remarkably durable in his mid-30s and, birth certificate The Oilers are also in the market for affordable veteran forwards. be damned, is arguably the best right-shot defender still out there.

Montreal has been aggressive in its hunt for centre depth. Would Yes, Engelland is getting up there in, um, experience and down there in Bergevin give Brassard a look? foot speed, but on a cheap, one-year term, he can still munch a lot of What sort of contract could Derick Brassard (and other NHL free blue-collar minutes (19:52) and provide the kind of hard defence that agents still on the market) expect to receive? https://t.co/fC43ApxPL8 should make him worth every penny.

— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) July 5, 2019 McPhee notes they’re working on a contract with Deryk Engelland right now. 6. Pat Maroon Based on his tone and mention of working out bonuses it sounds like Age: 31 he’s very confident Engo will be back #VegasBorn

Position: Left wing / Right wing — Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) June 29, 2019

2018-19 salary cap hit: $1.75 million Deryk Engelland at $1 million, Malcolm Subban at $800K and a Nikita Gusev trade would give the Golden Knights a cap-compliant Maroon took a one-year, bet-on-himself deal at this time last summer to roster…with what’s left of my car payment to spare #VegasBorn be able to spend more time with his son, Anthony. (Hometown discounts pic.twitter.com/CR0GURL5NX still exist!) And he was rewarded with some quality family time and a Stanley freaking Cup. — Justin Emerson (@J15Emerson) July 2, 2019

Now, he’s right back to square one. 9. Jason Pominville

Not the fleetest of foot, Maroon is a big body who can crash the crease Age: 36 and is well-suited to playoff hockey. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are among the clubs who have expressed interest. Position: Right wing

A return to the Blues — who have several key RFAs to sort out — cannot 2018-19 salary cap hit: $5.6 million be completely ruled out but appears doubtful. Welcome to Pominville, where the unemployment rate is 100 per cent… The Blues’ top beat writer, Jeremy Rutherford, reports that Maroon’s for now. The 1,060-game veteran certainly isn’t worth the $5.6 million he offers are all for one year, again. was raking in Buffalo last season, but he’s put together consecutive 16- goal, 30-point seasons, could contribute on a second PP unit and won’t Update on Maroon: a week into free agency, he remains unsigned. take foolish penalties. If he wants to keep the dream alive, Pominville He has offers, but the belief is they’re all for one year. He’s looking for a might have to earn a spot on a PTO or take a third-line role on a club in couple years and the right fit and is willing to be patient. Several sources need of wing depth. have said the Blues’ interest remains limited. #stlblues I know they didn't/don't have much money to play with but yikes. I — Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 8, 2019 feel like, at the very least, they should be in on a guy like Jason Pominville. Has averaged 1.71 points/60 at 5v5 over last two years and Edmonton looking into returning Pat Maroon to the fold. Oilers could give them a bit of pop on the wings at a cheap price. among a few teams pitching for the big LW. — Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) July 15, 2019 — Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) July 1, 2019 10. Ben Lovejoy Meanwhile, Maroon spent the weekend coaching his son Anthony’s roller hockey team, which won the @TORHS_2H4I in Tampa, Fla. They Age on July 1: 35 received a Cup and when players celebrated in the locker room, Maroon went to the concession stand, bought a few Powerades, came back and Position: Defence filled it up. pic.twitter.com/ThxC7iGEC3 2018-19 salary cap hit: $2.67 million

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 8, 2019 As soon as Erik Karlsson re-signed in San Jose, right-shot defenders 7. Brian Boyle became the weakest position among this summer’s free-agent class, and it’s not even close. A stay-at-home veteran like Lovejoy could land a Age: 34 decent contract simply based on a lack of available talent. After Lovejoy, we’re talking about names like Dan Girardi.

Buyers know what they’re getting in Lovejoy: a stay-at-home, experienced, durable defender who can kill penalties and log minutes. Dallas liked the Reverend enough that they traded New Jersey the younger Connor Carrick plus a third-rounder to rent him for its 13-game playoff run.

If anyone knew Ben Lovejoy was this valuable, might've gotten more than a 3rd for him. Devs look lost.

— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) February 23, 2019

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 07.19.2019 1149895 Websites that compare against other regular goalies over the same window? Quite well:

Perhaps it is possible that last year is the season that’s predictive of Is Talbot primed for a bounce-back season in Calgary? Talbot’s future, and that for some reason – explainable or otherwise – his game has completely eroded. But the power of large numbers is that we don’t have to be fooled by wild deviations in small samples. From 2013- Travis Yost 18, Talbot was a very strong goaltender. From 2018-19, he was not. Put those six years against the data of those around him, and he compares

well to most starters around the league. (By the by, six years of data is On July 1, journeyman goaltender Cam Talbot signed a one-year, $2.7 one of the reasons I think a betting man would see Talbot outperform his million contract with the Calgary Flames. And it may just end up being replacement in Edmonton on a going forward basis.) one of the better bargain buys of the summer. And on a one-year, $2.7-million contract? Well, I’m making that bet every Talbot, now with his fourth team since entering the league in 2013-14, single time. has had a fascinating career arc. After two impressive opening seasons TSN.CA LOADED: 07.19.2019 in New York, Talbot was traded to Edmonton for three draft picks in the summer of 2015. At the time, Talbot was victimized by a numbers game that started and ended with Henrik Lundqvist.

In Edmonton, we saw mixed results. The 2015-17 stretch saw Talbot restore order to the goaltending position, and I think it’s fair to say that he was as instrumental as any player not named Connor McDavid in ending the Oilers' playoff drought. However, like most of the Edmonton roster, Talbot’s performance slipped over the last couple of years. And at a low point, he was moved to the Philadelphia Flyers for goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

If you look at Talbot’s save percentages over the years relative to where the rest of the league has been – well, it’s mystifying. In his early years, Talbot looked like a likely long-term starter at the NHL level. More recently, his numbers have cratered so emphatically that it was increasingly difficult to believe he could land a back-up goaltending job at the NHL level.

Front offices are frequently biased by recent performance. In some cases that’s beneficial, particularly if something occurred (e.g. a lingering bodily injury, signs of aging, et al.) that would substantiate a change in production. In other cases, it’s counterproductive. The NHL is extremely susceptible to being fooled by randomness, in large part because hockey is a highly volatile, low-event game that doesn’t lend itself well to highly accurate player evaluations and future forecasts.

Even the measures we do have available to us can frequently be misleading. Take save percentage as an example here. Save percentage does well to tell us how frequently a goaltender can stop a shot, and there is some repeatability in this measure but no one believes that save percentage isn’t polluted– perhaps significantly so -- by team performance. Every year we see goalies adversely impacted by poor defensive play up front. We also see examples of goaltenders benefiting from play up front.

One of the real in-roads hockey analytics have made over the years relates to expected goals. Expected goals capture two components: shot quantity, and shot quality. Shot quality is the much more complex version of the two. Think of shot quality as applying a percentage or likelihood of any given shot finding the back of the net. How would we do that? We would look at historical distributions of goal expectancies based on the distance of the shot, type of the shot, angle of the shot, the individual shooter, and so forth.

Since expected goals are quite predictive, we can use it as a signal of sorts to determine if goaltenders are being victimized – or assisted – by the play of the rest of the team. In the case of Talbot, that’s particularly important. Because as Talbot’s save percentage cratered, so too did his expected save percentage. And while it doesn’t take the sting out of last year’s bad season, it does add some important context (Data via Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick).

We would have expected a goaltender in replacement of Talbot last season to stop about 90.4 per cent of shots. That’s still well above his 89.2 save percentage last year, but it’s also below the league average save percentage (91.0 per cent) over the same time frame. Perhaps more noteworthy is it shows him as a value added presence during the 2017-18 season – despite trailing the average league save percentage, he still stopped more shots than we would have expected a replacement goaltender to do behind Edmonton’s defence that year.

And, more broadly speaking, we have a six-year span where Talbot has only been negative once. Since entering the league, Talbot has saved his team about 0.2 goals for every 60 minutes of hockey played. How does 1149896 Websites

Former NHL player Greg Johnson died of apparent suicide, according to report

Chris Bumbaca, 7:46 p.m. ET July 18, 2019 Updated 11:08 p.m. ET July 18, 2019

Former NHL player Greg Johnson died as a result of a likely suicide, police said.

Per the Detroit News, Johnson was found by his wife around 10 a.m. on July 7 in the storage room of the couple's basement with a gun and a single bullet found near his body, according to the Rochester (Michigan) Police Department.

Johnson was 48. He played for four teams — Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators — over a 14-season career.

"Very sad, obviously, beautiful family," Johnson's longtime agent Tom Laidlaw told USA Today Sports. "He was a fantastic person. Greg was a well-respected man. He and his family, they lived by a certain code: honor and ethics."

Nashville Predators center Greg Johnson (22) passes the puck past New York Islanders defenseman Brent Sopel (3).

Laidlaw would not comment on the cause of death.

The Detroit News reported that Johnson's wife, Krisitin, reportedly told police her husband suffered "numerous concussions during his playing career." Concussions have been linked to a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is the result of consistent head trauma from blows to the area.

Other former hockey players who battled concussions, such as Rick Rypien, who committed suicide, and Derek Boogard, who died of an accidental overdose.

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New York Rangers' Artemi Panarin criticizes Vladimir Putin in interview on YouTube

A.J. Perez 6:07 p.m. ET July 18, 2019 Updated 6:09 p.m. ET July 18, 2019

USA TODAY Sports' Kevin Allen breaks down which teams improved the most in NHL free agency. USA TODAY

New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin rebuked the refrain from many in his native Russia — including ballet icon Anastasia Volochkova — who say they can leave the country if they are upset over the state of affairs under longtime leader Vladimir Putin.

“All the major brains have already left (Russia)," Panarin told journalist Alexander Golovin who posted the hourlong interview on YouTube. "That's not the way it should be."

Panarin, 27, was born in Korkino, a town located in a mountainous region of Russia where coal mining is a leading industry. He played two seasons each with the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets before Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the Rangers earlier this month.

NHL star @9Artemi: Putin's time is up, he can no longer distinguish between right and wrong; I don't like the lawlessness. https://t.co/EarmyLiwsP

— Lucian Kim (@Lucian_Kim) July 18, 2019

Panarin's comments contrast with those of another Russian NHL standout forward. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has voiced support of Putin and was part of social media movement in November 2017 called "Putin Team" that he wrote would “show everyone a strong and united Russia.” The Instagram post where he wrote that message included a photo of Ovechkin with Putin.

The Kremlin thanked Ovechkin through a spokesperson at the time. Messages left with the Russian embassy in Washington by USA TODAY Sports were not immediately returned Thursday.

Panarin, in the same interview transcribed in part using Google Translate, criticized the “lawlessness” that has persisted under Putin’s tenure, which includes much of the last two decades as Russia’s president.

“Our mistake is that we treat him like a superman,” Panarin said. “But he is the same as we are.”

Panarin opined that it's "psychologically not so easy for (Putin) to soberly assess" the country's issues.

Panarin said he favors the term limits in place for the president of the United States, which caps the role at two, four-year terms because it makes it “impossible to return to power” as Putin did.

Messages left for Panarin’s agent, Paul Theofanous, by USA TODAY Sports on Thursday were not returned.

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