SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 08/27/19 Arizona 1151271 Desert dogs and the Coyotes who love them 1151293 Kaapo Kakko among top Rangers prospects headed to Traverse City 1151294 New York Rangers sending Kaapo Kakko and other top 1151272 NHL Network releases top 10 goalies list: Where does prospects to Traverse City Tournament Bruins' Tuukka Rask rank? 1151295 Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox to represent the Rangers at 1151273 Pearl Jam, ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and Fiddler: Bruce the Traverse City Tournament Cassidy looks back at his life through his ticket collec 1151296 Rangers notebook: John Davidson’s first 100 days, Kreider’s mindset and more Buffalo Sabres 1151274 Jason Pominville back in Buffalo, waiting for the right NHL NHL opportunity 1151297 Seattle NHL team’s name? Uniform colors? Here’s where 1151275 AHL's comes to Snyder for wings, hot dogs, fans rant, vent and even chat over beers about it beer 1151276 What kind of contract could get as a restricted free agent next summer? 1151298 Senators working on Thomas Chabot extension after signing Colin White Flames 1151299 Fans will get a first-hand look at Josh Norris as Dorion 1151277 Giordano hopes Tkachuk signs new contract with Flames updates some prospects 'sooner rather than later' 1151300 Logan Brown: Joining the Stanley Cup party at home in St. 1151278 'Young and fresh' Giordano ready for upcoming Flames Louis campaign 1151301 Brown hoping for bigger opportunity under new Senators 1151279 After five: Analyzing Brad Treliving’s successes and coach D.J. Smith failures as Flames GM 1151302 excited as Senators' rookies report next week 1151280 Hurricanes’ prospect Stelio Mattheos recovering from Flyers cancer surgery 1151303 No panic from Flyers GM as Ivan Provorov and remain unsigned Blackhawks 1151304 The newest Flyers' fan makes his debut in the arms of dad 1151281 Tommy Hawk voted NHL Mascot of the Year 1151282 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 10 Chicago 1151305 As competition heats up, analyzing how Scott Laughton Blackhawks and Michael Raffl factor in Flyers’ plans in 2019-20 and 1151283 Analysis: Glass half empty — how the Blue Jackets 1151306 Penguins Predictions: Will Kris Letang remain among season could unravel game’s elite defensemen? 1151284 Former Red Wing Darren McCarty joins marijuana 1151307 Sharks' most important trades in franchise history: company, says pot saved his life Acquiring Owen Nolan 1151285 As he joins the pot business, memorable moments from Red Wing Darren McCarty's career St Louis Blues 1151286 Newly-signed Joe Hicketts awaits fresh challenge to make 1151308 Blues unveil logo for 2020 All-Star Game Red Wings 1151309 When the Stanley Cup went missing last week, it took 1151287 Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin took huge step, best is yet to teamwork to get it back come 1151310 motivated to live up to Norris 1151288 Jesse Puljujarvi signs one-year deal in , dashing Trophy-winner label hopes he would return to the Oilers 1151311 Connor McDavid noncommittal about his status for Oilers training camp Canadiens 1151312 Maple Leafs' Agostino gets top marks at the bottom 1151289 Former Canadien J.J. Daigneault embraces junior 1151313 Auston Matthews, other Leaf stars take part in coaching challenge International Dog Day 1151290 Fifteen issues the 15 Canadiens forwards fighting for a job 1151314 Maple Leafs rookies set for Traverse City tourney at camp might face this season 1151319 Why the Canucks struggled to score last season and how 1151291 State of the Franchise: Still without a Stanley Cup, the they’ve strategically addressed those issues Predators are entering a pivotal time 1151292 Devils’ most important players: No. 11 Travis Zajac | Why veteran is pivotal behind Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes 1151315 Caps of the Year Bracket: Kuznetsov's silky mitts vs Vrana's steal and snipe 1151316 A healthy and confident Alexeyev knows it will take time to adjust to the pros Websites 1151320 The Athletic / Lockout talk: Why each side might (and might not) want to opt out of the NHL’s CBA as the deadl 1151321 The Athletic / Which NHLers have the hardest slap shots and how much does it matter in today’s game? 1151322 .ca / Oilers' McDavid says he's making progress but questions remain 1151323 TSN.CA / McDavid says knee injury progressing 1151324 TSN.CA / The workhorse goalie is disappearing from the NHL 1151325 USA TODAY / Four-time Stanley Cup winner Darren McCarty joins marijuana company, says pot saved his life 1151326 YAHOO SPORTS / Mitch Marner donates customized 'bite suit' to local police K-9 unit 1151327 YAHOO SPORTS / Mikko Rantanen skating with Norwegian team as he awaits new deal with Avalanche 1151328 YAHOO SPORTS / Former NHLer Donald Brashear arrested for cocaine possession 1151329 YAHOO SPORTS / Former NHL enforcer Darren McCarty credits weed for saving his life 1151330 YAHOO SPORTS / 31 Takes: Lightning's Maroon signing shows why good teams always look smart Winnipeg Jets 1151317 APPLE OF HIS EYE: Jets' Appleton eyeing up full-time work 1151318 Jets add forward depth with Bourque signing

SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1151271 Nothing happened here.’ He does little stupid stuff like that that just makes me cry (laughing) every day.”

Favorite habit: “We call it The Zoomies. He’ll get a high amount of energy Desert dogs and the Coyotes who love them and just start ripping around in circles. He’ll run out one room and into another, jump on the bed, jump off, run out, do some more circles and run back in. It’s hilarious.” By Craig Morgan Aug 26, 2019 Best story: “I was trying to teach him how to swim, but French bulldogs, I don’t believe they’re that comfortable in water. I’ve seen videos of Frenchies swimming, but we actually had to go get him a life jacket. It’s Nineteenth-century American humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw (pen name funny because it’s got a little shark fin on the top, so he looks like a little Josh Billings) once remarked: “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves shark coming at ya.” you more than you love yourself.” Many Coyotes would nod in agreement with that observation. Further info: Butter has his own Instagram account.

We polled the Coyotes’ players, coaches and hockey operations Steve Peters managers to find out which ones are dog owners. A couple have lost or are about to lose their good friends, so the discussion was too painful for Position: Video coach them. A few more hope to be dog owners in the future, so we’ll catch up Dog’s name: Wiley with them at a later date. Dog’s age: 7 years old For the rest, and because Aug. 26 is National Dog Day, we are sharing their stories in a tail-wagging array of tales. Some are family dogs, some Dog’s breed: Havanese-poodle mix are living with their Coyotes full time. Some are old, some are young, some are big, some are small. Origin story: “We got him from a shelter in Scottsdale in 2013. It really came down to my wife (Heidi). She’s a big dog-lover, and it was always Here are their profiles. our plan to get a rescue dog. She’d go to the website of the local shelter every week, looking for the right dog, and finally Wiley’s picture came up. Lawson Crouse She said, ‘That’s the one.’

Position: Forward “You know how they have them in those kennels with two or three dogs Dog’s name: Butter together? When we went to pick him up, all the other dogs went crazy. Wiley just sat there and stared at us. Right then I said, ‘OK, I can Dog’s age: 1 year old probably do this. He was 1. Some other family had taken him home and it didn’t work out, and they brought him back, so we really felt bad for him.” Dog’s breed: French bulldog Tireless work ethic: “You know what dogs bring to your house? They just Origin story: Crouse and his girlfriend, Claire, bought Butter from a bring a lot of juice, a lot of energy. I would say the best thing about this breeder in Queen Creek, Ariz., called La Bella Frenchies & Standard dog in the job that we do is when you’re gone for 10 days on a road trip Poodles. and you get home at 2:30 in the morning, he’s always right at the door “We always knew we wanted a Frenchie, but it was just about timing. We with a smile, happy to see you and wagging his tail. It’s dark, you’re tired were just looking online for potential breeders, and we found one with and you can’t wait to get home, but you know that he’s going to be right pups ready to go. We saw this little photo of him (above), where he would inside the door, just excited to see you and jump up on you. That one have been a couple weeks old, in a little bow tie. That kind of dragged us feeling alone is worth having a dog. Before the dog, that’s what my wife in. used to do: greet me at the door. Since the dog’s there, she sleeps in.”

“I have a couple buddies that have them. (Former ) Jordan Adjustment period: “We already had a cat (Boot-z), and we were more Martinook actually had one, so I’ve kind of been around them a little bit, worried about him being difficult with the cat, but he was incredibly timid and they’re just such fun dogs. They can be high energy or they can be and shy. He lived in a crate or kennel for a good couple months, just to low energy. They kind of do whatever you want them to do. They kind of make sure he was comfortable in the house. I think he knew it was his react to the moment, but they have so much personality.” home, but he wasn’t comfortable yet. I don’t know if it’s because of the shelter and then the other family that didn’t work out, but when we’d Endearing bad habits leave the house, it was hard for him. It was like that fear that we’re not coming back, or ‘Are you leaving me again?’ No. 1: “The first road trip we took, I was like, ‘Hey, Claire, we’ve got to get this dog crate-trained,’ and she’s like ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ll get “When we would come home, he would be overexcited because of that him crate-trained.’ I came back and the dog was sleeping in the bed, and separation anxiety. He’d jump 2, 3 feet in the air. Now he knows we’re he’s been in the bed ever since. He’s a bed hog. He rotates from my feet not going anywhere and he’s part of the family, but him and the cat aren’t to kind of in between my legs. Sometimes, you wake up in the middle of great friends. He would like to be, but I don’t know if the cat would. the night and he’ll almost be smothering you. It’s like, ‘Hello.’ When he They’ve got an understanding because he knows the cat will beat him up. wakes me up, I just usually kind of push him to the end of the bed. He is The cat is way tougher than the dog.” a lazy dog. He loves sleeping in. He naps any chance he gets.” Unexpected benefits: “He has really changed our lives in terms of our No. 2: “He loves playing with big balls, like soccer balls, basketballs, health. We walk that dog four, five, six times a day in the winter. It’s just beach balls. I could sit out there and throw a ball for him for 30 minutes one quick time around the block, but he’s got so much energy because and he’ll just keep going, even when he can’t even breathe. Again and he’s got that poodle in him, so we find ourselves walking all the time, again and again.” which did something else: It really helped relationships in our neighborhood. The more that we got out and walked, the more people we No. 3: “He’s also a big landscaper. He has a thing for branches. If he met. We have made some really good friends in our neighborhood over sees a branch, whether it’s on a tree or on the ground, he has to go for the last five or six years that were generated by walking our dog — it.” people that we wouldn’t otherwise have met because we were stuck in No. 4: “Say we’re in the middle of the season in Arizona and I have some the house. Everybody knows Wiley. He’s got this gait that is almost a trot family coming down. If the attention is not on him, he’ll go pee randomly. and a smile on his face, so he always looks so happy.” He’s fully potty-trained and everything, but he’ll just say ‘screw you’ and Above-and-beyond care: “After we had him for a few years, he started take a pee on a suitcase. That’s another big thing. If he sees suitcases, having seizures. The first couple of times, you run to the emergency vet he goes and pees on them because he knows you’re leaving. He’s done and hope he is going to make it through, but now, through years of that multiple times.” messing around with different medications and trying different things, No. 5: “He consistently falls down the stairs, which is kind of bad to laugh we’ve kind of got it under control to where it only happens like once every about. We actually caught him on camera one time falling down the three or four months. It’s manageable now. stairs, head over heels, and then all of a sudden we zoom in on him at the bottom and he’s standing on all fours like, ‘What are you looking at? “They really don’t know if it was a neurological injury or it’s just Favorite habit: “When I’m shooting pucks, Sammy loves to chase them. hereditary, part of that breed. It’s funny how life works out, though. My It’s just like those dog videos of (Artemi) Panarin. He does that, too. He’ll wife used to work in an office, but now she works from home, and it all jump right into me. It’s good defense by him.” happened at the same time, so she’s able to stay home every day now and give him medicine and take care of his seizures. Darcy Kuemper

“Wiley sleeps in bed with us, but because of his seizures, we had this Position: fear that he was going to fall off the bed. Sometimes, he would also run Dog’s name: Rogue and not always be able to make it up, so he would hit himself in the chest or the neck and fall off. So we took the bed frame out and we put our bed Dog’s age: 1 1/2 years old on the floor, just like a couple of college kids. Now he can get up and Dog’s breed: German shepherd (all black) down easily. The dog rules the household. We adjusted our lives to make him happy and keep him healthy.” Origin story: “My girlfriend, Sydney, and I both love dogs. We talked about getting one for a long time, and then we just decided it was the Dog convert: “I think you have to be. I always had cats as a kid. I like cats right time in the offseason when he was a puppy. We kind of went back and they’re easier to take care of, but they don’t fill the emotional void and forth on different breeds but just were in love with how all-black that a dog does. There’s just so much personality to a dog. They can look shepherds looked. We didn’t really know how to get one of them, but it you in the eye and you see that there’s something there. The cat just turned out that there was a breeder not too far from us here in Saskatoon walks away from you. I can’t imagine now, as I grow older, going without so it just kind of fell into place, and we drove down to Arizona with him a dog.” last year. Video links: Peters couldn’t help himself. (OK, I asked for it.) “We were just kind of throwing out names, and it’s kind of a cool name so Puck battle: we both stuck with it. He’s awesome. We love him. I know it’s kind of clichéd that they’re man’s best friend, but they are. The way that they just Proper form: love to be around you and always want to cuddle up next to you, and Clayton Keller every time you wake up in the morning, they’re so happy. He has a ton of energy, but he’s a lot of fun to be around.” Position: Forward Good and bad habit: “He’s obsessed with fetch. It’s a good habit because Dogs’ names: Crosby and Sammy he’s fun to play with. It’s a bad habit because he’ll play from the moment he wakes up until it’s time to go to bed, so it’s hard to get him to relax. Dogs’ ages: Crosby: 10; Sammy: 4 You’ve got to hide his toys and balls from him.

Dogs’ breeds: Bichon frisé-papillon mix; German shepherd-Labrador mix “He also likes to play with this huge rope that’s knotted. He looks like a Origin stories: “Me and my mom and my brother (Jake) were at the mall, bucking horse with it. He’ll just start jumping around in circles and and we saw one we liked and ended up playing with him, and the next swinging it around. I honestly have no idea what goes through his head.” thing you know, we ended up taking him home. I think it was pretty late at You decide … night, too. We were at the mall around, like, 9:00, and we didn’t get home until 11 with all we had to do. My dad walked in, and he was like, ‘Whoa!’ Rope rage: We surprised him. Sammy came along after that when we wanted another dog. He’s a rescue.” Needy traveling companion: “It took us about 28 hours total to drive to Arizona from Saskatchewan, but that was with stops. We try to make lots Crosby’s namesake (yep, you guessed it): “Me and my brothers were just of stops and give him exercise. Sometimes he’ll start crying, and there’s huge fans of Sidney Crosby, and we both decided that was the name of not loud-enough speakers in the world to drown him out. We usually just our first dog. stop in small towns along the way and kind of find a field. He’s really good off the leash, so we don’t have to worry about that. We just kind of “My mom had tons of animals around the house like dogs and cats when get far enough away from the road. He is really a mama’s boy, so he she was growing up, and actually, my first dog passed away when I was doesn’t like to get out of sight of Sydney.” really, really young, but it was my family’s first until we got Crosby and Sammy, and now my brother wants another dog. I love dogs. It’s just Identity crisis: “We have a maple tree in the backyard, and our deck is awesome to have them around. They really do make you happy.” kind of raised. We heard something one day, and we looked over and he was gnawing and tearing all the bark off the tree, like a beaver. You want Sibling rivalry: “Crosby is definitely a lap dog. When I am away for a long to be mad, but you’re laughing at the same time. We keep catching him time and I come home, he’s always going crazy, and Sammy gets a little trying to go back to the tree, so we keep having to tell him, ‘No.’ He’s bit jealous, so he’ll try to piss him off or make him mad because he’s so slowly learning to leave it alone. He had never paid any attention to it much bigger. He’ll even jump up on me. before, but all of the sudden, he wants to gnaw it.”

“They play tug of war with a rope, and it’s pretty funny. Sammy drags him Cheap cosmetics: “We also have a sandbox in our yard because the around — this 100-pound dog versus a 20-pound dog. He’ll shove the owners we bought it from had two little kids. He loves to dig in the rope in his face to annoy him and make him play.” sandbox, which we kind of let him do because it’s better than digging in Big baby: “Sammy’s terrified of water and, on July 4, the fireworks. You’d the yard, but all the sand sticks to his lips and his nose, and he’ll come think he’s a tough dog, but when I was home earlier in the summer, me back looking like he has lipstick all over him.” and my brother and mom were trying to get him in the pool for like an Alex Goligoski hour. He doesn’t like getting wet at all. Even if it’s raining or windy, he won’t go outside.” Position: Defenseman

Lifesaver: “My dad likes to drive into the driveway at a decent speed, and Dog’s name: Sullivan (Sully) Sammy gets right out of the way, but Crosby loves car rides, so he’s always trying to get in the car and won’t move. Dog’s age: 7 years old

“He had just got back from a walk, and he still had his leash on. My dad Dog’s breed: English bulldog was pulling in the driveway pretty fast, and Crosby was running toward Origin story: “We got him as a puppy. He’s a purebred from a breeder in him. My dad was almost into the garage, and Crosby was almost under New Richmond, Wis., who had been doing it for 19 years, but he’s way the car, like under the tires, so I stepped on the leash, and it yanked him taller than most English bulldogs you would see. backward. I don’t know if he got a concussion. He couldn’t walk and was just laying down, and I was really scared. We took him to the vet, but as “I actually didn’t really enjoy dogs until I met my buddy’s English bulldog. soon as the doctor came in, he was completely fine, and he hasn’t had We had cats growing up, but (former teammate) Jake any issues since. We never let my dad live that one down.” Dowell had an English bulldog, and that was before my wife and I were living together so he would come over all the time, and I just loved the dog, loved their temperament. They don’t need too much exercise or anything. They’re just cool, funny dogs, so those are the kind of dog I Cold honeymoon: “Having him going through the potty-training and that wanted. sort of stuff the first two months of having him during the season, where you’re having to wake up once in the middle of the night, that was tough. “Now I’m a dog person. I think it was just one of the things. I never had I got him in February, so when I was in Chicago, living by Navy Pier, I one so I just didn’t really know, but now I’m definitely a dog person. He’s had to run him down 30 flights in the elevator, so it was more than a five- always at the cabin with us; we do the road trip down to Scottsdale every minute process. It was more like 30. year with him. With his breed, they don’t like flying him, but I don’t mind the drive. It only takes, like, two days.” “I’d take him out about 9, 10 p.m., right before bed, and then set my alarm for about 3:30 or 4 in the morning, throw on a jacket and Bowling ball: “What annoys me about him is he doesn’t listen very well. I sweatpants, and I’m out the door as fast I can, carrying him. Once I got don’t think it’s his fault. I think they’re just generally not smart dogs him outside, I’d let him on the ground. Back then, he didn’t know the (laughs). He gets fired up pretty easy, and if he gets excited, he’s a little words ‘go potty,’ so you’re just kind of walking around, just keep saying bit of a wild card. He’ll knock people over. We had a get-together party those words until he goes, and then it’s back up there and try to go back last year, maybe it was a Super Bowl party, but Antti Raanta’s little girl to bed. got knocked to the ground by Sully, and it was not pretty. She started crying.” “Some days it took, like, 30 seconds and he was going to the bathroom. Other days, he’d stare at you or sniff around and it was maybe five Guard dog: “What I like about him is he is super loyal and a good minutes, but still, five minutes in that weather definitely wakes you up, babysitter for kids. If someone comes over that he doesn’t know, he’ll just and it’s hard to go back to sleep.” stand between them and the kids the entire time. There have never been any scary situations with him and the kids. He’s always just super calm Good student: “I did a training in Arizona with a trainer that I found online. and protective. He’ll just kind of stand there and make sure that they I used him for about two months, and now Gavin can go on walks with no don’t kind of go over to the kids. Nothing’s ever happened if they have leash; we can go anywhere. With my parents’ dog growing up, once it got gone over. He kind of just lets it happen at that , but it’s like he’s out of the backyard, it was trying to run away and just go explore, so sending a message.” what I wanted was a dog I could take with me to lunch or when I’m walking around and kind of have him be more in your life than just in the Swamp thing: “We have a cabin in (northwestern) Wisconsin, and when house. I can walk him throughout my whole neighborhood and into the he was a puppy, we could not control him. He would just head-butt the park to play fetch and not even have to bring a leash.” door open, escape and go flying around. We’d have to chase him down for like 30 minutes because he just kept running away. Christian Fischer

“We’re on kind of a peninsula in our cabin, and on the good water side is Position: Wing where all the boats are. On the other side of the road, they call it the stump. It’s kind of like a protected wildlife area, so it’s kind of swampy. Dog’s name: Boomer

“I was chasing him one day, and we were back on that side of it, and I Dog’s age: 12 years old kind of got him cornered where he couldn’t go anywhere. He just looked Dog’s breed: Soft-coated wheaten terrier at me, and he knew I had him, so he just turned and jumped into the swamp, full-body, head under. I thought he was going to drown, and then Origin story: “I think we got him right around when I was in sixth or he just popped out looking like a black bear out of a swamp and went seventh grade. My parents were always against having a dog. They running by me, and I’m like, ‘Aw, you shit!’ didn’t really want them. They had three kids and enough crap to deal with, but we really wanted one, and one day we just came back from “Clean-up wasn’t fun. I hated him for like five days, but it’s one of those school — me, my brother and sister — and there was a pup in the house. stories you just replay in your head and laugh. He was probably 3 but still very much in puppy mode. He was a puppy for probably the first four “He’s kind of the ideal dog for us because he’s really chill. He’s not the years of his life, where he was just insane.” biggest barker or anything like that, and he is always really friendly. If someone came into the house to try to kill me, he’s probably going to try Jordan Oesterle to kiss him, but that’s why I love him.”

Position: Defenseman Easy on the allergies: “He doesn’t shed, which is nice because I am Dog’s name: Gavin allergic to some type of hair. I don’t even know which kinds, but definitely not his.” Dog’s age: 1 1/2 years old Overcoming obstacles: “I’ve gone through quite a few stretches without Dog’s breed: German shepherd mix seeing him for eight or nine months during the season because he lives with my parents. It’s too tough to have a dog right now when we travel so Origin story: “I rescued him when I was in Chicago. I haven’t done any much, but my parents actually brought him down to Arizona this year. testing with the vet to see what exactly he is. I just call him a mutt. “This is the first year they’ve done it, but they registered him as an “When I was growing up, we had a dog, and we rescued it as well, so I emotional support animal because they don’t want to throw him under the think just kind of the fact that I grew up with a rescue dog led me here. plane. God knows you always hear the stories of what can happen down There’s so many dogs nowadays in these adoption programs that there’s there, but he’s also really old, so it would be tough on him. So they no sense in spending the hefty price for a purebred when you can rescue registered him and he actually flew out to Arizona this year twice with my these dogs who are either going to get put down or be stuck in a shelter parents when they came out from Chicago. He hopped on the plane with for a while. them. He’s a really, really calm dog, so they just put a vest on him and “He was 10 weeks old when I got him, so I’ve had him since the very nobody asked any questions. It was great to see him.” beginning. It was enjoyable at times, other times not so enjoyable, but, Precious moments: “Being home this summer was great because he’s 12 knock on wood, once I did crate-training and all that other stuff, he was years old now. He’s going into his golden years, and I hate to say it, but never into chewing shoes, never really into tearing up the carpets or he is probably on his way out the door. It’s all good, though. He’s been a rugs, couches or tables, so I’ve been pretty lucky with that. He’s been an great dog, and he’s had a really good life.” unbelievable puppy.” Derek Stepan Water dog: “He loves to swim. We didn’t really find it out until we brought him home after my season in Chicago. My parents have a pool in their Position: Center backyard, and immediately he just ran and jumped right in. I had to invest in a blow-up pool here in Michigan. It is strictly Gavin’s pool now. Dog’s name: Sochi Jake Whenever he’s acting up or just being a puppy or being a shithead, I Dog’s age: 6 years old always say to my girlfriend (Ashley), ‘He doesn’t know how lucky he has it.’” In Arizona, he has an in-ground pool, so he’s pretty spoiled.” Dog’s breed: Labrador-shepherd mix

Proof? Origin story: “When I went to the Olympics in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, (then-St. Louis Blue) David Backes and Kelly Backes, his wife, had done Gavin swimming: their research, and they knew that there were dogs that needed rescuing, so they just tried to rescue as many as they could. The Russians were 1/2 pounds — and he would follow her everywhere. He wouldn’t go after giving them a hard time about it, but Sochi Jr. still went home with Kevin other dogs. He just wanted to be left alone, but he loves cats.” Shattenkirk’s parents and then Sochi Jake ended up with us. That’s his legal name on his passport. Yes, he has a passport. The wanderer: “He listens really good, but when he was younger, if you weren’t paying attention to him, he’d start sniffing things and then he’d be “Jake was at the family resort that the NHL had set up, hanging with the off. We lost him a couple times for an hour or two at a time in Austria. Backeses. (Stepan’s wife) Steph had kind of flirted with the idea of He’d just be off sniffing, and we’d find him 2 miles away. He likes rescuing a dog, and I was kind of hesitant, to be honest with you, so I exploring.” kind of kept her away from the whole dog scene while we were there. And then, on the last day right before we left, the Backeses were trying to Daddy’s home: “He sleeps between my legs every night. If I am home, he get through the airport and Kelly asked, ‘Are you guys dog people? Do won’t go away from me. He likes my wife and kids, but if I’m home, he you mind getting Jake through for us?’ stays with me. I’m gone a lot, but he still got attached.

“Steph ended up holding him. We got on the flight, and she’s like, ‘I think “When I come home to stay, I have to take off my socks and roll them up we should do it.’ Jake didn’t have a home yet. He was just going to a in a ball and give them to him. Then he knows I’m staying. If I keep my shelter. He had to spend 30 days in quarantine, but again, we didn’t do socks on, it usually means I’m leaving again. He’ll scratch my leg and I any of this work. The Backeses did everything. They were prepared. tell him, ‘No,’ and he goes away. If I’m staying, I take them off and he’ll They set up the quarantine; they paid for all the vaccinations. All that had play with them for like two minutes. He’ll bite them and shake them to happen was Steph had to fly down to St. Louis and pick him up after around, and then he leaves them somewhere and goes off happy.” 30 days of quarantine. He was a puppy then, anywhere between 4 and 6 Phil Kessel months, and he just flew in the cage up with the Backeses, and that ended when Steph went and picked him up. He was just a small little guy Position: Wing at that time. He is super skittish. We don’t really know why, but once you Dogs’ names: Stella and Luna get in his inner circle, he’s like a normal dog. There’s times I’m not very thrilled with him like a normal puppy, but he is a big-time swimmer, he is Dogs’ ages: Stella: 8; Luna: unknown super athletic and he can hop … and he kind of looks like a coyote.” Dogs’ breed: Goldendoodles Survivor: “When we got him, he had, like, 30 different types of parasites in his stomach, and he has some stomach issues associated with it Origin story: Kessel was unavailable for this story, but we did find this because he was eating whatever he could just to survive, living on the video piece on Stella, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Twitter feed. street. He has other health issues with his digestive system, or, as we When Kessel arrives in Arizona, we’ll try to find out more. call it, the exit.” Best buds: Kessel said Stella is “like my kid.” He once told Sportsnet: “If I Serious hops: “We have a pool in both houses, and in Scottsdale, we put didn’t have her, I don’t know what I’d do. a fence up around it, but he jumped up on a retaining wall behind it, “She likes to have treats and snacks and … only eats human food. She’s found a way to jump up even higher and then come down, and he’s able spoiled.” to get in the pool. He’s in the pool all the time, loves to swim. We’ll let him out to go to the bathroom at night, and you turn back around and he is Steve Sullivan just soaking wet.” Position: Assistant general manager Always on the move: “He loves to run. We always use the ‘Forrest Gump’ line: ‘From that day on, if I was going somewhere, I was running.’” Dogs’ names: Bauer and Cooper

“He is a high-energy dog. When we lived in New York (playing for the Dogs’ ages: Bauer: 8; Cooper: 3 Rangers), it was really difficult because obviously, New York City is Dogs’ breed: Lagotto Romagnolos insane. Living in Manhattan, there’s like cars everywhere, so every single day just to take him out to the bathroom was a nightmare, but Steph Origin story: “We got Bauer just before we left Nashville (in 2011), and would take him to the dog park every single day for like two hours. That Cooper we got two years ago here. My wife (Kristen) was all over me. seemed to help.” She had a dog growing up, and I did not have any dogs growing up. I kept telling her, ‘We move too much and it will be too hard,’ but all Michael Grabner through our marriage, she kept saying, ‘I want a dog, I want a dog, I want Position: Wing a dog.’

Dog’s name: Buddy “We ended up having a getaway weekend in East Tennessee at a little resort called Blackberry Farm. There was a bunch of them, probably Dog’s age: 12 years old eight, nine or 10 in the back of a four-wheeler with a flatbed. The guy in charge of them had them all under control, and I thought they were just Dog’s breed: Teacup Yorkshire terrier the cutest little things, and I was like, ‘Man, if we ever get a dog, that Origin story: “We were in Winnipeg while I was playing for the Manitoba would be the kind of dog I would have. They don’t shed; they’re good for Moose, looking for a dog. It’s hard to find them in Canada. Most of the people with allergies.’ The guy was like, ‘Yep, these are the ones for breeders are in the U.S. First, we tried to purchase one over the internet, you,’ and my wife was like, ‘Bingo!’ We started the process and ended up but people were telling us to send money to Africa and they’d ship us our getting a dog. The kids were asking for one, too, so I just lost out. The dog. That didn’t sound right (laughs). We found one that was somewhat more kids I had, I was just getting completely outnumbered. close, and so my wife (Heather) and I drove down to Minneapolis to a “Not having a relationship with a dog growing up, I obviously didn’t breeder to pick him up. understand how it works, and I am totally excited and totally converted to “We left after practice with four days in between games — left at 2 p.m. being a dog person, for sure.” for about a 7 1/2-hour drive. We got down there at 9:30, signed all the Opposite personalities: “They’re totally different dogs. Bauer is papers, paid, took him, and it was like 11:30 when we left to drive back. I independent, laid-back and quiet. Cooper (the lighter one in the photo told my roommate (Juraj Simek, currently with Genève-Servette HC of above) is young, rambunctious, always running around and digging. But the Swiss League) to wake me up the next day, and of course, my then it’s interesting: Bauer is independent, so he’s not a huge cuddler. roommate didn’t wake me up. I was always the one who had to wake him He’s not going to hang around a lot. He’s off on his own, whereas the up every day, so we were late to practice and we had to pay a fine. rambunctious one, when he decides to slow down, then he wants “We wanted to get a small dog because we travel a lot, especially to attention. It’s kind of weird how they both work.” Europe. We didn’t want to put a dog underneath the plane for a 20-hour If you have one, why not two? “Obviously, I lost out again when we got day, but he’s been everywhere with us — Winnipeg, Vancouver, New the second one. I’m happy to have them now, but that wasn’t the plan. York. He just went blind last year, so now he doesn’t see too well, but he My wife and kids would go, ‘He needs a friend. He needs someone to still gets around and has the same old personality.” play with.’” Selective friendships: “He doesn’t like any dogs except for my old billet dog. She was a big, black lab, like 100 pounds — Buddy weighs about 5 Shifting boundaries: “They do sleep in our room. That’s another story. of me. They were like, ‘Are you OK?” I was like, ‘No, I’m not. Just get me That was Rule No. 1. I said, ‘I’m not having them sleep in our bed or in on this airplane.’” our room.’ That lasted a little while, but when we moved out here in 2012 (for his one season playing for the Coyotes), my wife had to go back to Antti Raanta Pittsburgh (his previous team) to get all our stuff and close out the house Position: Goaltender while I stayed back here with the kids. Dog’s name: Maisa “We were staying in a hotel at the time, and all of the sudden, he was in the bed. It never turned back from there. When my wife came back, she Dog’s age: 7 years old was like, ‘Uh, what happened here? I thought we had a rule?’ I was like, Dog’s breed: Shetland sheepdog ‘Well, you were gone, he was barking, we’re in a hotel.’ All of the sudden that just led to every night. Origin story: “She’s been with us since she was around 1 month old. My wife had three other dogs earlier from the same breeder, so it was easy “There’s not much room, but a lot of times, they’re not on there together. to get her from the same place. She has been with us in every city where They kind of bounce back and forth. They are really good sleepers, we lived, so she probably has more flights than normal people will have.” though. They don’t move too much.” Favorite activity: “Barking! Pool party (no cocktails): “They spend a lot of the day in the backyard in the pool. We go for walks with them first thing in the morning, and then “She loves to play ball. When she was young, if she was alone, she ate they have a doggie door that gets them to the backyard, and they spend every shoe that she found.” a ton of time out there swimming. We’re not even out there a lot of the time. They’re out on their own and swim, and they have access to the Bodyguard: “She is super protective if my wife (Anna) and my daughter house, too.” (Evelyn) are around. Nobody can get close to them. She doesn’t like men too much. I’m probably the only one she likes, which is nice. The only Brad Richardson time when she can relax is when our daughter goes to bed. Usually, if me or my wife are away, she is laying behind our door and will wait there Position: Center pretty much the whole time until we come home.” Dogs’ names: Birdie and Blue Hard to get: “My favorite story is when she was 5 months old and my wife Dogs’ ages: Birdie: 7; Blue: 13 was away and she was with me. I needed to go somewhere, so I took her out before I was leaving, and when I needed to leave she just ran from Dogs’ breeds: Chihuahua-Jack Russell terrier and Chihuahua-dachshund the door, and I was chasing her about 30 minutes with all kinds of treats mixes and her favorite toys.

Origin story: “They’re both rescues. One is from Austin, Texas, and one “Every time I got close, she ran a little bit and was just lying and probably is from my hometown of Belleville, Ontario. My ex-wife got Blue, and laughing me. Then my wife came home and she ran straight to her and when she found him, he had paint all over him. We’re not sure why, went inside.” but that’s how he got his name. The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 “You feel so badly when you see them in the shelters. You know most of them are going to be put down if somebody doesn’t take them, so I think it’s an opportunity to save a dog’s life. Most dogs are really sweet and just looking for a good home.”

Richardson commissioned an artist to do sketches/paintings of both.

Like father, like dog: “Birdie never stops. Birdie is like me: Always on the go and doing something. She’s always hunting. At my cottage we used to have back in Kingston, Ontario, she’d sit at the door (we have a fenced yard), and if she saw something, she’d just wait for us to open the door and take off after it. She’d go after anything — like geese. She’ll go after a whole pack of them. It sounds crazy, but she comes out so fast that I don’t think they knew what it was. It was the element of surprise, maybe.

“Birdie likes hikes. She’s this 12-pound dog, but in L.A. we go run in The Strand together or the mountains here. The other day, we did the (McDowell Sonoran Preserve) Gateway Trail, and she sprinted the whole time. She actually pulls me along because that’s how fast she is. I almost have to go at a full sprint when I’m running with her. I think she would go until she died.

“Blue’s the opposite. He has always been mild-mannered, never had that hyper personality. He likes to lay in the sun because he’s getting old, but he’s really friendly and easy to walk. My daughter (Lexi) has gotten attached to the dogs. With Blue, he’s getting to the point where we’re going to have to explain to her what’s going on. It sucks because I look at it more from my daughter’s perspective. She doesn’t understand that yet. That will be a sad day, for sure, when he goes.”

Bed or burrow? “They both sleep under the sheets at night. I don’t know how they breathe. They just love it. They burrow in, but they roll with you and you can slide them with your legs if you need to. Birdie sleeps between my legs, and in the morning she wakes up on my shoulder. She’s like a human, laying on the pillow with her head on my shoulder.”

Super dad: “Birdie has probably traveled more than any dog in the world. She comes with me to L.A. every time in that little carrying case under the seat. They have been to Canada, too.

“Last year, I was at the Toronto airport flying, and I had me, my hockey bag, sticks, suitcases, two dogs in carrying cases and my daughter wrapped around my neck because she wouldn’t walk. I was sweating profusely, and everyone was laughing at me. People were taking pictures 1151272 Boston Bruins

NHL Network releases top 10 goalies list: Where does Bruins' Tuukka Rask rank?

By Nick Goss August 26, 2019 11:57 AM

Few athletes in Boston produce more passionate opinions/hot takes than Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask.

Whether you think Rask is overrated, underrated or properly rated, it's hard to deny he's a top 10 goalie in the NHL, but where exactly does he fall on the list of the league's best netminders? NHL Network has been ranking the top players at every position throughout the summer, and goaltender was the final list to be revealed.

Rask comes in at No. 5 on the network's list. Here's the full ranking:

Rask's regular season stats last season were just OK. He posted a 27- 13-5 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.48 goals against average. Thanks to backup goalie Jaroslav Halak playing well and allowing Rask to only suit up for 46 games, the Finnish netminder was fresh for the , where he excelled for Boston.

Rask tallied a .934 save percentage and a 2.02 goals against average as the Bruins went all the way to Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final before having their season end in heartbreaking fashion with a loss at home to the St. Louis Blues. Rask was the best goaltender in the playoffs, but unfortunately for him, he had one of his worst performances of the 24-game run in Game 7 of the Cup Final.

The Bruins still have one of the most talented and deepest teams in the league. They remain, barring injuries, among the top three or four Stanley Cup contenders entering the 2019-20 season. For the Bruins to get back to the Cup Final, Rask must build on his strong 2019 postseason run and help Boston earn the highest seed possible for the 2020 . He hasn't had an elite regular season since his -winning campaign of 2013-14.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151273 Boston Bruins “This is cool,” skills coach Kim Brandvold said when he popped in. “I wish I had kept mine and didn’t throw them out.”

There was one particular ticket stub that had Cassidy stumped. Pearl Jam, ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and Fiddler: Bruce Cassidy looks back at his life through his ticket collection It was a small, gray rectangle ticket that was ripped in half. On the front, it read: Team Canada ’72 vs. U.S.S.R. On the back he had written “Canada 8, USSR 8.” The game was played on March 17 at the Ottawa By Joe McDonald Aug 26, 2019 Civic Center.

“What do I have here?” he asked himself. “Maybe it was an Olympic exhibition game against Russia. It’s a $15 ticket, which would’ve been Cole Cassidy looked at the table, covered with small pieces of paper of expensive (in 1972).” varying shapes and colors, and had a simple inquiry for his father. Cassidy thought hard and finally recalled that it was the 1987 reunion “What’s a ticket stub?” the 8-year-old son of Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy game of the famous 1972 Summit Series. asked. Another made him laugh. It was a ticket for his high school senior boat The elder Cassidy sat at a conference table next to his office at Warrior cruise celebration in 1983. Ice Arena with hundreds of ticket stubs, maybe as many as 1,000, all arrayed in a massive pile before him. Cassidy, 54, has been collecting “A boat would sail around Ottawa and that’s what we did for graduation. this type of memorabilia since he was his son’s age. Look, it’s from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. It was a late-night cruise after graduation with a cash bar, so we could even drink. Well, I couldn’t, because you It took over an hour to separate each one into every imaginable category, had to be 19 and I was 18. I’m sure I found a way,” he laughed. including the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, minor-league hockey and , junior hockey, golf, college basketball, college football, concerts, theatre, As he read ticket stub after ticket stub, there was one, in particular, he CFL, auto racing, ski passes, bus trips, bachelor parties, graduation was hoping to find. parties — even tickets to “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The “I believe I was at the game when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s record,” Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” he said.

He had a tale for nearly every one he picked up. In a way, they told the Cassidy was playing for the Blackhawks in 1985 but was rehabbing from story of his life, one memorable night at a time. a severe knee injury in September. He had plenty of time to attend Cubs The Canadian Tae Kwon Do Championship? Sure. How about Jai-Alai? games at Wrigley Field, especially when his favorite team, the Cincinnati Or “The Vagina Monologues” at the National Theatre in D.C.? He Reds, was in town. attended all of them and has the ticket stubs and vignettes to prove it. Now, there’s always been some controversy as to which was the official “’Fiddler on the Roof’ was one of my favorites,” he said. game when Rose became MLB’s all-time hits leader. Some believe it was Sept. 8, 1985, against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, while the record The earliest ticket stub Cassidy owns is from a 1973 Ottawa 67’s major books show it was against the Padres on Sept. 11, 1985, at junior hockey game. Cassidy was 8 years old and would later fulfill a Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. childhood dream and play for his hometown team before the drafted the defenseman in the first round (No. 18 overall) of As Cassidy dug through his ticket stubs, he finally found what he sought. the 1983 NHL Entry . The date on the stub was Sept. 7. Rose went 0-for-4 with a walk in a 9-7 loss to the Cubs. “I sat behind the net for $2,” he said as he read the 67’s ticket stub. “Ugh. I was there the day before,” he said. “I honestly think I went back Cassidy would write the final score or little notes on the ticket stubs when the next day. I swear the game I was there he got hits and fans were he was younger, but as an adult, he tries to keep the tickets in the best getting excited. Anyway, I could be wrong; your memory gets a little condition possible. scattered.”

“I always liked to collect sports stuff,” Cassidy said. “I have probably five As he digs through, there are a surprisingly large store of tickets to the to seven thousand hockey cards and baseball cards. This was just stuff Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League, but nothing tops that I did so I hung onto (my ticket stubs).” his concert ticket pile. His list of concerts is impressive.

As his collection increased as an adult, he thought of building a bar at his His two favorites bands are Pearl Jam and U2, and Cassidy has the house with the ticket stubs under the glass. Establishing a permanent ticket stubs to prove it. He’s seen Pearl Jam a dozen times all over the residence is a challenge when anyone works in professional sports, so country. The same goes for Bono and the boys — Cassidy even his ticket-stub bar will have to wait, but his inventory is ready to go. attended a U2 concert in Switzerland.

“I thought I could shove them all under glass and people could come and The other bands he’s witnessed could fill a legendary jukebox, including see and we could talk about them,” Cassidy said. “It just became a habit Van Halen, No Doubt, Helix, George Fox, John Mellencamp, Styx and and I still do it today.” Kansas, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Taylor Swift, David Lee Roth, Dwight Yoakam, Bruno Mars, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, REO But he might not be able to much longer. Ticket stubs, his stock-in-trade, Speedwagon, Bon Jovi, Billy Squier, Farm Aid, Lollapalooza, Elton John, might not exist forever. Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Loverboy, The Rolling Stones, Def Many arenas and professional sports teams, including the Bruins and TD Leppard, Tom Cochrane, Neil Diamond, The Four Tops, The Cure, Rod Garden, now require fans to use mobile tickets to enter events in order to Stewart, Stevie Nicks, The Chieftains, AC/DC, Crosby, Stills and Nash, combat fraud and counterfeiting tickets. Print-at-home tickets will no INXS and, of course, The Tragically Hip at the House of Blues in longer be accepted. Season-ticket holders are allowed to purchase an Chicago. entire season of hard-copy tickets for an additional fee of $20. “I liked KISS back then and saw them a few times,” he said. “I remember Cassidy feels the loss. seeing them at Market Square Arena.”

“For some kids, they’ll never get an appreciation of maybe looking back. As Cassidy combed through the pile, his mindset changed. Instead of It’s great, reminiscing. You can look back at where you’ve been and what reliving the events he attended, he thought about the ones he missed you’ve seen,” Cassidy said. during his generation. He was asked to pick an event for each genre that he would have wanted to attend. Since the Bruins are preparing for the 2019-20 season, many hockey operation employees, including a dozen players, are already back at “NBA is easy,” he quickly answered. “It would be the Celtics and Lakers Warrior. The conference room is off the main hallway near the locker (from the ’80s) because I never saw them play. That would’ve been room, so when colleagues walked by they saw the pile of tickets and great.” entered the room to investigate. While playing for the Ice of the IHL in 1989, he did attend a Pacers game on Nov. 21 at Market Square Arena, one that finished with a 119-111 win over the Boston Celtics.

Cassidy’s Cincinnati Reds fandom was real, and he saw them play whenever possible, though he’s been a fan of the Red Sox for the past 10 years since he began working in the Bruins organization. He’s been to a Red Sox World Series game, but Cassidy would like to attend a Super Bowl, even though logistically it would be tough given the NHL season.

As far a music concert he missed out on, he sat and thought.

“I was too young for Woodstock,” Cassidy said. “I’ve been to Lollapalooza in Chicago. I’ve never been to Bonnaroo Music Festival in Nashville. I’ve been to Farm Aid.”

He paused again.

“Live Aid at Wembley Stadium,” he said.

Thinking back to his numerous Pearl Jam concerts, he recalled another show he missed out on — when the band played two dates in September 2018 at Fenway Park. Cassidy went to the first show on Sept. 2 and was then asked to attend on Sept. 4 in the VIP section. Due to work and family obligations, Cassidy had to decline the invite.

“Julie and I were finding every excuse to get a babysitter, but we finally said, ‘Let’s not do it.’ Then, Eddie Vedder went to the VIP area (after the second show), which we had access to, so it would’ve been cool to chat with him. But, I did see the show the night before and I’ve seen (Pearl Jam) a lot, but to meet Eddie Vedder and to chat with him would’ve been cool.”

While working and living in Indy, Cassidy attended the Indianapolis 500 three times and the Brickyard 400 once.

“I would like to see a Formula 1 race,” he said. “Oh, I know. The Derby. The Kentucky Derby is on my list. That’s a spectacle I’d like to see.”

Those words weren’t even out of his mouth when he found two of his favorite ticket stubs. He paused, took a breath and told the story behind each one.

“This was my last NHL game. My mom and a friend went,” he explained before looking at the next one. “This was my first NHL goal.”

His first NHL goal helped the Blackhawks to a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 26, 1988, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. He scored only four goals during his 36-game NHL career. He played his last NHL game on March 17, 1990, against the at the Montreal Forum. His mother sat in the balcony, section 515, Row C, Seat 7 and paid $19.

At this point, Cassidy neatly packed each pile into separate envelopes and stuffed them into his bag.

“Good walk down memory lane,” he said.

Cole Cassidy watched him clean up, knowing, but not quite understanding, that he’ll never have this same experience.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151274 Buffalo Sabres "There is a little bit of uncertainty, but I kind of figured from the start it would probably take a little time, Pominville said. "I know the last few years guys my age it takes a little longer. Some of them are still Jason Pominville back in Buffalo, waiting for the right NHL opportunity undecided if they want to play, so it usually takes a little time. This year is kind of a special year too with all the big RFAs that aren’t signed, so I think that’s stalling a lot of the process, too.

By Lance Lysowski "On my side, I’ve kept myself ready. I’ve worked out. I’m still unsure of what I’m going to do or what’s going to happen, but I just feel like I kind of Published Mon, Aug 26, 2019|Updated Mon, Aug 26, 2019 owe it to myself to keep myself ready in case something happens."

In addition to helping coach his son, Pominville wants to be able to attend Jason Pominville wasn't done skating when he stepped off the more gymnastics meets for his daughter, Kaylee, and be present in a Harborcenter ice while wearing a Buffalo Sabres practice jersey Monday way he could not while playing in the NHL. When Pominville does afternoon. The 36-year-old winger planned on taking a break before officially retire, he plans to begin a post-playing career in hockey, though walking to the adjacent rink, where he would help coach his son, Jayden, he's unsure of what he'd like to do exactly. and the Buffalo Junior Sabres' Under 10-team. For now, he'll continue to skate, coach and wait to see if he receives the That might be Pominville's only job once hockey season begins. He right offer. remains a free agent with NHL training camps opening in less than three "I think family-wise is the most important thing," Pominville said. "I want weeks and an offer might not come until some of the league's restricted [my family] to feel comfortable with the situation. It’s not easy for them. free agents sign contracts. They’ve had to deal with a couple moves and all that. They’re Though Pominville expressed confidence he can still play at a high level, comfortable here. We’ll have to make a decision if it comes up. I think my he won't jump at just any opportunity. He is not sure if he wants to be priorities are with them right now." apart from his family and doesn't want to uproot his children to move Buffalo News LOADED: 08.27.2019 elsewhere for what could be only one year.

"You realize it might be close to the end, so you definitely think about it," Pominville said following the skate. "I’ve had time to reflect and see how I feel and see how the body feels. I think it’s clear in my mind that if something pops up that is a good opportunity and makes sense family- wise I would definitely consider it for sure. If not, I’m fine with the way things ended."

Pominville expected this sort of uncertainty. Players his age often have to wait longer for contract offers, but the market is unusual this summer because of the number of unsigned restricted free agents. Some teams are unsure if they have the cap space or roster spot to sign one of the many available players.

Though Pominville has heard from teams, he said there hasn't been an opportunity he would "hop on right away." A number of teams would likely be interested in bringing Pominville to their training camps on a tryout basis. After all, Pominville finished fourth on the Sabres with 16 goals last season and has been lauded throughout his career for his work ethic and leadership.

Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill told reporters throughout the summer he has left the door open for Pominville to return, adding that both sides have stayed in contact since April. Pominville's preference is to remain with the Sabres. Though his family lives in Montreal during part of the offseason, they have called Buffalo home since Pominville was traded back to the Sabres in June 2017.

While Botterill hasn't publicly ruled out a reunion, Pominville said he's not so sure there is a spot for him on the roster. The Sabres have a surplus of forwards entering training camp after adding Jimmy Vesey and Marcus Johansson this offseason. Aside from Alexander Nylander, Pominville is the only forward to depart from the team since April.

"There are a lot of guys," Pominville said. "[Botterill] has been awesome. He told me I can come skate and work out, use the facilities. At the same time, I’m kind of realistic. Look at the forwards, look at the D. There are quite a few bodies. I just don’t know if they have the ability to add players. For sure, that would be ideal for living here, especially."

Pominville will be remembered as one of the more beloved players in franchise history. He scored 217 goals among 521 points in 733 regular- season games during his 11 seasons in Buffalo, adding 12 goals among 28 points in 45 career playoff games with the Sabres.

When the Sabres hosted Ottawa last November, Kim and Terry Pegula commemorated Pominville's 1,000th career game by gifting him a silver saber. He proceeded to score two goals in a 9-2 victory over the Senators. Only 17 active players have appeared in more NHL games and only 21 have scored more goals.

With his goal in the home finale, Pominville took over sole possession of the 10th-most goals in franchise history and needed only six points to tie Don Luce for seventh in franchise history. Pominville was a healthy scratch three times during the Sabres' two-win month of March and averaged a career-low 12 minutes, 28 seconds last season. 1151275 Buffalo Sabres Carrick borrowed his uncle's Jeep and did a one-car afternoon procession through the middle of the quiet town, holding the cup in the air and screaming happily.

AHL's Calder Cup comes to Snyder for wings, hot dogs, beer Sunday, he drove five hours to be with the buddy everyone calls "Pots" or "Potsy." They recalled how another teammate served a pig roast from the cup, and Poturalski came up with a regional objective. By Sean Kirst In Buffalo, he had to fill it up with wings. Published Mon, Aug 26, 2019|Updated Mon, Aug 26, 2019 The Fromens, feeling the history, invited Joe Crozier, the former Sabres coach who won three Calder Cups while coaching the Rochester Amerks, but he was not feeling well and his family regretfully declined. The crossing into Canada was not a problem. Earlier this month, Other local hockey legends were on hand, such as Peter Scamurra, who Canadian customs officers barely seemed to notice the old trophy sitting reached the and coached and mentored the on the front seat next to Donny White, equipment manager for the young Poturalski when he played with the Wheatfield Blades. Charlotte Checkers. Scamurra described Poturalski as the kind of player “who was always the Their American counterparts responded differently. White returned early first one on the ice and the last one off,” a kid who would exhaust himself Sunday from Ontario, and he said a customs guy expressed plenty of in practice and then skate into the night in the coach's backyard. curiosity about that big silver bowl. "He had a nose for the net," Scamurra said, "and that's something you “It’s the Calder Cup,” White replied, explaining he was on his way to can't teach." Snyder, where one of the most famous trophies in hockey would serve as a receptacle for championship-level chicken wings. Like many at the gathering, Scamurra had vivid memories of what happened 50 years ago this coming season, when the Bisons brought There was a time, before the creation of the National Hockey League's the cup home to Buffalo in their final year of existence, for their fifth and Buffalo Sabres, when the trophy held powerful meaning for local hockey final championship just before the birth of the Sabres. fans. Created 81 years ago and named for pioneering NHL president Frank Calder, today's Calder Cup – a sterling silver replacement for the Joe Poturalski, Andrew's father, said his own parents ran a catering original – is emblematic of supremacy in the 31-team American Hockey service involving Polish specialties. Every Sunday during his childhood League, a top-level minor league to which the old Buffalo Bisons when the Bisons were at home, after they brought food to whatever belonged until 1970. shower or party they were handling, the Poturalskis would hustle to the old War Memorial Auditorium to settle into the blue seats and watch the White ended up Sunday at the home of Lexie and John Fromen, whose hunt for the Calder Cup. daughter, Haley, is engaged to Williamsville's Andrew Poturalski, 25, a guy she has dated since they attended Nichols School. That was also the Almost a half-century later, Joe set up a digital package so his mother, last time Poturalski recalls winning any kind of championship before what Monica, who is having vision problems at 83, could sit on the edge of her happened in June, when his Checkers defeated the in coffee table and watch her grandson play. While Joe could not make it to five games for the AHL title and the Calder Cup. Chicago for the final game, Diane Poturalski, Andrew's mother, was in the stands to savor the moment when her son raised the cup over his For his play at center, he was named MVP of the playoffs, symbolized by head. the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy – a separate award that Poturalski, Haley and friends used as a popcorn bowl Sunday night. The quality that makes her proudest, she said, "is that he's a good person. People would come up to me and tell me how kind he is, how he At the party, the Fromens served Ted's hot dogs and chicken wings from would spend time with them and really listen, how he would always Bar Bill Tavern in East Aurora, wings routinely ranked among the best on spend time with their kids." the Niagara Frontier. "Everyone has their traditions, and I wanted to do something that was special to Buffalo," said Poturalski, whose plan To her, for both Andrew and his younger brother, Mike, that matters more involved eating wings from the cup. than any Calder Cup.

He has been signed by the organization, and he and Still, she had to agree: Sunday was one sweet deal. Haley spoke of how Haley paused this summer to buy a home near Buffalo – "You always Poturalski severely cut his hand on their "taco night," deep into the want a place to come back to," Haley said – before heading to California season – while they laugh about it now, it was not so funny then – and in the fall. Poturalski's mission is a career in the NHL, where he spent a later broke several bones in his foot, yet still gutted it out until his team couple of games two years ago with the Carolina Hurricanes. won it all.

With the Calder Cup, Poturalski learned of its meaning in the most She has known him since they were teens, when all their friends killed intimate way. time in the Fromen basement. Ask Haley to define Poturalski, and she tells the story of their cat, Charlotte. A few years ago, Poturalski and By lifting it. roommate Haydn Fleury, now of the Hurricanes, wanted a pet, so they “To be honest, I didn’t know all that much about it,” Poturalski said of the quietly went to a shelter and picked out a rescue. years before he played in the AHL. He grew up in Buffalo, focused on the Talk about an upgrade. Not only does Charlotte now have a personal Sabres and their quest for the Stanley Cup. His parents remember taking Instagram account, but the cat posed Sunday with paws on the Calder him as a preschooler to games downtown, where his mother, Diane Cup. Poturalski, realized something was a little different. "I've watched this kid grow up and become an adult, and I've seen the At a time when most kids were interested in Sesame Street, “he’d watch way he's acquitted himself," John Fromen said. "There's nothing I the entire game,” she said. wouldn't do for him, and I'll tell you this: There's no one (else) I'd rather To host the cup for a day is a time-honored AHL tradition, enjoyed before see marrying my daughter." Sunday by only a few players with Western New York roots, a ritual Fromen expressed that gratitude Sunday in many ways, including boxes similar to how every player on an NHL championship team gets to spend of Bar Bill Tavern wings all the way from East Aurora. Poturalski put a time with the Stanley Cup. The Checkers sent the Calder Cup by pile of them in the Calder Cup, shook it around with that get-the-sauce- overnight delivery to players who live out West, while White – a properly-distributed-snap that was all but born into him, then shared the Cincinnati resident – was recruited for a wandering journey of more than results with Haley, Carrick and a crowd including Myles Fee, a new a week to deliver it to the guys in the East. Sabres video coach and a former Charlotte teammate. Several players took it golfing, as Poturalski did Sunday morning, with 15 As for the AHL playoff MVP, he lifted a chicken wing from that legendary friends and relatives at the Country Club of Buffalo. Defenseman Trevor cup and took a bite, surrounded by the people who matter most to him, Carrick, for his part, had what he called a "parade" in Goodwood, Ont., offering an immediate appraisal that pretty much spoke to everything in population roughly 600, a tiny community that is setting and inspiration life, at that moment. for the "Schitt's Creek" comedy series. "So good," Poturalski said.

Buffalo News LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151276 Buffalo Sabres players take. It takes a lot courage and a lot of work for the player and the agent to do it right.”

It’s likely that if the Sabres decided to go for longer term with Reinhart What kind of contract could Sam Reinhart get as a restricted free agent last summer they could’ve gotten something done at a more reasonable next summer? cost than they would possibly get later on from now. Of course, part of that depends on what Reinhart accomplishes this season. If he meets or exceeds the 65 points he posted last season — or sees his goal numbers By Joe Yerdon Aug 26, 2019 tally into the thirties or beyond — those numbers will jump greatly.

SUPER QUICK POLL SO VOTE RIGHT FREAKIN' NOW:

As NHL teams creep closer to training camp, the Sabres are in an HOW MANY POINTS DOES SAM REINHART SCORE NEXT SEASON? enviable position when it comes to contracts and restricted free agents. At least for this summer. — JOE YERDON (@JOEYERDON) AUGUST 23, 2019

The number of RFAs awaiting new deals (31 according to When we took a look at Reinhart’s comparables back last July, it was CapFriendly.com) and those who are potentially due big money deals is guys like Trocheck, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andre Burakovsky, Jonathan Drouin, currently quite significant. and Anthony Mantha who stood out. It’s funny what a difference another season can make. For Jason Botterill, this could be a look into how things could go next summer when Sam Reinhart — as well as Brandon Montour and a few Reinhart had a career-year with 65 points after joining Eichel and others — is due a new contract as a restricted free agent. eventually Jeff Skinner on the Sabres’ top line last season. His 22 goals made it the third time in four seasons he broke the 20-goal barrier, after a The Sabres got a mild taste this summer when they had seven RFAs to career-high 25 the previous year. His point totals climbing each season decide on, four of whom opted for salary arbitration, although Evan certainly points to a player that’s on the rise, another reason why he’ll get Rodrigues the only player whose case actually went that far. While a big raise. negotiations with the rest of their RFAs were business as usual, trying to get a sense of what Reinhart could get, should get, and will get is likely a Projecting what that raise could be is difficult with so many of his peers topic that will permeate the upcoming season. waiting to be signed, but after seeing Ottawa sign Colin White for the same contract Trocheck got from Florida (six years, $28.5 million), you Here’s a list of players since 2009-2010 who have scored greater than have to believe Reinhart will be worth a bit more than that. 200 points during their first five seasons (thanks Hockey- Reference.com). Reinhart, who has played four full seasons along with a Although many of Reinhart’s comparable players are still unsigned this nine-game stint in 2014 before he was sent back to Kootenay, is part of summer, looking at his fellow players from that table who did sign bridge an exclusive group of 46 players (44 forwards). deals offers a little bit of insight as to how it might go.

The two names missing from this table are Mitch Marner and Mikko It’s safe to say that Reinhart isn’t on the same tier as Kucherov, Panarin Rantanen. You’ve perhaps heard a little about their contract discussions and Kuznetsov, but the deal Derek Stepan received is fascinating. this summer. Everyone else, I’ve broken it down by how their second Comparing the two players through the same number of games in their contracts played out. career (331) proves for a good comparison.

Some players signed a second bridge deal after their first one (Alex Stepan: 82 goals, 149 assists, 231 points Galchenyuk and Mikael Granlund for instance) and someone like Matt Reinhart: 87 goals, 118 assists, 205 points Duchene signed for five more years after their bridge. For the sake of categorization, I’m calling max contracts non-bridge deals. In Stepan signed his six-year, $39 million deal in 2015, which means there’s Backstrom’s case, he’s one of the older players who still fit into this a probable salary inflation involved for a similar type of contract for breakdown and still snagged a super deal before the NHL nixed them in Reinhart. If the Sabres could lock Reinhart in with a $6.5 million cap hit 2012. right now for the next six, seven, or eight years they’d probably be very happy to do so. Many of the recent top picks like Conor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Aaron Ekblad got their long-term deals done on their first contract after their The Sabres are likely to be in good cap shape into the future even if entry-level deals expired, whereas Matthews went for a bridge. The they’re snuggled up against the upper-limit right now. But after watching debate to go bridge or not to go bridge is clearly not an easy decision in a the inaction this summer, you wonder if that signals a huge change in lot of cases. how things are handled for the young stars who have taken over as the most important players for franchises. “A lot of players and agents won’t take bridge deals. They just want to get the term, get the money, and often the terms and the money end up “The average career in the league is like five-and-a-half years so you being a soft deal in the marketplace if it’s a long-term deal,” agent Kurt better work with your client, you better help them manage their career Overhardt of KO Sports, Inc. said. “I think you look at situations we’ve intelligently, and you certainly can’t overshoot things or overplay it, right? done in the past, if you really believe in your client and your client You don’t always have the leverage,” Overhardt said. “When you have believes in himself and you have a lot of conversations and deliberation the leverage you have to assess the leverage and figure out how to use over it, then a bridge deal is usually the best thing to do.” that leverage appropriately. If you don’t have the leverage then you’ve got to admit that and let your clients understand that they don’t have the Overhardt doesn’t represent any current Sabres players, but has had a leverage.” lot of familiarity with bridge contract situations (be it two-year or three- year bridge deals) recently managing (via PuckPedia.com) Nashville The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 Predators center Ryan Johansen, New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson. The five-year deal he helped land for Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin out of his entry- level contract also stands out because it takes him right to unrestricted free agency, but isn’t the standard long-term deal that goes seven or eight years. Based on the collection of 46 players linked above, going longer on a bridge deal has become more the norm, but getting these contracts done requires sensibility in figuring out what the future holds and a fair bit of good fortune as well.

“Every circumstance is different and the player’s got to believe in himself,” Overhardt said. “The player takes a lot of risk on because it’s not necessarily a risk, although it could be, because maybe you think a guy’s a top-six forward and he winds up being top-nine forward and he’s left money on the table. Or the player could get injured. Catastrophic career-ending injuries happen all the time and that’s one of the risks 1151277

Giordano hopes Tkachuk signs new contract with Flames 'sooner rather than later'

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 4:26 PM MDT

Mark Giordano texts on a daily basis.

But, unfortunately, the relationship between the Calgary Flames and the team’s rising (unsigned) star has no impact on the ongoing contract negotiations between general manager Brad Treliving and Tkachuk’s side.

“Obviously, I’m trying to make light of the situation but as it gets closer to camp, hopefully the business side of it works out,” Giordano said. “It always ends up working out but you just want it sooner rather than later, if possible. I don’t think I’ve seen an off-season quite like this one where so many RFA’s are in the same boat.”

Having trained in the Greater Toronto Area for the entire off-season along with Sean Monahan, Giordano has had a front-row seat to Mitch Marner’s very public contract situation which is similar to Tkachuk’s. Both are high-profile restricted free agents and both are expected to be major pieces of their respective clubs.

And both have that have yet to ink deals with the start of training camp just weeks away.

“In Toronto, the ‘Marner Watch’ is every day,” Giordano said. “I don’t know. I think it’s one of those situations where one guy will sign and everything else will just sort of fall into place. But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one like this where no one has really signed yet until right until the end. It’ll all work out — the business side of it always does end up working out.

“But it’s a relief to getting it done early.”

As in, before the Flames (veterans) officially report to training camp for physicals on Sept. 12. And, of course, before the 2019-20 season kicks off for real on Oct. 3.

“There’s no question to how much he means to our team, everybody knows that,” Giordano said. “He’s a guy who brings it every night, he battles. From that side of it, we know what he means to our team. He’s a huge part of our team. Listen, there’s time still. Both sides, you know they both want to get it done and we’ll leave that up to Tree and Chucky and his agent. They’ll figure something out.

“It’ll be good to get him earlier rather than later.”

That being said, Giordano appreciates that a contract negotiation like this one isn’t always that simple.

“There’s the back and forth, right? There’s so many scenarios that can come up,” Giordano said. “Whether it be term or years, and that sort of stuff. It’s honestly a tough process to go through when you’re going through it and it’s nice to get it over with. There’s so many different factors. Now, with everything that comes into play — the (salary) cap and stuff — it’s not as easy at it would seem.

“There’s quite a few guys around the league in that position. And I’m not an expert, but I think they’ll all start to fall at the same time, if I had to guess.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151278 Calgary Flames “It stings — just because of the way we went out,” he said. “Talking with the other guys, we didn’t get to our style of game that we pretty much played the whole season. We were really consistent with that. We sort of 'Young and fresh' Giordano ready for upcoming Flames campaign weren’t as aggressive and playing that style we know we can play. That’s why it stings. It doesn’t make it any easier when you’re sitting out watching and thinking you can compete and beat the teams that are still in.” Kristen Anderson, Postmedia Calgary Sun: LOADED: 08.27.2019 Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 4:26 PM MDT

Mark Giordano was happy to report that, after the best National Hockey League campaign of his career, he still feels young, still feels fresh.

And has still been getting chirped by his Calgary Flames teammates about the comments he made on stage at the 2019 National Hockey League awards.

“I still get the text messages and the hashtag #youngandfresh sent to me pretty much weekly,” said the Flames captain on Monday, with a grin as he met with the local media for the first time since returning to Calgary after spending his off-season in Toronto. “A couple of the boys reached out right away (after the awards) and a couple friends back home made t- shirts with the hashtag.

“So I wouldn’t say I’ve lived it down yet.”

Frankly, it’s a small price to pay to be the reigning Norris Trophy winner and the top in the NHL which is exactly how the 35-year-old is heading into the 2019-20 campaign which, unofficially, is marked by Giordano’s appearance and support of the Calgary Italian Open golf tournament at Cottonwood Golf & Country Club.

His comments — about still feeling ‘young and fresh’ and capturing the award at his age — may have opened himself up for some good-natured jokes among his friends and teammates.

But the truth is, it’s still exactly how he feels on the verge of his 14th season with the franchise and eighth wearing the ‘C.’ This off-season, training with Sean Monahan in Toronto, he has focused on speed to maintain his quickness in the new NHL along with his usual emphasis on strength, conditioning and overall power.

Giordano’s motivation to be the best, to be consistent, to continue to have high expectations of himself and to handle the pressure that comes with being the defending Norris Trophy winner were all topics of discussion on Monday.

“You want to prove that it’s not just a one-time thing,” he said. “You want to keep going and improve. If you look around the league, the best players, the one thing they are is really consistent.

“So, I want to try and be that and have another good year.”

It’s ironic that the undrafted and previously underrated blueliner turns 36 on Oct. 3 because that’s the day the 2019-20 campaign opens for the Flames in Colorado against the Avalanche — the team that bounced Calgary in five games during the first-round of the 2019 NHL playoffs.

Some critics think that Flames general manager Brad Treliving should have been more active this off-season, considering the team with the best regular season record in the Western Conference was out of the playoffs in less than 10 days.

Milan Lucic will suit up as a Flame this season. Postmedia Archives

But Giordano believes in the group, which has only been tweaked slightly since 2018-19 with the additions of physical forward Milan Lucic and netminder Cam Talbot and departure of James Neal and Mike Smith who are now Edmonton Oilers and defenceman Michael Stone who was bought out earlier this month.

“We all know we were pretty disappointed with the way it ended but we had a really good season last year and had 107 points,” Giordano said. “We feel like we had a really great team. When you finish first in the West, you don’t expect there to be too many changes and there wasn’t. Now it’s on us to get to that next level in playoffs.”

Make no mistake, the result has sat in the pit of Giordano’s stomach all summer. 1151279 Calgary Flames To be fair to Treliving, he had only been on the job for less than two months at the time and it’s likely his hand wasn’t yet fully on the wheel.

Since then, the team’s efforts have greatly improved. While the only slam After five: Analyzing Brad Treliving’s successes and failures as Flames dunk on record is Matthew Tkachuk at sixth overall, the team can count GM Dillon Dube, Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Phillips, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, and Adam Fox as high quality prospects found beyond the first round. Juuso Valimaki is also a near blue-chip prospect who By Kent Wilson Aug 26, 2019 should become a big league regular this season. To date, an impressive seven of Treliving’s 35 picks have already played in the NHL, with Fox

poised to make it eight this year. It’s been just over five years since Brad Treliving took the helm as the High impact Dougie Hamilton trade(s) Calgary Flames GM. His mandate was simple, but challenging — take a handful of core pieces and create a contender. One of Treliving’s first, truly major moves was the 2015 Dougie Hamilton heist, where he stole away the young, emerging blueliner from the Bruins At the time, the organization was emerging from an uneven rebuild under for three draft picks (one first rounder and two second rounders). It took Jay Feaster, an effort that landed the club both Johnny Gaudreau and Hamilton some time to get acclimated, but he eventually joined Giordano Sean Monahan but also left the franchise seemingly confused and on the Flames top pairing and formed one of the best even strength rudderless. was airlifted in as the team’s president of hockey defensive duos in the league for a couple of seasons. operations to give the organization some gravitas, but the real job of assembling a winner was thrust upon Treliving in April of 2014. When the team decided they wanted to move on from Hamilton, they traded him with Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox to the Carolina The team is now undeniably Treliving’s. The only holdovers from Hurricanes for Elias Lindholm and . While that move was previous eras are Monahan, Gaudreau, Mark Jankowski, TJ Brodie, Mark less of an obvious win relative to the original trade, Lindholm’s career Giordano and Mikael Backlund. The current roster, including its strengths season and the very reasonable contracts given to both players have and weaknesses, its cap position and its organization depth, are tilted the trade in Calgary’s favour. Treliving’s to own. Decent depth signings With a half decade under his belt and with the Flames entering “win now” mode after a 107 point regular season, it seems like a good time to take Unrestricted free agent signings (exterior to the team) have not been stock of Treliving’s efforts to date. Treliving’s forte since arriving (as we’ll look at soon), but he can nevertheless count a few as successful so far. The good stuff Michael Frolik has provided steady value as the Calgary’s tough minute RFA and UFA (in-org) signings right winger since arriving. In retrospect his $4.3 million five-year deal is a The list of Flames players that Treliving has retained at or below market no brainer. contracts is impressive: Mark Giordano ($6.75 million), TJ Brodie ($4.65 Derek Ryan seemed like a bit of a gamble at over $3 million per year, but million), Johnny Gaudreau ($6.75 million), Sean Monahan ($6.375 he was one of the Flames best forwards in the latter half of the season million), Elias Lindholm ($4.85 million), and Noah Hanifin ($4.95 million). last year, despite a defensive-zone heavy deployment. We’ll see how Since he arrived, Treliving has mostly shown a deft hand at negotiating things evolve over time, but Ryan is poised to get more ice time and with high-level internal RFA’s and UFA’s, establishing a core that is both responsibility next year. capable and relatively cheap. David Rittich was signed out of the Czech league and is challenging to Here’s how those deals look from an efficiency perspective so far: be the starting goaltender next season. He’s the only gamble in net that I’ve used Goals Above Replacement (GAR) as a method to rate seems to worked for the Flames in recent memory. efficiency. The metric theoretically accounts for how many goals above or Finally, Austin Czarnik did not firmly establish himself as an NHLer last below a player creates versus replacement level player in the NHL. The year, but some of his underlying numbers were good enough to suggest chart also includes each player’s cap, cumulative seasons played at that he could be something given a chance. cap hit, cumulative salary paid out, and the resultant GAR to salary ratio. Czarnik_RAPM Hanifin didn’t have a great first season, but he should trend into positive territory over time. Every other contract in the list, however, is practically Regular season improvement guaranteed to be high value. The season before Treliving arrived (2013-14), the Flames were one of Of course, Treliving has benefited from some luck along the way. The the worst teams in the league. They finished with the fourth worst points Giordano deal, extending well into the player’s late 30s, was a big percentage (0.47), the fourth worst corsi rate (46.8), and the fourth worst gamble at the time. The GM is fortunate the player is one out of a expected goals rate (46.4). They were legitimately bad. generation who somehow peaked at 35, rather than steadily declining after his 30th birthday. Since then, the the club has steadily climbed the Western Conference ladder. It hasn’t been a completely linear process — the 2014-15 Treliving was also able to re-sign Gaudreau and Monahan before the run and the failure to qualify in 2017-18 seem out of sequence current paradigmatic shift we’re seeing in second RFA contracts for stars. — but the team’s fundamentals have experienced a gradual uptick in While deals for both players were sign-posts en route to the great RFA aggregate nonetheless. holdout of 2019, the shift had not happened fully back in 2016 when they were up for renewal. In contrast to 2013-14, Calgary finished with the second best points percentage (0.652), the fourth best corsi rate (57.8), and the third best Related, it seems that Treliving was able to leverage the “Giordano expected goal rate (54.6) in 2018-19. ceiling” to help guide internal signings for a time. With the team’s captain and best all around player inked at less than $7-million, Treliving used The bad (and ugly) locker room hierarchy to tamp down the costs of his younger stars. That Unfortunate veteran UFA signings tactic will likely fail with Matthew Tkachuk, but from the team’s perspective it’s a nice ancillary benefit of the Giordano contract. While he’s made a habit out of extracting good deals from internal RFA’s and core players, Treliving has mostly struggled when it comes to filling Improving draft record gaps with UFA veteran signings. His four most infamous millstones The 2014 entry draft, Treliving’s first as the Flames GM, was a disaster in include Deryk Engelland, Troy Brouwer, James Neal, and Michael Stone. retrospect. The team held seven picks that year, four of them inside top- Stone ($3.5 million per year), Engelland ($2.9 million per year), Neal 65, and walked away with only a single NHLer in Sam Bennett (fourth ($5.75 million per year), and Brouwer ($4.5 million per year) had a overall). Calgary wasted two second round choices on Mason McDonald combined cap hit of just under $17 million. Stone and Engelland were and Hunter Smith and also traded a third round pick for tough guy third pairing defenders, while Brouwer and Neal (briefly) settled into Brandon Bollig. fourth line roles. In fact, according to Evolving Wild’s WAR model, none of these players That said, Rittich is by no means a sure thing, meaning the bet would were even replacement level during their time in Calgary. then be on Cam Talbot to rebound at 32 years old. Calgary’s other options are 25-year-old Jon Gillies (who has steadily fallen out of favour Deryk Engelland, the only guy on the list to play out his entire contract, as a prospect), 21-year-old Tyler Parsons (who has struggled as a pro finished with a cumulative Goals Above Replacement (GAR) total of - after a brilliant junior career), and undrafted Artem Zagidullin (a 23-year- 6.8 over three seasons. Only three Flames players were worse than that old with a decent KHL season under his belt). over the same period — Ladislav Smid, Brandon Bollig, and Matt Bartkowski. Shedding good bets for bad reasons

Brouwer was expected to be a solid top-six forward, but rapidly slid down When the Flames started the 2014-15 season, they had one too many the rotation. He was a cumulative -3.2 GAR player during his two guys on the roster due to the team carrying three goalies — Ramo, Hiller, seasons in Calgary before being bought out. and Ortio. Instead of demoting a netminder, or placing Bollig on waivers, the team tried to sneak right-winger Paul Byron through the waiver wire The Flames had a nice little run with Stone as TJ Brodie’s partner a few instead. A speedy winger who struggled to score on his chances during years ago, which seemed to convince the team to keep him around, his rookie season in Calgary, Byron was scooped by the Canadiens despite their wealth of young defensive prospects. He finished with a -1.4 where he has since flourished, scoring 20-plus goals twice and 30-plus GAR before being bought out. point three times.

Finally, James Neal was brought in to give the team another sniper on was also stolen by Montreal, this time in a trade. Kulak and the right side. He finished the year as a healthy scratch. His GAR during the Flames seemed to get into a tiff over his arbitration case, prompting his brief stint in town was a team-worst -3.7. the team to flip him to the Canadiens for some magic beans. This is All told, Treliving’s near-$17 million annual investment on these four despite the fact that Kulak had the third best GAR total among Flames players netted the team 15 goals below replacement, which comes out to defenders that year (+4.8), behind only Mark Giordano and Dougie about -2.5 wins. Hamilton in 2017-18. The player worked his way into Montreal’s top-four rotation in 2018-19 and was promptly re-signed to a three year deal. None of these players were particularly good bets to provide value over their contract, although Treliving did seem to get a bit unlucky with The eroding right wing Brouwer and Neal. Although signed in their early 30s, both guys fell off a Treliving’s worst vet signings in Neal and Brouwer have been on the right cliff immediately, with neither giving the Flames even a single season of side. Luckily, he has assuaged those issues by signing Michael Frolik worthwhile hockey. and trading for Elias Lindholm.

Multiple buyouts Unfortunately for the GM and the team, Treliving has had other Of courses, many of Treliving’s poor deals have come with other moderate, low level bets that did not pay off (Spencer Foo, Curtis Lazar), consequences as well. Since his arrival, the team has been forced to which hollowed out the depth somewhat. Losing Byron for nothing didn’t buy-out Brouwer, Stone, Mason Raymond, and Lance Bouma help either. It remains to be seen if Czarnik can become a long-term (Treliving’s one, big RFA whiff). Ryan Murphy was also bought out as solution or not. part of the deal that brought Eddie Lack to Calgary. Exacerbating the right wing depth problem is the fact that Flames have Buyouts don’t merely cost cash — they incur cap penalties. Next year, for rarely chosen and developed right-handed forward talent at the draft example, the team has over $2.5 million in dead cap space dedicated to since Treliving arrived. Since 2014, the Flames have picked exactly four the Stone and Brouwer buyouts. They will also be paying Milan Lucic right-wingers: Hunter Smith, Austin Carrol, Eetu Tuulola, and Zach $5.25 million to be a fourth line winger and enforcer, which was the only Fischer. Of the four, only Tuulola is still part of the organization and he’s way to get out of the Neal error. That’s almost $8 million in a long to turn into an NHLer. malapportioned cap budget, which is especially significant given the team As a result, the team is facing a kind of pending “apocalypse” on the is facing a cap crunch and a contract stand-off with Matthew Tkachuk. starboard side. If Frolik moves on and Czarnik isn’t an everyday NHLer, Borrowing from the future Calgary will have to shift much of their left shooting talent over to the opposite wing. The Flames have had just two picks in inside of the top-60 choices over the last three drafts — Jakob Pelletier (26) and Juuso Valimaki (16). In Here’s what the right wing org depth chart currently looks like: fact, they have only had a single third round pick over that same period Elias Lindholm (Ilya Nikolaev). In total, Calgary has picked just 15 times since 2017, six short of the expected total (21). Michael Frolik (one year left, might be traded)

While Treliving has used picks for some high leverage trades (Dougie Austin Czarnik (one year left) Hamilton and Travis Hamonic), the returns on many of the other, recent trades has been low — Mike Smith (second round pick), Brian Elliot Matthew Phillips (converted from C) (second round pick), Curtis Lazar (second round pick), and Michael Eetu Tulola Stone (third round, fifth round) didn’t provide much value and had short tenures with the organization. Furthermore, aside from arguably Brian At least one of Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane, Lucic, or Tkachuk will Elliott, none of them were particularly good bets to provide value in the be shifted to the right side to fill the gap this season. Frolik is likely to be first place. traded or will move on after his final season. Czarnik has promise, but is still something of an unknown commodity at the NHL level. Like Frolik, The starting goalie shuffle Czarnik may also move on after this season. Everyone below him is Since 2014, the club has cycled through a thicket of at the years away from contributing (if ever). NHL level, including Jonas Hiller, Kari Ramo, Joni Ortio, , Little playoff success Chad Johnson, Mike Smith, Eddie Lack, Jon Gillies, and David Rittich. That’s nine guys over five seasons and the team still hasn’t locked down Success in the postseason is ultimately where Treliving will be judged. a surefire starter. Though his 2014-15 roster was able to get into the second round for the first time since 2004, they have struggled to replicate that feat ever since. It’s not coincidental, then, that the Flames boast the third worst overall Even as the regular season results have improved, the Flames have save rate in the NHL during Treliving’s five seasons in Calgary (90.36). nevertheless looked frustratingly ineffectual in the playoffs. According to Evolving Hockey, only the Edmonton Oilers (90.08) and the Carolina Hurricanes (90.07) have suffered from worse netminding in Moving forward, Treliving’s main priority will be solving the playoff puzzle. aggregate. He has three more years of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan on relatively cheap deals, not to mention an indeterminate amount of time If Rittich proves to be a number calibre goalie next year, it should finally before Giordano bows before Father Time. solve what has been an intractable problem for Treliving so far. It will also be the first bet on goaltending that has really worked out for the team The task, then, is to get this core over the post-season hump during the since Miikka Kiprusoff arrived. upcoming three season window. The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151280 Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes’ prospect Stelio Mattheos recovering from cancer surgery

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

AUGUST 26, 2019 02:20 PM

Carolina Hurricanes offensive prospect Stelio Mattheos is completing treatments for testicular cancer, the team said Monday, and will not participate in the Canes’ 2019 training camp.

The team said Mattheos, 20, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June, just after he helped the Charlotte Checkers win the ’s Calder Cup. He underwent surgery to remove one testicle and has completed multiple courses of chemotherapy in the past two months.

“I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to offer support and well wishes since the diagnosis,” Mattheos said in a statement. “I’ve had amazing support from my friends, family, teammates, coaches and all of the hockey organizations I’ve been a part of, including the Hurricanes, Checkers and .

“I owe a debt of gratitude to my surgeon, Dr. Sabeer Rehsia, and all of the staff at Grace Hospital, as well as Dr. Piotr Czaykowski at Cancer Care Manitoba and all of the nurses on the chemotherapy ward.”

Mattheos said he would resume his training for the 2019-20 season as soon as his treatments are complete and he receives clearance.

A Winnipeg native, Mattheos was a third-round selection by the Canes in the 2017 NHL Draft. He joined the Checkers last season after his final season of junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the , scoring 44 goals and adding 52 assists in 65 games.

Mattheos had three goals and an assist in 14 Calder Cup games with the Checkers.

News Observer LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151281 Chicago Blackhawks

Tommy Hawk voted NHL Mascot of the Year

By Michael Walton August 26, 2019 5:49 PM

In a piece of news that should get Blackhawks fans even more pumped for the start of the NHL season, team mascot Tommy Hawk has been honored by his peers for his continued excellence.

Tommy Hawk was voted 'NHL Mascot of the Year by the other mascots around the league.

The Tommy Hawk character was introduced to Blackhawk fans in the 2001-02 season and has been steadily winning over fans ever since with his trademarks: his four colored feathers, his full Blackhawks uniform (minus the skates) complete with his custom 'Tommy' jersey and his boisterous attitude.

This has been quite the summer for Tommy Hawk, as he has also been inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame earlier this offseason.

Despite the obvious appeal of new kids on the block like lovable Flyers mascot '', Tommy Hawk was able to win over the hearts of the league's mascots and with the Blackhawks bringing even more energy in what should be a bounce-back 2019-20 season, expect Tommy Hawk to continue his reign as the NHL's premier mascot.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151282 Chicago Blackhawks Nylander is a player of much debate in the scouting community. He has not had the start to his pro career you would have hoped for as an eighth-overall pick. He will have some great AHL stretches coupled with 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 10 Chicago Blackhawks indifferent ones. His solid 12 game performance with the Sabres inspired hope though. He’s got a high skill level and even better vision. Nylander can create chances in unique ways and run a power play in the NHL. His shot looked better than I thought it was, as he scored a few goal-scorer By Corey Pronman Aug 26, 2019 caliber goals. His pace is mediocre at best even, though his stride is fine. He doesn’t attack the inside portions of the ice and doesn’t have much value off the puck. He was traded in the off season to Chicago for Henri Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL Jokiharju organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and 4. Dominik Kubalik, LW, Ambri-Piotta-NLA an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of Aug. 21, 1995 | 6-foot-2 | 179 pounds Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. Tier: Very good NHL prospect

Chicago has been rebuilding on the fly, getting a fortunate third-overall Kubalik was traded from L.A. to Chicago during the season. He was the pick in 2019 that led to Kirby Dach. Its farm is one of the deepest in the MVP of the top Switzerland league and one of the top scorers in the NHL. At the top there is some really high-end skill coming in Dach, Adam World Championship. Some scouts remain skeptical of him because Boqvist and Alexander Nylander. All three players inspire debates among there isn’t a whole lot that stands out about him. He’s fairly skilled and scouts as to what they will ultimately become, but there is no denying skates fine, but he doesn’t excite you when he has the puck. Kubalik is there is game-breaking talent in the pipeline. very smart, though, makes a lot of good plays and creates a fair amount of offense through his smarts. He also has a cannon of a shot and can Key additions: Dominik Kubalik, Aleksi Saarela, Kirby Dach, Alexander score from range. He can play at both ends of the rink but won’t be a top- Nylander, Alex Vlasic end guy at either end. He’s well-rounded enough to be a quality NHL Key subtractions/graduations: Dylan Sikura, Dominik Kahun, Henri forward. Jokiharju 5. Ian Mitchell, D, -NCHC 2018 farm system ranking: No. 14 Jan. 18, 1999 | 5-foot-11 | 174 pounds 2019 draft grade: B Tier: Very good/legit bubble Prospect Ranking Mitchell was a major minutes eater for one of the best teams in the 1. Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon-WHL country and was one of the best defensemen in the NCHC. He is confident and skilled carrying the puck up the ice or walking the blue line. Jan. 21, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 198 pounds He can make skilled plays at a fast speed. He also has the high-end vision to wait out defenders and find options through small lanes. He may Tier: High-end NHL prospect be a small defenseman at 5-foot-11, but he still played tough defensive When you think of what teams are looking for in a No. 1 center, Dach minutes and was able to make stops due to his feet and brain. Mitchell looks a lot like it. He’s a right-shot centerman who measures in around 6- doesn’t have high-end speed for a smaller defenseman, but he still foot-4, with a lot of skill and offensive IQ, and plays heavy minutes. He skates quite well and will be able to skate at the NHL level. I’m mildly makes high-end plays to his teammates and through defenders with skeptical about if the offense will be significant at the NHL level, but I do consistency. His vision, in particular, stands out. He has great patience, think he will be able to make plays. finds guys in traffic and makes tough passes when you least expect it. 6. Evan Barratt, C, Penn State University-Big 10 He’s a prototypical power play quarterback and plays a 5-foot-10 skill game in a big man’s body. Dach showed that he can play all situations. Feb. 18, 1999 | six-foot | 190 pounds He’s not the most physically big man, but he’s reliable defensively and often played more than 20 minutes a night for Saskatoon in tough Tier: Legit NHL prospect matchups. Dach has good speed. His feet don’t match his skill and his Barratt had a great season, as one of the best players in the Big 10 first step could be a bit better, but overall he’s the total package and a conference. With the puck Barratt can make a lot happen. He has great player who projects to be a front-line center in the NHL. His consistency offensive instincts and is skilled with the puck. He made so many high- is the only issue I have. With his toolkit, he should have dominated the end plays this season, be it on the power play, stretching the ice from his WHL, but he only did that in stretches with a midseason lull, though he D-zone or off rushes. He competes hard and doesn’t mind getting ended his season strong. involved in the physical aspects of the game. He has more offensive 2. Adam Boqvist, D, London-OHL ability than defensive, but I think he’ll be able to play most situations as a pro. His skating is still a problem. His stride is wonky and lacks any real Aug. 15, 2000 | six-foot | 181 pounds explosiveness. I tab him as a future NHLer as a deference to his puck game and great season even with the skating concerns, but some scouts Tier: High-end NHL prospect don’t share that optimism. Boqvist was a bit up and down to start his time in , 7. Alex Vlasic, D, USNTDP-USHL struggling to defend at the OHL pace, but he picked it up toward the end of the season, including 10 goals in 11 playoff games. He’s a unique June 5, 2001 | 6-foot-6 | 198 pounds player with the puck. Boqvist is so calm and smart moving the puck around the offensive zone or on breakouts. He also has a very high skill Tier: Legit NHL prospect level and can make the highlight reel plays. What intrigued me last Vlasic is a unique player in that he’s 6-foot-6 and has offensive potential, season more than his draft season was his shot. Boqvist’s wrist shot is which makes him very intriguing. I like his hockey sense. There are times very, very good and he picked corners from long-range consistently. He I even really like it. He understands how to attack, how to move pucks, skates well but he struggled at times to play at a quick pace, which when to jump into lanes and how to use his long wingspan to break up combined with his size and so-so physicality lead to some defensive plays. I’ve seen several occasions where he does a give-and-go off the miscues. His game breaking offensive ability still leads to a high grade for blue line with his defensive partner where he pinches after his pass and me as a prospect, but he’s a player I debated a lot. receives it for a scoring chance. You don’t often see a big man make that 3. Alexander Nylander, RW, Buffalo-NHL play or make a high-end pass through a seam. That is Vlasic at his best: creative puck-mover with solid defense who uses his size to lean on his March 2, 1998 | 6-foot-1 | 192 pounds checks. However, that player doesn’t always show up. Vlasic will have moments where he’s a turnover machine and shows underwhelming Tier: Very good NHL prospect puck skills under pressure. He skates quite well for a big man, but there are moments where his game lacks pace. Some evaluators not only believe in him as an NHLer but believe he could be an impact player. 13. Lucas Carlsson, D, Rockford-AHL Others see the warts and are scared off. I’ve seen the potential, but there’s a ways to go for him before he’s there. July 5, 1997 | six-foot | 190 pounds

8. Nicolas Beaudin, D, Drummondville-QMJHL Tier: Legit/chance bubble

Oct. 7, 1999 | 5-foot-11 | 174 pounds Carlsson was one of Rockford’s top defensemen last season, playing on both special teams and putting up points. He has a high panic threshold Tier: Legit NHL prospect when he has the puck. Carlsson calmly moves the puck up ice with his feet and vision, and his decisions on both exits and entries are excellent. Beaudin was one of the top defensemen in the QMJHL, leaned on by He has the skill to rush pucks up ice and make defenders miss. The Drummondville. Beaudin’s NHL projection is based on his elite hockey biggest issue in Carlsson’s NHL projection is his mediocre skating. He’s sense. He sees the game exceptionally well and plays with ice in his not slow, but not quick. He doesn’t close on checks exceptionally quickly veins. He is so good at maneuvering around the ice, waiting for lanes to and the NHL pace may be a bit fast for the way he plays. open and finding his teammates. While his patience is his biggest strength, he can sometimes play the game too calm. His game can lack 14. Artur Kayumov, LW, Yaroslavl-KHL speed and pace, which at 5-foot-11 is a bit of a flag for the NHL. He defends well because he’s so smart with his gaps and stick. He will need Feb. 14, 1998 | 5-foot-11 | 176 pounds to get quicker to become a top-four defenseman in the NHL, which I Tier: Legit/chance bubble thought at one point may even keep him from the league, but I do now think he will at least play. Kayumov had a fine season in the KHL particularly in the second half where he logged heavy minutes for a top KHL team. He’s not the biggest 9. Aleksi Saarela, LW, Charlotte-AHL player, but Kayumov is above-average or better at every other attribute. Jan. 7, 1997 | 5-foot-10 | 201 pounds He’s a good skater who makes plays at a fast pace. He’s a skilled puck handler. He can score goals. He can kill and has a bit of an edge Tier: Legit NHL prospect in his game. I really liked his vision this season, and I thought he made high-end plays at the KHL level consistently. I wish he attacked the net Saarela had a strong second season in the AHL, as a top scorer for the more and that his offense was more consistent. If the latter happened, I’d top team in the league. Saarela is a talented player with speed and skill, feel more confident he was an NHL’er. but what makes him deadly is his shot. He’s got a 70 if not an 80-grade wrist shot that he can absolutely rip to the top corner from any spot in the 15. Kevin Lankinen, G, Rockford-AHL offensive zone. His above-average speed and skill allow him to create space to make the most of that shot. My issues with Saarela are that is April 28, 1995 | 6-foot-2 | 185 pounds skill is not high end, he’s small and he leans on his shot too much, Tier: Legit/chance bubble refusing to play between the dots. He may not have enough dimensions for the NHL, but the talent is there and the production so I think he could I didn’t think much of Lankinen to start last season, as a 23-year-old make it. signing starting in the ECHL, but he worked his way to the AHL, where he played well; and at worlds he popped. He was a huge reason why a 10. Niklas Nordgren, RW, HIFK- relatively underwhelming Finland roster won gold. Lankinen tracks pucks May 4, 2000 | 5-foot-9 | 170 pounds very well, showing an innate ability to find pucks in traffic, avoid scrambling and stay square even when the play is moving very fast. He Tier: Legit NHL prospect doesn’t look that big in net, so when his positioning isn’t perfectly square to pucks he leaves a lot of net to shoot at. He moves quick but it’s not Nordgren was having a promising season in Finland before an injury high-end athleticism. wiped out his second half. I was impressed whenever I watched him last season. When playing, Nordgren is a highly skilled and intelligent winger 16. Antti Saarela, C, Lukko-Liiga who makes a ton of plays. He has a high-end ability to play in small areas and create chances. He sees plays developing very well and can June 27, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 183 pounds run a power play off the flank. Nordgren’s detractors point to his size, at Tier: Legit/chance bubble 5-foot-9, and his average speed, but he competes well and he’s so smart that I think he will find away to overcome those flaws and play NHL I liked Saarela a lot as a U17 at the international level. He was productive games. this season versus men in Liiga. I never was truly blown away by his play in league or international games last season, as I was the season prior, 11. Philipp Kurashev, C, Quebec-QMJHL but he’s got some tools. He’s very quick and smart, with the ability to Oct. 12, 1999 | six-foot | 192 pounds carry pucks up the ice versus men effectively. He competes and gets to the net, and despite not being the biggest or bulkiest forward, he projects Tier: Legit/chance bubble to be a competent defensive center. Saarela has some skill and makes plays, but it’s hard to see anything special about his game. He doesn’t Kurashev had a fine year in the QMJHL but what most people remember ever really show a dynamic trait outside of his skating and speed, and was his awesome World Juniors where he was a top player in the there were too many games that he blended into the background. tournament. That is Kurashev in a nutshell. He’s got all the talent to take over a game, but the consistency isn’t always there. Inside the offensive 17. Michal Teply, LW, Benatky-Czech-2 zone he’s great. He’s got skill, high-end vision and a bullet shot that can beat goalies from a distance. He’s a guy you want with the puck on his May 27, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 192 pounds stick on the power play. His skating is fine but his quickness isn’t his Tier: Legit/chance bubble selling point. He needs to be better off the puck, and particularly show up more often and have a great year with a club team. I was high on Teply coming into the season and was impressed by his play in the summer. It seemed like he stagnated and, in later international 12. Matthew Highmore, C, Rockford-AHL events and club play, did not stand out consistently. On the positive side, Feb. 27, 1996 | 5-foot-11 | 181 pounds he’s a 6-foot-3 forward with very good vision. Teply can run a power play as a playmaker, as well as finish plays. He’s creative on entries and Tier: Legit/chance bubble shows great patience waiting for plays to develop. However, he has a lot of warts. His game lacks speed and pace, he doesn’t attack the net or Highmore missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but when compete for pucks that hard, and he doesn’t always seem that engaged. healthy he was solid and productive again in the AHL. He’s a very good skater who competes hard. There is no doubting he can play at an NHL 18. Alexis Gravel, G, Halifax-QMJHL pace. Despite his production so far in the AHL, the question is how much skill and offense Highmore will have at the NHL level. He’s got some March 21, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 218 pounds hands and good overall instincts. He can carry pucks up ice but doesn’t Tier: Legit/chance bubble do a ton with it in terms of 1-on-1 play. As a 5-foot-11 forward who plays that way it’s tough to see what his role would be. Gravel had a great rebound of a season in the Q, as a top goalie particularly in the postseason for Halifax – reminding folks why he was touted at one point. Gravel is a 6-foot-3, right-glove goalie with good March 1, 1993 | 5-foot-11 | 194 pounds athleticism. The criticism I had in his draft season was how easily he seemed to melt down and just not seem to make a lot of good reads. Tier: Has a chance That area of his game looked remarkably better this past season. He Wedin was a top player in the SHL and played some games for could still lose the odd puck every now and then, which I don’t like, but ’s national team, which typically would be interesting for the NHL overall I really liked his focus and reads. He stayed with most pucks, and if he didn’t turn 26 during that season. There are enough scouts who with his size and quickness he could steal games when he was on. I like believe in Wedin that I’m tabbing him to have a shot to make Chicago, the way Gravel is trending. but I am skeptical. If he makes it, it will be due to his skill. Wedin has 19. Alexandre Fortin, LW, Rockford-AHL quick hands and very good playmaking ability. He sees his options well and can make some flashy plays. He’s small, though, with an iffy skating Feb. 25, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 187 pounds stride and only average speed. If the skill translates right away he could play, and you’ll likely see right out of camp if he’s a player or not at age Tier: Has a chance 26.

Fortin was just OK at the AHL level and despite playing 24 NHL games Depth Players he’s listed in the just a chance category because his game lacks multiple dimensions. He’s got one NHL attribute: his skating. He’s a true elite Dennis Gilbert, D, Rockford-AHL (Age: 22): I want to like Gilbert. He’s 6- speedster who can turn NHL defenders. The issue is, what else does he foot-2, a wonderful skater and was a solid defenseman at the AHL level do? He’s got some skill, but it’s not high end. His vision is average. His with his gaps and physicality, but he has such little skill and offense to his physicality isn’t anything notable. He can kill penalties because of how game. well he pressures with his skating. If he adjusts to the pace and makes a few more plays, he could be a player, but I don’t know if he has it in him. Tim Soderlund, LW, Skelleftea-SHL (21): Soderlund is an elite skater who has a ton of energy in his game, but he doesn’t create a whole lot 20. Jake Wise, C, Boston University-Hockey East once he skates the puck into the offensive game. His skill level is average, which is a tough sell at 5-foot-9 for the NHL. Feb. 28, 2000 | 5-foot-10 | 190 pounds Cole Moberg, D, Prince George-WHL (18): Moberg is a defenseman with Tier: Has a chance size, a good shot, and decent feet and hands. I don’t see him make many Wise had a tough freshman season. He wasn’t very productive to start plays, and despite his significant point totals last season, I question the season and then a mid campaign injury knocked him out for the rest whether the offense will translate. of the season. The talent is there with Wise. He’s an excellent stick Andrei Altybarmakyan, RW, Sochi-KHL (21): Altybarmakyan is a very handler and passer who can make a lot of plays inside the offensive good skater who competes well, but he’s small. And while he has some zone. The issues with him are his size and his average skating. There skill, he’s not a driver of offense. are questions from NHL scouts on whether he can be dangerous when the pace gets quicker. I liked him with the USNTDP and hope this season Jakub Galvas, D, Olomouc, Czech Extraliga (20): Galvas has played fine. was just a write off, but it was not encouraging. He’s a solid skater and puck-mover, but he’s small and not dynamic. I wonder if he has a role in the NHL or is just a Euro leaguer with that skill 21. Brandon Hagel, LW, Rockford-AHL set.

Aug. 27, 1998 | 6-foot-1 | 174 pounds 2019-20 Impact

Tier: Has a chance Kubalik should make the team out of camp and be a useful forward right Hagel was a former Buffalo prospect who went unsigned, was then away. Carlsson and Lankinen are on the doorstep, particularly Carlsson signed by Chicago and became a top player in the WHL as an overage as I’d like to see Lankinen do a little more in the AHL first. Fortin, player. It’s easy at times to see why he went unsigned. He skates fine but Highmore and Hagel could be call-ups in a bind but not guys I think are is not a blazer. He has skill but he’s not going to be a primary driver in ready to make a dent just yet. Highmore is a guy I could be wrong about. the pros. With that said, there is something interesting about him. Hagel Dach should go back to the WHL for at least one more season. can make some plays versus men, as he showed in a brief AHL stint. He Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under) competes well and gets to the net. He also lacks any true glaring flaw in his skill set. Alex DeBrincat, RW (21)

22. Chad Krys, D, Rockford-AHL , C (22)

April 10, 1998 | 5-foot-11 | 185 pounds Kirby Dach, C (18)

Tier: Has a chance Adam Boqvist, D (19)

The 45th-overall pick in 2016 did not have the collegiate career Chicago Alexander Nylander, RW (21) likely expected when it drafted him, leaving a lot of scouts wanting. It was good to see Krys go into the AHL toward the end of the season and be a Ian Mitchell, D (20) good player at that level. He is a very good skater who can lead a rush Brendan Perlini, LW (23) very well. He’s always looking to jump into attacks. He’s also a creative player with the puck who looks for seams and doesn’t shy away from Evan Barratt, C (20) making skilled plays. He’s always had the offensive tools, the question is Alex Vlasic, D (18) whether he can defend size or speed at the NHL level, as he’s struggled to be a quality defender at lower levels. Nicolas Beaudin, D (19)

23. Mackenzie Entwistle, RW, Guelph-OHL DeBrincat has been everything Chicago could have hoped. A 40-goal scorer and an example used throughout the scouting community for the July 14, 1999 | 6-foot-4 | 181 pounds past two years when discussing small goal scorers with his skill set. Tier: Has a chance Strome took off after his trade to Chicago, although he was likely getting a little unlucky in Arizona and too lucky after. He’s a player I believe in Entwistle is a big body winger who had a fine year between Hamilton and because of his skill and hockey sense. He’s not the best skater but he the OHL champion . He’s not a guy who is ever going to showed last season it’s not that big an issue. He’s trending in the right wow you and doesn’t really have any top-end quality. He’s a dependable direction. I don’t know if Perlini is ever going to be a great player, but with forward who at the OHL level was reliable at both ends. He can lay a hit, his size and skating, he’ll be serviceable. kill a penalty, make the odd nice pass and get the puck into the offensive zone. He doesn’t lack skill and speed, but both are average at best and Player Eligibility: he won’t be a scorer in the pros. A skater no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 25 24. Anton Wedin, LW, Timra-SHL games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 50 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15. A goalie no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 10 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 25 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

Tier Definitions:

Special NHL prospect: Projects as a true NHL star, someone who is among the best players in the league.

Elite NHL prospect: Projects as an impact player, someone who is top 10-15 percent in the NHL at his position.

High-end NHL prospect: Projects as a first-line forward or a top-pair defenseman.

Very good NHL prospect: Projects as a top-six forward, top-four defenseman or starting goaltender in the NHL.

Legit NHL prospect: Projects to be a full-time NHL player in the bottom half of a roster.

Has a chance: The prospect has a chance to make it as a full-time player if some improvements are made.

Depth Players: These are prospects who do not have NHL toolkits, but could be good AHL players and provide depth to an organization.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151283 Columbus Blue Jackets • Jenner, who has made a permanent switch from left wing to center within the year, could be promoted to a second-line role. But with his speed and his offensive production in recent seasons, playing that high in Analysis: Glass half empty — how the Blue Jackets season could unravel the lineup isn’t a perfect fit.

• Rookie left winger Texier is expected to play center eventually in the NHL, so maybe the move could be expedited if the Blue Jackets have a By Aaron Portzline Aug 26, 2019 hole to fill.

The ripple effect of losing Panarin and Duchene will be difficult, but it’s easier to patch two holes among 12 forwards and 18 skaters than it is to COLUMBUS, Ohio — Before you jump to the conclusion that this is the replace a franchise goaltender. most pessimistic, depressing Blue Jackets preview ever produced, realize it’s only the first part of a two-part series. With all of the drama during the past couple of seasons — Bobrovsky’s ego bruises easier than a banana — it was beginning to feel like a This isn’t the worst-case scenario, necessarily, but it’s definitely a “glass parting of ways between the Blue Jackets and Bobrovsky was in the best half empty” look at the 2019-20 season, a reasonable glimpse at what interest of both parties. could happen if the question marks on the roster get unpleasant answers. But it would be easier for the Blue Jackets to move forward if Joonas Korpisalo, his backup the past three-plus seasons, had challenged Bad news first, right? The sunny-side-up edition will publish Tuesday. Bobrovsky more for playing time. That’s especially true of 2018-19, when Let’s start with the broad strokes, shall we? Tortorella gave Korpisalo ample chance to demand more playing time with his play. The Blue Jackets squeaked into the playoffs last season, clinching the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a win against the New York It also would have calmed a lot of nerves if Elvis Merzlikins came to Rangers in the penultimate game of the regular season. They were the North America late last season and played some games for minor-league last club to claim a spot in the playoffs. to get acclimated to the smaller rinks of North America.

Now, subtract from the roster the franchise goaltender (Sergei Merzlikins, 25, has the makings of a standout goaltender, but there is Bobrovsky), the leading scorer (Artemi Panarin) and the No. 1 center at going to be an adjustment period … and those can be difficult at the NHL season’s end (Matt Duchene), and you’re looking at a team that many level. will pick to not only miss the playoffs but also to return to the NHL Draft Perhaps more unnerving is this: If Korpisalo and/or Merzlikins struggle or Lottery TV show. suffer injuries, there’s virtually no insurance policy — say, a veteran AHL The Blue Jackets scored 25 more goals (256) than they allowed (231) goaltender with significant NHL experience — who could be a reasonable last season, but, on paper, they’ve moved in the wrong direction with stopgap. both categories. Behind Korpisalo and Merzlikins on the depth chart are Veini Replacing Panarin will be close to impossible, not just his point-a-game Vehvilainen, who’s new to North America after playing very well in production but also his propensity to step up at big moments in big Finland’s top league the past two seasons, and Matiss Kivlenieks, who games. Free-agent signee Gustav Nyquist is a reliable, serviceable top- has struggled mightily at the AHL level. six forward, but he’s no Panarin. Brad Thiessen, a third goaltender/assistant coach with AHL Cleveland, Beyond Panarin’s direct contributions, what will his departure mean for could be signed quickly to an NHL deal, but he hasn’t played in the NHL linemates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson? Panarin could carry the since a five-game stint with Pittsburgh in 2011-12. puck through a traffic jam and create plays with it, making life easier for It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Blue Jackets brought a veteran goaltender Dubois. He was the “hot read” for every opponent defensively, opening to camp. up the ice for Atkinson. Panarin had the primary assist on 13 of Atkinson’s 41 goals last season. The Blue Jackets have boasted repeatedly that their defense corps is among the best in the NHL. It’s probably fair to say it’s deep and Nyquist has averaged 49 points since becoming an NHL regular six promising, especially if oft-injured Ryan Murray can move beyond yet seasons ago, but he’s unlikely to have that effect on either player’s another season that was sidetracked with a prolonged back injury. game, meaning Dubois and Atkinson will both have to adjust. There’s little doubt that the Jackets are going to rely heavily on their blue In addition to Nyquist, the Blue Jackets will need to hope that growth of line to not only help the forwards create offense but also to play young forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson, and the arrival of incredibly smart and stout in front of their young goaltenders. That could hotshot rookies Alexandre Texier and Emil Bemstrom, can help replace be a difficult balancing act, especially if one of their best defensemen has Panarin’s production. But Panarin is only one of the holes that need to be a late start to the season. filled. Zach Werenski is among a cluster of high-end restricted free agents Duchene was only in Columbus for 2 1/2 months, but his departure puts across the NHL who don’t yet have contracts for 2019-20. So far, there the Blue Jackets back in a situation they found unacceptable most of last are no indications that talks between the Blue Jackets and Werenski’s season: relying on center Alexander Wennberg to hold down a top-six agent, Pat Brisson, are anything but amicable. But with less than three role. weeks to go before training camp, the urgency is going to start increasing At the start of training camp, Wennberg will likely be the No. 2 center with each passing day. behind Dubois (first line) and ahead of Boone Jenner (third) and Riley Nothing puts Tortorella’s patience on edge quite like a player who isn’t in Nash (fourth). training camp. But, rest assured, even if Werenski is signed, sealed and But Wennberg is now two years removed from the 13-46-59 season that delivered before the Sept. 12 start of camp, Tortorella will be plenty busy. was deemed to be his breakout. He is one of 13 players to play 75 The Blue Jackets have no fewer than four rookies who are expected to games and score fewer than three goals in the NHL last season. The stick on the NHL roster this season: Texier, Bemstrom, Merzlikins and other 12 were defensemen. defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. If Wennberg can’t cut it — it’ll be fascinating to see how much leash There are at least six others — forwards Eric Robinson, Kole Sherwood, coach John Tortorella gives him — the Blue Jackets would be forced to Kevin Stenlund and Trey Fix-Wolansky, defenseman Andrew Peeke, and explore three alternatives, none of which is all that alluring: Vehvilainen — who sit right on the cusp of the NHL on the organization’s • Captain Nick Foligno could move from left wing to center, as he’s done depth chart. Even in today’s increasingly young NHL, that’s a lot of youth many times the past few seasons. Foligno never complains about it, but to fold into the lineup. he’s more comfortable and has more of an offensive impact playing on The Blue Jackets finished fifth in the last season, the wing. behind Washington, the , Pittsburgh and Carolina. The three teams behind the Blue Jackets all took substantial steps to improve — Philadelphia added center and defenseman , the New York Rangers added Panarin, and New Jersey added defenseman P.K. Subban, forward Wayne Simmonds and No. 1 pick Jack Hughes.

This might not be the ideal time to have so many question marks in your lineup.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151284 Detroit Red Wings Rick Simpson Oil, a potent marijuana concentrate created by Canadian Rick Simpson in 2003 to treat his skin cancer.

“I was in a coma and when I woke up after seven days, I didn't have a Former Red Wing Darren McCarty joins marijuana company, says pot physical addiction,” McCarty said. “I dropped to my knees and said, saved his life 'Thank God.' '”

He hasn’t had a drink since, has lost 60 pounds, is off most of his Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press Published 6:30 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019 prescription medications and has quit smoking cigarettes. | Updated 11:26 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019 “If you've seen my progress over the past 10 years, you've seen me go through different stages from the alcoholism, which led me to this plant saving my life,” said the 47-year-old Madison Heights resident. “I feel like Red Wings hockey star Darren McCarty already has four Stanley Cups I’m 35. I’m not lying. I feel like Benjamin Button.” under his belt, but that’s not enough. But he’s also smoking a lot of pot every day. From getting up in the He wants a fifth cup with a new team that won’t require him to lace up his morning and taking 100 milligrams of CBD, the nonintoxicating element skates. of the cannabis plant, to smoking a few joints to get him going “because that’s like a glass of orange juice,” he said, and then a few more to relax McCarty has formed a collaboration with Pincanna, a cannabis company and ultimately to go to sleep at night. that is building a massive medical marijuana grow and processing operation along I-75 in Pinconning, north of Bay City. And McCarty hopes “So I smoked this morning and then I smoked on the way to the golf one day to win a Cannabis Cup — a marijuana competition that is held all course and I smoked one on the golf course,” he said, recounting his over the United States to rate different pot products — with his own day. “And I’ll probably smoke when we’re done with this interview. And I strains of legal weed. was at High Times (a cannabis competition in Detroit) all weekend, so my system’s pretty rockin’ anyways.” By working with the company, McCarty wants to broaden the advocacy he already has been doing since he kicked his addiction to alcohol in He bristles at the suggestion that he might have just traded one 2015 with the help of pot. While he has grown his own pot outdoors, he’s substance — alcohol — for another — marijuana. leaving the cultivating, processing and retail sales to the experts and will lend his name instead to products ranging from a CBD rub and gummy, “No, because it's a plant,” he said. “I live my life by the principles, the 12 to a mellowing strain of marijuana and a high-potency, marijuana-infused steps. But you know what? There's a friggin’ garden in my program. chocolate peanut-butter candy bar that will “crush” those who choose to “And the bottom line is, I'm not drinking. I'm not doing coke. I'm not doing indulge. pills. I'm not smoking cigarettes. In my book, what you think about me is “I have a couple of ideas for the names (of the marijuana strains). none of my business because I know I'm right. The big fella told me so,” Something to do with four cups, maybe sweet revenge,” McCarty said, McCarty said, pointing skyward. referring to his now infamous fight with forward Now, alcohol “repulses” him because he knows how the story ends if he Claude Lemieux, whom he pummeled in 1997 in retaliation for Lemieux's goes back to the bottle. He instead wants to write the new chapter. brutal attack on Red Wings' teammate Kris Draper in 1996. “The names will come from some pretty big moments that I’ve had.” “Yeah, I’m a stoner, but I’m a sophisticated stoner.”

Referring to Pincanna, which also plans to open dispensaries in Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.27.2019 Kalkaska, East Lansing and Albion, he said, “I'm a four-time Stanley Cup winner, they’re a 45-time Cannabis Cup winner. I'm going to be the first athlete with a Stanley Cup and a Cannabis Cup.”

McCarty met with the Free Press last week before taping his podcast, “Grind Time with Darren McCarty,” at a recording studio in Franklin.

The former Red Wing certainly had success in his 13 seasons with the team as an on-ice enforcer and member of the Grind Line — along with Kris Draper, Joe Kocur and Kirk Maltby — that thwarted the offensive threats from other teams and protected the Red Wings’ scoring stars. McCarty quickly became a fan favorite, known more for his epic brawls on the ice. But he was an offensive threat too, scoring 127 goals, 161 assists and 288 points during his 13 seasons with the Red Wings and two with the Calgary Flames.

And since becoming a leading voice on marijuana, claiming the plant saved his life from certain death because of alcoholism and drug addiction, he hopes to translate his athletic success to the cannabis industry.

It was Nov. 11, 2015, when his blood pressure was spiking and he said his liver was about to explode after decades of abusing alcohol, with Jack Daniels and beer his drinks of choice, that McCarty had his come-to- Jesus moment. The battle with the bottle led to four stints in rehab, a variety of court battles and the end of two marriages.

“For me, growing up, you were either a jock or stoner, so I never smoked pot growing up, but I’ve been drinking since I was 12 or 13 years old. That was acceptable in the hockey circles, it's just culturally what was accepted,” McCarty said. “So I would always say no to pot, until after my first surgery in 1999. I was on all these pills, and it was driving me crazy. And I'm an insomniac, so I can't sleep, and that had a lot to do with all the drinking.”

A friend suggested he try some weed and “something went off in my head and it was like my body said yes.”

But it didn’t stop him from drinking to the point of collapse and several buddies, including the medical marijuana caregiver who supplied him with pot, isolated him, and for seven days, gave him “gram after gram” of 1151285 Detroit Red Wings

As he joins the pot business, memorable moments from Red Wing Darren McCarty's career

Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press Published 6:29 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019 | Updated 11:27 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019

Former Red Wings' enforcer Darren McCarty is embarking on a new chapter in his life by forming a collaboration with Pincanna, a Michigan cannabis company that is in the process of building a medical marijuana growing and processing facility in Pinconning.

And while he's become a marijuana prophet since giving up alcohol in 2015, most of Michigan knows him as the guy who helped the Red Wings win five Stanley Cups during his 13 seasons with the hockey team.

So let's reminisce about McCarty's top five moments on the ice as a member of the Red Wings' revered Grind Line:

1. In Game 4 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Final, McCarty scored the clinching goal, securing a 2-1 victory over the and clinching the first Stanley Cup for the Red Wings in 42 years.

2. March 26, 1997, Part 1: Revenge was sweet for the Red Wings and McCarty, who shook off officials and delivered a sucker punch to the hated Claude Lemieux, the Colorado Avalanche forward whose hit on Kris Draper the previous year helped end the Red Wings’ season. The blind-side hit from Lemieux broke Draper’s nose, jaw and cheekbone, and caused a concussion and nerve damage.

3. March 26, 1997, Part 2: McCarty scored the game-winning, goal in the game to put the icing on the Red Wings’ cake.

4. Succumbing to a wild lifestyle, fueled by Jack Daniels and beer, McCarty went into rehab for the first time in 1996. But he sobered up, returned to the Red Wings and had his best NHL season ever, scoring 19 goals, 30 assists and 49 points as well as the first of four Stanley Cups.

5. May 28, 2002: McCarty scored the only hat trick of his career during Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against dreaded Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy. The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151286 Detroit Red Wings

Newly-signed Joe Hicketts awaits fresh challenge to make Red Wings

Posted Aug 26, 3:26 PM

By Peter J. Wallner

GRAND RAPIDS - Joe Hicketts will head into training camp again teetering between Detroit and Grand Rapids, but with a caveat this time.

The defenseman re-upped with the organization when signed a two-year contract in July, but that means he also is no longer waiver exempt. So, he wants to stay with the Red Wings, but he wants to play in the NHL even more.

Hicketts has made himself valuable with the , where he’s spent the majority of the past three seasons. He has gotten a couple opportunities with the Red Wings (16 games) but hasn’t been able to stick. He faces a familiar challenge when training camp opens Sept. 13.

“I have to go out there and, like the last two years, have a really good training camp and preseason,” Hicketts said Monday at the Griffins Youth Foundation golf outing at Egypt Valley Country Club. "If I can do that, I buy myself some time. At the end of the day, that’s what I’m trying to do - get an opportunity that I belong in the NHL.

"I hope it's with the Wings, but if it's not, you hope you can prove that you can play with another team at that level if it comes to that."

Looking at defensemen on the Red Wings/Griffins rosters, 5-foot-8 Hicketts would need an outstanding training camp and out-play Dennis Cholowski and Finnish signee Oliwer Kaski in the preseason for a roster spot.

In his favor? Cholowski and Kaski can be optioned back to Grand Rapids.

Also, age and injury play a role, too. None among the Red Wings foursome of Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley and Mike Green played more than 52 games last year (Daley was in 44 and Green in 43).

“I don’t think it’s a secret that some of our guys are getting a little bit older,” said Hicketts, 23. “You look at the good veterans guys - as much as Trevor Daley is an awesome dude to be around, he’s not getting any younger. With age comes opportunity for some of the younger guys. The (veterans have) earned that right to that job and have proven themselves, but if there are injuries, it’s up to me to put my foot in the door and hold it open.”

Last year, Hicketts had 27 points (3-24-27) in 64 games with the Griffins, leading all team defensemen in scoring and assists along with a plus-two rating and 67 penalty minutes. He appeared in 11 games with the Red Wings in two stints without a point and averaged 18:35 of ice time.

If he does end up back in Grand Rapids, Hicketts would embrace a different role as a veteran leader.

"I showed that I can be responsible defensively in Grand Rapids and they've entrusted me to be in a role like what (Brian) Lashoff or (Dylan) McIlrath have done with a (Vila) Saarijarvi or (Dennis) Cholowski. And not only protect them defensively but help to add to their game offensively as well.

"This year, I feel like I'm in great shape. I never felt this good in early August."

Griffins second-year coach Ben Simon said Hicketts faces an important training camp.

“I wouldn’t pigeon-hole him in Grand Rapids,” Simon said. “He’s proven that he’s capable to go up and contribute good minutes. For Joe, it will be taking the next steps and being a solid leader down here - if he is here - and if and when the chance comes (with the Red Wings), to slide in and fit right in.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151287 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin took huge step, best is yet to come

By Ansar Khan | Updated Aug 26, 9:30 AM; Posted Aug 26, 6:01 AM

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

Dylan Larkin

Position: Center

Age: 23

Height/Weight: 6-1/198

2018-19 stats: 76 games, 32 goals 41 assists, 73 points, minus-6 rating, 75 penalty minutes.

Career stats: 318 games, 88 goals, 125 assists, 213 points, minus-32 rating, 207 penalty minutes.

Contract: Four years remaining at a $6.1 million cap hit.

2018-19 in review: Led team and posted career highs in goals, assists, points, power-play points (15), shots on goal (287) and penalty minutes. … His 14-game points streak (Dec. 4-31) was the third-longest for a Red Wing since 1995-96 (trailing Henrik Zetterberg’s 17 in 2007 and ’s 16 in 1996) and tied for the third-longest in NHL last season. … First Red Wing to score four overtime goals in a season, tying for NHL lead with Artemi Panarin of Columbus. … Scored 30th goal on March 28 in Buffalo, becoming first Red Wing to reach that mark since 2008-09. … Recorded 11 points (five goals, six assists) in final eight games, tying for fifth in the league during that stretch. … Led team in shorthanded goals (two) and takeaways (69). … Tied for team lead with four game-winning goals and career-high seven power-play goals. … Team long four-game goal-scoring streak March 25-31. … Team season-high 12 shots on goal March 28. … Went 1 for 4 in shootouts, scoring first career shootout goal. … 11 goals, 29 assists, plus-7 at home; 21 goals, 12 assists, minus-13 on road. … Second on team in faceoff percentage (54.5 percent). … Was named an alternate captain at start of season. … Missed five games with strained oblique muscle March 7-14. … Had three goals and two assists in seven games for the U.S. at World Championship.

2019-20 outlook: Larkin stepped up with the best of his four NHL seasons in his first full season as the top-line center following Henrik Zetterberg’s retirement and nearly doubled his goal output from the previous two seasons combined.

In the first year of a five-year, $30.5 million contract, Larkin fulfilled his goal of being that “go-to guy that is a main cog,” playing in all situations and stepping up in overtime.

Larkin was better defensively and must continue improving his play without the puck.

He formed good chemistry late in the season with linemates Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Larkin’s effort has never been questioned. His motor is always running, and he is highly motivated to keep improving and lead this team. He is certain to be the Red Wings’ next captain, whether it’s this season (which seems likely) or in 2020-21.

Quotable: “The steps as you get towards the top of that pyramid are harder and harder to take, so you don’t know on any player when they’ve kind of reached their max until it all plays out. I know Larkin wants to continuously get better and better. I thought he took a huge step this year. I also think for us to win moving forward, he’s going to have to continue to take steps at his overall game. I think he’s become a real well-round centerman, but I think he can be better at both sides of the puck.” – coach Jeff Blashill.

Key question: What is Larkin’s offensive ceiling?

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151288 Edmonton Oilers any reason at all to believe depth minutes in the NHL will be the right way to help Puljujarvi grow?

What the Oilers should have done in each of the last three years was Jesse Puljujarvi signs one-year deal in Finland, dashing hopes he would send Puljujarvi to Bakersfield and let him play there long enough to return to the Oilers establish himself as an elite AHL player. That’s when an NHL recall would make sense: once the player was confident enough in his abilities to be able to withstand the inevitable trials and slumps in the majors. By Jonathan Willis Aug 27, 2019 Had Puljujarvi signed with Edmonton for 2019-20, that would not have been an option. He no longer is exempt from waivers; he would have to find his way in the NHL, which, as the old saying goes, is not a A little after midnight Tuesday, Jesse Puljujarvi made the next logical development league. Liiga, on the other hand, is a very good place for move in his standoff with the Oilers: He signed a one-year deal with him to grow: He’ll be challenged but not overwhelmed and have the Karpat of the Finnish Liiga. stability he hasn’t had in three seasons in the Oilers’ system. Puljujarvi seemed to struggle with the adjustment to North America, and Karpat GM Harri Aho said his team wanted to support Puljujarvi toward his signing is very much a return to more comfortable surroundings. He his goal of becoming an NHL player. Whether that’s lip service or not, a was 13 years old in 2011-12, when he first played in the Karpat system year in a feature role in Europe is vastly preferable to a year spent in the with its under-16 team; five years later, he was drafted by Edmonton. bottom six in the NHL. Puljujarvi’s recent comment that he wanted to play Karpat’s coach, Mikko Manner, was an assistant on that team. More than at least 15 minutes per game has been frequently derided as entitlement, a half-dozen players remain from Puljujarvi’s time with Karpat four years but can also be taken as a simple understanding that if he is to grow as a ago, and former Oilers teammate Jussi Jokinen is also on the roster. player, he needs ice time in offensive situations. Now he’ll get it. Puljujarvi had been practicing with the team even before signing his The likeliest outcome, following a season overseas, is a trade to another contract. NHL team. The important caveat is Holland tends to take a long view of Puljujarvi won’t be getting an NHL paycheck, or even a KHL paycheck, such situations. with Karpat, but as landing spots go, there’s no place like home. In a contentious case during Holland’s time in Detroit, Jiri Hudler signed There is, of course, no guarantee Puljujarvi plays a game for Karpat. in the KHL even as his arbitration case with the Red Wings unfolded. He Although the right wing signed a deal for the entire season, he has an out went overseas despite a two-year award, with the IIHF ruling he was clause that will permit him to return to the NHL at any point prior to Dec. allowed to do so because although his agent initiated the process, Hudler 1. himself never actually signed the paperwork.

That date is the latest the CBA allows players to join an NHL roster It was messy and ugly. A year later, Hudler was playing for the Red without clearing waivers and has increasingly become the final deadline Wings on a two-year contract identical to the one he had been awarded in the most-heated restricted free agent contract disputes. Last season, in arbitration. negotiations between Toronto and William Nylander were resolved just In the meantime, the loss of Puljujarvi is not as significant as it might prior to that deadline. Given the number of RFA stalemates around the have been. He would have been just one of a mess of uncertain right league, it seems likely to be an important date again this year, not least wings, and the Oilers have obviously proceeded on the assumption he for Puljujarvi. wouldn’t be signing with them. The depth chart still lacks quality, with the His decision fits into the description of the process Oilers GM Ken possible exception of James Neal, but the sheer volume of players Holland laid out on July 1. signed means Edmonton will have some options as it fills out its lineup.

“I don’t think he’s planning on playing for the Edmonton Oilers, but I had As odd as it sounds, a year apart might be the best option for Puljujarvi players tell me that in Detroit and they did play for Detroit,” Holland said. and the Oilers. “In some cases, they’ve told me that and they didn’t play and I ended up The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 trading them. Ultimately, the most important thing is if I do trade him, it’s got to be a deal I feel good about, that I think is in the best interests of this team.

“If something like that isn’t out there, then Jesse’s going to have to make the decision.”

Nearly two months after making that statement, Holland has not yet found a suitable return for Puljujarvi, which isn’t surprising. When a player combines the potential that comes with being a 21-year-old who was the No. 4 pick in 2016 with just nine points over the course of 46 games in his age-20 season, it’s going to be hard to find a valuation that works for both the buying and the selling team.

That state of affairs isn’t something Puljujarvi can do anything about now; his only leverage in the situation is to refuse to sign an NHL contract and thereby deny the Oilers his services. As long as he went unsigned elsewhere, there would be a suspicion he was bluffing. It should be clear now he isn’t.

That leaves the Oilers with three possible options, only one of them good.

They could make the best trade they can, but if the offers weren’t strong before the news Puljujarvi has signed elsewhere, they will not improve. They could continue to negotiate in the hopes of persuading Puljujarvi to change his mind, but now that he is training with and signed by his former team, such negotiations stand little chance of succeeding.

The third option is merely to accept the fact Puljujarvi will be in Europe for the coming year and to make the best of it.

Ultimately, Edmonton’s objective should be to get the most possible out of the player, either through trade or through his presence on the roster. After three years of bouncing between the Oilers and the , and after struggling under two separate head coaches, is there 1151289 Montreal Canadiens “I like the word compete over hard work. There’s one puck and 10 players involved that want that puck,” he explained. “Now you have to compete every shift and game. I want a team that’s going to be tight and Former Canadien J.J. Daigneault embraces junior coaching challenge respect each other, trust one another.

“I told them already that I’m a good guy. I’m going to be demanding and set goals, but I won’t put up a front. J.J. Daigneault was a team player. HERB ZURKOWSKY, Updated: August 26, 2019 Now I’m managing young kids. I’m going to be a good guy, but I’m going to push you. I’m also going to love you. That was my message.”

It’s one the players seem to be buying into, but camp is barely two weeks DARTMOUTH, N.S. — Jean-Jacques Daigneault was about halfway old and the honeymoon period has yet to end. through a 30-minute interview when he had to excuse himself. You see, he had purchased sandwiches for his players Sunday. Now he had to “I looked up his name on the internet. I didn’t know him a lot, but knew he ensure they were ready and had been distributed during this busy day of coached the Montreal Canadiens,” said Benoit-Olivier Groulx, a 19-year- on- and off-ice training camp testing. old second-round Anaheim draft choice who returns for his fourth season. “You can tell he has a lot of experience. I think he can get me This is Daigneault’s new life, and the accompanying responsibilities. and my teammates to another level. He played in the NHL. He knows The 53-year-old Ville-Émard native, and former Canadiens assistant what it takes to become a professional. coach for six seasons, was hired July 9 as head coach of the junior “We have to trust him. And we will trust him. You can tell he’s a Halifax Mooseheads. Daigneault has been in the coaching profession 14 professional.” seasons, but this marks his first time as the boss. He also played defence in the NHL for 10 teams, including Montreal, over 17 seasons. Daigneault admitted he wants to ascend the coaching ladder, but won’t speculate upon where that journey might take him. He’s taking things one Signed to a three-year contract, providing him with some financial season at a time, and is invested in the Mooseheads’ success. security and peace of mind, Daigneault inherits a team that in 2018 lost in the finals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Memorial “If I’m coaching midget triple-A next year, it’s not a good sign. Let’s put it Cup — which Halifax hosted. It’s a club that has lost 11 players from its this way,” he quipped. playoff roster, but one that remains solid defensively and in goal, although most of its offensive talent might be contained to one line. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 08.27.2019

Forget about the endless bus trips on which he’s about to embark, and claimed he doesn’t mind. Daigneault must be a coach, teacher and father figure, while managing and preparing his staff and delegating responsibilities. He must keep tabs on the billets providing food and accommodation to his players while ensuring those enrolled in school actually attend classes and complete assignments.

Icing a winning, entertaining and competitive team … is that asking too much?

“There’s more responsibilities. There’s always something boiling in the back of your mind. The responsibilities are also broader,” Daigneault said Monday, between sessions at the RBC , the Mooseheads’ practice facility. “It’s a new step in my coaching career, a step I wanted to try and exploit.

“I’m learning on the fly … but I’m a quick learner. I think I was ready for that. I have this baggage of information from working with people and systems.”

Daigneault’s Canadiens contract wasn’t renewed following the 2017-18 season. Wanting to remain in the coaching profession, he signed as an assistant with of the AHL, the St. Louis Blues’ top farm team. While Daigneault received a Stanley Cup ring from the organization, he also told management last June he was ready to move on, hoping for an AHL head coaching position.

When the phone didn’t ring for the next month, and learning of the Halifax opening, he reached out to Bobby Smith, the Mooseheads’ owner and a former Canadiens teammate. The stars were aligned and the hiring made sense.

“He’s a guy that’s gone through the route of major-junior and played in the NHL,” said Halifax general manager Cam Russell, like Daigneault, a former pro defenceman. “A guy that’s blazed that path helps our kids out. He knows how to connect with them and understands the route and process it takes to get there.

“First of all, I trust Bobby’s opinion. But when I spoke and met with J.J., the connection was there. At this level, you’ve got to win and develop players. You have to find a way to get those kids on the ice, grow those players and make them better every year. It’s a tough job. You wear a lot of different hats.”

Coaching long has been in Daigneault’s blood, taking him through stops in Phoenix, Hartford, Texas and the Canadiens. He said he has been intrigued by the concept of guiding people, getting the best out of a team, attempting to reach goals and always striving to become better. He wants a team that’s fast and competes, and vowed he’ll be an easy coach for whom to play. 1151290 Montreal Canadiens assets for the Canadiens’ “reset” through a trade. But Tatar’s contribution was an integral part of the Canadiens’ turnaround last season. Not only did he set a new career high for points, he was a key element of the top Fifteen issues the 15 Canadiens forwards fighting for a job at camp might forward line that drove the bus for the Canadiens all season. Put Paul face this season Byron, Artturi Lehkonen or Jonathan Drouin at left wing with Danault and Gallagher, and that line is not nearly as effective. It’s basic chemistry.

On top of being a skilled scorer with a motor that doesn’t quit, Tatar set By Marc Antoine Godin Aug 26, 2019 himself apart through his work without the puck in the neutral zone, his ability to make plays, create space and control pace, slowing things down

when necessary. That quieted the initial trade speculation. We began this series last week by looking at the goalies and After becoming such a vital player last season, we’ll have to see if Tatar defencemen. Today, we conclude it by looking at 15 forwards in the can maintain his role on a line that will be a central part of any success Canadiens’ organization. the Canadiens might have. His primary value to the Canadiens lies in his Brendan Gallagher ability to keep the Danault line running like it did last season. Ideally, the Canadiens would be able to keep that line intact for two more seasons, Could he still be the same player with another minute or two of ice time? or until all three players will see their contracts expire in the summer of 2021. But if the team nosedives this season or a rookie steps up and Colleague Marc Dumont went into great detail to explain what makes shows he can fill a similar role for the Canadiens, Tatar could become a Gallagher an elite 5-on-5 goal-scorer in the NHL. But Gallagher finished logical candidate to be traded at the deadline a year out from hitting UFA 145th among NHL forwards last season in average ice time (16:24 per status. game). Was that because of his limited usage on the first power play unit? No. Gallagher was also 132nd among forwards in even strength ice Max Domi time (13:55). Shouldn’t he play more? Is another 28-goal season realistic? After watching Gallagher and Paul Byron finish the 2017-18 season clearly exhausted, the Canadiens decided to manage their ice time in Domi could have technically signed a contract extension with the order to get the most out of them on each shift. In fact, they identified the Canadiens as of July 1, but his camp had no interest in doing that. optimal amount of ice time for each player that would allow him to play at Putting together another season like his last one would only make him a full capacity. This data was used by the coaching staff to manage the richer man next summer, when the two-year bridge contract he signed bench. with Montreal after being acquired for Alex Galchenyuk last year will expire. Also, though he is older than the glut of restricted free agents “It’s going to sound weird, but if I’m overplaying, I’m less effective,” currently negotiating their second NHL contracts, the overall inflation Gallagher said. “I’m a high energy guy and Tuna (Tomas Tatar) is the those contracts might create could benefit Domi next summer. The fact same way, he’s a guy that has to work. And it’s one of the things that I Domi was a pleasant surprise at centre, filling an eternal hole at that think Claude has done a pretty good job of, is managing and position, made him very valuable, but there are signs we will eventually understanding. see him back at left wing. The negotiations with Matt Duchene, the offer sheet for Sebastian Aho and the progression of Jesperi Kotkaniemi all “We’re still on the ice in key situations where we have the energy to kind suggest that the Canadiens are not married to the idea of keeping Domi of go out and get it done. So it’s just kind of understanding – obviously, at centre long term. as a player, you want to be out there as much as you can, you want to continue to push and that’s what the summers are for, and you want to But Domi will be paid based on his production, and in that sense putting show your coach that you’re able to handle it. But if he sees you’re a little up another 72-point season seems well within his grasp. But having 28 of bit tired, he holds you back. That’s his job.” those points come through goals might be a bit less realistic. Domi made a mockery of expected goal models last season, far exceeding his The relevant bit of that answer is that Gallagher was hoping to use this expected goal production at 5-on-5. It is worth noting that after scoring summer to give himself the physical tools that would allow him to move nine goals with Arizona in 2017-18 with a paltry success rate of 6 the needle in terms of his optimal ice time. He’s done everything else percent, he more than doubled his shooting percentage to 13.8 percent he’s needed to do to make himself a high-end player up to now, will he last season, much of that bump fueled by an early-season run of be able to make it so he could take on 10 percent more ice time without shooting efficiency that might be difficult to reproduce. Our Olivier hurting his high-energy game? Bouchard put it thusly: “The puck simply found him, especially during a Phillip Danault remarkable run from Oct. 17 to Nov. 6 when he scored nine goals in 10 games, six of them coming at 5-on-5, on only 22 shots on goal.” Can he be a Selke Trophy finalist? Domi scored four power play goals while getting the second most Ironically, what Danault lacks to be considered among the best defensive minutes among Canadiens forwards in that situation. So he didn’t exactly forwards in the league is a bit more…offence. Over the years the set the world on fire there. The fact he scored five power play goals in members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association have tended to three seasons in Arizona would suggest this might be his normal, vote for players who excel at both ends of the ice. Cracking the limited therefore making him unlikely to improve much in this area this season. group of forwards considered for the Selke takes time, and last season Danault did it to a certain extent by finishing seventh in the voting. He So even if he was an even strength monster last season, it’s far from a centred a line with Gallagher and Tatar that quietly dominated its given Domi will be able to put the puck in the net with the same matchup night after night, smothering opposing top lines while generating frequency this year. the majority of the scoring chances when it was on the ice. But whether Jonathan Drouin we are talking about Selke winner Ryan O’Reilly (77 points) or the other finalists Mark Stone (73) and Patrice Bergeron (73) or the next three in Should we lower our expectations? the balloting Sidney Crosby (100), Aleksander Barkov (96) and (76), all of them finished with at least 20 more points than The night of Feb. 9 against the Toronto Maple Leafs – an overtime loss Danault’s 53 last season. So while he is on the fringes of the Selke prior to a difficult road trip – has often been identified as a turning point conversation, Danault will need to bridge that production gap – easier for the Canadiens’ 2018-19 season. It was for Drouin as well. Up until said than done – if he wants his all-around game to be recognized at next that game, he had 17 goals and 46 points in 55 games, putting him on year’s NHL awards show. pace for 25 goals and 68 points in 82 games. He had just completed a phenomenal week with three goals and nine points in his previous three Tomas Tatar games and Claude Julien said he was playing “the best hockey I’ve seen him play.” From that point onward, over 27 of his final 28 games – Will he remain vital to the Canadiens’ success or become Marc disregarding one where he collected four assists with one hand tied Bergevin’s most valuable trade chip? behind his back in an 8-1 win in Detroit – Drouin got three points. Coming off an underwhelming stint with the , his Despite his speed and skilled hands, it might be time to start considering arrival in Montreal was seen by many as a temporary one, a point of the possibility that Drouin will not become the NHL star so many transit for an established player who could serve to bring more young predicted he would be when he was taken by the with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft. But despite his travails – he add the names of Tatar, Tanner Pearson, Frank Vatrano, Vinny Prospal, was a drag in terms of scoring chances and possession on every line he Matt D’Agostini and Brooks Laich. Not exactly a who’s who of NHL stars. played on last season – if he had managed to avoid that slump over the final quarter of the season and put up the 68 points he was on pace for, The list of players who had their first 20-goal season at age 24 but who would anyone have complained? arrived in the league earlier includes some bigger names like Mikael Granlund, Justin Williams, Elias Lindholm, , , We can’t completely rule out the possibility that Drouin could break out at Josh Anderson, Kyle Turris, Ales Hemsky, Marcus Johansson, Tom age 24 in his fifth NHL season. Elsewhere in the NHL, players like Tomas Wilson, Radek Bonk, Jiri Tlusty, Eric Fehr and Aleksey Morozov. Hertl (in his fifth NHL season), Elias Lindholm (sixth season) and Mika Zibanejad (seventh season) had significant bumps in their numbers last The age 24 season is not necessarily make-or-break, either, because the season. list of players who hit 20 goals for the first time at age 25 or older is more than 100 names long. But aside from Martin St. Louis, Sean Couturier Hertl, at age 25, put up 74 points with the San Jose Sharks, a 61 percent and T.J. Oshie, few of them went on to become stars. Still, there are very jump from his previous career best. Having a healthy season and being good players like Jonathan Marchessault, Nick Foligno, Jakob moved to centre as of Dec. 23 helped. Silfverberg, Richard Zednik and Mike Fisher.

Lindholm had 78 points with the Calgary Flames at age 24, benefitting What this large sample of players suggests is that Lehkonen is running from a change of scenery after his trade from the Carolina Hurricanes out of time to prove he can produce at a second line level as opposed to and a move from centre to the wing in Calgary. His career high was a 73 being a third line role player. Lehkonen has scored 41 goals and 80 percent increase on his previous best season. points in 221 career games. Among all active players, his profile after 221 games is comparable to William Karlsson, Brandon Sutter, Nick Finally, Zibanejad had a 74-point season with the New York Rangers at Ritchie, Antoine Roussel and Nino Niederreiter. There’s a bit of age 25, a 45 percent increase on his previous career high. The former everything in that group. This coming season could provide an indication Ottawa Senators centre finally avoided the injuries that forced him to of whether Lehkonen will be more of a Niederreiter than a Sutter or more miss games the previous two seasons and took advantage of the of a Williams than a Fehr. opportunity to play as the Rangers’ No. 1 centre. Remaining a high- volume shooter and developing chemistry with winger Chris Kreider also Joel Armia contributed to Zibanejad’s productive season. Can he become the sum of his tantalizing parts? For his part, Drouin has experienced being traded. He’s experienced a change of position. He’s avoided injuries. So while we can’t completely Like Lehkonen, Armia signed a two-year contract this summer. In his disregard the possibility he has a similar break out season at this stage of case, the contract will lead him to unrestricted free agency. Limiting the his career, Drouin will need to develop chemistry with one of the team’s contract of a role player to two years allows the Canadiens to cut ties and centres, work more efficiently and effectively on the ice and improve his free up money for the pivotal summer of 2021. Until then, the Canadiens decision-making in order to make it happen. are committing $1.3 million a year to a player who appears to have reached his offensive ceiling. But why is that the case? Jesperi Kotkaniemi The 6-foot-3 right wing is one of the rare Canadiens forwards who has What kind of an increase in production can we reasonably expect? size and excels along the walls. He can make some eye-catching plays in tight quarters and, according to many of his teammates, has the best At the end of last season, Andrew Shaw told us he sees Kotkaniemi wrist shot on the team. If you think you haven’t seen that shot very often, becoming a future Ryan Getzlaf. Similar parallels could be drawn with Armia finished second to Gallagher on the team for shots on goal per 60 Aleksander Barkov and Anze Kopitar. But before expecting too much, too minutes of ice time at 5-on-5. All of that put together should lead to some fast, we should remember Kotkaniemi put up 34 points as a rookie last significant offensive production. Nope. He scored two power play goals in season. So even though he appears to have all the tools to merit the final nine games of the season when he was placed in the slot on the comparisons to these great players, expecting that potential to be first unit. They were the first two power play goals of his career. reached this season would be far too ambitious. So the Canadiens have a 25-year-old forward who is a strong penalty To get an objective idea of what to expect from Kotkaniemi this season, killer and brings certain elements the team lacks up front, most notably a we looked at the 20 other centres who were drafted in the first round right-shot and size. But up until now, Armia has not become the sum of since 2005 who played at least 41 NHL games immediately after being his tantalizing parts, at least offensively. His possession metrics were not drafted. Rather than allowing the rookie seasons of Sidney Crosby and exactly flattering last season, either. The majority of his teammates had Connor McDavid to completely skew the overall picture, we decided to better possession numbers when they were on the ice without him. The take every player’s point per game total and compare it to their average Finnish line with Lehkonen and Kotkaniemi dominated their shifts at 5-on- in their second season. 5, whether it was in terms of shot share (61.9 percent), goals (eight goals That’s a rather star-studded group, but those centres who were fast- for, six against) or high danger chances (67 percent). But Armia still tracked to the NHL had an average bump of 0.13 points per game in their appeared to be a step behind his linemates. Would he be able to keep second season. If we apply that improvement to Kotkaniemi, who had a his head above water without Kotkaniemi by his side? 0.43 points per game average at 18 years old, it would give us an Paul Byron average of 0.56, or roughly 46 points over 82 games. He may very well exceed that, especially if he is trusted to pivot the second line at some Will his body hold up? point this season, but Stamkos and Seguin were the only players in our sample who doubled their production in their second season. A lower body injury forced Byron to miss 14 games – the entire month of November – and on numerous occasions after that it was hard not to get Artturi Lehkonen the impression he was lacking the explosion we were accustomed to seeing from him. He missed another six games in February because of Can he hit the 20-goal mark this season? an injury to his forearm after taking a hit against the Edmonton Oilers. He The bridge deal Lehkonen signed is a reflection of his willingness to bet wasn’t happy about it. on himself and prove he can go to another level offensively. Like Drouin, LORD BYRON ISN’T HAPPY. #GOHABSGO Lehkonen is 24, so it is valid to wonder if he is what he is or if he can PIC.TWITTER.COM/WMUDFBZHMR harken back to his rookie season when he scored 18 goals. It is clear Lehkonen is valued for more than his production, but after seasons of 12 — PATRIK BEXELL (@ZEB_HABS) FEBRUARY 3, 2019 and 11 goals, can he reach 20? He missed the last game of the season – a meaningless one – because The list of players over the past 20 years who had their first 20-goal of a wrist injury he had been nursing for a while. Byron had missed one season at age 24 in their fourth NHL season is a relatively short one, game the two previous seasons combined, but that was largely due to his according to Hockey Reference. If we only include those who played unusually high pain tolerance. A few days after the end of the 2017-18 three full seasons before hitting that mark, we have a list made up of season, he had shoulder surgery after playing through it for weeks, if not Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Kennedy, Martin Erat and Dave Scatchard. If months. No need to remind everyone that Byron is a small player blessed we add the players who only played part of a season along the way, we with a tremendous level of courage that mitigates his lack of size. The concern here is that Byron turned 30 at the end of April and his body But how long can Thompson resist the pressure those same young guys appears to be less tolerant of the rigours of playing in the NHL. will be putting on his spot in the lineup? Thompson will turn 35 in the first week of the 2019-20 season and he’s never been known for his quick Julien limited his ice time last season compared to his two previous feet, even though his skating wasn’t as glaring a weakness as originally seasons in Montreal to limit his exposure. Now we need to see if last believed when he arrived from the . But it’s also season was an outlier or the start of a trend. Offensively, Byron is still a something that will not improve. highly efficient shooter, which has become his trademark at this point. His goal rate of 1.15 per 60 minutes and point rate of 2.39 per 60 last His line at 5-on-5 generated more high-danger scoring chances than it season were the best of his career. All he needs to do to take full allowed, but Thompson still finished in the red in terms of on-ice goal advantage of those rates is stay healthy. differential. Ultimately, it’s Thompson’s ability to kill penalties that will probably make a difference. We mentioned it earlier, but the fact Jordan Weal Thompson can do that or take a key defensive zone draw and head to How can he avoid the same progression he had with the Flyers? the bench gives him a specific asset that his competitors for his spot in the lineup don’t necessarily have in their tool kit. It seemed like a bit of déjà vu. In 2016-17, Weal made an impression with the Philadelphia Flyers after being called up from the AHL and finishing Matthew Peca was signed to do things like that, but he wasn’t able to on a great run of seven goals and 11 points in his final 15 games while deliver and he’ll have to fight to stay in the NHL this season. We’ll have splitting his time playing with centres Claude Giroux and Valtteri Filppula. to see in training camp to what extent players like Kotkaniemi or Weal or His emergence at age 24 convinced the Flyers to re-sign the Group VI even Poehling could emerge as legitimate options on the penalty kill. If UFA to a two-year, $3.5 million contract two days before he went to none of them do, Thompson will have little reason to worry about being a market. The following season, the shine on Weal had dulled to the point regular when the season begins. After that, it will be a question of seeing that when the playoffs began, he wasn’t in the lineup. how much gas he has left in the tank.

Weal has just made a very good impression on Julien and the Charles Hudon Canadiens, and as much as his versatility, faceoff ability and right shot How can he escape the doghouse he lived in last season? are valued, he will need to avoid the same scenario from two years ago playing out this season. He received a qualifying offer, wasn’t traded and all he was able to get out of his contract negotiations with the Canadiens was a one-way deal “Maybe (it’s comparable) if you think stat-wise but I don’t think… outside for one year. That leaves Hudon exactly where he finished last season. of that, what I am as a player is way different than it was back then,” Weal said. “I have full confidence that I can help the team win night in The best Hudon can hope for is being able to prove to Julien with a and night out in this league now. Kind of when I was there before, it was monster training camp that he still deserves a role on this team. But that still unsure, you know? This is a great little run, but the things I have would require a series of events the Canadiens are hoping to avoid, like learned over the last two years definitely made me into a better player, an injury or two or a newly acquired player underperforming. If Hudon especially (than I was) in Philly. Be better with less, not need the 19-20 can’t produce offensively playing on a line with less offensive talent and minutes a night.” he hurts the team defensively, he has a very narrow lane to winning a spot. His performance at the end of the last season opens the possibility that Weal could centre the third line this season. If not, he could centre the Hudon won’t say so out loud, but he has to be hoping he is put on fourth line or play the wing next to Nate Thompson. He has a variety of waivers at the end of camp and picked up by a team that will give him a assets that could make him a valuable role player for the Canadiens. But chance to realize the offensive potential he clearly has, but which has not if those assets dissipate and he becomes the same player the Arizona as yet been reached in Montreal. Coyotes traded away for Michael Chaput, his two-year, $2.8 million contract could be comparable the one signed by Matthew Peca last Matthew Peca summer. Is he a more attractive option than Hudon for another team?

Nick Cousins Peca has some advantages when compared to Hudon: he doesn’t What kind of role will he be asked to play? necessarily need to score to be useful, he’s faster, he’s a centre and before last season, he was good in the faceoff circle. It might very well It’s perfectly normal to discuss Cousins after Weal because the two will have simply been a bad season for Peca at the worst time, one where he be teammates on a third different NHL team. They are never separated finally got a chance to prove himself in the NHL after being buried in the for long. What’s somewhat ironic is the two of them are now competing Tampa Bay Lightning system. If Peca is cut and put on waivers at the for what amounts to the same job. They are not identical players – Weal end of camp, the fact he counts for $1.3 million on the cap as opposed to has a bit more of an offensive profile and is certainly better in the faceoff Hudon’s $800,000 cap hit, not to mention that he will be an unrestricted circle, Cousins has the edge in the grit department – but the two of them free agent at the end of the season and Hudon won’t, might make teams will be hoping to centre one of the two bottom-6 lines. Neither of the two think twice before claiming him. have ever played significant minutes on the penalty kill, which helps veteran Nate Thompson. But it leads us to ask, aside from the But we are only a year removed from half a dozen teams offering him a sacrosanct notion of depth, what induced the Canadiens to sign contract before Peca decided to take the two-year deal from the Cousins? Canadiens. Who knows, Peca’s speed might be attractive to the lumbering Los Angeles Kings, for example. Or Steve Yzerman might find Possession metrics suggest that Cousins was strong relative to his a role for him in Detroit, one he wasn’t able to offer in Tampa. If Peca teammates over the past two seasons with the Coyotes, an encouraging stays in Montreal he remains a useful depth piece, but Ryan Poehling’s sign for a bottom-6 forward. At first blush, Cousins appears to have been emergence certainly doesn’t help his situation. signed, at least in part, to cheaply replace some of the grit lost when Andrew Shaw was traded. Cousins doesn’t fight much, but he can agitate Ryan Poehling while never crossing the line. But thinking Cousins could match Shaw’s What are his chances of sticking with the big club in Montreal? production is a big leap. The sheer number of forwards fighting for a job and the fact the Nate Thompson Canadiens’ 2017 first-round pick is the only one in the group that does To what extent is his spot in the lineup threatened? not require waivers to be sent down to Laval makes Poehling a prime candidate to be cut at the end of camp. But we have often heard Marc It would be fair to assume that Julien, who coached him in Boston, had a Bergevin say that he wants players “to make the decision for us.” role in play in Thompson being acquired by the Canadiens in February. Julien had been waiting since the beginning of the season to have a Poehling has all the tools to make that decision for the Canadiens and, stable option on his fourth line. Thompson is now the oldest player on the sooner or later, he will prove to be a better player than all of his main Canadiens, a status that comes with the responsibility of helping the competitors for a roster spot at camp. So Poehling could force the development of the younger guys, something he did with tremendous Canadiens to keep him and start the season in the NHL, which would grace the night Ryan Poehling made his NHL debut in the last game of probably force one, if not two, NHL players to be put on waivers and last season. potentially lost. The thing is for a player coming out of college, the reality of an NHL schedule will hit later in the season, not coming out of training camp. There is nothing saying Poehling will hit the proverbial wall, but we’ve seen it happen countless times before. That will obviously be taken into consideration while the Canadiens decide how to best manage their assets. Will they take what Poehling can offer at the beginning of the season and send him to Laval when things get more difficult? Or will they let him develop in Laval and call him up once he proves he can avoid that wall?

This is where the signing of Nick Cousins is a nice insurance policy. If Poehling struggles to adjust to the NHL and Thompson proves unable to keep up with the pace of how the Canadiens play, they still have a decent option to centre the fourth line. It is a level of depth the team clearly lacked a year ago at this time.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151291 Nashville Predators career-high 33 goals four seasons ago, is in his prime and has the tools to be an elite scorer. It’s time for Forsberg to take the next step, which he can do by recording the first 40-goal season in Predators history.

State of the Franchise: Still without a Stanley Cup, the Predators are Mikael Granlund was a non-factor after being traded from the Minnesota entering a pivotal time Wild, so putting him in position to succeed is among the Predators’ top priorities this season. The best way to do that is to take advantage of Granlund’s playmaking ability by partnering him with strong finishers. The By Adam Vingan Aug 26, 2019 recipient of a seven-year, $20 million contract this summer, Colton Sissons is the Predators’ ultimate utility player. He is solid in the

defensive zone and can contribute offensively. Same goes for Calle Over the past three seasons, the Predators have appeared in the Stanley Jarnkrok, though he must do better than scoring four goals across 68 Cup final, earned the Presidents’ Trophy and won their first two Central games as he did to end last season. Division titles. So why does that seem so disappointing? The Predators signed AHL MVP Daniel Carr to a league-minimum It’s because the Predators, despite their recent success being contract in free agency. In 100 career NHL games, Carr has shown an unparalleled in franchise history, have been aiming higher than compiling ability to generate high-quality looks. Miikka Salomaki hits hard, but that’s regular-season accolades. And in that regard, they have been going about it. backward, bottoming out last season in an upset loss to the Dallas Stars Viktor Arvidsson’s 1.85 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five topped the in the first round of the playoffs. NHL last season. (Jerome Miron / USA Today) In the NHL, the concept of a “championship window” is flimsy. But it feels Right wing: Despite missing 24 games last season, Arvidsson scored a like these Predators are closer to the end of theirs than the beginning, franchise-record 34 goals, 25 of which came at five-on-five. He is an setting up a pivotal year in Nashville. offense-generating machine with seemingly infinite energy. Arvidsson Biggest on-ice question was third in the league last season with 11.35 shots per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and Craig Smith wasn’t far behind in seventh with 10.6. The Predators are different, but are they better? Smith, who’s about to turn 30, is in the final year of his contract. He quietly has climbed the franchise leaderboard in games played (592) and After being eliminated by the Stars, Predators general manager David is good for at least 20 goals a season. Poile promised change. He made the most sensible choice, trading P.K. Subban at the NHL draft to the New Jersey Devils, the only team willing In the bottom six, Austin Watson has been relied on as a shutdown to absorb his entire $9 million cap hit. With the savings, Poile finally forward. His defensive prowess has been exaggerated at times, but he’s landed long-coveted forward Matt Duchene on July 1 by signing him to a one of the Predators’ most fearless players. Rocco Grimaldi was a seven-year, $56 million contract. It was the only substantial change made pleasant surprise last season, parlaying his breakthrough year into a $1 to the roster. million arbitration award. He was great at creating scoring chances, but needs to convert on them with more frequency. This might be Freddy Yes, the Predators were a 100-point team last season, overcoming Gaudreau’s final opportunity to show he belongs on an NHL roster. multiple long-term injuries. But they were hardly dominant when healthy. Even with the addition of Duchene, which should improve a forward Defense: When completed, Roman Josi’s next contract will make him group that is annually among the least productive in the league, the one of the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL. Josi, whose 274 points Predators still lack a legitimate game-breaker. (Filip Forsberg and Viktor over the past five seasons are tied for third-most at the position, Arvidsson, though immensely talented, are not quite on that level.) And possesses elite offensive ability; his 134 shot attempts from the slot last although the Predators won’t suffer as most teams would after trading a season, for example, led the league among defensemen, according to defenseman of Subban’s caliber, their defense has been weakened by Mike Kelly of The Point. Your opinion of Ryan Ellis’ 2018-19 season his departure. probably depends on whether you put more stock in analytics or the eye test. He had a career-high 41 points and decent underlying numbers, but The Predators were right to pull from their defensive depth to upgrade he didn’t look as steady as in previous years. their offense. But after taking a step back last year, have they improved this offseason in such a way that clearly points them back in the right As a pair, Josi and Ellis played the second-most minutes in the league at direction? It’s unclear. five-on-five (1,240:43), so Mattias Ekholm and Dante Fabbro are projected to be partners to round out the Predators’ top four. Ekholm HERE ARE THE POINTS PREDICTIONS I'M SUBMITTING TO continues to earn the respect of the league for his all-around ability, @DOMLUSZCZYSZYN'S SURVEY FOR @THEATHLETICNHL. which makes him the best choice to guide the promising Fabbro through YOU CAN FIND THE LINK TO DOM'S SURVEY TO SUBMIT YOUR his rookie season. OWN PREDICTIONS HERE: HTTPS://T.CO/CDB3OVKTBX The Predators’ third pair will be some combination of Dan Hamhuis, PIC.TWITTER.COM/EAWTRQLTYF Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin and Steven Santini. It’s an area of weakness — SEAN TIERNEY (@CHARTINGHOCKEY) AUGUST 25, 2019 for the team.

Depth chart analysis Goaltending: Last November, Pekka Rinne signed a two-year contract extension, and those two years likely represent his last chance to win the Center: As top-six centers go, a team could do worse than having Ryan Stanley Cup. Rinne turns 37 on Nov. 3, but he remains an above- Johansen and Duchene anchor the first and second lines. Their games average starter. (His 13.54 goals saved above average last season were complement each other; Johansen, who had a career-high 50 assists last fifth-best among 25 goaltenders with at least 2,000 minutes played at season, is a gifted playmaker, and Duchene is a proficient shooter. five-on-five, and his .875 high-danger save percentage was second- Duchene rode a career-high 18.0 shooting percentage to a 31-goal, 70- best.) Of course, all that matters at this point is how Rinne performs in point season with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets last the playoffs. year. It might be difficult for him to reproduce those lofty numbers, but the Predators stand to benefit from his scoring ability. (For what it’s worth, In 27 starts last season, Juuse Saros made a strong case to be they haven’t had a 70-point scorer since 2007-08.) considered the best backup in the league. The presumed heir apparent to Rinne, the 24-year-old Saros should receive more playing time this There isn’t much more that can be said about Kyle Turris. His situation season, but Rinne still is entrenched as the Predators’ No. 1 goaltender. has been well documented, and he enters this season at a career crossroads. The 30-year-old could see his role diminished at five-on-five Special teams if he centers the third line. The Predators could also choose to move Power play: The Predators’ league-worst 12.9 percent conversion rate on Turris to the wing, a position he has little experience playing, in order to the power play last season was the seventh-worst since 2005. There are keep him in the top six. At this stage of his career, Nick Bonino is a too many talented players on the Predators’ roster for that to be suitable fourth-line center. Don’t expect him to have the same luck that acceptable, and there will be a change in strategy this season to prevent propelled him to 17 goals and 35 points last season, though. it from happening again. Left wing: Forsberg should be a star by now, but holding him back is the fact that he hasn’t had a star-making season. The 25-year-old, who had a One benefit of Subban being gone is that it finally might prompt the team to ditch its outdated 3F-2D setup. Personnel will be determined during training camp, but a first unit of Forsberg, Johansen, Arvidsson, Duchene and Josi is an intriguing possibility. Assistant coach Dan Lambert, hired June 4, oversaw the WHL ’ league-leading power play last season (29.1 percent), so he has a strong grasp on how to run an effective system. Lambert will need to devise a plan to create more offense from high-danger areas. (In the graphic below, green is bad.)

Penalty kill: Compared to the power play, the penalty kill was a smashing success, ranking sixth in the league at 82.1 percent. The Predators did a solid job of limiting opposing shot attempts and scoring chances, finishing fourth in both categories per 60 minutes.

In the pipeline

Forward: The Predators’ farm system, as Corey Pronman recently explained, is short on legitimate NHL prospects. Eeli Tolvanen is the most naturally gifted forward, but he didn’t bulldoze his way through the AHL in his first season with the Milwaukee Admirals. Now that the Predators are spending to the salary cap, it’s important that they find players on entry-level contracts who can contribute. There will be outside pressure on Tolvanen, 20, to accelerate his development this season.

Most of the Predators’ top forward prospects — Philip Tomasino (OHL Niagara), Egor Afanasyev (OHL Windsor) and Jachym Kondelik (University of Connecticut) — haven’t turned pro. In terms of forwards who could play in the NHL this season, Rem Pitlick will compete for playing time in the bottom six. Anthony Richard had 47 points for the Admirals last season and could see NHL action if the Predators’ lineup is thinned by injuries again.

Defense: The strength of the Predators’ defense doesn’t leave their prospects with much room for advancement. At the professional level, Frederic Allard and Alexandre Carrier, the latter of whom hasn’t played in the NHL since getting two games in January 2017, are solid but unspectacular. Acquired in the Subban trade, Jeremy Davies, who is turning pro this season, is an intriguing prospect who seems to fit the mold of a typical Predators defenseman.

Goaltending: Connor Ingram, acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 14, will get a fresh start with the Predators organization. The 22- year-old was an AHL All-Star last season before he had a falling out with the Lightning. Ingram and veteran Troy Grosenick are projected to be the Admirals’ tandem next season. Tomas Vomacka is expected to start for Connecticut in his sophomore year. Undrafted free agent Niclas Westerholm, signed to an entry-level contract in April, is an unknown.

Salary cap watch

The Predators are among the biggest spenders in the league, entering the season with roughly $1.3 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly. Tough decisions await next summer, when they will need to make room for Josi’s new contract. Other than Josi, there are nine Predators players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents next year, with Granlund ($5.75 million cap hit) and Smith ($4.25 million cap hit) headlining the list.

It would be helpful to the Predators if they could find a taker for Turris ($6 million cap hit through 2024) or Bonino ($4.1 million cap hit through 2021), but neither player is in demand. Rinne is the only player with trade protection this season, so Poile basically has complete freedom to alter the roster as necessary. (Duchene has a modified no-trade clause starting in 2023.)

Final assessment

The Predators are a playoff team. That isn’t in doubt. But are they a no- doubt Stanley Cup contender? That’s where things get a bit murky.

Just within the Central Division, there are multiple teams that beefed up during the offseason and could challenge for the Stanley Cup (or, in the case of the St. Louis Blues, defend it). For the Predators, it boils down to consistency, which they struggled to maintain last season.

At the end of the regular season, the Predators will again be in the mix for the Stanley Cup. But the time to win is now.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151292 New Jersey Devils

Devils’ most important players: No. 11 Travis Zajac | Why veteran is pivotal behind Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes

Updated Aug 26, 7:34 AM; Posted Aug 26, 6:05 AM

By Chris Ryan

September is almost here, which means the start of Devils training camp is just around the corner.

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

Continuing the countdown, we’ll take a look at No. 11 on our list: center Travis Zajac. The countdown will continue through Sept. 6, when the No. 1 player will be revealed.

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

Top 18

No. 18: Miles Wood | No. 17: Blake Coleman | No. 16: Pavel Zacha | No. 15: | No. 14 Will Butcher | No. 13 Wayne Simmonds | No. 12 Jesper Bratt

Buy Devils tickets: StubHub, SeatGeek

And now on to No. 14 ...

Travis Zajac

Position: Center

Age: 34 (35 on May 13)

2018-19 stats: 80 GP, 19 G, 27 A, 46 P

Look back at 2018-19

Production wise, Zajac had a big bounce-back season in 2018-19. A torn pectoral muscle delayed the start of his 2017-18 season, limiting him to 63 games, and he never quite found an offensive groove, finishing with 26 points. During a mostly healthy 2018-19 season, he posted 46 points in 78 games to record his highest total since 2013-14.

When Nico Hischier was healthy, Zajac was primarily the team’s second- or third-line center, and along with the spike in offense, he still handled the bulk of the team’s toughest defensive assignments. Alongside Blake Coleman, Zajac’s line routinely handled shifts against top lines of other teams. Zajac led all Devils forwards in shorthanded ice time, and he finished third in the NHL with a 58.2 face-off percentage.

What he brings to the table

Zajac’s 2018-19 offensive production is likely his ceiling at this point of his career, but his two-way play and face-offs continue to make him a valuable asset, regardless of the line he plays on.

2019-20 expectations

With Hischier still expected to anchor the top line and 2019 No. 1 pick Jack Hughes also entering the mix at center, Zajac will likely step into the third-line center role, depending on when Hughes is ready to fully tackle a top-six role, which should be early.

With Zajac’s ability to handle top opponents, the Devils will likely continue to use his line against the toughest competition when they control the matchups.

The additions of Hughes, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev bring more options to the Devils’ power play, so Zajac’s path to playing time on that unit might be more crowded. While he’s still capable of contributing there, the team could limit his time on the man advantage to keep him fresh for 5-on-5 and penalty killing.

Star Ledger LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151293 New York Rangers

Kaapo Kakko among top Rangers prospects headed to Traverse City

By Mollie Walker

August 26, 2019 | 2:59PM

The Rangers announced their roster for the 2019 Traverse City tournament, and it will feature a first look at five of the club’s top prospects.

The roster is highlighted by Kaapo Kakko, the Rangers’ second-overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, 2018 first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov, Adam Fox, Yegor Rykov and goaltender Igor Shesterkin. The prospect tournament begins Sept. 6 in Traverse City, Michigan.

There are several current Rangers who previously participated in the tournament, including Jesper Fast, Brady Skjei, Pavel Buchnevich, Boo Nieves, Lias Andersson, Alexandar Georgiev, Filip Chytil and Brett Howden. All of those players ended up playing NHL games the same season in which they played in Traverse City.

Kakko is joined by fellow 2019 draftees Matthew Robertson, Karl Henriksson and Hunter Skinner.

Fox, a lifelong Rangers fan, was acquired from Carolina earlier this offseason. Rykov was acquired from the Devils in the Michael Grabner trade before the 2018 deadline. Shesterkin, a candidate to be ’s heir apparent, was a fourth-round pick in 2014.

New York Post LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151294 New York Rangers Yegor Rykov, 22 (trade from New Jersey Devils in Feb. 2018)

Hunter Skinner, 18 (drafted 112th overall in the fourth round in 2019)

New York Rangers sending Kaapo Kakko and other top prospects to Goaltenders Traverse City Tournament Adam Huska, 22 (drafted 184th overall in the seventh round in 2015)

Igor Shesterkin, 23 (drafted 118th overall in the fourth round in 2014) Vincent Z. Mercogliano Bergen Record LOADED: 08.27.2019 Published 12:06 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019 | Updated 12:55 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2019

The New York Rangers have announced their roster for the 2019 Traverse City Tournament, an NHL prospect showcase which will be held at the Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, Mich. beginning Sept. 6.

The tournament will feature many of the best young prospects from eight NHL teams — the Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, , St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The teams will be split into two divisions, with the Rangers playing in the Ted Lindsay Division against the Blue Jackets (Sept. 6 at 3:30 p.m.), Stars (Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.) and Wild (Sept. 9 at 2:30 p.m.). Following their three round-robin games, the Rangers will have a placement game against a team from the Gordie Howe Division on Sept. 10. The first- place teams from each division will play for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup, which the Rangers last won in 2007. The Blue Jackets are the defending champions.

The tournament will provide a chance for several prospects from the Rangers' highly-touted system to shake off the rust before training camp begins. The 24-man roster will include second overall draft pick Kaapo Kakko, as well as other players who will vie for NHL spots this season such as forward Vitali Kravtsov, goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defensemen Adam Fox and Yegor Rykov.

In every year since the Rangers began participating in the Traverse City Tournament in 2006, at least one prospect who played in the tournament also played in an NHL game the same season.

Here is the full roster (with ages and how each player was acquired):

Forwards

Ryan Dmowski, 22 (signed by Hartford to AHL contract)

Jake Elmer, 20 (signed as a free agent in March)

Keith Getson, 21 (free agent invite)

Karl Henriksson, 18 (drafted 58th overall in the second round in 2019)

Nick Jones, 23 (signed by Hartford to an AHL contract)

Kaapo Kakko, 18 (drafted second overall in the first round in 2019)

Brett Kemp, 19 (free agent invite)

Vitali Kravtsov, 19 (drafted ninth overall in the first round in 2018)

Josh Maser, 20 (free agent invite)

Shawn McBride, 24 (signed by Hartford to an AHL contract)

Cody Milan, 23 (free agent invite)

Patrick Newell, 23 (signed as a free agent in March)

Anthony Salinitri, 21 (free agent invite)

Lewis Zerter-Gossage, 24 (signed by Hartford to an AHL contract)

Defensemen

Adam Fox, 21 (trade from Carolina Hurricanes in April 2019)

Nico Gross, 19 (drafted 101st overall in the fourth round in 2019)

Joey Keane, 20 (drafted 88th overall in the third round in 2018)

Kade Landry, 20 (free agent invite)

Tarmo Reunanen, 21 (drafted 98th overall in the fourth round in 2016)

Matthew Robertson, 18 (drafted 49th overall in the second round in 2019) 1151295 New York Rangers

Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox to represent the Rangers at the Traverse City Tournament

By Mike Rose

August 26, 2019 12:48 PM

Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick in June's draft, and Long Island's Adam Fox are among the players who will represent the Rangers in next month's Traverse City Tournament, the team announced on Monday.

Kakko, a forward from Finland, and Fox, a defenseman from Jericho who was acquired by the Rangers in an April trade, both will be making their Traverse City debuts.

The Traverse City Tournament begins on Sept. 6 in Traverse City, Michigan. The tournament is designed to showcase prospects from eight NHL teams.

Right wing Vitali Kravtsov, the ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft, and prospects Igor Shesterkin, a goaltender, and Yegor Rykov, a defenseman, also will play for the Rangers in the Traverse City Tournament for the first time.

Defenseman Matthew Robertson, center Karl Henriksson and defenseman Hunter Skinner are the other 2019 draft picks playing for the Rangers in the Traverse City Tournament for the first time. Defensemen Nico Gross and Joey Keane, both 2018 draft picks by the Rangers, will play in their second straight Traverse City Tournament.

The Rangers will be one of four teams in the Ted Lindsay Division, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild. The Rangers will play Columbus in their first game on Sept. 6 at 3:30 p.m. The Rangers then play Dallas on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. and Minnesota on Sept. 9 at 2:30 p.m. The Rangers will have a placement game against a team from the Gordie Howe Division on Sept. 10.

This will be the Rangers' 13th straight year playing in the Traverse City Tournament.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151296 New York Rangers “The goal is to make the playoffs, but my goal also is to examine the improvement of everybody and make sure that whatever happens we continue that drive (toward) the end zone of where you’re trying to get Rangers notebook: John Davidson’s first 100 days, Kreider’s mindset to,” Davidson said. “There’s nothing given, there’s no magic. It’s about and more draft and development. It’s about your culture. It’s about coaching. It’s about excitement and I think we’re going to have lots of excitement. With young people – this is my third time at it, and I’ve said this to the fans in St. Louis and Columbus, ‘Enjoy the ride. Come and watch these young By Rick Carpiniello Aug 26, 2019 people grow, because it’s going to happen right before your eyes.’ Then when you start to get down the freeway and start getting some results and start getting some understanding of how good these kids are U.S. presidents have their temperatures taken at such intervals, so why becoming, then it’s a blast. But there’s a lot of potholes, there’s a lot of not the president of the New York Rangers? rubble on the road. It’s hard. Boy, it’s hard.

Suffice it to say that John Davidson’s first 100 days in the big chair at “One thing that I also understand and I like is that there’s a game plan in Madison Square Garden have been very productive and extremely place and that’s how we’re thinking. You find a Panarin and that’s going interesting. to help us get to the end zone quicker, but it’s still the same gameplan. Trouba, that will help us, but it’s still the same gameplan. And there’s Keep in mind that some of the bigger stuff to happen under Davidson’s going to be patches that become rough. That’s the nature of sports. But presidency were going to happen no matter who filled the chair left we’re going to keep our heads about us and we’re going to continue the vacant by Glen Sather’s retirement. And that a lot of what happened was gameplan and watch these kids grow.” accomplished by GM Jeff Gorton. The biggest example, naturally, being the selection of Kaapo Kakko after the Rangers snagged the second pick Some other thoughts as we head down the summer stretch and close in in the lottery. on training camp:

Yet Davidson has stamped his fingerprints all over a scorching summer 1) Had an off-the-record chat with Chris Kreider, who is headed into the that should accelerate the team’s rebuild and has raised expectations, final year of his contract and, as we’ve said, is far more likely than not to albeit with a deserved tap on the brakes of reality. be traded before he gets to unrestricted free agency.

Under JD’s watch, which started on May 17th, the Rangers have also The gist of the conversation is that Kreider is not about to clutter his mind rebuilt some of the team’s hierarchy and its farm club in Hartford. with what-ifs and distractions. Kreider is one of the smarter players in the game and he knows the deal. He’s seen every significant Rangers UFA A rundown of the Rangers’ moves since Davidson’s return, with special of value get traded at the last two deadlines (Ryan McDonagh, Rick thanks to the Rangers’ stat superman Mike Rappaport for the timeline. Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, Michael Grabner, even Nick The team signed defense prospect Yegor Rykov to his entry-level Holden). And he has to know that with his league-wide value being in the contract (May 20), did likewise with defense prospect Tarmo Reunanen seven years/$7-plus million per ballpark next July 1st that the Rangers (June 5), acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba in a trade from Winnipeg may not want to go there. (June 17), selected Kakko and seven other picks at the entry draft (June I think you can replace the word “may” with the word “will” in the previous 21-22), signed free agent Artemi Panarin to a seven-year, $81 million sentence. I don’t believe the Rangers will go to that length with a player contract (July 1), signed Trouba to a seven-year, $56 million contract who will be 29 on that date, not to mention a player whose productivity (July 19), re-signed restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich to a two-year, can be portrayed as wildly inconsistent within any of his seasons. So if $6.5 million contract (July 26) and bought out Kevin Shattenkirk from the the Rangers and Kreider can negotiate a more affordable deal (and two remaining years (and $13.3 million) of his contract (Aug. 1). again, it’s a matter of term more than dollars, I believe) then perhaps they In addition, Davidson (and Gorton and assistant GM/Hartford GM Chris can get something done before the deadline. If not … Drury) have added Tanner Glass and Tuomo Ruutu as assistant Kreider has already had a career-altering moment, that blood clot that directors of player development; added Chris Morehouse as director of scared the holy hell out of him in the season before last. He gained a ton North American scouting (he overseas this continent as Nick Bobrov of perspective throughout that event, which was repaired with surgery. does in Europe), added amateur scouts Derek Ginnell and Marshall Davidson, which enables Steve Konowalchuk to switch from amateur Kreider also knows – and nobody should doubt it given his penchant for scouting to pro scouting; and named Kris Knoblauch the head coach at all-world conditioning and strength – that he will play a lot more years in Hartford, adding Gord Murphy and David Cunniff as Wolf Pack assistant the NHL and that he will still be fit enough to play at age 35 or longer. So coaches and Chris Hoeler as Hartford’s video coach; and added Jaime he’s not going to sweat it. Rodriguez as the Rangers’ head strength and conditioning coach, replacing Reg Grant, with more hires to come on his staff. If he’s still around on opening night, then there’s an outside chance he can negotiate a new deal to stay and there’s a great chance he stays on (FWIW, Marshall Davidson is JD’s brother, has worked for him in St. the team until around the deadline. But I wouldn’t bet on that at all. Louis and Columbus, and is known for scouting and having a hand in the selection of the Blues’ Colton Parayko. Morehouse also happens to be 2) Not sure what’s the big deal about the situations surrounding JD’s son-in-law.) DeAngelo and Lemieux. This is what happens to RFAs who have no arbitration rights, and especially to those on a team tight against the Finally, the Rangers announced the creation of a girls hockey initiative on salary cap. They will almost certainly end up playing for their qualifying July 2. offers ($874,125 each) and because they have zero leverage other than an ill-advised holdout, they should be signed by training camp. Because That’s a lot accomplished in 100 days, and there’s still plenty of work to they have no other course of action to take and because the Rangers be done before the Oct. 3 opener against Winnipeg, not to mention the have all the leverage, it has taken this long and will perhaps take a bit upcoming Traverse City prospects tournament, training camp and the longer. preseason. One of the first tasks will be to get restricted free agents Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux signed with limited remaining cap It’s not a big deal. Standard operating procedure, actually. space. The big deal, which has been brought up, is the possibility of an offer With all that noise, expectations have risen, though they need to be sheet from a team with more cap space, hoping to prey on the Rangers’ tempered. The Rangers expect to be more competitive this season, lack of space. I think the Rangers would let either walk away and take the maybe even challenging for a playoff spot, even though there remains low compensation of a third-round pick. But any team that dares to do work to be done on defense and a gigantic question mark over how they that to the Rangers better beware in July 2021 when the Rangers have will handle their three goalies. Also, plenty of their top prospects won’t be $18.55 million coming off the books (the Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal here for another year at least. and Brendan Smith contracts expire) and can return any favors by tendering retaliatory offer sheets. In other words, beware. So, no, it’s not playoffs or bust for Davidson and Co. after 100 days, nor will it be after 200 and 300. 3) By the way, the Rangers, as of right now and not including entry-level contracts, have only three forwards signed for ’20-21: Mika Zibanejad, Panarin and Buchnevich. 4) Another oddity: The Rangers are running out of Canadians. Staal, Brett Howden and Ryan Strome should be on the roster opening night and perhaps Smith and Greg McKegg. That’s it. Lemieux is a dual citizen who has represented Canada internationally, but he was born in Colorado when his dad, Claude, played for the Avalanche.

5) You never know fully about an athlete (well, in most cases) and Mark Pavelich was a player who never let the media inside his personality – and really seemed distant even to his teammates. Still, it was shocking last week to see the former Rangers (and Miracle 1980 Team USA) center, now 61, arrested for an alleged assault with a pipe on a neighbor.

I always liked speaking to him, though those conversations were rare and mostly brief, and of course I enjoyed watching him play. When I think of Pavelich – in addition to Lake Placid – I always think of the time Herb Brooks put him together with Anders Hedberg and defenseman Reijo Ruotsalainen as a forward and watched them torch the big, bad, slow Bruins on that tiny rink in Boston. Or the time he scored five goals on the night they gave out the red Winston baseball caps at MSG, resulting in three different hat showers.

6) Speaking of getting to know people, in the two years he was here, a lot of which was spent injured, Shattenkirk was a pretty cool cat. There were not many more honest and available athletes I’ve covered than Shattenkirk. The guy got it and was upfront and available, even if you were writing/reporting negatively about his performance.

7) So it was reported by Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet during Minnesota’s search for its vacant GM post (upon the firing of ex-Ranger Paul Fenton) that the Wild was denied permission to interview Drury. Minnesota eventually hired . Drury is being thought of, around hockey, as a future GM. Davidson’s been impressed with his work, as well as that of Gorton.

“One of the great things you do in this business is, when you hire people you let them do their jobs,” Davidson said. “Everybody should know their seat on the bus, carry their seat on the bus, and let things happen. Chris has been really proactive with the Hartford situation and that’s great for Chris. He has aspirations. There’s no question he has aspirations to be a GM in this league some day, but this is how you get there. The right way. When you go through an American League team, there’s a ton of work there. Players are coming and going, and injuries, and this and that, and call-ups, then they need to fill in there. That’s the nature of the beast, along with the demands of draft and development and creating the right culture. It’s a great thing for Chris. Gorts is there mentoring, but … it’s really good.”

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151297 NHL said author called a “Kraken” fan “stupid” for suggesting Totems might spark a lawsuit while another invoked a “krakheads” insult and things devolved from there.

Seattle NHL team’s name? Uniform colors? Here’s where fans rant, vent “When people start to get too heated and call people ‘bastards’ and and even chat over beers about it worse, then we have to shut them up,’’ West said.

The team-jersey discussions are still being permitted as long as Aug. 26, 2019 at 6:00 am Updated Aug. 26, 2019 at 10:08 am conversation stays clean – though since uniforms do incorporate the team’s name, that’s now become a proxy battleground of sorts over By Geoff Baker whether “Kraken’’ is stupid or brilliant.

Still, West admitted, the name moratorium is “a relatively soft ban’’ and not a total block. Inside the NHL “If you have an interesting idea or an article, then we’ll allow The team has no name, no uniforms, no players or coaches, no tickets discussion.’’ for purchase and not even a functioning arena to play in. And the group has had interesting posts: For instance, using their own But Seattle’s incoming NHL franchise does have an unaffiliated creativity or borrowed designs to depict how the team’s uniforms might Facebook fan group that loves chatting about all of the above – and a look with a given name. rather organized group at that. So organized, in fact, the Seattle NHL Hockey Team Fan Page attempted its first official gathering last week at For now, West and three other administrators – two living within the – where else? – The Angry Beaver hockey bar in Greenwood. Puget Sound region and one in Portland – are taking cues from Adrian Dsouza, a Florida resident who founded the page in February 2018. The Only a tableful of fans attended the “Hockey Happy Hour” out of 2,200 or Tampa Bay Lightning season-ticket holder had been moderating “a large so registered page members, but then again, when you’re dealing with a NHL trash-talking meme page’’ while his wife did the same for a large team still two-plus years away from even playing you’ve got to start Lightning fan page and both wanted to see something started here. somewhere. “I’m very excited to see a team coming to Seattle and want to set the “I knew it wasn’t going to be a huge event, but you do the Facebook Live foundation for a fan page based on my experience,’’ Dsouza said in a thing and show people we’re there and then you build off of that,’’ said text message. Jonathan West, one of the page administrators who organized the gathering. As the page grows, he added, he hopes to hand things over to West and others. Dsouza said he sees the page “taking off in a great direction’’ as West said those attending included “a cool mix of folks’’ such as the the team’s launch date approaches. owner of a barbecue catering business and a software developer for a major technology company who sat down over beers to exchange ideas West and other administrators are primarily taking tips from Dsouza on about all the stuff usually discussed online. He sees the makeup of the setting the tone for discussions and what they ultimately want the page to future NHL team’s fan base – and the Facebook group itself – as having be. a large subset of people transplanted from other cities with thriving pro hockey cultures. “We’re just trying to shape the conversation to be more quality than quantity,’’ West said. “If you’re going to go all rah-rah about a particular West knows something about that, being a California native and 20-year name, tell us why you want it.’’ veteran of the broadcasting business now residing in Chicago and doing contract work there. From 2010 to 2012, he lived here and was the He hopes the page eventually leads to group tailgating parties outside in-game host for the junior team and is now KeyArena, or even a dedicated lounge inside where they can meet. pondering a move back to this region as his involvement grows with the By then, of course, the team will already have a name and uniform and Facebook site. fans will – thankfully — be debating whether general manager Ron He’d planned to visit relatives here this month and timed the Facebook Francis should have drafted a fourth-line center ahead of a stay-at-home gathering to coincide. Seattle, he added, still isn’t a thriving NHL market sixth defenseman. like Chicago or even Las Vegas – where he had worked for an ECHL Seattle Times LOADED: 08.27.2019 team – and thus the Angry Beaver gathering marked a first attempt at bringing transplanted and native local fans “out of their shell’’ so the group can grow.

In many ways, delaying the NHL team’s launch by a year to October 2021 has stalled some of the momentum that existed here for professional hockey before last December’s awarding of the team. Then again, it has also created a bottleneck of energy with few places to let it out for devoted local hockey fans eager for any tidbits on the team they can find.

After all, when the biggest news in weeks involves trademarking names – Firebirds, Dragons, Sun, Falcons, Hawks and Eagles at last glance — for an American Hockey League affiliate in Palm Springs not even approved yet, that’s slim pickings indeed.

So, yeah, local NHL die-hards by now have plenty of pent-up energy as they wait for any news at all about Seattle’s club. As we know, social media is a great place to release pent-up energy.

And release it the Facebook group’s members certainly have.

They’ve ranted, vented and enthused about a variety of topics – the team name, of course, being front and center. Under a “Popular Group Topics’’ heading on the site where fans can review past discussions, the “Team Name’’ subject comes first followed by general NHL articles from elsewhere, a “Draft & Prospects’’ section, an “NHL – Other Teams” heading and a “Jersey & Logo’’ section.

In fact, the name discussion became so animated that administrators banned the topic. A recent post suggesting “Totems” got a reply the author was “stuck in the past” — after which, several responses later, 1151298 Ottawa Senators

Senators working on Thomas Chabot extension after signing Colin White

Bruce Garrioch

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 7:28 PM EDT

Pierre Dorion got one big deal off his plate by signing Colin White last week.

As for Thomas Chabot, the Senators’ general manager is working on it.

After getting White, a restricted free agent centre, signed to a six-year, $28.5 million deal with an average annual value of $4.75 million per- season, the Senators have turned their attention to getting the 22-year- old Chabot under contract.

While it’s believed the talks are moving in the right direction and have been ongoing all summer with Chabot’s camp, Dorion was tight-lipped on the subject Monday.

“In the case of Colin White we were able to keep everything very confidential and we were able to get a contract done,” Dorion told Postmedia during a one-on-one interview. “We don’t think talking publicly about any contract negotiations, whether it’s Chabot or any pending UFA, does us any good.

“But we understand the importance of our young core and having them in Ottawa as long as possible.”

Are you confident you’ll be able to get something done?

“We’re going to keep it quiet, we’ve had discussions and I don’t think I should say anymore,” Dorion said.

Dorion said owner Eugene Melnyk has been on board with the decisions made and the club is focused on keeping its young players in the fold.

“Through this process Eugene has been tremendous, as far as support, and understanding the plan,” Dorion said. “Just as an example, I don’t think anyone was more excited than him when we signed Colin White to six years, and the commitment made was great.”

There was concern about getting White signed because there’s a boatload of restricted free agents who haven’t agreed to deals with camps about to start. No, White doesn’t play the same game as the likes of Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine or Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen, but the 22-year-old plays a big role for Ottawa.

“There’s a significant number of (RFA’s) and every situation is different, but for us I think it shows a big commitment on Colin White’s part,” said Dorion. “In speaking to his agent Kent Hughes and to Colin White, he really wanted to be here long-term. He, and a lot of the younger guys are good friends, and they feel we’re headed in the right direction.

“It says a lot about what we’re trying to do here through the rebuild and through everything we’ve done to sign a player of Colin White’s calibre to this kind of term.”

White finished with 14 goals and 41 points last season.

“We just feel there’s a lot of potential there to be better offensively, defensively, but the one thing Colin brings is a tremendous work ethic,” said Dorion. “I always feel with his speed is so underrated because he can drive the lanes, he can penetrate the offensive zone, he’s got elements of a player that will be a very good top six forward as we move along.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151299 Ottawa Senators

Fans will get a first-hand look at Josh Norris as Dorion updates some prospects

Bruce Garrioch

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 6:02 PM EDT

Josh Norris has been given clearance for takeoff.

As the Ottawa Senators rookies report to camp next week, there will be no shortage of eyes on one of the club’s top prospects at centre after he was given the green light for contact . Norris will participate in the three- team rookie tournament with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets that will get under way next Friday at the CAA Arena in Belleville.

General manager Pierre Dorion told Postmedia in a one-on-one interview Monday the 20-year-old centre, who had shoulder surgery as a result of an injury he suffered at the world junior championships last December, is fully healthy and ready to go. Norris was one of the key pieces in the deal that sent Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks last September.

Norris left the University of Michigan to sign with Ottawa.

“He’s all good,” said Dorion. “We were fortunate to see him in the world juniors (with Team USA) in December and his speed, his skill level, his pace of execution is definitely NHL top end. He’s still got things to work on, but as far as play away from the puck and little things you can teach with the overall package, we’re excited.”

Defenceman Max Lajoie, who had hernia surgery that end his season in Belleville, has also been given the green light to participate in main camp in September.

Dorion also provided updates on prospect Lassi Thomson, who was taken in the first-round by the Senators in June in Vancouver, free agent signing Olle Alsing from Sweden and Bern forward Tristan Scherway, who will attend camp on a pro tryout.

ON THOMSON RETURNING TO FINLAND: “We gave him the option of coming back to Kelowna or return to Finland. After discussions with the agent, the family and Lassi, we just felt Ilves will be a great place for him to develop. Our chief European scout Mikko Ruutu said he had to pick a spot to put Lassi, he felt it would be a good spot for him to go.”

ON ALSING STAYING IN SWEDEN: “He skates well, he moves the puck and he impressed us at development camp. He’s a bit of a late-bloomer. We just felt he’s close to the NHL but for him to get closer he should continue his development in a comfortable spot we assigned him back to Djurgarden. We feel it’s the best way to go about it.”

ON SCHERWAY ON A PTO: “He has a contract with Bern. He’s one of the better players in the Swiss league. Our scouts really like him. I’ve had the chance to see him. We’re going to bring him to camp to see how he does with NHL players and it possibly could open the door for something else down the road.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151300 Ottawa Senators

Logan Brown: Joining the Stanley Cup party at home in St. Louis

Ken Warren

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 5:43 PM EDT

Logan Brown got more than he bargained for while returning home to St. Louis for the summer.

He found himself in the middle of the Stanley Cup championship scene, appreciating both the talent of the St. Louis Blues and how the fans embraced the long run to the title. It’s also an experience that Senators left winger Brady Tkachuk went through.

“The whole city was on fire,” said Brown, son of former NHL star defenceman and Ottawa 67’s coach Jeff Brown, who played five of his 13 seasons in St. Louis. “It was pretty great. You dream about hoisting the Stanley Cup and I never really thought about what comes with it after. But watching those guys celebrate and the whole city rally behind them, it definitely adds a little something to it.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151301 Ottawa Senators In the short term, Batherson, Paul, Alex Formenton, Jonathan Davidsson and Rudolfs Balcers are among the forward prospect pool battling with Brown to establish their foothold in the NHL.

Brown hoping for bigger opportunity under new Senators coach D.J. Brown sees nothing but positives in the fact White signed a six-year, Smith $28.5 million contract last week, a deal that extends all the way to the end of the 2024-25 season.

Ken Warren “I don’t think I’m far off of him,” Brown said. “So, I think it’s definitely exciting to kind of see a core coming together and my plan is to be a part Published:August 26, 2019 of that.”

Updated:August 26, 2019 4:49 PM EDT Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019

Logan Brown is welcoming a second chance to make a first impression with the people at the top.

It may have been a long three years since the Ottawa Senators selected the towering playmaking centre 11th overall in the NHL draft, but the way Brown sees it, he’s not carrying as much baggage into the new season.

Brown has often been criticized for inconsistent defensive commitment and former Senators head coach Guy Boucher didn’t trust young players at the best of times. That resulted in a relationship that was as smooth as oil and water. Accordingly, Brown played only two games in the NHL last season, with a grand total of 20 minutes of ice time.

Now, though, D.J. Smith is in charge.

“It is a fresh start, new eyes,” Brown said Monday, following an informal skate with fellow Senators and NHL players in preparation for the opening of rookie camp next week.

“That’s huge. I know my first impression with the last coach (Boucher) wasn’t great and I think it might have affected the last couple of years.”

Smith is from Windsor, where Brown played the bulk of his OHL career. Brown also played for incoming Senators assistant coach Bob Jones when both were with Windsor.

“Knowing D.J., and having a little bit of a relationship with him…it’s definitely exciting through the Windsor days,” said Brown.

Hampered by what he has described as “freak injuries” during his rookie AHL season with Belleville in 2018-19, Brown did establish himself as a first-line presence. Spending much of the season on a line with Drake Batherson and Nick Paul, he scored 14 goals and 28 assists in 56 games.

He can be a dominant presence on a power play and in offensive situations. At 6-6 and 220 pounds, he can create plenty of room for himself and his linemates.

Yet if he has any chance of securing a spot on the opening day roster – Colin White, Artem Anisimov, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Chris Tierney are seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart at centre – he will have to deliver a standout defensive game through rookie camp and main training camp.

Smith has made it clear that there’s no cheating allowed when it comes to being a centre under his system. Strong defensive zone coverage is paramount.

Having not realized his goal of becoming a full-time NHL player, Brown did make a significant change to his summer workout routine.

While he has typically spent the bulk of his summers at the family cottage on Mississippi Lake, he instead stayed at his old home in St. Louis.

“I was with a lot of family and friends,” he said. “I also had a new trainer, a whole new system and I’m feeling great.”

He says he increased the intensity and duration of his workouts.

“I didn’t add any more days, I just added some new things,” he said. “I was two and a half hours in the gym, four to five days a week.

“I wanted to try something new, because in the past I’ve worked as hard as I can, but it just seemed like it wasn’t enough. I just wanted to try a different approach. I want to be in the NHL.”

He also wants to put himself in the company of the Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, Colin White and Christian Jaros, alongside the kids that the organization has pledged to build around – and pay accordingly – in the quest to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in a few years. 1151302 Ottawa Senators Brown, Erik Brannstrom, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Josh Norris and Vitaly Abramov, who will see action here or in Belleville.

“Our expectation isn’t just to see our younger player take a step, we General manager Pierre Dorion excited as Senators' rookies report next want them to take two steps and we’d like to make this process move week along sooner than later,” Dorion said. “For us, it’s about making sure the young players grow, the veterans surround them well and, at the same time, we’ve got to make sure the veterans teach the young players to be Bruce Garrioch the best pros possible. That’s what we’ve gone our and done getting some of these players.” Published:August 26, 2019 For the second straight year, the Senators won’t have a captain. They Updated:August 26, 2019 7:18 PM EDT will likely have three or four alternates that will likely include veteran defencemen Ron Hainsey and Mark Borowiecki.

Pierre Dorion can’t hide his excitement. “We’re in a period transition right now and we know one day whoever that captain will be will likely be one of our young core players,” said The Ottawa Senators’ rookies will report to the rink next Thursday for the Dorion. “We need the captain and the future alternates to really rise and annual tournament that gets under way Sept. 6 in Belleville and take on the leadership role. At this point in time, guys like Hainsey and Thursday, Sept. 12 the veteran players will have their medicals at the other veterans like Borowiecki would be better off answering the Canadian Tire Centre in preparation for the season that will get under questions.” way Oct. 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road at Scotiabank Arena. Dorion had to make changes to get this team headed in the right direction. He knew he couldn’t march out the same group into camp. The Dorion made a host of changes by hiring of coach D.J. Smith and his club is trying to get the fan base excited with single game seats for the staff, a blockbuster trade with the Leafs July 1 to acquire defenceman club’s first four home games set to go on sale Wednesday morning. Nikita Zaitsev and forward Connor Brown, a deal to bring in skilled forward Artem Anisimov from the Chicago Blackhawks and also signed “Our fans are very knowledgable and they understand the process that veteran free agents Ron Hainsey and Tyler Ennis. we’re going through,” Dorion said. “But, at the same time, if we didn’t make any changes _ and we’ve made a lot of changes _ that would be No, a GM’s work is never done, but Dorion has done a lot to give the unacceptable. Senators a different look next season and is hopeful there will be improvement. “Right now, we’re looking at going to camp with this team, but at the same time one call and we could be making more changes. We probably “Heading to camp I feel we’re a better team,” Dorion said in a one-on-one figure to have six, seven or eight players that are 23-and-under this year interview with Postmedia Monday morning at Moe’s World Famous on our team. At the same time, our fans have to understand we can’t just Newport Restaurant in Westboro. “First and foremost, I think the put a bunch of young players on the team. personnel changes that we made are more reflective to the type of team that we want to be. “They need to be surrounded by veterans and sometimes when you put young players on the team too quick it hurts their development. It’s make “We have a lot of faith in coach D.J. Smith and the staff that he’s put sure that when they step in the NHL they can help us win, they can together and, more importantly, the players will see a lot of things are contribute and their confidence keeps on growing for them to be the best going to be different. Our team is going to be so much fun to watch, our player available.” attitude is going to be different and we feel that some of the maturity of some of our young players is really going to be seen this year. QUICK HITS WITH PIERRE DORION

“We know that (finishing) 30th and 31st the last two years is ON NIKITA ZAITSEV: “He’s a great skater, he’s got great feet, he can unacceptable and we know that we’re really going to take a big step hold the line _ which will be important in D.J.’s system _ and he’s forward this year.” somebody that’s ultra-competitive. Having sat with him, you can tell how much pride he has and how much he wants to be part of it. He’s Naturally, the biggest change for Dorion, who is heading into his fourth someone we’re happy to have because we know with his skating ability season as GM, was the hiring of Smith, a former Leafs’ assistant who he’s someone that’s going to be able to contribute for us for the next five won a Memorial Cup with the OHL’s in 2015. years.”

“We feel we’ve put elements in place that are going to allow us to have ON CONNOR BROWN: “As much as we’re excited to have Zaitsev in the success in the long-term,” said Dorion. “The thing we’re most excited trade, the guy we were after since the season ended was Connor Brown about is our coaching staff, bringing in D.J. we feel the attitude is going to even before we hired D.J. We just feel he was someone on a very skilled be totally different. There’s going to be a different vibe, a different type of team that probably didn’t get the offensive looks he would have gotten on energy. a lot of other teams in the NHL. He’s going to come here and we feel he’s going to get back to being the 20-goal scorer he was in his rookie year. “D.J. knows that wins and losses are important. We have to improve, but at the same time the growth, the development and the improvement of ON RON HAINSEY AND TYLER ENNIS: “Both had other opportunities these younger players is going to be even more important.” and both decided to come here which says a lot about these players. Our team might not be a Cup contender, but they want to be part of So, how does Smith walk the fine line between winning and developing something. Hainsey was a big one for us because we know what he’s players? done with younger defencemen with his previous teams, he’s a Stanley “There’s always a fine line between winning and losing but at the same Cup winner, he’s seen it all, we know he skates every day and he wants time if you know you have to sacrifice of certain players for the growth, to show he can play more than a year.” improvement and progression of your younger players, D.J. knows he ON A CAPTAIN: “We feel a captain will probably emerge from that group has to do that,” Dorion said. “He’s done it in the past when he was in (of young players) but if we feel there’s a veteran leader that deserves to junior with Oshawa and they won a Memorial Cup within three years. be captain we’ll also have to look at that. For the 2019-20 season, we “What we like is his approach with the players, the enthusiasm is he’s don’t feel there’s any need to have a captain at this point in time.” going to bring every day to the rink win or lose and he’s just going to find ON ARTEM ANISIMOV: “We just feel he’s better suited for the type of a way to make this team better day-in and day-out. He will find a way to game we’re going to play. This was just a hockey trade. We like the fact make this team better and find a way to make the young players better. he’s had four 20-goal seasons, he’s a complete 200-foot player that can “We still have to improve to get to the playoffs, but this year we’ll take the play special teams. He checks off a lot of the boxes we’re looking for. It right path to get to the playoffs.” alleviates some of the pressure from our younger centres if they’re not ready to be responsible for a 200 foot game.” Not many are picking the Senators to go to the post-season, but Dorion believes Smith will help guide the likes of Thomas Chabot, Brady Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 Tkachuk, Colin White and Christian Jaros along with top prospects Logan 1151303 Philadelphia Flyers

No panic from Flyers GM as Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny remain unsigned

by Sam Carchidi,

Defenseman Ivan Provorov and right winger Travis Konecny, key players on a Flyers team that opens training camp Sept. 13, are still unsigned restricted free agents.

But there is no panic in general manager ’s voice. Fletcher is still negotiating with the players’ agents, and his concern level is low.

“You look around the league and it seems to be a common theme with a lot of RFAs,” Fletcher said Monday. “There just seems to be dialogue, but not a lot of deals getting done. I think as we get closer to camp, obviously the urgency on both sides will pick up.”

Provorov, 22, is coming off a turnover-plagued season in which he managed just seven goals – 10 fewer than the previous year – and was minus-16. He was sixth in the NHL, averaging 25 minutes, 7 seconds of ice time per game.

Konecny, 22, scored 24 goals for the second consecutive season.

Provorov could be joined on the Flyers’ No. 1 pairing by Matt Niskanen, who was acquired from Washington. Konecny could be the right winger on the top line, which will be anchored by center Sean Couturier (33 goals, 76 points) and left winger Claude Giroux (22 goals, 85 points).

“We’ll keep working at it,” Fletcher said of the negotiations. “They’re good young players and we expect to have them signed and ready to go as soon as we can. … Right now, the landscape league-wide is murky, and I think things will start to clear up in the next few weeks. At this point, I’m not concerned. This has been the trend the last few years.”

Columbus’ Zach Werenski and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy are RFA defensemen whose signings could impact how much Provorov receives. Earlier this summer, defenseman Jacob Trouba, coming off a 50-point season, signed a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Rangers as an RFA. Trouba has been a “plus” player in each of his six NHL seasons, all with Winnipeg.

Fletcher has said he was “open” to either a bridge or long-term deal with Konecny and/or Provorov.

Konecny is expected to get a contract with an average annual salary of around $4 million to $4.5 million. Provorov could get a deal that pays around $7 million per season.

Pitlick injured

Tyler Pitlick, the leading candidate to be the Flyers’ fourth-line right winger, had surgery last week to repair a tendon in his left wrist, Fletcher said. Pitlick, according to Fletcher, suffered the injury during an offseason workout and is scheduled to begin his rehab Sept. 2.

The Flyers hope he will be ready for their opener Oct. 4.

In June, the Flyers acquired Pitlick by sending Ryan Hartman to Dallas. Pitlick, a Minnesota native who missed time last season because of a wrist injury, scored eight goals in 47 games.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151304 Philadelphia Flyers

The newest Flyers' fan makes his debut in the arms of dad Claude Giroux

By Brooke Destra August 26, 2019 5:30 PM

Talk about getting your fix of elite babies within the city of Philadelphia.

Shortly after Bryce Harper and wife Kayla announced the birth of their son Krew, captain Claude Giroux and his wife Ryanne also welcomed their baby boy and newest Flyers’ fan to the world.

The couple first announced the pregnancy this past Valentine’s Day and have spent the offseason getting ready to grow their family in Ottawa, Ontario.

With it almost being time to report back to Philadelphia for training camp, Uncle Gritty is already in the process of making baby Giroux feel as welcomed as possible.

Now the one question that remains— aside from the name of the newest addition to the family— will there be another Giroux in the organization once the 2037 draft comes around?

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151305 Philadelphia Flyers Laughton) and a brief stretch late in the season with Konecny (and Laughton).

The two players’ production fit the disparity in usage. Laughton delivered As competition heats up, analyzing how Scott Laughton and Michael a career-high 32-point season while Raffl managed just 18. It’s easy to Raffl factor in Flyers’ plans in 2019-20 and beyond see why the former received just under 15 minutes per game, while the latter found himself limited to a career-low 11:25 per night. One player was scoring and impacting the game consistently; the other was far more By Charlie O'Connor Aug 26, 2019 quiet on a nightly basis.

And yet the club prioritized the retention of both. Laughton was no surprise — the Flyers held his rights as a restricted free agent, making Every player on an NHL team can’t be a star. his eventual two-year, $4.6 million contract essentially a given. But Raffl There are a few obvious reasons this is true. The salary cap, for starters, entered 2018-19 as a pending unrestricted free agent, and even had to prevents clubs from stacking their lineups with only high-priced talent. sweat it out a bit on trade deadline day. Ultimately, he stuck around and But there are also 31 teams (soon to be 32) in the league, and compiling signed a two-year extension on March 26 with a $1.6 million cap hit, one enough talent to roll four lines of top-end scorers and three pairs of of the few truly newsworthy parts of Raffl’s season. impact blueliners (not to mention two stud goalies) would take a Laughton’s career on an upward swing Herculean effort of general managing. The rosters from The Athletic’s recent Contraction Draft existed only in the theoretical realm, after all. It wasn’t long ago that Laughton’s place as a full-time NHL player was still in doubt. As a result, identifying useful bottom-of-the-lineup players becomes an essential part of building a true contender. Depth forwards and After all, he spent the entire 2016-17 season in the AHL with the Lehigh defensemen won’t win a team a title — high-end talent still drives the bus Valley Phantoms, as the organization tried to train him to be more of a — but they certainly can lose them, as the Pittsburgh Penguins proved in two-way role player. Considering the Flyers played Chris VandeVelde for the first half of the 2010s. If an organization can’t fill out a roster with 81 games that season, it’s fair to surmise that on pure talent, Laughton useful players, it won’t top the standings and almost certainly won’t be probably deserved to be with the big club. But it’s also hard to argue that hoisting the Stanley Cup. the “recalibration” of Laughton’s style in the minors didn’t pay dividends.

Which, from a Flyers perspective, brings us to the duo of Scott Laughton Laughton has essentially reinvented himself as a bottom-six swingman. and Michael Raffl. He can play center. He can play wing, on the left and right side. He can play on a fourth line. He can hold his own talent-wise on a scoring line. Neither Laughton nor Raffl will be making an All-Star team anytime soon. He’s basically a coach’s best friend, at least when it comes to putting They won’t lead the scoresheet in a given month, let alone a full season. together a lineup in a pinch. But they both signed two-year extensions in the past six months for a very clear reason: General manager Chuck Fletcher sees them as The 2018-19 season was clearly the best year of Laughton’s career. His above-average bottom-six forwards on a contending team. point total (32) stands out the most – it’s just one behind Oskar Lindblom, a player perceived to have much higher offensive upside — but his gains But the life of a bottom-of-the-lineup player is not a secure one. Those in two-way play can’t be ignored, either. Both Micah Blake McCurdy’s players know that even if they’re viewed as key depth cogs on a club one work at HockeyViz.com and Evolving Wild’s Regularized-Adjusted Plus- day, their status can decline rapidly. And when an organization has one Minus stat graded him as plus over the past two years based on of the deepest prospect pipelines, with multiple youngsters banging on impacting shot quality at even strength. the NHL door, players such as Laughton and Raffl have only one course of action: continue to deliver above-average results in their roles, or Season xG RAPM watch them gradually slip away. 2018-19 +0.070 With Laughton and Raffl, on-ice usage found a way to mimic off-ice camaraderie in 2018-19. Raffl had no more frequent linemate at 5-on-5 2017-18 +0.036 than Laughton, and Laughton could say the same for Raffl. It seemed 2016-17 in AHL appropriate considering their off-ice friendship — the two constantly chatter in their corner of the locker room. 2015-16 -0.079

But don’t take their extensive time together at 5-on-5 to mean they had He can chip in with points here and there as well. No one is confusing identical usage. Throughout the season, Raffl almost exclusively skated Laughton for an offensive dynamo, but in 2018-19, he ranked 207th on the fourth line. And while Laughton also toiled away down there, he among NHL forwards with at least 400 minutes at 5-on-5 in Points/60 spent far more time higher in the lineup, playing on the Flyers’ third or minutes — that puts him in high-end third-liner territory if one assumes even second line. the first 93 players are top-liners (31 teams, three players per line) and the first 196 are “top-sixers.” Removing secondary assists from the In many ways, Laughton became the “first man up” when a scorer’s role equation, he still sits 229th in Primary Points/60, which is still solidly in became available. He slid in for James van Riemsdyk with Mikhail the Line 3 realm. Vorobyev and Wayne Simmonds in October, when the free-agent signing suffered his tough-luck injury in Game 2. Laughton spent time with Nolan At 25, Scott Laughton can now confidently say that he’s carved out a role Patrick and Jakub Voracek shortly thereafter, as well. for himself as a useful NHL bottom-sixer — and he’d hold that title on any team, not just the mediocre Flyers. And then, there was pretty much the entire second half of the season. Raffl’s career trending downward After the trade of Jordan Weal to Montreal and Vorobyev’s inability to establish himself as an NHL-caliber player, a clear, seemingly permanent When discussing Raffl, it’s important to remember that he once was one place became available on one of the top three lines. Laughton largely of the more underrated forwards in all of hockey. filled it, continually adapting his style and position for the line he joined. He played wing with Simmonds and Patrick, center with Ryan Hartman Shortly after earning an NHL job at 24, Raffl found a role as the play- and van Riemsdyk on a scoring trio, and even functioned as the pivot on driving third piece on the Flyers’ top line with Giroux and Voracek. His a “super pest” line with Hartman and Travis Konecny. Over the final 41 raw numbers have never been terribly impressive — though he did break games, only Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Voracek and van Riemsdyk the 20-goal mark once, in 2014-15 — but that was largely because he averaged more minutes per night at 5-on-5 as forwards than Laughton. saw no power-play time and still received only third-line minutes in terms of volume, even if his most frequent linemates were first-liners. Raffl, on the other hand, stayed near the bottom of the lineup throughout the season. He suffered his annual semi-serious injury in late October — Advanced metrics loved Raffl, who had a knack for not just keeping up in six NHL seasons, he’s cleared the 75-game mark only twice — with Giroux and Voracek, but also actively pushing up their shot and missing a month of action. When Raffl did play, he largely assumed chance differentials. He kicked off his NHL career with two consecutive fourth-line duties, aside from a mid-December stint with Patrick (and 8.0+ Goals Above Replacement years by Evolving Wild’s metric and delivered a perfectly solid 5.9 in 2015-16. Raffl wasn’t a star, but he was a quality piece on a roster that conspicuously lacked them. In recent years, however, his results have undeniably declined. It started The big question for Laughton and Raffl is one of fit in the 2019-20 in 2016-17, when Raffl’s play-driving ability with the big guns held but his lineup, and beyond. Yes, either could win the final spot in the top nine, scoring disappeared, which cost him all those cushy minutes with Giroux with Laughton’s odds significantly better than those of Raffl. But even if and Voracek. Over the past two seasons, the Flyers have used him as a prospects such as Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, German Rubtsov and traditional bottom-sixer, and for good reason. Now away from the stars, Isaac Ratcliffe fail to impress enough at September’s camp to earn the Raffl’s vaunted advanced-stat supremacy has been whittled down to open spot on the Flyers’ depth chart, they’re all gunning for spots in the mediocrity. future. Beyond them, players such as Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Vorobyev, David Kaše, Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski will provide Season xG RAPM Corsi RAPM constant pressure on the Flyers’ fourth-liners over the next few seasons. 2018-19 -0.153 -1.52 Play well or lose your job.

2017-18 +0.058 +1.68 Laughton’s best-case scenario is that he takes another step forward and becomes a clear middle-sixer rather than a bottom-sixer. Raffl’s ideal 2016-17 -0.191 +2.20 path would be to play well enough to make himself an indispensable role player in the bottom six for the length of his two-year contract. 2015-16 +0.199 +7.03 But there are downsides for both as well. Laughton could become locked 2014-15 +0.143 +6.49 out of a scoring role by one or more of the talented young forward 2013-14 +0.152 +4.51 prospects trying to push their way to the NHL. Raffl could find himself in the press box or even demoted to the minors if his downward trend To be sure, the downgrade in quality of teammates has impacted Raffl’s continues and quite a few of the youngsters bang down the door. Neither results, even if the RAPM metric does try to account for it. But it’s not fair player can rest on his laurels. to say — as many of Raffl’s detractors do — that the Austrian winger was always of fourth-line quality, and Giroux and Voracek carried him. In The bottom of the Flyers’ lineup is getting very competitive, very quickly Raffl’s prime, he actually boosted the results of his well-known — just as Fletcher (and before him) wanted. Soon enough, teammates. But the days of Raffl having the ability to do so seem to be in even truly useful players such as Laughton and Raffl will feel the the rearview mirror. resulting pressure. How they deal with it will make all the difference.

Has Laughton surpassed Raffl? All statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, The Energy Line and Evolving Hockey. So Laughton’s career is on an upward trajectory, and Raffl’s is clearly trending downward. That’s easy to prove, and would be expected The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 considering their respective ages — Laughton just turned 25, and Raffl will be 31 in December.

But just because the two are on opposite trajectories doesn’t necessarily mean that Laughton is now dramatically better than Raffl.

After all, just three seasons ago, Raffl was playing alongside two of the better forwards in hockey, while Laughton plied his trade in the AHL. Raffl had a long way to fall and Laughton a long way to go before they met from a results standpoint. So has that happened? As it turns out, over the past two seasons, Laughton and Raffl have more or less been the same guy at 5-on-5.

Player Points/60 Corsi For% CF% RelTM xG For% xGF% RelTM

Scott Laughton 1.40 47.15% -0.62% 49.53% +2.30%

Michael Raffl 1.26 47.85% -0.30% 48.18% -0.63%

Laughton is probably the better player now — he’s a bit more efficient as a scorer and has shown a mild capacity to drive shot quality, in addition to possessing the ability to play center (which Raffl lacks).

But their resumes aren’t far off. Raffl might be in decline and Laughton on the ascent, but in the here and now, they’re both useful bottom-sixers who can provide some offense without negatively impacting their teammates’ play-driving results.

Basically, if you think Laughton is a perfectly acceptable forward, then you should believe that of Raffl, too.

Entering the 2019-20 season, there are quite a few similarities between Laughton and Raffl.

Both are on reasonably priced two-year contracts. Both will enter camp as plausible candidates for the final open spot in the top nine. Both have showcased an ability to play up in the lineup for stretches, but recent track records imply they would provide maximum value to the Flyers as high-end fourth liners.

That said, it’s far more likely that Laughton could exceed the “he’s just a good fourth-liner on a good team” valuation. Laughton is still in his age- related prime, and again, his results are trending upward. In addition, Laughton chose to sign a two-year deal that takes him directly into unrestricted free agency for a reason — he clearly believes he has more to give over the next couple seasons, and if he’s right, he’d be set up for a much larger payday in the summer of 2021 than he was likely offered by the Flyers on a long-term deal this year. That confidence shouldn’t be discounted. 1151306 Pittsburgh Penguins THE PREDICTION

B. Top 10

Penguins Predictions: Will Kris Letang remain among game’s elite Letang is a multi-faceted player. Yes, in an effort to make plays, he defensemen? probably makes more mistakes with the puck than the average defender. Yes, he’s prone to injuries at this stage in his career. Most importantly, he’s a dynamic skater and puck mover who drives his team’s offensive JONATHAN BOMBULIE | Monday, August 26, 2019 6:01 a.m. attack as well as any defenseman in the league. Add it up and top 10 sounds about right.

Follow the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long. The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins gathered in their locker room at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, defenseman Kris Letang Tribune Review LOADED: 08.27.2019 supplied the fireworks.

In the wake of a couple of high-profile mistakes that cost his team goals in a first-round playoff loss to the New York Islanders a few days earlier, Letang emphatically bristled at the idea that he needed to do some soul searching.

“I don’t think the (answer) is to change my whole game,” Letang said. “I am not going to (allow) three plays in my whole year (change) the type of game I play, you know?”

So is that good news or bad news for the Penguins?

Looking at the big picture, it’s very good.

Letang is coming off one of the finest seasons in his 13-year NHL career. His 16 goals tied a career high. His 56 points were the second-best total of his career. Most impressively, he finished as a plus-13 despite being on the ice for 11 shorthanded goals against and nine empty-net goals the Penguins allowed.

If Letang turns in the exact same regular season performance that he did a year ago, the Penguins will take that and smile all the way to the playoffs.

The Penguins reportedly explored the idea of trading Letang in what would have been a seismic roster shake-up in the offseason. They didn’t move him, of course, perhaps discovering a truth that the numbers from last season illustrate pretty well.

Letang is an indispensible part of the team’s attack. When he was on the ice at five on five, the Penguins outscored their opponents, 78-49. When he wasn’t, they outscored foes only 104-101.

Where would they be if he fundamentally changed his game?

THE QUESTION

Where will Letang finish in the Norris Trophy voting?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A. Top five

Letang has the kind of profile that attracts Norris voters. First, he has eye-catching offensive numbers. Last year, he finished fifth among NHL defensemen in goals and eighth in points. Second, he has name value. Letang has been a key cog for a championship-level team for more than a decade. Finally, there’s a good chance he’ll be on the ice for considerably more goals for than goals against, which is, after all, the name of the game.

B. Top 10

Whether it’s because he missed some games to injury or was overshadowed by other candidates, Letang has only finished in the top five in Norris voting twice in his career. He’s finished between sixth and ninth four times, including a sixth-place showing last year. It’s not reasonable to ask Letang to have a better year at age 32 than he did at age 31, and status quo should get him in the back end of the top 10.

C. Outside the top 10

The discussion about Letang changing his game can easily be dismissed as talk-radio fodder that isn’t an actual concern in the real world. Letang’s injury history, on the other hand, is something the Penguins can legitimately worry about. He’s got a surgically repaired neck and a history of concussions. He plays an aggressive style, sticking his nose into physical situations on a regular basis. He was limited to 65 games last season. It’s hard for him to keep his games-played total high enough to receive many awards votes. 1151307 San Jose Sharks driving shot snuck through Blues netminder , sending the San Jose bench into pandemonium. Friesen made it 3-0 less than six minutes into the second, and St. Louis was officially done for.

Sharks' most important trades in franchise history: Acquiring Owen Nolan Nolan totaled 115 points in 132 games over the next two regular seasons, the first two 40-win seasons in franchise history. San Jose then took a step back in 2002-03, and Nolan was traded to Toronto late in the By Brian Witt August 26, 2019 2:59 PM season. Despite the lackluster conclusion to his Sharks' career, Nolan is celebrated as one of the greatest players in franchise history, still ranking

in the top six in goals (206), assists (245), points (451) and penalty Editor's Note: For having only existed as an NHL franchise for 27 minutes (934). seasons, the Sharks sure have been involved in a seemingly inordinate Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 number of headline-stealing trades. Some of the greatest players in San Jose franchise history have been acquired via trade, and each has inevitably played a major role in the successful evolution from expansion team to perennial cup contender. This week, NBC Sports California will look back at the five most important trades in Sharks franchise history, beginning with the trade for Owen Nolan.

Like most expansion franchises, the Sharks weren't very good their first handful of seasons in the NHL. After debuting in 1991-92, San Jose reeled off back-to-back last-place finishes in the conference in its first two years of existence. The next two years, the Sharks qualified for the postseason, but lacked the kind of high-end talent to pose a significant threat (don't tell that to the 1993-94 Red Wings).

San Jose went winless over the first 11 games of the 1995-96 season, in what would lay the groundwork for Kevin Constantine's dismissal as head coach. But after the seventh consecutive non-victory to begin the season, the Sharks made one of the most important trades in franchise history that would eventually help establish the perennial playoff team we've come to know today.

On Oct. 26, 1995, San Jose traded defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for winger Owen Nolan, and the Sharks franchise was changed forever.

The trade didn't reap immediate benefits, mind you, at least not for San Jose. The Sharks would go on to a last-place finish that season, over which Nolan tallied a team-leading 29 goals in 72 games. The Avalanche, meanwhile, went on to win their first-ever Stanley Cup, with Ozolinsh contributing 50 points from the blue line.

It wasn't a trade for the now, though. It was about the future.

The next season, San Jose improved by seven victories, and Nolan led the Sharks with 31 goals and 63 points over 72 games, not including his called-shot against Dominik Hasek in the 1997 All-Star Game, for which San Jose was the host. Since that season, the Sharks have missed the playoffs a grand total of two times.

Owen Nolan calls his shot against Hasek 1997 All Star Game pic.twitter.com/5XxcJdJgPl

— Classic NHL Clips (@90sNHL) February 8, 2019

While Nolan's numbers weren't as prolific in 1997-98, he ranked second on the team in scoring and led San Jose to a postseason berth. Heading into the next season, Nolan was named the seventh captain in franchise history. Then, during the 1999-00 season, everything clicked.

Playing on a line with recently-acquired center Vincent Damphousse and speedster Jeff Friesen, Nolan experienced the best season of his career, tallying a career-high 44 goals, 40 assists and 84 points in leading the Sharks to an eighth-place regular-season finish in the Western Conference. That pitted them against the President's Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues in the first round, a series most pundits expected to be a sweep at San Jose's expense.

The pundits, of course, were wrong, and Nolan had plenty to do with it.

After dropping the first game in St. Louis, the Sharks won the next three games of the series to put the top seed on the brink, but the Blues battled back to force a Game 7 back at their home barn. Fourth-line winger Ron Stern -- he of four regular-season goals that year -- scored less than three minutes into the game to give San Jose an early lead, one the Sharks would maintain throughout the entire first period. But just before that period came to an end, Nolan scored one of the most memorable goals in franchise history while simultaneously dealing a crushing blow to St. Louis' hopes.

With just over 10 seconds remaining in the opening period, Nolan launched a blistering slap shot from just across center ice. The high, 1151308 St Louis Blues

Blues unveil logo for 2020 All-Star Game

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 3 hrs ago 0

The Blues and the NHL unveiled the logo for the 2020 All-Star Game, which features the Arch, horns and some very subtly hidden piano keys.

The keys are part of the tail of the A and the L's that make up the word All in All-Star, and are part of the music theme that originates, of course, with the team's name.

All-Star Weekend will be at Enterprise Center on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25. Friday will have the league's skills competition, starting at 7 p.m. The game is Saturday at 7 p.m.

Presale of All-Star Game Weekend tickets begins on Wednesday for Blues 2019-20 full season ticket holders.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151309 St Louis Blues “When we’re checking in, it’s a process of first making sure that it’s going to get on the flight,” Pritchard said. “But by the time the guys are putting it on the plane, we are at the gate, so we can see it. Or the guys often When the Stanley Cup went missing last week, it took teamwork to get it come over and say, ‘Hey, it’s on the plane.’ Once it’s on, you can sit back back and have your nap, do your work or whatever.”

For example, Pritchard tweeted on Aug. 13 when the Cup was traveling through Sweden. In the picture on the right, the case can clearly be seen By Jeremy Rutherford Aug 26, 2019 being loaded into the plane.

But Pritchard said that wasn’t possible when the Cup was being transferred at Munich International Airport. Every summer, Philip Pritchard, aka the “Keeper of the Cup,” goes on a camping trip to Lake Huron in Grand Bend, Ontario. “It’s a huge airport, so you don’t get to see that part,” he said, also acknowledging no one confirmed to him that it was on the plane. “I’ve been camping with my same buddies since high school and we go the same week every year,” Pritchard said. “We had 52 people this year In Toronto, where it’s 6:30 p.m., Pritchard and Bolt learn the Cup is still in — fish fry, swimming in the lake, the whole bit. It’s a great, relaxing Germany, where it’s 12:30 a.m. the next day. And though the message thing.” about their luggage being left behind was from Air Canada, the agent in charge of the claim was from Lufthansa, which didn’t help. This year, Pritchard really needed the R&R because just a few days earlier, the Stanley Cup disappeared on the way from Vladimir “They ask, ‘What is it?’ so you tell them,” Pritchard said. “We were Tarasenko’s hometown of Novosibirsk in Russia to Bill Armstrong’s explaining to them how big it is and you explain the case, and then you hometown of Toronto. tell them what’s inside it. That whole experience is unique when you get a hockey fan because they’re passionate about it, and they get it right The NHL’s hallowed 127-year-old trophy, won by the Blues in June, away. But (the Lufthansa agent) wasn’t very passionate about hockey. wasn’t technically “lost,” because airline officials immediately tracked its They told us it’s in Munich, and the next Lufthansa flight is tomorrow, and whereabouts. But it hadn’t made the trip back to North America with it will get in tomorrow night.” Pritchard, setting off a scramble that lasted about 20 hours before the Cup was back in its keeper’s possession. So, the Cup was never actually lost.

“As anyone who has traveled knows, sometimes your bags get lost,” he “No, because in today’s world, they scan that code and can tell where it said. “Right or wrong, flights sometimes miss their bags and this was the is all the time, which is great,” Pritchard said. “The big issue is, the next case. For us with the Cup, though, it has a ripple effect. But thankfully, Lufthansa flight isn’t until tomorrow afternoon, which is tough. You go, there’s a lot of hockey fans in the airline industry, and through Air ‘We’ve got to get it here earlier than that.'” Canada’s efforts, we got it back.” Pritchard said they got a hold of their friends at Air Canada, who are big Since the start of the Stanley Cup’s journey in early July, all of its travels hockey fans, “so they get it. They said, ‘Well, let’s make some phone had happened with only one hiccup. On Aug. 1, when it was going from calls and emails and see what we can do.'” Quebec City, Quebec, to Fredericton, New Brunswick, there was a 1 1/2- hour flight delay, but “it wasn’t really a big thing,” Pritchard said. Meanwhile, a call was made to Armstrong.

A few weeks later, the Cup successfully made it to Europe, stopping in “When you’ve got a Stanley Cup day that you’ve worked your whole life Sweden, Finland and Russia. for, you’ve invited a lot of people,” Pritchard said. “He’s got to adjust his day, and at that time, we still have no guarantee that we’re going to get it The next celebration would be for Armstrong, the Blues’ assistant general back the next day.” manager, in Toronto on Aug. 21. The trip is a three-legged flight — Novosibirsk to Moscow; Moscow to Munich, Germany; Munich to His phone rang at 7:55 p.m. Toronto. “I knew who it was and I thought they were calling to make arrangements “At the Novosibirsk airport, Tarasenko had people there, so they made for the next day,” Armstrong said. “And he was, just a little different sure it got on,” Pritchard said. “When we got to Moscow, we were told it’s arrangements than I thought. They said, ‘We’ve got a problem. The Cup on. We didn’t see the Cup, but we saw the case. So everything went well is stuck over in Germany and it’s not going to make it in.’ I had to pull off in Moscow, and everything went well when we arrived in Munich. We had the road and say, ‘Hold on, now what did you say?’ I can handle almost to get it off (the airplane) because we had to clear customs, so we had anything, but my concern was the two parties we were attending with the the Cup with us. We rechecked it, and for some reason, it didn’t get on Cup and the disappointment of the people.” the flight from Munich to Toronto.” During that disappointment, Air Canada found a flight leaving Munich at Along with colleague Mike Bolt, Pritchard made the nearly nine-hour flight 11 a.m. on Aug. 20 that would arrive in Toronto around 2 p.m. Agents in on Lufthansa to Toronto Pearson Airport and didn’t find out the Cup Toronto were on the phone with the agents in Munich at 2 a.m in wasn’t with them until leaving the plane. They were in the process of Canada, which was 8 a.m. in Germany, making sure the Cup made the picking up a car rental when Bolt heard his name called on the intercom flight. at Toronto Pearson Airport. “Just like hockey is a team event to win the Cup, it was a team event to “‘Mike Bolt, please see the Air Canada rep!'” Pritchard said. “Right there get the Cup back into Toronto,” Pritchard said. you’re going, ‘That’s a red flag!’ You’re going uh-oh because they don’t Philip Pritchard (Jeremy Rutherford / The Athletic) call you unless your luggage is missing. They ain’t calling us over to say that we were the one-millionth passenger. They knew right away that, Armstrong’s family was supposed to have breakfast with the Cup in ‘Hey, this bag didn’t make it.'” Toronto the next morning, which they did — minus the trophy. He also wasn’t able to take it to the Richmond Hill police and fire departments, or Typically, when the Cup travels, Pritchard and his crew will make to a children’s hospital. Armstrong can’t get extra time because doing so arrangements with the airline so everyone understands the preciousness would affect several members of the equipment and athletic training of the cargo. The trophy weighs 35 pounds, but the total weight in its staffs, whose days with the Cup were coming up. black case is 90 pounds, so it’s considered oversized luggage. Finally, after the drive from the airport to Armstrong’s festivities, it arrived “We work closely with them and let them know ahead of time,” Pritchard at 3 p.m. said. “But like everybody, we have to clear TSA, so every bag gets checked. We actually have the TSA guys come up to us and check “Mike Bolt and Pritchard, they did an unbelievable job of getting it to us,” through the Cup, make sure it’s OK, and then we lock it up, clear Armstrong said. “They battled very hard to get it on different airlines, customs, and then go through security without it.” which is not easy. They did a great job getting it to us and at least we were able to salvage the half day with it.” The Stanley Cup in its carrying case. (Philip Pritchard / NHL) One of Armstrong’s good friends threw a party at a backyard rink To be safe, when possible, they will watch the Cup be placed on the decorated in Blues gear. There were about 350 people in attendance, plane. including his youth hockey coaches, teachers, neighbors and children with whom he grew up.

Armstrong was then inducted into the Richmond Hill Hall of Fame, after which Mayor Dave Barrow named him mayor for the remaining time left in the workday, which was about an hour.

“I reduced the taxes of the person who was hosting the party,” Armstrong joked. “That’s the only thing that I committed to in that one hour.”

There was another party in Toronto and a nightcap at McSorley’s, a local bar where some patrons got a surprise when the Cup showed up. That ended around midnight.

“It’s a wonderful day,” Armstrong said. “It’s really about the people getting to see it and the magic of the Cup on the people’s faces. So from 3 p.m. until the day ended, it was magical. If you didn’t know that we had planned it in the morning, you would have said that it was a perfect day.”

It wasn’t the first time the Cup went missing.

“Oh yeah, it’s happened,” Pritchard said. “I remember the first time we went to the Czech Republic — Roman Turek, 1999, the backup goalie for the Dallas Stars — and it didn’t make the connection through Germany into Prague. Roman had a big day planned, and the town got into it. I remember cell phones weren’t a thing, so we’re in the airport and he’s on a landline, and they connected it to the microphone in town and he’s explaining what was happening. That was legit lost because we were looking for the bag and they found it. Now fast forward 20 years and it happens again. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen again.”

The Stanley Cup has been riding around in style in St. Louis (Jeremy Rutherford / The Athletic)

At least Pritchard was able to relax after it happened this time.

“My five-day camping trip finished (Sunday) morning at 9 a.m., and my wife drove me down to the 401 in London (Ontario) and Mike (Bolt) picked me up on the way,” he said. “Everything went with my wife and I got in the car and drove 12 1/2 hours here to St. Louis. I haven’t been home from camping yet.”

The “Keeper of the Cup” hasn’t been home, but the Cup now is.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151310 Toronto Maple Leafs The Flames will also be without defenceman Juuso Valimaki — a first- round draft pick in 2017 — to start the season because the 20-year-old tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in early August.

Mark Giordano motivated to live up to Norris Trophy-winner label “The hardest part is the initial part when you don’t know how long you’re going to be out,” Giordano said.

By Donna SpencerThe Canadian Press “Once you can get to that rehab stage, he’ll be fine. It was tough news to hear because he’s a big part of our team already and he’s going to be a Mon., Aug. 26, 2019 huge part of this organization going forward.”

Former Edmonton Oilers winger Milan Lucic and goaltender Cam Talbot will be Flames this season. CALGARY—Mark Giordano will have “Norris Trophy winner” attached to his name this NHL season. Calgary sent James Neal to Edmonton for the 31-year-old Lucic in a swap of underperforming, contract-heavy forwards. The only Calgary Flame to win the award that goes to the league’s top defenceman says the label motivates him. “Hey listen, playing against Luc for a lot of years, he’s a game-breaking type of guy who plays well in the big games and has a lot of experience “You want to prove it’s not just a one-time thing,” Giordano said Monday. obviously,” Giordano said. “You want to keep going and improve. If you look around the league and “I think everyone knows he’s a presence out there. He’s going to be a look at all the best players, the one thing they are is really consistent. I leader for us and help our team.” want to try and be that and have a good year.” Toronto Star LOADED: 08.27.2019 Giordano became just the fourth defenceman in the 65-year history of the trophy to win it after turning 35, following Nicklas Lidstrom, Doug Harvey and Al MacInnis.

The conclusion of his acceptance speech at the NHL awards in June — “Let’s keep this going. I feel young. I feel fresh” — became amusing summer fodder for friends and teammates.

“I’m still getting the text messages and the hashtag ‘young and fresh’ sent to me pretty much weekly,” said Giordano, who turns 36 on Oct. 3.

“A couple of the boys reached out right away and a couple friends back home have made T-shirts with the hashtag. I wouldn’t say I’ve lived it down yet.”

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...

But Giordano feeling young and fresh bodes well for the Flames’ fortunes in 2019-20, when he’ll be captain for a seventh season.

The six-foot-one, 200-pound defender from Toronto led the league with a plus-39 rating last season. Giordano ranked second in scoring with a career-high 17 goals and 57 assists.

Teammate and fellow defenceman Travis Hamonic dubbed him “Mr. Everything.”

The Flames topped the NHL’s Western Conference with a 107-point season — the team’s best since winning the Stanley Cup in 1989 — only to fall in five games to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of playoffs.

A summer away didn’t decrease Giordano’s dissatisfaction with an early playoff exit.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...

“It stings, just because of the way we went out,” he said. “Talking to the other guys, we didn’t get to our style of game that we pretty much did the whole season. We weren’t as aggressive and playing that style that we know we can play.

“That’s why it stings. It doesn’t make it any easier when you’re sitting out watching thinking that you can compete and beat the teams that are still in.

“We all know we were pretty disappointed with the way it ended, but we had a really good season last year. When you finish first in the west, you don’t expect there to be too many changes and there wasn’t. Now it’s on us to get to that next level, obviously, in playoffs.”

The re-signing of restricted free agent forward and 34-goal scorer Matthew Tkachuk is the most significant loose end for the Flames heading into September’s training camp.

“There’s no question how much he means to our team,” Giordano said. “He’s a guy who brings it every night.

“I talk to him quite often. We send some texts almost daily. We try to make light of the situation, but as it gets closer to camp, hopefully the business side of it works out. It always ends up working out. You just want it sooner rather than later, if possible.” 1151311 Toronto Maple Leafs

Connor McDavid noncommittal about his status for Oilers training camp

By Mark Zwolinski

Mon., Aug. 26, 2019

Connor McDavid’s update on his progress from a knee injury he suffered last spring wasn’t exactly glowing with promise.

“Just working towards getting to camp,” McDavid said at the BioSteel hockey camp Monday at Varsity Arena, regarding whether he would be healthy enough for the opening of Edmonton Oilers training camp in two weeks.

McDavid injured his knee in the Oilers’ last game of the regular season on April 6 after he slammed into a goalpost against the Calgary Flames. X-rays came back negative, but McDavid later underwent an MRI, which revealed a small tear in his posterior cruciate ligament.

McDavid said he returned to the ice about “two months ago,” but wouldn’t give a timetable about when he would be at full health.

He’s been rehabbing all summer, but the centre, regarded as the best player in the game, did not directly address questions Monday about whether he’d be ready for camp.

“Like I said, just focusing on camp,” he said.

McDavid’s Oilers have made the playoffs once in his four-year tenure with the team and that appearance was the only one for the franchise in the last 13 seasons.

Management in Edmonton was overhauled over the summer with named the new general manager after the mid-season firing of Peter Chiarelli and Dave Tippett replacing Ken Hitchcock as head coach, the latter having filled in after the club fired Todd McLellan last November. Veteran forward Milan Lucic was also traded this off-season to the Flames for James Neal.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...

McDavid, who wore a brace earlier in the summer, appears to be moving around fine but he won’t be participating in the four-day BioSteel camp outside of completing his media availability Monday and performing some off-ice work.

“It’s progressing well, I’m making progress every day,” said McDavid, who was second in NHL scoring last season with 116 points (41 goal, 75 assists).

“Obviously, it’s taking a long time, but it’s been good.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151312 Toronto Maple Leafs “It’s a first-class organization and that’s what caught my interest for sure,” said the free agent, who is on a two-way contract. “I talked to some people here and it seemed like a great program. I played with (Marlies Maple Leafs' Agostino gets top marks at the bottom netminder Kasimir) Kaskisuo growing up a bit and I know Kasperi Kapanen a bit.”

BLUE SUMMER FOR WOLL Lance Hornby The Leafs don’t have a Stanley Cup, but at least they have someone Published:August 26, 2019 from a championship city.

Updated:August 26, 2019 6:57 PM EDT Rookie goalie Joseph Woll spent part of the summer back home in the suburbs of St. Louis, soaking up the remnants of the party from late June

when the Blues won their first Cup. Ironically, Woll was in enemy Kenny Agostino excelled in four years of political science at Yale, territory at Boston College when the final against the Bruins was being knowing he wouldn’t get a job on a CNN panel. contested, writing final exams.

And when he racked up 260 points in 273 minor-league games, the fifth- “It was a nice atmosphere,” Woll said of returning to Missouri. “Hopefully round draft pick wasn’t carried away thinking he was Sidney Crosby. If he we can bring that to Toronto some day.” stays in the National Hockey League, as the Maple Leafs hoped when LOOSE LEAFS they signed him to a two-year deal, you’ll find him in the Selke section. Andreas Johnsson and John Tavares worked a nice back-door goal on “I think I learned last year that for me to establish myself as a regular, I’m Monday, a left wing/centre duo that might be put together with Hyman out going to be in a bottom-six position, which I’m totally fine with,” Agostino … Many Leafs were avid participants in International Dog Day on said Monday as the Leafs continue their informal workouts ahead of Monday, with Auston Matthews tweeting shots of his hound Nala with training camp. “I want to embrace that role and I adapted pretty well with him on the bench and the ice with his whole family. Tavares and his wife both Montreal and New Jersey last year. I’m just going to continue to appear to have a couple of Labradoodle puppies, but it was bearded build off of that.” defenceman Jake Muzzin who got all four of his dogs to pose perfectly, Last season was the 27-year-old’s longest run in the NHL, 63 games in a including a couple of giant St. Bernards … Is Eakins ready to coach in checking-winger role with the Canadiens and Devils, the latter claiming the NHL again after flopping in Edmonton a few years ago? Kossila him on waivers halfway through the schedule. thinks so. “He was great, as welcoming as anybody, always be easy to talk to and wanted you to improve your game — and a very good coach. That performance earned him the two-year Leafs deal, an affordable He’ll really do well.” $737,500 AAV for the club as it looks to replace Connor Brown, Tyler Ennis and guard against any fallout from not having top-six winger Zach Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 Hyman at the start of the season as he recovers from knee surgery. With Agostino on his sixth NHL team since 2013-14, security is sacrosanct.

“There has been a lot of bouncing around for me the past four or five years,” said Agostino, who was drafted by — but never played for — the Penguins, before winding through Calgary, St. Louis, Boston and last year’s two stops. Thankfully, the Morristown, N.J., native is single.

“There’s always plenty of space in the car when I move,” he laughed.

Pittsburgh moved his rights at the 2013 trade deadline for Jarome Iginla as Agostino finished up at Yale.

“Political science, for athletes, was the most manageable major,” he explained. “It’s a reasonable course load and at Yale. Math and science classes are so difficult, so there’s a very light load of that, which is why a lot of us ended up with that major.”

Agostino has explored his new home, while getting to know his many new teammates.

“This is always one of my favourite stops on the road, a fun city, the people are so friendly and there are a lot of great restaurants.”

But how about that traffic?

“It’s not great, but you grow up outside New York City, you’re pretty used to it.”

LOST IN TRANSLATION

You can just imagine the stampede of francophone media to Kalle Kossila’s locker if he’s on the Leafs when they play the Habs. His birthplace, Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, France, will attract their attention.

But the Finnish forward has a simple story behind his birth certificate.

“My dad was working in Paris for IBM. I was only there a year-and-a-half. A lot of people assume I’m half French, but I have Finnish citizenship. I don’t have too many memories of the place.”

Kossila later studied French, but says “I need a little more work on it” before he could do an interview in the language.

Kossila comes to the Leafs from the Anaheim Ducks, where he played 19 games spread through three seasons. Former Leafs assistant and Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins worked with the 26-year-old on the farm with the San Diego Gulls, before being promoted to Anaheim this summer, and maybe Toronto will reap the benefits with Kossila. 1151313 Toronto Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews, other Leaf stars take part in International Dog Day

Postmedia News

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 6:58 PM EDT

The dog days of summer might not be over just yet.

Aug. 26 marked “#InternationalDogDay” — a day created to encourage people to share photos of their dogs to celebrate them and help raise awareness about pet adoption.

The hashtag was trending Monday and the Toronto Maple Leafs took part in the celebration, posting several Images of their star players on social media with their dogs.

Auston Matthews was featured in a post with his dog Nala with the caption: “Biscuits and twigs? Nala gets pretty excited about trips to the rink.”

The post was popular amongst Leafs fans as it garnered several thousand likes.

Not soon after the Leafs Twitter account posted a collage of Matthews, his dog and his family.

John Tavares was also featured on the Leafs Twitter account in two photos that showcased the star centre with his two dogs, Charlie and Bo.

The captions for the tweets read: “double dog day” and “We double-dog dare you to try and not like these pup pics.”

Blueliner Jake Muzzin was feeling the love as the Leafs shared two photos of Muzzins’ four dogs, Lulu, Lilly, Daryl and Hero.

International Dog Day, also called National Dog Day, was started in 2004 by animal advocate Colleen Paige, who has also started several other philanthropic days, such as National Mutt Day and National Cat Day.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151314 Toronto Maple Leafs Joe Carroll OHL Sault Ste. Marie FAI

Colt Connrad AHL Toronto/NCAA Westerm Michigan AHL contract

Maple Leafs rookies set for Traverse City tourney Semyon Der-Arguchintsev Peterborough OHL/ECHL Newfoundland 2018/76th

Hudson Elynuik AHL Toronto/ECHL Newfoundland AHL contract Lance Hornby Giorgio Estephan AHL Toronto/ECHL Newfoundland AHL contract Published:August 26, 2019 James Hamblin WHL Medicine Hat FAI Updated:August 26, 2019 7:17 PM EDT Egor Korshkov KHL Lokomotiv/AHL Toronto 2016/31st

Ryan Moore AHL Toronto/ECHL Newfoundland AHL contract As the Maple Leafs prepare for main camp in St. John’s, Nfld., next month, the rookies are travelling the opposite direction next week to Josh Nelson OHL London FAI Traverse City, Mich. Nicholas Robertson OHL Peterborough 2019/53rd On Monday, the club released its roster for the eight-team prospect tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings. It consists of 18 forwards, Xavier Simoneau QMJHL Drummondville FAI 11 defencemen and three goalies. The Leafs will play rookies from St. Riley Stotts WHL Calgary 2018/83rd Louis, Chicago and Detroit as part of the eight-team event, which the club is attending for the first time. Riley Woods WHL Spokane AHL Contract

Toronto’s 2019 draft crop will be represented by forwards Nicholas Toronto Sun LOADED: 08.27.2019 Robertson and Mikhail Abramov, with goalie Joseph Woll and forward Egor Korshkov from the class of 2016. The rest include defenceman Teemu Kivihalme, who signed a one-year entry level deal this summer, plus 12 players on AHL deals and nine free agents. Marlie coach Sheldon Keefe will be behind the bench.

Woll and 2017 pick Ian Scott will be the primary goalies.

“Being from (Boston College), I’ve never been in a rookie tournament,” Woll said. “I hope to get my confidence up and have that carry into training camp (when all the Leafs gather in St. John’s Sept. 13).”

The young Leafs play Friday evening, Sept. 6 against the Blues, Saturday afternoon versus Chicago and Monday night against Detroit.

Leaf 2019 Rookie Tournament roster with last year’s teams.

*Drafted players have their year and when taken

*FAI – Free Agent Invite

Goal (3)

Maksim Zhukov OHL Barrie/USHL Green Bay FAI

Ian Scott WHL Prince Albert 2017/110th

Joseph Woll NCAA Boston College 2016/62nd

DEFENCE (11)

Joseph Duszak AHL Toronto/NCAA Mercyhurst NHL entry level

Mac Hollowell OHL Sault Ste. Marie/AHL Toronto 2018/118th

Teemu Kivihalme LIIGA Karpat/NHL entry level

Filip Kral WHL Spokane 2018/149th

Sean Larochelle QMJHL Victoriaville FAI

Jesper Lindgren LIIGA HPK/AHL Toronto 2015/95th

Marc-Antoine Pepin QMJHL Sherbrooke/Shawinigan FAI

Carter Robertson OHL Owen Sound FAI

Kristians Rubins AHL Toronto/ECHL Newfoundland AHL contract

Sergei Sapego WHL Prince Albert AHL contract

Nathan Staios OHL Windsor FAI

FORWARDS (18)

Mikhail Abramov Victoriaville QMJHL 2019/115th

Vladimir Alistrov WHL Edmonton FAI

Matt Bradley ECHL Newfoundland AHL contract

Trey Bradley AHL Toronto/NCAA Colorado College AHL contract

Justin Brazeau OHL North Bay AHL contract 1151315 Washington Capitals

Caps Goal of the Year Bracket: Kuznetsov's silky mitts vs Vrana's steal and snipe

By Jason Murphy August 26, 2019 10:24 AM

With less than a month before training camp opens in mid-September, we are taking one last look back at the 2018-19 season as we dive into the best goals of last year. We compiled our bracket based on the cumulative rankings of our Capitals team, from reporters to producers and everyone in between, and now is your turn to help us determine the best Capitals goal of 2018-19. Below is a Slack conversation between the members of our Capitals content team. jmurph: Another day, another matchup in our Goal of the Year bracket. Today we’ve got Kuzy’s sweet hands against Jakub Vrana turning defense to offense. Who wants to lead us off?

Rob Carlin: Love the Vrana goal. Love everything about it. Great stick lift & steal, finished like a goal scorer — and got the face wash from Ovi. Love it. But Kuzy was magical. Vrana is like Strasburg — dominant 7 innings but doesn’t get a decision. jmurph: The face wash isn't the best part of the goal, but it's definitely my favorite part. timmcdonough: I’m with Rob... these are two sweet stick-handling displays, but Kuznetsov makes it looks soooo easy. I lost count of the dekes in there, then to pull it around the goalie and in the net, like the puck was Velcro’d to his stick. bmcnally: The hard work that went into the Vrana goal was so impressive. Never gave up on the play. That was a beauty. But I agree with Rob. It looked like Kuznetsov put a spell on the Ducks goalie there. To do that near full speed and end up deking him that bad is ridiculous.

Rob Carlin: And it wasn’t a quick face wash. Ovi stayed with it. jmurph: Not to mention, Kuzy helped turn the puck over in the neutral zone before rampaging down the wing. I could watch the replay of that goal on repeat and never get tired of it.

Rob Carlin: Didn’t Vrana take a tough loss earlier in this bracket? He’s turning into Gonzaga. High hopes but gut-punching losses. bmcnally: Ryan Miller must still wake up at night this summer in a cold sweat thinking about what Kuznetsov did there. It's like he was hypnotized. We won't talk about how that game against the Ducks ended, but it's so, so good. timmcdonough: I’m already looking ahead to round 2, which is always dangerous, but we’re gonna have some ridiculous matchups... jmurph: Hopefully we can find a Vrana goal to sneak in there because he definitely deserves a shout. He scored some beauties last year and is having some terrible luck on these draws.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151316 Washington Capitals

A healthy and confident Alexeyev knows it will take time to adjust to the pros

By J.J. Regan August 26, 2019 6:00 AM

Capitals’ fans collective hearts stopped when Alex Alexeyev suffered a knee injury in March. He had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after taking a serious knee-on-knee hit that raised legitimate concerns as to whether he would be ready for the 2019-20 season.

It took just five months for Alexeyev to go from being stretchered off the ice to skating with the best prospects in the world.

Alexeyev took part in the National Hockey League Players’ Association rookie showcase on Sunday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The event is held primarily to give the NHL’s trading card partner, Upper Deck, the chance to capture pictures and videos of top prospects in NHL uniforms.

“Supposed to be day off but whatever I guess,” Alexeyev said, though jokingly. He quickly added, “I took a couple pictures. It's fun actually. I'm really happy.”

Among the players who attended were 2019 No. 1 overall pick, Jack Hughes, his brother Quinn, Adam Fox, Dylan Cozens, and Alexeyev.

After Sunday it is safe to say that fears over Alexeyev’s knee can officially be laid to rest. He had been participating in informal skates with the Caps prior to that and he also took part in a slow-paced scrimmage with the other prospects at the end of Sunday’s event. He even scored the first goal as he found himself alone in the slot and fired the puck past Dallas Stars prospect Jake Oettinger. He finished the scrimmage with two goals.

“Amazing,” Alexeyev said of his knee when asked how it felt. “One- hundred percent.”

He also said there would be no limitations heading into training camp.

With confirmation that he is healthy, the question now is what comes next for one of the top prospects in the organization?

Alexeyev will turn 20 in November and will move on from the WHL to the professional ranks. Washington's roster is pretty crowded at the blue line, but Alexeyev is determined to compete for a spot in the NHL this year.

“I set up goals for me to make the team but you know, anything could happen,” he said. “So if I even get in Hershey I will be there and I want to be the best there.”

Alexeyev is a skilled defensemen at both ends of the ice. Though he is no John Carlson in terms of his offensive upside, he has a good shot and is a skilled stick-handler. He has good size, mobility and is good on the breakout. In terms of potential, he is seen as a top-four, perhaps even top-pair caliber player.

But it will still take time to get there.

The good news is that, despite being Russian, he will not be adjusting to the North American game for the first time. Alexeyev has spent the last three seasons playing for the in the WHL. Adjusting to the different rink size is not something he will face in his first-year pro. The physicality of the game, however, is a different story.

“Their hockey a lot like more hitting and a lot harder,” he said of the AHL. “So it's going to be like one year probably to adjust to this type of hockey and I think I will be good.”

But Alexeyev remains hopeful that he will adjust and have an impact at the NHL level sooner rather than later. Even when surrounded by some of the top prospects in the world, he did not lack for confidence.

When asked if he felt he belonged when skating with those players, Alexeyev got a big smile on his face and answered simply, “Yeah.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151317 Winnipeg Jets on the penalty kill, much like Tanev did. Where Appleton exceeds the now-departed Tanev is on offence.

Tanev played on one of the finer puck possession lines in the NHL when APPLE OF HIS EYE: Jets' Appleton eyeing up full-time work he was linked up Copp and Lowry, but statistically, he was carried by both Copp and Lowry.

Scott Billeck • Tanev w/ Lowry, Copp – 58.27 CF%

Published:August 26, 2019 • Tanev w/ Lowry – 52.74 CF%

Updated:August 26, 2019 6:37 PM CDT • Tanev w/o Lowry, Copp – 38.08 CF%

• Tanev w/o Lowry – 41.49 CF%

Normally, a Spartan would be at the throat of a Wolverine (and vice- More is needed to make definitive assertions about Appleton and what versa) rather than seeking its advice. he brings to the team. That said, the early indications are good and there should be no worries regarding who is going to replace Tanev. The Jets But while Mason Appleton (Michigan State) and Andrew Copp (Michigan) have a young, cheaper option who carries with him a higher ceiling. come from two fiercely competitive Big 10 schools in the NCAA, they’re teammates now under a different banner. Appleton, meanwhile, plans to be in Winnipeg in a couple of weeks to get a few skates in prior to camp opening up on Sept. 13. And if there’s one guy on the team that Appleton leans on from time to time, it’s Copp. “I’m just going to put my best foot forward and get after it,” Appleton said. “You’re never really guaranteed anything in life, especially professionally. “There’s a lot of players I asked questions to, but Copper, for me, plays a I just need to show that I belong at that level and show that I can be a similar game,” Appleton told the Winnipeg Sun from his hometown of good player there. Green Bay on Monday. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 08.27.2019 A similar game and a similar path to becoming a mainstay in the NHL, Copp has paved a road that Appleton would be wise to travel on, something that’s not lost on the 23-year-old.

“Playing on a line with him and killing penalties with him, I definitely learned how to be effective in that role,” Appleton said.

And it’s a similar role that Appleton is aiming for this season as he goes into training camp in search of full-time work after impressing in a part- time situation last season.

Appleton’s chance came when Copp was sidelined with a concussion. He’d go on to spend 36 games with the Jets, scoring three times and adding seven assists while averaging 8:12.

Albeit a small sample size, Appleton showed promise during his time with the Jets and started garnering some trust from Maurice, who utilized him on the penalty kill on top of his five-on-five responsibilities.

It’s a different role than he was playing with the Moose, where he was relied upon to be a point-producer who commanded big minutes each night. In his rookie season in the American league, Appleton was named the AHL’s top rookie after amassing 22 goals and 66 points.

The jump to the NHL, however, is night and day.

“It’s a very tough league,” Appleton said. “You’ve got to be playing fast the whole time or pucks will get stripped off your stick and you don’t belong out there.”

Appleton has no intentions of not belonging on an NHL ice surface, so he’s spent a good chunk of his summer working on his speed and strength.

Being heavy on pucks, as he puts it, is where he wants his game to be, whether he replaces Brandon Tanev alongside Adam Lowry on the third line or plays on the fourth with Jack Roslovic, who was a linemate of his with the Moose.

“It’s hard to not focus on that,” Appleton said on the prospects of a third- line role being there for the taking. “For me, it’s always been about being the best player possible but you obviously see what’s in front of you. There are spots to be taken and I want to be one of the guys that jumps in, grabs it and runs with it.

“I’m preparing for that and that’s what I am going to go do.”

And Appleton has all the tools to be more than adequate replacement for Tanev, if that’s how Maurice and Co. envision him.

Appleton finished just below 50% of shot attempts across his 36 games but had a goals-for percentage of 68% — on the ice for 17 for and eight against — while also contributing to 55% of the share of high-danger chances — both good things.

Appleton’s upside has been apparent in his short stint with the Jets. He’s a smart player with a defence-first mindset with the ability to play a role 1151318 Winnipeg Jets

Jets add forward depth with Bourque signing

Scott Billeck

Published:August 26, 2019

Updated:August 26, 2019 9:35 PM CDT

The Winnipeg Jets have shored up some additional forward depth as training camp quickly approaches.

The team announced the signing of 28-year-old Gabriel Bourque on Monday after both camps agreed to a one-year, two-way deal worth an annual average value of $700,000 in the NHL.

Bourque played with the Colorado Avalanche last season, suiting up for 55 games where he churned out two goals and six assists.

In 361 NHL games split between the Nashville Predators and the Avs, Bourque has 38 goals and 59 assists, with a further six goals and two assists in 33 playoff games.

Bourque was drafted in the fifth round, 132nd overall by Nashville in the 2009 NHL Draft.

For Winnipeg, he provides an added piece of depth with a knack for killing penalties.

Will he see the ice?

Statistically speaking, he shouldn’t unless injuries dictate it. While Bourque can be utilized on the penalty kill, his five-on-five numbers are less than ideal and the Jets have better options further down the lineup. The Jets will have a logjam of players competing for a couple of spots when training camp opens in a few weeks.

Chart via Micah Blake McCurdy at HockeyViz.com.

Relative to the NHL, Bourque creates 4% fewer shots at even strength and allows 8% more against, including quite a few high-danger chances, when he sees the ice.

His possession numbers, especially over the past two seasons (40.11 CF% and 42.16 CF%, respectively) leave a lot to be desired.

Some, meanwhile, will question why the Jets didn’t go after a player such as Pat Maroon, who signed for one year in Tampa Bay at $900,000. Maroon is a better player, statistically speaking and provides a wealth of leadership.

A few things on that:

First, the Jets kicked the tires on Maroon, according to a source.

Secondly, there’s no indication Maroon would have wanted to play in Winnipeg regardless. Tampa provides a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for Maroon (and it’s a nice, tax-free place to play to boot.)

Thirdly, in an off-season where every penny counts, Maroon’s extra $200,000 coupled with the fact that he’s on a one-way deal, would have likely made it a non-starter to begin with. The Jets simply don’t have the space to commit that with restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor still to be signed. And Bourque can be sent down to the American Hockey League, where his cap hit would be significantly less ($350,000) for the cash-strapped Jets.

Currently, the Jets have 19 players on their roster and $16.15 million in remaining cap space.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 08.27.2019 1151319 Vancouver Canucks Vancouver finished 30th or worse in the league last season when it came to average shot distance, rebounds, tip shots, and tip goals. The only area where they succeeded was deflections, but a large chunk of those Why the Canucks struggled to score last season and how they’ve redirections typically come from the high slot. All of these stats can serve strategically addressed those issues a role as proxies in determining the Canucks’ ability to get to the front of the net and for the most part, they graded extremely poorly.

Another byproduct of this net-front deficiency is that many of the shots By Harman Dayal Aug 26, 2019 the Canucks took from further out were without traffic. Tracking pucks as a goalie is a lot more difficult when you lack a clear line of sight and in

Vancouver’s case, Corey Sznajder’s manually tracked data would There’s no doubt the Vancouver Canucks need to score a lot more this suggest that they didn’t make life nearly as hard for netminders as they season if they want to make the playoffs after ranking 26th in scoring with needed to. 219 goals in 2018-19. The Canucks slot in at 29th in the league last year with just 3.9 percent of Dissecting how they can make a significant improvement begins with their shots taken with a screen in front of the goalie. Now to be clear, it’s analyzing the specific deficiencies from last year and seeing if there have not necessary to be a dominant net-front team to be successful been changes — personnel or tactical — to rectify them. For instance, in offensively, but it helps if you’re diverse in how you score your goals. In last week’s article, we highlighted many of the areas where the Canucks Vancouver’s case specifically, they’re so woeful across the board in the could see tangible improvement in the goal-scoring department — the net-front department that their offence has been lacking balance and thus power play, Bo Horvat’s line, and the blue line were the main sources suffered accordingly against better defensive teams. covered. Once we’ve identified this problem, naturally the next question becomes But there’s another facet that’s yet to be uncovered and it just so how the Canucks can fix it. We’ll have to wait until training camp and happens to be one that the Canucks have strategically addressed. To preseason to see if the team’s altering their offensive zone strategy at all, break down what exactly it is, we’ll have to turn our attention back to a but management has quietly worked to address it through some of their piece of data I presented in a January article that profiled Vancouver’s recent forward acquisitions. offensive tendencies. “It’s been (strategic additions) for sure because I didn’t think we went to The above chart represents roughly 25 games that I tracked in the first the net hard enough,” said. “Now, if you don’t get to the net, half of last season in which I categorized how the Canucks generated it’s hard to score so we’ve brought in some bigger, stronger guys that I scoring chances. One of the main points I was trying to emphasize in the feel can get to the net and whether it’s rebounds, or tip-ins that they’ll be original story was how prolific they were at creating chances and goals a net-front presence. off the rush — they were one of the league’s top teams in this regard. At “I think they’ll also be able to create some space for our skilled players. the same time, I also mentioned that they were well below par when it Training camp will determine who plays with who, whether it’s (Michael) came to fighting to create chances off of both the forecheck and Ferland playing with Petey and Boeser or JT Miller playing with Petey rebounds. and Boeser that’ll help. In particular, it was remarkable in that sample that rebounds accounted “I thought when we got (Tanner) Pearson last year him and Bo (Horvat) for just 5.7 percent of the team’s scoring chances. Put simply, the had real good chemistry together and so I think in signing and trading for Canucks’ offence was overwhelmingly reliant on the rush to create those players that I think it filled a need for us in getting bigger and chances and goals. As opposing teams started keying in on Elias stronger and being able to get to the net better this year.” Pettersson and tightening up in the neutral zone, it almost felt like a lot of that transition game was dissipating and because they didn’t have other The available evidence would certainly support Benning’s assertion that ways to consistently generate offence, their goal-scoring plummeted. the Canucks have made significant strides in addressing this need. This helps explain why the Canucks went from 15th in the league for 5- on-5 goals up until the New Year to second-last in the period of time If we use average shot distance as a proxy to measure players that get to after. the net, you’ll note that four of the Canucks’ six best net-front forwards were acquired in the past year with Leivo a late 2018 acquisition. Of In reflecting on the season totals, it becomes clear the team’s struggles course, shot proximity means nothing without finishing talent which is in fighting for chances and getting to the front of the net persisted. why someone like Loui Eriksson has little to show for his efforts while the opposite holds true for players like Boeser and Pettersson that don’t The graph above shows both the total number and average distance of need to fire from close to bury the puck in the back of the net. the shots each team created last season. The higher you are in the visualization, the closer to the net your average shot was taken from. Prior to these additions, Horvat was the only one who was consistently Meanwhile, the further right you are, the more overall shots you took. getting chances from the dirty areas and converting in the form of goals. Thus, the aim would be to find yourself in the upper-right quadrant. What Out of all the new additions, Ferland will be the one that contributes most stands out immediately is that the Canucks’ average shot was the effectively in the net-front regard. furthest out of any team’s in the league at 38.9 feet out. For context, the Leafs led the league in their average shot being from 33.6 feet, more Chart by Sean Tierney than five feet closer than Vancouver. Ferland’s goals from last season are plotted above and it’s encouraging In essence, the Canucks were limited to shooting from the outside and in to see that almost all of his tallies came from the inner slot region looking at their overall volume, they didn’t fire a lot of pucks towards the (between the two faceoff circles). Furthermore, private data tracked by net either — not exactly a recipe for success when it comes to scoring Sportlogiq highlights the specific strengths to his game and they’re all goals. Meanwhile, teams in the upper, right quadrant that succeeded in suited to filling a need for the Canucks. both the volume and quality departments were generally offensive As you’ll note from the data above, Ferland is one of the league’s top powerhouses such as the Leafs, Golden Knights, Penguins, Blackhawks forwards at corralling and taking advantage of rebound opportunities. and Flames. Exceptions exist for teams with excellent shooters that can He’s effective at getting himself open in the slot for playmakers to find score from further out like the Lightning and Capitals, for instance, but a him close to the net as indicated through the slot pass reception numbers relationship between these variables and goals generally exists. and according to NHL.com ranked 45th last year in tipped shots. Simply There are many factors that influence shot distance specifically and from put, he’s the complete package as a bona fide power forward. the Canucks’ perspective, it’s important that they analyzed why they were A lot of these qualities shine through when watching some of the power- such outliers compared to the rest of the league. One shortcoming that play tape I compiled in an article analyzing the Ferland signing. became obvious last season was that the team lacked bona fide playmakers that could set some of the shoot-first players on the team up Outside of this tape, I was able to find footage of every single goal he in scoring positions. We’ll tackle that in the future and it goes without scored for the Flames in 2017-18. As you can see below, 12 of those 21 saying that it’s not exactly an easy issue to solve, but as we asserted in goals came via rebounds, tips or pucks taken to the net after forcing a January, a prevalent issue that surfaced was an inability to get the turnover down low. “greasy” chances. Through these clips, Ferland shows not only the brute, physical strength required to dominant down low, but the offensive instincts to time his path to the crease. Being deceptive and elusive to ensure you’re able to slip free unmarked is just as crucial as physical tools (which explains why Virtanen doesn’t get many greasy goals despite his size) and Ferland shows this ability in spades.

Pearson and Miller, on the other hand, aren’t what I call prototypical power forwards, but they both have a nose for getting to the dirty areas. We saw the former display those traits down the stretch after joining the Canucks — scoring nine goals in 19 games to close out the year. In Miller’s case, especially, he brings other elements in the offensive zone as someone who can effectively retrieve pucks. As we mentioned right in the start of this piece, the Canucks’ forecheck was equally ineffective in helping create offence as the net-front and to this extent, Miller helps as he ranked 12th among all NHL forwards in offensive zone puck battles won last season.

This success comes because he’s a force on the forecheck thanks to his coveted combination physical tools — owning a 6-foot-1, 218-pound frame on top of above-average speed and a willingness to use the body along the boards.

All told, it’s interesting to look at the data and see just how much the Canucks were lacking when it came to generating rebounds, tips and just generally getting bodies in front for screens. In short, they were over reliant on the rush to generate offence and just couldn’t fight for greasy goals last season. It would appear that Vancouver’s front office recognized these issues too as they’ve strategically targeted Ferland, Miller and Pearson as bigger bodies who have a proven nose for the net.

Whether these additions are enough for the Canucks to be a playoff- calibre offensive team is a question only time can answer, but at the very least they’ve taken a step in the right direction.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151320 Websites The main sticking point for Vlasic, and for a great many other players, is the escrow mechanism. In order to ensure a 50-50 revenue split with the owners, players see a portion of their salary withheld each season in The Athletic / Lockout talk: Why each side might (and might not) want to order to compensate for any shortfall in revenue growth. opt out of the NHL’s CBA as the deadlines quickly approach It can take years to get a reimbursement, and often it amounts to pennies on the dollar, partly because the players have not shied from exercising their annual escalator option to increase the salary cap. (The cap By Sean Gordon Aug 26, 2019 increasing more quickly than revenues = more escrow. Roughly half of the increase in the NHL’s escrow-retention percentage is due to the rise

in the upper limit.) There is apathy, certainly. There is also anger, although how much isn’t “Escrow should be eliminated. It should be zero,” said Vlasic, who was entirely clear. involved in the last labour talks in 2012 and plans to play a role in the Oh, and there’s a deadline involved. It is approaching fast. coming negotiations. “I mean, players sign a big contract, and they get 15 percent taken away immediately because of escrow. It’s not our fault. Or is it? As with most things associated with hockey’s labour situation, We’re the product, and it’s our job to ensure people watch our league. It’s the picture is somewhat fuzzy. not our job to take care of (equalizing revenues). Players keep saying year after year that they don’t like escrow. Now’s the time to put on the According to the collective agreement that binds the NHL with the NHL big-boy pants.” Players’ Association, the league must provide formal, written notice by Sunday as to whether it wishes to opt-out of the final two years of the Though the ‘E’ word is always quick to come up in the list of player CBA, which is currently set to expire in the fall of 2022. grievances, it’s probably better to consider it a symptom rather than the actual disease. Should the league decline its option to re-open the agreement, the union will have until Sept. 15 to make a call on whether to terminate the deal in “What they’re really talking about is the revenue split,” said a player 2020, setting the stage for a possible work stoppage in 12 months time. agent who, like many sources for this story, insisted on anonymity in exchange for candour. The parties have had ongoing talks for months; they met again this past week. There are suggestions those dates could come and go without a Players realize just how constraining and narrow the definition of hockey- definitive resolution, by mutual consent. related revenues (HRR) is. For one thing, they’ve received a cut of zero percent of the $1.15 billion (U.S.) in expansion fees the league has raked “The parties have basically stopped operating under those deadlines,” in since the last deal was signed. said a source close to the talks. The owners’ argument is the benefit to the players has been 46 new NHL What might that mean? Is it positive? Does it mean anything at all? roster spots in perpetuity, which is true. But is that add worth $575 million Those are all good questions. Shame about the lack of answers. to the current crop of players? Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly used the words “cautiously Many of the significant concessions won by the players in the last optimistic” in Europe 10 days ago to describe CBA talks and said this negotiation – like increased benefits and a better pension plan – weekend the tone remains “cordial and constructive.” It’s a mood the effectively come out of their piece of the revenue pie. HRR is a net league and PA have been telegraphing since January. number, and things like employer pension contributions are counted as I’ve talked to a couple of dozen players, agents, and team executives expenses that can be deducted from the gross revenue amount. over the past two weeks. I’m still not convinced I have a great read on One source who is well-acquainted with the numbers said the players are what’s actually likely to happen – just a sense that the further one gets also footing both the employer and employee portion of payroll taxes. from the table where Gary Bettman and Don Fehr are negotiating, the According to that source’s back-of-the-envelope calculations, the players’ more caution trumps optimism. actual share is likely closer to 46 percent when all is said and done – and While some hockey people believe the league could surprise everyone that’s of a whole that represents something short of 100 percent of and decide to re-open the CBA on the weekend, a far greater number are league revenues. (Other sources dispute that contention, saying the convinced they are perfectly content to maintain the status quo through league has plugged multiple sources of “leakage” over the past six the end of the current contract term. Call the latter position the broad years.) consensus view. “The players basically didn’t get anything in the last lockout,” Vlasic said. So all eyes are locked on the NHLPA. “We gave in on something like 7 percent of revenues because players wanted to play. If I’m the league, ‘Hey great, we were able to get that From the players’ side, it would seem from the outside looking in as if the much, how much more can we get (next time)?’ But, look, every player incentives are lining up to ratchet up the pressure. The NHL’s national has his own way of thinking. Some guys make $700,000 a year and just U.S. television deal is up for renewal in 2021, which happens to be the want to play. Some guys are 35 and don’t have a lot of years left. You same year the league’s 32nd franchise begins playing in Seattle. have players like me, who have long-term contracts and can afford to not play for a year. Other players can’t. It’s harder to get the players to agree And yet multiple sources on the players’ side indicate the PA isn’t on something than 30 owners.” agitating for a fight – not yet anyway. Vlasic is just one player, and as such represents only himself. He’s right The non-bellicose approach from the players would be understandable. to point out the wide diversity of opinion in a collective counting more Re-opening the agreement would provide another opportunity for the than 700 members. But you don’t have to look for very long to find others league to take a run at the Holy Grail: eliminating guaranteed contracts – who feel similarly aggrieved, at least in private. and likely reducing the maximum contract length, too, for good measure. “We got screwed pretty good last time around, and I want to see at least As an agent was quick to note, if the players opt-out with a view to some of what we lost addressed,” said a player who preferred that his gaining ground on a series of demands, they can expect the other side to name not be used in part because he has yet to voice his opinions show up with a lengthy shopping list as well. internally in the dressing room or with the PA leadership. “I know I’m not That’s not to say some players aren’t feeling militant. the only one.”

San Jose Sharks defenceman Marc-Édouard Vlasic said recently he Is it more than a fringe element? Probably not. But who really knows at wouldn’t mind if there was a work stoppage. this point? The NHLPA surely has a handle on what the membership is thinking, but they’re not saying much other than reiterating the fact that Quite the contrary in fact: He’s hoping for one. talks are ongoing.

“We’ll wait and see what the league will say on Sept. 1, but of course Summer poses a challenge to attempting anything more than an there’s a lot of stuff that I’d like to change,” Vlasic said. “If the players unscientific poll of players, but in canvassing a raft of agents about their aren’t satisfied on certain fronts, then we should rethink the CBA.” clients’ feelings, a sense emerges that the current contract, which has driven salaries upward, is more than good enough for much, if not most, were folded into NBC by its parent company Comcast in 2011 – brings in of the membership. an estimated $200 million each year. (Vlasic called the arrangement “a joke.”) “The players want a deal, and they want one without a lockout,” said an agent with a sizable client stable. “If there was a mechanism to reduce Boosting that number to $600-$700 million wouldn’t be transformational escrow in the next CBA, my guess is it would be supported in the way the NBA’s new megabucks broadcast contract was, but it overwhelmingly.” might goose revenues on the margin to a point where the need for escrow is alleviated, if not entirely obviated. (It would help if the Canadian That basically scans with what Vegas Golden Knights forward Paul dollar picked up steam at some point, too.) Stastny said at a charity event in Quebec City recently. Bettman is also said to be bullish on eventual revenues from digital “Both sides want to tweak certain things, but at the same time, the game streaming deals – akin to what other leagues like MLB and the NFL are is growing and it’s in a good spot. So why shut down something that’s doing – and legalized sports betting in the U.S. going well?” he said. “But it’s the business of the game. As a player you have to take a step back – there’s 700 of us – and we need to talk about “Gary thinks there’s a pot of gold there,” a source who is familiar with what’s best for the game.” Bettman’s thinking said of the gambling piece of the equation.

Stastny was drafted into the league immediately after the acrimonious Ownership’s ask bloodbath that was the 2004-05 full-season lockout and has the first- hand experience of living through the 2012 work stoppage, like Vlasic. There is no sense cracks are appearing in the owners’ resolve (on the contrary), but that doesn’t mean everything is tickety-boo either. “Some good things came out of it. Some bad things came out of it. But, obviously, the league grew,” Stastny said. “Both sides are never 100 Multiple sources report widespread annoyance at the way the Ottawa percent happy, but a lot of things are going good.” Senators will skirt the spirit, if not the letter, of the CBA next season by spending $15 million on contracts being paid to injured players in order to On the league side, Daly said in an email: “Our discussions are ongoing. reach the cap floor. Roughly 80 percent of those salaries are covered by They have been cordial and constructive. I think both parties recognize insurance. that we are in a good place and want to continue the momentum we think the sport has been able to generate. Our talks now are focused on It’s not a popular tactic, particularly among teams that are paying into whether we can see if we can accomplish that, understanding certain revenue sharing – Ottawa has been a regular recipient in recent years. aspects of our agreement may have to be adjusted.” What if there’s a move to try and close those sorts of loopholes? Can it Multiple club sources indicated the owners see no urgency in departing be done without creating problems elsewhere? The PA would surely be from the status quo (with some possible exceptions we’ll get to in a willing to sign off on a proposal that will make teams spend more actual minute). There is scant appetite for flipping over a smorgasbord that money on actual active players, but the association is also a firm believer mostly satisfies everyone in the ownership club’s tastes. in the law of unintended consequences.

“It’s hard to argue with the current model, frankly; it might not be perfect, This is all hypothetical for now. It could become very real, however. but it’s making a lot of money for everyone – players included,” one Other teams are unhappy with the current provisions for restricted free Eastern Conference executive said recently. agents. The Athletic’s Craig Custance tapped into that discontent But since the dawn of the Bettman era 26 years ago, not one CBA recently; the main issue from the owners’ perspective is to find a way to renewal has been achieved without a labour disruption. avoid big-time overpays for players on second and third contracts. The Maple Leafs have been unafraid to use their financial clout to lock up Could the league really be heading for an amicable agreement on a new their youngsters; teams with less wherewithal are understandably deal? It may look that way right now, but as always, the situation is dischuffed at what they’re seeing. subject to change. And change has a habit of happening quickly. What if, for example, the league wanted to fiddle with the RFA rules or So what are the elements that will either get this thing across the finish change the requirements for arbitration eligibility as a way to constrain line or set the cat among the pigeons? Let’s take a look at a few. salary inflation, essentially imposing term limits on second and third contracts by funneling more RFAs towards arbitration? Fixing escrow That possibility is being mooted by some within the industry; it’s not on Players hate it and the owners aren’t interested in taking on the financial the table as far as I’ve been able to establish, but what if the idea, or burden of unmet revenue projections and currency fluctuations. It’s not another like it, was dropped in there at some point in the talks? going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. That doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to fix it. The players would freak, for one.

For one thing, the league and the players could drop the notion of annual There are also carrots for the owners to dangle. There are reports, for cap-escalator options and agree to set the upper limit of the salary cap instance, that the two sides are haggling over a framework that would ahead of time. That would provide certainty and could be set up in such a see a World Cup staged in 2021; it’s not impossible to imagine the way as to track more tightly to the growth forecasts. league finding a way for NHL players to participate at the 2022 Olympics, although some of the sources canvassed on the players’ side view The risk is it could also trap some teams in cap hell; the players international competitions mostly as a side issue. remember what happened in Chicago, where a championship team was quickly broken down and sold for parts. A corollary to that would be more Sometimes side issues have a way of sneaking to the centre of the table, buyouts. however.

There might be ways to fiddle with the administration of the CBA and NHLPA demography allay those concerns; it’s also surely possible to make escrow repayments less plodding. As one player pointed out, if the NHL can set The league is turning over quickly, and the membership of the PA is the next year’s salary range within a few weeks of the season ending, skewing younger. This is not news, but the reality might be a little more surely they have an idea of what the revenues were. stark than it first appears.

But based on multiple discussions with team and other sources, it would According to Hockey-Reference.com, of the 906 men who played at least appear the league’s remedy of choice there is simply to increase one NHL game in 2018-19 a grand total of 131 were over the age of 30 revenues. (28 of them were 35 and older). That’s down from 170 out of 839 (60 of whom were 35-plus) when the last lockout ended in 2013. According to one source, the NHL’s hope is the new national U.S. television rights deal, which may well be shared among multiple In fairness, the number of teenagers who played in the league last networks, could triple the take it currently receives from NBC Sports season (22) is not exactly an order of magnitude larger than in 2013 (it Group. was 18 that year); it is also well short of the high-water mark of the past decade, which was 33 in 2016-17. That 10-year deal – negotiated while late Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider was chair of Comcast Spectacor, whose regional sports networks But take a look at the top-30 scorers from last year and you’ll find a majority (16) were 25 and younger, and nine were 23 or younger. Not only are players, in general, getting younger, but a growing share of the NHL’s upper-echelon players are still on entry-level deals or second contracts.

As one agent highlighted, the maximum base salary for a rookie is $925,000 for 2019-20; to a young player playing a prominent role on his team, that figure won’t feel like a massive premium over the league minimum, which is set at $700,000.

The PA’s membership demographic is shifting, which presumably will mean a commensurate shift in priorities at some point.

“The young guys don’t give a shit – they’re just trying to figure out how to stay in the league and hit their bonuses,” said a source who works with multiple NHL players on entry-level deals.

To hear agents tell it, younger players are woefully undereducated when it comes to labour squabbles past. (This was corroborated in my discussions with members of the under-22 crowd.)

It’s trickier to whip troops into a fighting frenzy for the latest chapter of the greater conflict when they haven’t read the previous ones.

If there is one aspect of contract negotiations that Fehr knows a thing or two about, it’s building and consolidating support for the cause. His illustrious track record speaks for itself. But how is that cause going to be defined, exactly? What might the rallying cry sound like?

Maybe there will be an unforeseen flashpoint.

For instance, last week’s news that Washington Capitals centre Evgeny Kuznetsov will serve a four-year ban from international hockey for a positive cocaine test at the most recent World Championships may stir unhappy memories of the 20-game penalty handed down to Golden Knights defenceman Nate Schmidt last year for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy by testing positive for a trace amount of a banned substance.

The circumstances are completely different, of course, but the automatic nature of the sanction doled out to Schmidt rankled many within the PA rank and file. It seems unlikely at this point Kuznetsov will face further punishment from the league, which appears to be treating the affair as a behavioural health matter.

As for the mechanics of what happens next, it appears at this point the decision to opt-out (or not) from the CBA will belong to the NHLPA’s executive board. That body includes the player representatives from all 31 teams and their alternates; Fehr also has a seat but does not get a vote. It’s at least notionally possible the executive will decide to consult the full membership in the next few weeks as players finish filtering back to their NHL homes.

The opt-out was a topic of summer conversation in some player circles. Well, the crowd Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand runs with, at any rate.

“We do (talk about it), for sure, more now than ever because we need to make a decision,” Marchand said. “But it’s a lot tougher because guys are spread out in different time zones. Obviously now we need to talk about it more and look at it a lot more closely.”

As to the central concern, Marchand said: “(Escrow) is probably the biggest point. But there’s a lot of things that go into escrow. (The league) may have different views. There’s a lot of different stuff we need to talk about.”

Those conversations are ongoing. So are talks between the league and PA, which are expected to continue this week. It’s safe to assume that if the situation were either tense or irreconcilable, there would be public- relations jockeying underway to seize the high ground; there is no such maneuvering.

Perhaps the parties will succeed in sticking to the path of labour peace, but given the structural issues involved and the incentives at play, they’re seldom far from straying off it.

Summer’s not yet over. It can be hard to see through the haze.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151321 Websites I’ve got a few more fun tidbits for you before we get to the guys who still take them and take them well. Below is a chart that highlights which teams take a lot of slap shots, purely for the purpose of comparing teams The Athletic / Which NHLers have the hardest slap shots and how much stylistically – I’m not saying taking lots or taking few is good or bad. In does it matter in today’s game? fact, I’ve highlighted the playoff teams to show there seems to be zero correlation between team slap shots and success.

The necessary caveat here is that off-ice officials – the guys who decide By Justin Bourne Aug 26, 2019 what type of shot each attempt gets recorded as – differ in every building, so there’s gonna be some scorer bias (though, slap shots would be FAR

easier to classify than wristers versus snapshots). I think, as usual, that On Thursday, we looked at the NHLers who possess skills that make the extremes still tell us something here. The Leafs, well, they simply do other players envious. We went a bit deeper on the very ones you’d not take slap shots. Florida kinda does! suspect – Sid’s backhand, Ovi’s bomb and a few others – then looked at The columns are shots, slap shots and the percentage of the team’s total the guys around the league who do other very specific things very well. shots that were of the slapped variety. Mark Stone, for example, has an excellent defensive stick (Seriously, watch for it the next time you turn on a Vegas game). That’s 2.6 slap shots per game for Toronto, 7.2 for Florida. Toronto shows up as having scored a league-least 10 times via slap shot last That was the opener for an end-of-summer series here on the best raw year (six individual players had as many or more), but I’m told by those attributes among NHL players because it can be fun to look at specific with the capability to easily look into that sort of thing that many of those little oddities like that. It can also be fun to debate the minutia of how definitely weren’t slap shots. By contrast, the Capitals and Lightning both certain players are going to mesh with certain linemates, or how teams had 43 slapper goals on the books in 2018-19. (No word on their operate from a systematic perspective, or sometimes it’s fun to postulate authenticity, unfortunately.) on the nuances of … JUST KIDDING, TODAY WE’RE GONNA WATCH GUYS SMASH THE PUCK REALLY HARD. What’s big picture crazy is that as the team that’s taken both the most and the highest percentage of slap shots, Florida would’ve still been DINGERS! DINGERS! below league average just a few seasons ago. The game, she’s a- Seriously, people. It’s still OK to just enjoy the raw force, speed and changin’ and she’s changin’ fast. talent among athletes outside of the Olympic cycle sometimes. And since What we’re doing here today, though, is looking at the guys who still slap shots can be wow-awesome, let’s take a look at the players in wield this apparently old-fashioned weapon effectively. It’s somewhat possession of the biggest guns amidst the league’s collective arsenal. ironic (or maybe just very apropos?) that we refer to guys with having If you’ve played hockey, you’ve undoubtedly attempted a max-power slap hard slappers as having “cannons,” because that’s what they’ve become shot. And then you’ve probably fished that puck out of the net and vowed in hockey battle context – a means of brute force that is rarely quick to try again while thinking something like “OK, I’ve gotta at least get this enough to be used effectively. (Meanwhile, other combatants on offense one airborne.” For me to catch a slap shot at peak force, I need to be have the type of weaponry with which Q might set up James Bond.) shooting a bit across my body, like a pull hitter in baseball. I’d ideally like Still, when you do have time to load one, light the fuse and fire, they’re a very slow pass drifting on clean ice somewhere higher and to the right often extremely effective at generating rebounds, as any puck that comes of where they shoot it from in the All-Star Game hardest shot contest. up on a goaltender faster than he’s comfortable with is bound to do. I’m looking to hit the ice a couple of inches behind the puck to flex and Those players who know they have a special shot and look for ways to load the shaft, but at a fairly shallow depth (I’m using a golf term there, deploy that weapon can still find ways to use it dangerously. just meaning I don’t want to get steep which leads to a metaphorical divot Below is a look at the players who most leaned on the slap shot last year, – that’s wasted energy in hockey), with some sort of a mid-flex stick. I as well as a few players who used it extremely effectively. The table is never had the chance to figure out how to use one of those whippy things arranged simply by slap shots on net last season: first we have the ala Ovechkin, given none of Bauer, Warrior or Easton were beating down league’s top 10, followed by some hand-picked names who actually my door with demos during my playing days. (Though if one of them scored on a high rate of their slap shots (the number in brackets is their were to provide some, *cough cough,* we could surely shoot some video league-rank in total slap shots), followed by two players who … well, just and laud them with praise, ahem, analyze them.) made me laugh. Brent Seabrook’s inefficiency made me laugh because Even with my perfect stick and a running start, my past radar gun results of Duncan Keith’s, Nick Leddy because of Johnny Boychuk’s. Sorry to have been disheartening, and that was when I was a functional player. I Blackhawks and Islanders fans there. (One more reminder that there’s could get it up into the 80s, but the 90s were out of my reach. I have what subjectivity in what gets deemed a slap shot, so there’s one last grain of I’d call quarter-net accuracy with a slapper (pick a quarter of the net and salt.) I’ll hit it pretty regularly), but that’s about as good as it gets for me. If your takeaway wasn’t – “Wait, how many goals did Erik Gustafsson I always took solace that the information above was (and remains) score last year? *Google* 17!?! Really??” – then we’re significantly completely, utterly irrelevant, just as it is for most players. I can clearly different people. remember scoring a total of one slap shot goal that wasn’t gifted by Now that we’ve delved into some of the numbers, let’s have some fun pathetically bad goaltending throughout my playing days. and talk about straight heat. If you could pick one guy to shoot the puck The distance from the goal line to the blue line is 64 feet and the width of through the actual netting of the goal on one shot attempt, or, I dunno, the ice is 85. You can lop off a lot of ice there as areas you’d never really you’re forced to goaltend an NHL game with no equipment, which player shoot from and imagine what’s left as useable shooting ice. Then add in do you choose? Remember, this isn’t a slapper taken during a game. 10 hockey players that are usually jammed into that area and take into You can create that player’s dream heater scenario and let them try to account that players are bigger and faster than ever. There’s just not a put one through the twine. ton of room and when you do get the puck, you’re not alone for long. You I have the list of the best five picks you could make as … essentially need breakdowns to ever have room to take a slap shot, but the bad news: the only thing coaches really focus on these days is Zdeno Chara essentially breakdown reduction and damage control when one happens. Slap shot time and space is rare. Obvi.

As I noted in the intro piece to this series, because of all that, the slap Chara won the NHL’s hardest shot contest five All-Star Games in a row shot has been in perilous decline: from 2007-2012, and has had, I think objectively, one of the two hardest shots in the NHL for at least a dozen seasons now. Now, buckle in here: Last year just 14.5 percent of shots recorded by the NHL were deemed slap shots. That’s a massive year-over-year drop, and With Chara, it’s simple science. He’s an athletic guy with a strong core a staggering big picture decline, down to nearly half of what it was a who’s also a giant that happens to use a hyper-long stick made decade ago. essentially of rebar that only he can bend. From there, I mean … Science. That’s all. Shea Weber Darnell Nurse

I mean, take your pick on Weber videos. Since we’re discussing shooting Tyler Seguin the puck through the net, you have to like the odds of a guy who’s done it in an Olympic hockey game, no? Anthony Mantha

He’s pulled it off during an NHL game too. Zack Kassian

Or maybe you’d just prefer to see the three-time hardest shot champion Tage Thompson take his crack at shooting it over 108 miles per hour? Ryan Ellis

Or MAYBE, just maybe, you’re not fully right in the head (or you’re just Brent Burns fascinated by this) and you’d like to watch a 4.5-minute compilation of his slap shot doing bodily harm to his opponents? Justin Faulk

Maybe don’t. But it sure is noteworthy that enough content exists to even Patrik Laine make a video like this. P.K. Subban Ryan Pulock Evgeni Malkin In order to showcase your slap shot in the All-Star Game’s hardest shot Thomas Chabot contest – and thus give us video of said shot – you need to make the NHL All-Star Game. Pulock hasn’t done that yet, at least not at the NHL Nikita Zadorov level. He HAS, however, made the All-Star game in the AHL, which leads us to the video below. Fun fact: it was filmed on a Motorola RAZR Brad Hunt through a telescope. Colton Parayko The point is, he’s been documented shooting it 102, and his slapshot has Mike Hoffman seemingly gotten heavier since his AHL days. It’s definitely on the “get the hell outta the way of” list. Elias Pettersson

Word of advice: when guys have shots like this, don’t let them shoot from Rasmus Andersson here in OT. Seth Jones I’m sure nobody in Leafs Nation noticed that was Tyson Barrie “covering” him. Nope. Not a soul. Mika Zibanejad

Steven Stamkos John Carlson

This isn’t quarter-net accuracy, not at all. Alex Ovechkin

It’s just a bit better. Slap shots. Still pretty darn awesome when you can find the time and space. Stamkos, as noted in the table above, fired 78 slapshots on net last season, and scored a staggering 15 slapshot goals (again, Toronto as a The Athletic LOADED: 08.27.2019 team had 10) for a success rate of 19.2 percent among shots he landed on net. That means if you’re rooting for the opposing team and he winds up, that scent you just picked up is your own fear.

He’s not just accurate either, having topped out at 103.9 miles per hour on the gun in the NHL’s hardest shot contest in 2016. That number would’ve won every NHL Hardest Shot contest in league history by people not named Chara or Weber, save for one. Which, by the way, makes Al Iafrate’s 105.2 mph bomb in 1993, with a stick presumably hand-crafted from only the densest black ironwood, the greatest slapshot ever taken.

(Yes, I just googled “heavy woods” to make that joke. What a fun rabbit hole that created. “Click here for the 10 best woods you’ve never heard of!” I see you, macacauba.)

Colin Miller

Like Pulock, the only time we really have Miller publicly on the gun is in an AHL All-Star contest, where he shot the puck – wait for it now – a colossal 105.5 mph. That’s the hardest ever recorded shot at the AHL level, so like Stamkos, he’s shot the puck harder than all non- Weber/Chara NHL winners, only Miller eclipsed Iafrate too.

Guys who shoot the puck that hard tend to score those “Huh, the goalie probably shoulda had that” goals, because those thinking that have little context for what a 105 mph shot actually looks like when it’s coming at you (versus like a 90 mph one). Watching from a distance, whether in the stands or on TV, can have that effect.

If Holtby’s has another quarter second he might get a piece of this one:

With some canvassing around the league, these are the other names we’ve pulled together to make up our honorable mentions below. As with any list of this nature, it is all very subjective, especially when we’re talking about the difference between being in the top 5 or being at the top of the Honorable Mentions. Should Ryan Ellis be in the four or five spot? Darnell Nurse? Maybe. Anyway, those guys make the list below, at least: Feel free to add any we may have missed in the comments.

Brent Seabrook 1151322 Websites the next CBA, so we’ve got to step up and come to an agreement that works for both sides. I’m sure we’ll get a deal.”

• On the Oilers’ hiring of Holland: “My initial reaction was excitement. Sportsnet.ca / Oilers' McDavid says he's making progress but questions He’s a guy who’s been in the league a long time. He’s put together some remain great teams, those Detroit dynasties, so I was definitely excited by it.”

• On why he didn’t push his RFA negotiations past contract expiry, the Luke Fox | August 26, 2019, 2:09 PM way so many stars are doing this summer: “Because I didn’t want to be sitting here not going to training camp. That was my biggest fear. I didn’t want to be in that situation. And ultimately it was a pretty easy deal. Peter [Chiarelli], at the time, was great to work with, and my agent did a great TORONTO — The last meaningless game of Connor McDavid’s hockey job as well. It was a quick process. It wasn’t anything we needed to wait career injected all the meaning in the world to another long summer that, over.” frustratingly, might not be long enough. McDavid, who has ripped off three consecutive 100-point seasons, each In the early days after the long-eliminated Edmonton Oilers captain- more dominant than the last, prefers to let his play do the talking for him. slash-wizard drove hard to the net and crashed shin-first into the Calgary Flames’ post, the club announced McDavid would not require surgery for Which is why McDavid finds it so disappointing that he’s not out there his left PCL tear and that he would be ready for training camp. with his teammates and his peers already. Despite his best efforts.

Now? Four-and-a-half months later? McDavid says he’s “progressing “I’ve known Connor for a long time, and he’s a very quiet, hardworking, well,” but there is no guarantee. passionate kid,” Max Domi said.

Still rehabbing, with the aid of a team of doctors and specialists and “He’s one of the best hockey players in the world for a reason — and I second opinions, from the first significant lower-body injury of his life, know for a fact he’s been working his ass off all summer. He’s going to McDavid is unable to participate alongside Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse have an unbelievable year.” and the other NHLers at Toronto’s BioSteel Camp, his annual pre- training-camp ritual. He had to skip the PowerEdge Pro Camp this Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 08.27.2019 summer as well.

Meeting with reporters Monday at Varsity Arena to talk hockey for the first time in months, McDavid kept details of his rehabilitation tight to the vest. He said he has not suffered any setbacks and is lucky to have support from some of the best in the business.

McDavid, 22, did skate Monday morning with his usual off-season trainer, Gary Roberts, and has been hitting the ice, trying to push himself for a couple months.

“Just working hard to get to camp and focused on that,” said McDavid, withholding a timeline on a return to contact. “It’s been different. I’ve obviously just been focusing on that. It’s been taking a lot of time, but it’s been good.”

Later adding: “It’s mentally tough. It’s challenging.”

So with sun shining and the St. Louis Blues proving how quick a struggling NHL team can flip its fortunes and the Oilers shoring up its GM and head coach seats with some of the best candidates available, McDavid sounds like a man hesitant to embrace October’s clean slate — at least until his knee is 100 per cent.

He’s chatted with new GM Ken Holland, of course, and sat down to dinner a couple weeks ago with new bench boss Dave Tippett, who plans to cut McDavid’s penalty-kill usage in order to keep his most potent weapon fresher for even-strength and power-play shifts.

But over everything looms the damaged ligament behind his kneecap and the strength of the muscles that surround it.

“Just focusing on my rehab and the injury itself. It’s tough to focus on anything else,” McDavid said. “It’s coming back together and everything like that, but ultimately you don’t want to come back too early, and make sure it’s fully healed and you’re not going to get hurt again. But I’m not too worried about that.”

McDavid did, however, touch on a number of topics, both Oilers- and league-related:

• On the Milan Lucic-for-James Neal trade: “It’s obviously disappointing to see a good friend in Looch go. He’s someone I got close with on the team. Great guy. Great family as well. I’m definitely going to miss them. Nealer’s got a lot of upside. He’s a guy who’s won a lot in this league, he’s scored a lot in this league. A down year last year, but he’s training up at Gary’s and he’s working as hard as I’ve ever seen him work. So it’s good to see.”

• On watching the Blues’ championship run: “They go from last to winning the Cup. It says a lot about them — it says a lot about our league. Turnarounds can happen quick, so that’s what we’re hoping for.”

• On his generation of players speaking up during the next round of collective bargaining: “It’s very important. We’re the guys that it’s going to affect the most. We’re the players who are going to be here throughout 1151323 Websites “It’s going to be whoever steps up and takes a job,” McDavid said. “I don’t know who it will be and it doesn’t matter, as long as they can play and are good to go. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited about the new TSN.CA / McDavid says knee injury progressing additions and where the young guys are at.”

TSN.CA LOADED: 08.27.2019

Kristen Shilton

Connor McDavid is still healing from a knee injury suffered during the Edmonton Oilers’ regular-season finale last April, but the club’s captain is optimistic about being ready for Oilers’ training camp in mid-September.

“[I’m] progressing well. Making progress every day,” McDavid said Monday from BioSteel’s annual summer camp at the University of Toronto in his first extended remarks about the injury since the spring. “Just working hard to get to camp and focus on that. [This off-season] has been different, just focusing on that [rehab]. It’s taking a lot of time, but it’s been good.”

McDavid said Monday that he started skating again “a couple of months ago” and has suffered no setbacks, but still opted not to participate in the on-ice portion of the BioSteel camp this week. The 22- year-old is continuing on his own program, working out with former NHLer Gary Roberts and doing the “usual” things he would at this point in the summer.

“I’m doing my own thing,” McDavid shrugged. “And [I] just need to focus on that right now…on my rehab and on the injury itself. It’s tough to focus on anything else.”

The star centre had been having a terrific season before the injury happened, amassing the second-most points in the NHL with 116 (41 goals, 75 assists). While McDavid’s goal of being a full participant in Oilers’ training camp is paramount, he’s cognizant of not pushing too hard before he’s fully healthy.

“It’s coming back together and everything like that, but ultimately you don’t want to come back too early,” he said. "Make sure it’s fully healed and you’re not going to get hurt again. But I’m not too worried about that either.”

When McDavid and the Oilers do reconvene next month, there will be plenty of new faces. General manager Peter Chiarelli was fired in January and in May the team announced first-year head coach Ken Hitchcock would not return for another campaign. Ken Holland was eventually hired to replace Chiarelli, and he immediately lured Dave Tippet behind the Oilers’ bench.

McDavid said he and Tippet had dinner a couple weeks ago (“It was good, nothing too serious”) and shared his initial reaction to Holland joining the organization was “just excitement.”

“He’s a guy who’s been in the league for a long time and put together those great teams, those Detroit dynasties,” McDavid said, referencing Holland’s 36 years in the Red Wings’ fold over which the team won three Stanley Cups while he was GM. “I was definitely excited about it.”

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native was less enthused to see Holland trade his good friend Milan Lucic to the Calgary Flames in July, acquiring James Neal in a swap of struggling veteran players trying to reignite their games with a change of scenery.

Lucic had previously signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with Edmonton in 2016 but never lived up to the deal, posting just six goals and 14 assists in 79 games during his final season with the Oilers. Neal signed a five-year, $28 million pact with the Flames in 2018, only to post the lowest goal total of his 11-year career (seven) in 2018-19.

“[It’s] obviously disappointing to see a good friend in Luc go,” McDavid said of the trade. “He’s someone I got close with on the team, a great guy, great family as well. Neal has a lot of upside. He’s a guy who’s won a lot in this league, he’s scored a lot in this league and obviously a down year last year but he’s training up at Gary’s and he’s working as hard as I’ve ever seen him work. So it’s good.”

McDavid anticipates they’ll be plenty of competition for roster spots when Oilers’ camp opens, where newcomers Neal, Tomas Jurco, Markus Granlund and Mike Smith could all be part of the potential puzzle turning the team around. 1151324 Websites Knowing that rest can aid performance and help mitigate significant injury from manifesting is one thing. Being comfortable in backup options to absorb some of those minutes is another animal entirely.

TSN.CA / The workhorse goalie is disappearing from the NHL TSN.CA LOADED: 08.27.2019

Travis Yost

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk led National Hockey League goalies in games played (67) last season, and finished second to Montreal’s Carey Price in usage, playing just 25 fewer minutes.

Dubnyk and Price were absolute workhorses for their respective teams, but that term has certainly become more of a relative one in the NHL over the years. As frequently as we saw both of these netminders in the crease last season, their workload pales in comparison to the burden placed on the position just a decade ago.

For context, consider Dubnyk and Price’s usage relative to their peers in the 2007-08 season. Playing nearly 3,900 minutes in a season is a tremendous amount nowadays, but it would have only been good enough for eighth and ninth 12 seasons ago. Goaltenders like (Devils), (Sharks), and Ryan Miller (Sabres) started nearly every single game for their respective teams, and were pulled only in the most extreme of circumstances.

The position has changed. Teams are still on the hunt for superstar goaltenders, but teams are also becoming increasingly conscious about workload, burnout rates and the heightened risk of injuries for their primary puck stoppers. Add that to an increased understanding that goaltenders struggle when playing in back-to-back situations – the NHL schedule still sees a dozen or more of these per team each year – and you have a real incentive for strategic rest.

Behaviourally, we’ve seen teams start to shift some of the minutes onto their second goaltender. Last season, the average NHL team used their No. 1 goalie in about 60 per cent of the total minutes – down almost 10 per cent from where it was a decade or so ago:

Analyzing this type of data year-over-year doesn’t lend itself well to perfectly linear trends – a random run of injuries for starting goaltenders (or backup goaltenders) can create plenty of in-season volatility. But there was an obvious shift coming out of the shortened 2012-13 NHL season, and the 2018-19 season was a new ‘low point’ in the number of minutes we saw from starters.

At any rate, it’s fair to conclude that usage for starting goaltenders is down about eight percentage points, which is roughly the equivalent of six or seven games. That’s not insignificant.

We know that the NHL – like most major sports leagues – has become acutely aware of how fatigue and overwork can drive performance degradation and injuries. But there may be other drivers that are giving NHL coaching staffs more confidence in their depth options.

League wide, save percentages for starters and platoon options or backups have trended closely over the last decade-plus, but not perfectly. The delta between these two groups has been cut in half over time:

It seems likely that an increase in talent at the position has narrowed the gap, among other possible explainer variables (including more strategic ‘rest’ situations).

The talent argument is an interesting one, and backed by at least one critical point. The position, which was overwhelmingly North American for decades, has been impacted recently by an influx of European goaltenders. This newer recruiting market has certainly been a boon for the NHL – six of the last eight Vezina Trophies have been won by European goalies. More than anything, it has helped create an incredible level of competition for the small number of goaltender roster slots available. Through this competition comes natural displacement and, more generally, improved performance.

It’s hard to know where this carousel will stop – identifying a truly optimal number of starts for a given goaltender is quite difficult, and different variables may affect one team more than another – but the change in strategy is likely to stick for some time. 1151325 Websites Rick Simpson Oil, a potent marijuana concentrate created by Canadian Rick Simpson in 2003 to treat his skin cancer.

“I was in a coma and when I woke up after seven days, I didn't have a USA TODAY / Four-time Stanley Cup winner Darren McCarty joins physical addiction,” McCarty said. “I dropped to my knees and said, marijuana company, says pot saved his life 'Thank God.' '”

He hasn’t had a drink since, has lost 60 pounds, is off most of his Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press Published 12:54 p.m. ET Aug. 26, prescription medications and has quit smoking cigarettes. 2019 “If you've seen my progress over the past 10 years, you've seen me go through different stages from the alcoholism, which led me to this plant saving my life,” said the 47-year-old Madison Heights resident. “I feel like Former Red Wings hockey star Darren McCarty has four Stanley Cups I’m 35. I’m not lying. I feel like Benjamin Button.” under his belt, but that’s not enough. But he’s also smoking a lot of pot every day. From getting up in the He wants a fifth cup with a new team that won’t require him to lace up his morning and taking 100 milligrams of CBD, the nonintoxicating element skates. of the cannabis plant, to smoking a few joints to get him going “because that’s like a glass of orange juice,” he said, and then a few more to relax McCarty has formed a collaboration with Pincanna, a cannabis company and ultimately to go to sleep at night. that is building a massive medical marijuana grow and processing operation along I-75 in Pinconning, Michigan. And McCarty hopes one “So I smoked this morning and then I smoked on the way to the golf day to win a Cannabis Cup — a marijuana competition that is held all course and I smoked one on the golf course,” he said, recounting his over the United States to rate different pot products — with his own day. “And I’ll probably smoke when we’re done with this interview. And I strains of legal weed. was at High Times (a cannabis competition in Detroit) all weekend, so my system’s pretty rockin’ anyways.” By working with the company, McCarty wants to broaden the advocacy he already has been doing since he kicked his addiction to alcohol in He bristles at the suggestion that he might have just traded one 2015 with the help of pot. While he has grown his own pot outdoors, he’s substance — alcohol — for another — marijuana. leaving the cultivating, processing and retail sales to the experts and will lend his name instead to products ranging from a CBD rub and gummy, “No, because it's a plant,” he said. “I live my life by the principles, the 12 to a mellowing strain of marijuana and a high-potency, marijuana-infused steps. But you know what? There's a friggin’ garden in my program. chocolate peanut-butter candy bar that will “crush” those who choose to “And the bottom line is, I'm not drinking. I'm not doing coke. I'm not doing indulge. pills. I'm not smoking cigarettes. In my book, what you think about me is “I have a couple of ideas for the names (of the marijuana strains). none of my business because I know I'm right. The big fella told me so,” Something to do with four cups, maybe sweet revenge,” McCarty said, McCarty said, pointing skyward. referring to his now infamous fight with Colorado Avalanche forward Now, alcohol “repulses” him because he knows how the story ends if he Claude Lemieux, whom he pummeled in 1997 in retaliation for Lemieux's goes back to the bottle. He instead wants to write the new chapter. brutal attack on Red Wings' teammate Kris Draper in 1996. “The names will come from some pretty big moments that I’ve had.” “Yeah, I’m a stoner, but I’m a sophisticated stoner.”

Referring to Pincanna, he said, “I'm a four-time Stanley Cup winner, USA TODAY LOADED: 08.27.2019 they’re a 45-time Cannabis Cup winner. I'm going to be the first athlete with a Stanley Cup and a Cannabis Cup.”

McCarty met with the Free Press last week before taping his podcast, “Grind Time with Darren McCarty.”

The former Red Wing certainly had success in his 13 seasons with the team as an on-ice enforcer and member of the Grind Line — along with Kris Draper, Joe Kocur and Kirk Maltby — that thwarted the offensive threats from other teams and protected the Red Wings’ scoring stars. McCarty quickly became a fan favorite, known more for his epic brawls on the ice. But he was an offensive threat too, scoring 127 goals, 161 assists and 288 points during his 13 seasons with the Red Wings and two with the Calgary Flames.

And since becoming a leading voice on marijuana, claiming the plant saved his life from certain death because of alcoholism and drug addiction, he hopes to translate his athletic success to the cannabis industry.

It was Nov. 11, 2015, when his blood pressure was spiking and he said his liver was about to explode after decades of abusing alcohol, with Jack Daniels and beer his drinks of choice, that McCarty had his come-to- Jesus moment. The battle with the bottle led to four stints in rehab, a variety of court battles and the end of two marriages.

“For me, growing up, you were either a jock or stoner, so I never smoked pot growing up, but I’ve been drinking since I was 12 or 13 years old. That was acceptable in the hockey circles, it's just culturally what was accepted,” McCarty said. “So I would always say no to pot, until after my first surgery in 1999. I was on all these pills, and it was driving me crazy. And I'm an insomniac, so I can't sleep, and that had a lot to do with all the drinking.”

A friend suggested he try some weed and “something went off in my head and it was like my body said yes.”

But it didn’t stop him from drinking to the point of collapse and several buddies, including the medical marijuana caregiver who supplied him with pot, isolated him, and for seven days, gave him “gram after gram” of 1151326 Websites

YAHOO SPORTS / Mitch Marner donates customized 'bite suit' to local police K-9 unit

Andrew Zuber

August 27, 2019

As we continue to crawl closer to the start of NHL training camps, the need to find some news — any news — about Mitch Marner has become somewhat of a daily ritual.

No, we’re no closer to him signing a deal that we were yesterday, according to all useable resources, but that doesn’t mean the Toronto Maple Leafs star hasn’t been keeping busy.

The 22-year-old made a donation to the Durham Regional Police K-9 unit recently, and today they showed off the specially designed “apprehension suit” — colloquially know as a “bite suit” — donated by Marner’s charity Marner Assist.

The specially designed suit is made up to look like a blue-and-white Maple Leafs uniform, complete with the “Marner 16” nameplate and number on the back.

“That’s pretty cool what Mitch did for us,” said Det. const. Wes King told Global News. “Let’s do something for him in our little world, and let’s make our suit look like a Mitch Marner jersey.”

These padded training suits are a part of police dog training, letting the dogs go on the attack without the risk of hurting the person getting paid to throw on the pads. According to officers, Durham Regional Police go through about two suits per year, each costing roughly $3,000.

The video of a police dog attacking someone dressed like Marner was easy fodder for twitter jokes, but the reality behind the scene is just a young player making a thoughtful donation to a local police department.

YAHOO.COM LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151327 Websites

YAHOO SPORTS / Mikko Rantanen skating with Norwegian team as he awaits new deal with Avalanche

Chase KellYahoo Sports CanadaAugust 26, 2019

Less than a week after the hilariously predictable Mitch Marner-to-Europe reports began to make news, it looks like fellow RFA Mikko Rantanen is working on his own backup plan overseas.

As he awaits a new NHL contract, the Colorado Avalanche winger is apparently skating with the Storhamar Dragons of the GET-ligaen, the highest level of professional hockey in Norway. The Dragons recently tweeted a photo of the young Finn skating with the team, using the opportunity to light-heartedly troll the Avs in the process.

Colorado, however, made it clear that the team prefers to see its star player in blue and burgundy.

Rantanen is one of many big-name RFAs still awaiting a new NHL contract as training camps are set to begin in September — Marner, Brock Boeser, Brayden Point, Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski round out the star-studded list.

Many expect the Marner domino to fall first in order to set the market, and it looks like his negotiations with the Maple Leafs have potential to spill into the 2019-20 regular season, similar to what happened last season with William Nylander.

Marner’s camp reportedly reached out to the Zurich Lions in Switzerland last week to discuss the star potentially practicing with the team.

With Rantanen and the Avalanche patiently waiting for Marner to set the market, a resolution appears to be far from imminent. The Avalanche have approximately $15.6 million in available cap space for next season, but with Tyson Jost, Vladislav Kamenev and Nikita Zadorov set to become RFAs next summer, there’s pressure on general manager to get Rantanen’s deal right.

Rantanen, who was drafted 10th overall in 2015, is coming off of a career year in which he posted 87 points in 74 games, adding 14 more in 12 postseason contests.

YAHOO.COM LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151328 Websites

YAHOO SPORTS / Former NHLer Donald Brashear arrested for cocaine possession

Ailish Forfar

August 26, 2019

Former NHL enforcer Donald Brashear was arrested by Quebec City police on charges of mischief and possession of narcotics, and will appear in court on Sept. 4, as reported by CBC Radio Canada.

According to the translated report, Brashear was arrested on June 5 for breaking a window in an apartment building and then was found to have cocaine in his possession.

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]

This isn’t Brashear’s first incident with the law. He was also found guilty of assault in 2012 and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after the attack that followed a playoff game, according to the Toronto Sun.

CBC Radio Canada also reported that Brashear was forced to bankrupt his company ‘Brash Properties 87’ in November 2018 and had to pay nearly $200,000 in mortgages that had not been repaid.

On the ice, the 47-year-old faced plenty of suspensions to go with 2,634 career penalty minutes while playing in the NHL. Brashear played over 1,000 NHL games split between the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers in a career spanning from 1993-2010.

YAHOO.COM LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151329 Websites

YAHOO SPORTS / Former NHL enforcer Darren McCarty credits weed for saving his life

Kyle CantlonYahoo Sports CanadaAugust 26, 2019

On the ice, Darren McCarty was known as one of the toughest, most selfless, run-through-a-wall-for-his-teammates type of guy that’s ever played.

Off of it, he was an alcoholic, insomniac and pill addict. Until he found cannabis.

McCarty’s well-documented spiral came to a head in November of 2015, when his blood pressure was spiking and his liver “was about to explode” after multiple decades of alcohol abuse — Jack Daniels and beer his wet weapons of choice. Years and years of self-medication with the bottle led to the end of two marriages and four trips to rehab. It nearly killed him.

Battling multiple major surgeries and concussions, while trying to deal with the day-to-day onslaught of physical and mental issues that arise from boasting an enforcer role such as the one McCarty played so well throughout his career, the four-time Stanley Cup champion turned to booze and prescription painkillers to deal with the pain.

It wasn’t until much later in his career that McCarty was introduced to the plant he would eventually credit for saving his life.

“For me, growing up, you were either a jock or stoner, so I never smoked pot growing up, but I've been drinking since I was 12 or 13 years old. That was acceptable in the hockey circles, it's just culturally what was accepted,” McCarty told Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press.

“So I would always say no to pot, until after my first surgery in 1999. I was on all these pills, and it was driving me crazy. And I'm an insomniac, so I can't sleep, and that had a lot to do with all the drinking.”

A friend suggested he try cannabis for his multitude of issues, and McCarty says "something went off in my head and it was like my body said yes."

Though that was the moment he was first introduced to cannabis as a therapeutic compound, his drinking continued heavily until the point of near-collapse for another 16 years. In 2015, a medical marijuana caregiver and several of McCarty’s close friends isolated him for a full week and gave him "gram after gram" of Rick Simpson Oil, an extra- potent cannabis oil concentrate that has shown almost miraculous results in some cancer patients, epileptics, and addicts.

“I was in a coma and when I woke up after seven days, I didn't have a physical addiction," he said. "I dropped to my knees and said, 'Thank God.'“

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]

McCarty claims he hasn't had a drink since. He’s lost around 60 pounds, quit smoking cigarettes, and is off most of his prescription medications, according to the Free Press.

"If you've seen my progress over the past 10 years, you've seen me go through different stages from the alcoholism, which led me to this plant saving my life," he said. "I feel like I’m 35. I'm not lying. I feel like Benjamin Button."

McCarty, now a leading advocate on marijuana in sport and pursuing his own legal cannabis business ventures in Michigan, doesn’t buy for one second the notion that he’s simply “trading one substance for another” in regards to his regular, daily weed use.

“No, because it's a plant,” he said. “I live my life by the principles, the 12 steps. But you know what? There's a friggin’ garden in my program.

“And the bottom line is, I'm not drinking. I'm not doing coke. I'm not doing pills. I'm not smoking cigarettes. In my book, what you think about me is none of my business because I know I'm right. The big fella told me so.”

YAHOO.COM LOADED: 08.27.2019 1151330 Websites him in the first place. He’s not even 21 and it’s not like he was this incredible player in his one year of college. I think he’ll be a fine NHLer, and everyone else will think that’s a huge disappointment.

YAHOO SPORTS / 31 Takes: Lightning's Maroon signing shows why YAHOO.COM LOADED: 08.27.2019 good teams always look smart

Ryan LambertYahoo Sports CanadaAugust 26, 2019

First it was the Detroit Red Wings of the early and mid-2000s. Then, several years ago, when Chicago was still Capital-C Chicago and there was plenty of under-30 talent to go around, it seemed like you could always count on to reel in one or two players a summer on extremely favourable terms.

Whether it was by trade or via free agency, there was always someone who met his team’s unique problem that summer, coming in on the cheap and ensuring the dynasty would roll for at least another year. That is, right up until that stopped happening. The big names here were guys like Brian Campbell, who went back to Chicago after a years-long, semi-self- imposed exile in Florida, or Brad Richards, who got picked up off the discard pile and looked like a really good No. 2 centre for a year.

Then there were the multiple reunions with former mainstays (Patrick Sharp, for instance) who cashed in elsewhere and ended up going back for a year here and there to lend a hand at a low price.

[Join or create a 2019 Yahoo Fantasy Football league for free today]

The seat of such bargaining power seems to have shifted as Chicago’s strength faded. Now it seems to reside in Tampa, where the Lightning have made two low-cost, shrewd pickups that give them exactly what they were missing.

Patrick Maroon signed a one-year deal with the Lightning this weekend for just $900,000 — well below what should have been market value. There, he will undoubtedly provide some size, muscle and all that in a third-line role. And because of the strength of the roster, they will likely also afford him ample opportunity to improve on the 10 goals and 28 points he put up last season. At the very least, it seems like Adam Erne was more than replaced for a lower price than Detroit ended up giving him. You have to think there’s a strong possibility Tampa gets more for less from Maroon than Detroit gets out of Erne.

You can apply that same logic to the Kevin Shattenkirk deal from earlier this summer. Sure, things didn’t work out on Broadway and he didn’t end up being worth the money, but for $1.75 million against the cap, you’re far more likely to get value on that deal, especially if you put him in a position to succeed. The Rangers couldn’t — for a lot of reasons, not the least of which were PR-related — so they had to move on. The Bolts have plenty of options to do just that, and even if he’s a third-pairing guy and that’s it, well, there are far more expensive third-pairing guys in the league.

Simply because of who’s already locked in with that team, Julien BriseBois will spend the next few years (at least) in a position where he can be very selective about reclamation projects, and often get more value with that player than any other team would have. And much like Bowman got to take credit for simply being the guy who picked up the phone and expressed interest in these kinds of players before, so too will BriseBois continue to make a lot of hay with these acquisitions.

31 Takes

Anaheim Ducks: All I’m saying is, this should be 31 teams and it should be Summer League. Why have like four of these smaller tournaments with five or six teams each when you could have one and make it an event? Make it U-23 or something. Pretty easy.

Arizona Coyotes: Asking who the real Clayton Keller is — the 65-point rookie or 47-point sophomore who was considerably worse — really matters for the Coyotes going forward.

Boston Bruins: Bruce Cassidy just seems like a nice guy. Prettttttty good coach, too. I was skeptical when he replaced Claude Julien but man, what a great job he’s done.

Buffalo Sabres: I honestly don’t think Casey Mittelstadt was as bad as everyone acted like he was last season. Not to say he was good or anything, but this is a classic case where a guy got hyped to the moon and then didn’t live up to the hype that should have never been put on