News Clips July 3-5, 2019

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' big three simply wanted out PAGE 04: The Columbus Dispatch: Jarmo Kekalainen: 'Life goes on' for Columbus Blue Jackets without star players PAGE 06: The Athletic: Analytically speaking: What Gustav can bring to the Blue Jackets PAGE 09: The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets find a willing match in Gustav Nyquist PAGE 11: The Columbus Dispatch: Next starting goaltender will likely come from within PAGE 13: The Athletic: Blue Jackets veterans Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson say life goes on despite mass exodus of free agents PAGE 16: The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Jarmo Kekalainen still has cards to play, and he will

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 18: The Athletic: 2019 NHL free agency: The best options left after Day 1 PAGE 21: Sportsnet.ca: NHL’s Top 10 UFAs remaining: Latest rumours, reports PAGE 27: The Athletic: As women’s hockey remains divided at professional level, NHL focuses on grassroots PAGE 30: USA Today: Intriguing unrestricted free agents remain out there

1

Blue Jackets' big three simply wanted out By Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch – July 2, 2019

Artemi Panarin, the prize of the NHL free-agent season, landed in New York with the Rangers. Sergei Bobrovsky, the best goaltender available, took his talents to the Florida Panthers. And Matt Duchene, the top center on the market, moved on to the .

South Beach, Madison Square Garden and Darth Vader, oh my. The July 1 exodus was rough on Blue Jackets fans, but it’s not like they didn’t see it coming five months ago.

Does our city still have a way to go before it can retain free agents of Panarin’s stature? Sure. Will the Jackets get there? Sure. After a disastrous first decade, the locker-room culture has steadily improved and, with every playoff appearance, the players have built respect for the operation. Shoot, they finally won a round.

As far as how Columbus, the city, factors into the desirability equation, well, bah. It’s a great American city with a fervent sports culture. When the Arena District adds a soccer stadium two years hence, Columbus will have one of the most attractive downtown sports complexes in the nation. Win here, and it’s as good a place to hang your skates as anywhere.

“I’m not the guy to judge what your priorities are, or what the priorities of Panarin and his girlfriend are, or Bobrovsky and his wife,” Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Monday afternoon.

“They’re entitled to decide on whatever’s important to them. I don’t hold a grudge against them because of their destination of choice. ... I happen to love Columbus and it’s a great city, and I know a lot of the (players) who are here are proud to be residents of Columbus and proud to be playing for the Blue Jackets. That’s what we want from our guys.”

Panarin wanted to play in Manhattan. Full stop. He turned down the Jackets’ last-minute offer of eight years and $96 million. He accepted the Rangers’ offer of seven years and $81.5 million — which is to say he left $14.5 million on the table. Bread was going to do what Bread was going to do, and it wasn’t about the bread.

Bobrovsky wanted out. He spent seven years and won two Vezinas here. He got seven years and $70 million from the Panthers. Viva yo, and thank you for your wonderful service. Maybe he is the rarest of goalies who is still worth $10 million a year when he is 38 years old, but the Jackets weren’t betting on it.

Duchene wanted out. He came from Ottawa at the trade deadline and had 22 points in 33 games (playoffs included). The Jackets would have had to overpay him to keep him, and it wasn’t the money that gave them pause. Duchene wanted to be in Nashville — his favorite city — and there he took a seven-year deal worth $56 million. The price is fair for the Predators. We shall see about the term. That contract is going to get heavy in a few years.

Happy trails, then, to Panarin, Bobrovsky and Duchene, and to Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid — not to mention Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson, Anthony Duclair, a first-round pick, two

2 second-round picks and a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder. The total cost of Kekalainen’s “all in” strategy at the trade deadline is now clear. He knew the risk. He still thinks he has a good team.

As the market opened Monday, Kekalainen did what was suggested he would: He offered forward Gustav Nyquist a four-year contract worth $5.5 million a year. Nyquist, 29, chose Columbus.

Kekalainen is going to roll out his young forwards and cross his fingers with his untested goaltenders. The Jackets’ strength is in their deep corps of defensemen, which Kekalainen might dip into to swing a trade. He has been making noises about such a move. He’s looking for Blue Jackets.

3

Jarmo Kekalainen: 'Life goes on' for Columbus Blue Jackets without star players

By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – July 2, 2019

Life goes on.

Those three words are usually buried within Jarmo Kekalainen’s longer, more philosophical replies when asked about the Blue Jackets going “all in” last season for a run that eventually took them to the second round of the playoffs, but they are almost always in there.

Life goes on. No time to sulk. They knew the risks and accepted every one of them, knowing that star players Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene could exit Monday as unrestricted free agents, which is exactly what happened.

“We’re comfortable where we are right now,” Kekalainen, the Blue Jackets general manager, said, projecting the cool, even-keel demeanor he always does. “The core’s in place. We’ve talked about it. We accepted the risk at the deadline. We said all along that even if they’re all rentals, we’re fine. And that’s why we took the run at it. We wanted to make sure that if this was the last spring with Bobrovsky and Panarin, we gave it the best shot we could.”

They didn’t stop, either, until time ran out at midnight Sunday, when the Blue Jackets’ six pending unrestricted free agents stopped being pending.

Duchene had a deal in place with the Nashville Predators for seven years and $56 million. Bobrovsky was still thought to be seeking a new sunrise in Sunrise, Florida, which wound up being the case when he signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Florida Panthers, ending a fantastic seven-year stretch as a Blue Jacket.

That left Panarin, the biggest fish on the free-agent market.

The Dispatch learned Sunday that Kekalainen and his hockey-operations staff had put together a massive offer — which turned out to be $96 million over eight years — to take one final run at Panarin, an end run of sorts to see if they could sway his thinking at the last minute.

It didn’t work. The clock ran out. Kekalainen went to bed, knowing there was a massive void on his top line, and slept soundly.

“I don’t want to get into the details, but we had said all along that we will do everything we can to keep him and we showed that even at the last day — that we’re committed to winning and the ownership’s on board and that’s what we did,” he said. “We tried everything we could and I can go to bed every night and sleep well thinking that we did everything we could to keep a good player we like.”

So, life goes on.

Panarin, the most dynamic player in Blue Jackets history, is now with the New York Rangers, following the lead of John Davidson — the Jackets’ former president of hockey operations who now holds that job with the Rangers. To make it happen, a lot of guaranteed money was left on the table.

4

The seven-year contract Panarin signed is worth a reported $81.5 million, making his salary-cap charge $11.64 million per season. The Jackets’ offer, confirmed by multiple sources, would’ve paid him $12 million per season for one year longer, meaning Panarin walked away from an extra $14.5 million that only the Blue Jackets could offer as the team with his signing rights.

The New York Islanders reportedly offered more than $84 million over seven years, so Panarin left money unclaimed there, too.

It was a similar story with Duchene, who wanted to live in Nashville, Tennessee, and, according to a source, took less money to play there.

“When you lose good players, it’s not great — but life goes on,” Kekalainen said. “They have that option in their rights of the (collective bargaining agreement) to make that decision when they reach the unrestricted free agency, and I’ve said all along that you have to respect that and wish them the best of luck — just not against us.”

Life is moving on for the Blue Jackets, too.

They signed free-agent forward Gustav Nyquist to a four-year contract worth $5.5 million per season, and re-signed Joonas Korpisalo and Ryan Murray, two key restricted free agents.

Korpisalo will compete for the starting goalie spot, and Murray, when healthy, is a strong top-four defenseman. Korpisalo signed for one year and $1.15 million, and Murray for two years and $9.2 million.

Nyquist is a versatile 29-year-old who can play either wing. He’s good for 45 to 60 points, proved his worth in the playoffs with the last season and wants to be here.

“They were a team that, at least from my side, I was eyeing the whole time,” Nyquist said of the Jackets. “It’s a team with some really good pieces, some good young pieces and also some great veteran leaders — and a team that’s really heading in the right direction. Those were things that really excited me.”

5

Analytically speaking: What Gustav Nyquist can bring to the Blue Jackets

By Alison Lukan, The Athletic – July 2, 2019

Gustav Nyquist signed a four-year contract with the Blue Jackets on Monday. It’s a move that helps replenish the left side of Columbus’ forward corps with top-six talent.

“I think he’s versatile,” Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He’s got the speed required in today’s game, he’s a very durable player who played 82 games many seasons in a row. He’s coming off a great season, 60 points last year. …He can play right side or left side and he’s a left-handed shot. I think that fills a need for us and we like the player … a lot.”

What exactly is there to like about the newest Blue Jackets player? We took a look at what Nyquist brings to the table.

Even strength play

Last season was a career year for the 29-year-old Swede from a points perspective. While some might point to the inflated shooting percentage he enjoyed in San Jose (15.15), that came only over the final 20 games of the season. Before that, he rode a fairly standard 10.71 shooting percentage through 62 games in Detroit.

There’s certainly no question the player can score goals.

But just as meaningfully, Nyquist can drive play the right way. After a breakout rookie campaign when he scored 28 goals in 55 games, the forward evolved his game into more of a playmaker role, according to Hockey Graphs’ Prashanth Iyer.

“(Nyquist) is an excellent passer, and was responsible for a lot of first passes out of the zone on breakouts,” Iyer said. “The duo of him and (Dylan) Larkin gave the Wings a legit first line at times.”

Using data tracked by The Athletic’s Corey Sznajder, we see that over the past three years, Nyquist’s transition game is strong when it comes to exiting the zone. He also shows a positive performance in entries and in helping to create shots for his teammates. With his joining the Blue Jackets, Nyquist’s numbers place him behind the likes of Cam Atkinson and Oliver Bjorkstrand in such categories but ahead of players like Boone Jenner and Nick Foligno.

And once Nyquist does the work of getting into the zone, he helps his team create offense from the most dangerous areas.

Using data from NaturalStatTrick.com, if we compared Nyquist’s performance last season with that of the Blue Jackets’ roster, he’d rank in the top three in overall shot share and scoring chance share and top five in high-danger attempts.

Put another way, the chart below from HockeyViz.com indicates where Nyquist’s teams took shots from when he was on the ice. Red marks areas where shots came at a rate higher than league average, and blue is below league average. The more and darker the red, the better.

6

What we see is with Nyquist on the ice, shots are coming from exactly where you want them to — the most dangerous areas in the slot and net front.

Similarly, Nyquist doesn’t show to be a defensive liability on the other end of the ice. When we look at shots opponents take, we want to see less red and more blue, indicating that the other team is taking shots at a rate below league average.

Chart via Micah Blake McCurdy, HockeyViz.com

Obviously, Nyquist has offense-minded talent he can bring to the team, but are there certain situations that might most ideally set him up for success?

Nyquist isn’t really one to carry a line but he can be a great collaborator on the ice.

“What you want him with is a guy who can create space for him to operate as well as a guy who’s willing to shoot the puck more,” Iyer said.

Given what we know about the Blue Jackets lineup, presuming Nyquist stays in a top-six role, his probable partners on the right would be ideal. As far as NHL regulars go, Josh Anderson, Cam Atkinson and Oliver Bjorkstrand ranked No. 1-2-3 respectively among all Blue Jackets players in terms of shots per 60 in five-on-five play. Add in the size of Pierre-Luc Dubois or perhaps Jenner down the middle and Nyquist could be in a ready-made spot to produce just as he does best.

“Nyquist has solid on-ice impacts on shot rates and shot quality as well, and he’ll give you 20 goals and 45 points (a season),” Iyer said.

Special teams

And what about when the game is not at even strength? Nyquist isn’t a player whom you’ll see on the kill, but he is someone who has gotten regular power-play time over the years and could be a real asset for the Blue Jackets there. But it could all depend on role.

During Nyquist’s first 82-game season in Detroit (2014-15), then-assistant coach Jim Hiller was in charge of the power play. Hiller put the Swede in a specific role: playing the bumper (the middle player in the slot in a one-three-one power-play setup).

A bumper must be excellent at distributing the puck to his teammates around him while existing as a scoring threat. Playing bumper well allows for rapid and frequent puck movement through the zone while creating coverage challenges for penalty killers. Think back to the performance of Sam Gagner, who mastered the bumper spot with the Blue Jackets during the 2016-17 season.

Playing as the bumper in Detroit seemed to suit Nyquist’s talents. He saw the most power-play time per game of his career and scored 14 goals and had 10 assists.

As Iyer points out, however, after Hiller left, Nyquist was moved to more of a quarterback role playing on the half-boards. The ask there was different — a lot more shooting — and Nyquist was less effective.

But last year, the forward did seem to find his touch again, scoring 10 power-play goals with the Red Wings even while playing predominantly with the second unit. If Nyquist can earn a spot in the middle of Columbus’ power play and show the same skill at bumper as he had in the past, he would not only be

7 successful, he would also fill a need that has been noticeably wanting in Columbus for almost two seasons.

Contract

And of course we must ask, overall, does the deal fit the player? Both EvolvingWild and Money Puck Systems had projected Nyquist to get around $6 million per year for five to six years. With Nyquist hitting age 30 right before the 2019-20 season begins, and given what we know about aging curves, term could have been a concern.

But the Jackets signed the forward to a four-year, $5.5 million AAV contract, putting the deal definitely on the right side of things.

Our own Dom Luszczyszyn assessed the contract as one that should “maintain top-six level value for the majority of (the) deal.”

Summary

The loss of Artemi Panarin is palpable, but in signing Nyquist, Columbus was able to add a solid forward who has proved he can contribute in a top-six role and could also be valuable on the power play.

The newest Blue Jacket also joined the team at a fair price that won’t handcuff the team in terms of dollars or term. In a year when the free-agent class wasn’t super deep with talent, the Jackets look to have made a smart pickup.

— Data via NaturalStatTrick.com and Evolving-Hockey.com. All numbers represent five-on-four play unless otherwise stated. This post relies heavily on shot-based metrics. Here is a good primer on these numbers.

8

Columbus Blue Jackets find a willing match in Gustav Nyquist

By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – July 3, 2019

There were other options.

Multiple teams inquired about signing Gustav Nyquist on Monday, when NHL free agency opened, but the former Detroit Red Wing and San Jose Shark wanted to be a Blue Jacket.

“They were a team that was interested throughout the process,” said Nyquist, 29, a top six–caliber forward who signed a four-year contract worth $22 million. “It was a pretty stressful process. There were a lot of decisions to be made in a pretty fast, pretty short notice — so, I’m really excited that I ended up here and I can’t wait to get going.”

Nyquist made his NHL debut in 2011 with Detroit, playing the past eight seasons with the Red Wings. He was initially viewed as one of their next great Swedish stars, but his career path hasn’t reached the heights of, say, Henrik Zetterberg.

He has become a solid contributor, though. After breaking through with a career-high 28 goals in 2014, Nyquist has added 40-50 points a season and set career highs this past season with 38 assists and 60 points for Detroit and San Jose.

The past three years hadn’t been a lot of fun, though. Detroit struggled to rebuild after its quarter- century streak of qualifying for the , and the Red Wings traded Nyquist to the Sharks near the trade deadline in February.

Despite having to leave his pregnant wife, Danielle, in Detroit as she approached her due date, Nyquist waived his no-trade clause and approved the deal, hoping to win the Cup.

“It was a little bit different situation for me,” he said.

It wasn’t easy, but Nyquist made it back for the birth of his daughter, Charlotte, flying back to Detroit after a second-round game and then rejoining the Sharks in Denver in a span of 24 hours.

In all, he added 11 points on a and 10 assists in the Sharks’ postseason run, which ended in the Western Conference finals.

“We covered him all year,” said Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, referring to his staff of pro scouts. “He was one of the players we targeted at the deadline, but he ended up going to San Jose at the time. He can play right side or left side and he’s a left-handed shot. I think that fills a need for us and we like the player … a lot.”

Nyquist was impressed by what the Jackets pulled off in the first round of the playoffs, a stunning sweep of the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning, and hopes to keep that vibe going.

Three key players left Monday as free agents — Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene — but Nyquist isn’t afraid of the challenge ahead. It's part of the reason he’s now a Jacket.

9

“I’m sure the media will talk about (the departures), but there’s going to be opportunities for other guys, and I’m one of the guys here that is going to come in and try to fill some of those holes,” Nyquist said. “I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to be a really good team.”

10

Next starting goaltender will likely come from within

By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – July 3, 2019

There is one area of the Blue Jackets’ roster that, admittedly, is an unknown for Jarmo Kekalainen.

The general manager is confident in what he has among his skaters, especially defensemen, but goaltending is still a bit of a puzzle after Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Florida Panthers.

“I’m sure that can qualify as a question mark, but at the same time, (the St. Louis Blues) won the Stanley Cup with a goaltender who was a No. 2 in the () at this time a year ago,” Kekalainen said, referring to the Blues’ Jordan Binnington. “So, we feel we have two young goaltenders who have great potential.”

One is Joonas Korpisalo, a 25-year-old from Finland with four NHL seasons as Bobrovsky’s backup. The other is Elvis Merzlikins, a 25-year-old from Latvia considered by many as the best goalie outside the NHL.

And throw Veini Vehvilainen in the mix after the 22-year-old earned his second straight Urpo Ylonen Award this season as the best goalie in Finland’s top league.

Korpisalo has posted underwhelming .897 save percentages the past two seasons, but he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time. As a rookie during the 2015-16 season, he had a .920 save percentage in 31 games while Bobrovsky was injured.

“He’s a very talented young goalie,” Kekalainen said. “Now, he’s going to get an opportunity to prove that he can play No. 1.”

Merzlikins was a star for HC Lugano in Switzerland’s top league, winning best goalie honors in 2018.

“Elvis Merzlikins is a very, very talented goalie,” Kekalainen said. “He’s been excellent in Europe and in the world championships, playing against NHL players. Now, let’s see if he can do it in the NHL.”

Kekalainen isn’t scouring for goalies to add, but will if needed.

“We’re confident with the duo that we have, and we’re going to give them an opportunity to show they can be an effective duo in the NHL,” he said. “But I never say ‘never.’ ”

Trade talk

Kekalainen did not rule out further additions.

“I think we’re in a great position, as far as flexibility in our (salary cap) situation, with our depth chart,” he said. “We have a very strong defense, with all kinds of depth. ... Free agency is one (way), but there are many other options to improve your team, and I think we’ve shown in the past that we’re not afraid to make a move if we think a trade makes our team better.”

The Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly listening to offers for Nikita Gusev, a dynamic 26-year-old Russian forward who has yet to play in the NHL, but there is no indication the Blue Jackets have inquired.

11

Free-agent update

Only two NHL-level restricted free agents remain unsigned: defensemen Zach Werenski and Scott Harrington.

Both are expected to get sizable raises. Werenski had a $925,000 salary-cap charge last season and made $1,775,000 after his performance bonuses. Harrington, who is arbitration-eligible, made $700,000 and had a $675,000 cap hit.

Player-elected arbitration must be filed by 5 p.m. Friday, and the window for team-elected arbitration is between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday.

“I’m confident that we’ll get a deal done with both those guys,” Kekalainen said.

12

Blue Jackets veterans Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson say life goes on despite mass exodus of free agents

By Aaron Portzline, The Athletic – July 3, 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Long before NHL free agency opened Monday, the Blue Jackets were resigned to losing their three star players. The only surprise, Cam Atkinson said, is when his phone rang in the early afternoon.

“Artemi (Panarin) called me literally 10 minutes after he signed his deal (with the New York Rangers),” Atkinson said. “He called (captain Nick Foligno), too. He was thanking me for playing with him the last couple of years, becoming friends and making sure we’d remain friends throughout our careers, that we’d stay in touch.

“I really appreciated that. I’ll be the first to admit we didn’t always see eye to eye, but I always respected the hell out of him, how he grew up, his childhood. Not enough people know his story, how he’s had to earn it every step of the way. He’s a guy I’ll always call a friend.”

The Blue Jackets have mixed feelings about losing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forwards Matt Duchene and Panarin, a sobering reality just two months after the organization celebrated the first playoff series win in franchise history.

On one hand, players understand what unrestricted free agency means — players have earned the right to pick where they want to play, whether that means chasing dollars, sunsets or championships.

HUGE MOVES ACROSS THE LEAGUE YESTERDAY, BUT WHICH TEAM ARE YOU TAKING? 🤔🤔 #NHLFREEAGENCY PIC.TWITTER.COM/UM5YY6PAYT

— NHL (@NHL) JULY 2, 2019

But on the other hand, the Blue Jackets wanted those players to stick around in Columbus, where they felt like the club was building toward a run at the Stanley Cup.

Atkinson spent most of the last year trying to persuade Panarin to reconsider. The two sat beside each other in the dressing room, both in Nationwide Arena and on the road.

Foligno, meanwhile, became close friends, he said, with Bobrovsky and Duchene, who came to the Blue Jackets at the NHL trade deadline in late February.

“I’m just surprised, really, because if you really are about winning and you’re on a team that’s doing that, it’s just surprising that you leave,” Foligno said. “That’s not a knock on them. At the end of the day, you want guys who want to win in Columbus, and they wanted to win elsewhere. We look forward to proving them wrong.

“I’m happy for them as a friend, because they’re where they want to be now. Am I disappointed as a teammate? Yeah, I’d say I’m disappointed, but there are a lot of factors that go into it. For me, being competitive, it’s hard for me to swallow.”

13

Bobrovsky and Panarin had massive contract offers — eight years, $72 million — on the table from the Blue Jackets as far back as last June, but neither engaged in significant negotiations.

The Blue Jackets made an 11th-hour plea Sunday, putting an eight-year, $96 million contract on the table for Panarin, but even that couldn’t convince him to stay. He signed for seven years, $81.5 million with the Rangers.

Panarin left $14 million on the table — way more when you consider the tax rate and cost of living — to play on Broadway instead of staying in Columbus.

Bobrovsky signed for seven years, $70 million in Florida, accepting a shorter term and less overall money than the Blue Jackets were offering for a higher annual salary with the Panthers.

Duchene signed for seven years, $56 million with Nashville, a place he’s always dreamed of playing.

“I think everyone was hoping they could have changed their minds, but we all knew all along that they — especially the Russians — were off to a different location,” Atkinson said. “With Duchene, I understand his point, his view on things. He wasn’t here that long, but he absolutely loved it, and he’ll continue to tell people that, I’m sure. But he had his mind made up where he wanted to go before he even came to Columbus.

“I never really picked Bob’s (brain); goalies are a different breed. But Bread, and I don’t want to put words in his mouth, but I just got the sense that he felt his next contract was going to be a long time in one place. He loved Columbus and how convenient it was, how he could walk his dog in the park and people mostly left him alone. But when the bright lights are calling you … ”

Foligno had long talks with all three of the players, several of them, in fact. He wanted to sell them on Columbus, he said, wanted them to love the city and the area as much as he does.

“But everyone has their own vision of their best life,” Foligno said. “It’s a big decision where you want to play the rest of your life. You don’t understand the decision all the time, but you respect them.

“I respect those guys enough that if they tell me how they feel, I’m not going to say they’re right or they’re wrong. But they absolutely knew that I would have preferred for them to stay here. I’m pro- Columbus, and I’m always going to fight for this city.”

Atkinson and Foligno are prepared for the Blue Jackets to take lots of heat this summer and to face lousy expectations in the fall. Few people will expect them to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, given the high-end talent the organization lost.

The free-agent signing of left wing Gustav Nyquist (four years, $22 million) won’t overshadow all the departures.

If you listen closely, you can already hear coach John Tortorella preparing his us-against-the-world speech for the first day of training camp.

The biggest question will be in goal, where incumbent backup Joonas Korpisalo and newcomer Elvis Merzlikins are expected to battle for the No. 1 job in training camp. Young forwards Alexandre Texier and Emil Bemstrom could earn prominent roles.

“I’m excited for these guys,” Atkinson said. “They’ll get a chance, just like I did when I was young.

14

“The goalies are in a tough position. You don’t know how a goalie’s going to be until he plays a lot of games and feels comfortable. Bob was in the same position when he got traded from Philadelphia to here. He wasn’t the starter. He had to prove it too. So let’s see what these boys got.”

Foligno said he’s already hearing slights — predictions of last-place finishes, lottery picks, etc.

“I find it kind of funny what people already are saying about us,” Foligno said. “Cam is a 40-goal scorer. Josh is close to a 30-goal guy. Same with Pierre-Luc (Dubois). Bjorkstrand has really come on now. Nyquist is a big add for us. I’m going to get back to the number I want to be at. We’ve got the best defense we’ve ever had here.

“The biggest thing, though, is the guys who are in Columbus now are here because they want to be in Columbus. That’s who I want in our locker room. When you have complete buy-in, you can take it to another level. We’re going to be as solid as ever, and we’re going to push it even further.

“New blood isn’t bad sometimes, especially when you’re trying to get somewhere that you haven’t been.”

15

Blue Jackets' Jarmo Kekalainen still has cards to play, and he will

By Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch – July 4, 2019

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been clear about what he’s doing. Give him that much.

When he mortgaged a chunk of the future to acquire Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid at the trade deadline — piling four more unrestricted free agents on top of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky — Kekalainen said he was prepared to lose them all.

On July 1, when free-agent season opened, he lost Duchene, Panarin and Bobrovsky in a matter of hours. There went a No. 1 center, a bona fide superstar and the franchise goaltender. Kekalainen didn’t change his tune.

“We accepted the risk at the deadline,” he said. “We said all along that even if they’re all rentals, we’re fine. And that’s why we took the run at it. We wanted to make sure that if this was the last spring with Bobrovsky and Panarin, we gave it the best shot we could … and we’re comfortable with where we are.

“We kept all our best prospects, who are now pushing to make our team and are going to get a great opportunity to show us that they’re ready to play in the , and even more importantly, maybe even make an impact.”

In so many words, Kekalainen is asking fans to trust him.

Kekalainen believes the acquisition of forward Gustav Nyquist will at least soften the blow of losing Panarin. Nyquist, 29, has proved himself capable of putting up 60 points, but he has been more of a complementary player over the course of his career.

Kekalainen believes forwards Alexandre Texier, 19, and Emil Bemstrom, 20, are ready for the NHL — and may soon be ready to have an impact. He better be right.

There is no replacing Panarin’s sublimity or Duchene’s top-line talent. Kekalainen believes adding prospects to his core — Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner, Oliver Bjorkstrand, et al. — supplies enough forward talent to contend for a playoff spot next season.

He believed that much at the trade deadline, when one national publication awarded a grade of “A- plus” to the Jackets and said, “give Jarmo Kekalainen the GM of the Year trophy right now.”

He believed that on the first day of free-agent season, when the same national publication gave the Jackets a “D” grade and said, “Now the franchise is paying the piper and that means huge holes offensively and in goal that may take years to fill.”

A-plus for going all-in. A near-fail for going all in. Which is it?

The reward was the Jackets' first playoff series victory. It was a resounding, four-game sweep of the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning. Next round, the Jackets lost to an experienced Boston Bruins team in six games.

16

The Jackets went from a nonplayoff team to a contender, disappointed.

The price was a first-round pick, a couple of seconds, a couple of later-round picks, a couple of prospects and Anthony Duclair.

Was the springtime ride worth it? I think yes.

Next, fans can judge whether to trust Kekalainen about his young forwards and goaltenders. In the meantime, he has $24 million-plus in cap space and a depth of young defensemen to make a substantial trade if he can find one.

“Might be tomorrow, might be in August, might be later in the fall, but I think (we) have all kinds of options in front of us,” Kekalainen said. “And I think we’ve shown in the past that we’re not afraid to make a move if we think a trade makes our team better.”

Kekalainen has bought and sold Marian Gaborik and Brandon Saad, imported Seth Jones and acquired and lost Panarin and Duchene. He’s going to do something.

17

2019 NHL free agency: The best options left after Day 1

By Jonathan Willis, The Athletic – July 2, 2019

The most impressive names in the NHL’s free agent class of 2019 signed contracts on the opening day of free agency, but every year there are value pickups to be had later in the month of July. In a league renowned for its free agent overpays, sometimes the best value goes to teams willing to play the role of scavenger.

The best remaining free agents are an oddly unbalanced group. Forward strength is uneven, with the left wing strong, centre weak but with some decent depth gambles and right wing leaning mostly to one-dimensional pieces. It’s a similar story on defence, where there’s some quality on the left side but not much on the right.

As for goalies, any team that missed out on its Day 1 targets is probably better off scouring the trade market than looking for help here.

Left Wing

Ryan Dzingel. The big question with Dzingel is how well he’ll produce on a team that isn’t the offensive wasteland that recent Ottawa squads have been. The 27-year-old has topped 20 goals two years running but scored just four after being dealt to Columbus and was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs.

Players slump after midseason trades all the time, though, and it’s not like Dzingel was getting ridiculous minutes or killing it on the Ottawa power play. Forty of his 49 goals the last two years came at even strength and he may be underrated by the league generally.

Micheal Ferland. There aren’t many players like Ferland out there. He’s been a solid scorer three years running, adds the heavy hockey elements that GMs may love too much but do matter and has good possession and on-ice goal numbers both last season and over his career as a whole. He’s also only 27, which makes him a little less risky at term than some older free agent options.

Marcus Johansson. Injury has cut into Johansson’s effectiveness over the years; he’s played just 87 regular season games since his breakout 58-point performance in 2016-17. An effective playoff run with Boston after being a deadline pickup should help him find a home. He can help on a secondary scoring line that doesn’t have too much in the way of defensive responsibilities.

Other options: Sven Andrighetto, Patrick Marleau, Patrick Maroon, Tobias Rieder, Thomas Vanek. There are some nice options even after the top tier, and whichever of these players doesn’t get snapped up could be a nice bargain find for someone later in free agency. Maroon showed his value in the playoffs, while Vanek just keeps on providing secondary offence in the twilight of his career. Andrighetto is a potential value pickup after filling in capably in a variety of roles this year.

Centre

Joe Thornton. The best centre on the market is clearly Joe “technically a free agent” Thornton. He turns 40 tomorrow, but is coming off another 50-plus point season and his career arc with San Jose has been a

18 graceful shift from franchise-level talent to supporting veteran. The expectation is that he’ll do what he always does and sign another short-term deal with the Sharks.

Nick Cousins. There’s a steep drop-off from Thornton to the rest of the market, which is then densely packed. Cousins stands out because unlike many of the other options he’s not coming of a bad year and at 26 he’s still in the heart of his career. He did a creditable job as a third-line pivot in Arizona last year; he doesn’t score a lot but he is physical, kills penalties and in the context of the Coyotes has decent underlying numbers.

Derick Brassard / Riley Sheahan. We’ll lump the two reclamation projects together. Brassard had an awful year but was a decent secondary scorer as recently as the 2017-18 trade deadline. The question is how far he’ll be able to claw his way back in his age-32 season. Sheahan has a lower ceiling, but is younger (27) and probably had the better year overall.

Other options: Brian Boyle, Marcus Kruger, Oscar Lindberg. Boyle and Kruger are known quantities who generate precious little at 5-on-5 but can anchor defensive-zone specialty lines, with Boyle adding a little bit of offensive flare in a net-front power-play role. Lindberg is less famous but quietly did good work on the wing in Vegas and then down the middle in Ottawa; he should be a quality bargain bin pickup for someone.

Right Wing

Justin Williams. Mr. Game 7 remains an analytics darling, and last season he did something surprising: At 37, he played 17:27 per game, which is his heaviest workload since 2008. It didn’t seem to hurt him; he had a great back half of the season and remained a reliable postseason performer.

Jason Pominville. Pominville was lucky last year to spend a significant chunk of time with Jack Eichel and/or Jeff Skinner, but he was an upgrade on Buffalo’s other right wing options on that line, which only really caught fire when he joined it (climbing from 3.1 to 5.3 goals per hour, and from a 52 percent to 55 percent shot share). The 12:28 per game the 36-year-old averaged was the lowest number of his career, but he still scored 16 goals and 31 points and showed himself capable of contributing offensively in the NHL.

Other options: Pontus Aberg, Josh Archibald, Troy Brouwer, Dmitrij Jaskin. Outside of the greybeards there just aren’t that many right wingers available, with the options mostly one-dimensional in one way or other. Archibald is probably the best of the rest, a pesky, physical defence-first winger who did great work on Arizona’s penalty kill last season.

Left Defence

Jake Gardiner. The best defenceman on either side of the ice still on the market, Gardiner is arguably the only true top-four option still out there. He’s one season removed from 52 points, he’ll be just 29 when 2019-20 rolls around and he’s posted positive shot and goal metrics for three consecutive seasons while logging 21-plus minutes per game.

His mistakes get scrutinized and playing his career in a market like Toronto hasn’t helped, but ultimately he’s the kind of defenceman who drives play in the right direction and there isn’t anyone like him left on the market.

19

Ben Hutton. Hutton actually ranks first among free agent defenders still on the market by average ice time, and at 26 he’s very much in the heart of his career. The problem is that he has struggled in those minutes after being force-fed too much responsibility on a too-thin Canucks blueline which saw him mostly paired with Erik Gudbranson.

He’s a bit of a reclamation project at this point, but in the right situation might be able to step into a second pairing. He’s just one year removed from forming a fairly effective tandem with Chris Tanev.

Ben Chiarot. After the first two names on this list, there really isn’t much separation between the rest. Chiarot, 28, handled fairly heavy minutes for the Jets on a pairing with Dustin Byfuglien, and it’s fair to wonder the degree to which he was driving on-ice results. Nevertheless, he’s big, physical, not too old, gets in shooting lanes and with the right partner can move up the lineup.

Other options: Fredrik Claesson, Michael Del Zotto, Andrew MacDonald, Joe Morrow, Dion Phaneuf. Throw a rock in free agency and if you don’t hit a bottom-six left winger you’re sure to hit a No. 5-7 defenceman who shoots left. They come in all styles, from riverboat gamblers to big cycle-stoppers, and any team with $700,000 to spare and the patience to wait a week will be able to find someone to fill a depth role.

Right Defence

Dan Girardi. Concerns were raised with regard to both Tyler Myers and Anton Stralman when they signed big July 1 contracts, but those deals were driven in part by an absence of other right-shot options on the market. Girardi might be the best of a tightly bunched group of leftovers, but the problem is that he spent most of last season playing with Victor Hedman, which is quite an advantage to start with. He’s also 35.

Other options: Deryk Engelland, Ben Lovejoy, Adam McQuaid, Alex Petrovic. Petrovic is a little bit intriguing in that he’s only 27, has some solid play in his recent past and had virtually everything go wrong that could go wrong (including a concussion) last season but there isn’t much here.

Goalie

Anthony Stolarz. After a busy first day in which virtually every big name was scooped up, exactly five goalies are left in free agency. Only one of them is younger than 33, and only one of them managed to crack a .900 save percentage last season. Stolarz, who looks like a reasonable backup play in the right light, ends up the cream of the crop by default. It’s worth noting there are real trade options out there.

Other options: Scott Darling, Michal Neuvirth, Cam Ward. Darling, once an up-and-comer, seems bound for a minor-league squad after a buyout but might make a serviceable No. 3. On talent, the perpetually injured Neuvirth is the best of the lot but played just eight games last year. Ward is the best bet for further employment, since he always seems to find employment despite the fact he hasn’t had a league- average save percentage at even strength since 2012.

20

NHL’s Top 10 UFAs remaining: Latest rumours, reports

By Luke Fox, Sportsnet.ca – July 3, 2019

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

Here we round up the rumours and assess the value of the free agents who are taking a more patient approach this summer (in some cases, that’s even by choice).

1. Jake Gardiner

Age: 28

Position: Defence

2018-19 salary cap hit: $4.05 million

Gardiner, a Minnesota native, enjoyed being a Maple Leaf, and despite his defensive lapses — which can be magnified — the Leafs weren’t happy to let him walk.

The Canada Day acquisition of Tyson Barrie, however, officially brings Gardiner’s tenure in Toronto to a close. (Rumour had it, the defenceman was partly waiting to see if there was a way Kyle Dubas could make room for a return.)

That Gardiner’s back ailed him during the post-season and he considered surgery should serve as a yellow flag for pursuant teams.

Yet he’s a solid power-play quarterback, an excellent skater and passer, and a 50-point defender when healthy. He should be trying to fetch a long-term deal in the ballpark of $6 million to $7 million annually, using Tyler Myers’ deal in Vancouver as his base.

The and Montreal Canadiens are also rumoured to be interested in Gardiner, while the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons reported Florida, L.A. and hometown Minnesota as some of the player’s preferred destinations.

I made a case for Detroit’s Steve Yzerman to inquire.

Now that Habs GM Marc Bergevin swung and missed on the Sebastian Aho offer sheet, does Gardiner become his next serious target?

How much of the delay is based on Gardiner carefully selecting his next home versus clubs being wary of the puck-mover’s injured back?

For our money, he’s the best talent still unclaimed.

High on Jake Gardiner’s list in free agency: Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota and of course, Toronto. No word yet on which teams plan to meet with him over next few days.

— steve simmons (@simmonssteve) June 23, 2019

21

2. Ryan Dzingel

Age on July 1: 27

Position: Centre / wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $1.8 million

Dzingel has increased his production every year since breaking into the league in 2015-16 and is coming off back-to-back 20-goal, 40-point campaigns. He’s a versatile, speedy forward who can play any position up front, and he put up more points per game (0.72) in 2019-20 than anyone else available.

Dzingel’s healthy-scratching by John Tortorella during the Blue Jackets’ playoff run may have harmed his standing slightly, or at least reinforced the theory that he’s unwilling to pay a physical price for his goals, but he’s a late bloomer whose most productive days might still lie ahead.

Prior to being traded to Columbus from Ottawa at the deadline, Dzingel reportedly turned down a five- year extension offer worth in excess of $20 million.

A comparable Dzingel could use is Jordan Eberle, who inked a five-year, $27.5-million deal to remain an Islander. Eberle is a more proven commodity, but Dzingel is younger and put up significantly more goals (26 vs. 19) and points (56 vs. 37) in 2018-19.

They don’t have cap space so it likely won’t happen, but Ryan Dzingel to Edmonton makes a ton of sense this summer.

They need fast, skilled wingers who can compliment their C’s which is pretty much what Dzingel is.

— Alex M (@nhlsensandstuff) June 10, 2019

Dzingel’s buzz was muted on July 1, and the door on a return to Columbus appears shut.

The Blackhawks and Avalanche are a couple teams that have reportedly expressed interest.

Can Oilers sign Ryan Dzingel for 1 year, as much money as they can throw at him? I'd like that fine.

— David Staples (@dstaples) July 1, 2019

3. Micheal Ferland

Age on July 1: 27

Position: Left wing / Right wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $1.75 million

Age and injuries forced power forward Wayne Simmonds to settle for a one-year deal in New Jersey. Power forward Ferland, however, is seeking a deal with term and the late bloomer should be in for a significant raise after back-to-back 40-point campaigns and a career-best plus-13 rating.

There has been some buzz that Calgary’s Brad Treliving would like to reacquire Ferland, although he would need to move some salary out via trade (James Neal? Michael Frolik? T.J. Brodie?) to do so.

22

Carolina has plenty of cap space and should be in the running to bring Ferland back. He was a fine fit with the Jerks.

4. Marcus Johansson

Age on July 1: 28

Position: Centre / wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $4.58 million

We can safely rule out a return to Boston for Johansson, who excelled as a playoff rental (11 points in 22 post-season games) and would be a fine addition to most clubs’ middle six.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney already has his plate full, needing to re-sign RFAs Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen.

Johansson is a wizard through the neutral zone and was a two-time 20-goal man during his Capitals days. He will, however, bring a concussion history to his next team.

The rumour mill has him asking for $5 million on a five-year deal.

Marcus Johansson is a good player, was impressive in playoffs. Interested if he fetches the term and dollars he’s coveting (5×5). Has some soncussion history which could be scaring teams of the term. #nhl

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 2, 2019

5. Joe Thornton

Age on July 1: 40

Position: Centre

2018-19 salary cap hit: $5 million

When the ageless Jumbo Joe announced at the NHL Awards that he was keen to keep playing, GM Doug Wilson described the news as “a pleasant surprise.”

The cap-crunched Wilson let UFAs Joonas Donskoi and captain Joe Pavelski walk for more money elsewhere Monday as he made re-signing RFA Timo Meier a priority (nice deal, by the way) and now turns his sights on RFA Kevin Labanc.

“I think you know the relationship we have with Jumbo. He and I have had conversations and talk every couple days. We’ll get that resolved in due time,” Wilson said of Thornton’s inevitable extension.

“Just getting Timo done as recently as we did was where most of my focus was. We’ll start exploring whatever else we may do.”

Question: If an active Jim Rutherford can be elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame, why can’t we just put Jumbo in there already?

23

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

— Harris (@RHarris_19) July 2, 2019

6. Ben Hutton

Age on July 1: 26

Position: Defence

2018-19 salary cap hit: $2.8 million

Of all the UFAs still floating out there, none averaged more time on ice than Hutton (22:21). The left- shot defender is coming off a nice little bounce-back season after a dismal 2017-18 but was curiously not qualified by the Vancouver Canucks, and they lost a 26-year-old defenceman for nothing.

No doubt, Jordie Benn is an upgrade from Hutton as a third-pairing guy in Vancouver, so now does Montreal (Benn’s former club) take a look at Hutton? The L.A. Kings are also reportedly interested here.

If you’re a believer in plus/minus, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture here: Hutton has been a dash-21 or worse in three of his four NHL seasons. He’s a fifth-rounder who took a step last season, and at 26 his best days should still lie ahead. Next to Gardiner, he’s the most intriguing defenceman available.

Nothing imminent on Ben Hutton front. Don't expect anything to happen today. Several teams still in pursuit to varying degrees, including MTL & LA (@DennisTFP reported earlier LA initial offer was turned down, they could circle back).

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2019

The longer Ben Hutton stays on the market, the more I suspect the #Canucks are working on a Chris Tanev trade. That would allow Jordie Benn to slide to the right and open up a spot for Hutton to return.

— Stephan Roget (@StephanRoget) July 2, 2019

7. Justin Williams

Age: 37

Position: Right wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $4.5 million

Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Mr. Game 7 enjoyed his most productive season (23 goals, 53 points) in seven years last winter with the Hurricanes, captaining Carolina to its best season in a decade. Teammate-turned-coach Rod Brind’Amour called Williams the club’s most important player, and not just because he invented the Storm Surge.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner will be 38 when the puck drops on 2019-20, so it’s understandable that he’s seriously weighing retirement. Incredibly, Williams has missed just three games total over his past eight seasons — that includes six deep playoff runs.

24

“We’ve been in contact with Justin here recently,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said Tuesday. “He hasn’t given us 100 per cent yet which way he’s going to go. I think he potentially could be leaning toward playing, but I think in the next few weeks it will shake out.”

Williams built a house in Raleigh and would prefer not to move his family again.

“I’m going to take my time and make sure I make the right one, right?” Williams said upon season’s end.

“Because if I’m all in, I’m going to be all in. If I’m not quite all there, then I have to reassess the situation. I’m not going to be good if I’m 85 per cent all in. I’ve got to be all in. That’s the only [thing] that’s fair to me, fair to the teammates, fair to everybody.”

Waddell: "I think Justin Williams could be leaning towards playing."

— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) July 2, 2019

8. Derick Brassard

Age on July 1: 31

Position: Centre

2018-19 salary cap hit: $5 million

Brassard put up a career-best 60 points with the Rangers in 2014-15. The following season, he rang up 27 goals. Since then, he’s gradually been on a downward slide, playing with four franchises over the past two seasons and failing to stick.

Bad fits? Player in sharp decline?

Brassard is a centre who has shown in the past he can both check and score, and yet he’s nowhere near a $5-million asset anymore. Until he proves otherwise, he’s a third-liner.

Available centremen are scarce, however. This feels like a case of a player needing to lower his asking price, and we wouldn’t rule out a return to Columbus or New York, where Brassard enjoyed his most success.

Goals per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time last season:

Derick Brassard: 0.77

Brandon Tanev: 0.76

Phil Kessel: 0.75

— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) July 1, 2019

9. Pat Maroon

Age on July 1: 31

Position: Left wing / Right wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $1.75 million

25

Maroon took a one-year, best-on-himself deal at this time last summer to be able to spend more time with his son, Anthony. (Hometown discounts still exist!) And he was rewarded with some quality family time and a Stanley freaking Cup.

Now, he’s right back to square one.

Not the fleetest of foot, Maroon is a big body who can crash the crease and is well-suited to playoff hockey. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames are among the clubs who have expressed interest, and a return to the Blues — who have several RFAs to sort out — cannot be ruled out yet.

Edmonton looking into returning Pat Maroon to the fold. Oilers among a few teams pitching for the big LW.

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) July 1, 2019

"He's my rock. We get to go cherish these moments for the rest of our life."

Patrick Maroon went home to St. Louis to be with his son and family. Now, they're forever champions. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/HjJ7H2TM51

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 13, 2019

10. Brian Boyle

Age on July 1: 34

Position: Centre / Left wing

2018-19 salary cap hit: $2.55 million

Mostly we wanted to include Boyle here because of his incredible July 1 tweet (see below), but it helps that the veteran role player is still an effective centreman who can do all the little things (kill penalties, win faceoffs, block shots, provide leadership) coaches and teammates respect.

Boyle would be a nice add for the Oilers’ culture, so it’s intriguing that Edmonton is one of the clubs reportedly on his list.

Brian Boyle is reviewing his options. Told 5 teams have serious interest in signing him. A decision could come later today, but he's not rushing things.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 2, 2019

26

As women’s hockey remains divided at professional level, NHL focuses on grassroots

By Hailey Salvian, The Athletic – July 4, 2019

The current landscape in women’s professional hockey remains divided, with the National Women’s Hockey League and the group of players who are sitting out the year both believing in different paths for the future of the women’s game. But if there is one constant, it’s that everyone wants to know what the NHL is going to do, or not do, to help things along.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has made it clear that the league is “waiting for the dust to settle,” before they make any decisions, but, while they wait, the league is focusing on something more tangible.

While in Las Vegas for this year’s NHL Awards, the league announced a partnership with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative at an event that took the spotlight off MVP awards and scoring titles and instead focused on increasing the profile of women in hockey and boosting equity and diversity in the game.

“We can make a difference in people’s lives because we have the platform,” Bettman said during a panel discussion with Billie Jean King. “To understand that there are particular segments of society that have been left behind, we have the opportunity to elevate and bring more people together.”

At the event, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced the creation of a female hockey ambassador program, and an inclusion and diversity council that will be co-chaired by Bettman and Kim Pegula, the president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Buffalo Sabres.

“It was so awesome,” said A.J. Mleczko, an American Olympian who moderated one of the panels at the event. “It’s just an exciting step forward in terms of actual tangible steps, as opposed to just talking about empowering women and talking about innovative, different ways that we are trying to do this. It’s actually something they are doing.”

Mleczko is also a member of the Female Hockey Advisory Committee that the NHL launched in December to help brainstorm ideas that could create more opportunities for girls and women in hockey. One of the committee’s first recommendations was for the league to identify and use female role models in the game, which led to the creation of the female ambassador program.

The program will provide funding to NHL teams to encourage them to use female ambassadors as coaches for clinics, camps or for off-ice events that are geared toward girls and women.

Already, the New York Rangers have introduced U.S. Olympian Amanda Kessel as their girls hockey ambassador for their brand-new Junior Hockey Program for Girls that was announced on Tuesday.

“The Rangers set out on, not a lofty mission, but I guess a really great and exciting one to be a part of to get more young girls in hockey and keep them in hockey,” Kessel said.

“They want to double the participation from young girls in the tri-state area within three years, so it’s a pretty easy program and plan to want to be a part of.”

27

The program will begin this fall and will have 13 participating rinks across New York where they will host clinics and various events. The Rangers will also be starting a league for girls 11 to 14 years old.

Maria Dennis, the chair of the Female Hockey Advisory Committee, said that the goal of the program is to make it more normal to see women in the sport.

“The whole philosophy is if you see it, you could believe it for yourself that you could do that as well … and that’s why it’s important for the NHL clubs to include female role models in a lot of their events and programming,” Dennis said.

“It’s not just for little girls to see and know that they could do the same thing, but it’s also important for everyone to see and not think anything about it. Like that’s just a normal thing to see and witness in our society. Ultimately, that’s where we’d like to be in our sport. And frankly, that’s ultimately where we want to be in society as a whole.”

The grants for the program are still being finalized, but Dennis said a female athlete, like Kessel, could get up to $1,500 a day for running a camp or clinic.

The announcement of the program aligns well with the players who are sitting out the year, as they recently launched their Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association and website with a section dedicated to reaching out to players to run clinics and camps. Kendall Coyne-Schofield already has a camp with the Chicago Blackhawks that was launched before the ambassador program. While the NWHL still has partnerships with both the Boston Bruins and and host their own clinics and events to grow the game at the grassroots level.

Mleczko said the event was a positive step in the sense that the NHL is showing they see value in women’s hockey.

“Everybody is looking to the NHL (for a solution), and Gary Bettman continues to keep his door closed in and is waiting for the dust to settle with the sit out the players are having and whatever happens with the NWHL,” she said. “But I think this partnership and ambassador program shows a commitment from the NHL. Will that translate to a pro league? I really don’t know. I hope so, but I don’t know.”

Dennis added that the women’s players should be “very encouraged” that the NHL and NHLPA are focusing on growing the girls and women’s game.

“We’ve identified them as an important audience, as an important target market, as important participants in both playing the game and in the business of the game, and everything surrounding the game,” she said. “So, I think it’s really encouraging.”

It’s been only 18 months since Kim Davis was appointed as the NHL’s executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs, and she says she is “incredibly proud” to see the progress the league has already made.

“We know that women are significant consumers of our sport already in North America, we know our fandom is somewhere between 40 and 45 percent female,” she said in an interview with The Athletic. “The more we can do to attract females as part of our sport, to encourage young girls to consume our sport and to see the Images that are going to make them feel strong and bold and brave … I’m happy to be part of that growth.”

28

Along with the female ambassador program, Davis played a key role in the creation of the diversity and inclusion council, which will focus on working with NHL clubs to identify practices that will help the league grow the game with multicultural audiences.

“This goes back to our understanding as a league that our future growth is intricately linked to the continued development and promotion of multicultural audiences, particularly women in all aspects of our sport,” Davis said. “So, whether you’re talking about as players, or we are talking about as leaders at grassroots girls activities, all of this is connected.”

Meanwhile, the partnership between the NHL and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative will support research, action and advocacy to help impact the community and elevate the league’s “Hockey is For Everyone” campaign.

King has also notably been supportive of the players who are sitting out and has partnered with the PWHPA. Davis was quick to shut down any speculation that the two partnerships are linked. In fact, Davis was one of the architects of the BJKLI five years ago when it launched.

“It was a natural for us, despite the issues (in women’s hockey), for the NHL to partner with Billie as we think about this work in the inclusion and leadership space, particularly for women, because that is really the echos in which the BJKLI was created,” Davis said. “Who wouldn’t want to be associated with Billie, whether you’re talking about the issues of women’s hockey and the future of that league, or the broader issues of equality and leadership and civil rights, because Billie has been at the forefront of that for over 50 years.”

When asked about how the recent announcements fit in the current landscape of the women’s game, Davis was steadfast in the commissioner’s position.

“I think we as a league have been very consistent in our position, we support the women’s game, and we want to see it grow, and we want to see it flourish, and as the commissioner has stated publicly many times, we’re watching and waiting to see as the women’s professional hockey landscape develops,” she said. “We absolutely believe that women should have a place to play professionally, and what the future holds with regard to that is still an open question.

“But we are going to continue to be steadfast and support grassroots level activity really aimed at increasing participation of girls. And that’s really what all of these initiatives and specifically the ambassador program is about.”

29

Intriguing unrestricted free agents remain out there

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY – July 4, 2019

Some leftovers from the first three days of the NHL free agent signing period could have a greater impact on teams than some of the players signed Monday on the first day.

Here are intriguing players still available:

► Defenseman Jake Gardiner: Once Erik Karlsson opted to stay with the San Jose Sharks, Gardiner was the most accomplished defenseman available.

In Toronto, there was considerable discussion about Gardiner’s defensive faults. But he does many things right, including averaging 21 minutes, 21 seconds per game and earning the reputation as a memorable skater and a slick puck carrier with the potential to push toward 50 points in a season. He’s 28.

► Forward Marcus Johansson: Another impressive skater, Johansson was often the most noticeable player on the ice during the Stanley Cup Final.

Marcus Johansson had 11 points in 22 playoff games for the Bruins.

WINNERS, LOSERS: Stars, Rangers strike big as Sharks lose key player

NUMBERS GAME: Player gives No. 72 to incoming star for Rolex, free dinners

Johansson fits well into any team’s middle six forward group. He has scored as many as 24 goals in a season.

►Left wing Micheal Ferland: He can score and play with edginess. That will earn him a raise from the $1.75 million he made last season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

►Center Brian Boyle: At 6-7, he’s one of the NHL’s prickliest role players. He can win important draws, kill penalties or be a net-front presence on the power play.

►Right wing Jason Pominville: With so many teams looking to bolster offense, Pominville, 36, still seems desirable. He scored 16 goals last season.

►Left wing Patrick Marleau: He also scored 16 goals, but his options are limited by his desire to play near his West Coast home.

►Left wing Patrick Maroon: He's a rugged role player who scored a key goal in the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup run.

30