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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/11/2021 1219264 Ducks prospect Benoit-Olivier Groulx on embracing his 1219290 FHN Today: Sasha Barkov, Patrik Laine go golfing for possible NHL role: ‘I’m a power forward with talent’ charity Los Angeles Kings 1219265 ESPN gives Coyotes A+ grade during critical offseason for 1219291 Defenseman Brandt Clarke signs three-year, entry-level the franchise contract with Kings Minnesota Wild 1219266 Cassidy Clarifies Timing Of Krejci’s Decision To Leave 1219292 For the love of the Wild, just get Kirill Kaprizov signed Bruins already 1219267 BHN Puck Links: Boston Bruins Snag Solid Offseason 1219293 What we know, and don’t know, about the Kirill Kaprizov Grades negotiations 1219268 Could Charlie McAvoy hit $10 million on next Bruins contract? ‘You don’t want to tick him off’ 1219294 State of the Devils: Offseason additions offer hope that the rebuild is nearly over 1219269 Sabres goalie Craig Anderson could be an ideal mentor for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 1219295 NYHN Daily: Goalie Contracts Galore & MorePublished 22 Flames hours ago on August 10, 2021 1219270 Kylington ready for expanded role after re-signing with 1219296 Bridgeport Working on Proposal to Keep AHL Islanders for Flames Another Decade 1219271 Jack Eichel and the Flames 2.0: What would Calgary have to give up, and how would the lineup look? 1219297 The risk and potential reward for the Rangers with Igor Carolina Hurricanes Shesterkin’s new contract 1219272 Bag of Jerks: Signing Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes’ pursuit of a top-6 forward, RIP warm and fuzzies Flyers 1219298 The Flyers hope money spent translates into improved defense | On the Fly 1219273 , Hall of Fame Chicago Blackhawks goalie and ‘pillar of this franchise,’ dies at 78 1219274 Tony Esposito, Blackhawks’ all-time winningest goalie, 1219299 Former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma hired by Seattle dies at 78 Kraken as AHL assistant 1219275 'He was tireless, reliable and a great teammate': 1219300 Mark Madden: stands among the Penguins' Legendary Blackhawks Esposito dies at 78 all-time greats 1219276 Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray diagnosed with 1219301 Mike Lange's favorite call, how 'Lange-isms' started cancer and which was the first 1219277 Blackhawks agree to terms with Hardman on extension 1219302 Blackhawks Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito dies 1219278 Blackhawks prospects: Lukas Reichel’s NHL potential, at 78 2021 draft picks, defenseman pipeline without Adam 1219303 Mike Lange, now retired, lauded as 'an absolute treasure' Boqvis by Pirates broadcasters 1219304 Penguins Tickets On Sale Wednesday, 10 a.m.; Get Them Here 1219279 Ryan Murray Q&A: On joining Avalanche defense, high expectations and Cale Makar’s talent 1219280 Reviewing the Avalanche and the Central Division’s 1219305 SAN JOSE SHARKSHow Is Burns Still a Top offseason acquisitions Defenseman? | 1219281 Will We Ever See Sneaker Influence in the NHL? Stars 1219306 ‘We made a mistake’: backtrack on goalie 1219282 5 things to know about Ryan Suter, including his longtime coach hire over social media controversy friendship with Stars center Joe Pavelski 1219307 Maple Leafs dust Imoo after social-media activity comes to 1219283 Stars updated depth chart: Who should Tyler Seguin light center, and what will be the combo in goal? 1219310 Travis Green on Canucks’ offseason, Nate Schmidt’s exit 1219284 Detroit Red Wings to re-sign Jakub Vrana to three-year and coaching in Vancouver: ‘I just want to win’ deal to avoid arbitration 1219285 Red Wings, Jakub Vrana agree to 3-year contract, avoid arbitration 1219308 What was the best offseason move in the Metropolitan 1219286 Jackson’s Carter Mazur ‘comes full circle’ as Red Wings Division? draft pick 1219287 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin feeling ‘great,’ back to shooting as recovery process continues 1219288 Lowetide: The Oilers and value contracts. Three now, two later 1219289 The NHL’s 10 best contracts, 2021 edition: Connor McDavid ascends to top spot Websites 1219311 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Which team can build the best six-man lineup of players drafted in different r 1219312 Sportsnet.ca / NHL's Top 10 RFAs of 2021: Latest rumours and reports 1219313 TSN.CA / Team Canada player profile: Natalie Spooner 1219314 TSN.CA / Team Canada player profile: 1219315 USA TODAY / Legendary Chicago Blackhawks goalie Tony Esposito dies at 78 Winnipeg Jets 1219309 Brenden Dillon Q&A: Winnipeg connections, the evolution of defence in the NHL and interests beyond hockey

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1219264 Anaheim Ducks working a lot. I’ve been going on the ice a lot lately. I can already see a big difference. I can’t wait until the end of the summer when everything’s going to be done and I’m going to go on the ice in Anaheim to see what Ducks prospect Benoit-Olivier Groulx on embracing his possible NHL it’s like. role: ‘I’m a power forward with talent’ How much skating do you typically like to do during the offseason?

I would say in July, I was on the ice maybe twice or three times a week. By Eric Stephens Aug 10, 2021 But in August, I want to go a little bit more on the ice and really get ready for the training camp. I think I’m going to go three, four times a week. A little bit of power skating. A little bit of skill sessions so I’ll be ready for the camp. Benoit-Olivier Groulx had just finished one workout when it was time to do a telephone interview from a gym in Chateauguay, Quebec, where he Die-hard fans and those who have followed you since your junior days works out with strength and conditioning coach Sebastien Lagrange. It know what kind of game you play. For people that don’t know you, how made sense to schedule it afterward, when he could cool down and talk a would you best describe what you bring to the ice? little hockey and himself. I would say I’m a power forward with talent. I can play defensively and If only he were finished. offensively. I’m a two-way guy. I can play ( kill) and I can play power play. I can produce, I can defend. I think that’s mostly my type of “I got another one coming up in a half-hour,” Groulx said, giving this game. If I can compare myself to someone in the NHL, I would look at interviewer a kind warning that there’s a time limit to this phone call. guys like Anthony Cirelli, Nazem Kadri, — all those This was one of the heavy training days that make up the 21-year-old’s guys who can have an impact offensively and that can play against a big offseason. Every training camp is important for an NHL hopeful, but when line on the other side and shut them down. I think that’s going to be my the Ducks take to the Great Park Ice on Sept. 23, Groulx wants to be in role at the next level. I’m really embracing it. the best shape possible to make his case for a roster spot. For the last You were named the top defensive forward in the QMJHL. What did that three years, Groulx has worked with Lagrange and seeks to join other honor mean to you? clients Pierre-Luc Dubois (Winnipeg), Samuel Girard (Colorado) and Nicolas Beaudin (Chicago) in the league. I take a lot of pride in my defensive game, honestly. I know I can be a pest to play against, especially for the top players on the other side. I Judging by his upward trajectory, Groulx is closer than ever. Anaheim think it starts right on the faceoff dot. If I can win a lot of faceoffs, if I can made the 6-foot-2, 194-pound center a second-round pick in the 2018 disturb their focus a little bit – all the good centermen on the other side – draft after his second season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec I think it all starts there. After that, if I can hit them or just take away a Major Junior Hockey League. Groulx improved his offensive numbers puck and make some plays offensively, it frustrates them. I take a lot of with Halifax over his first three seasons and captained the Mooseheads pride in that. Coach (Kevin) Dineen this year (put) me in those situations before a midseason trade to the Moncton Wildcats in his final season. all year long and I think that was my role too back in juniors. I was The COVID-19 pandemic ended any opportunity to compete in the producing a lot, but I was also shutting the top line down on the other QMJHL playoffs with the Wildcats, but Groulx had 29 goals and 78 points side. I think it’s always been a big part of my game and it always (will) be. in 55 games with Halifax and Moncton. Last season was a graduation to The “Q” is not a league known for its defense? the pro level and his debut was anything but a disappointment. Groulx shook off a slow start and finished with 10 goals and 19 assists in 42 (Interjects, chuckling). Not at all. games with the ’s . His 29 points ranked third on the team. Why is that side of the game important to you? Not every player likes to play defense. A native of Rouen, France, Groulx grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. These days, Groulx spends his summers in , where he lives with his I agree. But I’ve always been good at it, to be honest. When I was father, Benoit. There is plenty of hockey talk when the two are together. younger, I didn’t want to get scored on. That’s what I tell all my coaches. Benoit Groulx has coached the , the AHL affiliate of the When I was younger, I was always the third guy high. I was always the two-time champion , for the last five first one back in our zone. That was the main reason. I didn’t want to get seasons. Groulx, 53, interviewed for the Arizona Coyotes’ coaching scored on, but I wasn’t scoring a lot of goals. When I started learning how vacancy and could be behind an NHL bench sooner than later, given how to play offensively and really have an impact, I think the offensive part of he has handled the Lightning’s prospects before they reached the parent my game just came along and it was a great mix to be good defensively club. and have an impact offensively. I think it’s my game right now. I really started doing that back in junior, my first year in Halifax. Everything just But the son is making his own way and could beat him to the league. The felt good for who I am to be on the ice. Ducks have quite a few centers, including fellow youngsters Trevor Zegras, Sam Steel and Isac Lundestrom above him on the pecking order, How did you feel your season went with San Diego? It seemed to be but Groulx’s size, defensive acumen and success in his first pro year obvious as it went along that you became one of the most used forwards could earn him a call-up at some in the 2021-22 season. on the team.

What’s your offseason training like? I think it went really, really good to be honest. I wasn’t really expecting that kind of year, especially offensively. After the first six games, I was Right now, we’re mostly doing power stuff. Low reps and high volume. (thinking) it’s going to be hard to produce offensively. The guys are really, It’s pretty hard, to be honest. We’re doing six sets. We get a lot of power really good defensively (in the AHL). So, I thought it was going to be in. After that, we have a strongman lift. It’s pretty hard. The upper-body hard. But defensively, I think I figured it out pretty well, how to defend the days are mostly about power. We push a lot of weight around here. top guys. I would say after the 10th game, I started producing a little bit more and started trusting myself a little bit more offensively. I think Kevin How often do you go twice a day? Dineen really saw that. We had a couple conversations. He was putting Tuesday and Friday. Twice a week. Those are super heavy. me in different offensive situations, especially on the power play or when we needed a goal late in the game. It really, really gave me confidence. I What are the target areas that you’re focusing on? Increasing strength? think because of that, I was really trusting myself. I really want more Tightening your core? responsibilities that I know that I could be really successful in. He gave me that chance and I really took it. I had a great year, but I’m not It’s a mix of everything, to be honest. I got to get more powerful, upper satisfied by that. I want to be better next year. It started a month ago in body-wise and lower body. So, I was telling my trainer at the start of the the gym. summer that I wanted to lift a little bit more heavy (weights) and I wanted to do a little bit of plyometrics right after the lift so I can get some Benoit-Olivier Groulx. (Andy Hayt / San Diego Gulls) explosive jumps in and whatever, so I can get faster and more explosive on the ice. He totally agreed with that and that’s what we’ve been To your point, you were getting important minutes. If you had a late lead, working on. We’ve been lifting a lot of weights. A lot of heavy reps and you were out there to protect it. You were on the penalty kill all season. high volume, too, mostly for power in my legs. Explosive stuff. It’s been What did it mean to you that the coaching staff had the confidence to Yeah, for sure. It’s a really good question. Every year during the summer, play you in any situation? we start talking about hockey out of nowhere. Sometimes it gets into a big fight. We start asking different questions and bringing different points. It meant a lot. It’s pretty unusual for a first-year guy to be on the faceoff Sometimes, he thinks I’m wrong and sometimes I think he’s wrong and dot late in the game in your zone. I was really, really happy. I really we go on and on and on. By the end of the conversation, I’m out of the appreciated his confidence in me. I got to give credit to my linemates. I apartment and he’s pissed at me and I’m pissed at him. And then we was mostly out there with Alex Limoges and Bryce Kindopp. They’re first- come back (together) and I say, “I think you were right,” and he says, year guys too, and they were really good with me. We had a lot of “You were right.” It’s always the same thing with me and my dad, chemistry and I think it was easier for us to play in the D-zone and really honestly. But it’s fun. We challenge each other. It’s a father-son thing get out of our zone clean. I think that played a huge role in my game. But between me and him. It’s always good to have those chats because it I think why they were putting me in all these situations is because of my makes you see a different part of the game. Different things that he sees faceoffs. I did pretty good in faceoffs this year. They really saw that, and in a game. I think it’s really nice. That’s how we improve, right? We they were trusting me. I spent a lot of time with Sam Carrick and Andrew challenge each other. I think it’s been great. Agozzino practicing faceoffs. Asking them advice. They really, really helped me. Who’s going to get to the NHL first? You or your dad?

There are always those meetings after a season ends. Who did you talk That’s a great question. Ah, man. Five years ago, I would have said my to within the organization? What were you told to work on? dad. No hesitation. And I think he should be in the NHL already, to be honest. I think he should have been in the NHL five years ago. But that’s I talked pretty much to everyone from the GM (Bob Murray) to the only my point of view. Right now, I would say myself. And I told him that. coaches and all the staff in the organization. They basically told me to just go back in the gym. Get stronger, get faster. All the normal stuff Now give me a date of when you will make your NHL debut? that’s basically been my game. I think if I improve my first few strides, improve my skill a little bit more and improve my cardio a little bit more, I (Laughing). Wow. When does the NHL season start? I’m not going to think it’s going to get me a better look at having another great season give you a really specific date, but I’ll give you a month. I’d say October. next year and maybe play some games in the NHL down the line. Mostly Hopefully, it’s October. those things. Just to get faster, bigger, more skilled. That’s pretty much it. You are often called by your nickname. Set the record straight. Is it Bo or What is this upcoming Ducks training camp going to be for you? How B-O? How should I spell it? Do you have a preference? important will this one be? You’re at the point where you are starting to It’s really up to you. All the French people write “B-O” and all the English knock on the door. write it “Bo.” So, I would say Bo would be good.

I think it’s going to be a really, really important one. Not to put too much The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 pressure on myself, but I think it’s going to be a great one. They saw me at the pro level one year, and they told me I had a great year. So, they really want to see another step in my game in the upcoming training camp. I think I really have to show them that I took a step with my skating, with my explosiveness, with my skills. At the camp, I can’t be intimidated by anybody. I pretty much practiced with them for a full six months and I had the chance to get called up twice to the Ducks (taxi squad) and was practicing with them. I really got to go out there and do my thing. Really have a good camp and make an impact in order to play some games or make the team at some point.

Do you know Joël Bouchard, the new Gulls head coach?

I met him a couple times when I was younger, but I haven’t seen him in probably four, five years. Or maybe last time I saw him was during the Canada-Russia series around Christmas time (in 2019). We talked a little bit. No more than that. Max Talbot was actually my agent with CAA. When he was working with CAA, he was like a consultant. We were talking back and forth. Actually, my dad coached him when I was younger. I’ve known him for a long time. Daniel Jacob coached me at the U18s for the Ivan Hlinka (tournament). I know both of them very well. I know (Joël’s) a really good coach. I talked to a couple guys in Laval, a couple of my buddies. They were saying some great stuff about him. I’m really, really excited to play for him.

You’re obviously the son of a coach? What are the positives and negatives to that?

Tricky question. I would say the negative side was more when I was younger. When I was younger, I remember people were always teasing. (They would say) just because of your dad, you made that team. Or because of your dad, you can do different stuff on the ice and nobody’s going to tell you anything. Blah, blah, blah. All that stuff. But I think right now, I really started to feel like my dad was an upside to me in my first- year junior at 16. He was really seeing my game at a different level, and I was seeing my game at a different level, too. We could really start chatting about my game. Seeing some different stuff that I was doing well that I was doing bad (before) and really start improving on those points. He was really giving me a lot of advice when I was asking for it. If I wasn’t asking for it, he wasn’t telling me anything. I really needed to ask for it.

At the pro level, I remember the first six, seven games. I had no points or maybe just one point. He was watching all of my games and I was asking what I could do differently to have a better impact offensively and all that kind of stuff. He gave me a couple tips and it really, really helped honestly. If I have any questions, I know he can give me a lot of advice and really improve my game instantly.

Did you two evolve to where you could talk hockey as equals? 1219265 Arizona Coyotes

ESPN gives Coyotes A+ grade during critical offseason for the franchise

BY WILLS RICE

The Arizona Coyotes received an A+ from ESPN in its offseason grades for all 32 NHL teams.

General manager Bill Armstrong was brought aboard in 2020 from the St. Louis Blues and is known as a draft expert who was a contributor to the Blues’ Stanley Cup run.

He has made a plethora of moves early in his tenure with the Coyotes that caught the eyes of Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer at ESPN.

Now this is how you tank, GM Bill Armstrong was hired in 2020 thanks in part to his prowess as a draft guru in St. Louis. But when he arrived in Arizona, he found a roster that was nudging the cap ceiling as well as an empty cupboard of draft picks — including ones the NHL took away thanks to the previous regime’s draft combine rule violations.

The Coyotes accrued draft capital that included the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft, but shipped away some of the franchise’s most important players along the way.

Goalie Darcy Kuemper, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and right wing Conor Garland were all names the Coyotes traded off in hopes of building a contender down the road.

Armstrong managed to move Ekman-Larsson and his onerous contract (although it did cost promising Conor Garland), trade Kuemper for a solid prospect in (Conor) Timmins and a first-rounder, and build a treasure trove of picks that includes five in next year’s second round.

The Coyotes still have more than $8 million in cap space and only seven players under contract for the 2022-23 season.

Wyshynski mentions that the Coyotes may not be done yet and look to trade veteran right wing Phil Kessel and center Christian Dvorak.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219266 Boston Bruins

Cassidy Clarifies Timing Of Krejci’s Decision To Leave Bruins

By Jimmy Murphy

There has been plenty of speculation on when Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney knew for sure that longtime center David Krejci was not going to return to the Boston Bruins for at least part of the 2021- 22 NHL regular season.

Speaking in a radio interview Tuesday on TSN 1200 in his native city of Ottawa, Boston Bruins head coach shed a little more light on the time frame of Krejci’s decision-making process.

“He came to us at the end of the year and he was very upfront with us,” Cassidy said of Krejci’s decision. “He’s got two young kids. His wife is American but he hasn’t seen his parents in a long long time or his brother. So, he said ‘Listen, I’m going home and it may extend into the season.

So, he kind of left it at that and obviously met with Donny a month later and decided that he was going to follow through on that. So, he’s going to play in his own country; his kids are young and he wants them to get to know his family and try to learn the language, et cetera. Those things are very important to him and we support him 100-percent in that.”

Based on that, Sweeney and his Boston Bruins staff knew there was a very strong possibility that Krejci, 35, was headed back to his native Czech Republic for an extended stay that could become a permanent one. Or as Cassidy reminded TSN 1200 Morning hosts Shawn Simpson, Lee Versage, and Matt Hamer, (and as Don Sweeney told the media last week), Krejci still could lace em up for the Boston Bruins this coming season.

“He did not close the door on returning back,” Cassidy pointed out. “I don’t know if that will happen or when it will happen at all, but he didn’t say I’m retiring and done from the . So, that’s good news for us in the sense that maybe in a couple of months, he’ll feel satisfied with what he needed to do, or maybe not.”

As Cassidy also pointed out, rather than tie their cap space up in just one player to fill the second line center void Krejci left behind, Sweeney decided to go the depth route for the 2021-22 Boston Bruins. On the opening day of unrestricted free agency, Sweeney went on a spending spree and signed three new forwards that can all play center and wing. Veteran forwards Nick Foligno, Erik Haula, and Tomas Nosek will be part of a bottom-nine center committee that will also include Charlie Coyle and Jack Studnicka.

“So we’re going to go about our business. Donny signed some free agents; we added some depth,” Cassidy went on. “We have a good young player in Studnicka; Charlie Coyle could move up. So we’ll see where we can fill that hole and see where David’s at a little later here in the season.”

As for Krejci and the Boston Bruins, there are no hard feelings, and the immense respect Cassidy, the Bruins, and Krejci hold for each other will always remain intact.

“We’ll miss him as a guy,” Cassidy said acknowledging the respect Krejci had from his teammates and peers. “He was a great guy, great teammate, very quiet. Kind of dis it under the radar; great playoff performer. …but that’s hockey. We’ve moved on from a few guys that have been around the last couple of years here and you just have to go on and keep building your roster. Circle of life so to speak. Bring in the new guys, identify their place and give them more responsibility and just try to keep winning.”

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219267 Boston Bruins *Ethan Bear sure seems like a class act to me. Well done!

Ethan Bear is a class act! What a gem ! pic.twitter.com/s7TQueOrpg

BHN Puck Links: Boston Bruins Snag Solid Offseason Grades — Diego (@Diego_PRBarros) August 9, 2021

*For something completely different: Another day, another negative MCU review from Forbes from their content guy clamoring for SEO. Sigh. By Joe Haggerty (Forbes)

Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 How have the Boston Bruins done this offseason?

The grades are actually pretty decent across the board despite losing their No. 2 center David Krejci without adequately replacing the loss, which could have significant implications to the team offense. Most of the positive grades center around the Bruins retaining Taylor Hall with a pretty reasonable contract, as well as their ability to re-sign Mike Reilly and add depth with Nick Foligno, Derek Forbort, Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek.

Certainly, securing Linus Ullmark, with Tuukka Rask’s future very much in question, was another important piece as well given the long list of things that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney had to accomplish this summer. Still, the idea that the Bruins are looking at either Charlie Coyle or Jack Studnicka to replace Krejci as the No. 2 center this season means the B’s will continue to be looking at a top-heavy forward group where the Perfection Line is shouldering much of the offensive load. Perhaps Hall can drive that second line, but that’s asking a lot for a left wing that’s still fully getting his game back together after looking lost in Buffalo.

And we’re also talking about players like Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk, Mike Reilly and Jakub Zboril not exactly being the left-handed compliment to Charlie McAvoy that they really need on their top defense pairing. Sure, Forbort should be a stopper-type with McAvoy as Jeremy Lauzon was last season and Grzelcyk can be a great puck-moving compliment to McAvoy when the Boston Bruins are really looking to attack offensively.

But this humble hockey writer might have been closer to a C+ for the offseason rather than the B+ given to the Bruins by FOH (Friend of Haggs) Greg Wyshynski in his ESPN grades for the NHL offseason. It’s absolutely within the realm of possibility that all of these moves work out for the Boston Bruins, and they become a difficult, deeper hockey team to play against.

But it’s also tough to see the Bruins being any closer to the Tampa Bay Lightning despite significant roster losses to the back-to-back Stanley Cup champs this summer due to the salary cap finally catching up to them.

Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*Flyers goaltender Carter Hart isn’t making any excuses for last season, but he’s excited for a “clean slate” after signing a new contract with Philly. (Philly Hockey Now)

*A rundown of who is signed, and who is still out there, for the former Pittsburgh Penguins players that hit free agency this summer. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

*Here’s the breakdown from FOH Kevin Allen on the three-year contract freshly signed by Jakub Vrana on Tuesday. (Detroit Hockey Now)

*How do the San Jose Sharks suddenly have a top-5 prospect pool around the NHL? (San Jose Hockey Now)

*Congratulations to Bruce Cassidy on being named a part of the Team Canada coaching staff for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. It’s a well-deserved honor for the Boston Bruins bench boss that he badly wanted. (Boston Hockey Now)

*Speaking of the Boston Bruins, the numbers are in for the new players.

Get your numbers here. pic.twitter.com/17aZYo0svk

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 10, 2021

*The road ahead for Evander Kane is going to be a rocky one given the allegations and investigation that he’s facing. (Hockey News)

*Are Ken Holland the Edmonton Oilers getting love from the fancy stats community for their offseason? It sounds like they are, but not sure what that is going to get them aside from a pat on the back from Hockey Twitter. (Edmonton Journal) 1219268 Boston Bruins Year 3 for both defensemen includes a 2021-22 tail that guarantees, via qualifying offers, significant future raises: $7 million in salary for Werenski, $7.3 million for McAvoy.

Could Charlie McAvoy hit $10 million on next Bruins contract? ‘You don’t Both are No. 1 defensemen for their clubs, present and future. want to tick him off’ “McAvoy’s our big horse,” Mike Reilly said on July 29 as he analyzed how the six-pack will shape up. “Definitely very exciting having those By Fluto Shinzawa Aug 10, 2021 pieces.”

Offensively, you could make a case that McAvoy belongs in the same sentence as Werenski. Last year, according to Natural Stat Trick, One by one, the flares went off. On July 17, Dallas extended Miro McAvoy averaged 1.04 points per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. Heiskanen to an eight-year, $67.6 million deal. On July 23, Seth Jones Werenski was at 1.27 P/60. signed an eight-year, $76 million contract with Chicago, his new club. A day later, Cale Makar agreed to a six-year, $54 million deal extension Werenski has a more comprehensive dossier on the power play. The left- with Colorado. On July 28, New Jersey opened free agency by locking up defenseman has 64 career PP points. McAvoy has just 19. ex-Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63 million But the right-shot defender tore it up with the No. 1 unit during the contract. playoffs. McAvoy recorded 14.32 points per 60 minutes of PP time, most On July 29, Columbus sent the closest signal yet of the pending inbound of any defenseman with 30 or more man-advantage minutes. Victor arrival to Charlie McAvoy’s wallet: a six-year, $57.5 million extension for Hedman was second (10.19 P/60). The Bruins are best served with Zach Werenski. McAvoy running PP1 in 2021-22, not Matt Grzelcyk.

You could argue that Werenski’s deal includes a premium to address Defensively, both eye test and statistics favor the Boston defenseman. Columbus’ situation. That may be true. McAvoy is a more physical defender. At five-on-five in 2020-21, opponents averaged 45.32 attempts, 23.5 shots and 2.07 goals per 60 The Blue Jackets had to make a big-time commitment to Werenski after minutes with McAvoy on the ice. The numbers were higher for Werenski: saying goodbye to just about every significant piece from the 2018-19 55.33 CA/60, 31.06 SA/60, 2.45 GA/60. club that butted second-round heads with the Bruins: Jones, Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cam Atkinson, Josh You could see, then, why everything aligns for McAvoy to shred the Anderson, Nick Foligno, David Savard and Matt Duchene. A $9,583,333 league in 2021-22 and surpass Werenski’s contract standard. He will be annual payday certainly indicates to Werenski and the Blue Jackets fan eligible to sign an offer sheet and file for arbitration. base that he is their franchise player. Of course, the Bruins would allow neither scenario to happen. McAvoy is McAvoy’s current deal will expire, however, at the same time Patrice the next iteration of Zdeno Chara: a No. 1 defenseman who commands Bergeron becomes unrestricted. In that way, the Bruins could be in a the game. similar position of designating McAvoy as their primary core player. The Bruins, in all likelihood, want to sign McAvoy to an eight-year With that in mind, McAvoy could break the $10 million annual threshold. extension yesterday. Whether McAvoy feels the same way remains to be Only two defensemen reside in such thin air: Erik Karlsson ($11.5 million seen. AAV) and Drew Doughty ($11 million). Both the veterans, in hindsight, The guess around the league is that by 2024-25, when escrow is capped are being paid for past performance. Karlsson was 29 when he signed at 6 percent, a post-pandemic economic recovery will have taken place. his deal. Doughty was 28. In theory, this would allow for an increase in the cap, and thereby a spike That does not project to be the case for the 23-year-old McAvoy. He is in player salaries. just discovering how good he can become. As colleague Dom So among agents and players, especially the superstars, the debate is as Luszczyszyn illustrates, everything about McAvoy screams elite. follows:

The first four moneybags defensemen to put pen to paper this offseason Lock in for long-term deals now? — Montblancs instead of Bics, by the looks of it — are not exact McAvoy comparables. Or pursue a short- to mid-term contract and jump back into the market when the spike occurs and teams have more money to spend? Heiskanen ($8.45 million AAV), who turned 22 the day after signing, was a pending restricted free agent leaving his entry-level contract. He did not Some agents have discouraged their high-end clients from signing max- have arbitration rights. term extensions. How McAvoy and agent Michael Curran proceed is unknown. Jones ($9.5 million), 26, had a year left on his second contract (six years, $32.4 million) before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency. What’s known, however, is the Bruins’ likelihood of meeting McAvoy on whatever approach he prefers. McAvoy, alongside David Pastrnak and Makar ($9 million), 22, was a pending RFA like Heiskanen out of entry possibly Jeremy Swayman, is one of the team’s foundational players for level without arbitration rights. The former UMass Amherst phenom was the post-core generation. In such cases, the risk of a grinding negotiation eligible to sign an offer sheet. may outweigh the reward.

Hamilton ($9 million), 28, was unrestricted. “You don’t want to tick him off,” said one NHL source. “He’s your future.”

Werenski, in comparison, aligns quite closely with McAvoy, even if their It was no coincidence that Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall job descriptions are somewhat dissimilar. signed for AAVs below those of David Krejci ($7.25 million) and Bergeron Both are 1997 birth years. ($6.875 million). This internal infrastructure, however, is due for renovation. Krejci is gone. Bergeron will follow at some point. The Bruins used Werenski as a model for McAvoy when they signed him to an amateur tryout contract in 2017 at the end of his sophomore This will become McAvoy’s team. That degree of ownership comes at a season at Boston University. After Werenski turned pro after his second cost. year at Michigan, he reported to Cleveland, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, won The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 the and began his NHL career the following season. McAvoy’s run in Providence was interrupted — and the clock started on his NHL entry-level deal a year early — after injuries up top called for his NHL promotion.

Werenski will begin the third and final season of his three-year, $15 million bridge deal in 2021-22. McAvoy is entering Season 3 of his three- year, $14.7 million second contract. 1219269 Buffalo Sabres Even though Anderson endured difficult times in previous NHL games, he quickly showed the Panthers that he was up to the task. Across 53 games – 40 of them starts – from March 2007 through the 2008-09 Sabres goalie Craig Anderson could be an ideal mentor for Ukko-Pekka season in Florida, Anderson recorded a .928 save percentage and 2.52 Luukkonen goals-against average while serving as the primary backup to Tomas Vokoun. Anderson moved on to Colorado, where he was given a two- year contract to start for the Avalanche. He finished fourth in voting for the after appearing in 71 games and leading Colorado to Lance Lysowski Aug 10, 2021 the playoffs in the 2009-10 season. But he struggled to start the following season and eventually lost the starting job before his trade to Ottawa.

There is no longer a question about whether Craig Anderson belongs. “He had a quiet confidence about himself and relishes challenges that can be brought, and I think once he was allowed that challenge to play He scaled the ladder in the National Hockey League, enduring a brutal more games in Florida and ended up going to Colorado as a start to his career and, later, getting placed on waivers three times in 16 one, he was up to the task,” Groulx said. “Craig has always been a guy days, to almost reach the summit by outplaying each opposing goalie who can deliver when it’s needed.” during the ’ run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2017. It was in Ottawa that Anderson developed into one of the most consistent goalies in the league. He seized the starting job and never relinquished it, Until a Jack Eichel trade is consummated, it’s impossible to predict the holding off top prospect Robin Lehner and helping the Senators reach Sabres’ roster for the season opener against Montreal in KeyBank the playoffs in four of six seasons from 2012-17. All the while, Anderson Center on Oct. 14. However, we know the young core will play a studied how he needed to respond to the faster, more wide-open NHL. prominent role under coach Don Granato. Anderson came from an era of goalies that used more of a stand-up Anderson has experienced almost every situation and emotion style, rather than the butterfly that’s become common in hockey. imaginable for a goaltender – triumph, tribulation, heartbreak and joy. Equipment was smaller and opponents used different strategies to create Yet, even in the twilight of his career, Anderson doesn’t pretend to have offense. When teams started to move the puck below the goal line to try mastered his craft. to set up jam plays or create opportunities on the power play, Anderson worked with Groulx to perfect his post play. There’s always a technique to learn or improve, an advancement in equipment to embrace. As the game of hockey changes, so does When coaches recommended one knee up on the post, Anderson Anderson. adapted. When it was recommended that he instead guard the post with his skate, Anderson made the change. He doesn't adopt every new “The game is always evolving,” longtime NHL goalie coach Pierre Groulx, technique, as some movements aren't suitable for his skill set. But the who worked with Anderson in Florida and Ottawa, told The Buffalo News. foundation of his success is an uncanny ability to read the game. “You have to evolve as a goaltender. He has always adjusted his game to the new style of play and, as a goalie, you need to adapt every year. If Clark, a 6-foot-6, 202-pound goaltender and alumnus of the Buffalo Jr. you don't, you won't last long." Sabres, was drafted in the sixth round, No. 183 overall, by the Washington Capitals. When the time came for Hinostroza to weigh his options, a 40-minute phone call with one of his former assistant coaches in Chicago, Don “I think the biggest thing for him is he's probably one of the best readers Granato, swayed him to sign a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the of the game as far as a goaltender,” Groulx said. “He can read plays that Buffalo Sabres. develop quickly and he reads the player's hands very well, where they're going to shoot. So, to me, that's what has allowed him to play as long as An unwavering determination to be the best has kept Anderson in the he has. Knowing what guys are going to do just facilitates his play in the NHL for 17 years, a career that has spanned 654 regular-season games net. Oftentimes, you'll see him make saves standing up. That's just – second-most among active U.S.-born and sixth all-time – because his read on the shot is that the shot is coming high. His ability to and six teams. At 40 years old, Anderson is the fourth-oldest player in the read the game is second to none.” league, and he’s not done. Then came the most difficult blow. In October, 2016, Nicholle Anderson, Anderson joined the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year, $750,000 contract Craig’s wife, was told she had nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare form of during the final hours of Day 1 of free agency July 28. He’ll be a cancer that affects the nose and throat. He stepped away from hockey prominent figure in a young dressing room and a calming presence when for parts of the 2016-17 season, and the Senators acquired Mike Condon in net. And while the Sabres will count on Anderson to deliver wins during to handle the starting job. Year 1 of another rebuild, perhaps his most important job is to be a mentor, most notably to top goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Anderson was away from the team for about two months while Nicholle underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He returned in early “I had to go through some hurdles of playing poorly, going back to the February, in time to lead the Senators to Game 7 of the Eastern minors, just being happy to be in the league, which sent me back down to Conference finals, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion the minors,” Anderson explained during a conference call with reporters. Pittsburgh Penguins. During the playoff run, Nicholle was deemed cancer “So, there’s lots of stepping stones in my career that I don’t want to see free. these other guys make the same mistake. I think that’s the main thing – these are my experiences, this is what I’ve gone through.” Through all the challenges away from the rink, Anderson still made time to pass on wisdom to Condon, who was 26 years old and had only one Anderson’s ascent began with an unprecedented run of futility. He was season of NHL experience, albeit in a starting role with Montreal. It was winless in each of his first 15 career appearances with the Blackhawks, Anderson who explained to Condon that working yourself to exhaustion and he had only one win through 20 games. A third-round draft choice of isn't a solution. Chicago in 2001, Anderson bounced between the minors and NHL until he was claimed off waivers by the Boston Bruins on January 6, 2006. He "Craig's a guy who's been around and was like, 'No, do what you need to never appeared in a game with the club and was waived again two make you feel good and feel prepared for the game, and then just go out weeks later. The St. Louis Blues claimed Anderson and immediately tried there and compete and kind of shut the brain off,' " said Condon, who's to pass him through waivers again, only to lose him to the Blackhawks. now the volunteer goalie coach at Northeastern University. "And that's really tutelage you can only really get from someone who's been in there Anderson returned to Chicago and delivered some impressive as long as he has. Those mistakes that only other professionals and performances on a struggling team before his trade to the Florida goalies have known. ... It's important that when you're on the ice, you're Panthers in June 2006. He spent most of the following season with the at the rink, you get your routine down, you execute it, you keep pushing, American Hockey League's and received an NHL but when that's that, knowing what's enough and how to conserve that opportunity when injury struck the Panthers’ goaltending depth chart. energy and being fresh every night when you have to perform." Anderson hasn’t returned to the minors since. That's one of many lessons Anderson can pass on to Luukkonen and the In a matter of six days this month, general manager Kevyn Adams Sabres' other goalies under contract: Aaron Dell and Dustin Tokarski. spearheaded a facelift of the Buffalo Sabres' defense. After 10 years in Ottawa, Anderson joined the Capitals on a professional tryout and spent most of 2020-21 on the taxi squad. He mentored the team's young goalies, Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov, but Anderson also performed at a high level when called upon. Though he received only four games in the regular season, Anderson was needed in the playoffs, winning his first postseason game since 2017 with 21 saves in relief during Game 1 of a first-round series against Boston. Anderson then lost in the following game before Vanecek returned and the Capitals dropped the series in five games.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters following the first days of free agency that he expects a four-man competition in net during training camp, but Anderson's presence could set the stage for Luukkonen to seize the starting job sooner than expected.

Luukkonen, 22, appeared in four NHL games last season, totaling a .906 save percentage before suffering an ankle injury. He has only 52 games of pro experience in North America and is less than three years removed from winning gold with Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Ideally, the Sabres would be able to ease him into NHL action, but Adams doesn't want to hold the second-round draft choice back if he shows he's ready.

Anderson is the ideal mentor for Luukkonen. Neither adheres to a strict . Luukkonen has one glaring weakness that Anderson can help address: tracking the puck behind the net. There's also the mental grind of an 82-game season and how to navigate the obsessive routines necessary to prepare. It also helps that Buffalo has goalie coach Mike Bales, whose guidance helped the Penguins' goalies win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

"I think there’s a good opportunity there to kind of share some wisdom with the group that’s there," Anderson said. "I feel like I can still kind of give back to the game, give back to the organization, the guys there – share my knowledge and still compete."

Buffalo News LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219270

Kylington ready for expanded role after re-signing with Flames

Daniel Austin

Oliver Kylington didn’t play as much as he obviously would have liked in 2021.

There were lots of people who speculated that might have meant his time with the Calgary Flames was coming to an end. If he could only crack the roster for eight games when the Flames were struggling the way they were last season, what future did he have with the organization?

After signing a one-year contract with the Stamps on Monday, Kylington believes there’s a lot more to come in a Flames uniform.

“I think they want me back for a reason,” Kylington said. “Whatever happened last year, to be honest with you I don’t know but I don’t want to dwell on that too much. I just want to give my best and show that I can play for real and be an impact (player) for this team.

“I’m feeling more ready than ever now.”

After breaking in with the Flames in 2018-’19 and playing 38 games, Kylington contributed more the next season when he made 48 appearances. It seemed reasonable to assume he was on an upward trajectory and would have an increasingly large role in the Flames d- corps.

That didn’t materialize this past season. After signing a deal to stay for another season in December of last year, he arrived late at training camp and didn’t make his debut until Feb. 22 — more than a month into the Flames’ campaign.

In the end, he’d wind up playing in only eight games, collecting one assist along the way.

After Darryl Sutter took over as head coach in early March, Kylington made three appearances in the following two weeks but was then glued to his seat in the press box — or the COVID-19 equivalent — until May, when he made two appearances as the season wound down.

In those brief cameos under Sutter, Kylington saw enough to become convinced that he fits nicely into the system. He may not be the big-and- bruising d-man who hockey fans associate with Sutter, but he believes he fits in other ways.

“Yeah, I love, actually, the way we play and the way Darryl wants us to play,” Kylington said. “Those games I played under Darryl, I felt really good, so I mean, I think our system fits me really good and I just want to make an impact and adapt my style of play.”

At season’s end, Sutter included Kylington in his list of young defencemen who were pushing for NHL roles.

Even with Mark Giordano gone, the Flames’ top two pairings this season are pretty much set. Some combination of Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov are going to be playing major minutes.

After that, Juuso Valimaki is sure to have a role in the third pairing. Kylington will likely be competing for ice time to play next to him with the likes of Connor Mackey and anyone else they bring back — Michael Stone impressed late in the season but remains unsigned for 2021-’22.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219271 Calgary Flames Even after one of the league’s busiest transaction periods, Eichel remains with the Sabres, because the organization did not find a partner or a suitable offer.

Jack Eichel and the Flames 2.0: What would Calgary have to give up, We can assume the reason behind that is a combination of things. and how would the lineup look? Buffalo believes teams are offering too little for their star , and those teams believe Buffalo is asking too much. That theory would be reflected in a team like Minnesota dropping out, and others being “in and By Hailey Salvian Aug 10, 2021 out” to check on the price tag.

And while the market for Eichel has appeared to shrink, the Sabres “don’t feel any pressure” to do anything, according to Buffalo GM Kevyn We’ve officially reached the dog days of summer in the NHL calendar. Adams. Free agency has been open for nearly two weeks and has slowed to a crawl. Training camps won’t open for another seven weeks. And now, “We’re in control of this process. We have a player under contract,” he we’re at a time of mostly waiting. said. “If there’s a deal out there that we feel is going to help us improve right away or down the road, we’d be open to it. But we’re not going to do Waiting for the season to start. And for most Flames fans, waiting to see something to do it. That doesn’t make any sense.” what else general manager Brad Treliving can get done between now and then. Even though it is quiet, there seems to be a feeling, or hope Adams’ comments led to a joint statement from Eichel’s agents, Peter among fans, that something significant could be around the corner in Fish and Peter Donatelli, that stated, among other things, that the Calgary — like another defence signing or a major roster move. process “is not working” for their client.

And no name has dominated these conversations more than Jack Eichel. It’s become a messy and public rift between the two sides. And it could be argued that Adams has overplayed his hand. With him asking for too While digging through this month’s Hailbag or scrolling through Twitter, much, teams moved on to other plans and what the Sabres ultimately I’m frequently asked: Can the Flames trade for Eichel? Would (insert end up with isn’t going to be as good as what he could have secured trade package here) get it done? And my personal favourite, why haven’t earlier in the offseason. It’s probably too soon to reach that conclusion, you announced Eichel to Calgary yet? but that time could be coming in short order if more teams definitively I last wrote about how the Flames could make a move for the Sabres’ drop out. in May. But the saga has dragged on since then, often leaving All that being said, it’s hard to win a trade when a player of Eichel’s more questions than answers. So, let’s try to answer some of the most magnitude is the main piece being shipped out. And the Sabres seem to pressing ones as they relate to the Flames. be doing all they can not to be the overwhelming losers of such a deal. Who’s in on the Eichel Sweepstakes? After all, if this were an easy deal to make, it would have been done already. This is the big question, and one of the most difficult to get an accurate read on. It’s been a long few months with tons of rumours and plenty of Where would he fit in Calgary? mixed signals when it comes to various teams’ interest in acquiring That’s easy. The Flames are lacking top-end, game-breaking talent, and Eichel. a without-a-doubt No. 1 centre. Eichel, when healthy, would check both The Minnesota Wild were long regarded as the front-runners in the Eichel of those boxes. sweepstakes but dropped out during free agency, according to The He would centre the top line, with either and Matthew Athletic’s Micheal Russo, who wrote: “At least temporarily, the Wild have Tkachuk. Or, barring any other moves, Elias Lindholm could move back backed out of (Eichel) trade talks, sources said, because they’re fed up to the wing to play with Gaudreau and Eichel, moving Tkachuk down and with the asking price from the Buffalo Sabres for the $10 million star with giving the Flames a much-improved top six. a neck injury.” Here’s how it could look. Whether they become interested again remains to be seen. Los Angeles, which has the future assets desired by Buffalo in a trade, went on a 1 spending spree during free agency that seemingly erased the club from the conversation. Meanwhile, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Johnny Gaudreau there are “mixed signals” on whether Montreal is interested. On a recent Jack Eichel episode of “31 Thoughts: The Podcast,” he said he’s heard both that Montreal is in and they don’t want to go there when it comes to Eichel. Elias Lindholm

John Vogl, Sabres beat writer for The Athletic, wrote last week that the 2 Rangers and Ducks should still be in the mix. And finally, it is believed that the Flames have, at the very least, been interested in Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk have done their due diligence. As I reported in May, one source indicated Sean Monahan that if a player like Eichel became available, “you can be sure (Treliving) is going to see if it’s a good fit for Calgary and if it’s something that Dillon Dube works.” 3 Further to that, Friedman said last month that Calgary has been around Andrew Mangipane the Eichel talks from time to time. “Like everyone else, they go in, they go out,” he said on a July 25 podcast. Again, this is a difficult one to Mikael Backlund definitively answer because some teams will back away, only to re- engage. It’s something to continue to keep an eye on. Blake Coleman

What is the Sabres’ asking price? 4

Russo reported on July 24 that the Sabres are asking for four assets that Milan Lucic are the equivalent of first-round picks. As of that writing, the team had not Trevor Lewis budged off their ask. Tyler Pitlick Now, the Sabres have recently spent a lot of time talking about a “new,” “young” core group of players. Presumably, that means the team would There’s a lot of flexibility here. As mentioned, Tkachuk could move to line be looking for recent (young) first-round picks. So, there may be a limit as No. 1. Mangiapane and Dube could be swapped. Monahan and Backlund to which first-rounders Buffalo is interested in. could switch, too. In all, I think this group would be easy for fans to get behind, especially with Gaudreau and Eichel as a top-line duo. Why hasn’t there been a deal yet? What would a trade package look like from the Flames? Given the Sabres’ demands, let’s take stock of the Flames’ first-round from a Stanley Cup? Naturally, winning would make a significant picks from the last 10 years that are still in the organization. Calgary also package more palatable. owns its first-round picks in 2022, 2023, 2024 and beyond. Do the Flames have the cap space to acquire Eichel? Flames' first-round picks This is where it all gets tricky. Matthew Coronato According to Cap Friendly, the Flames have $11.43 million in cap space, 13th overall (2021) with a number of RFAs still to sign. Meanwhile, Eichel carries a $10 million cap hit for five more years. If we sign the Flames RFAs to new 18 contracts by using Evolving Hockey’s contract projection tool, then set a Connor Zary realistic lineup, we can get a better look at the books.

24th overall (2020) Note: This is not meant to be a full line projection.

19 In this scenario, we’ve traded Valimaki, Zary, Coronato and a 2022 first- round pick for Eichel. Dube is signed for two years with a $2 million AAV, Jakob Pelletier Nikita Zadorov is coming in under $3 million, and the rest of the RFAs are around the league minimum. 26th overall (2019) This group commits $84.9 million to 21 players. It is $3.4 million over the 20 salary cap. And that’s with extra skaters like Glenn Gawdin and Connor Jusso Valimaki Mackey in the minors. (These two and Ritchie could be interchangeable as the 21st skater.) 16th overall (2017) For the Flames to make this work, they would need to move more money 22 out than just Valimaki’s signing rights and entry-level contracts. Or, they would need to make secondary moves to clear space after the fact. Matthew Tkachuk So, how could they get this done? 6th overall (2016) If the Flames want this to be a one-stop kind of deal, it would require a bit 23 of compromise by the Sabres. The Flames, ideally, need this to be a bit Noah Hanifin * more of a money-in, money-out transaction.

5th overall (2015) For example, what if Buffalo accepts Monahan as a piece of the trade? He is 26 and has a difficult injury history, but perhaps he could bring 24 veteran leadership to the table. And maybe, the Flames could sweeten the deal by making the three additional pieces Grade-A assets. Sean Monahan First-rounders are always good capital, especially for Buffalo. That’s a 6th overall (2013) given in this trade package. Coronato, this year’s first-round pick, is 26 projected to be the Flames’ best prospect. Add him in, too.

Elias Lindholm* We could go with one of Zary or Pelletier, but what about Dube? He’s not a first-round pick, but he’s young (23) with a high ceiling and has already 5th overall (2013) shown he can be an NHL player with 121 games under his belt. He could 26 be up Buffalo’s alley.

*Acquired via trade Here’s how the money would shake down after a package that included Monahan, Coronato, Dube and a 2022 first-round pick. It’s not a lot, especially compared to what teams like Ottawa, L.A. or the Rangers could offer with more full prospect cupboards. And, if we believe This roster commits $78.84 million to 21 players and leaves the Flames the Sabres are mostly interested in adding to their young core, which with $2.66 million in cap space to attempt to sign a replacement for ranges between 18 to 23 years old, that cuts this list down to five Dube. Lucic is on the third line for now, with Brett Ritchie as the 13th desirable players: Coronato, Zary, Pelletier, Valimaki and Tkachuk. forward or as a fourth-line , pending any additional moves. In this scenario, the money is very tight, but it’s under the cap. And the team Someone like Monahan, with two years remaining on his deal, would be has an extra (Mackey) on the roster who could be sent gone by the time the Sabres got good. I can’t imagine they’d take him as down if another forward is signed. Ritchie could be sent down here, too. a key return. Same with Gaudreau, who is not a first-round pick but has the skill that Buffalo could be looking for — just not the age and time in In this scenario, the losses (Dube and Monahan) and the holes (centre team control. Even Tkachuk is unlikely to be desired by Buffalo under and top-six winger) they leave are bigger than in our other trade options these circumstances. He is set to be an RFA in 2022 with arbitration above. And so come the difficult questions: Do the Flames want to lose a rights, and one year from UFA status after that. The Sabres would need local product like Dube, or any of these pieces for that matter? Is this the assurance that he’d stay in Buffalo long-term to accept this as a piece of end of Monahan in Calgary? Is this really what it would take to get the deal. And that’s no easy feat. Eichel? If so, should the Flames pull the trigger on a move like this?

Buffalo would have to convince him they are building something and Is Eichel even healthy enough to play? massively overpay him. They’d have the cash for the latter. But is Eichel’s agent, Fish, told Vogl last month that “Jack feels great,” but Tkachuk going to be convinced by what they are building? It’s doubtful. declined to elaborate any further. The Massachusetts native is reportedly So that doesn’t leave the Flames with a whole lot to work with if the skating in Boston, but there seems to be a lingering need for surgery to Sabres won’t budge on their ask (again, the equivalent of four first-round repair a herniated disc in his neck. As you’ll recall, Sabres doctors, plus a picks). With that in mind, some trade packages could look like so: second opinion, recommended a 12-week plan of rest and rehab for the Version 1: Coronato, Pelletier, Valimaki, 2022 first-round pick. neck injury sustained in March. Eichel, however, preferred a surgical approach — an artificial disc replacement. Version 2: Coronato, Pelletier, Zary, 2022 first-round pick. Eichel’s 12 weeks of rest ended in June. According to his agents: “After Version 3: Coronato, Zary (or Pelletier), 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first- the agreed-upon and prescribed period for conservative rehabilitation round pick lapsed in early June 2021, it was determined by the Sabres medical staff that a surgical procedure was required. Our camp was initially under the Any way you look at it, Calgary would be losing four potentially significant impression that the Sabres specialist was in agreement with the artificial future assets. So the team needs to decide: Is it worth mortgaging the disc replacement surgery until that was no longer the case” future for one player? And further, are the Flames one Jack Eichel away Eichel’s camp has been told recovery would take two to three months. The Flames are set to open their season on Oct. 16. The longer Eichel remains in this holding pattern, the slimmer his chance becomes of being ready on opening night. If Buffalo doesn’t move on from Eichel until camp starts in September, he could miss a good portion of the season.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219272 Carolina Hurricanes with such a strong defense. Nedeljkovic could be slightly above league average or he could tank or he could blow everyone out of the water — the point is, we don’t know. Whereas Andersen has been consistently Bag of Jerks: Signing Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes’ pursuit of a above league average his whole career, and the lack of risk fits behind a top-6 forward, RIP warm and fuzzies blue line that can take above average to great.

Any idea on what Andrei Svechnikov’s extension may look like? Wondering if he wants a bridge deal or long term and what the Canes are By Sara Civian Aug 10, 2021 looking for? — Cameron D.

Ask Marc Bergevin. Just kidding.

Good afternoon. I bet a (multiyear) bridge deal would make sense after a still strong but not-his-best season in these uncertain cap times. But (speculation) I’d I hope everyone is having a great summer. Less than 70 days until puck bet the Canes would want him more long term. I’d imagine the AAV drop on the 2021-22 season, which somehow seems like five years and would be in the $7-8 million range. five days all at once. Until then, there’s more than enough to talk about in Canesland. None of you shied away from it with this month’s mailbag The Canes are short one top-six forward, right? — Carson B. questions, so neither am I. Right. Let’s get to it. I think that’s another reason for the current vibe of distrust in the front Note: Question may be edited for clarity and style. office — you do all that and don’t improve on the one recurring postseason issue? (Secondary — sometimes primary — scoring.) It Are my warm and fuzzy Canes gone forever? — Jeff W. seems like they’re looking, though. They’ve been linked to Vladimir Like, let’s get right to it. Tarasenko, and I could see a trade of some sort working out even if it isn’t Tarasenko. They’ll have some cap space left when they sign I think the illusion of a sports team owned by a billionaire being warm and Svechnikov and I really think they need to do something. fuzzy is gone forever, yes. And it’s hard to look beyond losing some of the magic of years past in free agency, too. But I’d keep in mind that the Favorite memory involving Michael Smith? Really upset he’s leaving, but players aren’t the ones making these front office decisions and neither wish him all the best. — Brian W. are the marketing folks who worked so hard to show the warm and fuzzy I am really upset, too! Michael Smith is the best. I don’t know if this is my parts of those players. Many of the warm and fuzzy players are still here, favorite memory, but one time we both got sick from the press box hot and maybe you can take solace in that. dogs in Nashville. That was the day I learned how dedicated he really Is it possible people are overreacting about the moves made this was to this job. offseason? Specifically, when it comes to the Nedeljkovic trade or the Did you ever interact with Jon Chase? Any good story to share about his DeAngelo signing, it doesn’t seem like any slack or trust is being given to awesomeness? the front office that just propelled the Canes from perpetual irrelevance into a perennial playoff team/borderline contender. — Mike K. Oh and thinking about this, how about an offseason feature interviewing behind-the-scenes Hurricanes staff? — Danielle P. In terms of people’s reactions, I think you have to look at the Tony DeAngelo signing in a way that’s about more than what’s happening on I did that last year during lockdown! Look up Keeping Up with the Canes. the ice — for obvious reasons. That aside, I think part of the Also, look up my Stormy the Ice Hog story! I’ll definitely want to get to uncertainty/strong reaction is that they changed so much. Is there a good know the people taking over Chase and Smith’s positions, though, and I’ll chance it all works out and the Canes return to the playoffs again? Of for sure do a 10 questions interview with both of them. course. But instead of making a few tweaks to a team that has been a perennial playoff team and calling it a day, there’s a new set of goalies, a I did interact with Chase, I know I just said Smith is the best but Chase is drastically different blue line, no Dougie Hamilton and still a need for a also the best. No specific memory comes to mind but he was always so top-six forward. I think it’s fair to question if this is all going to work out. passionate about bettering the community — he cares. There’s an air of uncertainty because of the volume of the changes Have you ever challenged Dom L. on his analytics models? Dougie alone. I’m not going to tell anyone to trust the plan when the plan has Hamilton was far and away the best defenseman according to his models made little sense at times. in 2021. But how many Hurricanes fans or coaches would rather have Did they shop Alex Nedeljkovic around at least or did they lose a bet to Jaccob Slavin, even if the salaries were even? — David D. Red Wings GM ? — Jeff C. If by “challenge” you mean text him at 3 a.m. panicking because I’m not They did shop him around and the rights to Jonathan Bernier and a third- sure I understand what’s going on after I asked him to make me a chart round pick were the best offer. Not much leverage with a yet-to-be- to make my story prettier, then yes, of course. After years of doing that I signed RFA who might be really good or might’ve just had a really good think I finally get it, though. hot streak. I think Nedeljkovic will end up being a good NHL goalie but Here’s the thing — Dom’s model is based on Game Score Value Added this is one situation where I understand not taking the risk. (GSVA). He went over how that’s determined here. The term “best” is so What’s your point of view on the whole thing with Nedeljkovic? Did they subjective, and Dom takes the legwork out of that in his model by asking really have such bad faith in him? Was it old thoughts then in that case? a different question — who has the best chance to positively impact the All other clubs would love to have a good goalkeeper to build on in the outcome of a game? The model determines that via a certain formula long run, not least as 1A-1B. — Andréas P. that is, again, subjective, but values certain things. It’s more complicated than this, and expected goals are factored in later, but this determines a It was a combination of old thoughts and a lack of a new sample, which I player’s game score: honestly don’t disagree with to the extent others have. Less than 30 games behind one of the best blue lines in the league at the time just Goals: 0.75 wasn’t enough to sway the front office in light of other data from his past. Primary Assists: 0.7 Again, they could end up being wrong, and I think we’ll figure out if they were right or wrong fast with Nedeljkovic behind the Red Wings defense. Secondary Assists: 0.55 From the Nedeljkovic trade, we learned the Hurricanes front office values consistent data, and you see that with someone like Frederik Andersen. Shots: 0.075 Yes, he’s dipped recently, but he’s never had a terrible season Blocks: 0.05 throughout eight seasons playing in the NHL. You can disagree with that logic and have a point, but that’s the logic the Canes are operating with Penalty Differential: 0.15 here. Faceoff Differential: 0.01 They also know they’ve got a strong blue line and as long as a goalie is 5-on-5 Corsi Differential: 0.05 slightly above league average and consistent, things could turn out fine 5-on-5 Goal Differential: 0.15 remembering his history on the ice has involved an unsportsmanlike penalty as recently as January. You could see how that model would love Hamilton. It’s not asking “who is a better defenseman” — it’s more about the value to the eventual TONY DEANGELO, WHO TOOK AN UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT score of the game, which would inherently favor offensively gifted folks. PENALTY (AND PLAYED POORLY) THURSDAY SKATED WITH THE It’s not perfect (no model can be), but it’s a great tool to use along with TAXI SQUAD FRIDAY. ANTHONY BITETTO WAS ON THE ICE WITH watching the games. THE VARSITY. #NYR

What defines success for the DeAngelo signing, and how much of a long — RICK CARPINIELLO (@RICKCARPINIELLO) JANUARY 15, 2021 shot is it? — James B. It would be biased to not bring up past infractions when considering the This is a good question, because I know there’s criticism from his fans player as a whole. I’m not going to be keeping some obnoxious running that there’s “nothing he could do” that would change people’s minds tally of anything on stick infractions, but the background that he’s lost his about him. First of all, if there’s nothing he could do to change your mind, cool before is essential for context on this player. you’re entitled to that opinion — this is his fourth or fifth “chance” at this point. Not everybody has to get along with each other, especially when What is Martin Necas’ ceiling this season? Will he be a stable top-six the person in question has said things that are hurtful and dangerous to player in 2021-22? — Jakub S. specific groups of people. Finally something good to think about. Short answer, yes. Long answer, But I think the Canes messed up by putting this idea of “changing minds” the ceiling is the roof. into our heads in the first place and being unprepared as they were to Who do you believe will slot in behind the bench replacing Coach Dean? address that concept made the signing look even worse. — Richard M.

I think the whole thing would have been easier for them if they Gotta be Tim Gleason, right? approached it with a little more honesty, like “No he hasn’t ‘changed,’ but he’s an awesome player on a cheap contract.” That still would have Which prospects do you think we’ll see on the roster next season? — made them look bad, but there’s no escape from that when they chose to Ilona S. sign this player in the first place. I think a more honest approach would If this team is truly contending for a Cup, the answer here is hopefully have worked better partly because nothing he or the front office said none. Hopefully for them, they acquire a proven top-six scorer and no made me genuinely believe he has “changed,” and partly because the one gets hurt. But say they end up standing pat or someone gets hurt. concept of change is so ambiguous (hence your question). And hey, Aside from the classic depth call-ups, top prospects that could be ready maybe he actually has taken some specific steps toward change to step in at forward are Ryan Suzuki, Jack Drury, Seth Jarvis and/or (involvement in communities he’s hurt, specific therapy, etc.) but I can Jamieson Rees. Jesper Sellgren and Joey Keane could be defense call- only go off what they’ve told us. ups. Again, those are “top prospects,” not your Greg McKegg/Patrick If they just said “good player on cheap contract,” then maybe success Brown go-tos. I think that’s what you were asking. could have been defined by X amount of points or a long Cup run. But Only 10 of the Canes’ first 28 games are at home, and there’s a season- now they’ve put the onus on DeAngelo and themselves to somehow long six-game (mostly) western U.S. road trip in November and a five- show that he’s not only not going to snap (on the ice or on Twitter), but game western Canadian swing in early December. Should we expect a that he’s actively changed as a person. slow start in the W-L column, especially with so many new players on the Jake Gardiner (James Guillory / USA Today) roster? — Robert W.

What’s the deal with Gardiner? Is he injured or in the dog house? I don’t think it’s ever been more important to avoid a slow start for several reasons. Number one being the vibe around the team and the fan base, And if he *is* injured, should the Canes just Kucherov him until the number two being a team full of new faces needs to establish confidence playoffs? (That’s right, “Kucherov” is a verb now.) — Andrew R. fast, number 2.5 being Andersen needs to establish that confidence more I can confirm the Canes aren’t buying out Jake Gardiner. Arthur Staple than anyone if he’s going to be the No. 1 goalie. wrote that he’s a potential Islanders trade target, but he is “awaiting Which Canes player would medal at the Olympics in a different sport? surgery” — so yes, his back is injured. I agree with the comments that And what would that sport be? — Graham R. this has been oddly hush-hush, the reason I’m not talking about it is that I’m being told contradicting things about it. Necas, tennis.

If Gardiner is out to start the season, do you think DeAngelo and Bear One highlight from your summer? Who will be the breakout star for the will run the power plays or will Slavin or Pesce get a shot at it? — David Canes this year? Are you planning on travel with the team? — Howard H. K. One highlight: I got to take my boyfriend to where I grew up in the North This had to be one of the major selling points with DeAngelo — in 2019- End of Boston after Italy won the European Championship. 20, he scored 15 goals and scored 53 points — three of those goals and Breakout star: Does Necas count or has he already broken out? Ethan 16 of those assists came on the power play. He’s the most qualified Bear? player on the roster to replace Hamilton as power play quarterback. I’m not sure if it will be the same exact style as Hamilton’s power play, and Travel: We’re monitoring the COVID-19 situation on a day-to-day basis, obviously that’s fine, but some schemes could get interesting with but it looks like I’ll be traveling at least a bit. DeAngelo being as mobile as he is. As for the second unit, I’d love to see Brett Pesce get a shot. He was awesome on the power play in college Sara, what is your current powers rankings of the Metro Division? I feel (as you probably have to be to have a shot at the NHL) and he’s been like the division as a whole has gotten worse. flexing some of that offensive flair the past two seasons. I think he For giggles, here’s how Josh Yohe ranked the Metro in his most recent deserves it if he wants it with all the tough situations he plays in. mailbag: I’m not particularly crazy about Slavin on the power play, I think one of 1. Islanders his biggest strengths is his ability to see the whole ice and play the long game, whereas the power play is more about making room with less ice 2. Hurricanes and split decisions. Does that make sense? 3. Rangers Will the media be able to ever stop focusing on and bringing up Tony DeAngelo’s past and just focus on his play, or will they always be hyper- 4. Penguins vigilant about anything he says and does on and off the ice? I just can’t 5. Capitals help but think that the media will try to assign meaning and intent where none may exist, such as getting upset at a call on the ice, etc. — Tim R. 6. Devils

I mean, more than half of my mailbag questions are about him, and you 7. Flyers just contributed to that. So I’m not sure this is media-driven. I’m not going to judge his play on the ice based on anything off the ice, but it’s worth 8. Blue Jackets — Kyle W. As much as I’d like to rip on Yohe, this is a pretty solid list and really makes you see how much worse it seems the division got, like you said. I’ll assume the Rangers get Jack Eichel and keep them at No. 3, but they probably move down if they don’t. I’m going to move the Devils ahead of the Penguins and Capitals. I have a really hard time evaluating where the Hurricanes stand because they made so many changes. I feel like they’re either 2 or 6 depending on how goaltending shakes out.

Have you had White Claw Surge? Need a deep dive from a seltzer aficionado because I’m intrigued but also terrified. — Oliver S.

Not even I am touching one of those. I feel like I tempted the fates enough with the original Four Lokos back in the day. Gen Z can have White Claw Surges.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219273 Chicago Blackhawks Tony.’ He is a pillar of this franchise, and for him to come back and play the role that he has, it’s like his career has been extended another 10 or 15 years.”

Tony Esposito, Hall of Fame Chicago Blackhawks goalie and ‘pillar of In 2017, Esposito was honored as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. this franchise,’ dies at 78 Chicago Tribune LOADED: 08.11.2021

By CHRIS KUC CHICAGO TRIBUNE |AUG 10, 2021 AT 5:53 PM

Tony Esposito, one of the NHL’s all-time elite goaltenders who starred for the Chicago Blackhawks for 15 seasons, died Tuesday. He was 78.

Esposito died of pancreatic cancer, the Blackhawks said in a statement.

“Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise as we near its 100th anniversary,” Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. “Four generations of our family — my grandfather Arthur, my father Bill, my son Danny and I — were blessed by his work ethic as a Hall of Fame goalie, but more importantly, by his mere presence and spirit.”

After a stellar career at Michigan Tech, where he was a three-time first- team All-America selection, Esposito broke into the NHL during the 1968- 69 season and served as a backup for the Stanley Cup champion Montréal Canadiens. He started his long and storied Hawks career when the team selected the Sault Ste. Marie, , native during the intraleague draft before the 1969-70 season.

“I was behind two veterans in Montreal, and ,” Esposito told NHL.com in 2017. “So I was anxious to go to a place where I might have a chance to play more. Plus, I had played a game against the Blackhawks the previous season. Even though they were struggling a bit, they had a lot of talent. I thought they had a strong upside, good possibilities.”

It wasn’t long before Esposito made his mark with the Hawks, winning the starting job in training camp and putting together a historic season during which he posted a 2.17 goals-against average and a modern-day record 15 . He earned the first of his three career Vezina trophies as the NHL’s top goalie and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

As one of the pioneers of the butterfly style, Esposito became a fan favorite with a scrambling way of playing that often brought chants of “Tony, Tony” from the Chicago Stadium faithful. He went on to record eight 30-win seasons with the Hawks and was selected for six All-Star Games, including five consecutive appearances from 1970-74.

Wirtz remembered Esposito as a goalie who would do whatever it took to gain an advantage over some the NHL’s all-time great scorers.

“Tony and his wife, Marilyn, invited me to their house once for dinner and I saw Tony’s pads by the back door,” Wirtz told the Tribune. “The league would measure them and then he’d take them home and he had a big needle and he would restuff his pads and then would sew them back up.”

Along with his brother, Phil, a fellow Hall of Famer who starred for the Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers from 1963-81, Tony Esposito was a member of the Canadian national team that played in the 1972 against the Soviet Union.

Former Blackhawks goalie Tony Esposito, left, hugs his brother, Phil, while being honored before a game against the Washington Capitals on March 19, 2008. (Brian Kersey / HANDOUT)

During his 886 regular-season NHL games, Esposito had a 423-306-152 record, 2.93 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and 76 shutouts. He added six more shutouts in 99 career postseason games before retiring in 1984 at 40.

In 1988, Esposito was hired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he was later the chief scout for the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning, working with his brother, who was president and general manager.

Esposito was inducted into the in 1988, and that same year the Hawks retired his No. 35. In 2008, the Hawks held “Tony Esposito Night” and he was introduced as a team ambassador.

“He has really rekindled the spirit and the soul of the Chicago Blackhawks,” former team President John McDonough said in 2017. “I remember coming to the when people would chant, ‘Tony, 1219274 Chicago Blackhawks “[Tuesday] is a sad day for the Blackhawks and all of hockey,’’ Wirtz said. ‘‘But with his wonderful family, let us celebrate a life well-lived. Tony Esposito’s banner will be part of the United Center forever, as will his Tony Esposito, Blackhawks’ all-time winningest goalie, dies at 78 legacy as a superstar, on and off the ice.”

Esposito — who won 418 games with the Hawks between 1969 and Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 08.11.2021 1984 and was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 — died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

By Ben Pope Aug 10, 2021, 5:52pm CDT

Tony Esposito, a Blackhawks legend and the team’s all-time winningest goalie, died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was 78.

“From his arrival in the Windy City in the late 1960s through an illustrious playing career and decades as a franchise icon, Tony left an indelible mark — both on the ice and in the community — over the next 52 years,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

“Beyond the individual awards . . . it was Esposito’s style, charisma and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans not only in Chicago but across the NHL.”

Esposito won 418 games across 15 seasons with the Hawks, starting in 1969 and lasting until his retirement in 1984. Seventy-four of those wins were shutouts, which also stand as a franchise record.

He was a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (1970, 1972, 1974) and a five-time NHL All-Star (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1980) and also earned the Calder Trophy as a rookie in 1970.

“Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise,” Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. “Four generations of our family . . . were blessed by his work ethic as a Hall of Fame goalie, but more importantly, by his mere presence and spirit. Likewise, four generations of hockey fans grew to love Tony.”

Named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Esposito — fondly known as “Tony O” — remained involved with the Hawks’ organization in recent years, becoming an official team ambassador in 2008. His No. 35 is retired and hangs in the United Center rafters.

“ ‘Tony O’ was a fierce competitor who also took great pride in being an entertainer, whether it was with his pioneering butterfly style during his playing days or interacting with fans across the league as one of this game’s great ambassadors,” Bettman said. “The hockey world will miss him greatly.”

Esposito — who grew up alongside older brother and fellow NHL legend in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario — remains the all-time goals- against-average leader at Michigan Tech, where he won the NCAA hockey championship in 1965.

But he bounced around several minor leagues early in his career and arrived in Chicago without much initial fanfare. Wirtz, in his statement, recalled claiming Esposito off waivers from the Canadiens for a mere $25,000 payment.

That quickly changed. Few goalies have produced a better season than Esposito did in 1969-70: a 38-17-8 record, .932 save percentage, 2.17 GAA and 15 shutouts.

That spectacular performance established him as a Hawks centerpiece of the 1970s. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final the next season and did so again two years later. Esposito played in 99 postseason games — in addition to 873 regular-season games.

His off-ice kindness and humility further cemented his reputation in the city.

“If you were a new player in Chicago, Tony and [his wife] Marilyn always made you feel welcome and comfortable,” Wirtz said. “Rookies were invited to their home for countless dinners, and when the Espositos held their annual Christmas party, everybody associated with the Blackhawks was there.”

Esposito is survived by Marilyn as well as two sons, Mark and Jason, and two grandchildren. 1219275 Chicago Blackhawks Esposito was named one of the NHL's greatest 100 players in 2017. His brother, Phil, is also a Hall of Famer after a sparkling 18-year career.

He was very superstitious, getting upset by crossed hockey sticks and 'He was tireless, reliable and a great teammate': Legendary Blackhawks lining up his sticks in a particular fashion. goaltender Esposito dies at 78 "From his arrival in the Windy City in the late 1960s through an illustrious playing career and decades as a franchise icon, Tony left an indelible John Dietz mark -- both on the ice and in the community -- over the next 52 years," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "Beyond the individual awards ... it was Esposito's style, charisma and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans not only in Chicago but across the NHL." Tony Esposito -- one of the best goaltenders in the history of the NHL -- died Tuesday at age 78 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The Hawks named Esposito a team ambassador on March 19, 2008. He was honored at the United Center in a pregame ceremony with Bobby Esposito played all but one of his 16 seasons with the Chicago Hull and Mikita at his side. Blackhawks and won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie in 1970, 1972 and 1974. "He was tireless, reliable and a great teammate," said Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz in a statement. "If you were a new player in Chicago, Tony Just the third American college player to be selected by an NHL team, and (wife) Marilyn always made you feel welcome and comfortable. Esposito was one of the pioneers of the now-popular butterfly style in net. Rookies were invited to their home for countless dinners, and when the A Hall of Fame inductee in 1988, he is considered by many to be the Espositos held their annual Christmas party, everybody associated with greatest netminder in the history of the Blackhawks. the Blackhawks was there ...

"To the Blackhawks and the National Hockey League, Tony Esposito was "Tony's number 35 has long been retired, but his career with the a Hall of Fame goalie," the Esposito family said in a statement. "To us, Blackhawks actually encompassed two marvelous chapters. After all he was a Hall of Fame husband, father, and grandfather. Chicago felt like those years of making spectacular saves and hearing chants of "TO- home from the time Tony first arrived in 1969, thanks to the Wirtz family NEE! TO-NEE!!" throughout the Stadium, he joined the Blackhawks as and those 18,000 Blackhawks fans who treated him like family every an ambassador. He was born for that role, too, as he reached out -- night at the Stadium, win or lose or tie. whether by request or on his own -- to fans, sponsors, and friends of our team. He rejected thousands of pucks in his first job; he never said no in "As we mourn Tony's passing, we cherish the memories and the his second job. affection, when he was a player and later as an ambassador. We are forever grateful for your support, and we feel blessed now to have your "It is a sad day for the Blackhawks and all of hockey. But with his prayers at a difficult time. Tony was a private person, but he felt your love wonderful family, let us celebrate a life well lived. Tony Esposito's banner and he loved you back." will be part of the United Center forever, as will his legacy as a superstar, on and off the ice." Esposito is the all-time Hawks leader in victories (418), shutouts (74) and games played (873). His career total of 423 wins ranks 10th all-time. Esposito is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is survived by his wife, two sons Mark (Kim) and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Those other 5 victories came during the 1968-69 season with Montreal. Kamryn. The Hawks acquired Esposito for $25,000 after the Canadiens put him on waivers to protect veterans Rogie Vachon and Gump Worsley. It is Daily Herald Times LOADED: 08.11.2021 considered the best waiver move in the history of the league.

"I was behind two veterans in Montreal," Esposito told Bob Verdi in 2016. "So I was anxious to go to a place where I might have a chance to play more. Plus, I had played a game against the Black Hawks the previous season. Even though they were struggling a bit, they had a lot of talent. I thought they had a strong upside, good possibilities."

Esposito lost his first two starts with the Hawks, yielding a whopping 7 goals in the 1969 season opener at St. Louis and four more to Detroit four days later.

Finally -- with the Hawks floundering at 0-5-1 -- Esposito shut out his former team, earning a 5-0 victory at Montreal on October 25. It was the first of Esposito's 15 shutouts that season -- a record that stands to this day. The 45-22-9 Hawks became the first team to go from last place to first.

The next season, Esposito and the Hawks had a chance to claim the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 10 years as they took a 2-0 lead over Montreal in Game 7 of the Final at the Chicago Stadium.

The championship was a tantalizing 30 minutes away.

But disaster struck when Jacques Lemaire rifled a shot from center ice that somehow beat Esposito.

"The puck dove like a knuckleball and unfortunately Tony didn't see it dropping," Stan Mikita told the Daily Herald in 2007. "I never blamed Tony for missing it because he put us in the Finals like most good goaltenders do."

Minutes later, Henri Richard made it 2-2, then hit the game-winner early in the third period.

Esposito's only other Stanley Cup Final appearance came two years later, when the Hawks fell to Montreal in six games.

Esposito was a true iron man between the pipes, averaging a whopping 67.5 appearances per season from 1973-81. 1219276 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray diagnosed with cancer

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

Former Blackhawks center Troy Murray has been diagnosed with cancer, the longtime radio color analyst announced through the team on Monday.

Murray, 59, said he plans to continue calling games for the Blackhawks this season as he fights through the battle. Here's his full statement:

"I want to let everyone know of the challenge that I'm currently facing. I have been diagnosed with cancer. With the love and support of my family, friends, the Wirtz family, the Chicago Blackhawks organization and WGN radio I'm confident that together, we will beat this. I look forward to being in the booth calling Blackhawk games in front of the most passionate and energetic fans in all of hockey. My family and I appreciate privacy during this time as we fight this challenge."

Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz also released a statement:

"Troy Murray has the full support of the Chicago Blackhawks organization as he begins his treatments. He was a tough player on the ice and is as passionate as they come in the broadcast booth. We know he will fight cancer with the same vigor that has endeared himself to so many. The entire Blackhawks family will be right beside Troy, offering whatever support and care that he, his wife, Konnie, and his children, Blake, Julia and Phoebe need, every step of the way. At this time, we ask to respect the privacy of Troy and his family and to keep them all in our thoughts."

Murray compiled 584 points (230 goals, 354 assists) in 915 games across 15 NHL seasons with five different teams. He spent 12 of those seasons with the Blackhawks, where he amassed 488 points (197 goals, 291 assists) in 688 games and won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward in 1985-86.

Murray was selected by the Blackhawks in the third round (No. 57 overall) of the 1980 NHL Draft.

The city of Chicago is and always has been behind you, Troy.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219277 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks agree to terms with Hardman on extension

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward Mike Hardman on a two-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. His cap hit is $800,000.

Hardman has one year left on his entry-level deal that carries a $912,500 cap hit. His second contract will keep him tied to Chicago through the 2023-24 season.

Hardman, 22, registered three points (one goal, two assists) in eight games with the Blackhawks last season. He, most notably, was credited with 38 hits, which ranked No. 10 on the team; his hits-per-60 minutes of 25.9 ranked second.

Hardman is a physical forward that's more likely to start the 2021-22 season with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League given the crowded group at the NHL club, but figures to compete for a consistent fourth-line role on the Blackhawks in the coming years.

Hardman originally signed with the Blackhawks in March following his sophomore campaign at Boston College, where he recorded 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points in 58 games across two seasons.

"The city of Chicago is unbelievable and such a good hockey town, but also seeing that the team's really young and there's an opportunity for me to play," Hardman said after signing his entry-level contract in March. "I thought it was the right fit."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219278 Chicago Blackhawks Here’s a look at the Dach brothers’ progression in Bader’s model:

“Colton Dach has a pretty typical look of a good bet for a second-round pick — older prospect with above-average production in his draft year,” Blackhawks prospects: Lukas Reichel’s NHL potential, 2021 draft picks, Bader said. “Each year, 10-20 forwards that look just like this are drafted defenseman pipeline without Adam Boqvist in the NHL. Very few of these guys turn into stars in the NHL, especially when drafted outside the first round, but certainly a good bet to make the NHL as a depth, middle-rotation piece. And, as you said, he was one of By Scott Powers Aug 10, 2021 the best prospects the Blackhawks added to the system from the 2021 draft, after trading their 2021 first- and second-round picks in the Seth

Jones deal. Everything happened so fast this NHL offseason: first the expansion “Ironically, Colton, as of the draft, has a very similar progression to Kirby. draft, then the amateur draft and, finally, free agency. Especially with Kirby showed a bit better earlier and has certain intangibles that another condensed offseason, it felt like there was so little time to assess warranted drafting him third overall, but the similarities, right down to the the Blackhawks’ draft and their updated prospect pool. position, size and birth month, are uncanny. I thought Kirby went a few I do plan on digging into the Blackhawks’ draft class at some point in the spots too early in 2019, based on what was on the board. Conversely, coming months. Going through video, talking to coaches and gathering getting a player that profiles like Colton as a late second-rounder is great scouts’ opinions takes some time. There is some vacation time ahead of value!” me, too. But to hold everyone over, I did want to touch on the 3. Aside from Reichel, another incoming signed prospect who intrigues Blackhawks’ draft picks, some prospects to keep an eye on this coming me is defenseman Jakub Galvas. He played in the Czech Republic’s top season and the organization’s overall prospect pool. division as a teenager, moved to Finland to play in the top division there Just as I did last year, I turned to Byron Bader, a data scientist, NHL draft and now is coming over to North America to likely start with the Rockford consultant and publisher of the website Hockey Prospecting, for some IceHogs. He doesn’t blow you away on film, but he’s been playing assistance in gauging the Blackhawks’ prospects and their development. against men for a number of years, has some puck-moving attributes and Bader utilizes an NHL equivalency (NHLe) model that projects prospects seems like he has a shot to be a steady pro. based on whatever league they’re playing in. “Jakub Galvas certainly is an interesting case,” Bader said. “Playing in a For example, his model loved Alex DeBrincat and foresaw what a lot of top-tier Euro men’s league as a teenage defenseman in a draft year is NHL general managers did not. not all that common. Many of the ones that do are drafted in the first two rounds. Within the Czech league in his draft year, Galvas had very little I do suggest subscribing to Bader’s site and going through all of his draft production, which probably explains why he dropped to the fifth round. and prospects tools. You’ll certainly wonder where the time passed once Galvas has seen some nice progression in Europe since being drafted. you enter that rabbit hole, but it is worth it. His NHLer chances have gone from 20 percent in his draft year to 45 percent as of his D+3 (draft year plus three) season. A player is tracked For the purpose of this story, I told Bader I wanted to focus on the up until their D+3 season in the Hockey Prospecting mode. After that, Blackhawks’ unknown prospects. With so many young players getting you get diminishing returns and the players are what they are at that NHL time with the Blackhawks the last few years, I feel like fans have a point. good feeling for what Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, Philipp Kurashev, Ian Mitchell and other young prospects are bringing to the table. It’s the “Galvas isn’t a player I expect to be an offensive star defenseman. prospects beyond them who seemed more interesting to discuss. There’s a less than 5 percent chance he becomes a star. But the significant experience in Europe certainly could help his chances of 1. Let’s start off with Lukas Reichel. I think there were a lot of people, becoming an NHLer. He comes over to North America more polished including myself, who thought the Blackhawks took Reichel too soon in than the typical prospect. He’ll likely start in the AHL, but with a good the 2020 draft. But I can admit when I’m wrong, and I believe I was showing early there he could be called up partway through the 2021-22 wrong about Reichel. Everything I saw and heard about Reichel this past season or in the 2022-23 season.” season in Germany makes me believe he could be in the NHL next season and will fall in love with him as a player quickly. 4. Now looking a year ahead, I’m also intrigued by Blackhawks forward I’m not sure if Reichel is an NHL star, but he fits Colliton’s system very prospect Artur Kayumov. I thought he was going to leave the KHL after well with his size and speed. the 2019-20 season. He probably would have gotten some NHL games this past season. But he decided to sign a two-year contract extension. Bader had some similar thoughts about Reichel, but he also tempered The earliest he’d be over in North America now would be the 2022-23 expectations. season. “I was a bit skeptical of Lukas Reichel myself when he was chosen, and I’ve watched Kayumov enough on film to have a decent idea of him as a at 17th overall,” Bader said. “I thought he was perhaps chosen a bit early player. He’s solid defensively and has some offensive traits. The in a very deep 2020 draft. My biggest reservation with Reichel was where production hasn’t been great in the KHL, but it’s decent compared to he was coming from — the DEL league in Germany. This is not a other young Russian players. Still, unless the player is Artemi Panarin or league where a lot of NHLers have ever come from. Jochen Hecht, Kirill Kaprizov, I’m not exactly sure how a KHL player will translate to the Marco Sturm and Marcel Goc being some of the only examples. It has NHL. me wondering, ‘Is this a legitimate Euro men’s league and should it be regarded as such?’ The progression and success we’ve seen from Moritz “Russian players are tough to project,” Bader said. “They move all over Seider and Tim Stützle of recent, though, has given me more evidence the place, in between leagues, early in their career. As well, many that the league is legitimate and is probably a pretty good league. Russians that pop a bit later end up ‘busting’ and never playing in the NHL, but sometimes it’s because they couldn’t be convinced to come “… If we’re looking at Europeans with a similar age and progression over to North America. The money in the KHL is half-decent, and unless pattern through their post-draft year, Maxime Afinogenov, Magnus they’re promised a top-nine role in the NHL, a lot of these guys aren’t Pääjärvi and Filip Hållander come to mind. Right now, Reichel profiles going to come over to North America to prove themselves in the AHL like a good bet to be a middle-six forward for the Blackhawks. To change first. They would rather stay home in that case. So did the player bust his trajectory and present himself as a star-caliber prospect, Reichel will because they weren’t good enough for the NHL or did they bust because likely need to take big jumps in his progression and production over the they were less willing to fight for a possible NHL spot, by going to the next two seasons, either through the DEL, AHL or NHL.” AHL first? 2. Of all the eight players the Blackhawks drafted in 2021, Bader’s model “That being said, the Russians that produce in the KHL at a very young likes Colton Dach the most. I had a strong feeling the Blackhawks would age — 22 or younger — almost always come over and thrive in the NHL. draft Dach for a number of reasons, including what he potentially brought Kayumov is not quite this. He showed well in his draft year, which got him as a player, where the Blackhawks were drafting in the second round drafted in the second round. But his progression, as he moved through and, of course, he’s the younger brother of Kirby Dach. The Blackhawks the MHL to the KHL, really fell off after he was drafted. At the age of 22- may downplay that last assumption, but I know the Blackhawks too well 23, we’re starting to see some decent production come, but it might be at this point not to think that factored into their decision. too late. When you look at all drafted Russians who profiled similar at the draft and had a similar decline in their production from their D+1 to D+3 years, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. In the past 30 years, there’s 13 “Another one is goalie Ivan Nalimov, drafted by the Hawks all the way developed cases we can reference. While a few got into some NHL back in 2014. He’s never played a game in the NHL and is probably too games, not one of them became a full-time legitimate NHLer, playing old to be a serious consideration now, but I would caution giving up on 200-plus games. The data certainly suggests that, whether Kayumov him yet. Nalimov moved through the Russian system and saw good comes over or not, the likelihood of him becoming a full-time NHLer is personal success in the KHL, although his team winning percentage has slim.” often been lackluster, at a relatively young age. Goalies that have a similar, early progression through Euro men’s leagues often make their 5. I’m going to wait to see what Seth Jones is for the Blackhawks to really way to the NHL. Nalimov has a 90 percent chance of becoming an have an opinion on the trade, but I was surprised they dealt Adam NHLer in the model after his D+5 season, where I stop tracking goalies. Boqvist and think they may regret that. Of all the Blackhawks’ drafted For reference, there’s only 24 developed goalies in the system, drafted or defensemen in the last decade, I think Boqvist’s the one who has a signed between 1980 and 2011, with an 80 percent or greater probability chance to be something in this league. of making the NHL by their D+5 (season) and only four missed playing While I understand the Blackhawks have an abundance of young 100 games in the NHL. Nalimov looks like one of the few from this high defensemen in their pipeline, including a number the Blackhawks still probability group that will miss making the NHL. However, Nalimov only have high hopes for, I’m not sure they have anything that matches just came over to North America this year, only playing five games in the Boqvist’s potential. Nicolas Beaudin and Ian Mitchell have a chance, but I AHL, and was less than impressive. I’d like to see the Hawks sign still think they need a lot of development. I wouldn’t be surprised if they Nalimov for another year or two and see how he looks in the AHL before spent a lot of this season in Rockford. Wyatt Kalynuk showed some walking away from him. Maybe, just maybe, there’s still something there.” offensive promise last season and may start off this season in the NHL, The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 but he is older than a lot of the prospects at 24.

Bader and his model tend to agree.

“Trading Boqvist created a big hole for the Blackhawks,” Bader said. “He was their best D prospect and their best prospect overall. He had a huge likelihood of becoming a star offensive D-man; no other skaters have anything near the star potential of Boqvist. As you mention, Beaudin and Mitchell are their best D prospects remaining. It’s a steep drop after them. According to the model, the prospects with the most NHL potential now include Galvas, (Chad) Krys, (Alec) Regula and Kalynuk, varying from 30 to 45 percent NHLer probability. The Hawks should look to re-stock the defenseman prospect pool in the coming years.”

6. All that said, I do think the Blackhawks have been searching for a different type of defenseman in recent years. It’s been easy to notice that, after drafting a number of smaller defensemen for a few years there, they’ve mostly selected bigger ones in recent years. Blackhawks vice president of amateur scouting Mark Kelley acknowledged that about this year’s draft class.

Which brings to me the question of whether prospects like Alex Vlasic and 2021 first-round pick Nolan Allan, who are seen as more defensive defensemen, are more difficult to project in an NHLe model? I personally think Vlasic has a chance to be an NHL defenseman. Wyatt Kaiser is another whom I’ve heard a lot of positive things about at Duluth. Still, what are their NHL upsides?

“Defensive defensemen, like Allan and Vlasic, are very hard to project, especially with a model like this, and a lot of the projected ‘defensive defensemen’ when drafted don’t end up making the NHL,” Bader said. “When you dig through the data, you find, in most cases, even guys that end up as non-replacement-level defensive defensemen in the NHL were above-average producers in their feeder leagues while making their way to the NHL. When D-men prospects aren’t doing this, the odds are unfavorable. Allan, Vlasic and Kaiser all have a 20 percent or less chance of making the NHL. There’s still some runway left with all three to have some big jumps, but if any of the three do make the NHL, it will be a few years out, likely after a significant stint in the AHL.”

7. When I’m spending my time on Bader’s site, I’m usually looking for projections that I wouldn’t expect. Who might hit or fail that I probably wouldn’t predict? For example, his model really liked Blackhawks prospect Jake Wise when he was drafted and had him trending towards being an NHL player. Injuries have since derailed Wise.

So, who else might be worth keeping an eye on?

“In terms of surprise prospects, there’s not a lot of sneaky guys in the Hawks system that have this under-the-radar star or NHLer projection,” Bader said. “Two guys come to mind, but they’re both a little long in the tooth – Henrik Borgström and Ivan Nalimov.

“Henrik Borgström, the center the Hawks acquired at the trade deadline from Florida in the Wallmark/Carlsson trade, projects to be an NHLer, but he was drafted, as an over-ager, in 2016. He saw very substantial progression early on. He hasn’t been able to find his footing in the NHL yet, but after his D+3 season, he had a 70 percent chance of becoming an NHLer. The chances are declining now, given he was drafted five years ago, but he could possibly surprise and become a full-time middle- six NHLer. 1219279 Colorado Avalanche I know what type of player I am. I’ve got good vision out there, good passing. I try to be the best I can defensively, shut guys down first and foremost and help out offensively, chip in when I can. There are going to Ryan Murray Q&A: On joining Avalanche defense, high expectations and be some roles that guys are going to have to fill. You’ve just got to go out Cale Makar’s talent there and do it, whether they’re smaller roles, bigger roles. Winning is the only thing that matters. It’s fun playing whatever role you can help the team win with. We’ll see when I get there and see where everything fits.

By Peter Baugh Aug 10, 2021 Did you know Matt Calvert well from your time in Columbus? (Calvert retired this offseason after an 11-year career in Columbus and Colorado.)

Yeah, I played with Calvy for a long time. He was a great player for us in Shortly after signing a one-year deal with the Avalanche, defenseman Columbus, and he was really good for them in Colorado, too. I’m going to Ryan Murray went on a weeklong fishing trip on Vancouver Island in miss him there, for sure. He texted me when I signed, and we sent a few British Columbia. Now the 27-year-old is back home in Saskatchewan, things back and forth. searching for a place to live in Denver and preparing for the next stage of his career. How difficult is this core of Colorado players to play against?

“Caught a couple big (fish),” he said of his trip, “but it’s good to be back They’re so skilled and you’re sitting in the dressing room, watching and get things organized again.” highlights and you’re just watching these guys go out there and do their thing. It’s definitely impressive what they can do out there. I’m looking The defenseman has exciting prospects ahead of him. Murray, who forward to being a part of that. spent last season with the Devils, comes to the Avalanche on a $2 million deal and should provide the team with another strong puck mover and Cale Makar has really emerged in the past couple of years. What do you solid passing. He’s battled through injuries after the Blue Jackets see from him? selected him No. 2 in the 2012 NHL Draft but has still amassed 395 career games, 347 of which came with Columbus. He’s obviously a great player and extremely dynamic, just a total package defenseman and then some. He’s got highlight reels. He makes RYAN MURRAY, WHO SIGNED FOR 0.8 TUCKER POOLMAN'S, HAD plays that look like it’s easy for him, but he’s one of the only guys in the A DOWN YEAR WITH THE DEVILS, BUT LOOKS LIKE A league who can do them. REASONABLE TOP FOUR BET FOR COLORADO. PIC.TWITTER.COM/VTFWYYAWZC You also played with new Avalanche forward Mikhail Maltsev in New Jersey last year. What can he bring? — DOM AT THE ATHLETIC (@DOMLUSZCZYSZYN) AUGUST 2, 2021 Oh yeah, Maltsey! Maltsey is a good player. He’s really good with the Colorado needed to replenish its defensive depth after trading Ryan puck, patient with the puck. He makes good plays. He just had a ton of Graves to the Devils and Conor Timmins to Arizona. Murray, a left-shot poise every time he was out there. That was the biggest thing I noticed defenseman who can also play on the right side, seems poised to fill in about him. I enjoyed playing with him. on the second or third pairing, and he’s excited to play for a Stanley Cup contender. You’ve dealt with injuries in past years. How’s your body feeling heading into this fall? “It’s easy to get pumped up for a season where that’s the goal,” he said. I’m feeling good. I had a good end of year last year where I didn’t have Murray is spending the summer training in Saskatchewan with a group of anything bothering me, and we had such a condensed schedule, which pros that includes Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz and Columbus’ Cole was a good sign. When back-to-backs, playing five games Sillinger, the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft. He spoke to The Athletic in eight nights and not having any issues, it’s definitely a good feeling. I about his decision to come to Denver, what he sees in fellow just want to take that and keep running with it and keep that momentum defenseman Cale Makar and the team’s high expectations. going, health-wise. I’m taking care of my body, taking care of what I need to do to be healthy. (Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 What stood out about the Avalanche in free agency?

They’ve got a great team. I think they’re right there. When they called, it was a great opportunity to be able to go there and try to win. That was at the top of my mind. I’m going to go there and see what I can do for them.

How did the process work? Was your agent getting in touch with you with the options on the table?

(My agent) is just calling teams, GMs. They call it “free-agent frenzy” for a reason: Everyone is calling each other. Teams are trying to find something, players are trying to find something. I’m really happy that Colorado called and is offering an opportunity. I just want to try to make the most of that.

Going into free agency, did you know Colorado was a team you were interested in?

Absolutely. You look at all the guys there. There are so many good players over there, and to just be on that team, be a part of it, try to fill a role and try to win is the only thing that really matters. To be a part of something like that would be a lot of fun.

There are big expectations there. Everyone wants to win a Cup and try to be the best team in the league. That’s going to be the only thing on everyone’s mind there.

What stands out about the Avalanche style of play?

They’re fast, dynamic, a highly skilled group. They’ve got some big offensive weapons. Everybody knows most of the guys there: They score a lot of goals, make a lot of things happen. I’m pretty excited to get down there and meet all those guys and be able to play with those guys.

What do you think you can bring to them? 1219280 Colorado Avalanche for the division crown once again, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility to consider them a wildcard hopeful.

Offseason Grade: A- Reviewing the Avalanche and the Central Division’s offseason acquisitions 2021-22 Prediction: Challenging for a Wildcard position

Dallas Stars

By Aarif Deen - August 10, 2021 IN: Braden Holtby, Ryan Suter, Jani Hakanpaa, Luke Glendening, Michael Raffl

OUT: Jamie Oleksiak, Mark Pysyk, Andrew Cogliano, Jason Dickinson, When we enter the dog days of August — traditionally the slowest month Justin Dowling of the NHL calendar — it’s often a good time to look back at the offseason and where teams currently stand. Albeit the rest of August and The Stars’ backend changes considerably with Suter but the biggest September could still see numerous big names such as Jack Eichel, additions are a fully healthy Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov. The duo Vladimir Taransenko and perhaps Evgeny Kuznetsov likely on the move. combined for just 14 games and had six goals and 14 points.

With the expansion draft and a flat salary cap resulting in a busier than Dallas relies on veterans to steer the ship but it’s a solid group for at least usual offseason, the Avalanche will look a little different than the team another season. As long as and Holtby can hold the fort that was eliminated in the second round in June. down in goal, expect the Stars to challenge the Avs atop the division.

The Avs return to the Central Division in 2021-22 and will battle seven Offseason Grade: B+ other teams for the division crown as the Arizona Coyotes join the fray after a slight realignment as a result of the Seattle expansion. 2021-22 Prediction: Challenging for a top-3 Central Division spot

Colorado lost a number of depth pieces in Matt Calvert, Brandon Saad, Listen to “Cup Contenders” on Spreaker. Joonas Donskoi, Ryan Graves, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Patrik Minnesota Wild Nemeth and Conor Timmins. They also lost starting goalie Philipp Grubauer. IN: Alex Goligoski, Jon Merrill, Dmitry Kulikov, Frederick Gaudreau

Darcy Kuemper slots in as the new starter while pieces like defenseman OUT: Ryan Suter, Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, Brad Hunt, Zach Parise, Nick Ryan Murray and Darren Helm were brought in to solidify the depth. Bonino Despite the losses, expect the Avs to still be one of the better teams in What a strange offseason it’s been for Minnesota. It started with the the Central Division. shocking buyouts of not just Parise but his long-time friend Suter. And Here’s what the rest of the Central will look like heading into the new even though they’ve found some sort of relief on the blueline with season: Goligoski, Kulikov and Merrill, the biggest questions of the offseason have yet to be answered. Listen to “Cup Contenders” on Spreaker. The team has filed for salary arbitration with forward Kevin Fiala, a move Arizona Coyotes you rarely see made by an organization. But the more notable restricted IN: , Conor Timmins, Loui Eriksson, Antoine free agent Kirill Kaprizov is making headlines with his leverage to return Roussel, , Anton Stralman, Ryan Dzingel to the KHL in Russia if the Wild don’t pay him what he feels he deserves.

OUT: Darcy Kuemper, Adin Hill, Antti Raanta, Conor Garland, Michael Minnesota could very well be as good as the team we saw in 2021 if both Bunting, Alex Goligoski, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson, players return. But if one goes sour — and specifically if it’s Kaprizov — Jordan Oesterle, John Hayden then this team is going to take a gigantic step backward. But for now, I’ll make a prediction based on both players returning. They may have had the most successful offseason for a team that likely isn’t going to sniff the playoffs anytime soon. Offseason Grade: C+

New general manager Bill Armstrong was handcuffed when he took over. 2021-22 Prediction: Challenging for a top-3 Central Division spot The Coyotes had a bare cupboard of draft picks and prospects and an underwhelming core. Armstrong has gutted the team almost entirely and accumulated five second-round picks in 2022 and a first-rounder from the IN: David Rittich, Philippe Myers, Cody Glass, Matt Luff Avalanche in the Kuemper deal. He also did a great job of offloading OUT: , Ryan Ellis, Viktor Arvidsson, Calle Jarnkrok, Erik Ekman-Larsson’s long-term deal. Haula All things considered, it was a great offseason for a team that You look at the roster this team had last season, the players they lost desperately needed to rebuild. and how they were replaced and it becomes very clear that Nashville Offseason Grade: A likely won’t be returning to the playoffs next year.

2021-22 Prediction: Lottery team They ended the season strong to make the postseason and even took Carolina to six games in the first round. But there were a lot of Chicago Blackhawks underperforming players on that team that David Poile was hoping to IN: Marc-Andre Fleury, Seth Jones, Jake McCabe, Caleb Jones, Tyler offload and neither of Ellis, Arvidsson or Jarnkrok were the culprits. Johnson, Jujhar Khaira As usual, never say never. But Nashville has its work cut out for it in OUT: Duncan Keith, Nikita Zadorov, Adam Boqvist, Pius Suter, David 2022. The Central Division is strong and this team is barely holding on. Kampf Offseason Grade: C-

The only other team that gives Chicago a run for its money in terms of 2021-22 Prediction: Miss the playoffs swinging for the fences is probably the . St. Louis Blues Amid a cloud of controversy hovering over the organization, general manager Stan Bowman did everything in his power to really change the IN: Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Saad team’s direction. The Blackhawks offloaded Keith, Seabrook’s contract OUT: Vince Dunn, Jaden Schwartz, Mike Hoffman, Sammy Blais and a number of depth guys and brought in a Vezina Trophy winner, both Jones brothers, a shutdown defenseman in McCabe and a solid forward The acquisition of Buchnevich was a solid piece of work for Doug in Johnson. Armstrong. He and Saad will likely replace the offensive production lost in Schwartz and Hoffman. They’re also hoping to welcome back a healthy Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach for a full season. It’s hard to say if Chicago is going to battle The Blues will likely be as good as they have been for the last few years and could challenge the Avs and Stars atop the Central Division. But they still have a lingering question mark with Vladimir Tarasenko, who hopes to be traded before opening night.

With or without Tarasenko, who was a nonfactor in 2021 because of injuries, St. Louis is hoping for a bounceback season from Torey Krug.

Offseason Grade: B

2021-22 Prediction: Challenging for a Wildcard position

Winnipeg Jets

IN: Brenden Dillon, Nate Schmidt, Riley Nash

OUT: Laurent Brossoit, Derek Forbort, Tucker Poolman, Mason Appleton, , Trever Lewis, Nate Thompson

Winnipeg entered the offseason needing to address its blueline and it did exactly that. Schmidt and Dillon will bolster their back end and provide Vezina-caliber goalie Connor Hellebuyck with the support he needs.

The Jets also have one of the better top-six forward groups in the NHL especially if Pierre-Luc Dubois bounces back.

The Jets may be the most improved team in the Central Division despite making minimal moves.

Offseason Grade: A-

2021-22 Prediction: Challenging for a top-3 Central Division spot milehighsports.com LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219281 Colorado Avalanche

Will We Ever See Sneaker Influence in the NHL?

By Adrian Dater

The question of why we don’t see sneaker influence in the NHL isn’t a hard one to answer. The sport takes place on the ice, and there’s simply no reason for sneakers to make an impact. At the same time though, the idea of a sport promoting shoes beyond its own relevant footwear isn’t as odd or uncommon as you might think.

After all, the NFL has seen stars ranging from Dan Marino and Barry Sanders to Brett Favre and Richard Sherman all market signature shoes that had nothing to do with football — in most cases resembling or training shoes. Meanwhile, Yankees legend Derek Jeter was such a force on the endorsement market that he had his own line of Air Jordans (one of which sold for $40,000 a couple years ago!).

Even given these examples, it’s still a little difficult to imagine anything relevant to hockey. Or at least it used to be. Earlier this year the online sneaker community SoleSavy highlighted exactly what a sneaker-to- hockey crossover might look like. In keeping with its habit of showcasing some of the most inventive and interesting shoes out there, the community tweeted out an incredibly cool design concept that specifically fitted the iconic Air Jordan 1 onto a pair of skates. Granted, they look a bit like they’re fitted for, say, the Red Wings or Hurricanes by virtue of the classic Air Jordan 1 colorway. But putting aside uniform matching, they actually look like they’d be both stylish and functional skates.

Looking at this example, we have a simple question: Can anyone think of a reason this wouldn’t work, or shouldn’t be tried?

For starters, this sort of sneaker-inspired skate would make for a really fun opportunity to link professional teams from the same cities or states. So, for example, following the New Balance shoe deal that was secured by Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray, the Avalanche could — in theory — wear skates based on the designs for Murray’s own shoes. New York’s teams could pull from Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant footwear. The Kings could make use of LeBron designs, or even reach back a bit for a Kobe Bryant inspiration. Really, there would be all kinds of fun examples.

Alternatively, as with the NFL and MLB examples given above, sneaker- to-hockey crossovers could simply be used to recognize and elevate NHL stars. In other words, we could see sneakers crafted for Mikko Rantanen for Avalanche fans to buy and wear on the street. Or we could see Nathan MacKinnon (who’s already been compared to MJ!) given some sneaker-inspired skates like the Air Jordan 1 examples to wear and promote on the ice. Either way, the idea doesn’t seem so far-fetched or odd once you really think about it.

Now, how all of this would work with respect to the NHL’s participation, apparel deals, and so on is anybody’s guess. And there is (to be clear) no indication anything like this will happen anytime soon. But it’s also clear that it could, as well as: some of the results might be really cool.

At any rate, it’s a fun thing to think about during the offseason!

Colorado hockey now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219282 He chose Dallas after talking to Stars general manager Jim Nill, looking at the roster, assessing the quality of life in Texas for his wife and four kids and deciding the Stars have a chance to win a Stanley Cup.

5 things to know about Ryan Suter, including his longtime friendship with “I want to go somewhere that has a chance to win, and I want to be a Stars center Joe Pavelski part of that for as long as I can be,” Suter said. “Four years, if I’m going to move my family somewhere, I had to have that commitment and they had absolutely no problem with that commitment. It was exciting because it By SportsDay Staff 10:00 AM on Aug 10, 2021 CDT was kind of the perfect thing. They didn’t flinch one bit when I said four years.

“I felt there was so much pressure on this decision for me, personally, The Dallas Stars set their sights on Ryan Suter and swiftly took him off because I wanted to make sure that I picked the right situations to give the market last month. me the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup.” After losing defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to Seattle in the expansion draft, Dallas Morning News LOADED: 08.11.2021 Dallas refilled its depth chart by signing Suter to a four-year contract worth $14.6 million ($3.65 million AAV) when free agency opened on July 28.

Here are five things to know about the new Stars defenseman:

Wealth of experience

The veteran defenseman is heading into his 17th NHL season.

Suter is a minutes-eater who has averaged 25:02 of ice time per game across his 1,198 NHL games with Nashville and Minnesota. He has finished in the top 10 in Norris Trophy voting six times, but not since 2016-17, and is one of the most reliable players in the league, having missed just four games in the past six regular seasons.

At 36 years old — he turns 37 in January — Suter knows it’s odd for him to get a four-year contract. But Suter also thinks he can play until he’s 45 years old.

“A lot of [general managers] felt the same way I did,” Suter said last month. “Like, ‘You can play as long as you want, the way you play. You really don’t get hit that often. You think the game. You make good, hard passes. You’re in shape, you take care of your body.’ Just all those things give me a lot of confidence that I can play after this contract if I want to.”

Before the Stars

Suter was drafted No. 7 by the Predators in the first round of the 2003 NHL draft and made his rookie debut during the 2005-06 season. He has since enjoyed longevity, splitting his 16-year-career between two teams. During his seven seasons in Nashville, Suter made five playoff appearances.

In July 2012, Suter signed on with Minnesota, where he spent nine seasons with the Wild. He had the final four seasons of his contract bought out and will be paid $833,333 for the next eight years from Minnesota as a part of the buyout.

From longtime friends to teammates

Suter will get to play alongside his close friend, Stars center Joe Pavelski. The two Madison, Wis. natives were youth hockey teammates and continue to live close by in Wisconsin.

“I see Joe every day,” Suter said during a media conference last month. “His son Nate plays with my son Brooks, we’re very close with them. He had nothing but great things to say. When a guy like him is telling you that all the guys on the team are talking to him, saying, `Hey, you gotta get him to sign here,’ that makes you feel great, it makes you feel welcome. It was a big part of the decision. Joe and I grew up playing against each other. Now, we get to go try to win together.”

Hockey family

Hockey runs deep in the Suter family. His late father, Bob was a member of the gold-medal 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in the legendary “Miracle on Ice” game. His uncle, Gary Suter was a Stanley Cup champion, Calder Trophy winner and four-time All-Star who spent the majority of his 17-year-career with the Calgary Flames.

Hot commodity

In what has been described as “an emotional roller coaster” of a summer, Suter told his agent, Neil Sheehy, that he felt 27 years old (the age players hit UFA) again with all the teams that reached out to him this summer. 1219283 Dallas Stars hanging with the boys (in the NHL).” Dellandrea started last season as a staple in the lineup before his rawness led to him exiting the lineup and playing with the taxi squad. He finished the season in the AHL, where he Stars updated depth chart: Who should Tyler Seguin center, and what performed well. Dellandrea is a natural centerman, but with Jason will be the combo in goal? Dickinson’s departure and Dellandrea’s ability to play wing, he may become the new Swiss Army knife for the Stars who can play up and down, side-to-side in the lineup.

By Saad Yousuf Aug 10, 2021 So, what can a lineup look like for the Stars? Let’s work through possibilities based on some of the anticipated scenarios.

Keeping the top line together That faint sound you hear? That’s the dust settling in Frisco, where the Stars’ front office is taking a breather after an intense few weeks of the Robertson — Hintz — Pavelski NHL offseason that included expansion protection lists, trades, the expansion draft, the entry draft and free agency. The Stars are in a bit of The top line was extremely productive for the Stars last season, and that an unconventional state coming out of it, though, because of their excess was with a hampered Hintz and with Robertson finding his way in the of goaltenders and the fact that they won’t enter the season $4 million league as a rookie. How good can they be with Hintz fully healthy and over the salary cap. There are 24 players accounting for the current cap Robertson more experienced? The Stars can find out if they keep the line number, creating a pretty predictable path to cap compliance. together. Coaches have said that nothing is definite, which is standard Considering the goalie depth, Ben Bishop’s health situation and his $4.9 offseason lingo, but the people I spoke to consider that line staying million cap hit, an eventual move to LTIR seems to be in the cards. together to be a foregone conclusion.

We’ll break that down if and when it happens, but let’s look at where “If that line can get going again and can have similar success, with some things stand today in terms of a depth chart and *gasps* lines. Surely, of the pieces we brought in and some of the injuries that guys are going there will be 100 percent agreement with everything below! Jokes aside, I to recover from, we believe we’ve added a ton of depth,” a player said. spoke to three people within the Stars organization — two players and “Everyone’s got to do their part. It’s not just about yourself. It’s about one front-office member who retained anonymity — to help form some of being a strong piece to the team.” my decisions and be more informed on player placements based on what Head coach Rick Bowness did split the line up late last season when the feel is within the walls. things seemed to go stale and when all the stops had to be pulled out Forwards with a playoff berth on the line. Bowness views forwards’ efficiency in pairs, meaning there is always room on a line for a swap. Even if The roster no-doubters: Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov, Robertson and Hintz are seen as the two explosive talents, they could be Roope Hintz, Denis Gurianov, Jason Robertson, Radek Faksa, Joel joined by Radulov instead of Pavelski, or perhaps even Gurianov. That Kiviranta and Joe Pavelski. would obviously change things throughout the top nine but for the sake of this exercise, we’re following the mantra, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In the conversation: Luke Glendening, , Michael Raffl, Riley Damiani, Ty Dellandrea, Tanner Kero, Rhett Gardner and Nicholas Keeping Benn and Gurianov together Caamano. Benn — Seguin — Gurianov There was uniform agreement that those nine players who are no- doubters will be in the lineup, when healthy. There was a push for OR Glendening and Comeau to join that category as well, but discussion of Kiviranta — Seguin — Radulov their consistent presence in the lineup leaned more toward how and when, as opposed to an easy affirmative. Assuming that top line stays intact, Seguin likely won’t drop below the second line. He is the Stars’ highest-paid player and is still a talented One interesting thing to monitor will be the Stars’ supply of centermen. forward who will finally be healthy after spending the bulk of the past year Hintz, Seguin and Faksa are the easy ones to identify, but if Damiani recovering from various ailments, big and small. If Seguin is on the comes on strong, he could make some noise in that conversation for the second line, the question becomes who joins him, and there are two fourth line. The Stars signed a veteran in Glendening who can play legitimate possibilities. center or wing and of course, the big question at the position will be if Benn is utilized there. After he moved to center last season, his game Gurianov was the Stars’ leading scorer in the regular season just two looked the best over a long period of time as it has in a while. Throw in seasons ago as a rookie and he is still only 24 years old. He struggled Dellandrea and there are seven options for the Stars. last season overall but his play picked up when he was on a line with Benn. They have good chemistry on and off the ice, so trying to keep Of the players labeled “in the conversation,” Damiani generated the most them together makes sense. buzz. Of course, Benn was playing center last season when Gurianov had his “We had a very busy schedule so I didn’t pay much attention to what he resurgence and Seguin wasn’t in the picture. If this is the combination the was doing down there (in the AHL) but (winning) Rookie of the Year is no Stars go with, they will be challenged with walking a fine line of versatility joke,” one player said. “Caught some of the replays over the summer and and defined roles. Versatility is certainly valuable but it usually means the kid has something there.” doing a few things well instead of a smaller number of things exceedingly The Stars have maintained that there is a group of young talent that will well. A good example was Dickinson over the past three seasons. have an opportunity at the NHL lineup coming out of training camp. If the Stars roll with Benn, Seguin and Gurianov on the second line, it Damiani and Dellandrea are the forwards with higher ceilings who fall allows Benn and Seguin to be interchangeable at center and wing. under that category. Nobody on the Stars has the time equity that those two have together, The two most significant factors will be how much they’ll be able to and both are veterans, so because of their hockey IQ, they are adaptable demand ice time, and whether they can sustain a spot in the lineup as to things like playing on their off side. Seguin joked at the end of the opposed to hanging in the balance between lineup and healthy scratch. season that he “might push for (Benn) to stay at center for a bit and let When in the lineup, can they be productive enough to help the Stars win me take two nights off on the wing and just cruise around some shifts.” games? The latter may sound obvious, but there is a strong sense within Seguin was laughing when he said that, but it’s not a terrible idea for two the organization that, barring injuries, the team isn’t in a spot where it can players who have shown great offensive talent in their pasts but who will casually bring along a younger player who isn’t truly ready to contribute. both be over 30 years old by Valentine’s Day. Hockey is becoming The sense of urgency is high to have the 12 best players who can increasingly positionless, and Benn and Seguin could not only play contribute to a win on any given night. If a player needs personal interchangeable roles shift-to-shift but also offensive zone versus development, that will have to come in Cedar Park. defensive zone. Together, they also give the Stars a righty and a lefty option in the circle. All the while, Gurianov remains on the line with two Damiani has the offseason buzz but Dellandrea is still squarely in the mix players who are capable of bringing out the best in him. as well. One player said Damiani is intriguing because of the element of unknown but quickly added, “Ty already showed that he’s capable of The other option to keeping Benn and Gurianov together is to play them on the third line and elevate Kiviranta and Radulov to the second line. Kiviranta is the kind of player who can feed off his linemates and produce Suter — Heiskanen timely shifts. Radulov, Seguin’s longtime linemate, is the best forechecker on the team. One significant player left the group and one significant player joined, so this sounds simple enough as an even trade, right? Not quite. As we’ve A third line with offensive threat written before, Suter’s arrival was dictated by Jamie Oleksiak’s departure, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simple plug-and-play. General Kiviranta — Faksa — Radulov manager Jim Nill’s free-agency pitch sold Suter on playing on the left OR side, his strong side. Klingberg is a natural righty while Heiskanen is comfortable playing on the right, so Suter could just pick up where Faksa — Benn — Gurianov Oleksiak left off with Heiskanen.

OR However, a little bit of a shakeup has some spice to it. Klingberg and Lindell have grown very comfortable with each other. That top pairing has Benn — Faksa — Gurianov been the most consistent presence over the past few years. However, The FCC line gave the Stars a fun nickname, but that’s often where the both players are talented enough in their own right to adapt to a new fun stopped. They held the title of a checking line and were relied on for situation. More significantly, both players have either reached their ceiling defense and grit, which they did provide but were completely invisible or are pretty close to it. The same goes for the 36-year-old Suter. That’s offensively. With Andrew Cogliano’s departure and Comeau’s return on a not a slight, because Lindell and Suter are high-quality defensemen and bargain deal, along with the kind of talent available in the top nine, there Klingberg is elite. should be no pressure to have that sort of a line. This is more about Heiskanen, the 22-year-old Finnish superstar who just The two main options for the third line are a direct domino effect of what inked a hefty contract extension. He’s already elite but has plenty of was discussed above regarding the second line. In the way that Seguin is unlocked potential, particularly offensively. Heiskanen has shown so far a second-line staple, Faksa is a third-line staple. This is just about in his career that he can play with anybody as his partner, but playing determining which pairing between Benn-Gurianov and Kiviranta- with fellow countryman Lindell, a defensive defenseman, could allow Radulov plays with Seguin or Faksa. If the Stars play Benn and Gurianov Heiskanen to shoulder the offensive responsibility he craves and is up with Seguin, it’s pretty easy to just fill in the blanks of Kiviranta and capable of carrying. Radulov flanking Faksa. If the Stars opt to put Suter with Heiskanen, the results should still be However, if the Stars elevate Kiviranta and Radulov, they can use a third great. The team knows what to expect from the top pairing of Klingberg line with Benn or Faksa at center. But given what Benn showed last and Lindell, and Suter’s skill and hockey IQ should allow him to mesh season at center and the offensive potential of Benn compared to Faksa, seamlessly with Heiskanen. Either way, the Stars will have one of the it would make more sense to move Faksa to wing and keep Benn at best top fours in the NHL. center. An underrated part of this equation is Faksa. Centering Cogliano Battle for one and Comeau for the past two seasons, Faksa’s offensive production dipped below 30 points per season, even when prorated out to a full Sekera/Harley/Hanley — Hakanpää season each year. The three years prior to that, he scored at least 30 points. Benn helped elevate Gurianov out of a funk last season, and The Stars filled a void when they signed Hakanpää, a right-shot playing with Benn and Gurianov could elevate Faksa to playing closer to defenseman. It’s a good bet that he will occupy the right side of the third his offensive potential as well. pairing, leaving Sekera, Hanley and Harley fighting for the last spot in the lineup. Another benefit of playing Benn and Gurianov on the third line is that it puts each player in the top nine in a stone-defined role. Seguin will be a Harley will have the opportunity to seize the spot if he’s ready. The 2019 true center at all times, and Benn will be afforded that opportunity as well. first-round pick is a big part of the Stars’ future on the blue line, but it’s Regardless, the Stars are staring at a situation in which they can have also important to remember that he’s just turning 20 this month. He three lines providing a legitimate scoring threat each time they’re on the wasn’t supposed to play pro hockey last season but COVID-19 ice. That’s been a foreign concept in Dallas in recent history. ramifications allowed him a rookie year in the AHL. Harley may not be ready for the NHL yet, especially defensively. His offensive game has Jamie Benn. (James Guillory / USA Today) been his strength and might be ready for third pairing work in the NHL. But if his defensive game isn’t refined enough yet, he may spend some The unknown time doing that in Cedar Park. Raffl/Caamano/Kero — Damiani/Dellandrea/Glendening — Unless Harley surprises with a huge leap in camp, the remainder of the Glendening/Comeau/Dellandrea blue line is predictable. Sekera will likely earn the spot with Hakanpää It’s time to bring out all the ifs and buts for this one. This isn’t to say that and Hanley will serve as the seventh defenseman. Sekera and Hanley the Stars’ fourth line is going to be some kind of throwaway line. The could rotate in and out of the lineup until one of them commands a spot Stars just have no way to know who is going to be available right now. consistently with his play. Will Dellandrea show up to camp and build on the potential he flashed in Goaltending the NHL last season? Will Damiani pounce on his NHL opportunity after AHL stardom? Bowness tends to rely on veterans when there is any Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby doubt, so young players like Dellandrea, Damiani, Caamano, Joel L’Esperance and others will have to really convince the coaching staff OR that they belong. Young players also need to play, so if they can’t show Jake Oettinger and Anton Khudobin they belong in the lineup, they’ll be headed to Cedar Park because healthy scratches at this stage aren’t beneficial. As mentioned off the top, Bishop looks to be headed to LTIR. His injury situation is fuzzy, at best, right now and the Stars need cap space to Defensemen become compliant. That leaves the Stars with Khudobin, Holtby and The no-doubters: John Klingberg, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Ryan Oettinger. Suter. Holtby was signed on a one-year deal, so he’s going to enter the season In the conversation: Jani Hakanpää, Andrej Sekera, Thomas Harley, Joel on the Stars’ roster. The big storyline to monitor will be whether Khudobin Hanley. also enters the season on the Stars’ roster. If Dallas trades Khudobin, that frees up a little more than $3 million in cap space and allows The top four Oettinger to remain in the NHL, where he had a strong rookie season last year. If the Stars keep Khudobin, Holtby and Khudobin will be the NHL Suter — Klingberg tandem, while the potential future tandem of Oettinger and Adam Scheel Lindell — Heiskanen will handle the crease in the AHL.

OR Final projected lineup

Lindell — Klingberg Let’s bring it all together and consider the possibilities to make one solidified lineup:

Robertson — Hintz — Pavelski

Kiviranta — Seguin — Radulov

Faksa — Benn — Gurianov

Raffl — Dellandrea — Glendening

Comeau

Suter — Klingberg

Lindell — Heiskanen

Sekera — Hakanpää

Hanley

Khudobin

Holtby

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219284 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings to re-sign Jakub Vrana to three-year deal to avoid arbitration

Kirkland Crawford

The Detroit Red Wings and Jakub Vrana agreed to terms on a three-year deal just one day before the sides were scheduled to go to salary arbitration, the team announced on Tuesday.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca, the deal is worth $15.75 million, an annual average salary of $5.25 million.

WHO'S ON THE ICE?:My early look at Red Wings' lineup has familiar faces with fresh faces

Vrana joined the Red Wings at last season's trade deadline in the deal that sent Anthony Mantha to Washington. Last offseason, Mantha signed a four-year, $22.8 million extension, with an average annual salary of $5.7 million.

The 25-year-old Vrana showed some top-six-forward ability, scoring eight goals and 11 points in 11 games with the Wings, including four goals against Dallas on April 22. Over 50 games last year, Vrana had 19 goals, 36 points and a plus-10 rating.

He then scored two goals and four points in seven games for the Czech Republic in the World Championships. His best NHL season was 2019- 20, when he scored 25 goals and 52 points in 69 games.

It has been a busy offseason for Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, late last month re-signed forward Tyler Bertuzzi for two years and $9.5 million. Yzerman also extended forward Sam Gagner and defenseman Marc Staal, and added forward Pius Suter, defenseman Jordan Oesterle and traded for defenseman Nick Leddy and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.

Forward Adam Erne remains an unsigned restricted free agent.

Vrana figures to be in the mix for a top scoring line along with Bertuzzi, Suter, Dylan Larkin, Filip Zadina and Robby Fabbri.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219285 Detroit Red Wings With Vrana's signing, the Wings' lone remaining restricted free agent who has an arbitration case is forward Adam Erne (Aug. 21). The two sides are likely to come to an agreement.

Red Wings, Jakub Vrana agree to 3-year contract, avoid arbitration Defenseman Filip Hronek and forward Givani Smith are restricted free agents with no arbitration rights.

Ted Kulfan Detroit News LOADED: 08.11.2021

Detroit — The Red Wings and forward Jakub Vrana found middle ground and avoided a messy arbitration hearing.

Vrana, a restricted free agent, was scheduled for an arbitration hearing Wednesday with his still relatively new team. But the two sides came to an agreement Tuesday on a three-year contract worth $15.75 million ($5.25 million per season salary cap hit).

Vrana submitted a figure of $5.7 million for next season, in arbitration, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, while the Wings offered $3.65 million.

By getting Vrana to agree to a three-year contract, the Wings have Vrana under team control for one year past his eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wings acquired Vrana minutes before the March trade deadline expired, sending forward Anthony Mantha to Washington. Forward Richard Panik and two draft picks also came to Detroit.

Vrana quickly made an impression with the Wings.

“He’s got some of that ability to self-generate, because of his speed,” said coach Jeff Blashill late last season “That’s what speed guys can do. They don’t need, necessarily, great passes. They can self-generate, and he’s done that a little bit.

"Some guys need 10 shots to score, some guys can score on one shot, and he’s one of those guys that really has a special ability to score goals.”

Vrana, 25, had eight goals (including four in one game) and three assists, for 11 points in 11 games with the Wings. Vrana's goal-scoring ability was apparent quickly, and he showed a willingness and desire to play a sound, two-way game that apparently wasn't always shown in Washington.

“We’ve had a number of meetings, we’ve gone over some things, and he’s done a real good job of being receptive,” Blashill said in the season's final days about Vrana's desire to be a complete player. “He truly wants feedback and he wants to get better at things.

"He's a really talented player, and that’s a fact. He needs to keep working on his all-around game, but he’s a really talented player. He can be a real key addition, and what I like most about him is he’s been very receptive to coaching. He wants to get better in those areas that he needs to get better at so he can be out there more, and he’s done a good job of that.

“I’ve learned he cares and he wants to be better and that’s a huge part of it.”

For the season, Vrana had 19 goals and 17 assists (36 points) in 50 games between the Red Wings and Capitals.

Vrana appeared surprised by the trade to the Wings, but quickly warmed to joining his new organization and teammates, and the potential to play a bigger role than what Vrana had in Washington.

Several times in the season's final weeks, Vrana talked about his excitement about the Wings' future and being part of a promising rebuild with the organization.

"We're trying to build something here," Vrana said after the trade. "There is some young guys coming into the league, getting to know the league. They're learning here. We're trying to get better, trying to work on things we can do better out there. Everyone has work ethic here, everyone is going out there working hard and trying to win every battle, and trying to work for every inch out there.

"That can create great momentum."

Vrana just completed a two-year contract worth $6.7 million ($3.35 million salary cap hit). 1219286 Detroit Red Wings

Jackson’s Carter Mazur ‘comes full circle’ as Red Wings draft pick

By Ansar Khan

Getting drafted by any NHL organization is a thrill, but when it’s your hometown team, the excitement level and emotion reach a different level.

Such was the case for Jackson native Carter Mazur, the Detroit Red Wings’ third-round pick this year (No. 70).

“We were sitting in a bar and grill place watching it on TV and saw my name come up,” Mazur said. “I look over and my mom’s crying, my dad’s also crying, my grandpa’s there crying. It was unbelievable just getting drafted by the hometown team, especially growing up playing at LCA.”

Mazur, a 6-foot, 170-pound left wing, was the captain for the USHL Tri- City Storm, where he experienced a spike in production and growth this past season.

He has a history with Kris Draper, the Red Wings director of amateur scouting, who was once his youth coach.

“He grew up playing Little Caesars all the way from 10 to U-16,” Draper said. “It’s been a lot of fun and I’m proud to watch Carter develop into the player he has. Last year he went into his first year in Tri-City and it’s a big jump. At the time he was maybe 5-9½, 5-10. He’s grown 2-3 inches; he’s put on about 20 pounds. He knows he needs to still get bigger and stronger.

“The interesting thing for me was watching Tri-City and seeing the improvement from Carter from last year to this year. Our area scouts, the reports they were putting in about Carter, talking about the improvement, it was great to hear. We (drafted) Carter in a spot where he deserved it. As we were talking to our scouts, it was a pick we all wanted to make.”

Mazur, 19, tallied 20 goals and 44 points in 47 games, after putting up six goals and 13 points in the same number of games the previous season.

“When the (2019-20) season ended because of COVID, I felt like I was kind of hitting my stride,” Mazur said. “I also put on 30 pounds over the offseason, which really helped how I play. I feel like that was a massive part of how I produced this year.”

Mazur considers himself a 200-foot player.

“I’m better when I’m playing physical and heavy on players, as well as when I’m attacking the net and scoring down low,” he said. “I feel like that’s when I’m at the top of my game.”

Mazur will be roommates at the University of Denver with defenseman Shai Buium, the Red Wings’ second-round pick this year (No. 36).

“It’s a special moment that we both got drafted by this organization,” Mazur said. “I feel like it’s a really good fit for both of us.”

They will join defenseman Antti Tuomisto at Denver. He was Detroit’s second-round selection in 2019 and will be a sophomore.

Mazur’s favorite player while growing up was Darren Helm, who was the longest-tenured Red Wing until signing a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche July 29.

“He was someone I always watched and always I loved to go to the games,” Mazur said. “One time I got a stick signed by him for my birthday because I played for Kris Draper.

“It’s honestly crazy that it comes full circle in a way, that (Draper) was my coach and now he’s the one drafting me. I can’t really put it into words, but it’s awesome that I’m a part of what they’re trying to build in Detroit.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219287 Detroit Red Wings want to be ready for camp, but the real important part is to be ready for Game 1 against Tampa.”

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin feeling ‘great,’ back to shooting as recovery process continues

By Max Bultman Aug 10, 2021

With the Red Wings’ season opener nearly two months away, Dylan Larkin is back on the ice — skating, shooting and feeling refreshed.

Detroit’s captain has been recovering from a season-ending injury he appeared to sustain when Dallas’ Jamie Benn cross-checked him in the back of the neck in late April, and Tuesday he was back taking part in a Power Edge Pro camp locally. The group also included several other Red Wings players, including forwards Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen, as well as former Red Wings Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Svechnikov, among others.

Larkin has been skating for about a month now, he said, and just got cleared to shoot last week, so his return-to-play process is not yet complete. But he looked fluid as he skated through drills Tuesday and was in good spirits afterward.

“I feel great,” Larkin said. “Kind of a little blessing, I think, with how my summer’s been — it’s been a lot of rehab, a lot of recovery. I think I needed that.”

In reflecting on the 2020 offseason, Larkin said he thought he might have overdone it a bit while pushing himself so hard during the extra-long, pandemic-induced offseason. (The Red Wings were one of just seven teams that were in their offseason for 10 full months between 2019-20 and 2020-21.)

This time, he was forced into a period of recovery, and as Larkin now gears up for the start of the 2021-22 campaign, he said he’s feeling “refreshed and ready to go.”

The exact timeline, however, is still unfolding, with contact an obviously important benchmark.

“It’s something that is weekly, daily, it depends — I just have to still be cautious,” Larkin said. “I’m trying to push myself to be ready, and I think I will, but there’s still a little bit of an unknown with how everything’s going to respond. But so far, it’s looking good and I’m excited.”

The session Tuesday saw the players go through a series of Power Edge Pro circuits designed to force them to multitask, using their hands and feet at high speeds as they weaved through obstacles. Larkin has worked with the company for years now, sometimes going to Toronto, and asked the outfit to come to Metro Detroit this week, where he and some current and former teammates could go through the skill training.

“I find a lot of players in today’s game, they can move their feet, but can they move their hands at the same time?” said Nick Quinn, one of the camp’s instructors. “Eighty percent of the game is played in small areas at top speed, so if you can’t make plays in those small spaces at top speed, it’s pretty tough to play. So that’s what this is. We’re trying to overload the motor skills so that when they get into a game, things seem slower and they can react faster.”

Larkin has also been working at Little Caesars Arena, and he said new offseason additions Alex Nedeljkovic and Jordan Oesterle have been around recently. The Red Wings traded for Nedeljkovic — a Calder trophy finalist last season — earlier this offseason and signed Western Michigan alumnus Oesterle in free agency.

“It’s been great,” he said. “They’re excited, we’re excited to have them. A lot of new faces, but it’s going to be exciting and they’re going to bring a great energy in, and hopefully we can continue to build on what we’ve been building the past couple years.”

That building process will pick back up in earnest when the Red Wings open training camp Sept. 23 in Traverse City. Where Larkin’s recovery will stand by then remains to be seen, though, and there are more checkpoints to come before Detroit’s captain is fully back in action.

“I want to be (ready for training camp), I also have to look at the long- term plan, talking to the doctors and the training staff,” Larkin said. “I 1219288 Edmonton Oilers RW Jesse Puljujarvi has a cap hit of $1.175 million this coming season, and he was a true value contract a year ago scoring 15 goals in 55 games. A full season should result in 20-plus goals and could bring more Lowetide: The Oilers and value contracts. Three now, two later if things break right. It’s also true that Puljujarvi’s shot differential away from Connor McDavid improved in 2020-21, his 53.9 percent possession number marking the second time (also done as a rookie) the big Finn has been over 50 percent in five-on-five shots without the captain. All arrows By Allan Mitchell Aug 10, 2021 are positive for Puljujarvi, he appears poised for a big season.

RHD Evan Bouchard is a secret weapon for the Oilers this season, The Edmonton Oilers signed winger Brendan Perlini on Saturday, a two- mostly because he hasn’t played much in the NHL. His 2021-22 salary is way deal for $750,000 in the NHL and $250,000 in the AHL. That’s an $863,333. Bouchard played in just 14 games last year, so his boxcars (2- interesting split, lower for an NHL deal than prospect Tyler Benson (who 3-5) look pedestrian. However, his 1.27 points per 60 at five-on-five ranks will battle Perlini for an NHL job this fall) played for last season No. 2 among Oilers defencemen and No. 10 among all skaters, meaning ($808,333) but far higher than Benson’s minor league salary ($70,000) Bouchard can be expected to easily clear 20 points at five-on-five in a full on his entry-level deal. season. Power-play time may be scarce, signing Barrie means Bouchard will have a support role, but if the young defender gets on the No. 1 Edmonton general manager Ken Holland went big and long in free power play he could clear 40 points in his first full NHL season. agency this summer, spending significant money to retain Darnell Nurse, Defensively, his possession numbers were solid last season but he Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Tyson Barrie while procuring new talent in played in bad luck, it’s reasonable to expect he’ll land around 50 percent Zach Hyman, Cody Ceci and Derek Ryan. All but Ryan were over $3 in goal differential at five-on-five in 2021-22. I wrote about Bouchard as a million AAV, and most were contracts of three or more seasons. possible major story (because of his being held back) earlier in the summer for The Athletic. Bottom line: The money is spent for the next several seasons and Edmonton is officially on the lookout for more Perlini-level contracts. The RW Kailer Yamamoto is in an unusual spot but could be a big value Oilers don’t have enough value contracts who can be projected to key contract for Edmonton. In spite of two false starts to his NHL career when roles, so signings like Perlini, while also filling a depth need, have room he was a teenager, and a terrible slump to end the 2020-21 campaign to grow into something more substantial. It’s a long shot, but that’s a (two goals in the final 26 games) his NHL scoring numbers are 19-28-47 major avenue for the organization to make up for its lack of inexpensive in the last two seasons (79 games). If he can duplicate those numbers contributors. and come in under $2.1 million (he’s currently a restricted free agent) Yamamoto will be a value deal. Further confusing his situation: This was a central feature of Edmonton’s last Stanley Cup Final team in Yamamoto was an inspired pick by Edmonton, but the current 2006. management and coaching staff weren’t part of the Oilers organization Top heavy when he was drafted. Coach Dave Tippett ran the undersized buzzsaw on skill lines last year as there were no alternatives. If Yamamoto scores Edmonton’s foundation roster, defined as the top two lines, top two only two goals in the next 26 games, the coach has options this time. My pairings, starting goalie and No. 3 centre, currently comes in at just shy bet is he flourishes and ranks as one of the top value deals in 2021-22. of $60 million assuming Kailer Yamamoto signs for $2 million or less on his contract. That’s 73 percent of the cap for 12 men, leaving around $21 I count only three value contracts this season, and that’s if Yamamoto million for 11 additional players. comes in under $2.1 million. If he signs for more than one season, he and Bouchard (whose entry-level deal expires after the 2022-23 season) This year’s roster will require (based on Puck Pedia’s numbers) several will be possible value deals two seasons from now. Puljujarvi will get paid players to be productive while earning around $1 million or less. In fact, far more than $2 million if he delivers as expected and will no longer this is the new normal for Edmonton and the other 31 NHL teams, count as an emerging player. meaning value contracts are a key to winning. How many contracts could be outrun by performance might we see two It has been a priority since the cap era began in 2005, and Holland will seasons from now? need to construct a strong group that can play key positions while being paid low dollars. Best value players for 2022-23

The template One year from now, several players in the Oilers pipeline could emerge as legit feature players. I count two as having a good chance. In 2005-06, Kevin Lowe (Edmonton’s general manager at the time) had a dream team of value contracts that hasn’t been equalled in the years LW Dylan Holloway can play centre or wing but hasn’t played one game following. Here are the brilliant six and their impact on the last Edmonton of pro hockey. After his breakout season with the Wisconsin Badgers in team to make the final. The cap that season was $39 million. 2020-21 (11-24-35 in 23 games), there’s a great deal of anticipation surrounding his arrival. He could arrive in Edmonton at some point during LC Shawn Horcoff played a major role in all game states. He scored 22- the 2021-22 season, but expecting him to perform in a feature role is 51-73 in 79 games as the team’s top centre for $1 million. unwise. One of the underrated moves made by Holland over the last few months came in signing Holloway to his contract beginning this season LHD Marc-Andre Bergeron finished third in time on ice among (instead of burning a year). There are three seasons of entry-level dollars defencemen (21:14) and posted 15-20-35 in 75 games for $931,000. ($925,000) straight ahead for Holloway and he’s likely to be a value deal RW Ales Hemsky led Edmonton in points (19-58-77 in 81 games) adding in two of them. 6-11-17 in the playoffs. Cost: $901,740. RC Xavier Bourgault is only a few days past being drafted by the LW scored 27 goals on just 13 minutes a night and played organization and is not yet signed to a contract. He makes the list for two the game at the outer edge and beyond. His salary was $875,000. reasons: Bourgault will turn 20 in October 2022, meaning a possible early exit from junior hockey, plus his shooting percentage suggests he could RW Fernando Pisani was excellent as a two-way third-line scorer (18-19- emerge quickly from the pack as a first-shot scorer. In the past two 37 in 80 games) for $611,800. QMJHL seasons, Bourgault has scored 53 goals on 260 shots. That’s a RC Jarret Stoll played solid centre and was a big help on the power play 20.4 scoring percentage, a strong suggestion this might be an area of over 82 games, scoring 22-46-68. Cap hit: $501,600. elite skill. Here are some recent totals by Oilers picks who were goal- scorers coming out of the draft: Six men played key roles on a team that landed one win from winning Stanley. In today’s cap world, Horcoff’s $1 million deal would be $2.09 PLAYER DRAFT YEAR GOALS SHOTS PCT million. Jesse Puljujarvi

There’s no chance Edmonton’s system will deliver six men who can 2016 match the output (123 goals) for the same price, but can Oilers fans expect six value contracts in the next two years? 13

Best value players for 2021-22 175 7.4

Kailer Yamamoto

2017

21

111

18.9

Raphael Lavoie

2019

32

206

15.5

Dylan Holloway

2020

8

84

9.5

Xavier Bourgault

2021

20

107

18.7

The Yamamoto numbers are from his draft-plus-one season (WHL didn’t report shots on goal in 2016-17) but he was even more dominant in his draft year. This graph shows us Bourgault’s shooting percentage is top drawer and could (as it did with Yamamoto) get him fast-tracked to the NHL.

Summary

The 2005-06 Oilers took full advantage of inexpensive talent, made more valuable by the lockout season and natural maturation of the players involved. Six breakout seasons are unrealistic for the current Oilers pipeline in 2021-22, I count three and even a surprise emergence from Tyler Benson or Ryan McLeod would fall shy of the 2005-06 group.

The seasons to come should see Holloway and Bourgault as locks, and I’d suggest Philip Broberg, Raphael Lavoie, Dmitri Samorukov and Carter Savoie as possible value contracts who deliver in prominent NHL roles while drawing low cap hits.

The Oilers traded two value deals (Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones) this summer and dealt several draft picks that could be pushing in a few years.

Holland will no doubt scour college, Europe and CHL free agency to add talent to this area and the club’s scouts have gathered a solid group who are pushing now.

The Oilers can help themselves by not trading men who play prominent roles while making $2 million or less and keeping those valuable draft picks. Due to those moves, though, the 2005-06 watershed will remain both a fond memory and a distant bell in the season to come.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219289 Edmonton Oilers that Edmonton isn’t a better team. Maybe next year is the year that changes, but if it doesn’t it won’t be McDavid’s fault. It will be the team’s fault for failing to take advantage of the best player in hockey playing on The NHL’s 10 best contracts, 2021 edition: Connor McDavid ascends to the best contract in hockey. McDavid deserves so much better top spot considering the gift he gave to Edmonton with his deal.

2. Cale Makar

By Dom Luszczyszyn Aug 10, 2021 Contract: $9M x six years

Surplus Value: $44.2M

The offseason is slowing down, general managers have already spent Positive Value Probability: 88.3 percent millions committing to future problems, and all that’s left to do is stare at The top of this list belongs to a generational talent, the best player in CapFriendly in bewilderment. “How is this guy making that much?” hockey whose salary looks high on the surface, but is nowhere close to That statement can go both ways, a shock regarding how much a player his actual value. The same could arguably be said about Makar’s new is underpaid or overpaid. With this being the “best contracts” article, deal which carries a pretty low annual average relative to what he’s we’re going to tackle the former, with the “worst contracts” coming up shown in his first two seasons in the league. The way he’s started his tomorrow. career, he looks like a generational defenceman, a player who may just change how we think about positions in hockey. This is an annual three-part series (2019, 2020 versions) looking at contract efficiency around the league, a crucial element to team building Makar is obviously not a typical defenceman with the way he plays that has only become more important in a flat cap world. The goal here is (which is why he has no comps to use for age curve purposes). He’s a to grade contracts empirically with the same context being applied to wild horse set free to do whatever he pleases – and it works. He’s the each player across the league. The lone goal is finding how much value most prolific producer from the back-end in hockey and one of the best each player brings to the table and how likely they’ll provide positive play-drivers too. It’s difficult to fully separate his effect from the elite five- value over the life of the contract. No subjectivity, just math. man squadron Colorado has at its disposal, but it’s clear from watching him do his thing that he’s a major catalyst for making the top unit go. The way that’s measured comes from comparing a player’s GSVA and the expected salary that comes with it to the current contract a player The model currently expects Makar to be a four-win player for the life of possesses. Surplus value compares what they make with what my model his deal, an extremely high bar based on his age and first two seasons believes they should be making, while positive value probability playing at that level. No other defender over the last decade has had a measures the certainty that a player will perform above his cap hit. The value that consistently high so the model is either a little too high or list of best and worst contracts is based on those two factors (with twice Makar is here to break the mould as the best defenceman of his as much weight being placed on surplus value) looking outward. What generation. players have already done holds no merit, this is about the future value of I’m leaning toward the latter and that makes him a steal at his price tag. It the deal. Contract clauses and bonus structure are important, but not usually takes some time for a big-time RFA deal to look so alluring, but considered with this assessment. Players on LTIR were not considered. Makar’s looked the part on day one. When some other high-profile This year, I’ve also based age curves on player comps (where defencemen who were not even in Makar’s stratosphere signed in a applicable, minimum five comps). Essentially, instead of simply using a similar ball park, it looked even better. population average, I looked at the 25 closest comparables to the player 3. Brad Marchand in question and then looked at how those players aged on average. It should add a little more context into why a contract might age well or Contract: $6.1M x four years poorly though for a lot of players on this list it was very difficult to find proper comps. Surplus Value: $27.7M

So here it is, the 10 best contracts in hockey according to GSVA. Positive Value Probability: 92.5 percent

1. Connor McDavid This summer I spent a fair bit of time altering how age curves are calculated on the future projection chart, using historical comps based on Contract: $12.5M x five years player similarity to help determine how a player might age. That works for most of the league, but not so much for the players at the very top of the Surplus Value: $38.6M league who don’t have many peers. Marchand is one of those players, Positive Value Probability: 93.5 percent and the fact he’s 33 years old only makes it more difficult to find comps for such a high-level player. Over the last decade, only one other player The highest-paid player in the league is also the league’s best bargain. aged 33 or older has had a projected value above four wins: Pavel This is Connor McDavid’s world, we just live in it. Datsyuk. Not Crosby, not linemate Patrice Bergeron, not Alex Ovechkin, not Joe Thornton. Just Datsyuk and Marchand. It seems a bit wild to think about, but it’s not so different from when Sidney Crosby held the title for best player and best contract for so long. It’s very difficult to tell how Marchand will age given he’s already 33 and He took less so his team could build a contender around him and it was he doesn’t have many peers to help inform his eventual downfall. That evident from the get-go that McDavid did the same thing – even if it was makes projecting his future value tricky as his decline may not be as rosy the biggest deal in league history. as a standard age curve figures. This one still expects him to be elite at the age of 37, the last year of his deal, which already feels a bit far- But it took a historic season for McDavid to rise up the ranks of this list fetched. from 10th to the top spot, with last year’s incredible performance leaving no doubt that McDavid was the league’s best and it wasn’t even close. Marchand is a special player though, a supremely underrated talent who His current value is so comically high that it broke my chart, a projected is on a bargain deal regardless of whether he keeps up this elite level of win rate of 5.8 wins that only barely fits under the six-win cutoff at the top play or not. His expected value given his contract is just 1.6 wins and that I didn’t think any player would exceed. McDavid isn’t just any player. considering his current height it’s difficult to see him falling that far over the next four seasons. He has a very high probability of living up to his If McDavid can maintain this level of value (and for the record, he played deal considering where he stands now as a four-win player. That’s more at a 6.8-win pace last year) he is a $20 million player. The league max is than twice as much as expected and that means a hefty amount of $16.3 million meaning that even at 20 percent of the salary cap, McDavid surplus value for the league’s best left winger. would still be a bargain. On a max deal, McDavid would still have a surplus-value of $20 million over the life of his deal and have a 77 4. percent chance of outperforming. In other words, McDavid would still be worthy of being on this list of best contracts if he made the maximum Contract: $1M x one year, $4.2M x three years allowed under the salary cap. He is that good. Surplus Value: $29.1M

Instead, he’s underpaid by about $7.7 million per year. Couple that with Positive Value Probability: 79.5 percent another superstar from the same team on this list, and it’s almost criminal The first contract out of left field and one where eyebrows will likely be I’ve seen with almost every bar a deep, dark shade of blue. He’s good raised – and for good reason. Carter Verhaeghe is worth how much? and underpaid, nothing shocking here other than him still qualifying with just two years left. He’s that good. The model is obviously wildin’ out a bit here, not totally sure what to do with a player who literally came out of nowhere to put up elite results. 7. Shea Theodore Verhaeghe went from career minor leaguer to fourth line outcast in Tampa Bay to a nice 69-point pace in Florida playing with Aleksander Contract: $5.2M x four years Barkov. It’s that last fact that has many skeptical, believing Verhaeghe is Surplus Value: $23.2M simply a byproduct of an elite center. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Barkov’s best season came when Verhaeghe arrived, or that his Positive Value Probability: 81.9 percent numbers dipped when the winger was out of the lineup. Verhaeghe was In 2019-20, Theodore posted some absurdly elite numbers that made pulling his weight. everyone in the analytics community swoon, but those results were Is it enough to be considered a legitimate top line winger? I’m honestly brushed aside a bit. He didn’t play tough minutes and his actual rates not sure, but there’s a tendency to be overly cautious when a player didn’t quite line up with his expected rates. Then the bubble playoffs comes out of nowhere when the breakout is a strong signal. happened and there was no mistaking just how good Theodore really was: He was one of the league’s best defencemen, period. Verhaeghe’s ascent doesn’t look very far off from William Karlsson’s first season in Vegas (which does show up as a comp if I include 2017-18 Theodore followed up his strong playoff showing with another excellent seasons). Karlsson went from 0.1 wins to 4.5 wins, earned a projected regular season campaign, producing at a very high level. His ability to value of 2.7 wins and then regressed down to 2.1 wins. A little lower than drive offence is nearly unparalleled league-wide, and while he still expected, but still a legitimate top line player. Verhaeghe went from doesn’t play tough minutes, he absolutely crushes the role he does play. minus-0.2 wins to a 3.9 win pace to a 2.5-win projection. He’s a smooth-skating, dynamic puck-mover, an elite offensive catalyst from the back-end who is expected to remain elite for the remainder of Even if he doesn’t quite live up to that (and the error bars are quite large his 20s. He’s signed for four more years at the bargain bin price of $5.2 for that reason), there’s a good chance what he showed last year was million and that’s really helped Vegas continue to build a championship enough to consider him at the very least a high-end second-line player. contender. His low price tag means the team can afford to add some like For just $1 million next year and $4.2 million for three years after that, Alex Pietrangelo, giving the team an elite two-headed monster on the that’s a legitimate steal. blue line. It’s Theodore that’s driving the bus there though and he’s a 5. Leon Draisaitl steal at his salary. The expectation at $5.2 million is just 1.1 wins per season, a low-end number two defender. Theodore is so much more Contract: $8.5M x four years than that.

Surplus Value: $23.2M 8. Auston Matthews

Positive Value Probability: 88.6 percent Contract: $11.6M x three years

I still remember the uproar when Draisaitl signed for $8.5 million per Surplus Value: $17.7M season back in 2017. It didn’t take long for those takes to look ridiculous as Draisaitl has not only grown into an elite player, but a top five player at Positive Value Probability: 89.5 percent that. Yes, defense is still a question mark, but only McDavid can produce Matthews is often a surprising addition to these lists for some given how above his level and that’s worth a whole lot. This model believes it’s in exorbitant his contract seemed at the time – especially with just a five- the ballpark of $14.3 million for the remainder of his deal. year term attached. But he has more than delivered his fair share and if That of course wasn’t the case at the time. Draisaitl was projected to be last season was any indication, his high price tag will be a hefty bargain worth 2.6 wins at the time which is worth roughly 11.3 percent of the going forward, just like McDavid. Enough to still land on this list with just salary cap on the open market – exactly $8.5 million under the salary cap three years left on his deal. By GSVA, Matthews is projected to be the at the time. In RFA terms it was an overpay, but that’s always relative to second-best player in the league behind McDavid. That’s worth a lot of the market and not to what Draisaitl could actually deliver. Considering money. he was just 21 at the time and the salary cap looked likely to increase The key finding from my initial study was just how underpaid the absolute with each passing year, $8.5 million looked likely to be a bargain by the best players are. If contract value can be related to a player’s value in time the deal was up. wins (and the link is fairly strong), then superstars, especially young And that was before his massive breakout, something that always has a ones, often get the short end of the stick. That’s especially true if their high percentage chance of happening for players before hitting their contracts are compared to McDavid’s, the game’s highest-paid player, prime. The deal might have looked a little wild at the time, but it’s always without understanding that he’s arguably on the league’s best contract. better to make those bets on young talent who have room to grow into That brings us to Matthews who makes just under $900,000 less than their deal. Draisaitl did, and then some, and now he’s worth so much McDavid. Through that lens, his contract is obviously worse. Compared more than his cap hit. With four years left, the 2020 MVP is on one of the to the rest of the league though, he’s far from it. Matthews is projected to best contracts in the league. be worth around five wins going forward which equates to roughly $2.3 6. Nathan MacKinnon million per win. There aren’t many players delivering that kind of performance per dollar. Matthews, like McDavid, is worth the league max Contract: $6.3M x two years and for the next three seasons – his prime – has a very high chance of outperforming his lofty contract. Surplus Value: $19.8M 9. Samuel Girard Positive Value Probability: 99.0 percent Contract: $5.0M x six years Generally, earning large surplus value stems from having a long enough contract to do so. It’s an additive property where the longer a deal is a Surplus Value: $25.3M bargain, the more surplus value can be added up. MacKinnon is the exception to that rule: So good and so underpaid that with just two years Positive Value Probability: 69.5 percent left he still qualifies to be on this list. No player is more underpaid per Of all the players to make it onto this list Girard’s inclusion was one of the year than MacKinnon and thus no player has a higher chance of most surprising to me and then I remembered the contract: Six years left outperforming their deal. Like McDavid, MacKinnon is arguably worth the at $5 million for a now legitimate number one defenceman? Yeah, that’s league maximum as a 4.8-win player over the next two years. He is a good one. With the way the defence market is heading, Girard’s deal earning $10 million less than that. already looks like a pittance.

MacKinnon is projected to be the third-best player in the league and When Girard signed his deal it looked like a slight overpay for a young currently carries the 88th highest cap hit. That’s a gigantic discrepancy defenseman – one that he might grow into, but one he had a chance of so it’s no wonder he made it onto this list. Elite production, elite play- not being able to live up to. As it turns out, Colorado made a very savvy driving impacts at both ends of the ice and one of the silliest player cards bet on his potential, one that delivered incredible results last season. Girard arrived, scoring at a 55-point pace despite minimal power-play time while being a key part of Colorado’s even-strength juggernaut. Girard had a 62 percent expected goals rate last season, one of the highest marks in the league and that contributed to him playing at a 3.6- win pace last year.

There’s a chance the model simply overrates everyone on Colorado, not knowing how exactly to handle a historically dominant possession team. The degree of difficulty goes way down in Colorado and that was especially true last year in a very weak division. Girard may not be able to repeat what he did last season and there’s a wide range of uncertainty to his projection, but he looked like the real deal for the Avalanche. He’s a number one guy and at $5 million – or two Tucker Poolmans – that’s an absolute steal.

10. David Pastrnak

Contract: $6.7M x two years

Surplus Value: $13.8M

Positive Value Probability: 91 percent

Pastrnak was once the perennial leader of this article finishing first in back-to-back years. My model loved him – perhaps a little too much. With just two years remaining on his deal, it’s difficult to put up massive surplus value like he used to. He had a bit of a down year last season production-wise as well which lowers his market value in the eyes of the model.

Still, he’s well worthy of a spot on this list despite all of that. Even after a down year, the model still projects Pastrnak to be worth over four wins next season as one of the game’s elite goal scorers. He has strong play- driving numbers at both ends of the ice playing on one of the best lines in hockey and though his age curve is wonky due to the small number of comps, he should remain an elite player for the rest of his 20s.

Pastrnak has just two years left on his deal, but on average the model sees him being worth $13.6 million per season during that stretch. That’s twice as much as what he’s currently being paid and it means he has a very high probability of adding positive value. The Bruins got a major bargain on this deal and that should continue for the last two years of it.

Honourable Mentions: , Mikko Rantanen, Jakob Chychrun, MacKenzie Weegar, Nikita Kucherov

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219290 Florida Panthers

FHN Today: Sasha Barkov, Patrik Laine go golfing for charity

By George Richards

Sasha Barkov and Patrik Laine teamed up once again this past weekend at a golf course in their native Finland to raise a lot of money in their third annual charity golf tournament.

In speaking with Jameson Olive of FloridaPanthers.com, Barkov relayed that after raising more than $100,000 for the Tampere Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, this year’s event raised over $160,000.

The Laine & Barkov Charity Golf Tournament is now in its third year.

“It’s getting bigger all the time,” Barkov told Olive. “The first time, we didn’t really know if it would last. You just lived in the moment. Now, it’s becoming a tradition, not just for us but for the people who come to it. It does good things for the community in Finland and tries to help the people.”

As for the charity, Barkov said “it’s to help people to play the sports they really like, but they’re not able to afford it.It’s a really big thing here in Finland to help people play the sports they like. Not everyone can afford it, so that’s why we’re here trying to raise some money for that. We want to help fulfill their dreams and maybe even their goals for life. We’re really enjoying that part.”

Get a subscription to Florida Hockey Now today for all the latest Panthers news from the offseason to the postseason

The golf tournament is one of the final big events Barkov has committed to in Finland as he is expected to be back in South Florida in the coming weeks.

When he returns, focus will turn toward the new long-term extension his agent Todd Diamond and Florida GM Bill Zito have been working on this summer.

FLORIDA PANTHERS LINKS

The Panthers made some headlines around the sports world on Monday after announcing that they had signed Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King to a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal. Here is what all that means. (FHN)

— The Athletic broke down the best 10 contracts in the league. Do the Panthers have one of them. Yup. (TA)

AROUND THE NHL

The Red Wings and Jakub Vrana have avoided arbitration as they come to terms on a new contract. (SN)

— Is Jon Cooper the right coach for Team Canada? We think so. (TSN)

— Guess who else is on Team Canada’s staff? Pete DeBoer. (VHN)

— Is Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov headed back to the KHL after winning the Calder Trophy? Reports say he has an eight-figure contract with CSKA Moscow waiting for him if a long-term deal with the Wild doesn’t work out. (SN)

— Will Vancouver and the Kraken become rivals? Well, they are almost neighbors and will be playing in the same division so, yeah? (VHN)

— Carter Hart gets a three-year deal with the Flyers. (PHN)

— Ilya Samsonov also has a new contract with the Capitals. (WHN)

— Here are the best free agents the Red Wings have brought in over the years. (DHN)

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219291 Los Angeles Kings

Defenseman Brandt Clarke signs three-year, entry-level contract with Kings

By Zach Dooley

Last month, Brandt Clarke was selected by the Kings, eighth overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft. Today, he signs the first contract of his career, inking a three-year, entry-level contract that carries an AAV of $925,000 at the NHL level.

Clarke, 18, registered 15 points (5-10=15) and a plus-6 rating in 26 games last season with the HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia. Prior to playing overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he played with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-2, 190-pound defenseman posted 38 points (6-32=38) in 57 games during his OHL rookie season with Barrie in 2019-20. He led all rookie defensemen in points and assists and finished second in goals. He ranked fourth on the Colts in points and second in assists, leading team-defensemen in both categories.

Clarke, naturally, marks the first member of the Kings 2021 draft class to sign an entry-level deal. At 18-years-old, Clarke is not eligible to play in the American Hockey League this season, which limits him to either the NHL or the OHL, where he’d return as a member of the Barrie Colts. The 2020 Draft Class currently has just two players – Quinton Byfield and Helge Grans – signed to NHL contracts as of this writing, and getting Clarke under contract so soon marks an early win for the organization, giving them and Clarke the flexibility.

The 6-2 defenseman provides an offensive mindset and skillset from the backend. Clarke isn’t necessarily your typical build for that type of player, standing over six-feet tall, he’s not your smaller than average blueliner. Standing a decent size, Clarke is skilled both skating and moving the puck. He’s known for his quick outlet passes, and vision in choosing the right recipient, but also for his craftiness when skating with the puck.

“I pride myself on getting pucks up quick, I pride myself on making good first passes, but I do have that creative asset,” Clarke said, following the draft. “I can throw those fakes in to throw forwards off sometimes or throw those fakes in to get shots through from the point. I feel like that’s just something I’m good at, like I said I’m poised and patient with the puck.”

Clarke was targeted by the Kings throughout the draft process, with the organization quite happy to see him available when their pick came up at number eight. Clarke has been regarded well by those in the analytics community, frequently ranking higher in those spheres than eighth overall.

Kings Director of Scouting Mark Yannetti has frequently talked about his desire to add elite traits to the organization through the draft, and with adding players that give the organization different options. Clarke presents something for the Kings organization, through his offensive abilities from the backend.

“If you go to Clarke, he’s something we’ve never had,” Yannetti said. “The style of play, the offense-driving, offense-first, borderline dynamic, offensive defenseman. Clarke is something different. I don’t want to compare guys, I don’t think that’s the fair thing, but what Clarke is, is something we haven’t had. He’s an offense-generating player. He can generate offense through transition, he can generate it individually, he can generate it on the blueline, all three ways.”

Looking ahead, the Barrie Colts season doesn’t begin until Thursday, October 7, which gives the Kings plenty of options, at this time, regarding Clarke. While the Kings appear pretty set on the right side of the blueline at the senior level, NHL training camp begins three weeks before the OHL season begins, meaning the Kings can choose to keep Clarke around professional players for a longer stretch if they so choose, through a potential rookie camp and eventual main training camp, giving him a chance to assimilate and even make some waves in doing so.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219292 Minnesota Wild

For the love of the Wild, just get Kirill Kaprizov signed already

The latest report about an eight-figure offer for the emerging Wild star to play a season in Russia is causing tension. There's only one way to solve this: Everyone meet in the middle and get a deal done.

By Michael Rand Star Tribune AUGUST 10, 2021 — 11:34AM

Contract negotiations of all sorts are filled with outrageous posturing for leverage, as each side tries to wring every last cent and term from the other.

The Wild's negotiation with budding superstar and Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov is no different, at least from a baseline standpoint. But the guideposts for the leverage GM Bill Guerin and Kaprizov's representation bring to the table are fairly unique.

The Wild's leverage: Kaprizov is done with his entry-level deal, but he's not a free agent (restricted or unrestricted). He can only negotiate with the Wild, at least among NHL teams.

Kaprizov's leverage: He's the best single entity to grace the Wild in its two-decade history, and oh by the way he could just go play in Russia (wink, wink ... um, probably) if he doesn't like the Wild's offer.

That's where we stand as of mid-day Tuesday, though a report from Daily Faceoff on Monday saying Kaprizov has a tentative one-year deal for eight figures to play in Russia next season — if the Wild can't work out a deal in the next few weeks — turned up the dial on the tension at least.

I talked about that on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast, and Patrick Reusse joined me later to offer his two cents as well.

If you don't see the podcast player, tap here to listen.

It still seems very likely that this all plays out in a way that the Wild, Kaprizov and fans can enjoy. It sounds like the Wild wants to sign Kaprizov to a much longer deal than he wants to sign — that he would like his next swing at actual free agency to come in his late 20s, not early 30s.

The easy answer is a five-year deal for about $9 million per season, maybe a little more. Kaprizov would be 29 when the deal expires. The Wild would get a core player signed and can start building out its future — albeit one complicated by dead cap hits for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise over the life of much of any shorter deal.

But it's clearly time for the posturing to end. When both sides have leverage, the only real place to meet is in the middle.

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219293 Minnesota Wild While it’s impossible to get a true grip on the situation without word from Guerin or Theofanous, Kaprizov ultimately would make more money and compete with the world’s best players in the NHL. The Wild seem to have What we know, and don’t know, about the Kirill Kaprizov negotiations more leverage here. Still, news that CSKA Moscow has a deal waiting for Kaprizov starting Sept. 1, even if it’s a feint, indicates his camp is willing Alleged deal with his old KHL team seems to indicate Calder Trophy to play hardball. winner won’t sign long-term deal Pioneer Press LOADED: 08.11.2021

By JOHN SHIPLEY

Wild general manager Bill Guerin was not available for comment Tuesday as the Minnesota Wild’s fan base fretted over the team’s ability to sign winger Kirill Kaprizov to a contract that would at least get him into camp when it begins next month.

Kaprizov, the Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie last season, is a 10.2 restricted free agent, which means he can negotiate only with the Wild. His other option would be to go back to Russia, where he has been a star for three seasons and apparently has a one-year deal with his former club waiting.

Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, could not be reached on Tuesday but it appears Kaprizov’s camp is trying to tighten the screws on negotiations by leaking — planting? — news of an alleged contract agreement with CSKA Moscow of the Russian KHL League, where Kaprizov played for three seasons before joining the Wild in 2020.

On Sunday night, Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff tweeted that Kaprisov has a tentative, one-year deal for “eight figures” — i.e. $10 million — waiting for him with CSKA Moscow should he not sign with Minnesota. Kaprizov scored 78 goals and 153 points in 160 games and won two league championships with the club from 2017-19.

The KHL played under a salary cap of about $12 million last season, so one can take that $10 million figure with a grain of salt. At the same time, it wouldn’t be crazy to believe a KHL club could figure out a way to make it work.

In his first NHL season, Kaprizov scored 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games, most ever for a Wild rookie. With Russia, he won two KHL titles and a World Championship. The Wild drafted him late in the 2015 entry draft and waited five years for him to wear a Minnesota sweater.

Thefanous, Kaprizov’s agent, helped goaltender Artemi Panarin earn a seven-year, $81.5 million deal, with an $11.6 million cap hit, with the New York Rangers in 2019. Another goaltender client, Sergei Bobrovsky, has a seven-year, $70 million contract with Florida.

Seravalli reported that the “initial hangup” was that the Wild was offering a seven- or eight-year deal, while Kaprizov, 24, wants a shorter deal so he can become an unrestricted free agent sooner.

Now, Seravalli reported, “The Wild appear ready and willing to talk a medium-term length deal.”

The Wild are in this situation because they signed him to a two-year, two- way entry contract in July 2020, just before the COVID season rebooted, and burned Kaprizov’s first year. According to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, recently extended through the 2025-26 season, a player can become an unrestricted free agent only if he has either seven years of accrued NHL experience or turned 27 by June 30 of the previous summer.

Guerin has made it clear he wants to build his offense around Kaprizov and left winger Kevin Fiala, another restricted free agent. After the free agency market opened Aug. 1, Guerin told reporters “You always want to be done, but done doesn’t make it right. That doesn’t mean we’re in the best spot. It means you can go to your beach house.”

Guerin started his offseason by buying out the contracts of left winger Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter, who have since signed deals elsewhere but are still owed $10 million apiece from the Wild with identical, and prohibitive, cap hits of $6.3 million, $7.4 million and $7.4 million from 2022-23 to 2024-25.

That, of course, makes throwing money at Kaprizov more difficult for Guerin. More difficult would be not wrapping up the best player to come through St. Paul since Marian Gaborik was the Wild’s first draft pick in 2000. 1219294 New Jersey Devils Subtractions

Nathan Bastian, RW

State of the Devils: Offseason additions offer hope that the rebuild is Seattle expansion draft nearly over Will Butcher, D

Trade to Buffalo By Corey Masisak Aug 10, 2021 Connor Carrick, D

Signed with Seattle This is the first in a series of stories, State of the Devils, that will take a short- and long-term view at where the franchise stands after a second Aaron Dell, G weird, pandemic-shortened season and where it is going in the years to Signed with Buffalo come. Mikhail Maltsev, C Think back over the past few seasons and what has been the most- asked question about the New Jersey Devils. Trade to Colorado

Has Pavel Zacha turned a proverbial corner? When are the Devils going Nick Merkley, RW to land a high-end defenseman? When is the club going to spend to the Trade to San Jose salary-cap ceiling? Ryan Murray, D All of those have been asked many times, but none is the correct answer, er, question. That would be the simple one: When is the rebuild going to Signed with Colorado end? Gilles Senn, G The Devils have more wins in the NHL draft lottery (two) than victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (one) since 2012. Technically, New Jersey’s Signed with HC Davos rebuilding project did not begin until the summer of 2015, and what Matt Tennyson, D happened between the 2012 Cup final and Ray Shero being named general manager in 2015 ended up setting back an inevitable process Signed with Nashville even more than people might have expected. State of the Devils: The Timeline There was a surprising playoff berth in 2018, and much enthusiasm after several high-profile additions in the summer of 2019, but the hope State of the Devils: Centers generated by those events quickly faded. The comedown from those State of the Devils: Wingers false dawns has fueled even more angst for a portion of the fan base. State of the Devils: Defensemen So here we are, fresh off another flurry of offseason activity where the Devils have garnered universal praise for their business completed. Do State of the Devils: Goalies we now know when the rebuilding project will be complete? The Devils are certainly better, on paper, on Aug. 10 than they were on Maybe. It looks like the timeline is clearer today than it was a month ago July 10, or any day after they began trading away players during the or a year ago. 2021 season. They are certainly better and deeper on defense and in goal than they’ve been at any point since was a Vezina Given that the answer to this question is usually quite vague, something Trophy candidate (for a team that needed to lose, if we’re being honest). like “every rebuilding process is different, and there’s never a set There is legitimate excitement about the talent at forward, though it timeline” or “you have to be patient, and progress won’t always happen in remains largely young and still developing. a straight line” … “maybe” feels like progress. Could the new additions, plus improvement from the young players and Additions in a couple of key team-centric areas (special teams), propel the Devils Jonathan Bernier, G from the morass near the bottom of the NHL standings to a playoff berth, which would be characterized as a similar rags-to-riches story to the Signed for two years, $8.25 million 2017-18 club?

Ryan Graves, D Sure, it’s possible. Teams make drastic year-to-year moves in the NHL standings all the time, in large part because the margins are so thin Trade with Colorado beyond the truly elite teams and all sorts of variance and luck can play Dougie Hamilton, D their part.

Signed for seven years, $63 million That shouldn’t be the focus for the Devils, and the most important people in the organization have made it clear that it’s not. Remaining in the Tomas Tatar, LW playoff chase, playing meaningful games late into the season and gobbling up valuable experience for the young players — that’s the focus Signed for two years, $9 million for next season. Christian Jaros, D Tomas Tatar ($4.5m) Trade with San Jose Jack Hughes (ELC) Chase De Leo, F Yegor Sharangovich ($2m) Signed one-year, two-way Pavel Zacha ($2.25m) Brian Flynn, F Nico Hischier ($7.25m) Signed one-year, two-way Jesper Bratt ($2.75m) Joseph Gambardella, F Miles Wood ($2.75m) Signed two-year, two-way Michael McLeod (975K) Robbie Russo, D Janne Kuokkanen (RFA) Signed two-year, two-way Andreas Johnsson ($3.4m) Jesper Boqvist (ELC) New Jersey has a more talented roster, and the pieces in place to compete for a playoff spot. The Devils are still likely a little short, Graeme Clarke (ELC) particularly when it comes to the depth necessary to overcome injuries Nolan Foote (ELC) during an 82-game season, of being a playoff team.

Dawson Mercer (ELC) But the following season might be a different story. And the one after that might be when it’s really “go time” in Newark. Alexander Holtz (ELC) Just consider the contract situations up and down the roster. Yes, having Marian Studenic ($750K) Dougie Hamilton makes the Devils better in 2021-22. But committing to him for seven years is more about having a No. 1 defenseman when this Nathan Schnarr (ELC) club is really ready to win big. (ELC) Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Bernier are different types of acquisitions. A.J. Greer ($750K) They can help raise the floor for this team over the next two seasons. They can help young players develop — Tatar by finishing chances from Aarne Talvitie (ELC) Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, Bernier by pushing and mentoring Mackenzie Blackwood. Fabian Zetterlund (ELC) But they are just two-year commitments. If it works out great for one or Joseph Gambardella ($750K) both of them in New Jersey, maybe there is another contract in their Chase De Leo ($750K) futures. Or maybe they just end up being the guys who helped the Devils through this transition period. Brian Flynn ($750K) It’s not just the new guys, either. Damon Severson, Ryan Graves and LEFT DEFENSE Jonas Siegenthaler all have two years left on their current contract. Ty Smith has two left on his entry-level contract (ELC). Blackwood has two RIGHT DEFENSE years left as well. GOALIE Upfront, there are two groups of three. The guys who have been here — Ryan Graves ($3.167m) Pavel Zacha, Jesper Bratt and Miles Wood — all need new contracts after this season. The three kids who became regulars in 2021 — Dougie Hamilton ($9m) Michael McLeod, Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen — all Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.8m) signed two-year deals this offseason.

Ty Smith (ELC) Let’s assume Hughes signs a long-term contract at some point. That would mean Hughes, Hischier and Hamilton are all signed beyond 2022- Damon Severson ($4.167m) 23, the end of this two-year window. Smith will just be coming off his ELC and could also sign a lucrative second contract if he continues to Jonathan Bernier ($4.125m) progress like he did in 2020-21.

Jonas Siegenthaler ($1.125m) Who else is definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, part of the core in P.K. Subban ($9m) 2023-24 and beyond? There are probably a lot of different answers to that question, but the best one might be “we are about to find out.” Scott Wedgewood ($825K) That’s what this transition period is going to be. By the end of it, the Kevin Bahl (ELC) Devils are going to want to believe the 2023-24 season will be the first of several as a Stanley Cup contender. That could mean making the Christian Jaros ($800K) playoffs next year or contending for a spot at a minimum. It could mean Nico Daws (ELC) making the playoffs the following year.

Colton White ($750K) But it also means using this time to figure out who is going to be in the boat for the long haul. Are guys like Severson, Graves, Zacha, Bratt and Reilly Walsh (ELC) Wood going to be part of the core? Are we going to have a better handle on what type of players guys like Smith, Sharangovich, McLeod and Akira Schmid (ELC) Kuokkanen can become? Nikita Okhotiuk (ELC) How many of the prospects who haven’t grabbed a lineup spot yet can Robbie Russo ($750K) become regulars in that span? Will Tatar plus some combination of Sharangovich, Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote and Graeme Clarke be Michael Vukojevic (ELC) enough, or are the Devils still going to be searching for another high-end goal scorer? Jeremy Groleau (ELC) Will any of Kevin Bahl, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Reilly Walsh, Nikita But what about the big question — when will the rebuilding project be Okhotiuk or Michael Vukojevic squeeze their way into the top four on the over? blue line, or will the Devils still be looking for another high-end One interpretation of this is quite simple: Every NHL team is either defenseman? How confident will the club be that Luke Hughes can be an rebuilding or in “win-now” mode, with the focus on competing for the impact rookie in 2023-24? Will Akira Schmid or Nico Daws be ready to championship. There is often a little more context needed, and that’s back up Blackwood, will Bernier return or will another external option be probably where the 2021-22 Devils reside. needed?

If we pull back for a more long-term outlook, one timeline comes into There is still a lot to sort out before the Devils are really ready to contend focus: Two years. consistently for the Stanley Cup. In that sense, the rebuilding process might seem far from complete. If someone wanted to place a bet on when the Devils are ready to proclaim they are in “win-now” mode and most of the roster decisions are But there are cornerstone pieces in place. Landing another one this focused on whatever the club needs to advance as far as it can in the summer (Hamilton) without having to give up any prized young assets Stanley Cup Playoffs, two years from now looks like a smart wager. was huge. And there are lots of intriguing options to fill out the outer- circle core and the role players. Let’s call this a new phase for the Devils’ rebuilding process — the transition. The Devils, from the GM to the coach to the top players, have Given how unpredictable player development can be, it’s plausible the all said they want to be done with losing and trading away veterans and Devils can expedite this timeline. Maybe the Devils will be deemed rooting for Ping-Pong balls. contenders by the time the 2023 playoffs begin. It still feels more likely to be the following year, and that is assuming no major injuries for the stars, further deft cap management and reinforcements if any of the outer-circle core guys move on.

Given how long this rebuilding process has lasted, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns, more clarity on when it will be complete should be welcome. It’s too soon to unveil a “Mission Accomplished” banner, but the transition away from worrying about lottery odds and to fretting about three-point games between two other playoff contenders and potential trade-deadline additions instead of subtractions should be the next step.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219295 New York Islanders NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021

NYHN Daily: Goalie Contracts Galore & MorePublished 22 hours ago on August 10, 2021

By Stefen Rosner

While the Islanders continue to stand pat, goaltenders have been given extensions by their respected clubs. Islanders head coach has been awarded an assistant coach position with Team Canada for the 2022 Winter Olympics hockey team.

These stories and more in today’s

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz has been an assistant for Canada’s Olympic team in 2022. This will be his first Olympic experience for the future Hall of Fame coach. (Newsday)

The Boston Bruins have locked up their 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell. Less than a month after the Boston Bruins drafted speedy and skilled 18-year-old Swedish winger with the 21st overall pick at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on July 23, a report surfaced out of Sweden Monday that the team had signed Lysell to an entry-level contract. Later in the day the Bruins confirmed the reports and announced they signed Lysell to three- year contract with an AAV of 925,000. (Boston Hockey Now)

Tuesday night was Mike Lange night at PPG Paints Arena. The Pittsburgh Penguins iconic announcer is celebrating 45 years in the broadcast booth, but the quantity pales in comparison to the quality. For those of you who are under 40-years-old, the importance of Lange is tough to describe adequately. He wasn’t always the radio announcer. For a long time, Mike Lange was the Pittsburgh Penguins. (This story originally appeared on Oct. 9, 2019.) (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Check another box off of ’s to-do list. The Philadelphia Flyers signed Carter Hart to a three-year contract extension, the team announced. The three-year contract extension carries an average annual value (AAV) of $3.979 million for No. 79. Here is the full press release via the Flyers. (Philly Hockey Now)

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will have a little bit of Vegas Golden Knights flavor. Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champion, will be the head coach, but Team Canada announced that Golden Knights bench boss Pete DeBoer will be an assistant. (Vegas Hockey Now)

Is the San Jose Sharks’ farm system back? According to NHL Draft consultant and data scientist Byron Bader — yes. Per the Hockey Prospecting founder’s model, the San Jose Sharks have the fifth- strongest prospect pool and the top goalie prospect pool in the league. (San Jose Hockey Now)

Igor Shesterkin agreed to a four-year contract with the New York Rangers on Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 25-year- old goalie was 16-14-3 with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 35 games (31 starts) last season. (NHL)

Carter Hart signed a three-year, $11.94 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. It has an average annual value of $3.98 million. The 22-year-old goalie was a restricted free agent after going 9- 11-5 with a 3.67 goals-against average, an .877 save percentage and one in 27 games (25 starts) last season. (NHL)

Ross Colton signed a two-year, $2.25 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. It has an average annual value of $1.125 million. The 24-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 16. (NHL)

Ilya Samsonov signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Washington Capitals on Monday. The 24-year-old goalie was a restricted free agent after going 13-4-1 with a 2.69 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 19 regular-season games (18 starts) last season, which included two stints in NHL COVID-19 protocol. (NHL)

Jon Cooper was named coach of the Canada men’s ice hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics on Monday. Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, Vegas Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer and New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz were named assistants. (NHL) 1219296 New York Islanders

Bridgeport Working on Proposal to Keep AHL Islanders for Another Decade

By Christian Arnold

The city of Bridgeport is working on a proposal to keep the New York Islanders AHL affiliate in ’s largest city for the next decade, according to the Connecticut Post.

The City Council met behind closed doors twice last week to discuss the proposal and could meet for a third time on Wednesday and vote, the paper reported. The deal would keep the in the city for the next decade while the city would agree to make $30 million in upgrades to the aging .

The council may ask for the Islanders to pay a higher annual rent as part of some changes they could make to the lease. The team currently pays $250,000 in annual rent and the City Council may ask to increase it to $350,000.

“Two-hundred-fifty-thousand a year 20 years ago is probably up to $350,000-a-year now,” Councilman Matthew McCarthy told the Connecticut Post.

The Islanders and the City of Bridgeport have had some contentious moments over the last few years. In 2016, Mayor Joe Ganim accused the team of owing $750,000 in back rent, while the team responded with a claim that the city owed them $837,596 for repairs and maintenance they had done on Webster Bank Arena.

Things took another turn when the team took umbrage with Bridgeport’s plan to turn the desolate Ballpark at Harbor Yard’s into a summer concert amphitheater. They said it violated a non-compete clause in their lease with the city.

The City Council did take some responsibility for their role in the dispute between the city and the hockey team.

“We’re fighting over who should fix that building. It’s us,” Councilwoman Jeanette Herron told the Connecticut Post. “As a city, that’s our obligation. We are the owners.”

The New York Islanders are expected to call Webster Bank Arena their preseason home this fall while UBS Arena is completed.

The team’s lease with the city ended this year and they rebranded to the Bridgeport Islanders in May to line up more with the parent club. While speculation had begun to increase over the team potentially relocating, team president Brent Rossi told reporters that it wasn’t in the cards.

“We have working with the city over the last couple of years really to figure out what the future of this venue is going to be,” Rossi said in May. “Both from obviously from the lease perspective and from an improvements perspective to the physical venue. I will tell you I’m very optimistic and we’re heading in a very good direction where we’re going to have some very positives announcements within the next couple of months to that particular topic.”

NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219297 New York Rangers The 25-year-old signed a four-year deal that includes two years where he would have been eligible for arbitration as a restricted free agent and the first two years he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency.

The risk and potential reward for the Rangers with Igor Shesterkin’s new Lengthy contracts generally have trended down in the flat cap contract environment. The uncertain financial future motivated teams to keep term down while some players were willing to sign shorter deals to maximize future earnings. But some starting goalers have been the exception to By Shayna Goldman Aug 10, 2021 that rule, with Jacob Markstrom signing for six years and Robin Lehner for five years last offseason.

Shesterkin’s closest comparable, Thatcher Demko, according to Igor Shesterkin had massive — generationally talented — skates to fill, CapFriendly, also signed for five years. But that was the Canucks’ taking over the starting role from , who was between the goaltender’s third contract, not his second. pipes in New York for more than a decade. Aside from Demko, Shesterkin’s extension is slightly lower than what Shesterkin met, and exceeded, expectations in his first 47 NHL games. other bona fide starters have signed in this cap environment in terms of But so soon into his career, the Rangers faced a decision on how best to salary and term. That’s likely due to his lack of experience; of his proceed with their rookie netminder. comparables pictured above, those with less experience all signed less New York’s offseason identity has surrounded the idea of becoming a significant contracts. harder team to play against. Over the last number of years, though, it’s To compare, Jordan Binnington was signed to a $4.4 million cap hit after stellar goaltending that’s made the Rangers a tough opponent. just 33 regular season games. That deal, however, was for two years Shesterkin’s promising start helped the team maintain that. Now, even though he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup. When that management is banking on him to continue it, extending the restricted contract expired, the Blues signed Binnington to a six-year, $6 million free agent for four years and $22.67 million, the most financially AAV deal, and he hasn’t faced nearly the same as Shesterkin’s workload. significant second contract any NHL goaltender has signed. Signing Shesterkin to a short-term contract with a lower cap like his The risk in this contract is the investment in a goaltender who has played counterparts likely would have led to a pricier contract down the road. But 47 NHL games. But there’s more to Shesterkin than his NHL career. having some cap certainty beyond two seasons should help management complete this offseason and plan for how to proceed with He put up strong numbers in three full KHL seasons with SKA St. next season’s pending free agents that include Mika Zibanejad, Adam Petersburg, posting a .935 save percentage and 1.68 goals-against Fox, and Kaapo Kakko. average in 117 games. In his first stint on North American ice, he backstopped a defensively challenged team in 25 There’s risk with any signing, especially when it comes to goaltending, games, stopping over 93 percent of the shots he faced. the most volatile position in hockey. There’s even less certainty in the position when a player’s numbers don’t have a chance to stabilize with Shesterkin’s high level of play led to a promotion to the NHL, maybe an increased sample. sooner than originally expected, which landed him in a three-goalie system. Signing Shesterkin to such a significant contract before his second full NHL season is tricky. The Rangers are betting on him to build on his high By the time he joined the Rangers in 2019-20, their play in the defensive caliber play when the stakes get higher over the next few seasons. had slightly improved, so his workload wasn’t as trying as what his Management is banking on skill and swinging for the upside that he goaltending partners had dealt with earlier. However, he did have the follows through on projections and become a top-10 NHL goalie. That bet best results on the team relative to the shots he faced, which is why can be particularly fitting for this team given how much they’ve relied on earned a few more starts. the play between the pipes over the years.

When weighing ice time, Shesterkin’s goals saved above expected The Rangers had to find the right balance between risk and reward with ranked highly among all NHL goaltenders. The only question was how Shesterkin, a high caliber netminder who has thrived at every level. As he’d maintain the level of play he showed in 12 games in a starting role New York kickstarts a new era, a four-year contract kept the team from across a full season. overcommitting to a goaltender who is clearly skilled but has played just 47 NHL games. His first full Rangers season brought its own challenges. One ripple was the condensed 56-game schedule that led to games taking place at a The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 slightly faster rate than usual. That only stressed the need for rotation in net, which the Rangers could have with Alexandar Georgiev sharing the crease. Another was facing the same seven teams all season, which gave opponents a better opportunity to study a goaltender’s tendencies to try to exploit them.

While there was a rotation at first, as both netminders worked to get back into a rhythm after a long offseason, the rookie became the Rangers’ bona fide starter, playing 35 games (about 62 percent of the season).

Despite more strides defensively for the team, Shesterkin did face a higher rate of expected goals against at five-on-five. He had to fight through more shots in front of the blue paint at even strength but had a tighter defense in front of him while shorthanded.

In all situations, Shesterkin stopped about 91.6 percent of the shots he faced and saved 4.73 more goals than expected. His workload was above the league average and he responded well relative to the shot quality he faced. That put him in the conversation for the Calder Trophy, ultimately finishing fifth behind Josh Norris, Alex Nedeljkovic, Jason Robertson and winner Kirill Kaprizov.

Rangers management doesn’t have the largest NHL sample for Shesterkin but the sample they have is promising. That’s likely why general manager Chris Drury was willing to give his goaltender a significant contract. Shesterkin has outperformed shot quality metrics and responded quickly in the NHL after shining at each level of hockey he’s played at so far in his career. 1219298 Philadelphia Flyers Hart is coming off an awful year, but if you look at his pedigree, he should bounce back and be productive for the Flyers this season — especially with a redone defense in front of him.

The Flyers hope money spent translates into improved defense | On the Yet, Hart is getting little respect outside of Philadelphia. Fly NHL.com, for instance, listed him (gulp) 29th among fantasy goalies for 2021-22. It listed 37 goalies overall, and Martin Jones, the Flyers’ new backup, was not among the large group. Sam Carchidi Important dates

Late August: Flyers development camp in Voorhees; dates to be One thing you can say about Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher: He determined. wasn’t afraid to spend money to improve the league’s worst defense. Sept. 22: Tentative date for the start of training camp in Voorhees. When Travis Sanheim signs, the Flyers’ cap hit for their seven defensemen will be a little higher than Vegas’ for its top seven defenders. Sept. 28: Flyers start their preseason schedule by facing the New York The Golden Knights had the best defense in the NHL last season, Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center. allowing 2.18 goals per game. The Flyers surrendered a league-worst Oct. 15: Flyers open the regular season by hosting Vancouver. 3.52 goals per game. From the mailbag The Flyers also will be in line with what two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay will pay its seven defensemen. Question: If either Carter Hart or Martin Jones stumble or get injured, which goalie in the Flyers’ system has the best shot at getting a call-up? So if money equates to victories, the rebuilt Flyers should be much — Bill (@BillFlyersFan) via Twitter improved in 2021-22. Answer: Thanks for the question, Bill. I would say Felix Sandstrom would For seven defensemen, Vegas is projected to have a $24.3 million cap be the guy, though he could benefit from more time with the Phantoms. hit, while Tampa’s is projected to be $25.375 million. (San Jose’s Sandstrom’s numbers in 11 AHL games last season (3.19 GAA, .903 projected cap hit for its seven defensemen, including the overrated Erik save percentage) are not impressive, but he excelled late in the season, Karlsson: $31.4 million.) going 3-1-2 with a 2.02 GAA and .943 save percentage in his last six If you include Samuel Morin as the extra defenseman, the Flyers have starts. $21.85 million in cap hits committed to six defenders. Sanheim, 25, will Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 08.11.2021 push that total higher, probably higher than the Lightning’s figure.

In the offseason, the Flyers have made a dramatic defensive makeover, adding Ryan Ellis ($6.25 annual cap hit), Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.4 million), and Keith Yandle ($900,000) and subtracting Shayne Gostisbehere ($4.5 million), Phil Myers ($2.55 million), and Robert Hagg ($1.6 million). That has hiked their defense’s annual cap hit by about $4 million.

Sanheim, who had a $3.25 million cap hit during each of the last two years, slipped dramatically last season (15 points, minus-22). It was his worst season in his three full years with the Flyers. The Flyers are taking him to salary arbitration Aug. 26, though the two sides could agree on a deal before it reaches an independent arbitrator.

Sanheim’s point totals have dropped the last three years — from 35 points in 82 games, to 25 points in 69 games, to 15 points in 55 games. His goals have gone from nine to eight to three in that span.

The soft-spoken Manitoba native and the since-traded Myers struggled mightily as a duo in 2021, and the Flyers hope Sanheim and his new partner, Ristolainen, will find chemistry and play a big part in the defense’s revitalization.

Last season’s defensive struggles, of course, were a team effort, with the goaltenders and forwards sharing blame with the defensemen.

You’re signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox once a week during the offseason. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@broadstbull). Thank you for reading.

— Sam Carchidi ([email protected])

Things to know

Will the “win-now” Flyers be a legit Stanley Cup contender? Probably not. But hopes are high after a smart summer remake. My column.

A look at the top 250 players in fantasy hockey, per NHL.com. The top Flyer? Sean Couturier ... at No. 110. Ellis (140), Ivan Provorov (141), Carter Hart (155), Cam Atkinson (186), (189), Travis Konecny (220), and Joel Farabee (221) are the other ranked Flyers.

For teams that still have cap room, there are some intriguing free agents available. The Hockey Writers have the story.

No respect for Hart 1219299 Pittsburgh Penguins

Former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma hired by Seattle Kraken as AHL assistant

TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 6:54 p.m.

Dan Bylsma was hired Tuesday by the Seattle Kraken as an AHL assistant coach.

Former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has been hired by the Seattle Kraken as an assistant coach for the club’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

Charlotte will have shared affiliation with Seattle and the Florida Panthers this season. Its head coach will be a Panthers employee, Geordie Kinnear.

Bylsma was let go after three seasons as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings at the end of last season.

Bylsma, 50, is the Penguins’ all-time leader in regular season coaching wins with 252, 15 ahead of Mike Sullivan. Bylsma won a Stanley Cup in 2009 and the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2011.

After he was let go by the Penguins in 2014, Bylsma was head coach of the Buffalo Sabres for two seasons before joining Detroit.

While coaching with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before his promotion to Pittsburgh, Bylsma was part of a shared affiliation in the AHL. In 2006, Edmonton Oilers prospects joined Penguins players in Wilkes-Barre.

The Seattle organization has taken on a Penguins flavor. is the general manager, Jason Botterill is an assistant GM, and Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann were acquired in the expansion draft.

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219300 Pittsburgh Penguins Lange is known for his catchphrases, goal calls and what he said when the Penguins won their five Stanley Cups. Penguins fans remember what happened by what Lange said when it happened. His mark on the team, on hockey in Pittsburgh and on all of us is indelible. Mark Madden: Mike Lange stands among the Penguins' all-time greats But one of Lange’s slogans rings truest right now: Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.

MARK MADDEN | Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 9:04 a.m. In this case, he just left the broadcast booth.

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.11.2021 With Mike Lange, you could watch a hockey game on radio.

Sounds dumb, but it’s true.

Lange brought the action to life. He conveyed the electricity, the build. Lange didn’t just call the goal. He subtly told you the goal was imminent. He had a sixth sense. That sense didn’t fail Lange as often as players failed the opportunity, or opposition brilliance foiled it.

Lange wasn’t just a hockey broadcaster. He is a hockey expert. Not just stats and things that can be memorized, but the game itself.

Lange didn’t drive ratings. Broadcasters don’t. That has been proven time and again. Winning and star power attract viewers and listeners.

But Lange became identified with the Penguins. He was synonymous.

Bob Prince did it with the Pirates. Myron Cope did it with the Steelers.

It’s rare, important and difficult. Lange did it. He is a legit Pittsburgh icon.

Lange is the Penguins. Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Lange are on Pittsburgh hockey’s Mt. Rushmore. (Debate the fourth head among yourselves.)

Lange got you invested. His voice was slightly harsh, but his style had warmth. Lange made you feel like you were in the booth, on the inside, part of the team.

Lange was distinct and unique. You knew immediately you were listening to Lange.

Lange was a pro’s pro. He was dedicated to preparation. Never put a foot wrong. When visiting the broadcast booth, I would see Lange’s copious charts and notes and tell myself I should work harder. (I also marveled at the ancient, old-school headset that he has used for decades. It should join him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, where Lange has been since 2001.)

I’ve heard hundreds of play-by-play voices. That’s across every sport. Lange is the very best.

On Monday, Lange retired from doing play-by-play. He will be replaced by the very capable Josh Getzoff. Lange will still be heard in some capacity on the Penguins’ radio network. Here’s hoping he has the time and good grace to keep appearing on my radio program, as he has done for years.

Too bad we didn’t know Lange’s last night of play-by-play was Game 5 of the Penguins’ first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders.

The way that game ended makes it worse: Goaltender Tristan Jarry’s badly blundered clearing pass unwittingly bid Lange adieu with a 3-2 loss in double overtime.

But although an on-ice ceremony at one of the coming season’s home games seems definite, Lange wouldn’t have wanted a big on-mic sendoff. That makes him the story, not the game.

The game always came first with Lange. He never put himself over at the game’s expense.

But PPG Paints Arena needs a chance to say goodbye, and Lange deserves one last big pop. That night, Lange will be the story.

Lange is a huge influence on me. His interaction with fans is exactly how it should be. Lange was always accessible. He went places. He got out and became part of Pittsburgh. He had time for the media’s lesser lights, including me. (I’m not lesser to many. But I’m lesser to Lange.)

I’m an extremist. Lange often slows me down. It’s never that good or that bad. For me, he is a voice of reason. When Lange talks, I listen.

He recounted the careers of Lemieux, Crosby and a host of all-time greats who played for the Penguins. But, 47 years after he arrived in Pittsburgh, Lange stands among them. 1219301 Pittsburgh Penguins Lange put a few more arrows in the quiver during that season. Then he went to San Diego, calling games for the Gulls. Eventually, he landed in Pittsburgh, where Myron Cope and and their unique quirky turning of phrases were already part of the broadcast tradition. Mike Lange's favorite goal call, how 'Lange-isms' started and which was the first So Lange fit right in, and it felt like he had a blank canvas to be creative within the city.

“It was as if God said, ‘Listen, I’ve got a place for you. If you want to be a TIM BENZ | Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 6:22 a.m. goofy broadcaster, here’s where you want to go.’ So he put me in Pittsburgh,” Lange said. “And it’s ideal. And it just grew from there.”

Well, I’ll be cow-kicked! Even at Heinz Field during Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, the buzz was all about Mike Lange’s retirement. Congratulations, Mr. Lange, on a retirement well-earned and a legacy perfectly carved. After 46 years broadcasting Pittsburgh’s NHL team, the Penguins announced Monday that Lange would be stepping down from the Tribune Review LOADED: 08.11.2021 broadcast booth before the 2021-22 season.

Roughly 30 minutes before Steelers practice started, I found myself in a deep-dive conversation with some other veteran Pittsburgh reporters such as Jim Colony and Guy Junker — who have been around Lange for much of his storied play-by-play career.

We were debating our favorite Lange goal calls, how they started, which one he used first and what was his all-time best.

Let’s start with that last point. Because apparently, Lange has his own nomination. As Pens television play-by-play voice Steve Mears mentioned on Twitter, Lange always told him that his favorite goal call ever was Mario Lemieux’s Game 1 winner against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1992 Stanley Cup Final.

This is the call that Mike Lange has told me that he is most proud of in his 46 years with the Penguins. I could listen to it the same way that I listen to a favorite song over and over. Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final. ? pic.twitter.com/QRwxD6iSIR

— Steve Mears (@MearsyNHL) August 9, 2021

Yup. Mike leaned into that one full throttle. For good reason.

As for his famous “Lange-ism” catchphrase goal calls, we all have our favorites.

• Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too

• Look out, Loretta

• Scratch my back with a hacksaw

• Michael, Michael Motorcycle

• He beat him like a rented mule

But which one was first? And how did the tradition get started? Well, based on this account from Lange via the Penguins YouTube channel, it was “great balls of fire!”

And some other broadcasters are to be thanked for it.

Lange — a native of Sacramento, Calif. — said during that interview that he got the idea to use catchphrases from Bill King, who used to call games for the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, the Oakland A’s and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.

“He used little phrases when touchdowns were scored or during a basketball game,” Lange told PensTV. “I just loved it. I just thought it was fantastic the way he did things. He didn’t use a lot of them. But I said to myself when I was entertaining the idea of being a broadcaster, ‘If I get the chance, I’m going to do that. That is exactly what I want to do.’ I didn’t know it would get as extensive as it did during the course of the years. But I did want to do something. I was entertaining the idea of something that would be a different wrinkle. So I experimented with it when I got into the business on the pro side with the Phoenix Roadrunners.”

There, Lange worked with Al McCoy, who eventually went on to the Phoenix Suns and has called their games for 49 seasons since 1972.

“He used the phrase ‘great balls of fire,’” Lange recalled. “And when he left to go to the Suns, I asked him, ‘Can I use ‘great balls of fire’?’ And he said, ‘Of course you can.’”

And the rest is history. 1219302 Pittsburgh Penguins “It’s a great feeling to be on this ice again. [I] really miss it, I’ll tell you that,” Mr. Esposito said as the crowd chanted “Tony! Tony!” “It’s a pleasure and an honor to be back with the ‘Hawks.”

Blackhawks Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito dies at 78 He later was hired by his brother to be chief scout in Tampa Bay. Phil is 79 and does radio work for the Lightning, a team he helped found.

“Tony was a founding, cornerstone member of the Lightning family who Andrew Seligman Associated Press Aug 11, 2021 3:16 AM5-6 minutes was a fixture at games and, along with his brother Phil, played an integral 8/11/2021 role in laying the groundwork for a successful franchise in the Sunshine State when many thought it was impossible,” the Lightning said in a

statement. “His role cannot be understated. Tony was a true legend on CHICAGO — Tony Esposito made an immediate mark on the Chicago the ice and off of it.” Blackhawks and a lasting impression on the NHL. Former Blackhawks defenseman Doug Wilson called the news about his Mr. Esposito, the pioneering Hall of Famer who spent almost his entire friend and mentor “heartbreaking.” 16-year career with the Blackhawks, died following a brief battle with “He exuded leadership and class, while being one of the most dominant pancreatic cancer, the team announced Tuesday. He was 78. players ever seen at his position,” Mr. Wilson, the San Jose Sharks’ In addition to his stellar playing career, he also briefly served as general general manager, said. manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was hired in 1988 but Mr. Esposito is survived by his wife Marilyn, sons Mark and Jason, replaced by in 1989 after a 10-14-2 start to that season. He Mark’s wife Kim and their children Lauren and Kamryn. made his mark on the franchise, however, by drafting forward and acquiring goalie in a trade with Buffalo. Post Gazette LOADED: 08.11.2021 Mr. Esposito debuted with Montreal during the 1968-69 season and appeared in 13 games. He was then left unprotected with the Canadiens deep in goalies and taken by the Blackhawks in an intraleague draft for $25,000, an investment that paid immediate dividends for a team that was coming off a last-place finish in its division.

He helped lead the Blackhawks to first place, showcasing his butterfly style to post a 2.17 goals-against average and 15 shutouts, still a modern record for an NHL goalie. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year as well as the Vezina Trophy given to the top goaltender. He also won the Vezina in 1972 and 1974.

“Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise as we near its 100th anniversary,” Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “Four generations of our family — my grandfather Arthur, my father Bill, my son Danny and I — were blessed by his work ethic as a Hall of Fame goalie, but more importantly, by his mere presence and spirit.”

The Esposito family called him a “Hall of Fame husband, father, and grandfather.”

“Chicago felt like home from the time Tony first arrived in 1969, thanks to the Wirtz family and those 18,000 Blackhawks fans who treated him like family every night at the Stadium, win or lose or tie,” the family said in a statement.

Mr. Esposito was from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, just across the St. Mary’s River from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and he helped Michigan Tech to an NCAA championship in 1965. His older brother, Phil, was a star in his own right, a Hall of Fame center who played 18 seasons in the NHL.

The younger Esposito’s first NHL start was Dec. 5, 1968, against Boston — and his brother. Phil Esposito scored twice on his younger brother, but Tony made 33 saves and the game ended 2-2.

Commissioner Gary Bettman called him “a beloved member of the hockey family.”

“It was Esposito’s style, charisma and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans not only in Chicago but across the NHL,” Mr. Bettman said. “The hockey world will miss him greatly.”

Mr. Esposito helped lead Chicago to the playoffs in 14 seasons. The Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1971 and 1973, losing each time to his former team, Montreal.

He is Chicago’s career leader with 418 wins and 74 shutouts. His overall record of 423-306-151 ranks 10th in league history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, joining his brother. And in 2017, he was selected by the league as one of the “100 Greatest Players in NHL History.”

The Blackhawks retired Mr. Esposito’s No. 35 on Nov. 20, 1988, and paid tribute to him again on March 19, 2008. He was named a team ambassador in a pregame ceremony attended by franchise icons and former teammates , Stan Mikita and Denis Savard as well as his brother. 1219303 Pittsburgh Penguins exited through the back of the booth, stopping only to slap Brown on the back and say, “Go get ‘em, kid.”

“I’m absolutely stunned,” Brown said. “I didn’t know what to do.” Mike Lange, now retired, lauded as 'an absolute treasure' by Pirates Brown, with some urging from Blass, kept the train on the tracks. The broadcasters couple innings yielded Brown some valuable experience, and the rest is history — Brown eventually working on Buffalo, then returning to the Pirates to join Lanny Frattare. Jason Mackey7-8 minutes 8/11/2021 “I know he got in trouble for it,” Brown said. “I went to him later and said, ‘Why did you do that?’ He just responded, ‘Because I knew you were ready.’ ” Growing up about 20 minutes outside of Detroit and surrounded by Red Wings fans, Joe Block began to root for the Penguins, at least in part, Lange, of course, has plenty of technical chops. He also knows that he’s because of Mike Lange. The Pirates play-by-by man admired the Hall of a performer, something Lange has culled from his love of music and Famer’s descriptive language and his ability to convey excitement while watching Mick Jagger on stage. staying under control. “He’s able to be himself, and he can perform and do his job as well as When Block was older and drove to Pittsburgh to watch the Penguins anybody I’ve ever listened to,” Brown said. skate at Mellon Arena, he confused a AAA travel agent because he tried to plan a trip to Turtle Crick, unaware of how to correctly pronounce Even now, when Lange watches Pirates games — which is often — he’ll Arnold Slick’s hometown because he learned his Pittsburgh geography send encouraging text messages to Brown or even offer a pointer or two from Lange. on areas where he might be able to improve.

“I was more of a fan when I was younger, but I really got into “I never want to let him down,” Brown said. “I want to make him proud. hockey because Lange made the game so exciting,” Block said. “He’s That’s important to me.” extraordinary.” Lange meant a ton to Brown, but likely even more to Blass, the Pirates While the announcement of Lange’s retirement after 46 magical years in patriarch. The two called Pirates games together during Lange’s two the Penguins broadcast booth certainly hit hard at PPG Paints Arena, it seasons of baseball, where Blass said he learned how to let some was felt equally as much at PNC Park, where Lange — a lifelong moments breathe. baseball fan and one-time Pirates announcer himself — is revered. Blass said Lange would grab his arm when it was time for the on-field Reflecting on Lange’s legacy, Block remembers a couple years ago action to take center stage. Lange’s love and knowledge of baseball was introducing himself to the legend between innings. Lange was here also easy to detect, from describing the game’s nuance and bursts of visiting Greg Brown and . Block had seen Lange before at excitement to deftly narrating the softer side of the game. PPG Paints Arena but never wanted to be a pain. “He was already good,” Blass said. “He used to say that he needed a few “He’s Mike Lange,” Block said. “He probably gets stopped four times more years, and that would have polished it off. ... We would have made going to the bathroom.” a hell of a team. I’ll tell you that. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Knowing he wasn’t keeping Lange from anything, Block got to meet one The two worked together and enjoyed many conversations about of his childhood and professional idols. Predictably, Lange could not baseball over the years. They also became close friends, a relationship have been nicer. that exists to this day. In addition to broadcasting, Blass said that Lange taught him the importance of having fun. “I said, ‘Mike, I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to meet you.’ ” Block recalled. “He goes, ‘Hey, Joey! How ya doin’?’ He immediately made me When they called games together, Lange and Blass did a “Bartles and feel so comfortable. I was like, ‘How does he know my name?’ It never Jaymes” skit that included costumes and storyboarding. It took 16 takes occurred to me that he watches Pirates games. In my head, I was 14. He because the crew couldn’t stop laughing, Blass said. said some nice things about watching me. I couldn’t believe it. It was They used to read the “news,” which was really Blass ripping a piece of such a special moment for me.” paper, saying something came across the “ticker,” then making up Of all that Lange does well — and there’s obviously a lot — one of the National Enquirer-style headlines. things Block appreciates most is the Hall of Famer’s colorful use of action When they both did Monday morning radio hits at WDVE-FM, one time verbs. Words like “careening” and ‘jackknifed” are regular parts of Blass showed up in a gorilla suit with Lange acting his trainer. Lange Lange’s repertoire, the same as another beloved Hall of Fame hockey warned one of the hosts, Val Porter, to not come too close. broadcaster and central figure around the Pirates, Doc Emrick. “Mike would say to Val, ‘No quick moves, Val. He’s not quite trained yet. Block also appreciated how Lange wouldn’t just scream when the action If you move quick, he’ll lunge at you,’ ” Blass said, continuing to laugh. reached a crescendo. His cadence would quicken. The tone would turn more serious. And Lange expertly blended excitement with … well, it “It’s just so easy and fun to be around Mike. He’s an absolute treasure to became art. our city.”

“There’s a beautiful balance between showing almost unbridled emotion Post Gazette LOADED: 08.11.2021 yet staying under control and capturing the moment,” Block said. “I’m still trying to find that sweet spot. I get it once in a while. He’s always under control, the emotion and brilliance of the moment shining through his call.”

There’s also what Lange did off the air. For that, let’s bring in Greg Brown, who actually got his start in this business because of Lange.

The year was 1986. It was the first of two seasons Lange called Pirates games on cable TV, and the Pirates had a day-night doubleheader against the Mets one June night. Brown was just 24 and had recently been appointed what would best be described as a sideline reporter alongside Lange and Steve Blass (more on that in a bit).

Brown was just starting out and eager to build his resume tape. Lange told him to be ready. Then in the middle of that doubleheader, with zero warning, Lange signed off for a couple innings.

“Mike says, ‘When we come back, Greg Brown will take you through the seventh and eighth innings,’ ” Brown said. Lange took his headset off and 1219304 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Tickets On Sale Wednesday, 10 a.m.; Get Them HerePublished 16 hours ago on August 10, 2021

By PHN Staff

Single-game tickets for the Pittsburgh Penguins 2021-22 hockey season will go on sale Wednesday, August 11 at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com/penguins.

The on-sale will include two pre-season home games and 41 regular- season contests. Fans will have plenty of chances to see the team early in the season as eight of the Penguins’ first 10 games will be played at PPG Paints Arena, beginning with the highly-anticipated home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, October 16.

“We are thrilled to welcome back 18,000 hockey fans to PPG Paints Arena this Fall,” said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse. “It has been far too long since we have been able to say that. We’ve made improvements to the arena, enhanced technology for your convenience, and assembled a great team on the ice. Now, all we need is the energy and excitement of our fans in the building.”

The debut of the Seattle Kraken in Pittsburgh is slated for Thursday, January 27, 2022. Other schedule highlights include an early-season matchup against the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in October, two visits from the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, two divisional contests at home against the Washington Capitals, and a visit from the reigning Art Ross winner, Connor McDavid, and the Edmonton Oilers in the final week of the season.

In addition to the August 11 on-sale, 2021-22 season ticket packages are available now. Plans include full, half, and quarter season options. For more information on Penguins tickets, please visit www.pittsburghpenguins.com/tickets or call 1-800-642-PENS.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219305 San Jose Sharks

SAN JOSE SHARKSHow Is Burns Still a Top Defenseman? | SJHN+Published 3 hours ago on August 10, 2021

By Sheng Peng

When people talk about the bad contracts on the San Jose Sharks’ blueline, they gravitate toward Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

It makes sense: 31-year-old Karlsson is the most expensive player on the Sharks and the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $11.5 million dollars AAV — and he’s got six seasons left on his contract. 34-year-old Vlasic, arguably, has declined the most of San Jose’s big-ticket players — he was relegated to the bottom pairing last year — and he’s got five seasons at $7 million AAV remaining on his pact.

36-year-old — four years at $8 million AAV left — has escaped some criticism, despite his own decline.

From 2015-19, Burns tied with Karlsson for the highest Points Per Game Average (0.92) among all NHL defensemen. Over the last two years, he’s averaged 0.59 Points Per Game, losing almost a third of his productivity.

To be fair, that’s not all on Burns. The San Jose Sharks as a whole have declined around the 2019 Norris Trophy finalist, so it’s a definite chicken or an egg scenario.

Also, Burns has held up his end in other ways: He’s been San Jose’s most-used rearguard over the last two years, and he’s evolved — not necessarily by choice — into one of the Sharks’ two most relied-upon shutdown defensemen, at least in terms of deployment.

By the end of the season, per Natural Stat Trick, Burns and Mario Ferraro were charged with the most Defensive Zone Faceoffs Per 60 at 5-on-5 on the club — and the least Offensive Zone Faceoffs.

So while Burns deserves his share of criticism, it’s also fair for Karlsson and Vlasic to take the brunt of it.

So much as I did with Karlsson and Vlasic, I’m going to spotlight Burns with the help of SPORTLOGiQ: What are his current strengths? What are his current weaknesses?

Winning Play: 4 Key Areas Where Vlasic Has Declined | SJHN+

What Did Karlsson Do Well in 2020-21? | SJHN+

What’s Behind Erik Karlsson’s Decline? | SJHN+

Let’s start with the positive.

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219306 Toronto Maple Leafs

‘We made a mistake’: Toronto Marlies backtrack on goalie coach hire over social media controversy

By Simran SinghStaff Reporter

The Toronto Marlies are backtracking on hiring a new goalie coach amid controversy over his social media postings.

“Dusty Imoo will not be joining the Toronto Marlies,” Toronto Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said in as statement Tuesday evening, two days after Imoo’s hiring to the Leafs’ AHL affiliate was first announced.

“We made a mistake by not thoroughly following our organization protocols when considering this candidate for the position of goaltending coach,” Shanahan wrote.

Imoo’s hire was met with outrage on Twitter, where users criticized Imoo for appearing to like a series of far-right posts including transphobic and pro-Trump commentary.

Imoo’s Twitter account has since been deleted.

Toronto Star LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219307 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs dust Imoo after social-media activity comes to light

Lance Hornby

Dusty Imoo’s tenure as goaltending coach of the Toronto Marlies lasted two days after the parent Maple Leafs realized the red light was on about his social-media activity.

The 51-year-old, whose past positive influence on current No. 1 stopper Jack Campbell was a key reason he was hired on Sunday, was let go on Tuesday amid a growing backlash from people who back-checked his apparent endorsement of hot-button views that appeared to support unfounded U.S. government conspiracy theories and inequality. Imoo had reportedly also been vocal in the anti-vaccine camp, after the farm team Marlies and Leafs stressed getting COVID-19 shots for their team and the public so they could play the past two seasons and eventually have fans back at the rink. .

Many of Imoo’s Twitter “likes” included support for the far-right Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol rioters. But while the club does not challenge political views of employees, it’s another matter when he didn’t get in line with a push for opportunity in sports and human rights. Imoo’s Twitter account is no longer active.

The notice of his firing came right from the top — Leafs president Brendan Shanahan. pic.twitter.com/MxaIJq0gTx

— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) August 10, 2021

“Dusty Imoo will not be joining the Toronto Marlies. We made a mistake not thoroughly following our organizational protocols when considering this candidate for the position.”

Imoo’s hiring was made on the Marlies’ side, presumably OK’d by new director of minor hockey operations Ryan Hardy, though he just came aboard himself and was probably unaware of the team’s full-vetting policy.

Imoo’s activity was indeed a bad look for the club, who under Shanahan and general manager Kyle Dubas have championed an inclusive environment around the Leafs, with women in prominent player- developement positions, multicultural initiatives and support for gays in hockey and other sports.

Imoo, a British Columbia-based former WHL goalie who played club hockey in Japan, was Campbell’s minor-league instructor with the Los Angeles Kings. He was instrumental in helping Campbell recover his poise after the first-round draft pick struggled to live up to his billing. His work with many goalies in the NHL, the minors and in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star earned him much appreciation in the goaltending fraternity.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219308 Washington Capitals

What was the best offseason move in the ?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

This was a close one.

It came down to Dougie Hamilton signing with the Devils or the Flyers acquiring Ryan Ellis, but I lean Hamilton. He signed a seven-year, $63 million contract that will pay him an AAV of $9 million. On the first day of free agency, this isn't a terrible deal to make.

Hamilton, 28, bounced around in his career, from Boston to Calgary to Carolina, but now seems to have a permanent home with a team that needed him in the worst way.

He was fourth in voting for the Norris Trophy last season after 10 goals and 32 assists in 55 games. He’s a true impact defender at both ends of the ice and immediately is the best defenseman on the Devils’ roster.

While he’s paid handsomely for his services, he’s still just 28 years old and played perhaps the best hockey of his life last season. This is the type of player that, even if the contract is a tad bit of an overpay, a team will live with.

What was the best offseason move in the Metropolitan Division?

Andrew and I are in lockstep on this one.

Two moves stand out to me. I really like the Ryan Ellis trade for Philadelphia. He is an elite defenseman on a team that desperately needed to improve its defense, and it just cost the Flyers Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick to acquire him.

But the move that I would call the best is New Jersey's signing Dougie Hamilton.

At 28, the Devils now get Hamilton at his prime to lead the blue line. New Jersey ranked 27th in the NHL in goals against per game last season, so adding a true No. 1 defenseman, one who finished fourth in the voting for the Norris Trophy last season, is the best thing this team could have done to bolster its roster.

A $9 million cap hit is hefty, but P.K. Subban's $9 million cap hit comes off the books next year, meaning New Jersey will still have money to tinker with its roster next season. This is not a case of a non-playoff team maxing out on the cap before they even get a hint of postseason success. This is a team that looks like it is really starting to build something.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219309 Winnipeg Jets That’s pretty much my mom, right there. Just looking for ways to … I mean, she didn’t even want all that publicity. It was just the local paper that was asking her about it but her and her guild there, they wanted to try to do what they could do to support Humboldt. I mean, it kind of Brenden Dillon Q&A: Winnipeg connections, the evolution of defence in shocked everybody, not just in Canada or hockey but I think it was the the NHL and interests beyond hockey sports world. You know how sad it was and they were trying to do their part.

And what can you tell me about your dad? By Murat Ates Aug 10, 2021 15 My dad’s one of if not the smartest guy I’ve ever met. He’s a retired

pharmacologist, taught classes at UBC in Vancouver. Avid hockey fan, As the son of a high school math teacher and a pharmacologist-turned- player, the whole nine yards. Grew up in Toronto, Ontario, moved to university professor, Brenden Dillon couldn’t help but grow up with Vancouver where he met my mom — she was going to UBC and they interests outside of hockey. settled down there. He was kind of coaching me a lot growing up, and when I played junior hockey in Seattle, he’d finish work at five o’clock and Piano lessons were enforced by his mom Debbie, the math teacher. A scoot down I5 for probably 36 of my 36 home games. He was definitely love for volleyball was shared with his sister Kirsten, who went on to set very involved, not just in being my dad but in my hockey career as well. for York University, earning team MVP honours in 2016-17. Surrey, B.C, thus became the place that sparked a wide range of interests. As an Is it true that you speak Portuguese and French? adult, the 30-year old Dillon plays a bit of guitar, listens to music ranging I wouldn’t say fluently. I mean, French, especially over the pandemic, from Drake to Eric Church, Osborne Brothers and the Zac Brown Band there’s all these apps and stuff. And I did a little vacationing — I went and is using apps to work on developing his Portuguese. through France, I think it was three summers ago now and I could get us As a child, his first starring sport was not hockey but track and field. around a little bit. Portuguese, my babysitter that I lived with growing up from 1 to 5 years old was a fluent Portuguese (speaker) so I probably Dillon was an elementary school star, excelling in the 100 metres, 200 heard more of the getting in trouble words or those types of things as a metres and long jump despite being smaller than most of his competition. kid from her. My dad’s side of the family was Portuguese so you know, I’ve gotten into soccer a little bit. More I just know (Cristiano) Ronaldo, Yes, you read that right. For a large part of his youth, the 6-foot 4, 225- and they’ve got a pretty good soccer following but I’ve got a jersey, I pound Dillon whose highlight reel includes thunderous hits, feisty think, at home somewhere. But again, I’m definitely not going to be defending, a healthy dose of fisticuffs, 623 career penalty minutes and winning any sort of awards for speaking Portuguese. who — in the affectionate words of friend and teammate Dylan DeMelo — plays like a “bastard” was once, in fact, deemed “too small.” Are you good enough at it to make you buds with Dylan DeMelo?

Dillon was 5-foot-2 when he was 15 and was passed over in the WHL Oh, ‘Melo … It was funny because I think we had a Portuguese heritage bantam draft. night or something in San Jose one night. I remember he was coordinating it and he went to get some Portuguese food one day and I As much as he was a speedster off the ice, and as talented as he was on think that’s how it came up where I said something like, “Oh, yeah, I’m skates, WHL teams looked at a 15-year-old Dillon and failed to see a actually Portuguese, too.” Next thing you know, we’re Googling NHL player who could survive the battles of major junior hockey. He played players who had some sort of a Portuguese heritage and that but small one year of Junior B in the Pacific Junior Hockey League, working on his world for sure. strength and his speed while waiting for the growth spurt that, based on his 6-foot-2 and 5-foot-10 parentage, seemed to be inevitable. Are there any particularly well-known players that are Portuguese?

In the meantime, Brenden’s dad Ed helped him find strength coaching, I forget, it’s been a while since that Google happened. I don’t really power skating and instilled in him the idea that a dedicated work ethic remember off the top my head, I think. Yeah, to be honest, I don’t want to would lead to improved performance. butcher it. I don’t really know.

It’s an attitude that Dillon maintains, whether it applies to hobbies like (Author’s note: I’ve since learned that the Portuguese Canadian Hall of learning guitar (“I’m no John Mayer but I think these next couple of years, Fame has inducted two prominent NHL stars. See if you can guess who I want to hone in on it”) or his profession (“I want to do everything I can to they are before clicking through to their homepage.) be the best Brenden Dillon and best Winnipeg Jet I can be.”) Sure. I won’t put you on the spot for a several-years-old Google search at Dillon is also a splendid interview. this stage. Family-wise, I also understand that your sister plays volleyball.

Here he is on topics including his mom’s charitable work, planning Yeah, my sister was a collegiate volleyball player in Toronto. She was a cultural events with DeMelo in San Jose, what it’s like to get married setter. I’m 6-4. She’s 5-10, 5-11, so the tall gene ran in the family. She’s during a pandemic, modern NHL defence, mixing brains with brawn and just moved back to Vancouver, actually — she finished up her master’s the single biggest “blessing in disguise” he took from being passed over degree. She had a great time out there but it’s been nice to be closer to in the WHL (and NHL) drafts. family back in Vancouver. It was a good year, there was a lot of craziness going on, but we found some positives in it. Oh and, by the way: he’s had some fun in Winnipeg before — at the weddings of his good friends Calvin Pickard and Cody Eakin. He’s And what’s it like to get married during a pandemic? looking for restaurant recommendations, though, so feel free to hit him with your best ones in the comments. Yeah, it was just the two of us that kind of did our own thing. She’s American, I’m Canadian, so we were in Vancouver in our offseason Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length. residence. The formal thing is planned but it didn’t work out with everything going on in the world. We’re planning to have a bigger kind of First official question: What is the Langley Quilters Guild? party over the next year or two but I’m not in charge of those plans. I’m The Langley Quilters Guild. I’m assuming it’s something to do with my just glad I’m invited. mom. You mentioned the height gene. There is a Wikipedia entry that says that Yeah, you’re like: What is this, a test? you got passed over in the WHL draft at the height of 5-foot-2. What’s it like to be a small hockey player at one stage of your life and then a 6- Surrey was my hometown, where I grew up. My mom was a high school foot-4 player in the NHL? teacher for 30-plus years. She got into quilting. That was her big thing. And I think that’s the name of her … She might get mad at me if get I think that’s something that’s been — maybe not at the time — but it’s wrong. But I believe that’s her four or five nights a week quilting group. been a blessing in disguise, looking back on it.

Exactly right. I found this out through Google but I gather she and her But yeah, at age 15, when the WHL Bantam Draft happened, I was just a guild made a whole bunch of quilts for the community of Humboldt after little guy. And in the hockey world, you’ve got to find different ways to the crash. I just thought it was the sweetest image. affect the game and be able to impact the game. Being a smaller guy, you have to learn how to use your feet and skate and move pucks. It’s has made. Can you explain how hockey’s a bit connected — how getting the biggest thing now. stops can turn into good transition and then good offence?

And to be able to have the height after, instead of being the little guy that You talk to any forward and they’re going to want defencemen that can was getting bullied and getting taken advantage of in the corners, I was break the puck out. They’re going to want defencemen who can give able to grow. And it just seemed like a matter of time — my dad is 6-foot- them a good first pass. Whether that’s me passing to my D partner or up 2 and my mom’s 5-10. It was almost, “OK, when’s this going to happen? to the forwards, the better situation you can put them in, there’s going to What the heck is going on?” be a trickle-down effect: another good play, another opportunity to get into the zone or score. I think the biggest thing, for me, was just that I loved the game so much that I was never going to take not getting drafted or “No, you’re not big For transition in general, you hear the terms “play fast” a lot. But that enough.” It was more motivation to get better. doesn’t necessarily mean you’re skating like Connor McDavid. It means you’re moving the puck quickly, not hanging on to it for too long. Those In a roundabout way, would growing late almost make you meaner in the are the things I’ve learned over the years playing with some quality long run, now that you’re big enough to be the one doing the bullying in forwards — the way they wanted the puck. There’s a reason why the the corners? Mark Scheifeles and Blake Wheelers and Kyle Connors make as much I mean, I’m not playing against any of the coaches that were telling me as they do. I’d much rather get them the puck and let them do their thing. no or cutting me from teams. But it’s definitely something that I always DILLY’S BACKKK!! @BDILLON04 PIC.TWITTER.COM/4WHRWDRN6E keep with me. — TOM WILSON (@TOM_WILSO) OCTOBER 6, 2020 It’s interesting, because I see kids — whether it’s in camps or just kids I come across in summer -—who didn’t get drafted or whose coach says Switching gears a bit, you told us by Zoom that you found out you were a they’re too small or too slow. Whatever you’re not good enough to do, it’s Winnipeg Jet when someone at your beer league hockey game checked like: Work on it. Try to get better at it. Try to find a way, because there’s social media. What’s it like to work in an industry where your life — your so many different avenues that you can affect a hockey game, baseball, house, your living situation, your job — can change in a tweet? whatever sport you’re in, in a positive way. That came from my dad. He’s a very smart guy and he just gave me every opportunity to try to take Well, it’s not ideal. (Laughs) advantage of being a hockey player. If it was to get stronger, it was “Let’s I’ve been traded before and had the, I don’t know if it would be “pleasure” go and try to find the best strength coach we can.” If it was getting faster, but I’ve had the conversation with the GM: “You’ve been traded, thank it was “Let’s try to find the best power skating coach we can.” you for your time” and that sort of thing. This time, it was a little different. It obviously worked out. Timing, the coaches I had in junior and in the It was in the offseason and I looked at my phone after being told and minor leagues all really helped me. I got to be the best Brenden Dillon I seeing all of the stuff pop up. Then you’ve got the missed calls and it’s could be. I’m very fortunate and I’m definitely glad I was able to have the really starting to hit you that “OK, it’s happened.” It doesn’t matter if growth spurt I had and here we are now. you’re expecting a trade or if it comes out of nowhere — it’s still a shock. I think that’s the biggest thing for players. You’re talking about moves to It’s funny because now, I feel like your size is the leading characteristic different countries, whether that’s selling a house or taking kids out of people use to describe your game. I almost wonder if the rest of your school … There’s a lot of things that go into it. It’s not just “Yay, I’m game ends up getting undersold as a result. But you tell us: What kind of excited to go to a good team, good organization, good city” — there’s the player is Winnipeg getting by trading for you? other part of it that’s tough to swallow.

Of course, my size, I think that’s something that probably helped me get For me, I’d just signed there last summer. You’re not really expecting it into the league: being hard to play against and getting physical. But so much but there is the flat cap, there is the pandemic going on so I there’s fighting and then there’s just running guys or running around. The guess maybe it should have been expected with all the movement that game has evolved so much in the sense where you can’t just run around we’ve seen this offseason. But once again, once it really does happen, and be a dummy and try to fight every shift — you have to be able to it’s about switching to “Let’s get excited. Do I know anybody there?” play. Those kinds of questions are the next in line.

I think my skating is one of my best assets. Over the years, I’ve been You’ve said you knew Blake and Mark if I remember it correctly, but who very fortunate to play with the Erik Karlssons, the Brent Burnses, the are your Winnipeg connections? Marc-Edouard Vlasics, the John Carlsons, Stephane Robidas — I mean, some unbelievable defencemen, who, when you’re with them every Yeah. I obviously know Dylan DeMelo from San Jose and I’ve been on single day, you’re learning a lot. You’re seeing how they affect the game the ice with Mark and Blake over the years. Randomly, you run into guys in a positive way, how they’re so good at what they do. Not to say I have in different cities in the summer — just “Hey, how’s it going, good to meet Brent Burns’ shot or Erik Karlsson’s vision but I think it’s really helped me you.” But they’ve always been great to me. I’ve run into those guys a get better. I take a lot of pride in wanting to get better every season and couple of times in the corners or in the middle of the ice and it’s nice to really helping the team in whatever way I can. I think, for the way the be able to pass it to those guys this time around instead of the other way. game has evolved over the last couple of years — you know, the smaller The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 Cale Makars and Quinn Hugheses and guys that are pretty much a fourth forward sometimes — you’ve got to be able to join the play. You’ve got to be able to be offensive as well.

I think being able to get up into the rush and do these things is something I’ve been trying to add to my game. By no means is it the first thing for me but I want to be as well-rounded as I can. The staples of my game will be being hard to play against and using my mobility.

Dylan DeMelo affectionately said you play “like a bit of a bastard out there.” I got a kick out of that.

(laughs)

I really enjoy playing with creative defencemen and guys who freelance a little bit. I’m definitely more of a structure guy so I’ve taken a few two-on- ones over the years — I’m not much of a riverboat gambler myself. Playing with Karlsson in San Jose and Carlson in Washington, I really enjoyed playing in all facets of the game.

Oh, man. In Winnipeg, we had one of the world’s preeminent riverboat gamblers in Dustin Byfuglien. I miss watching as the Jets would hit the offensive blue line with four skaters at a time. The transition game was just on and I’m looking forward to that again with the additions Winnipeg 1219310 Vancouver Canucks With this summer, one thing that it’s brought, in addition to revamping the roster, you obviously reworked your staff. Newell Brown has landed in Orange County and you brought in Brad Shaw. What can you tell us about the process as you went through those changes and what’s the Travis Green on Canucks’ offseason, Nate Schmidt’s exit and coaching workflow been like for your new staff so far? in Vancouver: ‘I just want to win’ Where to start?

I can honestly say it was probably the hardest decision I’ve ever been By Thomas Drance Aug 10, 2021 38 part of, and had to make at the end of the day, was making that change. Newell is not only in my mind a really good coach, but even a better

person, and a very good friend of mine. That part was extremely hard. Travis Green isn’t going to sugarcoat the toll that a disastrous 2021 And it will always remain that way in my mind. campaign had on him, his players and the entire Vancouver Canucks I just think at the end of the day we had a staff that had been together for organization. a while, and much like our team, we really needed to have some There’s wisdom in honesty. A disinfectant quality to sunlight. changes to it after the season we had. That season, it did leave a mark a little bit on our group. I just think you see it a lot in the game when staffs Practically speaking, too, the Canucks’ primary spokesman knows that are together for a while, and sometimes there needs to be or you want there’s no hiding from what was obvious to anyone who watched the club there to be — and I don’t know if I’m right or not or if we made the right dismantle a team on the rise in October 2020, struggle out of the gate in decisions — but sometimes new voices help. January 2021, get battered by a COVID-19 outbreak in-season and ultimately finish in last place in the one-season-only All-Canadian This was just a case where we felt we wanted to add a few different division. voices to our group. Obviously, we brought in a veteran coach in Brad Shaw and he’s going to give us a different presence, a different look and Moving forward, though, Green is focused. He’s hopeful. He’s intent on most importantly just a different voice. I’ve got a lot of respect for him — channelling the hard times, processing what went wrong and moving much like I do for a lot of coaches in the NHL — but we also brought in a ahead with the club’s goals in mind. young coach in Kyle Gustafson too. He’s going to bring that enthusiasm, that youthfulness, eyes wide open, hasn’t seen a lot in the league which I “I don’t think you ever just turn the page,” Green told The Athletic on also think is a good thing. There’s something to be said for freshness and Monday, during an appearance on the VANcast, while discussing the maybe even being a little bit naive at times, I welcome that. He’s a sharp “mark” left on his club by the 2021 campaign. “But I don’t think it’s guy, he’s a sharp coach, he’s got a bunch of new ideas that I like. anything you can dwell on either. Sometimes change is good. “I’ve talked to our players about the expectations, the attitude, the commitment that we need to have. I’m not going to continue to talk about With Newell departing, that’s one of the most experienced power-play last season, I think that can be useless energy. We want to talk about coaches you’ll find in the NHL and Jason King assumes that portfolio; it’ll what we want to do going forward. The lessons, hopefully, they’ve been be his first year behind a bench in the NHL. Does the shape of your learned. Coming back we’re going to be looking for a little bit of coaching staff leave you in a position where you’re more likely to be redemption.” move involved with your top offensive players than you maybe have been in the past? Over the course of an illuminating 30-minute conversation on The Athletic’s Canucks podcast, Green discussed a variety of pressing topics Yeah, I think so. I’ll have a little bit more input. including J.T. Miller’s competitiveness, why it didn’t work out for Nate Schmidt in Vancouver, training camp plans, his new-looking coaching I’ve always been a coach that’s let their coaches coach, and I’m not staff and his expectations for 2021-22. going to change that. Kinger and I have talked, and we have a really good working relationship. I’ve mentioned to some of our guys already For those who would rather read than listen, here is an extended Q&A of that are our top guys that I’ll be a little bit more involved in the power highlights from the conversation. play, but still, Kinger is going to run it. I might sit in more meetings, for example, have a little bit more input, but not a whole lot. I’ll just be a little The questions and Green’s answers have been edited for length and bit more involved. clarity. I want to pick at J.T. Miller on the power play, in particular. He came into Did you need a little more time after the way 2021 played out? Just the Vancouver and started at the net, and now is on the left circle on his season as a whole, but for you personally too with the illness that you downhill side and now kind of initiates things with three lefties up high — battled, the contract status, the way that the pressure mounted on you including Bo Horvat in the bumper. He’s been effective in both spots. personally and your club over the course of last season? You’ve defended Miller in the past whenever he’s come under criticism, If I’m being honest, yes I did. It was a tough season for everyone. he’s clearly a player that you trust. What is it about his game that has worked so well for you, in his two years in Vancouver in your view? I wouldn’t say the pressure was a part of it. It was more like after the season we had, I felt if I wanted to be productive, we needed to get away When you say I defend players or as a coach when you do defend from it. I don’t think people really understand the magnitude of the whole players. schedule, the whole COVID thing, I thought I needed some time to re- There’s no players that … and I’m not sitting here saying that he’s the energize, refocus. I find when I get in that state of mind I can look back at perfect player on the ice. It’s hard to find those guys. But I will defend J.T. things more clearly. This guy loves to win, he’s ultra-ultra-competitive and he’s good. It’s easy I just thought it was important to take some time, not just for myself, but to defend guys that are good, ultra-competitive and love winning. for the players. Before I had communication with the players again, I Now, are there things that he’s done that I haven’t liked? Of course. And wanted them to have some time away from us. last year there was probably a few more things in his game that I didn’t Last season, players were at the rink every day, there was testing every like than his year before, but that’s not coincidence. We were losing, he day, and it’s not like I’m saying that people should feel sorry for these was playing a different position, he was playing probably more minutes players. It’s a real privilege and an honour to play in the NHL. When than he should. And these are things we’ve talked about and we do talk, you’re doing it every day and going through the grind and the players do J.T. and I talk a lot behind closed doors. To a man in our room, we still feel that pressure, because they want to win bad. push our players to become better and we’re going to continue to do that.

When I said it wasn’t because of the pressure, hey, there is pressure to You also have to look at how you push players individually and I tend to play in the NHL and win in the NHL, and these guys never got a break back players that just love to win and are ultra competitive. There’s a from it at all. So I felt like we really needed some time at the end of the saying that you’d rather have lions on your team than have to train year to step back and analyze things. lambs, and you want guys like that. I think to win in this league is hard, you have to have ultra-competitive guys that hate losing. What’s the hardest part about coaching in Vancouver?

There isn’t one, I just want to win. With another guy who has a right-handed shot in Conor Garland, who In the wake of how things played out with Nate Schmidt this offseason, has spent a lot of time on the power play and can be pretty lethal from did you ever have a chance to talk with him about why it didn’t work? that left circle. What sort of options does that additional versatility bring, Why do you think it didn’t work out so well for both sides in that one-year like the ability to go to two righties on PP1 in-season, will that give you an marriage? advantage? I talked to Schmitty after the season and talked with him probably about It will, for sure, I think Garland is going to give us a lot of benefits — not three weeks before the trade and I texted him after the trade. just on the power play but in our overall game. Admittedly, he probably didn’t play his best last season, we probably You talk about the power play, I think having another righty is going to didn’t see him at his best, but that can be said about a lot of guys. I wish help us. I think Conor can play a lot of positions as well, he can play net- nothing but the best for Schmitty and his future. front, he can play bumper, he played all four spots in Arizona. You hear, I’m sure, some of the media scouting reports and the talk He’s also a young guy too, you go back to the youthfulness of our group, about your club’s defensive game, how do you take a step in that area he’s still a young player in the league learning that position as well, but and how big a point of emphasis is it for you this offseason? he’s got an enormous amount of skill, he’s got good vision on the ice and he’s a competitive guy. Well, it is. You talk about good teams, bad teams, teams that don’t have good seasons, everyone thinks about the teams that score goals and I want to circle back to J.T. really quickly. Typically speaking, heavier have all this skill, but the teams that win games and are at the top of the wingers coming into your teams over the past couple of years — whether league, they’re also at the top of the league defensively. It’s no it’s Josh Leivo from Toronto or Tanner Pearson from Pittsburgh or J.T. coincidence that the teams that don’t have good records, they’re also at from Tampa Bay — that player type, in particular, has seemed to have a the bottom of the league defensively. lot of success working with you and within your system. What is it do you think about the way your teams play that permits that player type — So we know full well we have to be better in that area, and that comes in whether you want to call them a digger or a heavy press — to excel? a number of ways. When your team improves, and if your team is a better hockey team and has better hockey players than the year before, When you talk about heavier bodies like that, it’s not just our team. you’re going to be better in that area … It’s also a commitment from your group. It’s a lot of teaching and a lot of learning, and not just from the Yes, Leivo had a good season with us. I don’t look at Miller as a huge players either. It’s the coaches demanding it. guy or a big power forward, he’s just strong on the puck and has good hockey sense. It’s something we’ve already talked about with our group, that we need to be a better defensive team. For me, winning puck battles, you look at good teams, they’re heavy on the puck. And when I say heavy, I mean they just own a lot of pucks. The And in saying that, our forecheck affects our breakouts. It’s the same way little loose pucks they come up with. with defensive hockey. Owning the puck and holding the puck in the offensive zone is going to help your defensive game. And then there’s Is that strength? Part of it is. Is that size? Sometimes it is. Is it quickness the actual defence. and being brave? Yeah, it’s that too. And it’s also the part of being a veteran, being in the league and understanding the importance of it. If you really broke down defensive hockey and looked around the league — which we do a lot of, and study different systems and there’s only a For me, it’s not just bigger bodies, it’s guys that own the puck. few different systems that are used — and then it comes down to, really, Last week I was going through a lot of the goals against from last how you teach it, how you coach it, the level of your players and how season, and there’s so many times when you’re watching it and you’re they do it. watching 100 of them, and I watched about half of them the other night. I’m expecting our team to be better defensively next year, but I’m also You own a puck here or you’re harder on the puck there, it changes a lot expecting them to be better offensively as well. Talk to any coach, they of things in the game. want a team that is good at both ends of the rink.

Does that ruin your evening to go through that exercise? I also think that we have some younger players and we’ve tried to never It does, yeah. I try to follow it up with the goals for. stifle their game offensively, and they’re going to learn to be better at the defensive side of the game as well. That just comes down to being You said at the tail end of last season that the experience you’d had, that mature in your game and understanding it. you’d gone through, had made you a better coach. With space to reflect on it — and it’s been three months minus 10 days since Canucks steel Puck management is a big part of defensive hockey, turnovers kill you in last hit the ice — what was the biggest lesson you’ll take from last year, this league, that’s where a lot of offence is created — off of turnovers. do you think? That’s an area we have to be better in as well. If we’re harder on the puck and we manage the puck a little better, that’s going to help as well. I’m not sure if I can sit here and just pick out one lesson. Whenever you go through adversity, it teaches you a lot. I’ve said it many times. It’s an area of our game we know as a coaching staff — and it’s not just Sometimes losing and going through adversity teaches you more than our staff, every staff in the league focuses on defensive hockey — but when you win. the way analytics are, and the fact that we use them as well, we’re obviously aware of where we need to improve in our game. We have to You hear it a lot, players that win a lot at an early age and then they don’t install certain drills in practice and work on it a little more and you win for a long time, they maybe didn’t appreciate the good times as much touched on training camp and I think this year’s training camp will feel as they should’ve. Last year, there was a lot of adversity and not just for like a long camp. us, for the whole league in ways. We have lots of time to work on our game, we want to get down to our I said it at the beginning of the year to our coaches, that when we were team probably a little bit quicker than we have and work on some areas probably three weeks in. I said that the teams that are winning this year of our game that we haven’t had a chance to. and things are going good and they’re rolling good, they’re going to have a huge advantage as the season goes. Just because of the intensity and The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 the density of the schedule, the losing is … going through rough times you’re not going to be able to catch your breath like you do in a regular season.

Trying to keep your team confident, because with confidence comes motivation, that was a big part of last year. And not just for the players, but even for the staff. Everyone wants to win so badly, so you’re trying to make sure you’re keeping a level head and trying to find answers that are going to be productive and not answers that are going to be detrimental to your group. You’re always looking for that as a coach, but in a year like last year, it was probably even more prevalent.

Nate Schmidt (Bob Frid / USA Today) 1219311 Websites Like Montreal, the Bruins get off to an easy start. The first-rounder here is relatively obvious, as we briefly consider Joe Thornton before going ahead and penciling in Ray Bourque. And while it may be a somewhat surprising name, we also have an easy choice in goal with third-rounder The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Which team can build the best six-man , a Bruin’s pick who was traded to Montreal before he lineup of players drafted in different rounds? debuted. That costs us fellow third-round pick Brad Marchand, but unless we want Dan Bouchard or Andrew Raycroft in net, we don’t really have a

choice. By Sean McIndoe Aug 10, 2021 304 From there, I think we have to go with Patrice Bergeron in Round 2, and then the hunt for value starts. We can find some in eighth-round pick Don Sweeney (edging out Hal Gill), and ninth-round pick Craig MacTavish. Today’s post is based on an idea that several of you have sent in, in That leaves us with one more forward slot to fill, and we can have our some form or another. The most recent, and the one who inspired me to choice of fourth-round picks like Joey Juneau or Steve Kasper, fifth- go ahead and do this, was from long-time reader Bill B., who I think is rounders and Mariusz Czerkawski, or sixth-rounder Mike more of a football guy but apparently dabbles in hockey. Thanks, Bill. Krushelnyski. Those guys are all pretty similar, and the end result is a decent team that’s probably a little more balanced than Montreal’s even if We’re going to take a run at a straightforward question: Which NHL team it’s not necessarily better. can make the best six-man starting lineup from players they’ve drafted, without using anyone who was picked in the same round? Forwards: Patrice Bergeron (2), Craig MacTavish (9), Mariusz Czerkawski (5) That’s it. Nice and simple. We’re going to look for three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie that were all drafted by the same team, and all Defensemen: Ray Bourque (1), Don Sweeney (8) in different rounds. You get credit for everything that player did in their career (not just what they did for your team). Active players are eligible Goalie: Ken Dryden (3) but only based on what they’ve already done, not what they might do One more Original Six entry… down the line. And no undrafted players – sorry, Wayne, you’re sitting this one out. Toronto Maple Leafs

It should be easy enough to build out some teams. Will they be any Woof. good? That’s where it will get tricky, but of course, you already knew that. As always, I’ll try to cover about half the league and then turn it over to Yeah, here’s the thing about the Leafs’ draft history – they’re actually you in the comments to fill in any teams you think can beat mine. pretty good in Round 1. They’ve drafted two Hall of Famers in Darryl Sittler and Lanny MacDonald, a 1,200-point player in Vincent We’ll start where we usually do for these sorts of things, by tapping into Damphousse, plus Tuukka Rask, Wendel Clark, and the current trio of the rich history of the Original Six. They don’t have as much of an first-round stars. For a team with a reputation for whiffing on draft picks, advantage as they usually do, since the NHL Draft only started in 1963, we’ve got plenty of options there. and was pretty barren until well into the 70s, but the Original Six teams are the only ones with access to every draft ever held. They should be But then… yikes. Apparently, Maple Leaf scouts go home after the first pretty good. Let’s see if they are. round because there just isn’t much in the way of value anywhere. The all-time leading scorer among players drafted by the Maple Leafs after Round 1 is second-rounder Rick Kehoe, with 767 points; that’s not great, but the next two forwards on the list are Yanic Perreault and Tiger The Habs are a great team to start with because they illustrate the highs Williams. and lows of how this will play out. They start us off with easy picks, including Guy Lafleur as our first-round pick – he’s not only the all-time We can find a couple of late-round values on the blue line in Tomas leading scorer among Habs draft picks, but he’s over 500 points ahead of Kaberle and Anton Stralman, which is enough to bump the next most productive first-rounder (Saku Koivu). We have another from the second-round slot. There’s also personal favorite Sergei easy call in the third round, with filling our goalie slot. Berezin, a tenth-round pick. But yeah, overall the Leafs’ entry just isn’t all that good. The second round is a tougher choice, but in a good way, as we have to pick between Larry Robinson or Chris Chelios as our top defenseman. Forwards: Darryl Sittler (1), Rick Kehoe (2), Sergei Berezin (10) You can’t really go wrong with either, so three rounds in and we’ve got a slam-dunk Hall of Famer at each position. Defensemen: Tomas Kaberle (8), Anton Stralman (7)

And then… uh oh. Goalie: Mike Palmateer (5)

With apologies to Brent Gilchrist and Gilbert Dionne, the Canadiens have Let’s try our luck with some modern-era teams. never really had a great fourth-round pick. The fifth round offers up Los Angeles Kings Brendan Gallagher and Mikhail Grabovski but not much else. The sixth is actually much more fertile ground, with two 1,000-game forwards in Keith This ends up being a very good entry, thanks to two of the team’s Acton and , plus a strong blue line option in Andrei Markov. longest-serving players, Luc Robitaille and Dave Taylor, being very late And then we go bargain hunting in the late rounds, looking through picks. They can also offer up a pair of Hall of Famers on the blue line, names like Tom Kurvers and Lyle Odelein (seventh), Michael Ryder and and another in goal thanks to Billy Smith, who only played five games for (eighth), and maybe Mark Streit (ninth). There’s also the Kings but still counts. And we can top it all off with the underrated Viacheslav Fetisov in the 12th back in 1978, but he never showed Kevin Stevens, a sixth-round pick in 1983 (who was traded to Pittsburgh interest in coming to Montreal and was re-drafted by the Devils five years months later without ever suiting up for the Kings). later, so he doesn’t seem to fit the spirit of the thing. I think the Kings are the best team we’ve seen yet, and they’re certainly In the end, I think you fill out your top six with Markov, Gallagher, and the most balanced. And somewhat impressively, they do it without using then I guess Ryder. It’s not a bad lineup, by any stretch, but it’s nowhere a second or third-round pick. near as good as what we seemed to be headed for after those first three choices. This isn’t going to be easy. Forwards: Luc Robitaille (9), Dave Taylor (15), Kevin Stevens (6)

Forwards: Guy Lafleur (1), Brendan Gallagher (5), Michael Ryder (8) Defensemen: Rob Blake (4), Larry Murphy (1)

Defensemen: Larry Robinson (2), Andrei Markov (6) Goalie: Billy Smith (5)

Goalie: Patrick Roy (3) We’ll stay out west for our next entry.

Let’s see if one of Montreal’s oldest rivals can beat that group. Vancouver Canucks

Boston Bruins There will be some healthy debate around the first-round slot, with both Sedins competing with Hall of Famer Cam Neely and franchise-icon Trevor Linden. There won’t be any debate around Pavel Bure, picked in Round 6 because other teams didn’t know he was eligible. So our sixth-rounder who got off to a slow start but turned out OK, albeit not in forward ranks are off to a good start, and we can sneak in Igor Larionov Calgary. He wasn’t on the 1989 Stanley Cup team, but everyone else as a late-round flyer from the Iron Curtain days who eventually paid off. from this squad was.

We know the blue line will be a weak point because this is the Canucks Forwards: (6), Joe Nieuwendyk (2), Theo Fleury (8), and they never have an elite defenseman, but we can find a couple of decent mid-round options. Goaltending is an issue too, as in 50+ years Defensemen: Al MacInnis (1), Gary Suter (9) the Canucks have never drafted anyone with more wins than Cory Goalie: (3) Schneider’s 170. One more from Canada. Forwards: Pavel Bure (6), Igor Larionov (11), Cam Neely (1), just so I don’t have to argue about which Sedin was better Ottawa Senators

Defensemen: Harold Snepsts (4), Adrian Aucoin (5) The Senators have a reputation as a strong drafting team, so you’d think we’d be able to find some nice late-round value. And we do – but like the Goalie: Glen Hanlon (3) Blues, the Senators have a bad habit of finding their bargains in the The teams with five decades of history obviously have an advantage same rounds. In this case, we end up with three pretty good players here, but let’s try one of the more recent franchises. taken in the ninth round, in Sami Salo, Brian Elliott and Pavol Demitra. Worse, the two very best picks in franchise history from outside the first Nashville Predators are Daniel Alfredsson and Mark Stone, who both went in the sixth. Diversify your draft steals, guys! In what’s easily our most on-brand entry of this entire exercise, the Predators have too many options on defense and next to nothing up Forwards: Daniel Alfredsson (6), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (4), Mike Hoffman front. We’ll build from the net out with eight-round pick Pekka Rinne, then (5) a blue line of first-rounder Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, who edges out fellow second-rounder Roman Josi. Defensemen: Erik Karlsson (1), Sami Salo (9)

That’s a great start. In fact, let’s just end this section right here. Goalie: Robin Lehner (2)

Forwards: Viktor Arvidsson (4), Patric Hornqvist (7), I guess maybe Matt Let’s move on to the battle of Pennsylvania. Hendricks (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Defensemen: Ryan Suter (1), Shea Weber (2) Here’s an oddity: The Flyers don’t draft good defensemen in the first Goalie: Pekka Rinne (8) round. Seriously, it’s weird. In terms of career games played, the top Flyers blue line pick is Murray Baron, who they took in the eighth round. We’ll stay in the Central for our next entry. Next is Gord Murphy, from the ninth. Then Dennis Seidenberg, a sixth. You have to scroll down to ninth on the list to find a first-rounder, and St. Louis Blues that’s the cromulent Behn Wilson. Maybe Ivan Provorov is on his way to Here’s a very weird thing I learned: Of the six Blues draft picks who went ending the drought, but it’s strange. on to play the most games, five were drafted after the sixth round. That So yeah, our blue line will be dicey. The forwards are strong, though, includes three seventh-round picks, but with due respect to Cliff Ronning especially since Bobby Clarke was a second-rounder, meaning we have and Ian Laperriere, that slot is an easy call with Doug Gilmour. We’ll put room to use our first-round slot on Peter Forsberg. I’m surprised that I him with fellow Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, the only other Hall of didn’t end up using sixth-rounder , but with another Vezina Famer to be draft by the Blues (at least until fellow first-rounder Rod winner lurking, I think the roster works out better if we give that slot to Brind’Amour makes the cut). Rick Tocchet.

From there, we can fill out a decent roster with some blue line value and Forwards: Bobby Clarke (2), Peter Forsberg (1), Rick Tocchet (6) a solid goalie in Mike Liut, who narrowly beats out eighth-rounder Guy Hebert and an all-time “Wait, he was drafted by them?” guy in Ben Defensemen: Gord Murphy (9), Chris Therien (3) Bishop. Goalie: Pete Peeters (8) Forwards: Doug Gilmour (7), Bernie Federko (1), David Backes (2) We head across the state for our next team. Defensemen: (10), Colton Parayko (3) Pittsburgh Penguins Goalie: Mike Liut (4) Oh look, it’s the team that always has a generational franchise player or OK, time to fire up the Battle of Alberta. two on the roster. One problem: From Mario to Jaromir to Sid to Geno, the Pens get all their legends in the first round, so for once all their star Edmonton Oilers power doesn’t let them roll over everyone else in one of these games. Is There’s no available here, but we do have plenty of star that the only reason I even included them? Yes, actually. Yes, it is. power. The big question is what we do with our first round. Has two-time Forwards: Mario Lemieux (1), Mark Recchi (4), (2) MVP Connor McDavid already done enough to earn a spot at the expense of three-time Norris winner Paul Coffey? Maybe, but if I go that Defensemen: Kris Letang (3), Jake Muzzin (5) way then the blue line options will be extremely thin, so I’ll stick with Coffey on a team that ends up being almost entirely made up of Goalie: (6) members of the 1980s dynasty. Man, this team just killed those 1979 and Honestly, the Penguins filling all six slots with picks from the first six 1980 drafts. rounds is weirdly satisfying to me. Let’s see what another Metro rival can Forwards: Mark Messier (3), Jari Kurri (4), Miroslav Satan (5) do.

Defensemen: Paul Coffey (1), Steve Smith (6) Alexander Ovechkin. (AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Goalie: Andy Moog (7) Washington Capitals

The Oilers don’t use a second-rounder, but they are our first team to fill A weak blue line, the presence of first-rounder Scott Stevens and Sergei out a roster without having to reach past the seventh and into the rounds Gonchar, and some decent late-round forward value at least makes us that no longer exist. Their rivals won’t want to do the same, since they’ve toy with the idea of leaving Alexander Ovechkin off the list, but that got a couple of great late-round values from their own 1980s glory days. seems like overthinking it. This roster isn’t great, although it’s always nice to slot in a 500-goal guy from the eighth round. Calgary Flames Forwards: Alexander Ovechkin (1), Peter Bondra (8), Dmitri Khristich (6) Theo Fleury remains one of history’s greatest late-round values, and Gary Suter was a steal in the ninth. But the big name here is Brett Hull, a Defensemen: Ken Klee (9), Johnny Oduya (7), Goalie: Braden Holtby (4)

OK, let’s take this home by going back to the Original Six teams we haven’t hit on yet.

New York Rangers

As always in these sorts of things, the Rangers are hit and miss for an Original Six entry. That’s probably not surprising, since they’ve spent decades letting other teams draft and develop talent that they overpay to acquire later. Still, this group isn’t bad, with two Hall of Famers on the blue line and a goalie who’ll join them someday. The forwards don’t have a ton of star power, but it’s three solid players, even if all three didn’t last long in New York.

Forwards: Doug Weight (2), Tony Amonte (4), Tony Granato (6)

Defensemen: Brad Park (1) or Brian Leetch if you kids want to use him instead, Sergei Zubov (5)

Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist (7)

Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks’ entry suffers from being top-heavy with firsts; six of the top seven scorers drafted by Chicago were first-round picks. I went with Patrick Kane, but Jonathan Toews and Denis Savard are options too, and we could also switch it up and use Doug Wilson to supplement the blue line. I don’t think we need to because there’s good value to be had there. And the defense may not even matter because we get what might be the best value in this entire game in goal. This squad is probably one more forward away from taking the title.

Forwards: Patrick Kane (1), Steve Larmer (6), Eric Daze (4)

Defensemen: Duncan Keith (2), Dustin Byfuglien (8)

Goalie: Dominik Hasek (10)

Detroit Red Wings

We’ll end with the team that might have been the first to jump into your mind when you saw the premise. The Red Wings built a dynasty in the greatest draft of all-time in 1989, drafting three European stars who’d form the core of a championship. Then they kept it going by landing some late-round gems a generation later. Under these rules, are they going to be unstoppable?

Well, kind of, yeah. Put it this way: They don’t end up even needing Henrik Zetterberg’s seventh-round value. Tomas Holmstrom from the tenth round, or Petr Klima from the fifth, or even Adam Graves in the second? Thanks for coming out guys, we’ll call you if we need to fill out a third line.

The only question mark is in goal, where the Wings have never drafted a Hall of Famer and won’t even consider 400-win man Chris Osgood because the third-round slot is going to Nicklas Lidstrom. Other than that, the only real debate here is Steve Yzerman vs. Marcel Dionne with the first-round slot, which I think qualifies as a nice problem to have.

Forwards: Steve Yzerman (1), Sergei Fedorov (4), Pavel Datsyuk (6)

Defensemen: Nicklas Lidstrom (3), Vladimir Konstantinov (11)

Goalie: Jimmy Howard (2)

It’s not a perfect roster, but it’s the best one we’ve seen, and I’m not even sure it’s all that close.

Then again, we’ve only covered half the league. If you want to take a shot at making a few rosters of your own, there are some intriguing teams still out there. Try an Islanders squad built around , and Zdeno Chara, or a Sabres team that starts with , Alexander Mogilny and Brian Campbell, or a combined Jets entry built around Teemu Selanne and Connor Hellebuyck. Want to be a masochist and take a run at the Blue Jackets or Wild? I wouldn’t advise it, but I can’t stop you. Head to the comments and let me see what you can come up with.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.11.2021 1219312 Websites Conversations continue. 2. Elias Pettersson

Age: 22 Sportsnet.ca / NHL's Top 10 RFAs of 2021: Latest rumours and reports Position: Centre

2020-21 salary cap hit: $925,000 Luke Fox@lukefoxjukeboxAugust 10, 2021, 11:50 AM Arbitration rights: No

Bargaining chips: 2019 Calder Trophy winner. Finished 16th in Hart It’s a youth-driven league, folks, and the quality of the NHL's restricted voting in 2020. 66 points in each of his first two seasons. Plus-19 player. free agents this summer is deep. Career 17.6 per cent shooter. No. 1 centre. Put up 21 points through 26 We have first-line wingers and at least one franchise centreman who are games in 2021, and it still feels like underachieving. due for raises, and the number of young top-pair defencemen and The latest: In late January, Pettersson switched agents, leaving Michael emerging goaltenders with No. 1 potential is staggering. Deutsch at Eclipse Sports Management and joining teammate Hughes at Vancouver’s Jim Benning may be under the most pressure to negotiate CAA. Power brokers Pat Brisson and Barry will handle their extension long-term extensions with his RFAs. Despite taking care of Thatcher negotiations — and hold a great deal of leverage. Demko and Conor Garland, he still has two big guns to compensate. Barry told Rick Dhaliwal that the plan is to work on both deals together, Cale Makar got paid in Colorado, Miro Heiskanen in Dallas, Brandon like the twin monsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane signed in the Carlo in Boston. summer of 2014. Unlike Hughes, Pettersson could theoretically ink an offer sheet. Joel Eriksson Ek committed to Minnesota, and Anthony Duclair and Sam Bennett to Florida. Barry, you may recall, put the screws to Benning in securing lucrative contracts for Tyler Myers and Loui Eriksson in recent off-seasons. But Detroit's Steve Yzerman heisted Carolina for Alex Nedeljkovic and they were UFAs, not RFAs. instantly inked him to a two-year bridge at $3 million per. “The Canucks have cap issues. I don’t think we can do long-term deals But these extensions are just the tip of the iceberg. for Petey and Quinn. We have started the dance; we are engaged in talks,” Barry told Donnie and Dhali. Seventeen RFAs elected to file for salary arbitration. Hearings will be held Aug. 11-26. “We are exploring shorter term for Elias, five years and under. Quinn longer.” Here’s where things stand with the top RFAs of 2021. Sportsnet's Iain McIntyre estimates that somewhere in the ballpark of $14 More from Sportsnet million in total AAV could get both stars under contract. One would have Nick-Ritchie to bet that means going the Auston Matthews–style, five-year route and keeping the door ajar for another windfall when the cap escalates. Nick Ritchie should vie for top-six role with Maple Leafs Benning vowed to match any offer sheet on Pettersson during a Luke Fox Sportsnet radio interview in Vancouver on July 22.

NHL’s Top 10 UFAs remaining: Latest rumours, reports A rehabbing Pettersson tweeted footage of him firing pucks on July 14, an encouraging video for Canucks fans. Luke Fox Barry reminded on July 30 that agreeing on term is a hurdle in 1. Quinn Hughes negotiations, but the good news is that both Hughes and Pettersson are Age: 21 committed to re-signing with Vancouver.

Position: Defence 3. Kirill Kaprizov

2020-21 salary cap hit: $916,667 Age: 24

Arbitration rights: No Position: Left wing

Bargaining chips: 2020 Calder runner-up. Power-play quarterback. 97 2020-21 salary cap hit: $925,000 points through first 129 NHL games. Key building block in Vancouver. Arbitration rights: Yes, but did not file Averages nearly 23 minutes per game. Bargaining chips: 2021 Calder champ. Blew up with 27 goals and 51 The latest: Preliminary contract talks got underway between Benning and points in 55 games as an NHL rookie, while logging 18-plus minutes the two most important engines of the Canucks’ rebuild in early April. nightly. Most points and goals by a rookie in Wild history. Instant star and Hughes has been putting up gaudier numbers than recent RFA fan favourite. Minnesota is desperate for young, exciting offensive talent. defencemen (Charile McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Mikhail Sergachev) and is The latest: Wild insider Michael Russo of The Athletic reported in late arguably more important to his franchise’s future. March that Kaprizov’s agent, Paul Theofanous, sat down with GM Bill Benning drew mild criticism for the in-season extensions he handed out Guerin to kick off “a long conversation that will eventually lead to a new to Demko and Tanner Pearson, essentially signing some smaller fish contract” for the most exciting young talent to pull on a Wild sweater before dealing with the biggies. since… who? Marian Gaborik?

While significant money came off the books in July — Loui Eriksson, Alex Kaprizov’s status as a 10.2(c) RFA means he’s immune to an offer sheet. Edler, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel — Vancouver inherited Oliver His only leverage is threatening to sign in the KHL. Ekman-Larsson's huge contract, still has multiple RFAs to satisfy and is He can become a UFA as early as the 2024 off-season, so Guerin should dealing with ’s cap recapture penalty. be gunning for term here. Perhaps bridge is the only solution. The good news for panicky people in In polling execs and agents, Russo’s sources’ predictions on Kaprizov’s Van City: Hughes is classified as a 10.2(c) RFA, meaning he cannot sign next contract range from a $6.5-million AAV on a two-year deal to a $9- an offer sheet. million AAV for a lockup of six years plus. On June 15, agent J.P. Barry suggested to Donnie and Dhali on CHEK Kaprizov headlines a Minnesota RFA class that includes prized forward that he is exploring a deal longer than five years for Hughes. Kevin Fiala. (The club already took care of Ryan Hartman and Eriksson Term will be a major sticking point, and fellow RFAs Heiskanen and Ek before they hit free-agent status.) Makar helped set Hughes' market. He won't be cheap. Certainly, the twin buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter freed up cash Elliotte Friedman suggested on July 12 that a three-year bridge might be for this summer’s spending. the route here:

Kevin Weekes caused a stir on June 18 with his report that talks had 5. Andrei Svechnikov gone cold and that Kaprizov was threatening to sign back in the KHL, yanking on his only leverage in this situation. Age: 21

Guerin said on July 13 that “dialogue is open” with Kaprisov’s camp and Position: Right wing that talks began around July 3. The GM cautioned the sides are still early 2020-21 salary cap hit: $925,000 in the process. Arbitration rights: No Sources described negotiations to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski as "a deafening silence" at the end of July. Bargaining chips: Second-overall pick. Big power forward (six-foot-two, 200 pounds) entering prime. Two 20-goal seasons before age 21. Power- Publicly, Guerin says simply there is nothing new to announce. play weapon. Skating a career-high 17-plus minutes.

The KHL pressure point was raised again on Aug. 9, when Frank The latest: “I'm open,” Svechnikov said way back in August regarding re- Seravalli reported that Kaprisov has a deal in place with CSKA Moscow signing. "I think my agent is going to do that job, and I tell him I don't for one year and eight figures should a new contract with the Wild fail to want to know anything (until) it's going to be done. So, he's going to tell work out. me when it's going to be done, and I just don't want to worry about that."

Guerin has indicated for a month that he’s willing to compromise by Extension talks with Svechnikov reportedly quieted in February, but signing Kaprizov to a mid-range deal (five or six years). picked up after Carolina was eliminated in Round 2.

"The Wild still expect to get a contract consummated with Kaprizov Owner Tom Dundon is always looking for a deal, and it’s no coincidence despite the threat continuing to come from Kaprizov’s side," Russo the Canes’ last high-profile RFA, Sebastian Aho, signed the NHL’s most reports. recent offer sheet. Or that Nedeljkovic and Dougie Hamilton left to get 4. Brady Tkachuk paid.

Age: 21 “Mark Gandler, who represents Andrei, and I have had lots of talks over the last six weeks,” Waddell said on July 24. Position: Left wing “We’ll get a deal done. I don’t think it’s going to happen before 2020-21 salary cap hit: $925,000 Wednesday. There’s no urgency from either side right now. We don’t start playing until September. These contracts for these type of players Arbitration rights: No will get done; they just take a long time to get done.

Bargaining chips: Finished fifth in Calder votes in 2019. 125 points "Our talks have been very good about what length of a contract and right through first 198 NHL games. Plays 18-plus minutes per night. Willing to around the amount, we have a little disagreement there, but we have a fight Shea Weber. Hits hard and often. Beloved by teammates and fans. pretty good range of how things are going to fall. So we’re able to plan, His prime will align with Sens’ ascent. Captain material. regardless if we get him signed before now or next week. We can plan The latest: Tkachuk has expressed his love for playing in the nation's and know that he’s going to be part of our group moving forward.” capital. He’s also revealed that his in-depth conversations with 6. Filip Hronek management regarding a new contract have been limited. Age: 23 “That’s a good question,” Tkachuk told reporters in January. “Where the world’s at right now, we haven't really been talking about (my extension), Position: Defence and we don't know how the salary cap is going to look for the next couple of years. 2020-21 salary cap hit: $714,166

“I love being here. I love the crew, love the teammates and the staff, so Arbitration rights: No definitely love it here. But we'll see how it unfolds.” Bargaining chips: 2017 Calder Cup champ. 2019 Red Wings rookie of Pierre Dorion re-signed head coach D.J. Smith, which should please the year. Team Czech staple who won Best Defenceman at 2019 worlds. Tkachuk. The GM has the cap room to commit and has shown a Puck-moving, right-shot defenceman yet to reach his ceiling. Led team in preference to go deep with RFAs he deems worthy of the core (see: points (26) and assists (24) this season. Logs 23:23 per game. Improved Chabot, Colin White and Matt Murray). discipline and defensively during platform year.

Tkachuk is absolutely worth the investment, so it’ll be fascinating to see The latest: Fantasy managers know: Hronek is that rare Red Wing worth how he plays this out. Senators fans needn’t be reminded of past free hanging onto, even during the mighty franchise’s patient rebuild. agents who’ve departed for more money elsewhere. “A year from now, Filip Hronek’s up and we’ll extend his contract,” “We haven’t really started to talk yet,” Tkachuk told the Cam and Strick promised GM Steve Yzerman back in October, during an appearance on podcast in June. “So, I’m going to give you the hockey answer and then 97.1 The Ticket. I’m going to give you the real answer. I will let my agent (Newport Sports’ As recently as the 2021 trade deadline, when he dealt away Mantha, Craig Oster) and Pierre figure it out. Yzerman highlighted Hronek as a core member of a roster he’s slowly “I think it’s pretty cool going through this for the first time. Of course, it’s a building back to prominence. little stressful, and people say you shouldn’t think about it, but it’s your Even with the Jakub Vrana and Tyler Bertuzzi deals, Detroit is flush with life. cap space, so Hronek should surface this summer with more term than “For it now to be kind of getting into the works this summer, it’s definitely any of his teammates. Yzerman was prudent in managing his internal going to be exciting, and I hear different stories about different cap in Tampa, so the bar he sets with Hronek will be one worth watching. negotiations and how they go. Being there with Matthew and with his 7. Sam Reinhart negotiations (with the Calgary Flames), I’m just excited that it’s happened to me.” Age: 25

Shawn Simpson reported on Aug. 5 that "Brady loves the crew in Ottawa. Position: Centre / Right wing But he's totally waiting to see if ownership is willing to spend what it takes 2020-21 salary cap hit: $5.2 million to deliver a Cup team. How that relates to this summer and his deal, I'm not sure. But it was made very clear that he would be all in long term if Arbitration rights: Yes ownership does the same. At the same time they know the business and won't be playing any games." Bargaining chips: Second-overall pick in 2014. Four consecutive 20-goal, 40-point seasons. Hot off career-best 25 goals in 54 games. Improving defensive play and showing signs of being an adequate centre substitute. Age: 21 Panthers already gave up a haul to acquire his rights. Position: Defence The latest: On Day 2 of the 2021 NHL Draft, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams dealt Reinhart to the Florida Panthers for goaltending prospect Devon 2020-21 salary cap hit: $925,000 Levi and a first-round pick in 2022 — a decent return for a player who Arbitration rights: No was on the block. Bargaining chips: First-overall draft pick in 2018. Calder Trophy finalist in Reinhart is coming off a stellar season from a personal standpoint in 2019. Fifth defenceman in NHL history to record 30 points before age 19. which he produced at a high level and showed aptitude in the middle of World junior silver medallist. Building block who wants to stay in Buffalo. the ice. 107 points in first 197 NHL games. Skates more than 21 minutes per In theory, he could take the Panthers to arbitration, get a one-year raise night. and walk as a UFA in 2022. But with a fresh start and a better The latest: The Buffalo News reported on July 21 that contract surrounding cast, the smart money is on Reinhart and the Cats coming to negotiations are underway between Dahlin and Adams, who has gained terms on a multi-year deal. some leverage here after the D-man's disappointing minus-36 "It's been unfortunate that my contracts have been so short," Reinhart performance in 2021. said after the trade. "Going through a year like this is not easy," Dahlin said. "The one thing Florida GM Bill Zito needs to be diligent with this extension, however. I'll take with me is that it has been an experience that will make me a Reinhart’s cap hit could set a benchmark that homegrown stars stronger person and better player and person." Aleksander Barkov (UFA 2022) and Jonathan Huberdeau (UFA 2023) Dahlin was encouraged when Don Granato took over the bench, saying will want to clear easily. he felt more trusted.

8. Juuse Saros The safe play for both sides might be a bridge, but the Sabres don't have Age: 26 a single defenceman signed beyond 2022.

Position: Goaltender Could they lock up Dahlin long-term early in this rebuild of the rebuild and position his as their No. 1, the way Ottawa did with Chabot? 2020-21 salary cap hit: $1.5 million Negotiations are underway. Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed More notable RFAs: Drake Batherson, Nolan Patrick, Ilya Sorokin, Neal Bargaining chips: World junior gold medallist. Natural successor to UFA Pionk, Travis Sanheim, Kevin Fiala, Kailer Yamamoto, Nikita Zadorov, Pekka Rinne’s long run as Nashville’s No. 1 netminder. Career .920 , Andreas Athanasiou, Adam Erne, Jesperi goaltender coming off a personal-best 21-win, .927 season. Started all Kotkaniemi, Casey Mittelstadt, Jason Dickinson, Dennis Gilbert 2021 playoff games for the Predators and showed well. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.11.2021 The latest: GM David Poile said at his season-ending conference that he and Saros’s representatives had yet to dive into negotiations, but with Rinne retiring and Saros proving he can handle No. 1 duties, anything less than an juicy Juuse extension will be a shock.

The question will be whether Nashville goes long-term (see: Murray in Ottawa or Demko in Vancouver) or bridge (Tristan Jarry in Pittsburgh, Mackenzie Blackwood in New Jersey) with its RFA netminder.

Saros filed for salary arbitration, which means that he'll be re-signing in Nashville one way or another by month's end. Arbitration goes Aug. 18.

9. Andrew Copp

Age: 27

Position: Left wing / Centre

2020-21 salary cap hit: $2.28 million

Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed

Bargaining chips: Breakout offensive season in which he scored 15 goals and 39 points in 55 games. Only getting better with age. Not afraid to take the Jets to arbitration. Only one year away from unrestricted free agency. Valued teammate and two-way force versatile to play anywhere in middle six. Faceoff force.

The latest: Copp’s platform performance was timed perfectly, and with UFA status less than 12 months away, the player holds more leverage than most RFAs.

During Copp’s end-of-season press conference, he said he was open to all possibilities for his next contract. That AAV should climb north of $4 million, regardless of term.

So valued is Copp that, even without a contract, he was protected by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff over Dylan DeMelo and Mason Appleton in the expansion draft.

Copp and teammate Neal Pionk both filed for arbitration. Their cases are set for Aug. 26 and Aug. 13, respectively.

"For Copp, I suspect his deal ends up being close to the four-year, $4.4- million AAV pact Sam Bennett signed with the Florida Panthers," writes colleague Ken Wiebe.

10. Rasmus Dahlin 1219313 Websites Spooner took that leadership experience to the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. Although she didn’t wear a letter on her jersey, she embraced her role as a veteran.

TSN.CA / Team Canada player profile: Natalie Spooner “I want to be an impact player and contribute,” she told hockeycanada.ca. “I know what to expect now, and I can help the younger girls who are going into their first time – help them feel comfortable and play their best.” By Meaghen Johnson Spooner wouldn’t have the impact she had hoped for on the scoresheet

at PyeongChang, finishing with two assists and failing to score in her Follow|Archive shootout attempt in the gold-medal game, which the Americans would win 3-2. Natalie Spooner Although Spooner would rebound on an individual level at the 2019 Position: Forward women’s worlds, leading the team in scoring with six goals and 10 points, Canada would take home bronze after being upset by Finland in the Hometown: Scarborough, Ont. semifinal. Age: 30 After the CWHL folded in 2019, Spooner joined the PWHPA with the goal Natalie Spooner has been one of the most prominent faces in women’s of forming a viable women’s professional hockey league in North hockey for almost a decade. She is a two-time Olympic medallist, a America. She currently plays for Team Sonnet in the Toronto region seven-time world championship medallist, a champion, and picked up three points in five games at this year’s Dream Gap Tour and is currently tied for 15th on Canada’s all-time scoring list with 55 in Calgary. goals and 93 points. In 2020, she was named a Canadian All-Star for the Elite Women’s 3-on- Spooner grew up in Scarborough, Ont., and began playing hockey at the 3 game at the 2020 NHL All-Stars Skills Competition. age of four. She started playing with boys before switching to the Durham Spooner has also been active outside of hockey. She competed in the West Lightning Girls Hockey Association, where she remained for 12 second season of The Amazing Race Canada, partnering with her seasons. Spooner led the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Canadian teammate Meaghan Mikkelson. The pair would win seven of in goals in 2006-07 and won gold with Durham at the 2007 PWHL the 11 legs of the race but would ultimately finish second. Spooner was Championship. also a runner-up with partner Andrew Poje in the fifth season of CBC’s She also had success as a teenager with various Ontario teams. In 2005, Battle of the Blades. she won gold with Ontario Red at the National Women’s Under-18 She is an ambassador for charities Fast and Female, which helps girls Championship. Two years later, she captained the team to another stay active in sports, and Canadian Blind Hockey, which is dedicated to championship despite breaking her jaw prior to the tournament after supporting youth who are blind or partially sighted. blocking a shot during a game with Durham. TSN.CA LOADED: 08.11.2021 Spooner would add more gold to her resume, taking home the top prize with Ontario at the 2007 Canada Winter Games as well as with the Mississauga Chiefs at the 2008 Esso Women’s Nationals.

In 2007, she earned her first call-up to Canada’s under-18 team, winning silver with the squad at the 2008 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. That same year, she also featured for Canada’s under-22 squad, and won silver with the senior team at the Four Nations Cup, becoming the first woman to ever play for Canada’s national team, under-22 team, and under-18 team in the same year.

Spooner spent four seasons with Ohio State from 2008 to 2012. She is the only 100-goal scorer in team history and amassed 163 points over her career, the second-most in school history. In her senior year, Spooner was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the NCAA’s best women’s hockey player, and was also named an NCAA First Team All-American.

Spooner scored her first goal for the Canadian senior team in 2010 and quickly added two more as she netted a hat trick against Sweden at the Four Nations Cup. Canada would go on to claim gold in the tournament, with Spooner finishing with four goals.

She made her women’s worlds debut at the 2011 IIHF Women’s World Championship, helping the team win silver, and the following year she won her first gold. Spooner recorded another hat trick in that tournament in a 14-1 win over Russia in the preliminary round.

Spooner was selected seventh overall by her hometown Toronto Furies in the 2012 CWHL draft and reached the Clarkson Cup final in her rookie season. She missed most of the following season after she was centralized with Canada in Calgary for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Playing on a line with Canadian greats Hayley Wickenheiser and , Spooner scored the first two goals in Canada’s 3-1 semifinal win against Switzerland en route to claiming Olympic gold. Spooner then returned to the Furies, where she led the team in scoring in the playoffs and helped Toronto lift the Clarkson Cup, becoming the first woman to win Olympic gold and the Clarkson Cup in the same year.

She went on to experience more success with the Furies. She was named team captain in 2016 and was twice a finalist for CWHL MVP. She led Toronto in scoring for the final three seasons before the league ceased operations in 2019. 1219314 Websites and eight points in seven games, including three points in the knockout stage. Canada would take home bronze after being upset by Finland in the semifinal.

TSN.CA / Team Canada player profile: Sarah Nurse After the CWHL folded, Nurse joined the PWHPA in an effort to help form a viable professional women’s hockey league in North America. She currently plays for Team Sonnet in the Toronto region.

By Meaghen Johnson In the Calgary leg of this year’s Dream Gap Tour, she picked up a goal and an assist in the championship game and recorded six points in five

games. Sarah Nurse In 2020, Nurse also participated in the Elite Women’s 3-on-3 game at the Position: Forward NHL All-Star Skills Competition, helping Canada to a 2-1 win.

Hometown: Hamilton, Ont. Last year, as a member of the PWHPA, Nurse was frustrated by the lack of support in women’s hockey for the Black Lives Matter movement. She Age: 26 reached out to the PWHPA and specifically to board member Liz Knox. In response, Knox resigned from her position on the board to allow Nurse to It’s hard to believe that Sarah Nurse made her debut with Canada’s take her place. women’s hockey team just six years ago, as she has ingrained herself within the squad and with Canadian fans. "It's a blind spot we've had in women's hockey," Knox told ESPN. "Resources are important. Education is important. But I feel like we were Of course, athleticism is synonymous with the Nurse family. Sarah’s missing a piece. If we want to set the standard for inclusion, there's a cousin, Kia, is a WNBA all-star and was a two-time NCAA champion with logical next step." the University of Connecticut Huskies. Kia’s brother, Darnell, is coming off his sixth season with the Edmonton Oilers. "What she did was a great act of allyship," Nurse told the Canadian Press. "I think she looked at the board and said, ‘Hey, this is an Sarah’s uncle, Richard, played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and her opportunity for us to make a change, have representation, bring in father, Roger, was a high-level player in Canada. different experiences and ultimately diversify our board’ because it was a Her aunt, Raquel, played basketball for Syracuse University. Raquel’s blind spot that we acknowledged.” husband is Donovan McNabb, who played quarterback for 13 seasons in Nurse, who is biracial, spoke to ESPN about her experiences in hockey the NFL and was a six-time Pro Bowler. and how she hopes to change the landscape. Nurse played for the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres near her hometown of “There were many times I'd walk in with my family, and all eyes were on Hamilton in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) from 2010 us and talk going around because 'the Black family is coming in,'" she to 2013. In the 2010-11 season, she led Stoney Creek in scoring and said. was named to the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association all-star team. She recorded 35 goals in her final year, breaking the PWHL record for "If you walk into a hockey arena, it's always all white. I always joke, I can most in a season. always find my parents in the stands because my dad is the only Black man in the entire arena. And that's something that I want to change. I Nurse also won gold with Canada at the IIHF U18 Women’s World want the arena to be a multicultural space and representative of what our Championship in 2013, picking up a shorthanded goal in a 7-0 win society is now. In Canada, we call hockey our national sport. But it can't against Germany in the preliminary round. She also spent time with be our national sport if it's excluding a ton of our population." Canada’s development team, winning gold at the 2015 Nations Cup, where she had nine points in six games. TSN.CA LOADED: 08.11.2021 After her time in junior, Nurse spent four seasons at Wisconsin, reaching the Final Four every year. In her junior season, she was named WCHA Final Faceoff MVP, and a year later, she led the Badgers in scoring with 25 goals.

As a senior, she was an alternate captain for Wisconsin and became the 22nd player in program history to record 100 career points. She is 15th in Badgers’ all-time scoring with 42 goals and 130 points.

Nurse made her debut with the Canadian national team at the 2015 Four Nations Cup but didn’t record any points during the tournament. She spent parts of the next two years with the Canadian development team before returning to the senior squad in the fall of 2017 for a series against the United States. On Dec. 15, Nurse scored her first goal for Canada in a 3-1 win against the Americans.

Despite not having any experience at a world championship, Nurse was named to Canada’s roster for the 2018 Olympics.

“Her hockey sense is very good, her skating is excellent,” then-head coach Laura Schuler told the Toronto Star. “When you combine those two things, quickness and hockey sense, you can excel defensively on the penalty kill or offensively on the power play.”

Nurse scored the game-winner in Canada’s 2-1 victory over the Americans in the preliminary round at the PyeongChang Games. She and her Canadian teammates would go on to take home silver after losing 3-2 to the Americans in a shootout of the gold-medal game.

Following the Olympics, Nurse was drafted second overall by the Toronto Furies in the CWHL. She would finish second in both Toronto scoring and league rookie scoring and was named a finalist for CWHL Rookie of the Year. It would be her only season with the Furies as the CWHL ceased operations in 2019.

Nurse made her women’s worlds debut at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. She finished sixth in tournament scoring with two goals 1219315 Websites

USA TODAY / Legendary Chicago Blackhawks goalie Tony Esposito dies at 78

Mike Brehm

Hall of Fame goaltender Tony Esposito, who starred for the Chicago Blackhawks for 15 seasons, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 78.

Esposito began his career with the Montreal Canadiens but moved to the Blackhawks in in an intraleague draft his second season. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1970 after recording 15 shutouts, which remains a modern-day NHL record.

He won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie in 1970, 1972 and 1974 and was a five-time All-Star.

He and his brother, Phil, starred in the 1970s, with Tony leading the league in shutouts three times and Phil terrorizing opposing goalies as a six-time NHL leading goal scorer.

Known for his quick and as a pioneer of the butterfly goaltending style, Tony Esposito had eight seasons of 30 or more wins (seven in a row) and finished with 423 wins, which ranks 10th all time.

"He was tireless, reliable and a great teammate," Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. "If you were a new player in Chicago, Tony and Marilyn always made you feel welcome and comfortable. Rookies were invited to their home for countless dinners, and when the Espositos held their annual Christmas party, everybody associated with the Blackhawks was there."

Esposito's 418 victories and 74 shutouts with Chicago remain team records. He helped the Blackhawks reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1971 and 1973, and his No. 35 was retired by the team in 1988.

Esposito also was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, joining his brother, who entered in 1984.

The Blackhawks named him a team ambassador in 2008.

"He was born for that role, too, as he reached out – whether by request or on his own – to fans, sponsors, and friends of our team," Wirtz said. "He rejected thousands of pucks in his first job; he never said no in his second job."

USA TODAY LOADED: 08.11.2021