SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 09/04/19 Anaheim Ducks 1151617 Ducks by position: Previewing Anaheim’s 2019-20 1151638 Opponents hated , but here's why his right-side defensemen teammates loved him 1151639 How will Niklas Kronwall's retirement affect Detroit Red Arizona Coyotes Wings? 1151618 For Arizona Coyotes, expectations high with new owner 1151640 Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 seasons with Detroit Red Alex Meruelo, Phil Kessel Wings 1151619 Expectations, new circumstances greet Phil Kessel with 1151641 'Journey ends here': Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 Arizona Coyotes seasons with Red Wings 1151620 Tocchet: Kessel can cement his legacy with success in 1151642 A young Niklas Kronwall worked through injuries, lockout Arizona with Griffins 1151643 Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman: Niklas Kronwall special Boston Bruins player and person 1151621 Bruins’ prospects ready to shuffle off to Buffalo 1151644 Red Wings’ Niklas Kronwall announces retirement 1151622 Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster 1151645 faces much competition in battle for Red 1151623 Bruins' Torey Krug trolls in hilarious Wings’ job Twitter video 1151646 Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 1151624 Bruins' rookie roster includes Anders Bjork, Urho seasons Vaakanainen, Jack Studnicka 1151647 Bultman: Niklas Kronwall went out looking like himself, 1151625 Brad Marchand, on NHL's best-selling and that’s a beautiful thing jerseys list 1151648 Glass half-empty and half-full outlooks for this year’s Red 1151626 Could injuries be the Bruins' saving salary cap grace this Wings fall? Buffalo Sabres 1151649 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 4 Los Angeles Kings 1151627 7 players to watch during Sabres' Prospects Challenge 1151650 BLAKE ON CLAGUE, DEFENSIVE ROTATION, MORE FROM SOTF; BOUMA TO CAMP ON PTO Calgary Flames 1151651 BRIEF VILARDI/KEMPE/FORBORT/LADUE/SOTF 1151628 Peters said job on defence was Valimaki's 'to lose' before UPDATES; LOTS MORE TO COME ACL injury 1151629 Peters ready for 2019-20 Flames training camp, with or Minnesota Wild without Tkachuk, Mangiapane 1151652 Wild re-signs D Louie Belpedio 1151630 With Justin Williams gone, who wears the ‘C’ for the 1151653 What the Puck: Canadiens need to rewrite their Canes? Groundhog Day script 1151631 Forecasting the Hurricanes’ 2019-20 lineup without Justin 1151654 Can rookies and Nick Suzuki crack the Williams Canadiens' lineup? 1151655 Dumont: An in-depth look at ’s Chicago Blackhawks excellent rookie season 1151632 Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane, finish Top-10 in best-selling NHL jerseys from 2018-19 season New Jersey Devils 1151656 Why Devils’ Martin Brodeur couldn’t believe Nikita Gusev wasn’t in NHL prior to 2019-20 1151633 Your summer may have been good. It’s just that J.T. 1151657 State of the franchise: Jack Hughes expands what’s Compher’s was probably better possible for the Devils at center 1151634 Avalanche player (p)review: Gabriel Landeskog New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets 1151658 Mayor: Floral Park wants meeting with Gov. Cuomo over 1151635 Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre joins Columbus Blue Jackets Belmont plan concerns broadcast team 1151659 Islanders' Semyon Varlamov embraces pressure of 1151636 Former Blue Jacket Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre named Studio replacing Robin Lehner Analyst for club’s televised games on FOX Sports Ohio 1151637 ‘Pissed off’ John Tortorella weighs in on departed players, NHL his goaltenders, Alexander Wennberg, a new style o 1151660 NHL Seattle hires Ricky Olczyk as assistant general manager 1151661 Seattle NHL team hires Ricky Olczyk as assistant GM Ottawa Senators 1151662 Salvian: My journey to being your new Ottawa Senators 1151678 Illness forces Hawerchuk to sidelines beat writer 1151679 Pionk ready to seize opportunity within Jets' defensive core Philadelphia Flyers 1151680 Winnipeg, join me in taking Jets coverage to the next level 1151663 Flyers’ Carter Hart more comfortable as he prepares for this season potential breakthrough season 1151664 2019 Flyers rookie training camp roster, schedule and links SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1151665 Carter Hart ready for sophomore season after crazy first year with Flyers 1151666 Matt Niskanen's new challenge: leading a Flyers team he's unfamiliar with 1151667 Penguins 2019-20 camp preview: Can Evgeni Malkin bounce back? San Jose Sharks 1151668 Evander Kane says hockey “far behind” other sports on awareness of racism 1151669 Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall list St Louis Blues 1151670 Blues announce details for first two days of practice at new facility 1151671 Tyson Barrie eases into life as a Leaf — any contract talks can wait 1151672 Maple Leafs newcomer Barrie must play big 1151673 TRAIKOS: Leafs' Rielly shows off hops with dunk seen around hockey world 1151674 ‘SO FAR SO GOOD’: Maple Leafs’ new defencemen finally meet and greet Vancouver Canucks 1151681 Rehabbing Juolevi 'won't be thrown into fire' at prospects camp 1151682 Why I’m coming home, carrying the torch and covering the Canucks for The Athletic Vancouver 1151683 2019-20 NHL Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks 1151675 Ovechkin unhappy with his No. 4 ranking in NHL 20: 'Next time I will be better' 1151676 If the Capitals make a trade to get under the cap, who will go? 1151677 Coming off a career year, Capitals winger Jakub Vrana hopes he’s just getting started Websites 1151684 The Athletic / Why term appears to be the major stumbling block in many of the current RFA standoffs 1151685 The Athletic / NHL/NHLPA Rookie Orientation Program is an introduction to the pitfalls of being a professional 1151686 The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Ten intriguing CBA ideas the NHL could borrow from other sports (but probably 1151687 Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Kyle Dubas on Marner talks: 'I'm very optimistic' 1151688 TSN.CA / Rielly: ‘We want Mitch here’ 1151689 TSN.CA / Kyle Dubas: Toronto Maple Leafs hopeful, continuing dialogue with Mitch Marner camp 1151690 TSN.CA / Pressure building in Winnipeg after quiet summer 1151691 YAHOO SPORTS / John Tortorella 'really pissed' with the free agents that left Blue Jackets this summer 1151692 YAHOO SPORTS / Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall list 1151617 Anaheim Ducks What is realistic: A lot of bounces went his way during his career season. Expecting 30 assists when his next best high-water mark is 13 is unrealistic. But he is going to play a lot and doesn’t miss many games. Ducks by position: Previewing Anaheim’s 2019-20 right-side defensemen Five goals and 20 assists are very realistic. Whatever you think of plus- minus, it means something to him and you can count on him returning to the positive side of the ledger.

By Eric Stephens Sep 3, 2019 Cam Fowler

Age: 27

If you wondered where your Ducks positional preview series went after NHL season: 10th we covered the defensemen manning the left side of the ice, don’t you worry or fret. It just went on a small hiatus. What he can do: Skate with authority and quickly get the Ducks from defense to offense. Fowler has dealt with multiple knee issues over the The new season is coming … in 30 more days. But the kind of NHL years, but still retains tremendous skating, which makes him one of the hockey you love is arriving in much shorter order. Great Park Ice in Irvine most mobile defensemen in the NHL. He has long held the ability to play will be buzzing with activity like never before as the Ducks prepare to a boatload of minutes and can be effective in all situations. host the six-team Rookie Faceoff beginning Saturday and ending Tuesday. They will welcome the Kings, Vegas, San Jose, Arizona and Moving the puck with authority and accuracy has always been one of his Colorado in a prospect tournament that began with great success last fall strengths. Not only can he get the puck up the ice quickly to his forwards in suburban Las Vegas. but he can put it on the tape of his teammates in stride for the creation of scoring opportunities. He also has the touch to calmly make a short chip To get you ready for that, we’ll put the finishing touches on a series that deep in his own zone, as a forechecker bears down on him. began with analyzing the centers, left wings and right wings for Anaheim before turning to the defense. This piece scrutinizes those who figure to What he can’t do: Stay healthy. Just once has he gone through a season handle the right side of the Ducks’ blue line. without missing a game. And he has come close to playing 82 games only twice over the past six seasons. Late-season injuries have forced As we have done previously, this exercise is about looking at what each him to miss two postseason series during his long tenure with Anaheim. player is able to do this season, what they need to avoid doing, what we Multiple facial fractures after getting hit by a deflected puck sidelined him should hope is possible and what we should anticipate that is more for six weeks in 2018-19. realistic. The goalies will soon have their day in the sun for the series finale. Fowler isn’t known for having a hard edge to his game. He can be physical but most often relies on his stick to defend in front of the net. On Josh Manson good nights, he can break up potential scoring plays by intercepting the puck or tying up an opponent’s stick. On bad nights, he can be victimized Age: 27 by not being positionally sound. His effectiveness on the power play has NHL season: Sixth also waned. After getting 50 percent of his attempts on net three years ago, Fowler has had more trouble with just 42.5 percent of his tries What he can do: Play a tough game, provide a decent amount of offense finding their way to the goalie last season (his lowest since 2012-13). and be a quality defense partner who handles important minutes. Manson has turned into a top-four defenseman who has often been What is possible: In 2016-17, Fowler had nine goals and 22 points in his mentioned as a player coveted by teams, be it the Ducks or others. He first 33 games on the way to his first and only All-Star Game. Duplicating has smoothed out the rough edges that were in his game when he came such a blazing start is a lofty but he is highly capable of getting his up and knows how to play a physical game without going overboard. He goal total back into double digits and topping the 40 points he hit as a can have opposing players thinking twice by his ability to deliver open-ice rookie, for the only time in his career. Sure, the minus-50 career rating hits – and do it cleanly. looks grisly but he was a plus player in four of five seasons before last year’s drop-off, and he can be a plus player once again. Manson long has had underrated offensive abilities. Part of that is his strong skating for a man with size, and the fact that he played forward What is realistic: We must take into account that injury history. Fowler before switching to defense in Tier A junior hockey. He can not only plays a lot and is often targeted while on the ice. The likelihood that he deliver a crisp first pass but also move the puck well along the blue line. will miss some games is strong and the key for him is to avoid that freak His skating allows him to jump up in the rush as an effective secondary injury which puts him out for weeks instead of two or three games here trailer option and come in late to find loose pucks at the net when an and there. Seven or eight goals and 35 points are eminently reachable as opportunity arises that doesn’t put him in danger of being caught up ice. long as he plays 70-plus games and does a better job on the power play.

What he can’t do: Try covering for others and lose focus on his own Jani Hakanpää game. Manson can do a number of things well, but he has to keep sight Age: 27 of handling the basics that got him the everyday role he has now. Stay within himself and not go beyond his ability. Make the right reads and the NHL season: First right play – offensively and defensively – at the right time. Focus on his assignment first and only offer help when it is truly necessary. A return to What he can do: Solidify the third pairing. Let’s get this out of the way: having Hampus Lindholm as a D partner would help as far as the trust Hakanpää has not played a single NHL game. But there had to be a factor. reason the Ducks sought his services. While he didn’t make the leap when playing largely in the AHL after St. Louis drafted him in 2010, Also, even though he busted out in 2017-18, Manson has never been Hakanpää has matured and adjusted his game to the faster brand of looked at on the power play. None of his 88 career points have come on hockey that’s being played not only in North America but also in his the man advantage. Even though he averaged a career-high 22:18 of native Finland. He has been a rock on defense for Kärpät, helping lead time on ice last season, it was because his -killing time spiked up his team to a title in 2018 and the league final in 2019. And he to 3:11 per game after being around two minutes for three seasons. played a sizable role in Finland winning the world championship in May. Though he has the right-hand shot, Manson has had to defer to players like Sami Vatanen and Brandon Montour when it came to the Ducks At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Hakanpää is big. It doesn’t mean he can’t using that particular weapon on the power play. move. He has improved his skating in recent years and he was playing against many NHL players at the worlds. Hakanpää also has a big shot What is possible: Now entering his prime years as a defender, Manson from the , which enabled him to bust out for a career-high 11 goals oozes leadership qualities and has become a core player for the Ducks. for Kärpät last season. He also has the capacity to eat a lot of minutes, Hitting 37 points again, as he did two years ago, might be a stretch, which could serve him well as he won’t be expected to have a major role though he exuded confidence that he could have better seasons in the with the Ducks right away. future during a Q&A last month. But if he has Lindholm as a regular partner again — after being put back with him during the final two months What he can’t do: Assume that he has a roster spot. The Ducks want to last season — Manson can get you five to seven goals and touch 30 put him on their blue line and they can really use another right-hand shot points. to play a regular role. The third pairing was a revolving door last season. But Hakanpää still has to win a job in camp. Yeah, the organizational depth isn’t what it once was, but others can jump up and snatch a job. What is realistic: With the organizational depth on defense much more He’ll get a long look and figures to have the inside track on a spot, but he limited these days, Wideman can play a lot of games in San Diego, also can’t fall on his face during the preseason. potentially be the Gulls’ top point producer among defensemen and act as a key veteran presence for the team after the departures of Jaycob What is possible: As long as he shows that he’ll have no problem Megna, Trevor Murphy and Andy Welinski. handling the NHL game, Hakanpää can provide a physical element general manager Bob Murray still prefers to have within his defense, and The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 also give Anaheim a point shot that teams will have to respect. How his offense translates remains to be seen but if the Ducks get 70 games along with three or four goals and some plus or even play on most nights, they’ll consider it a successful signing.

What is realistic: Hakanpää will want to play, and the possibility of a return home could become apparent if it looks like he won’t secure a roster spot out of camp and could be sent to the minors. But this has the feel of a more secure signing than the flier they took last year on Swedish winger Anton Rodin, who was cut and went to play in Switzerland instead of San Diego. It figures that Hakanpää will at least make the cut and be a defensive-minded rearguard for at least two-thirds of the schedule.

Korbinian Holzer

Age: 31

NHL season: Seventh

What he can do: Play within himself and give the Ducks some physical presence. Holzer has been an in-and-out guy throughout his NHL career, so he can go a stretch without seeing action and then step in to provide quality minutes for a game (or even a few) without hurting the team much. He’s got good size and never hesitates to battle for position or offer pushback. He will block shots, which allows him to earn some shifts on the penalty kill. Easygoing and low maintenance, Holzer is well-liked by teammates and the front office.

What he can’t do: Provide offense and play at a high level over weeks or months. Holzer can’t be a player who takes many chances on the ice, as he doesn’t have the pure skating skill to recover if he gets out of position. He has a decent wrist shot but a powerful slapper isn’t in his arsenal. His puck movement isn’t elite by any means, but it is passable as he typically plays a safe game. He largely defines what a stay-at-home defenseman is.

What is possible: His goal in last season’s finale against the Kings was a nice moment but it’s a rare one, as it was his fifth goal in 157 NHL games. One or two goals and a handful of assists are possible. So are 30-35 games of action. New coach Dallas Eakins has a long association with him so there’s a comfort level between coach and player.

What is realistic: An assignment to the AHL is probable – it’s been the case in all but one season since he turned pro – and that could expose him to a waiver claim. To this point, other teams haven’t put in one and that’s allowed Anaheim to keep him as a safety valve to plug leaks. It could be another season of extensive press box duty with games mixed in if he’s needed, and a short stint in the minors to keep him sharp.

Chris Wideman

Age: 29

NHL season: Fifth

What he can do: Effectively move the puck, walk the blue line and get shots through from the point. Earlier in his professional career, the St. Louis native put up 112 points over two full AHL seasons and found some moderate success with Ottawa as a third-pairing defender who can be an option on the power play. Wideman didn’t take the easy road, as he played four years of college and even had a short stint in the ECHL early on as a pro. There is some resilience and perseverance with him.

What he can’t do: Kill penalties and be a defensive stopper. Lack of size (5-10, 183 pounds) has long been a hindrance when it comes to protecting the net. Even in his best season with the Senators, Wideman was trusted with less than six minutes of total penalty-killing time. Last season he was nomadic as he played for five teams between the NHL and AHL. A torn hamstring injury in the fall of 2017 has appeared to set him back in terms of having some permanence on an NHL roster.

What is possible: Though a bit on the one-dimensional side, Wideman does have NHL experience (including 15 playoff games with Ottawa during their 2017 run to the Eastern Conference final) and can slide into the Ducks’ lineup if injuries pop up. He can make an impression if Hakanpää struggles, though his small stature might be an impediment to long stays in Anaheim. 1151618 Arizona Coyotes The Coyotes haven’t been to the playoffs since 2012, and all we’ve heard in the meantime is how hard it is to win playing in Glendale, no matter how beautiful of a venue Gila River Arena is.

For Arizona Coyotes, expectations high with new owner Alex Meruelo, This is not, however, a chicken/egg proposition. If the Coyotes have any Phil Kessel chance of getting a new arena, they need to start winning in the one they currently occupy.

Kent Somers, Arizona Republic Published 2:04 p.m. MT Sept. 3, 2019 | Meruelo should help in that area, and apparently Coyotes fans are Updated 3:07 p.m. MT Sept. 3, 2019 encouraged. Season ticket sales have increased and the team already has doubled the number weekend ticket packages it sold a year ago, said Ahron Cohen, Coyotes president and chief executive officer.

For most of the last decade, the Coyotes were the plucky little hockey Cohen declined to reveal specific numbers because the NHL frowns franchise that couldn’t. upon that, he said.

Couldn’t draw fans to Glendale on weeknights. Thanks to Meruelo, Coyotes employees finally feel like the drowning man who sees the water receding. They can breathe a bit and they are Couldn’t find funding for a new arena. hopeful for the future. Couldn’t pay to put a better product on the ice. "Look, for a long time we’ve had a lot of obstacles we’ve had to face," Couldn’t make the playoffs. Cohen said. "And that’s not to say we don’t have obstacles any more, but certainly when you bring in stable ownership that has significant But after two major moves this off-season, the 2019-20 Coyotes won’t be wherewithal, that’s very important.” just another in a long line of teams we pat on the head, say good job and direct to the orange slices and Capri Sun at the post-game snack table. The Coyotes went 2-0 in news conferences this summer, but winning those is as easy as slowly waving your hand at the shiny, new Trying hard isn't good enough any longer. It’s time to win something acquisitions. besides the off-season news conference. Much harder, of course, is actually winning. With some money in their The Coyotes have done a good job of that this summer. In July, they pockets and a proven goal scorer on the roster now, the Coyotes are out introduced Alex Meruelo as their new owner. By all accounts, he’s a self- of excuses. made billionaire, and there are encouraging signs he’s willing to spend some of his money on hockey players. Now, it’s time to win games.

In that news conference, he declared that he “sure as s--t” wants to win. Arizona Republic LOADED: 09.04.2019 The saying lives on in T-shirts the team has printed up.

Forward Phil Kessel made no such declarations on Tuesday during his first news conference in Arizona as a member of the Coyotes. In the tradition of hockey players, Kessel, obtained in a trade with Pittsburgh in late June, said nothing T-shirt worthy.

Unless you feel "I think I fit well and can help this team get to the next level" has a ring to it.

While that quote doesn’t exactly sing, it is accurate. The Coyotes finished within four points of a wildcard berth last season, despite a startling lack of ability to score.

Kessel can do that. He has scored at least 23 goals in each of the past six seasons. A year ago, the Coyotes did not have a single 20-goal scorer.

Kessel likely wouldn’t have been in Arizona on Tuesday had Meruelo not bought the team in July. Prior to his purchase closing, Meruelo signed off on the Kessel deal, which includes paying Kessel about $19 million in salary the next three years.

That’s not an outrageous contract for a proven scorer, but this isn’t a deal General Manager John Chayka could have made, say, a year ago, and Chayka admitted Tuesday it raises expectation for the Coyotes.

"When you get an opportunity to acquire a player like Phil Kessel, that alters the course of your plan a bit, but in a positive way," he said. "With that comes expectations and I think those are positive things for young players."

It’s also raises expectations for a young general manager. azcentral reporters Richard Morin and Kent Somers talk about the Coyotes new ownership at Gila River Arena. Thomas Hawthorne,

Chayka, who turned 30 this summer, is entering his fourth season on the job, and has done a commendable job of building a competitive, interesting team on a Top Ramen budget.

Now, we’ll get to see how he operates with a little money in his pocket.

Meruelo isn’t likely to spend like a pirate, and the Coyotes still say they need a new arena located somewhere other than the west side of Glendale, but the team has resources it's never had before.

A new arena remains a long shot, but if it’s going to happen, the team needs to do something new in Glendale: win. 1151619 Arizona Coyotes Perhaps the point of most familiarity for Kessel as he arrives in Arizona — other than the game of hockey itself — is his coach, Rick Tocchet. Tocchet was an assistant in Pittsburgh and got along well with Kessel, Expectations, new circumstances greet Phil Kessel with Arizona Coyotes and that’s part of what made the trade such a viable option for the Coyotes.

But could that relationship change now that Kessel is a head coach, not BY MATT LAYMAN | SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 AT 5:49 PM UPDATED: an assistant? SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 AT 6:21 PM “I don’t know how it’s going to work, necessarily,” he said. “Obviously we’re good friends and we get along great. But there’s a business side here. I think our friendship has to almost take a back seat to what we GLENDALE, Ariz. — Most or all of the Arizona Coyotes players were at want to accomplish. Obviously there’s going to be times he’s going to be Gila River Arena on Tuesday, skating together in preparation for the mad at me, he’s going to yell at me. I’m just going to have to take that looming start to training camp. and respect that, because we want to win.” Yet seemingly none of them — not even the ones who have already put The Coyotes finished four points back of a playoff spot in 2018-19. They in the ice time to endear themselves to Coyotes fans — have generated hope to do better than that in 2019-20, and it’s likely that if they do get as much excitement for the upcoming season as the eccentric Phil over the hump, Kessel will be a big reason why. He’s become the chosen Kessel, who hadn’t ever worn a Coyotes sweater until he was told to put one, the charming winger who comes from a family of athletes and will be it on for the cameras. relied upon to score goals early and often. The Coyotes introduced Kessel to the media on Tuesday in Glendale in a But for Kessel, it’s about doing what he’s done his whole career. press conference live-streamed to fans, some of whom have already changed their Twitter usernames or made purchases to pay homage to “I think when Rick [Tocchet] came in here, the team is starting to gel a the new fan favorite. The fans’ excitement for a six-time 30-goal scorer is little more,” he said. “They’ve gotten faster. They play a good two-way as evident as it is understandable. game. And I think I can help more on the offensive end in the tight games, if you need a goal here or there on the power play, and hopefully But Kessel has only played NHL games for the Boston Bruins, Toronto I can get one. And win those tight games 3-2 or get the go-ahead goal to Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins — all teams that hold more cachet 4-2. Hopefully I can succeed in that.” among the league’s traditionalists and that have bigger fanbases and more media coverage than Arizona. Coyotes fans may say that Kessel is Arizona Sports LOADED: 09.04.2019 a kind of player the franchise has hardly ever seen before, but for the perspective of the man himself, this experience is undoubtedly a new one.

“I think it’s going to be different, obviously,” he said. “I want to grow it here and hopefully we can have some success and get more people out and get more support and everything like that, because I think – and everyone says – it’s a great place to play and the fans are really supportive and they love the team.

“When you win, you always get more people to come, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Kessel said that after he was traded, he talked to some players about playing in Arizona and that they gave positive reviews about what things were like out west. He also said his cousin, David Moss, who played for the Coyotes from 2012 to 2015, enjoyed his time with the Coyotes.

“I talked to some of the guys, a lot of guys texted me,” Kessel said. “They said it’s just a great group of guys, great organization. Nothing but positive things to say about the city, the people and living here and playing here. So I’m really looking forward to it.”

Kessel, with general manager John Chayka on his right and team president Ahron Cohen on his right, sat in his new Kachina jersey as Cohen talked about the tickets and “Phil the Thrill” t-shirts the team had sold since it traded for Kessel in June.

Everywhere he’s been before, Kessel has been with other stars. He played with Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, Dion Phaneuf and James Van Riemsdyk in Toronto, Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara in Boston — along with others. But in Arizona, he’s almost unquestionably the star of the team on Day 1.

“I don’t really think about that stuff, I don’t really care about any of that,” he said. “I’m here to win. I’m here to, like I said, help grow this team and this organization, and hopefully we can take the next step this year and have some success, and that would be great.”

Chayka believes that despite what all the hubbub would imply, Kessel wouldn’t have to carry the workload on his own for a team that badly needed to add a goal-scorer this offseason.

“We’ve got a lot of good veterans now that can help him carry the load,” Chayka said. “I think we’ve got a lot of young players that are going to look to step up and fill that void as well. Our hope is that it all comes together in a really great way and not any one single player is having to shoulder too much of the burden, I guess.

“I think it’s his kind of his personality to not put too much stock into that. But at the same time, I know it’s something he embraces.” 1151620 Arizona Coyotes Minnesota for the 2005-06 season. “He’s a special offensive player. He knows how to score. He knows how to get the puck to places where it’s going to go in the net. I couldn’t really think of a better team for him to Tocchet: Kessel can cement his legacy with success in Arizona come to have a big impact. We kind of lack that veteran guy who can put up points and knows how to do it consistently. It’s huge, it’s exciting and I think our guys could feed off of that.”

By Craig Morgan Sep 3, 2019 Tocchet is quick to note that the weight isn’t entirely on Kessel’s shoulders.

“Every player has a responsibility in this,” he said. If Phil Kessel were to retire today, his NHL legacy would probably be secure. But Tocchet believes Kessel has plenty left in the tank, he believes Kessel arrived in Arizona with a chip on his shoulder, and Kessel hinted Kessel has scored 357 goals and accumulated 823 points, putting him at the latter in his news conference. 16th all-time among American NHL players. He has two rings, he has played in 774 consecutive games (the eighth-longest streak “You want to almost prove it to people – you want to be better than you in NHL history) and he has played for three storied franchises: the have been in the past,” he said. “I want to make this team into a playoff Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins. team. I have that in my gut to try to make that happen.”

Despite Kessel’s résumé, Coyotes coach and good friend Rick Tocchet Kessel knows his relationship with Tocchet may have to change. The believes the team’s newest acquisition has another chapter to write. assistant coach-player dynamic is different from the head coach-player dynamic, even if Tocchet has worked hard to retain a personal “Everybody’s a got a pile of dough in the bank when they leave the relationship with his players despite his increased duties and authority. game, but the legacy that you can leave behind? That’s the powerful thing to me,” Tocchet said. “This organization hasn’t had a lot of success. “I don’t know how it’s going to work, necessarily,” Kessel said. I’m not trying to put pressure on Phil. I want Phil to be Phil and I’ve “Obviously, we’re good friends and we get along great, but there’s a always said that — and he will be — but if he comes in here as that piece business side here and our friendship almost has to take a backseat to of the puzzle that turns this franchise around, look at the legacy he could what we want to accomplish. Obviously, there’s going to be times he’s leave. If Phil comes in here, does his thing and he makes Clayton Keller, going to be mad at me and he’s going to yell at me and I’m just going to Nick Schmaltz and all these other guys better players and better people have to take that and respect it because we want to win.” because of his involvement in our organization, it would just add to the legacy of a guy who already has a pretty high profile.” Kessel is confident he can adapt, so he is ready for whatever challenges his new team and new home present. Kessel isn’t eyeing his Coyotes chapter in such grandiose personal terms, but he understands how much the transfer of ownership to Alex “I want to try something new and grow something,” he said. “I think my Meruelo could mean for a team that has always operated on a tight time in Pittsburgh was coming to an end and I felt that. I think this is a budget. He understands how lucky he is to play for a coach with whom great situation for me. I’ve been around the league for a long time now he has such a close relationship, and he understands the impact he and I think I can fit in here and help the young guys grow as players; help could have on a roster and organization starved for elite production and them take the next step to make this team into a contender and get marquee names. where we want to be.

“I don’t necessarily think about it like my legacy, but I do want to come “I’m going to do what I do. If I need to lead a little more here, I’ll lead a here and build something,” Kessel said in a one-on-one interview after little more, but I’m out here to play hockey and try to help these young his news conference at Gila River Arena on Tuesday. “I want to do well. I guys grow. If we can grow and everyone can get better, I think there’s no want this team to grow. I want the building to be full every night. I want us stopping us.” to be a playoff team. The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 “Winning cures everything. I know there are great fans here because everyone says they’re great but when you win, people want to be part of the experience so I’d love to help create that.”

To do so, Kessel will have to produce, but he may also have to adopt a greater public profile than he has in his past three stops. When he was with the Bruins and Maple Leafs, Kessel shouldered significant blame for the franchises’ Stanley Cup droughts. When he was with the Penguins, some of that pressure was relieved by the presence of , Evgeni Malkin and those two Cups, but those experiences and some questionable stories conditioned him to shy away from media.

“For some reason in my media career, I have had some crazy stuff happen,” Kessel said. “I feel like I’m pretty chill and easygoing but I think it’s hard when you talk to the media because it doesn’t necessarily come out that way, so I’m just more reserved to the media and to the public.”

In Arizona, the Coyotes need Kessel to be a stronger media and public presence. The Coyotes are still selling the game to a tough market. The arrival of Meruelo and Kessel gives them a chance to close that deal.

“I might have to open up a little bit more here,” Kessel said, “maybe speak a little bit more to the media and try to grow in that sense, but I don’t mind. I’m excited to be here.”

Kessel might have to take the same approach in the locker room. The Coyotes have a strong group of veterans. From outward appearances, this may be the most harmonious room in the franchise’s Valley history. Even so, Kessel has something that only a handful of Coyotes (Niklas Hjalmarsson, Brad Richardson, Alex Goligoski and Antti Raanta) has experienced. He has won championships, and he is the only bona fide star in the room who can say he played a great role in those titles by piling up points.

“He’s done that his whole career, whether he’s been on a horrible team or a really good team,” said Goligoski, Kessel’s college teammate at 1151621 Boston Bruins

Bruins’ prospects ready to shuffle off to Buffalo

B’s set roster for Prospects Challenge

By STEVE CONROY

Karson Kuhlman was one of the best players in last year’s Prospects Challenge in Buffalo and, by the end of the season, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy called upon him to play in Games 6 and 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Will this year’s model of Karson Kuhlman step forward when the tournament opens at the KeyBank Center on Friday? Well, there are some interesting names on the B’s roster that was released Tuesday. While center Jack Studnicka might be their best prospect — it’s a toss-up between defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and him — there are other players to watch.

Though Anders Bjork has 50 NHL games under his belt and players with that kind of experience don’t generally compete in this tournament, he is looking for something of a career reset after his first two pro seasons ended abruptly with shoulder injuries that required surgery. When he left Notre Dame early to join the Bruins, the 2014 fifth-round draft pick was one of the B’s top prospects and he made the team out of training camp that first year.

But it turned out to be too much too soon for Bjork, who was sent to Providence before returning to Boston and suffering the season-ending injury. He was in Providence last year when he again had his season ended early. When he left South Bend the B’s had an opening in the top six and the left shooting right winger initially appeared ready to fill the role, seeing playing time with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Two years later, there’s still an opening.

Right-shooting forward Oskar Steen, a 2016 sixth-round pick who was a standout at the B’s Development Camp in June, is set for his first North American season. Short (5-foot-9) but powerfully built, Steen will be taking part in his first Prospects Challenge, as will Pavel Shen, a Russian left shot forward taken in the seventh round in 2018 who has shown some skill in Development Camp.

Returning for another Challenge will be center Trent Frederic, who could be a key in how the B’s roster is constructed. If he’s deemed ready for bottom six NHL centerman work, that could move Sean Kuraly up and maybe Charlie Coyle up and over to the second line right winger spot next to David Krejci. The brass will want to see the physical Frederic assert himself in this tournament.

Also back for another go-round will be Jakub Lauko, the left shot forward from the Czech Republic (third round, 2018) who demonstrated not only solid skill but a surprisingly scrappy presence last year in Buffalo.

Vaakanainen, the B’s 2017 first-round pick, leads the back end. He had a strong tourney last year in his first real North American action and with both John Moore and Kevan Miller expected to start the season on the shelf (not to mention the uncertain contractual status of Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo), the Finn could find himself in a Boston uniform on opening night if his development continues.

Also playing in his second Challenge will be Axel Andersson, the B’s second-rounder from 2018. He was good in the Challenge and also opened some eyes in the main training camp.

The nets will be be manned primarily by Daniel Vladar, hoping to improve on an underwhelming first year in Providence, and Kyle Keyser, the undrafted free agent signee who is looking to take on the B’s goalie-of- the-future mantle.

The B’s open against the Penguins on Friday, face the Sabres Saturday night and then, after a practice day on Sunday, they’ll see first overall pick Jack Hughes and the Devils in a Monday morning game to close out the tourney.

Boston Herald LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151622 Boston Bruins

Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster

By STEVE CONROY | [email protected] | Boston Herald

The Bruins have released their roster for the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo that begins this Friday and runs through Monday, September 9. The Bruins open the tournament against the Penguins on Friday 3:30 p.m.

The B’s roster is as follows:

Forwards: Samuel Asselin, Anders Bjork, Scott Conway, Trent Frederic, Jacob Gaucher*, Dante Hannoun*, Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen, Robert Lantosi, Jakub Lauko, Tom Marchin, Pavel Shen, Oskar Steen, Jack Studnicka, Alex-Olivier Voyer*

Defensemen: Axel Andersson, Max Martin*, Riley McCourt*, Andrew Perrott*, Jordan Sambrook*, Wiley Sherman, Alexey Solovyev, Urho Vaakanainen, Cooper Zech

Goaltenders: Taylor Gauthier*, Kyle Keyser, Dan Vladar

*Player attending on an invite basis

Boston Herald LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151623 Boston Bruins

Bruins' Torey Krug trolls Brad Marchand in hilarious Twitter video

By Justin Leger September 03, 2019 9:31 PM

Torey Krug and Brad Marchand's hilarious Twitter "feud" was a storyline throughout last season, and it looks like they'll be keeping it going.

Krug took the first shot on Tuesday by trolling Marchand with an A+ video titled "Training Camp: Fitness Testing With the Boys." The 10-second clip shows veteran teammate Zdeno Chara greeting a group of children who have been photoshopped with Krug, Marchand, and David Pastrnak's faces.

In the clip, Chara tells the Marchand child, "WOW! You’re a tiny little guy!!!" and the photoshopped Krug, "“Ahhh, yes, you are the strong one!"

Could injuries alleviate B's cap concerns

Watch below:

I told you this really happens... @Bmarch63 @pastrnak96 #Z pic.twitter.com/lflBMGiIlR

— Torey Krug (@ToreyKrug) September 3, 2019

Given his social media activity last season, it's safe to assume Marchand will respond sooner rather than later.

The B's begin their 2019-20 campaign on Oct. 3 vs. the .

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151624 Boston Bruins

Bruins' rookie roster includes Anders Bjork, Urho Vaakanainen, Jack Studnicka

By Joe Haggerty September 03, 2019 4:27 PM

The Bruins will kick off their rookie training camp on Thursday and now they have an official rookie roster for their upcoming Prospects Challenge tournament as well.

The B’s will have top prospects like Jack Studnicka and Jakub Lauko on their rookie roster as well as youngsters with NHL experience like Anders Bork and Urho Vaakanainen who could potentially play major roles for the Black and Gold this season. Here is the entire rookie roster headed to Buffalo this weekend:

Forwards: Samuel Asselin, Anders Bjork, Scott Conway, Trent Frederic, Jacob Gaucher, Dante Hannoun, Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen, Robert Lantosi, Jakub Lauko, Tom Marchin, Pavel Shen, Oskar Steen, Jack Studnicka, Alex-Olivier Voyer

Defensemen: Axel Andersson, Max Martin, Riley McCourt, Andrew Perrott, Jordan Sambrook, Wiley Sherman, Alexey Solovyev, Urho Vaakanainen, Cooper Zech

Goaltenders: Taylor Gauthier, Kyle Keyser, Dan Vladar

How injuries could alleviate Bruins' cap concerns

Gauthier, Martin, McCourt, Perrott, Sambrook, Gaucher, Hannoun and Voyer will all be free agent invites to the camp. A guy with 50 games of NHL experience like Bjork will be one to watch in this rookie tournament as the Bruins are clearly looking to get him a running start after last season was cut short with shoulder surgery for the second straight year.

It also wouldn’t hurt if Bjork could forge some chemistry with a youngster like Jack Studnicka in what could be potential third-line candidates during training camp.

The Bruins' rookies will compete against the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils' rookies in the round-robin prospects challenge featuring prospects from each team. The participating teams will each play three games during the course of the event, which is being held entirely at the Buffalo Sabres home at the HarborCenter.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151625 Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron on NHL's best-selling jerseys list

By Justin Leger September 03, 2019 4:09 PM

Two Boston Bruins players made it into the top 15 on the best-selling NHL jerseys list for 2018-19, and they don't come as much of a surprise.

Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, two veterans who have been the face of the franchise over the last several years, had their jerseys fly off the shelves last season. Bergeron's No. 37 sweater was the fifth-highest seller while Marchand's No. 67 came in 12th, according to Fanatics and the NHL online shop.

Have a look at the top-selling jerseys from the 2018-19 season, presented by @NHL_Shop and @Fanatics.

Is anyone surprised? pic.twitter.com/pPMfld3wVG

— NHL (@NHL) September 3, 2019

That isn't the only prestigious list Bergeron and Marchand have landed on recently. The duo also cracked the top 20 in the upcoming "NHL 20" video game's player rankings.

Bergeron again was a finalist for the Selke Trophy last season and tallied 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 65 games played. Marchand is coming off another extraordinary campaign, racking up a career-high 100 points (36 goals, 64 assists) in 79 games.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151626 Boston Bruins physicality, toughness and defensive intensity against a big, strong physical St. Louis team in the Cup Final.

It’s been interesting that the Bruins haven’t seemed very concerned Could injuries be the Bruins' saving salary cap grace this fall? about their salary cap situation this summer for a team that’s still got two unsigned players. Perhaps we now know why based on the trail of evidence that any combination of Backes, Miller and Moore could be By Joe Haggerty September 03, 2019 10:09 AM shelved on long-term injured reserve to start this season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 It’s been assumed by most that the Bruins are going to need to make a salary cap relief-related trade once they’re able to sign restricted free agents, Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy, over the next month or so.

But that might not be the harsh reality based on Boston’s injury situation coming off last spring’s 24-game playoff run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Both Kevan Miller (broken knee cap) and John Moore (shoulder surgery) were banged up when the Bruins broke up in mid- June and headed for long summer rehabs, and there have been hints all along that David Backes is battling some kind of undisclosed injury this summer.

Both general manager Don Sweeney and Bruins President Cam Neely made mention of a Backes injury in their end-of-season press conferences and it’s been very quiet when it comes to the 35-year-old power forward this summer.

“Backes has got something [injury-wise] he’s following up on,” said Sweeney back at his post-free agency press conference on July 1. “Down the road there could be [surgery]. He’s just taking some time now to allow everything to calm down, making sure.

“Moore and Miller both had surgery, so again, those are ranges in terms of return to play. Everything is up to the individual protocol of the player and how long he has to go through rehab. Same thing for Zdeno [Chara] and his elbow. It’s all likelihood that they will be following the timelines, but you have to make sure. We thought that originally with Kevan as well. You know, there’s always nuances, and you have to prepare for every different scenario.”

Bruins Debunked: Krug trade rumors are just talk

There’s really been no update on Backes’ health since that mention of an injury after he was a healthy scratch for the final three games of the Stanley Cup Final against his former St. Louis Blues club. It’s no secret that Backes has suffered a series of concussions over the last couple of seasons, and a year ago his entire summer was about recovering from a head injury against Tampa Bay that ended his playoff season.

Could it be that Backes has been experiencing some kind of post- concussion symptoms this summer, or perhaps there’s some other kind of potentially serious injury at play with an aging winger coming off his worst NHL season with seven goals and 20 points in 72 games?

The latter is more likely than the former given Sweeney’s reference to surgery back in July 1, but all things are possible with a player in his mid- 30’s who’s logged a ton of hard miles on a body that’s played 928 NHL games.

Whatever the case, an injury would be the best-case scenario when it comes to Backes and the Bruins. The 35-year-old forward has slowed down considerably over the last few seasons, and his current $6 million cap hit doesn’t fit the production level he’s settled into with the Black and Gold. A move to long-term injured reserve for Backes would solve all of Boston’s salary cap issues with the B’s currently sitting at about $7 million in cap space.

Marchand, Bergeron land in Top 20 of NHL20 ratings

Backes being moved to LTIR would bump that number up to $13 million in cap space, and that would give the Bruins enough space to sign both McAvoy and Carlo when those deals are eventually done. It would also undoubtedly lead to plenty of scrutiny from the NHL given Backes’ declining production level and unwieldy cap hit, which would be a convenient time for a player like him to come up with a chronic injury situation.

Add the cap hits for Miller ($2.5 million) and Moore as well ($2.75 million) and the Bruins could have in the neighborhood of $19 million in cap space at the start of the NHL season while waiting for both D-men to heal from their injuries. Some have mentioned that Miller, in particular, could be another salary cap boon for the Bruins if he were injured long term as well, but that’s just plain foolish given how much they missed his 1151627 Buffalo Sabres handle the physical nature of professional hockey? Also, how will he handle what likely will be a lesser role with the Amerks, who should be very talented on the blue line? Bryson has the speed and skill to excel at 7 players to watch during Sabres' Prospects Challenge that level. It's time to see if he's ready for the next step.

Lukas Rousek, winger

By Lance Lysowski Rousek, 20, was the Sabres' final pick of the 2019 draft and was one of the final players at Rogers Arena to be selected. Don't overlook him, though.

The Buffalo Sabres' Prospects Challenge likely will not include a match He was somewhat overlooked in this year's draft because it was his up between the team's recent top draft choices, Dylan Cozens, and New second year of eligibility, but he made significant progress last season by Jersey's Jack Hughes, who was selected first overall in the draft. scoring two goals among five points in four playoff games for HC Sparta Praha. Cozens, an 18-year-old center, is not on the Sabres' roster for the event, which runs Friday through Sunday and includes the Devils, Pittsburgh Rousek was regarded as one of the top amateur players in Czech Penguins and Boston Bruins. Buffalo's top goaltender prospect, Ukko- Republic not long ago, scoring 37 goals for his Under-18 team in 2016- Pekka Luukkonen, won't participate because he is recovering from hip 17. He's under contract with HC Sparta Praha for one more season. surgery. Will Borgen, defenseman However, a number of notable prospects will be skating in Harborcenter. With that in mind, here are seven Sabres prospects to keep an eye on Among right-shot defenseman prospects, Borgen appeared to be the during the event, which will include three games for the team: odds-on favorite to make the Sabres' roster out of camp this season after Zach Bogosian underwent hip surgery that should keep him out of the Henri Jokiharju, defenseman lineup in October.

This will be the first opportunity for Sabres fans to watch Jokiharju since However, the Sabres acquired two right-shot defensemen this summer: he was acquired from Chicago in exchange for winger Alexander Jokiharju and Colin Miller. Now, barring injury, Borgen will return to the Nylander in July. Jokiharju, 21, is only two years removed from being Amerks, where he will assume a shutdown role on the blue line. He's drafted 29th overall, and he recorded 12 assists in 38 games for the only 22 years old and, although he'll never be an offensive defenseman, Blackhawks last season. he's still developing that part of his game.

Jokiharju's chances of making the Sabres' roster out of camp will depend While the Sabres are well-stocked with offensive defensemen, Borgen is on whether Rasmus Ristolainen remains with the team. However, the type of physical presence they need on the back end. He should be Jokiharju already is one of the organization's top prospects, an offensive among the first prospects recalled to the NHL in the event of an injury. defenseman with a skill set similar to that of Rasmus Dahlin. Rasmus Asplund, center Jokiharju was a favorite of Joel Quenneville's during the former Blackhawks coach's final months in Chicago. Though Jokiharju was Asplund's first season in North America went about as well as the Sabres eventually sent to Rockford last season, he played well during Finland's could have hoped. The 21-year-old center was an outstanding penalty- gold-medal run to the IIHF World Championships this spring. killer in Rochester and showed he could become a reliable, two-way NHL player. Matej Pekar, winger Asplund scored 10 goals among 41 points in 75 regular-season games, An injury prevented the 19-year-old from competing in this summer's most of which were spent on a line with Victor Olofsson. Though Asplund development camp, and he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone is unlikely to have a realistic shot at making the Sabres' roster, he could in January. Pekar, though, was outstanding during his time with Barrie of be among the first forwards recalled from the Amerks in the event of an the , finishing 2018-19 with 14 goals among 36 injury. points in 33 games. This is an important year of development for Asplund. He'll need to Pekar's mix of skill and physicality should make him stand out. He's likely continue to improve his offensive game and the nuances of playing best remembered by fans for irritating Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt on center, such as faceoffs and defensive responsibilities. the ice at last year's development camp, so we will see if Pekar has a similar impact against other prospects. Buffalo News LOADED: 09.04.2019

Pekar likely will play another season with Barrie and represent Czech Republic at the IIHF World Junior Championship for a second consecutive year.

Arttu Ruotsalainen, winger

Ruotsalainen, a 21-year-old forward, signed a three-year entry level contract with the Sabres in May, but there's a catch: He'll likely need to make the NHL roster in order to remain in North America this season.

If Ruotsalainen doesn't make the cut, he'll return for one more season in Finland, unless his team in Liiga, Ilves, gives him permission to play in Rochester. Since it is unlikely that Ruotsalainen would join the Amerks, his performance over the next few weeks should give fans a glimpse at what he could provide in 2020 and beyond.

Ruotsalainen is ultra-skilled, particularly with his stick-handling, but lacks size at 5-foot-8, which likely will prevent him from playing center in the NHL. Still, it's no fluke that he scored 21 goals for Ilves last season.

Jacob Bryson, defenseman

Bryson had an outstanding career at Providence College, finishing with 11 goals among 73 points in three seasons. He emerged as one of the top defensemen in NCAA hockey last season, when he helped lead the Friars to the Frozen Four in Buffalo.

Bryson is expected to begin this season in Rochester, and many young defensemen struggle with the transition from the college game to the . Bryson is listed at 5-9, so how well will he 1151628 Calgary Flames

Peters said job on defence was Valimaki's 'to lose' before ACL injury

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia

In Bill Peters’ mind, Juuso Valimaki was set to become an everyday for the Calgary Flames this fall.

But that all changed last month when the 20-year-old defenceman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while off- season training at home in Nokia, Finland.

The injury required surgery, which Valimaki underwent recently. But the rehabilitation and recovery process can last around six to nine months, which put a wrench in the Flames’ depth chart.

Prior to the injury, Valimaki, who was the team’s 16th overall selection from the 2017 National Hockey League Draft, was likely destined for the third pairing at the very least.

“For me, to be honest with you, it was his job to lose,” Peters said. “A real good player, a real smart player … And the thing with Vally is the upside. He would have been getting better every month.

“The first half of the year, you would have seen improvement and then into the second half of the year … it’s an unfortunate injury, but they do happen.”

Valimaki was one of the biggest surprises out of last year’s fall training camp, cracking the roster as a fresh-faced 19-year-old.

He suffered a high ankle sprain on Nov. 23 at Las Vegas that kept him out of the lineup until mid-season. Valimaki returned to the big club at the end of the regular campaign and drew into two contests, prior to the team’s brief playoff run, on April 1 in Los Angeles and April 3 in Anaheim.

In the first-round upset by the Colorado Avalanche, he played in two games and averaged 16:47 of ice time.

Many believe Valimaki could emerge as captain Mark Giordano’s successor on the team’s top pairing and even wear a letter on his jersey as part of the leadership group.

But his development is somewhat sidetracked due to the most recent injury.

The plan is for the smooth-skating, 6-foot-2, 212-pounder to do some rehab in Calgary but will also return home to Finland to recover.

A frustrating process, to be sure.

“It’s a tough one,” Peters said. “Your heart goes out to him because he’s such a good kid and he works so hard and then hurts himself training. He does all the right things all the time. He’s a guy that, we thought, was going to make our team right out of camp and be a part of it for all 82- plus.

“I feel bad for him — hurt a bit last year, and now he’s going to miss a significant amount of time. But Tree will make some moves to shore up our depth on defence.”

The door is now open for Oliver Kylington to slot into an everyday role with the club and, potentially, Brandon Davidson who was inked to a one- year, two-way deal on July 1.

They also inked veteran defender Andrew MacDonald, who has 586 games of NHL experience, including most recently with the Philadelphia Flyers, to a professional tryout offer this fall.

Or, potentially, the Flames will look elsewhere.

“We’ll end up deeper than that, and we’ll have a very competitive camp,” Peters said. “You’re not only competing to get on the team, you are competing for your role on the team.

“You want to play and want to play valuable minutes … the pre-season for our group is very important.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151629 Calgary Flames for a pair of rookie games against the (Saturday in Red Deer and Tuesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome).

Veterans officially report on Sept. 12 for physicals with ice times slated Peters ready for 2019-20 Flames training camp, with or without Tkachuk, next weekend. Following the team’s final pre-season clash on Sept. 28 Mangiapane against the Oilers, the Flames are taking off on a team-building event for a few days. Peters is hoping to have the 2019-20 team in tact by then.

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia All in all, it is a relatively tame schedule compared with the jam-packed itinerary a year ago.

At this time last fall, the Flames were scrambling ahead of their once-in- With the Flames having rolled through the first half of the NHL season, is a-lifetime adventure to China for pre-season clashes against the Boston it time to start talking about head coach Bill Peters as a potential Jack Bruins. They parlayed that team-bonding experience into a solid regular- Adams candidate? season campaign, becoming the Western Conference’s best team in the regular season. They battled goaltending issues, injuries, shrugged off a A swift playoff exit and an early start to the off-season gave Bill Peters mediocre stretch after the NHL All-Star break, had career seasons from lots of time to think about lineup changes for the Calgary Flames. many players and wrapped up 2018-19 with 50 wins. And to welcome suggestions. That all meant nothing, however, as they were eliminated by the “Well … not all summer,” said the head coach. “You’re always making Colorado Avalanche in five games during the first round of the post- notes and writing stuff down. We did a bunch of the lines, but I like season. getting input from other people, too, right? This is Peters’ second season at the helm of the Flames and second go- “You get a lot of free advice from the people at the lake, so you get that. round of tone-setting during training camp — and he plans on making the Then, you get your assistant coaches doing some things and some most of it. ideas. We’ve got some versatile players, but we also like some of the “We’ll see what happens with our team, and we’ll see who’s ready to go things we know work. We know certain things work. We know there’s for opening night,” Peters said. “It’s going to change a bit if you’re not lines that work. We know there are (defence) pairs that work. We know here for the opening of camp. Hopefully, you’re here opening night. there are some things that don’t work nearly as well.” “I’m sure there will be a little bit of shuffling for the first month. But we’ll At this time of the year, National Hockey League rosters are always see and go from there.” written in pencil, not permanent marker. There are plenty of moving parts as players begin to gather for another 82-game slate, kicking off with Calgary Sun: LOADED: 09.04.2019 rookie camps, then main training camps and the pre-season.

But while Peters was spending time with his family in the Okanagan, Flames general manager Brad Treliving was trying to improve the roster. Whether it’s a sign of the current NHL market, the team’s own internal cap situation, or, simply, the boss’s vision for the upcoming season, there was little-to-no movement — essentially — on the Flames roster.

Treliving traded James Neal and his albatross contract for Milan Lucic (and his). He signed netminder Cam Talbot in free agency. And he re- upped David Rittich and Sam Bennett.

And while the entire hockey world awaits the end of Mitch Marner’s contract impasse, the Flames await Matthew Tkachuk’s.

The 21-year-old left winger is a restricted free agent, and while the team tendered him a qualifying offer, he still remains unsigned. Many believe it’s a matter of time before both sides come to an agreement.

But it is a dark cloud hanging over the city as the team’s Celebrity Charity Golf Classic is set to kick off Wednesday.

Tkachuk was not in Calgary for the unofficial welcome back and golf luncheon on Tuesday. In fact, he posted a picture of himself boating in the Missouri Ozarks on social media over the weekend, and there was a whisper of him skating with Marner and the Ontario Hockey League’s at some point this week, so he’s likely staying far away from the situation in Calgary until his contract is resolved.

The Flames, who have a limited amount of cap space (US$7.756-million according to CapFriendly.com), still need to ink Andrew Mangiapane to a deal.

Peters indicated that he has pencilled Tkachuk into four of the team’s seven pre-season clashes that run through the month of September. But he also will replace him (temporarily) if need be, potentially with Bennett or Dillon Dube on his usual spot on the second line with Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. There’s also the option of playing Elias Lindholm at centre, an idea that Peters has talked about before.

But nothing, of course, is written in stone.

“We’re aware there is a chance he might not be here,” Peters said. “We hope he’s here. A real good player. It will be beneficial to have everybody together, if that can be a possibility. But we’ll see. We’re still a couple of weeks away.”

The Flames rookies are set to report on Thursday for medicals and fitness testing and will hit the ice at WinSport on Friday. They’re slated 1151630 Carolina Hurricanes As he approaches his 31st birthday next week, Staal has played 893 regular-season games and is well-respected by everyone associated with the organization. Brind’Amour, for one, often has noted, “I don’t know With Justin Williams gone, who wears the ‘C’ for the Canes? what more I can say about Jordan.”

It could be that Brind’Amour turns to Faulk, who has played his entire career with the franchise or another, younger defenseman, Jaccob BY CHIP ALEXANDER Slavin.

Sebastian Aho might be the Canes’ best player but is the center ready at 22 for the “C” and could the added responsibilities affect his play? RALEIGH-The subject was being the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, of wearing the “C” and being the acknowledged team leader. There’s veteran forward Jordan Martinook. In one year with the team he has established himself as a leader and mentor in the locker room, and Jordan Staal shared the “C” with Justin Faulk two seasons ago as co- his determination during the playoffs to be on the ice despite a painful captains. Last season, it was Justin Williams, alone. injury inspired his teammates. For the third straight year, there will be a change. Williams on Monday For Brind’Amour, making Williams the captain was a coaching no- announced he would “step away” from the NHL and would not be with brainer. More thought will go into this selection. the Hurricanes when they begin training camp this month or at the start of the 2019-2020 season. No official retirement announcement, but The fact the Canes made such a deep playoff run, playing until mid-May, Williams’ absence will be felt. reduced the players’ recovery time in preparing for a new season.

“I can imagine it was a tough decision because he’s played a long time “The hangover hung over for a while but we had so many great and done it at a high level for a long time,” Faulk said Tuesday. “He had memories and a lot of fun,” Staal said. “It was a good hangover, so to a good year and the team did well, so it probably made it pretty hard on speak, and a good summer, getting away more mentally than physically.” him. If he needs more time to figure it out it’s more than his right. It’s his decision and however they want to do it I don’t think there’s any right or For Williams, playing all 82 in the regular season and the 15 in the wrong answer. playoffs took a toll, especially with the Canes in must-win mode down the stretch, battling the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens for “He’s great in the room, great on the ice, off the ice, out of the room, just a wild-card playoff spot. The forward put so much into the season and his a good guy all around. He’s a true pro. Any time someone like that leaves career numbers -- 1,244 regular-season games, 155 playoff games -- a locker room it’s never easy to fill and never easy to replace, if it is almost seem staggering. replaceable. It’s on other guys to do their thing and carry on and carry the torch and make sure everybody is doing their jobs.” Brind’Amour said late last week that the Canes have had to prepare for this season with the idea Williams would not be back as Williams Staal and Faulk both agreed the co-captain approach, a decision made pondered a decision. They have a full complement of forwards, having by former coach Bill Peters, seemed a bit awkward. Williams had signed added Erik Haula and Ryan Dzingel in the offseason. Williams leaves a a two-year free-agent contract and returned to the team he helped lead void, for sure, but Brind’Amour has options. to the 2006 Stanley Cup before winning two more Cups with the Los Angeles Kings. Williams appeared to be the likely choice in 2017-18. “We’ve added quality players and more importantly good people who will fit into what we’re trying do,” Brind’Amour said last week. “But I think it’s But Peters did not name him captain nor have him serve as an alternate such a fine margin. You can have a great team and not do well. Things captain. No letter, an obvious slight. Rod Brind’Amour, once named can happen.” Peters’ replacement as head coach, quickly remedied that, making Williams the captain and having Staal and Faulk wear “A’s” last season News Observer LOADED: 09.04.2019 as the alternates.

“I think one (captain) is better, probably,” Faulk said Tuesday. “I think one works. It has been the tradition of hockey. One makes things a little smoother and a little easier.”

While Staal said having a “C” was an honor, Williams was an obvious choice given his depth of experience, success and strong personality, allowing Staal more freedom to simply go out and play, be the strong center that Brind’Amour wants him to be. The Canes, with Williams the consummate leader, qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009 and reached the Eastern Conference finals.

The Canes became relevant again in the NHL -- Williams’ stated goal in coming back to Carolina in July 2017 -- and the captain made sure they had fun doing it, orchestrating the postgame Storm Surge celebrations that were zany at times but entertaining.

“Willy took a lot of stuff outside the rink on his shoulders, obviously a lot with the media and other stuff,” Staal said. “I probably had a little less of that and that was nice. He took that day-to-day stuff and took it on himself. He obviously said the right things, whether it was being hard on guys or having that good feel for the room and knowing whose buttons to push and who needed a pat on the back. It was good leadership.”

Williams, who will be 38 on Oct. 4, made it clear after the season that he would not make a decision to return unless he was completely committed to being back, mentally, physically and emotionally. Retirement would be mean more family time -- with his wife, Kelly, son Jaxon and daughter, Jade.

Now, Williams has both hinted at retirement while also leaving the door open to a possible return this season. The Canes appear to be on-board with that arrangement -- Williams’ Wikipedia page now has his status listed as “semi-retired.”

The question: who takes over as captain? 1151631 Carolina Hurricanes Every decent power play in the league with the exception of the Panthers has a blend of left- and right-shot forwards on its first unit, but what are you gonna do? “Making it work” has been an unofficial team motto since Forecasting the Hurricanes’ 2019-20 lineup without Justin Williams Rod Brind’Amour took over, you’d just hope they would bring in a specialist and get creative.

Unit 2 By Sara Civian Sep 3, 2019 Ryan Dzingel-Jordan Staal-Martin Necas

Jaccob Slavin- Dougie Hamilton (Justin Faulk?) Pretty much every sentence about the Hurricanes’ season-to-be has come with a concession statement: “If Justin Williams returns …” I doubt Brind’Amour will hand the job to Necas out of training camp, but he should get a chance eventually … While the captain is not yet ready to call it a career, the Hurricanes announced Monday that he will not be joining the team for training camp. NO, YOUR EYES DON'T DECEIVE YOU, MARTIN NECAS SCORED TWO NEARLY IDENTICAL POWER-PLAY GOALS LAST NIGHT TO “This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt unsure of my aspirations with GET THE CHECKERS A BIG WIN OVER SYRACUSE! regards to hockey,” Williams said in a release. “For as long as I can PIC.TWITTER.COM/Y0VUWSURNI remember, my whole off-season until this point has been hockey and doing what was necessary to prepare for the upcoming season. Because — CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (@CHECKERSHOCKEY) MARCH 21, of my current indecision, and without the type of mental and physical 2019 commitment that I’m accustomed to having, I’ve decided to step away Go to 1:40 in the clip below: from the game.” HIGHLIGHTS: CZECHS MAKE THE QUARTER-FINALS AFTER The impact of his leadership was so intense for these Canes that it was BLANKING DENMARK 4-0 AT THE #WORLDJUNIORS. tough to think about anything else when word of his decision got out. But then you think about life without Mr. Game 7 some more and remember READ MORE: HTTPS://T.CO/CRQEOCJRS8 his impact on the ice — he was third on the team with 53 regular-season PIC.TWITTER.COM/WMOO3JKHIE points (23 goals, 30 assists). He had a team-leading nine power play goals, and the power play was a source of concern headed into the — IIHF (@IIHFHOCKEY) JANUARY 1, 2019 season even if he did return. In fact, he was the only right-shot forward He’s also a right-shot forward, just in case the first unit can’t make it on the Hurricanes power play at all. work. Just tossing that out there.

Regression was expected for an almost 38-year-old after a season like The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 that, but the team is simply better with him than without. GM Don Waddell prepared for this, though, so there are several enticing replacement possibilities.

Forwards

Nino Niederreiter-Sebastian Aho-Teuvo Teravainen

Warren Foegele-Jordan Staal-Andrei Svechnikov

Ryan Dzingel-Erik Haula-Martin Necas

Brock McGinn-Lucas Wallmark-Jordan Martinook

Defense

Jaccob Slavin-Dougie Hamilton

Brett Pesce-Justin Faulk

Haydn Fleury-Trevor van Riemsdyk

*Gustav Forsling rotating in

** Chase Priskie!?

In this scenario, I moved Svechnikov down from 1RW to 2RW, Teravainen from 2LW to 1RW, Foegele from 4LW to 2LW, and inserted McGinn into the lineup. This is something of a leap of faith for Foegele, but his playoff performance probably earned him a crack at the Top 6. I’d imagine the “second” and “third” lines with pretty much equal playing time.

At this point, RFA Saku Maenalanen must be feeling relieved. He hasn’t yet re-signed with the Canes, but Williams’ decision could change that considering there’s more room at right wing now. He and Julien Gauthier strike me as potential competitors for a role on the right wing.

Power Play

Special teams are the theme of this week’s training camp training camp, so we’ll discuss this in exhaustive detail later. But right now we know the Canes absolutely need an impact forward, preferably right shot, to replace Williams on the “first” power play unit.

Unit 1

Nino Niederreiter-Sebastian Aho-Andrei Svechnikov

Justin Faulk (Dougie Hamilton?)-Teuvo Teravainen (obviously not a defenseman just for formatting purposes)

We call this one “put your best bets out there and make it work.” 1151632 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews finish Top-10 in best- selling NHL jerseys from 2018-19 season

By Charlie Roumeliotis September 03, 2019 4:00 PM

The Blackhawks have been in a retooling phase over the past couple seasons, but Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews remain two of the most marketable players in hockey.

The NHL released its top-selling jerseys from the 2018-19 season, according to the NHL Shop and Fanatics, and the pair of Blackhawks superstars each landed inside the Top 10. Kane came in at No. 6 while Toews finished No. 9, respectively.

Have a look at the top-selling jerseys from the 2018-19 season, presented by @NHL_Shop and @Fanatics.

Is anyone surprised? pic.twitter.com/pPMfld3wVG

— NHL (@NHL) September 3, 2019

Kane and Toews are each coming off career seasons offensively, with the former accumulating 110 points last season and the latter 35 goals and 81 points. Kane jumped two spots from eighth in 2017-18 to sixth while Toews stayed at No. 9, respectively.

Here's a look at the Top 15:

1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

2. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

3. , Toronto Maple Leafs

4. Marc-Andre Fleury,

5. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins

6. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

7. Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues

8. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

9. Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

10. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

11. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

12. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

13. John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

14. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers

15. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151633 Colorado Avalanche (Patrik Nemeth) and (Semyon Varlamov) who don’t get talked about much in terms of guys we lost but they were good guys and good players that’ll be missed for sure.

Your summer may have been good. It’s just that J.T. Compher’s was How do you balance that knowing this is a business but you’re sad to see probably better him leave?

Like you said, it’s a business. For us, it’s someone you know you can see By Ryan S. Clark Sep 3, 2019 when you’re playing on the road. But it was nice coming into the league with him. Me, him and Josty were pretty close. It was nice to have that support system the first few years in the league.

J.T. Compher could be going to the dressing room right now. But he’s It looks like there’s going to be a lot of responsibility coming your way not. He has opted to corral about 10 or so pucks with the idea of helping with the third-line center spot as opposed to going between center and Matt Calvert get in some extra work. wing. How much has that run through your mind this offseason?

Technically speaking, the Colorado Avalanche have not officially started I try not to look too much into it. The last few years have shown guys can preseason camp. Don’t worry. Sept. 13 will be here soon enough. move up and down this lineup pretty quickly. When you’re playing well, Compher know this. As do more than a dozen of his teammates who are you seem to get more ice time. I’m not real worried about what role I start at the team’s practice facility for what is likely the first of quite a few in as long as I get off to a good start. I will play whatever role is asked of informal training sessions over the next several days. me and will play it well.

For now? Compher’s concern is sliding 10 crisply consecutive passes for Like you said, people don’t talk about Carl leaving but that’s a big loss. Calvert to fire on net. He does just that. Calvert scores on eight of the And you’re going to be one of the people charged with filling that void. Do pucks he receives. Some are one-timers. Others involve him skating you feel that sense of added responsibility or how would you assess it? closer to the target before shooting. Still, each pass is where it needs to be because of Compher’s consistency. A little bit. Even though I haven’t had a very particular spot in the lineup, I feel like I have been trusted with some responsibility over the last few Consistency. That word could be an optimal one for Compher in what is years to get me ready to keep taking steps to fill in for a guy like Carl or shaping up to potentially become the most pivotal season of his young guys that we lost throughout the lineup. career. At 24, the former University of Michigan star showed some of what he could achieve in 2018-19 when he finished with a career-high 16 Let’s take this summer as a whole. What’s it like to be a part of this goals and 32 points over 66 games while splitting time between center organization given what happened at the draft and with free agency? and wing. It’s an exciting time to be part of this organization. We’re very confident in His place within the team is expected to change. Compher recently this room that it is time to continue to up our level as we’ve done the past signed a four-year contract worth $3.5 million annually. That along with few years and make sure we have no regrets during the season. Carl Soderberg’s departure means the door is open for Compher to claim And as far as your summer, did you do anything fun or was it just entirely the role as the team’s third-line center while also logging heavy minutes about training? in penalty-killing situations as well. I got in some good training but I also got in a few vacations and some The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark caught up with Compher on Tuesday, where good family time. Overall, it was nice and I enjoyed it but it’s time to get they discussed his new deal, the Avalanche’s potential, the departure of back playing hockey. close friend Alexander Kerfoot to the Toronto Maple Leafs and whether or not the Chicagoland native feels confident in the Chicago Bears’ Final thing: What’s your thoughts on the Bears this season? kicking game. I mean, they have a really good defense. I don’t want to overhype them. What was it like to be you this summer? Especially with getting the new I’ve been overhyping them in the room for about a year-and-a-half now. I contract handled and coming off the strongest season of your career? don’t want to say too much but I don’t think 11 wins is out of the question. That division should be ours. You got to hold off Aaron Rodgers but I am It was really good. I was able to come home and get some good work in excited to go next Sunday for the Broncos-Bears game in Denver. Chicago. But yeah, it was nice to get the contract stuff done relatively early in the summer so I could continue focusing on training and getting So, are you nervous about the kicking game? ready for the year. Uh, ask me in January and I will be. But not yet. What’s it like to be in that situation? How much are you kept in the loop? Or do you let your agent handle it? How does it work? The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019

There is some communication but at the end of the day, you’ve put in all the work already as a player. Once the season’s over, there is not much I can do to really affect the contract anymore. I felt pretty relaxed during it and I put a lot of trust in my agent and we were able to get a deal done.

Of course, your deal got done. Then there are the unrestricted free agents. And the trades too. What’s that been like to be a part of that kind of summer?

There was a little bit of movement but I think we’ve done a good job of having that locker room culture the last few years that even when we lose guys, you feel like that’s still there. You feel like it’s a core part of who we are as an organization and who we are as a team. We’re excited about some new pieces. It’s obviously tough to see some guys go. Teammates that you have played with for two or three years. But we think we have a really good roster and we’re looking forward to getting the season going.

As far as Alexander Kerfoot leaving, what was that like for you and Tyson (Jost) seeing him leave? Did you and Tyson have a chance to talk about it? (NOTE: Compher, Jost and Kerfoot grew extremely close as they were housemates for two seasons.)

Yeah, the three of us kept in pretty good contact over the summer. We got together for dinner in Denver before (Kerfoot) took off but it’s a little tough seeing a friend like that go. But across the lineup, you know, we lost a lot of guys that were such a part of our close group like Carl and 1151634 Colorado Avalanche 2017-18 25 COL NHL 78 25 37 62 16 37 17 8 0 1 27 9 1 183 13.7 Avalanche player (p)review: Gabriel Landeskog 312 1571 20:09 215 203 51.4 51 149 54 31

2018-19 26 COL NHL 73 34 41 BY CALLIE AGNEW SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 75 17 51 24 10 0 9 24 17 0 243 14.0

363 1544 21:09 360 333 51.9 This Season 64 120 46 47 Selke-23

Gabriel Landeskog was one of the most improved players this season. Career 8 yrs NHL 579 177 239 He had seen time on different lines with different line combos, however, 416 38 442 126 46 5 Bednar could not keep him away from MacKinnon and Rantanen. 26 175 59 5 1579 11.2 Landeskog’s career year landed him in the All-Star Game starring 2508 11139 19:14 711 698 50.5 alongside Rantanen as MacKinnon nursed a minor injury. 437 1203 397 263

This was the season all of the aspects of Landeskog’s all-around came Data courtesy Hockey-Reference.com. together as he continued his quality playmaking but increased his goal- Next Season scoring and really cemented himself as the linch pin on the top line with his excellent two-way play. Expect one of two things from Landeskog next season: him either staying on a line with MacKinnon and Rantanen or he will be on line two with Landeskog had a career-high of 75 points (34g, 41a). He also had career newcomer Nazem Kadri. Landeskog and Kadri play a similar physical highs in power-play goals (10), power-play points (27), and game- style of hockey that would be hard for other teams to play against. winning goals (9). He saw his TOI average go up to 21:09, from 20:09. Depending what Bednar is looking to get out of the top two lines though Landeskog was definitely one of the Avalanche most improved players he might want Landeskog to keep his physical play on line one. from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019. Landeskog may struggle to repeat the numbers of last season but his Landeskog’s physical play did go down this season, with 120 hits this intangibles have taken hold as he’s helped foster the kind of locker room season compared to 149 the season before. Aside from the 2012-2013 chemistry other teams envy. He’s the leader of this era of Avalanche lockout season when Landeskog played just 36 games (86 hits), this is hockey and his leadership will continue to be front stage as long as he the lowest number of hits he had dealt out in the NHL. remains in Colorado.

NHL Standard career statistics BSN DENVER LOADED: 09.04.2019

Scoring Goals Assists Shots Ice Time

Season Age Tm Lg GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV Awards

2011-12 19 COL NHL 82 22 30 52 20 51 16 6 0 5 22 6 2 270 8.1 406 1526 18:37 8 28 22.2 58 219 58 35 Calder-1,Selke-43

2012-13 20 COL NHL 36 9 8 17 -4 22 6 0 3 1 6 2 0 109 8.3 179 696 19:20 6 12 33.3 32 86 21 15

2013-14 21 COL NHL 81 26 39 65 21 71 21 5 0 4 34 5 0 222 11.7 384 1513 18:41 13 5 72.2 52 176 64 35 AS-9

2014-15 22 COL NHL 82 23 36 59 -2 79 15 8 0 2 27 9 0 214 10.7 349 1517 18:30 16 29 35.6 73 169 52 34 Selke-38

2015-16 23 COL NHL 75 20 33 53 -5 69 15 4 1 2 21 10 2 169 11.8 249 1419 18:56 31 25 55.4 66 141 37 30

2016-17 24 COL NHL 72 18 15 33 -25 62 12 5 1 2 14 1 0 169 10.7 266 1352 18:47 62 63 49.6 41 143 65 36 1151635 Columbus Blue Jackets

Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre joins Columbus Blue Jackets broadcast team

Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch

One of the most anticipated decisions of the Blue Jackets’ offseason was finalized Tuesday.

It had nothing to do with defenseman Zach Werenski’s unresolved status as a restricted free agent, but it did involve a former defenseman for the Blue Jackets signing a new deal.

The team announced that Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, who played from 2000 to 2004 with the Jackets, will be the new studio host on Fox Sports Ohio television broadcasts, replacing the retired Bill Davidge — who spent 20 years with the Jackets as a scout and broadcaster.

“We are very excited to have an original Blue Jacket, Jean-Luc Grand- Pierre, join our broadcast team on Fox Sports Ohio,” Blue Jackets vice president of digital marketing and media Marc Gregory said in a news release. “He brings extensive knowledge of the game and National Hockey League, along with an infectious personality that has always resonated with fans. We think he is going to be a fantastic addition to our Emmy Award-winning broadcasts on Fox Sports Ohio.”

Grand-Pierre, a real estate agent and hockey director for Belfry Hockey, resides in New Albany with wife, Jennifer, and their two kids — daughter, Darby, and son, Dennyn. He has dabbled in Blue Jackets broadcasting the past three seasons during the playoffs, contributing to the team’s radio broadcasts and in-house pregame productions shown on the scoreboard video screens.

“I am tremendously honored and excited for this opportunity and want to thank the Blue Jackets and Fox Sports Ohio,” Grand-Pierre said in the release. “I’ve always been passionate about the game, this organization and the community.”

Grand-Pierre made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres in 1998-99, but was traded to Columbus on June 23, 2000, and played parts of the next four years with the Blue Jackets — whose inaugural season was 2000-2001. He had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 202 career games with Columbus before finishing his playing career with stints in Atlanta, Washington and Europe.

The Blue Jackets will open training camp Sept. 12 and send a team of prospects to northern Michigan on Friday to the annual Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament, which runs from Friday through Tuesday.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151636 Columbus Blue Jackets

Former Blue Jacket Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre named Studio Analyst for club’s televised games on FOX Sports Ohio

FOX Sports Sep 3, 2019 at 9:40a ET

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets and FOX Sports Ohio announced that former Blue Jackets defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre has joined the club’s broadcast team as a studio analyst. He will join Brian Giesenschlag on Blue Jackets Live pre- and post-game shows and intermissions during games televised on the network, replacing Bill Davidge who retired following the 2018-19 season.

Grand-Pierre, who has been a contributor on Blue Jackets radio broadcast during the past three Stanley Cup Playoffs, was a member of the Blue Jackets’ inaugural team in 2000-01. He appeared in 202 games with the club, registering four goals and 10 assists for 14 points with 239 penalty minutes between 2000-04. He tallied 7-13-20 and 311 penalty minutes in 269 career NHL games with Columbus, Buffalo, Atlanta and Washington and went on to play professionally in , Finland and Germany before retiring in 2013.

“We are very excited to have an original Blue Jacket, Jean-Luc Grand- Pierre, join our broadcast team on FOX Sports Ohio,” said Blue Jackets Vice President of Digital Marketing & Media Marc Gregory. “He brings extensive knowledge of the game and National Hockey League, along with an infectious personality that has always resonated with fans. We think he is going to be a fantastic addition to our Emmy Award-winning broadcasts on FOX Sports Ohio.”

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Grand-Pierre was a seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 1995 NHL Draft. He played for Beauport and Val-d’Or in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before making his professional debut with the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans in 1997-98 and appearing in his first NHL game with the Sabres the following season. He was acquired by Columbus in a trade with Buffalo on June 23, 2000. He and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of a daughter, Darby, and son, Dennyn. The family resides in New Albany.

“I am tremendously honored and excited for this opportunity and want to thank the Blue Jackets and FOX Sports Ohio,” said Grand-Pierre. “I’ve always been passionate about the game, this organization and the community. I am looking forward to joining an incredible broadcast team and being a part of a really exciting season for the Blue Jackets and hockey fans across Ohio.”

The Blue Jackets open training camp on September 12 in preparation for their 19thNHL season. Columbus opens the 2019-20 regular season at Nationwide Arena on Friday, October 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET. foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151637 Columbus Blue Jackets and Kucherov and Vasilevskiy, this guy, that guy. Rightfully so, that’s a really good hockey club. But I still think going into that, winning seven out of eight to end the season, and to us being a really good team … I don’t ‘Pissed off’ John Tortorella weighs in on departed players, his think people believed that the Columbus Blue Jackets were on the map, goaltenders, Alexander Wennberg, a new style of play and more on Blue and I still don’t think we’re there. That’s a tremendous motivation for us. Jackets You used the word interesting frequently last season, saying many times that it was the most interesting season you’ve had in the NHL. Is there another adjective that fits there, maybe one you resisted using? By Aaron Portzline Sep 3, 2019 (Pause) How about this: It was a reactive season. I remember …

Reactive, as in nuclear … ? COLUMBUS, Ohio — John Tortorella has been “pissed off” most of this offseason, not directly at the players who left the Blue Jackets via free (laughs) No. I told our two assistants — (Brad) Larsen and (Brad) Shaw agency — Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, Artemi Panarin and others — you’re going to have to carry a lot more of the X’s and O’s and the — but certainly at their desire to leave Columbus. video part. I wanted them more involved, and their voices more involved. But I needed to watch the team and what was going on in the room more He doesn’t have much time for people who expect the Blue Jackets to go than I ever had as a coach. Because of Bob, because of Bread (and the back to their old losing ways again, either. But after pulling off a major lingering speculation surrounding them) … yeah, basically because of upset of Tampa Bay (4-0 sweep) in the first round of the Stanley Cup them and how other people were going to react to it. I kept my eye on the playoffs last spring, the Blue Jackets face a host of significant questions room all year long, as far as where it was, where I felt it was, and we heading into the 2019-20 season. reacted to it. We had a number of meetings at the beginning of the year, in the middle of the year, toward the end of the year, in (Vancouver) … For the third consecutive summer, Tortorella sat down with The Athletic reacting and responding to what I think needed to be said in that room to for a wide-ranging, few-holds barred interview about the state of his club, help the players then discuss it. We got the elephant out of the room right from the challenge of replacing the scoring that left with Duchene and away. Everybody had a chance to talk. It’s a year like I’ve never had Panarin, to the challenge of finding a goaltender (or two) to replace before. I’ve never had those type of meetings as often, and the honesty Bobrovsky. that went on in those meetings was something. It was one of the most With his usual blunt-force candor, Tortorella also discussed the interactive years we’ve had as a team, being honest with each other. It desperate need for center Alexander Wennberg’s game to resurface, was tremendous for us, the coaching staff, the managers, the players … how the “Safe is Death” approach has died, and his thoughts on the just learning how you run a locker room. possibility that defenseman Zach Werenski, an unsigned restricted free Can you play the same way with the changes that have occurred in your agent, might not be signed before training camp. lineup? This was the conversation: We’re going to have to change our style. We’re going to have to be more With the way this summer unfolded, I don’t suspect there will be much of of a team. We were a team, but now we’re really going to have to an issue with motivation, is that fair to say? concentrate on grinding our way sometimes to find ways to score goals because we’ve lost a lot of goals. We have two young goalies that we I won’t have to put a chip on their shoulders. If they don’t come in with a don’t know about. We started that (a new style of play) in the playoffs. type of camaraderie, wanting to be here … I haven’t read all the things We did. Our style of play changed in the playoffs when we entered that have been said out there, but people have told me. Everybody I talk against Tampa, and I watched our team buy into it. I loved the way we to tells me, “Oh, they’ve written you guys off already.” I don’t want to talk bought into it. about this, but I’ll address this with you: the players that left, I don’t want to disrespect them. I don’t. If they don’t want to be here, so be it. But I’m Is that more about replacing the goals you lost via free agency or more not going to disrespect them. They were really good players for us. about making life easier on your two young goaltenders now with Really good people for us. I’m not going to disrespect them, but I’m not Bobrovsky gone? spending much time talking about them. I’m gonna talk about the players There’s no question, we have to … it’s the goalies. I want to see where who want to be here. We feel we have a really good corps. We feel like we’re at with those guys. Even though (Joonas Korpisalo) has been we made a really good step last year, although we still don’t get out of here, he still hasn’t been the No. 1 guy. It’ll be him and (Elvis) Merzlikins, the second round. We still made a step in the right direction. That doesn’t I believe. But the shadow of Bob not being there is big. When Bob was change because we lose some players. They’re really good players, but struggling, Korpi would come in. When Bob needed a break, Korpi would that doesn’t change our mindset as far as how we feel about ourselves. come in. Well, now Bob is gone. It’s right there for Korpi, but it’s totally The most important part of our entry into this camp and into this season different when the No. 1 guy isn’t there. Now you have to go win a job. is how we carry ourselves. Do we have the right strut that we had during So certainly I have that as my No. 1 priority for our guys now, playing in the playoffs, that little bit of “Fuck you!” Nobody even talked about us. front of the goaltenders harder, stronger and with certainly more When you lose good players, a number of them, do you lose that discipline to allow them to get their feet wet in that mindset of a goalie. arrogance? I think as we enter the season here we need to have the right Portzy, when I say playing with that discipline, it has to be the team we amount of strut, but also a sense of camaraderie, and a chip on our are now. We let ourselves go a little bit these last couple of seasons, and shoulders as the guys who want to be here. it was done because of personnel. I was always telling our players to How can you make sure that the departure of those guys is motivating take more chances and take some risks. When a player like Panarin and unifying, not demoralizing? comes in, you have to let him go, let him run. That’s going to be different now. We talked about that entering the playoff series against Tampa, so I don’t think I have to do anything with that. I believe in this group. A lot of we’re kind of already on that track now, going into the preseason. the guys who are here want to be here, have been here throughout the process of trying to become a better team, and believe we can keep on How much interaction have you had with Elvis Merzlikins? This guy is a moving forward. It’s not like it’s a new coach coming in here. It’s all of us character, and I think a lot of people are going to be watching closely to wanting to be here together, to keep trying to find our way here. I don’t see how the two of you get along. think I’m going to have to do much cultivating on the attitude. I love personality. I love it. You better be able to play, though. We’ve had The veteran players are probably going to feel snubbed … the conversation already, and I know he decided not to come to the development camp. By whom? By the players that left? The league? Well, development camp … he’s 25 years old … Well, perhaps by the players who left, but I meant by the fact that so many people are going to expect the Blue Jackets to be a lottery team I know. But he said he was at the World Championships, and I guess he again. Back to the same old Columbus. was a little nicked up. But you still haven’t played in the National Hockey League. You’ve got all the coaches there at that (development) camp in I thought we still saw that even going into the playoffs last year. I told our June. The other guy (Daniil Tarasov), he was there at camp. So (Elvis team this: I spent three days prior to the start of that Tampa series and and I) have kind of had the conversation already. I’m dying for personality nobody asked a question about Columbus. All it was about was Tampa, out of the kid. But you better be able to play. Nothing’s going to be given. I hear tremendous things about him as a player. I’ve seen Korpi play don’t have the puck. Those are the two biggest things. To me, keeping when we’ve given him a bunch of work. When he’s steady with the work, the puck and bringing people to you in traffic is part of competing. It’s in he’s played really well. Look at his stats. his control, and, Portzy, he’s done it. He’s done it. I’m hoping he got some confidence at the Worlds. It’s a different game, but for any Do you come into camp with Korpisalo as the No. 1 until Elvis proves offensive player — and you and I have talked about this — it doesn’t otherwise? matter if it’s a scrimmage game, the World Championship game, a pee- I come into camp knowing Korpi better. I know he is a better goalie when wee game … if you score goals and make plays, it helps your he gets more work, not sporadic work. I know Korpi has shown up for us confidence. I’m just hoping he comes back with confidence. in playing every three weeks and he hasn’t pissed and moaned. He’s How much have you spoken with Wennberg this summer? worked. His work ethic has improved. I know him better (than Elvis). I hear things about this guy (Elvis), that he’s supposed to be a really good I have not. I had a discussion with him at the end of the year. It wasn’t an goalie. I hear things about his personality. Korpi’s kind of a weird duck, exit interview — I don’t have those with anybody — but the last thing I too, ya know. I love his personality. So bring it on. Do I give Korpi a leg told him is, “We’ve talked enough. You know what I expect because it’s up? I guess I do because I know him better. the two things I’ve brought up the most. You know what I feel is (going on) with your game, but it’s a clear page when we start again next You may have four rookies on your team. season.” I’m done talking about it. It’s in his control. He understands how I love it. important he can be to this organization. With the exodus of some offensive people … I know people say I don’t like him. Well, that just isn’t How invigorating is that? How worrisome is that? true. He’s a great kid. I love the kid. But I have to coach the team.

There’s a push. It’s a young man’s game. I love the enthusiasm. I’m Is there a flaw in your relationship that he doesn’t respond to you, or dying to see these kids because I can’t see in a three- or four-day rookie doesn’t want to play for you? camp what (Emil) Bemstrom is. I can’t see the other guys in that setting, either. I looked at (Kole) Sherwood the other day (at a pick-up skate) and I don’t know. You’d have to ask him that. We’ve had some very honest it looks like he’s been at it this summer. Eric Robinson’s been around a discussions, and I don’t think he disagrees with me. He’s going to get an couple of years now. Can (Kevin) Stenlund take another step? I hate opportunity. I’m putting him with (Gustav) Nyquist, a fellow Swede. That’s saying names because I’m afraid I’m going to miss somebody. But it’s a great signing by (GM) Jarmo Kekalainen, an under the radar guy. From wide open. What does Wenny (Alexander Wennberg) bring us? Is he what I’ve seen of him and what I’ve heard of him, that’s a great signing. willing to keep the puck and let us know right away that he’s hanging on That’s where Jarmo is so good. He’s a 50-point guy. Maybe he and to the puck? Does he show us right away that he’s going to compete Wenny can work together, and (Nyquist), a veteran guy, can help harder? Or does he fall right back into that ‘I don’t want the puck and I’m him and help him through some of this. There’s no question that my really not going to compete that hard’? Does that force me to put Texy conversations with Wenny have gotten stale because it’s the same thing. (Alexandre Texier) in the middle right away? Remember, we were I don’t think it does him any good anymore, listening to me. I just want petrified about Luc (Pierre-Luc Dubois) putting him in the middle, and he him to understand, you’re not getting 40 games to get your game took off. We have to learn from that. Texier … if Wenny can’t do it, Texier straightened out. I have a lot of decisions I have to make here. I’m is going to get a look. Does Nick (Foligno) go in the middle? What does looking to see what Texier can do in the middle. I know he wants the (Marko) Dano do when he comes here? I don’t know what’s going to puck. I know he’s going to carry the puck. happen, but we’re going to look at all options. I want to keep Jens (Boone You liked what you saw from Texier late last season and in the playoffs Jenner) in the middle. Do I keep Boone and Josh (Anderson) together as a line? Especially the way we need to play this coming year. It got a little rich in the playoffs for him.

Do you go to Traverse City (the prospects tournament) with a different Especially against Boston … set of eyes this year? I ask that because the last couple of years there was a standout here or there with a chance to make it, but you’ve got a Yep. Different type team (than Tampa Bay). But every minute he played group there this year that could be in Columbus. in the playoffs, I’m sittin’ there peeing my pants. Not only for that moment right there, but just watching what he can be in the future of his career. I go with different eyes, not just because of that but the way the league To get him playoff minutes so early on is just … he’s all business. I watch has changed. This is what I think of Traverse City: It’s an important that. I watch him come off the ice. I watched him during the rookie camp, camp. But in my eyes, as a coach, I don’t want to rule anybody in just sitting on the bench during the (development camp) scrimmage. I because of how well they played in Traverse City, and I don’t want to rule watched him and that Bemstrom kid, just their body language. Tex is a anybody out by how bad they played in Traverse City. Because it’s kind very serious kid, and I think a student of the game. Who knows where he of a funky camp. You’re kind of playing against not National Hockey ends up? But it’s exciting. League guys, and it’s a camp right away after summer. You don’t know what happens. You have to get to the NHL camp. We have to be careful If Gustav is with Wennberg, who gets the first crack in playing next to not to rule anybody in our out. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson?

You mentioned Wennberg. How far away is he from the player we saw in I’ll try Nick. We’re going to need to get more out of Nick this year. 2016-17? Is it a simple fix? Do you know why he’s struggled so badly the Offensively? last couple of seasons? Not just offensively. I think Nick needs to lead the way in the style of play, The biggest thing is him understanding that he’s a good enough player, in the grind of it. Nick Foligno is one of the toughest players in the and the greatest thing about it is, it’s in his control. But there are two National Hockey League. He’s a really good fighter. That’s good, but things: keep the puck and compete. Two things he can control, and I’ve that’s not all of what I mean. His willingness to play in areas … he’s one seen him do it. I’ve seen him do it. For some reason … of the better players in those spaces where we’re going to need to be Where did that go? more this year. We’re going to have to score some rebound goals. We’re going to have to score some deflections. We’ll have to find some of the I have no idea. It’s a topic of discussion between him and me all the time. goals that we’ve lost. We’re going to have to grind.

Does he agree with your assessment? During the 2016-17 season, you had a bunch of coaches tell you after games how hard the team played. Where has that gone the last couple of Yes. years?

The (Tom) Wilson elbow-to-the-head hit in the 2018 playoffs, has that We still won a lot of games. We changed. We became a more skilled had a lingering effect? team. To me, it was the right thing to do. We put that sign up, “Safe is He has to answer that question. We certainly, within the organization, Death,” and allowed them to play. How many times have I told you the have talked about that. Did that affect things? He’s a center. He’s a last couple of years that I’m going to let them play? That’s the type of playmaker. If you’re a center, I want you to get the middle of the ice, no team we were built as. But, hey, listen: We have talent. We still have matter if there’s traffic there or not, keep the puck until you bring some talent. There’s no question it starts with our back end (the defense), people to you, and then you’re going to make your wingers better. You’re that’s our engine. I’ve said that repeatedly. That’s our most solid position going to use them better with the open space. But you can’t do it if you right now. But we’re going to have to have more grind and more attention to detail as far as our play away from the puck.

How disappointed would you be if Zach Werenski, still without a contract, was not signed and in camp right from day one?

I’d be terribly disappointed. I’m not involved in the business part of it. But for a young man to miss one minute of camp — and I’ve said this with Andy (Josh Anderson) — it disgusts me. That guy there, Werenski, the way he has evolved here. He has shown so much determination, so much more confidence and attention to detail playing defense without it really affecting his offensive game. He has really grown as a player. I just don’t want him to miss a beat here. I won’t be disappointed, I’ll be disgusted.

Werenski went through that phase early last season …

I thought he started becoming a man last season. He’s still up the ice and he’s still making plays, but his determination on pucks, his determination of playing in those areas, not allowing people to get to the net on him, it improved tremendously. I thought he was soft a year ago, but then he really came on.

Did you learn something about Seth Jones in the playoffs that you didn’t already know?

You know how I feel about him. He’s been mentioned as the best defenseman in the game. When you’re looking for a really good offensive player who defends really well, there aren’t many who are better than him. There’s still more to him, too. He’s grown in the leadership department, but I think he needs to continue to grow there. It needs to be more spontaneous. Spontaneous leadership is some of the most effective leadership. I think Nick needs to improve with that, too, where when you see it, you address it. Spontaneous coaching is some of the best coaching. Spontaneous leadership from player to player is the most important in terms of a team continuing to get tighter and growing. That needs to improve with Jonesy. Not thinking about it, not taking a guy out to lunch tomorrow and talking about it, but dealing with it right there. That has to start developing more within our room.

You seem more excited for this season than I’ve seen from you in the past. Is that …

I’m pissed. Yeah, I’m pissed. I’m pissed for my players. I’m pissed for my organization. And I’m pissed on behalf of my city.

Pissed because of the players that decided to leave?

I have a tremendous amount of respect for all of them. I do. A tremendous amount of respect. But don’t talk about goddamn winning, like you want to go somewhere to win. It’s right there in front of you. I say that very carefully because I like them all. We had lots of meetings. We had to straighten things out in certain ways at certain times last season when it was kind of going off the tracks. I’ll go individually. Dutchie (Duchene) … he’s a hockey guy, and I loved being around him. He played really well for us. But he wanted to leave. Panarin … he just did so many great things. At 170 pounds, he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve ever coached. You know how I feel about him. It’s ridiculous (how good he is). But he left. Bob is one hell of a goalie. Bob, in the last three years, has taken step by step by step in the playoffs. He was really good, he improved in these playoffs. If he doesn’t make that save (start of the second period) in Game 1 against Tampa, who knows where it goes? That’s how it works. I respect them all. But I don’t want to hear “I want to win” when it’s right fucking here. I respect them, but I’m really pissed. It was right there, where we were really progressing. Maybe they don’t like playing for me. That’s fine. To me, eventually, you’re not playing for the coach, you’re playing for your teammates, and that’s where I saw the camaraderie and the arrogance … I could see all of that building. I guess I feel like the players. I think the players respect them, respect the rights they had to do what they did. But I’m pissed, too, just like the players. I’m saying, “Hell with them, we want to be here, let’s get it together and get going.” I wish them nothing but the best, but I’m pissed that they leave Columbus, because I think we’ve got a really good thing going here.

The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151638 Detroit Red Wings playoffs when he leveled . The Sharks were irate, but coach Todd McLellan — who had been an assistant with the Red Wings from 2005 to 2008 — knew there was more than that to Kronwall.

Opponents hated Niklas Kronwall, but here's why his teammates loved "He's a heck of a human being, anybody will tell you that,” McLellan said. him "For us it's not about how these guys are when they're dealing with fans or away from the rink, it's about when they're wearing the uniform.”

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 4:06 p.m. ET Sept. 3, Kronwall wore his uniform with great pride and effectiveness. After 2019 | Updated 6:57 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 Lidstrom retired in 2012, then-coach leaned heavily on Kronwall, playing him an average of 24 minutes, 22 seconds during the labor-shortened 2013 season. Hampered by hand and shoulder injuries, he had just two points in 14 playoff games. The bone-crunching hits that earned Niklas Kronwall the enmity of opponents were in stark contrast to the person he was off the ice. By 2016, Kronwall’s left knee was in such poor shape that he pulled out of playing for Sweden at the World Cup of Hockey. He played his first His decision to retire Tuesday and move into a front-office position game of the season on Nov. 4, 2016, and was limited to 57 games. makes sense: Kronwall put punishing miles on his 6-foot, 190-pound body during a 15-year NHL career that spanned 953 games, all with the He played his first game for the Wings on Dec. 10, 2003; his last was Red Wings. His left knee is in such bad shape that he tried stem cell April 6, 2019. He had 83 career goals, 349 assists and a Stanley Cup therapy in 2017. Yet even as his body told him to slow down, Kronwall championship. For 15 seasons he smote opponents and scored points, maintained an admirable work ethic, altering his training to be of most his fierceness all the more phenomenal given the contrast his with value to the Wings. unimposing, amiable self.

When a reporter approached him in the locker room at Little Caesars Detroit Free Press LOADED: 09.04.2019 Arena before the Wings' April 6 finale last season and mentioned he led the team with 79 games played, several teammates, including fellow 30- something Jimmy Howard, clapped in approval.

Kronwall was immensely popular among teammates, appreciated for both his performances and personality. He was soft- and well-spoken, one of the most accountable guys in the locker room. If the Wings played poorly, he would always start by saying he’d have to play better.

Even as his knee inhibited him, Kronwall was the most dependable defender on the team, and someone coach Jeff Blashill trusted in any situation. Even at 38 years old, he was the most durable guy on the team.

Kronwall’s career peaked from 2007 to 2012, overshadowed only by being the second-best Swedish defenseman answering to Niklas (the other being Nicklas Lidstrom). In 2007-08, his second full NHL season, Kronwall registered 35 points in 65 regular-season games. He and , a 2008 trade-deadline acquisition, were a formidable pairing; both were big hitters (and soft talkers) who forced opponents to keep their heads up. They gave the Wings an elite top four fleshed out by Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.

Kronwall sat out the 2007 playoffs because of a fractured sacrum, one of many fluky injuries he suffered during his career (the others included breaking a leg after hitting a rut in the ice during pregame warmups in 2003-04; blowing out a knee during an exhibition game in 2005; losing a slice of his nose after a hit on Colorado’s Marek Svatos went awry).

Kronwall made up for it in 2008. He provided a physical presence as the Wings embarked on their first-round series with Nashville, body-checking Rich Peverley and Radek Bonk while also contributing five points in the six games it took to dispatch the Predators.

At the time, Kronwall roomed on the road with Johan Franzen. The two shared a delightful friendship.

“He says I like to sleep a lot, but maybe that tells you a little bit about how boring he is to live with," Franzen said at the time. "He usually tries to read a book or something to build up his image, his smart-guy image. When he talks to you journalists, he likes to make it seem like he knows about the election and stuff like that. He doesn't actually know anything, but he likes to talk like he does, so that you guys think he really cares.”

Teammates razzed Kronwall for his small feet (he wore size 6 skates) and head (they pilfered his favorite Tigers baseball cap during the 2008 run), the sort of stuff that’s fun to do when everything is going well. And in spring 2008, it was: On June 4, the Wings claimed the Stanley Cup. Kronwall’s two assists gave him 15 for the playoffs, tops among all defensemen.

Kronwall parlayed that success into a career-high 51 points during the 2008-09 season. He had nine points in the playoffs, which saw the Wings come within one victory of repeating as champions.

A sprained left knee sidelined him for 30 games in 2009-10, but he rebounded and played 77 games the next season, recording a career- high 11 goals among 37 points. Kronwall delivered another highlight-reel hit in Game 3 of the second-round series against San Jose in the 2011 1151639 Detroit Red Wings

How will Niklas Kronwall's retirement affect Detroit Red Wings?

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 12:54 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 | Updated 7:13 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019

Niklas Kronwall finished his last season of pro hockey as the Detroit Red Wings’ leader in games played, his ailing knee be damned.

His retirement should motivate the prospects hoping to claim some of the 20 minutes of average ice time he logged in 79 games.

Kronwall, who has had numerous injuries in his 15-year career, has a permanently damaged left knee and even sought stem cell therapy in 2017. He announced his retirement Tuesday in a video posted to the Red Wings' official Twitter account. His retirement leaves the franchise without its most stalwart defender, locker-room leader and shining example of how to be a good pro.

Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall clears the puck in the third period against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 16, 2019 in Philadelphia.

The announcement was expected. General manager Steve Yzerman, who was teammates with Kronwall from 2003 to 2006, signaled in June he’d give Kronwall the summer to decide whether to return, but used free agency to add stay-at-home defenseman Patrik Nemeth.

[ Red Wings' Patrik Nemeth nearly lost an arm on the ice ]

Kronwall’s departure should add to the competition among prospects vying for a job.

Danny DeKeyser, Mike Green, Filip Hronek and Nemeth are projected to fill the top four spots on defense, leaving three spots open for a mix of veterans, prospects or other young players.

Yzerman was adamant during the summer that every player will have to earn his job, regardless of level. Veterans Trevor Daley and , who both missed significant time last season because of a multitude of injuries, are supposed to be ready for camp, but their injury history leaves their status for the season up in the air.

On the younger side, that puts Dennis Cholowski, Madison Bowey, Oliwer Kaski and Moritz Seider in the spotlight for jobs. Cholowski leads the pack after appearing in 52 games last season, before being sent to Grand Rapids to work on the defensive side of his game. Bowey, acquired in the Nick Jensen trade, was seen as a reclamation project.

Kaski is a touted free-agent signing with a good right-handed shot and the potential to run a power play. Seider, selected sixth overall in the June draft, was Yzerman’s first draft pick since taking over as general manager. Scouts see him as a well-rounded puck mover who can run a power play and make a good first pass. The Wings have the option to keep Seider in the NHL, place him in Grand Rapids, or send him back to his German team.

Kronwall averaged about 20 minutes per game and played on the power play and penalty kill. However, he played more minutes than were ideal after DeKeyser, Daley and Ericsson suffered injuries and Green played just 52 games because of a viral infection.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151640 Detroit Red Wings

Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 seasons with Detroit Red Wings

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 10:55 a.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 | Updated 2:57 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019

In his prime, Niklas Kronwall was known his ferocious open-ice hits, a workhorse who played a key role in helping the Detroit Red Wings capture the 2008 Stanley Cup.

That stands out among the legacy Kronwall leaves behind as he announced his retirement Tuesday, announcing his decision in a four- minute video on Twitter.

More: Kronwalled: We remember Niklas Kronwall's biggest hits

“I was a 22-year-old kid when I came over from Sweden,” Kronwall said. “Now at 38, I have my own family here. Detroit has become home for us.

“There have been some ups and some downs during my time here. Wearing the winged wheel on my chest was and always will be a huge honor. When one chapter ends, another begins.”

As one chapter ends, another begins.

Thank you, Nik. pic.twitter.com/G2vNzBMDAx

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2019

The longtime presence on the Wings' blue line "Kronwalled" opponents, especially early in his career with punishing hits.

But it was that style of play that may have helped contribute to his chronic left knee pain that he has been playing with the last few seasons.

He even tried stem cell treatment for his knee back in 2017.

Kronwall will join the front office as the new advisor to general manager Steve Yzerman. Kris Draper, who served as assistant to the general manager under Ken Holland, is now the director of amateur scouting.

"I'd like to congratulate Niklas on a wonderful career and thank him for exemplifying what it means to be a Red Wing for the past 15 years," Red Wings owner Christopher Ilitch said in a statement on Tuesday. "His impact on our organization has been immeasurable, from his stellar on- ice play which helped us win a Stanley Cup, to the legacy he built off the ice as someone who was always proud to give back to the Detroit community. It gives me great confidence in the future of the team knowing our young player have been able to learn from him, and I know Niklas will find success in the next chapter of his career in our front office."

Yzerman gave Kronwall the entire summer to consider whether to retire or return. Kronwall sounded conflicted as the 2018-19 season came to a close, seesawing between acknowledging how much the 953 games he played in a Wings uniform had taken a wear on his body, but also noting how special it would be to reach 1,000 games.

"I had the pleasure of playing with Niklas early in his career, and it was evident from his first season what a special player and person he would become," Yzerman said in a released statement on Tuesday. "He was among the NHL's best two-way defenseman of his era and will go down as one of the greatest at his position in Red Wings history. Niklas has a sharp hockey mind and is highly respected in the hockey world. He has the makeup and work ethic of someone who will have a very successful career in management, and I am thrilled that he will remain with the franchise on the hockey operations staff."

Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall clears the puck in the third period against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 16, 2019 in Philadelphia.

Kronwall notched 83 goals and 349 assists for 432 points. He contributed 47 points in 109 playoff games, highlighted by the 15 points he had in the 22 games it took the Wings to capture the 2008 Stanley Cup. Together with newcomer Brad Stuart, Kronwall starred as a powerful pairing.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151641 Detroit Red Wings “Not only are you great leaders, more than that, you are great people.”

Said Christopher Ilitch, the Wings’ governor, president and chief executive officer, in a statement: “I’d like to congratulate Niklas on a 'Journey ends here': Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 seasons with Red wonderful career and thank him for exemplifying what it means to be a Wings Red Wing for the past 15 years. His impact on our organization has been immeasurable, from his stellar on-ice play which helped us win a Stanley Cup, to the legacy he built off the ice as someone who was always proud Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 10:51 a.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 | to give back to the Detroit community. Updated 4:21 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 “It gives me great confidence in the future of the team knowing our young players have been able to learn from him, and I know that Niklas will find success in the next chapter of his career in our front office.” Detroit — Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall is retiring, he announced Tuesday. In Tuesday’s video, Kronwall said he cherished the games and emotion at Joe Louis Arena, particularly the fans who “created an amazing In a video from the Red Wings, Kronwall said, "They say every journey atmosphere I will forever cherish.” has to come to an end. Well, my journey as player for the Detroit Red Wings ends here." Kronwall noted his favorite moment was “when we all got to hoist the Stanley Cup” after the Wings won it all in 2008. Kronwall will stay with the team and take over a role as special adviser to general manager Steve Yzerman. "We’re going to get back there,” Kronwall said. “I just won’t be a player when it happens next time.” Kronwall, 38, played 15 seasons in the NHL, all in Detroit. He had 432 points (83 goals) in 953 games and had a reputation of being one of the Also in the video, Kronwall thanked the different coaches he played for, hardest hitters in the league, especially during his prime. his mother, wife and kids for their support, and teammates.

“I was a 22-year-old kid when I came over from Sweden,” Kronwall said “Win or lose we always did it together,” Kronwall said of his teammates. in the video posted on Twitter. “Now at 38, I have my own family here. “I’m going to miss the locker room, the dinners on the road, so many Detroit has become home for us. great memories. And you guys, together with our trainers, are the ones I’m going to miss the most.” “There have been ups and some downs during my time here. Wearing the winged wheel on my chest was and always will be a huge honor.” Detroit News LOADED: 09.04.2019 Kronwall will address the media Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena.

Yzerman, who played with Kronwall as he was ending his NHL career and Kronwall was beginning his, spoke to Kronwall’s impact on the organization.

“It was evident from his first season what a special player and person he would become,” Yzerman said in a statement. “He was among the NHL’s best two-way defensemen of his era and will go down as one of the greatest at his position in Red Wings history.

"Niklas has a sharp hockey mind and is highly respected in the hockey world. He has the makeup and work ethic of someone who will have a very successful career in management, and I am thrilled that he will remain with the franchise on the hockey operations staff.”

As one chapter ends, another begins.

Thank you, Nik. pic.twitter.com/G2vNzBMDAx

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2019

Kronwall had been troubled with an arthritic left knee the past several seasons that made Tuesday’s announcement expected.

At the end of last season Kronwall said retirement was a distinct possibility, noting he wasn’t sure he could mentally and physically commit to another summer of working out and preparing for the upcoming season.

The Wings have been preparing for Kronwall’s announcement, having signed defenseman Patrik Nemeth, a defensive defenseman capable of taking over Kronwall’s minutes, in free agency.

Kronwall completed a seven-year contract worth $33.25 million ($4.75 million salary cap hit) last season and was an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kronwall was adamant he wanted to retire as a Red Wing and wasn’t interested in testing free agency or going to another organization.

In his video, Kronwall thanked the Ilitch family, and former general manager Ken Holland for “believing in me” and enabling Kronwall to play for just one team, the Red Wings, throughout his NHL career.

“Every great organization has great leadership," Kronwall said. "We’re spoiled with that in Detroit. Thank you so much to the Ilitch family and Kenny Holland for believing in me, and giving me a chance to stay with the same organization throughout my whole career.

“That is something I will always put a big price tag on, and I can’t into words how grateful I am for giving me that opportunity for keeping myself and my family around. 1151642 Detroit Red Wings

A young Niklas Kronwall worked through injuries, lockout with Griffins

By Peter J. Wallner

Niklas Kronwall had so much trouble getting his pro career off the ground, it might not have turned out like it did without the .

Kronwall, who retired Tuesday after 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, used Grand Rapids in his early years as a place to recover from a couple of serious injuries as well as bide his time and pick up some valuable experience.

Defenseman who combined skill and hard-hitting joins front office as adviser to general manager Steve Yzerman.

The defenseman was drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (29th overall) in 2000 draft but continued to play in Sweden for Djurgardens IF. It wasn’t until 2003-04 that Kronwall made his North American debut as a member of the Griffins. He quickly impressed with 13 points (2-11-13) in 25 games, prompting a call from Detroit.

It was short-lived stay of 20 games.

Skating in a pregame warmup with the Red Wings in January 2004, Kronwall broke his leg. Even though he couldn't play, Kronwall was selected to the 2004 AHL all-star game.

With Kronwall on the mend, the Red Wings targeted him as a top three blueline in 2004-05. But that also deteriorated as a labor dispute and lockout led to the 2004-05 NHL season being cancelled.

Instead, he returned to the Griffins.

"I've just tried to come back as strong as I could," Kronwall told the Grand Rapids Press in December 2004. " It was good for me to have the whole summer to prepare for this season … My leg felt great right from the time I went back onto the ice. It's been no problem whatsoever."

It was the first good break for Kronwall. He played the entire season in Grand Rapids and thrived. He appeared in 76 games, had 53 points (13- 40-53) and was named the top defenseman in the AHL. His point total and assists were team records.

Once again, Kronwall was targeted for the Red Wings for the 2005-06 season.

But a second injured occurred, this time an injured knee that happened during an exhibition game with the Red Wings in September 2005. He missed a big chunk of the season.

At the time, Red Wings teammate Chris Chelios stayed positive.

"I've been through the same thing," the defenseman said in a story from September 2005. "You do come back and you can heal strong and be the same player. He's in great shape and a hard worker, so there's no doubt he can come back and be the same player."

On Feb. 2, 2006, he played for the Red Wings for the first time in just over two years. On his first shift, he leveled St. Louis forward Jay McClement with a hard shoulder check in what would become known as "getting Kronwalled."

The following week, Kronwall joined the Griffins one last time for conditioning on Feb. 11, 2006, a home game against Peoria. He had a shot and finish minus-1 rating.

It wasn’t the end to the injury bug, but it was the last time he appeared in Grand Rapids.

Michigan Live LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151643 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman: Niklas Kronwall special player and person

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – The list of players who’ve spent an entire NHL career of 15- plus seasons exclusively with the Detroit Red Wings is a short one and includes Niklas Kronwall.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, who’s also on the list, saw something special in Kronwall during their two seasons as teammates.

“I had the pleasure of playing with Niklas early in his career, and it was evident from his first season what a special player and person he would become,” Yzerman said in a statement. “He was among the NHL’s best two-way defensemen of his era and will go down as one of the greatest at his position in Red Wings history.”

Kronwall, 38, on Tuesday announced his retirement after 15 NHL seasons. He will remain with the organization as an adviser to the GM.

Yzerman said in June that Kronwall would be welcomed back if he wanted to play another season, but the skilled, puck-moving, hard-hitting defenseman decided it was time to call it a career.

“Niklas has a sharp hockey mind and is highly respected in the hockey world,” Yzerman said. “He has the makeup and work ethic of someone who will have a very successful career in management, and I am thrilled that he will remain with the franchise on the hockey operations staff.”

Kronwall finished third all-time in games played by a Detroit defenseman with 953, behind only Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564) and (983). Kronwall ranks ninth overall in games played by a Red Wing.

Kronwall is fourth in points by a Red Wings defenseman with 432, behind Lidstrom (1,142), (570) and (472).

“I’d like to congratulate Niklas on a wonderful career and thank him for exemplifying what it means to be a Red Wing for the past 15 years,” Christopher Ilitch, Red Wings governor, president and CEO, said in a statement. “His impact on our organization has been immeasurable, from his stellar on-ice play which helped us win a Stanley Cup, to the legacy he built off the ice as someone who was always proud to give back to the Detroit community. It gives me great confidence in the future of the team knowing our young players have been able to learn from him, and I know that Niklas will find success in the next chapter of his career in our front office.”

Kronwall was the Red Wings’ first-round pick in 2000 (29th overall) from Djurgardens of the Swedish League. He arrived in North America in 2003, playing for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, and made his NHL debut later that season. He appeared in 20 games with the Red Wings as a rookie before suffering a broken leg in a freak accident, when his skate caught a rut in the ice during pregame warmups in Los Angeles.

He spent the 2004-05 season in Grand Rapids, when a lockout canceled the NHL season. He won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman -- the first European-born player to receive that honor.

Kronwall suffered a torn ACL during a preseason game with the Red Wings in 2005 but returned in time to win a gold medal with Sweden in the 2006 Olympics.

He missed the 2007 playoffs following a late-season back injury. He was a key member of the 2008 Stanley Cup championship club, forming a strong second defense pairing with Brad Stuart.

Kronwall joined the exclusive of players who have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship.

As one chapter ends, another begins.

Thank you, Nik. pic.twitter.com/G2vNzBMDAx

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 3, 2019

Michigan Live LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151644 Detroit Red Wings He thanked his wife and sons for “giving me a chance to live my dream. I have no idea where I would be without your support. I know I wouldn’t have lasted this long, for sure. You mean more to me than anything. I Red Wings’ Niklas Kronwall announces retirement love you guys forever.”

He wrapped up the video by acknowledging Red Wings fans.

By Ansar Khan “Last but absolutely not the least, you great Red Wings fans out there, thank you for always standing behind the team," Kronwall said. "There have been some ups and some downs during my time here. What hasn’t changed is your support. Detroit Red Wings are a family. We are all DETROIT -- Niklas Kronwall, whose combination of skill and hitting ability together, we’re all working towards one goal. Wearing the winged wheel made him one of the Detroit Red Wings’ top defensemen for more than a on my chest was and always will be a huge honor. When one chapter dozen years, on Tuesday announced his retirement from the NHL after ends, another one starts. I’m very excited for my new role within the 15 seasons. Detroit Red Wings organization.” Kronwall, 38, will join the front office as adviser to general manager Michigan Live LOADED: 09.04.2019 Steve Yzerman.

Kronwall made the announcement on a video the Red Wings tweeted.

“They say every journey has to come to an end,” Kronwall said. "Well, my journey as a player for the Detroit Red Wings ends here.”

He said wearing the Red Wings jersey was “an incredible honor knowing all the great history and great players that have worn that same jersey before me.”

“I was a 22-year-old kid when I came over from Sweden. Now, at 38, I have my own family here. Detroit has become home for us," Kronwall said in the video. "This franchise, this city and the people of Michigan have shaped me into who I am today. I’ll never forget the feeling of walking into the Joe on game days, the fans, the ushers and the people around us created an amazing atmosphere. I will forever cherish those moments. And now, the LCA, when my sons come down to watch warm- ups before games or other times, I will never forget.”

Kronwall played in 953 games, collecting 83 goals and 349 assists. He appeared in 109 playoff games (five goals, 42 assists) and was part of the Red Wings’ 2008 Stanley Cup championship team. Despite his modest size (6-0, 194), Kronwall often delivered crushing open-ice checks, drawing the wrath of opponents and exciting Detroit fans.

The native of , Sweden, was the team’s first-round pick (29th overall) in 2000.

“My best memory as a Detroit Red Wing was obviously when we all got to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2008," Kronwall said. "We’re going to get back there. I just won’t be a player when it happens next time.”

After struggling with his damaged left knee, missing many games during a two-year stretch (2015-16 and 2016-17), Kronwall said in April that it was extremely satisfying not having to deal with it this past season. He surprisingly led the team in games played (79) and missed only six games over his final two seasons.

Kronwall proceeded to thank many people currently or formerly with the organization.

“Every great organization has great leadership," he said. "We’re spoiled with that in Detroit. Thank you so much to the Ilitch family and (former GM) Kenny Holland for believing in me and giving me a chance to stay with the same organization throughout my whole career. That’s something I will always put a big price tag on, and I can’t in words express how grateful I am for giving me that opportunity for keeping myself and my family around. Not only are you great leaders, more than that, you are great people.”

He thanked his coaches: “You gave me a chance to grow, not only as a player but as a person as well.”

He thanked training staff: “You guys are the heart and soul of the everyday life around the rink.”

He thanked his teammates: “Win or lose we always did it together. I’m going to miss the locker room, the dinners on the road, so many great memories. And you guys, together with our trainers, are the ones I’m going to miss the most.”

Kronwall, whose father passed away when he was a child, thanked his mother: “Putting her own life on hold, spending all those hours at the rink, so that me and brothers could do what we loved to do the most, play hockey.” 1151645 Detroit Red Wings

Ryan Kuffner faces much competition in battle for Red Wings’ job

By Ansar Khan

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

Ryan Kuffner

Position: Left wing

Age: 23

Height/Weight: 6-1/195

2018-19 stats: 10 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, minus-4 rating, 0 penalty minutes.

Career stats: Same.

Contract: One year remaining at a $925,000 cap hit. Will be a restricted free agent without arbitration rights after the season.

2018-19 in review: Signed two-year contract with Red Wings on March 12. … NHL debut March 16 vs. Islanders. … Season-high 14:31 March 29 vs. New Jersey. … Averaged 10:56 in ice time, including 54 seconds per game on power play. … Second in NCAA in points per game (1.42) as a senior at Princeton (22 goals, 44 points in 31 games).

2019-20 outlook: Kuffner is a strong skater with a good shot, someone the Red Wings projected as a potential scoring winger in the NHL. But unlike fellow college free agent Taro Hirose, Kuffner did not make an impact during his late-season audition.

He’ll need to compete for a job in training camp and preseason, likely in a third- or fourth-line capacity. He’s not a penalty killer and defense isn’t his forte, so that doesn’t bode well for him. He’ll be competing with the likes of Christoffer Ehn and Jacob de la Rose, whose defensive aptitudes give them the edge, and Michael Rasmussen, whose size and ability to play a net-front role gives him an advantage.

Kuffner isn’t going to stick around as the 13th forward when he could be playing regularly and further developing in Grand Rapids. So, he’ll need to earn a regular spot in the lineup to stick with the Red Wings.

Kuffner was focused this summer on improving his lower-body strength to be better-prepared to win battles in the corners.

Quotable: “It was good for him when to come in and get some NHL games. A lot of these kids that leave college or junior don’t realize how good pro hockey is, especially the NHL. They always seem to take for granted even the level of the AHL. So anytime they can come in and get a little taste of what it’s like before they go into the summer, they’re at a huge advantage because the majority of them come up and they know what they need to work on.” – Shawn Horcoff, Red Wings assistant director of player personnel.

Key question: Will Kuffner need to spend some time developing in Grand Rapids?

Michigan Live LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151646 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall retires after 15 seasons

The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Niklas Kronwall is retiring after 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

The hard-hitting defenseman announced his retirement in a video Tuesday on the team's Twitter account. He will remain with the Red Wings as an adviser to the general manager. Kronwall played in 953 games in his NHL career and was part of the Detroit team that won the Stanley Cup in 2008.

"They say every journey has to come to an end," Kronwall said. "My journey as a player for the Detroit Red Wings ends here."

Kronwall had three goals and 24 assists in 79 games last season.

The rebuilding Red Wings are in their first offseason since the return of Steve Yzerman as general manager. They have missed the postseason three straight years.

"My best memory as a Detroit Red Wing is obviously when we all got to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2008," Kronwall said. "We're going to get back there. I just won't be a player when it happens."

Kronwall's future was uncertain when 2018-19 ended, but he'd shown over the past couple seasons that he could stay healthy.

"I was a 22-year-old kid when I came over from Sweden. Now at 38, I have my own family here," he said. "Detroit has become home for us. This franchise, this city and the people of Michigan have shaped me into who I am today."

Kronwall joined the Triple Gold Club in 2008 when he added a Stanley Cup title to the gold medals he'd won at the Olympics and world championship.

"I had the pleasure of playing with Niklas early in his career, and it was evident from his first season what a special player and person he would become," Yzerman said in a statement. "He was among the NHL's best two-way defensemen of his era and will go down as one of the greatest at his position in Red Wings history."

Macomb Daily LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151647 Detroit Red Wings It was not a hard-hitting answer. But here’s the beauty in it: Kronwall, in retiring now, is getting to go out while he was still able to do that. He was still able to make the big hit. He was still able to play his game.

Bultman: Niklas Kronwall went out looking like himself, and that’s a And now, he’s walking away from a team that had openly said it would beautiful thing welcome him back with open arms. There’s something heartening about that.

Max Bultman Sep 3, 2019 It’s hard to watch when a star doesn’t get to walk away on his own terms. And whether it will ever be fully appreciated or not, that’s what Kronwall was: a star.

Laying all the facts bare, Niklas Kronwall announcing his retirement from As Prashanth Iyer pointed out, Peak Kronwall was among the very best the Red Wings Tuesday — in a video posted to the team’s Twitter in the league at his position. Looking back on his prime seasons, he account — was not a surprise. shows up on a Goals Above Replacement top-15 list with the who’s who of the era: Chara, Boyle, Weber, Letang, Keith (and, yes, Lidstrom). Kronwall is 38 going on 39, with 15 NHL seasons under his belt. His decision, after a public offer to return from general manager Steve HERE ARE THE TOP-15 DEFENSEMEN IN GOALS ABOVE Yzerman, had spilled into September unresolved. He had talked openly REPLACEMENT BETWEEN 2007-2013 VIA @EVOLVINGHOCKEY about the appeal of getting to 1,000 career games (Kronwall retires with PIC.TWITTER.COM/LT6ERQIOXC 953), but when the team signed Patrik Nemeth as another big-bodied, left-shot defenseman this summer, it telegraphed Detroit’s potential need. — PRASHANTH IYER (@IYER_PRASHANTH) SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 So it can’t be termed a shock. The appreciation of that fact may not ever fully catch up to the actual But still, when a player of Kronwall’s stature retires from the NHL, a little product Kronwall was putting on the ice, but those who have gotten to tremor seems to accompany it — not because it was unexpected, just as see him play all this time will remember it. They’ll probably remember the a reminder to reflect on the passage of time and what it means to play Ken Daniels calls that accompany his other signature moments, too. this sport for so long. Kronwall, according to his retirement video, will now become an adviser In some ways, Kronwall was a hockey gladiator. A 15-year career sort of to the GM in the Red Wings’ front office. It’s a way for him to stay active tells you that on its own, but in this case the man’s name was literally in the affairs of the team, and a sign that his mark on the franchise may turned into a verb synonymous with “annihilate.” not be complete.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the poster, but if you live On what turned out to be his final game day as a player, though, anywhere in the state of Michigan, I’m fairly certain you know the one to Kronwall was asked again how satisfying the season had been for him which I’m referring: Kronwall is pictured in the air, just after impact with personally, considering the problems he had had with his knee. This Martin Havlat. You might as well be able to hear Doc Emrick’s “Oh, man!” time, he was a little more reflective. through the image. “Kronwalled,” the poster reads. “Verb: To smash, “That part, in that way, has been extremely satisfying, to be honest with level, waste, ravage, devastate; Destroy, demolish, raze imply reducing a you,” Kronwall said at the time. “To be able to come back and play and thing to uselessness. To defeat completely.” not be in the same discomfort that I was for a few years there. So that That language, of course, draws on some of the more violent natures of part, I’m very happy with the way I feel, really, right now. If someone the sport, honing in on a bloodlust that could not actually be attributed to would have told me this a year ago, I would have taken it any day.” Kronwall the man. But that was also part of the beauty of Kronwall the He was 38 years old and led the team in games played with 79. At the player: He could be a feared presence pinching in from the blue line, and time, it would have been easy to hear that as a reason to keep going. He bring a patient, sobering perspective to the locker room just a few felt good. minutes later. In hindsight, though, maybe that’s one of the best reasons for him to walk Think back to Dec. 8 of this past season, in a game against the Islanders. away. His final memories on the ice will not be raising the Cup, or the picked up the puck with his head down near center ice, three seasons in which he earned Norris Trophy votes, or any of the turned to skate it through the neutral zone and… things we usually mean when we say someone went out “on top.”

WHAT I IMAGINE A SOMMELIER FEELS LIKE WHEN THEY OPEN A But Kronwall is going out looking like Niklas Kronwall. That’s pretty VINTAGE BOTTLE… AHH THE KRONWALL ‘09 A SPECTACULAR special in its own way. YEAR PIC.TWITTER.COM/EDLEJ2TKWL The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 — NICK MARALDO (@NICKMARALDO) DECEMBER 9, 2018

Kronwalled.

The above tweet used a pretty perfect descriptor: That was, indeed, vintage Kronwall.

A couple days after that hit, I approached Kronwall to ask him about his season. Coach Jeff Blashill had said Kronwall might have been playing then as well as he had at any point since the first year of Blashill’s head- coaching tenure in Detroit.

“Certainly as physical as he’s been,” Blashill said.

That felt notable, considering the questions about Kronwall’s health that had lingered in recent years. His game was by no means all about physicality (in fact, he was one of just four defensemen to ever record 400 points for the Red Wings, according to NHL PR) but that’s what he became the most famous for.

Kronwall’s answer that day was simply that things felt OK. There were things to improve in his game, but his body felt OK. And on the return of those big hits to his game: “I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. Obviously we like to play as physical as we can, (there are) very few times when those opportunities come, but when they do you’d like to step up and make that hit. But you don’t want to get burned at the same time. It’s a conscious thing where you try to stay within the lines and not get beat at the same time.” 1151648 Detroit Red Wings Justin Abdelkader, Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm are all making sizable money that will be on the books for four, three and two more years, respectively. At minimum, Nielsen is going to be needed in the middle six Glass half-empty and half-full outlooks for this year’s Red Wings this year because of the team’s lack of high-end centers. If that means second-line duty, it will be asking an awful lot of the 35-year-old (although his defense would be a reasonable complement to Athanasiou). Helm still projects as a presence on the penalty kill, and his speed is still there, By Max Bultman Sep 3, 2019 but playing him above the bottom six doesn’t do much to maximize the team’s emerging top players’ abilities on offense. And Abdelkader, who was already the subject of scrutiny a year ago, nearly halved his This isn’t a set of best-case or worst-case scenarios for the 2019-20 Red production last season. The structure of his contract means there’s no Wings — let’s just get that out of the way right here. There are infinite good answer if he can’t pick things up, and there’s simply not much ways this upcoming hockey season could play out in Detroit, but this evidence to suggest he will. won’t be an exploration of them. On defense, this is still a team without the pieces necessary to survive in Instead, this “glass half-empty or half-full” preview, inspired by Blue the grinding, low-scoring style the forwards are probably best suited to Jackets writer Aaron Portzline’s series last week, is more about what an play. Nielsen, Luke Glendening and Helm become more interesting optimistic and a pessimistic person might see when looking at the same players if their team has an identity built around mucky games that only picture. Or the same team. The same kind of season. demand a couple goals to win.

In this case, that involves a team that finished in the bottom five of the Instead, Detroit rosters two players in the bottom three of xGF% league last season, made only incremental additions this offseason and (minimum 400 minutes) in the league in Trevor Daley and Jonathan still looks unlikely to make the playoffs — even when allowing for players’ Ericsson. Those two could even be playing together on the team’s third individual improvements. That’s the baseline for this analysis: pair. And even if one or both are scratched at times, the top four still isn’t circumstances we should all be able to generally agree on about the Red fear-inspiring. The left side boasts Patrik Nemeth and Danny DeKeyser Wings. From there, though, there are any number of ways to interpret as defense-first options who should be fine in the top four, but one will what it will all add up to, and what it might mean big picture for Detroit. still have to take on top-pair duties. Filip Hronek and Mike Green are the team’s best hopes for offense from the back-end, but Hronek is still a bit That’s where this article comes in. What follows are two very different unproven, and Green’s health is hard to count on. perspectives on some of the hard truths, glimmers of hope and likely narratives of Detroit’s season. Neither perspective is a prediction, nor are And then there’s the prospect situation. Acquiring Adam Erne shouldn’t these even complete accountings of all the good or bad that might necessarily “block” any of the team’s top young players — Erne does happen. They’re just two sides of the same story. Let’s dig in. have some offensive upside, but if Filip Zadina, Evgeny Svechnikov, Michael Rasmussen or Taro Hirose can’t win a job due to the presence Glass half-empty of a player who scored 20 points last season, then they simply aren’t Even if the Red Wings’ best young players make improvements heading ready. But even given that, a year in which at least two (and ideally three) into the next season, there’s no guarantee it leads to much movement in of those players aren’t getting 50-plus NHL games only means more of the standings. Other low-achieving teams who finished around Detroit their learning curve will be pushed to next season and beyond. last season added big weapons this offseason. Fellow teams hoping to Combine that with how few non-core forwards have expiring contracts, improve from within are further along in their respective rebuilds. It leaves and it’s enough to make you wonder just how much longer this rebuild the Red Wings potentially stuck in the bottom five or six — even if, say, will take. Is it really possible to build a contender while Larkin’s still in his Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek can take the steps forward they may prime? have telegraphed at the World Championship this spring. Oh yeah, and three of the team’s four best players — and best values — An even scarier proposition is that those steps forward are no guarantee are due big raises in 10 months. either. While Hronek produced a half point per game in his 46 NHL contests last season, it will be far harder to do that over the course of a What impact would prolonged losing streaks have on the psyches of full season, and he could still stand to shore up some mistakes, too. Dylan Larkin and the Red Wings? (Raj Mehta / USA Today) Mantha does, at present, look likely to break through, but this wouldn’t be the first time someone expected this to be “the year.” And what if Tyler Glass half-full Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanasiou (ages 24 and 25, respectively) are Look, there’s nothing rosy about this season’s outlook, but not everything already producing at their peaks with little room left to expand? What if needs to be doom and gloom, either. Yes, it seems pretty inevitable the Dylan Larkin, coming off a career year, can only score so many points Red Wings are heading for an early-April locker clean-out again. Yes, the while being asked to take on opponents’ top lines? contract situation up front is more than a year from resolving itself. And Those aren’t predictions, remember, but they are at least possibilities. no, it’s not going to be easy for many of this team’s prospects to start the And they become even scarier when you consider the consequences of season in Detroit. losing on those players as individuals. But things do continue to move in the right direction. This is the final year Put yourselves in the shoes of, say, Larkin for a moment. You’re coming of contracts for Green, Ericsson and Daley, and while two of those three off a career year, have already exceeded many expectations in terms of may be cause for consternation throughout the year, there will soon be offensive production, and are getting (and often winning) tough individual all kinds of space for Dennis Cholowski (who showed heaps of promise matchups night in and night out. You’re doing just about everything right, last year), Oliwer Kaski and more — and, recalling last season’s injury- with the possible exception of taking a few too many penalties. You take riddled blueline, it may not even take a year to materialize. another step forward (even if just a small one) in 2019-20. And your As for the idea of Mantha, Larkin, Athanasiou and Bertuzzi improving in reward is … still not the playoffs. And maybe no real team progress at all. vain — or worse, not at all — much of that could depend on context. Last What would that do to your psyche? You did everything about as well as season, long drawn-out losing streaks plagued with bad mistakes and possible, and it amounted to virtually nothing standings-wise. Larkin may bad bounces seemed to have compound effects on morale. There have an exceptional inner drive, but it’s hard not to think another year of seemed to be a tangible confidence benefit to that long winning streak the team spinning its tires could be discouraging to him. Should anyone down the stretch, but if those wins could be more evenly distributed need proof, feel free to find some video of Larkin speaking with the media throughout the year, the team wouldn’t necessarily have to go a week (or after a strong individual performance in a team loss last season. You’ll two) without winning. It might sound like semantics, but keeping those find your answers there. And the same idea can be extrapolated to reward signals firing regularly in the players’ brains is one way to help basically any young player. curb the devastation of losing.

Elsewhere on the roster, the half-empty outlook rests on three pillars: the And speaking of Mantha, he legitimately could be one of the league’s number of high-salary, low-impact forwards who seem to be aging faster biggest breakout candidates this year. It’s not just his toolkit, because than their contracts, a defense that projects among the league’s worst that’s always been evident. It’s how he finished last season — not just in and the possibility that this still won’t be the year for some of the top Detroit, but at the World Championship, where he was a top player for prospects to become NHL full-timers. Team Canada and tied Mark Stone (!) for the fifth-most points at the Reality, of course, lies somewhere between these two outlooks. Both tournament. points of view have some truth to them, but neither is giving the whole story. Part of that is because you simply can’t know what the season will The impulse to dismiss that based on previous seasons that were merely bring before it arrives. Part of it is because the purely cynical or purely good, not great, is understandable, but Mantha was on a 30-goal, 59- optimistic is seldom totally true. point pace last season were it not for an injury. Seeing him get to 35-30- 65 wouldn’t be a major stretch, and it would make him a surefire, first- But somewhere in the middle are the nuggets of truth. Some bad to take line-caliber winger. with the good, and some hope to pluck from the worry.

Mantha’s also part of the reason to believe Bertuzzi and Larkin haven’t The best news in all of it, though? Hockey is back this week. And it’s reached their statistical peaks: that trio playing on a line together going to be quite the season, either way. consistently should bring out the best in each of them. And as for Athanasiou, he creates so much for himself with his speed that getting The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 him with a responsible center (Nielsen or Filppula) and another offensive winger (Hirose? Zadina?) could have him poised to repeat a 30-goal season. As long as he’s one of the fastest straight-line skaters in the league, he’s going to be a threat to hit that mark.

The matter of their contracts is, of course, a worthwhile consideration. It won’t be hard to come up with the money or cap space, thanks to the expiring defensive contracts, but anxiety over locking in long-term deals after potentially two straight career-best seasons is fair. But Athanasiou, the oldest of that bunch, will be just 26 in a year. He may not get much better, but maintaining what he just did would be pretty dang good on its own. It’s also better to have to pay to keep good players than to not have any to begin with.

As for the prospects: Training camp hasn’t even begun yet, so it’s a bit early to sound the panic alarm. Sure, there’s some reason to worry about there being enough space for the many forward prospects who project to the roster “bubble,” but until anyone has seen Zadina, Hirose, Rasmussen or Svechnikov in camp, those fears are probably a bit premature. GM Steve Yzerman has said that adding another winger wouldn’t block a prospect who was ready. Granted, he may be working under a different definition of “ready” than the fans or media, but it’s not unreasonable to wait and see how the players look, and where they land, before fretting. How many times last year did Rasmussen look like he could use some AHL time? And would it be so awful for Zadina or Svechnikov to start there if their preseasons aren’t convincing?

Svechnikov would normally be at the stage of his career where that answer would be “yes,” but because no one knows how he’ll look in game action after the year his ACL cost him, it’s not unfair for Detroit to want to play it slow.

Hirose’s age (he’s 23) makes him a consideration for that category, but he’s also never spent any time in the AHL, so if he stumbles out of the gate it wouldn’t be unreasonable to send him there.

And while Rasmussen still could turn into a dominant power-play player who remains impactful at even strength, he didn’t always look ready last season. He had his moments, mostly around the net, but the context is also key here. The AHL wasn’t an option for him last season. It wouldn’t be a true demotion to have him spend some time there, even if just to start.

In the end, if those four forwards can just get some regular time in the second half the season (say, 35 games or more?) to kickstart their NHL learning curves, that might be enough to help them hit the ground running next season, kind of like Bertuzzi two seasons ago.

And hey, maybe Zadina will be ready for the jump out of camp. That would make this team’s top six more interesting in a hurry. Putting a more-developed Zadina opposite Athanasiou on the second line would immediately make Detroit a harder team to match-up against, with two potential scorers coming on after the Larkin line. That still wouldn’t likely make the Red Wings a playoff threat, but maybe they could win a few more games than people think. Stranger things have happened.

Or maybe they could just do something like what Buffalo did last year: flashing some promise and progress early, even if it means regressing to the mean down the stretch. A run like that might at least be enough to inspire some optimism.

But even if the Red Wings do lose early and often, which would surely be a drag on all involved, the potential to land a star like Alexis Lafreniere, Lucas Raymond or Quinton Byfield might still outweigh that misery in the long view. The Red Wings’ problem isn’t just about biding time until the prospects they have are ready — it’s getting truly elite players to help stretch their lineup to its peak. And since top picks tend to get to the league a bit quicker, landing one might help speed the whole process along, too. 1151649 Los Angeles Kings Kupari is not a player whom it takes an eloquent scouting eye to appreciate. He’s 6-foot-1, has high-end speed and high-end puck skills, and almost every time he’s on the ice something exciting happens. On 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 4 Los Angeles Kings his best shift Kupari can break a game open with his speed and hands, making plays through defenders at full speed and getting to the net. He can make plays, and occasionally very good plays, but I find he forces plays a lot and is not a natural passer. He’s a big forward but he needs to By Corey Pronman Sep 3, 2019 learn how to play better off the puck. He’s a prospect who has all the tools but will need to be molded by coaching and development staff. He played well versus men this season and showed he may be closer than I Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL thought at this time last year. 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. Tobias Bjornfot, D, Djurgarden-J20 SuperElit an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of April 6, 2001 | six-foot | 203 pounds Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. Tier: Very good/legit bubble

The Kings have built a very deep farm system, making the most of a lot Bjornfot was a touted prospect for a few years and a minutes eater for of their picks even with 2017 11th-overall pick Gabriel Vilardi in injury Sweden’s international teams, including being one of the best limbo. There are a lot of players in this system who not only project to defensemen at the U18s and named the best defenseman in Sweden’s make it to the NHL, but also to become quality NHL players. J20 league. His skating provides a lot of his value. His ability to lead a rush, pinch off the blue line and close on his checks is very good. His feet Key additions: Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, Samuel Fagemo, Tobias allow him to make stops and transition pucks. He has solid defensive Bjornfot acumen and generally is trusted by coaches to play tougher minutes. His Key subtractions/graduations: Cal Petersen, Matt Luff, Matt Roy, Sean puck game is fine. He can have the odd flash offensively due to his feet Walker and very good vision. There were times, particularly in the second half of the season, he showed more confidence making creative plays. He could 2018 farm system ranking: No. 10 be a reliable two-way defenseman in the NHL who might not put up a lot of points. 2019 draft grade: A 5. Kale Clague, D, Ontario-AHL Prospect Ranking June 5, 1998 | six-foot | 176 pounds 1. Alex Turcotte, C, USNTDP-USHL Tier: Very good/legit bubble Feb. 26, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 185 pounds Clague had a so so first pro season, not seeing a ton of ice and facing Tier: Elite NHL prospect some bumps as he adjusted to playing defense versus men. In Turcotte had a tough season, missing time due to injury and contracting discussions with the coaching staff, they seemed to be more optimistic mononucleosis late in the season. When healthy, though, he was about his play in the second half. He’s a very good skater, and when he’s awesome and a dominant center at the USHL level. He’s a well-rounded on, he can move pucks very well. I don’t love his decision-making at prospect without any clear weakness in his game and a lot of high-end times and his game has a lot more risk than you’d like. I still like the elements. He’s a great skater with a clean stride and can barrel down the player a lot. After dominating junior and with the way he skates I think it wing with speed. Turcotte’s speed is good, not overwhelming, but he’s will click eventually and he’ll become a good NHL defenseman. But Kale got a fantastic first step and a great overall pace to his game. He will still need some seasoning before he’s an essential part of any combines that pace with very good hands and vision, showing how healthy blue line. versatile a threat he can be. He can make creative plays off the flank and 6. Samuel Fagemo, LW, Frolunda-SHL sees his options well. It’s not just his speed and skill that stand out, but his compete level is elite. Turcotte is the kind of forward who can dangle March 14, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 194 pounds around defensemen, blow by them or drive his way through them. He gets to the net consistently and without fear. He battles for pucks as hard Tier: Very good/legit bubble as anyone and typically wins them, even at 5-foot-11. He’s not the Fagemo went undrafted last season after a good, albeit unspectacular, biggest center, but that is really the only criticism I can find of his game. draft season. He started off briefly in the J20 Sweden ranks but quickly 2. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Hamilton-OHL rose up to the SHL. He was extremely productive for an 18-year-old, getting significant minutes and power play time for a Frolunda team that June 26, 2001 | 6-foot-2 | 190 pounds won the SHL. He was also impressive at the world juniors. Fagemo isn’t a guy who wows you in any one area. He skates well, but he’s not a Tier: High-end NHL prospect blazer. He’s skilled but won’t have a highlight reel rush. He has a good Kaliyev lit up the OHL last season, as one of the few modern-day OHL shot and can score goals in a variety of ways, be it a hard drive or picking players to score 50 goals as a 17-year-old. He’s one of the best goal- a corner from the circles. Fagemo gets a lot of chances close to the net, scorers in the CHL and often had more than 10 shot attempts in a game. and despite not being that big or strong, he drives the net hard. He He’s not going to go bar down that often, but his shot is an absolute showed flashes of top-end hands and vision, but not consistently. The rocket, and if goalies are not in position, they won’t have time to adjust skill set on its own doesn’t overly excite, but it’s hard to ignore his once he lets it go. Kaliyev is also a very good playmaker who makes incredible production. high-end plays. Those 50 goals were complemented with 50 assists. Due 7. Akil Thomas, C, Niagara-OHL to his shot and vision, he’s an absolute weapon on the man advantage who can run a unit and pick apart defenses. He’s skilled but Kaliyev Jan. 2, 2000 | six-foot | 181 pounds isn’t a player who can go end-to-end. He skates OK, but the main criticism of his game is his pace and compete. Kaliyev can often look like Tier: Very good/legit bubble he’s not going that hard and will have long stretches of indifference. With Thomas was a top player on one of the best teams in the OHL, clearing that said, even in the many games where he looks like he’s doing the 100-point mark. He’s a highly skilled and highly intelligent center. nothing, you’ll check the box score and see one goal and two points. Thomas was often the player Niagara wanted with the puck on his stick Thus the question is whether his style of play will translate to the NHL because of his creativity and ability to make things happen. He can run a pace. power play very well off the flank with his vision, and he can shoot it as 3. Rasmus Kupari, C, Karpat-Liiga well. Thomas’ game doesn’t always look like he’s going 200 percent or running people over, but he gets to the net, gets back on defense and is March 15, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds a reliable two-way center. His skating and pace have bugged me in previous years, but I thought it looked a little better last season. His Tier: Very good NHL prospect speed is still average, but it’s good enough to make the NHL given believe in him. I saw enough at the end of the season to think he could everything else he has. make it.

8. Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C, Spokane-WHL 13. Gabriel Vilardi, C, Ontario-AHL

Sept. 12, 1999 | 5-foot-11 | 196 pounds Aug. 16, 1999 | 6-foot-3 | 201 pounds

Tier: Very good/legit bubble Tier: Legit/chance bubble

Anderson-Dolan made the Kings briefly out of camp before being sent Vilardi missed most of the season due to a back injury, continuing a trend back to junior and when healthy had another very productive season. of health issues for him over the past few years. He’s a prospect who He’s a very quick and competitive forward who plays the game with a lot generates a ton of debate, both as a player and due to his health. He’s a of pace. He has good skill and vision. The debate among scouts is how highly skilled and intelligent player who can play a hard game and make much offense Anderson-Dolan will ultimately produce and whether he’s a plays down low. Some scouts adore him, some are still concerned by his natural power play type. I’m torn on that front, as I’ve seen him make skating. I think if he’s healthy he’s a true top prospect even with the some nice plays and he has a hard shot, but I’ve seen stretches where skating concerns. If he had 100 percent health, he’s a projected first-line he doesn’t make that many high-end plays. I think at the end of the day forward. But he’s not and there are some teams with major concerns. In he will help the Kings, whether as a second- or third-line forward who can a survey of the industry, NHL sources felt his trade value ranged be plugged into a variety of roles. anywhere from a high second-round pick to not even a seventh. The median value was around a 3rd/4th round pick. We are venturing from 9. Mikey Anderson, D, Minnesota-Duluth-NCHC my preferred field, player evaluation, into the medical realm where I can’t May 25, 1999 | six-foot | 196 pounds provide as much insight.

Tier: Very good/legit bubble 14. Nikolai Prokhorkin, C, SKA-KHL

Anderson had a great season. He was a top defenseman at the world Sept. 17, 1993 | 6-foot-2 | 201 pounds juniors, and he was an important part of the eventual NCAA champion. Tier: Legit/chance bubble He signed with the Kings at the end of the season, and he was on USA’s long list for the world championships as a 19-year-old. Anderson isn’t a Prokhorkin at age 25 signed with the Kings after a near decade of L.A. flashy player. He skates fine and has some puck skills, but he’s not going fans wondering if they would ever see him in a jersey. He is a big, strong end to end. Rather he’s just very smart. He sees the ice very well, can forward with excellent offensive hockey sense and the ability to create run a power play due to his smarts, and is reliable defensively because of inside the offensive zone. He’s patient and finds seams. He’s skilled and his gaps and reads. He has a similar profile to his brother, forward Joey can make tough plays around the net. My main concern is whether he who just made the Devils this season. Some scouts aren’t huge fans, as can get into the offensive zone. He’s a below-average skater whose they think Mikey’s too bland, but he’s been a producer and minutes eater stride is not the cleanest, and at his age that will be tough to fix. Add in for every team he’s been on. that he is not that good defensively and it gives me pause on the idea that he’s going to be a legit NHL player even though it seems he’s 10. Carl Grundstrom, LW, Los Angeles-NHL penciled in to start in the Kings lineup.

Dec. 1, 1997 | six-foot | 194 pounds 15. Lukas Parik, G, Liberec-Czech Junior

Tier: Legit NHL prospect March 15, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 185 pounds

Grundstrom had a decent season with Toronto and, after being traded at Tier: Legit/chance bubble the deadline, played well between Ontario in the AHL and up with the Kings. He plays hard, has good hockey sense, shoots the puck well, has Parik played most of the season in the Czech junior league and was some skill and skates well. He showed in his appearance with the Kings good, but in international play he really shined, often having to carry an he can skate and play with NHL players. He may never be dynamic underwhelming 2001 Czech age group. Parik is a 6-foot-4 goalie who enough to be a true scorer in the league as I once envisioned he could moves well. He’s able to get from post-to-post effectively and jump to be, but I can see him as a bottom-six winger who scores around the hard difficult spots to make saves. There were times I really liked his hockey areas and can penalty kill. sense. I saw dominant games where he seemed to always know where the puck was, cutting off angles and always in the right position. I also 11. Daniel Brickley, D, Ontario-AHL saw times where he didn’t track the puck perfectly and scrambled when March 30, 1995 | 6-foot-3 | 203 pounds he shouldn’t need to. I saw more of the good than the bad, though. He’s a goalie without many flaws, even if I wouldn’t give many of his attributes Tier: Legit NHL prospect a high-end grade.

Brickley had a decent rookie pro season after being a touted college free 16. Jordan Spence, D, Moncton-QMJHL agent signing. He was an all-situations player at the AHL level but didn’t do much in the NHL. He suffered through some personal tragedy as well. Feb. 24, 2001 | 5-foot-10 | 165 pounds The toolkit makes him intriguing even though he’s a 24-year-old Tier: Legit/chance bubble prospect. He’s 6-foot-3, has good hands, good hockey sense, and he skates better than I thought at this time last year. He can penalty kill and Spence intrigued me early on this season as a rookie 17-year-old CHLer, play the power play in a pinch because he does have sneaky good getting huge minutes and time on the first power play unit with Moncton vision. I don’t think his game has a ton of pace and he’s not one who will right out of the gate. He played well all season, including at the U18s for lead a rush in the NHL. Nothing about his game wows you, but all the Canada. I appreciate his hockey sense a lot. Spence shows a lot of poise components are there that he should become a bottom-pair defenseman. and vision with the puck. His breakouts relieve pressure well and he can quarterback power plays at a high level. He skates well, but for a small 12. Sean Durzi, D, Guelph-OHL defenseman, his speed and skill don’t wow me. He has enough speed to Oct, 21, 1998 | six-foot | 196 pounds skate with pros and turn CHL defenders. At his size, he defended fine this season due to his brain. I think if Spence was just any other prospect Tier: Legit NHL prospect he’d be easy to slap a late/bubble pick tag on with his toolkit. However, he played so well this season after not even being in the CHL that you Durzi had a fine season, taking off after he was traded from Owen Sound could argue there’s more to come with experience. to the eventual OHL champion Guelph. But for an overage defenseman, he wasn’t as dominant as you’d like to have seen. Durzi is an extremely 17. David Hrenak, G, St. Cloud State-NCHC smart puck-mover. There are so many instances where I’ve seen him make elite passes from all three zones. His combination of vision, May 5, 1998 | 6-foot-2 | 192 pounds patience and timing was among the best in junior hockey. The issues in Tier: Legit/chance bubble Durzi’s profile are simple. He’s a six-foot defenseman with average feet and average defensive play. The question is whether a player who Hrenak backstopped St. Cloud to their second-straight NCHC title, even skates like him and wasn’t a true top player in junior can be carried to the if his save percentage dipped a bit. He’s a very smart goalie. Hrenak NHL by his hockey sense. Some NHL scouts are skeptical, while others anticipates his opponents very well and improvises on the fly well, making some of the more creative saves I saw all season. He’s quick and Sheldon Rempal, RW, Ontario-AHL (Age: 24): Rempal is a very smart can make tough saves. He’s 6-foot-2 and, while that’s not small, by albeit small winger. He’s quick and skilled, but at his size I don’t see the today’s standards he’s not big either. Hrenak needs to be near perfect game breaking ability needed for the NHL. with his positional play in the NHL to be a go-to goalie. I found this season, while he was very good, he misread one too many plays. While Johan Sodergran, RW, Linkoping-SHL (19): Sodergran is a 6-foot-3 he’s quick, it’s not high-end athleticism. forward who can skate well and has some skill, but I have an upside question with his game. 18. Austin Strand, D, Ontario-AHL Blake Lizotte, C, St. Cloud State-NCHC (21): I like Lizotte’s hockey Feb. 17, 1997 | 6-foot-4 | 216 pounds sense and compete a lot, but at 5-foot-8 he lacks the dynamic speed and skill for the NHL. Tier: Has a chance Mikael Eyssimont, LW, Ontario-AHL (22): Eyssimont has great skill and Strand started his first pro season in the ECHL before being called up vision, but he lacks quickness and has no value off the puck. and becoming a defenseman who would be used on both special teams for his AHL club Ontario. He’s a 6-foot-4 defenseman who isn’t going to Bulat Shafigullin, LW, Nizhnekamsk-MHL (19): He’s a skilled player who dazzle with speed or skill, but he has enough to make plays at the pro can set up plays and finish with average skating ability. I don’t know if I level. I’ve seen him pinch off the line or head fake forwards into creating see an NHL role from him, but he does have some talent. shooting lanes. He moves pucks well. He skates at a pro-average level. He can kill plays and be a reliable penalty killer. I have an upside 2019-20 Impact question with Strand, as he was as productive as a pro as he was during Kupari will push for a job out of camp but I wouldn’t call him a lock to most of his junior time. make the team. Anderson-Dolan made the Kings last year and logically 19. Chaz Reddekopp, D, Ontario-AHL one would conclude he’ll be in the mix again. There seems to be optimism out of Kings world that Prokhorkin is a full-time NHL player (he Jan. 1, 1997 | 6-foot-3 | 218 pounds wouldn’t have signed otherwise), but I remain skeptical until I see how he looks initially in the NHL. The Kings have a lot of depth in Ontario at Tier: Has a chance defense. Numerous candidates could be call-ups if needed based on Reddekopp’s profile is going to sound like a copy and paste of Strand’s. how that whole group plays. Reddekopp was sent down to the ECHL to start the season but was Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under) called up around December, and I liked how he looked in the second half. He’s never going to be a flashy offensive producer, but I see a 6- Alex Turcotte, C (18) foot-3 defenseman who is hard to play against, skates well for his size, and has some puck-moving skill. There were several instances during Arthur Kaliyev, LW (18) the season where Reddekopp broke out of what you would call the Rasmus Kupari, C (19) ‘defensive defenseman’ mold to jump up into rushes or make tough seam passes to generate a chance. He even got power play time with Ontario. Adrian Kempe, C (22) I’m intrigued by where his development is going and if he carries it over Tobias Bjornfot, D (18) into next season. Kale Clague, D (21) 20. Markus Phillips, D, Guelph-OHL Samuel Fagemo, LW (19) March 21, 1999 | six-foot | 194 pounds Akil Thomas, C (19) Tier: Has a chance Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (19) Phillips often wins over his coaches but never wins over his scouts. He played fine for the eventual OHL champion and got a surprising amount Mikey Anderson, D (20) of minutes on Canada’s World Junior team. He’s got some pro attributes. He’s a good skater who can move pucks, has some skill and is smart in Kempe is what he is. He’s very fast and has some skill, but he’s not a top his defensive zone. He doesn’t have anything about his game that line player. He’s a useful NHLer, though. This group shows how critical screams NHL, though. His feet are good, not great; same for his the past two drafts were for the Kings and how early in their rebuild they offensive touch. And he’s not that big. Some scouts have zero time for are. him, but he’s done enough that I think he’s got a puncher’s chance. The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 21. Matt Villalta, G, Sault Ste. Marie-OHL

June 3, 1999 | 6-foot-4 | 187 pounds

Tier: Has a chance

I like Villalta’s size and athleticism a lot. He’s a 6-foot-4 goalie with high- end ability to move laterally across his crease. Villalta, at his best, can steal a game. He’s not always at his best, though. He can over slide pucks too much at times. His reads can be hit or miss. Sometimes he reads offensive plays very well and other times he has issues anticipating forwards intentions or tracking pucks. I do like that he’s aggressive and he tries to challenge shooters.

22. Cole Hults, D, Penn State Univ.-Big 10

May 22, 1998 | six-foot | 190 pounds

Tier: Has a chance

Hults had a good sophomore season, as an all-situations player for Penn State and a top defender in his conference. Hults is a very smart defenseman. He moves pucks up the ice effectively and is able to make a clean first pass or stretch the ice when the play is there. He’s a good defender because of his brain and some physicality in his game. His skating isn’t a top attribute, but it’s improved from junior to a fair level. There’s not a lot about his game that stands out, but he does a lot well, so I could buy that I’m underrating him.

Depth Players 1151650 Los Angeles Kings that night, unfortunately. A big thing for me was it took a little while for Coach Stothers to buy into Clague, but I think what Kale did is he gained his trust throughout the year, and he really developed under him. He’s a BLAKE ON CLAGUE, DEFENSIVE ROTATION, MORE FROM SOTF; very good player for us.” BOUMA TO CAMP ON PTO Blake acknowledged that waivers will play a factor in how the defense shapes up out of training camp. LaDue, Kurtis MacDermid and Joakim Ryan would have to pass through waivers to be assigned to Ontario, JON ROSEN SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 while Sean Walker, Matt Roy, Daniel Brickley, Anderson and Clague are among the waiver-exempt defenders.

“I’ve got to set that roster, and we’re going to look at different things A number of bits learned from Friday’s State of the Franchise forum, as there. I don’t want to be in a position to rush any of these young players, shared by GM and Head Coach Todd McLellan. There will and that might be to kind of the fact that there hasn’t been a lot of moves also be a separate quote transcript from Todd’s availability, which was that I want to make sure some of these young guys can play, and immediately followed Rob’s. there’s no need to rush ‘em. The one thing I did learn the past few years –First, a recap from earlier. Gabe Vilardi: back issue, won’t skate at here is you have to be prepared enough to be able to step in and play in training camp. Derek Forbort: back issue, not looking good for the start of the NHL, and then you’ve got to be able to win the NHL. But at the same camp. Paul LaDue: aftermath of a knee procedure; he’s skating now but time, that’s part of that whole process, and we’re not going to rush these may be limited at the start of camp. Adrian Kempe: they’re not quite there kids.” but close. A quote or two and an additional shade of NUANCE is — While Blake said that the three players he’d communicated the most available here. with over the summer were Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew –Not SOTF-related, but notable: Lance Bouma will attend camp on a Doughty, McLellan shared that he’d begun to build his own relationship PTO, as first reported by Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet 650 Vancouver and with Ilya Kovalchuk with what he described as several “great calls” when confirmed by the team. He’s a physical and competitive winger who they’d connected over the phone. suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season in Switzerland’s “What can I tell you about them? First of all, Kovy is a very proud player. top league but has provided ample truculence for the Flames and He’s proud of what he’s done in the past and he’s looking forward to Blackhawks (but mostly Flames), with whom he has 30 goals, 76 points playing hard for the team and playing hard for the Kings,” McLellan said. and 210 penalty minutes in 357 career games. He last played in the NHL “I left the conversation kind of open-ended and we’re going to meet and in 2017-18, when he split time with Chicago and Rockford and posted sit down and really create a relationship that way. I think that’s the three goals and nine points in 53 games with the Blackhawks. More here approach that’s really important between him and I, as coach-player, and from the wonderful Steve Ewen. then we’ll incorporate him into the team environment, but we expect him Gerry Thomas/NHLI to have a very successful year.”

— A number of themes touched on The Process, as they say, and the The conversation was “about a fresh start, a new coach, a new understanding that this is a team in transition. approach, a new energy,” McLellan continued.

“We’ve kind of known the direction that we were headed,” Blake said. “[Me] believing in him, him believing in the organization, and when I hung “Like we said, we want to remain as competitive as possible. Getting in the phone up, I hope he felt the same way I did, it was a great the playoffs that year with 98 points, those guys have been able to do conversation. I truly look forward to taking him out for lunch and really this year-after-year, and I wanted to make sure they had every ability to digging in at that point, we’ll get a lot more done that way than we will on do that again. That dropped off completely to a point beyond that this the phone.” year, so we knew we had that process at hand.” — Blake commended Brantt Myhres’ player assistance model and McLellan even acknowledged that there may be times early in the continued to speak about efforts to “build out” a mental health and player season in which the adjustments and installations won’t quite be as wellness department, which is now “in the works.” “I rely on our pronounced or discernible. There’s a balance: it’s important that youth be development guys a lot for that – Sean O’Donnell, Jarret Stoll, Glen, incorporated, but this is still a team driven by stars who hit high marks in obviously, Craig Johnson – guys that have been around. They’re with our 2017-18 prior to last year’s crash, and while the future is by so many players the minute they’re drafted through that development stage, but indicators bright, there’s still a need to wring production and a greater they’re not coaches and they’re not management, so I believe they’re a purpose this season out of the more veteran players. very good bridge,” he said. “But I think we need professionals in a lot of different aspects there to be able to turn to if players have needs – "Our job is to create new memories and look to the future," McLellan whether it be the psychologist, the mental health, sleep, nutrition, said. Also said,"don't give up tomorrow, don't give up next week. We whatever it is – I think we have to have those professionals on call to be want to be accountable every day." [available for our players]. It’s no different than a player hurting his shoulder. He’s going to go see our specialist.” — Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) August 31, 2019 Rob Blake, on whether he was surprised he was asked about free agent Essentially, the rotation seen late last season will continue as the team’s defenseman Ben Hutton: farmhands grow and mature alongside the professional game. This isn’t an organization that’s going to shift gears should it get off to a promising No, I’ve obviously read some stuff on him. We looked at him, and like I start, nor has it recalibrated any sort of expected return towards said, if there is a potential fit – but like I said, we have a lot of young contention. defensemen that we want to get some playing time. We’ve got to sort out through our defense, for sure, if we can. “You look at the number of draft picks, the area of the draft picks, you look at the number of new players in the organization, I expect fully that Blake, on Mike Stothers and the similarities between Ontario and Los that’s the same process … and then after that it’s going to change a little Angeles’ play: bit,” Blake said. “Then you get into an aspect where maybe you have too many left wings, you have too many right wings, you need a The biggest thing for us is the compete factor. You can have the skill. defensemen. Now you’re able to move some guys around and do some Granted, everybody, if they’re competing and they’re good teammates things. We’re not able to do that just yet. We need another year of and that, if they’re all the same, then the guy who has the most skill is building that prospect pool.” going to be on the top. But I think what Mike does, he gets them to compete. If you look at the players that have come up, they haven’t been — Kale Clague, whose late-season foot injury kept him from making his the top picks. We haven’t had the top picks in there, we haven’t had them NHL debut, is among the interesting players vying for a role on this year’s playing in Ontario. … Some of these guys coming out, Sean Walker and defense. He’s not a favorite to lock down a roster spot out of camp, but different guys, they learned to compete down there. That’s the foremost it’s clear he’s remained a highly regarded top defensive prospect at the thing that will stay in there and everything. As far as game plan and forefront of the battle among those with minimal or no NHL experience. language and all that, there’ll be a little transition period there through Todd. They met this week. Todd was back this week, and Mike’s in town “Mikey Anderson, Brickley, all these guys are competing for spots,” Blake now. I think the other thing, too, bringing in Chris Hajt again … he’s kind said. “[Kale] was going to be called up a day later, and he broke his foot of the buffer between Stutts and some of the players, but he’s really into the development part of it, also. Stutts has really opened up to development. It’s taken time over the years, but again, he understands – he’ll install that compete and everything, and we’ll have some guys down there to work on the different skills and that, but that combination will help that player be better.

Blake, on the professional timeline communicated to Cal Petersen when he was signed:

I think that obviously comes in. We love him to battle and everything, but we know we have Quick, and we know we have Campbell, and Cal can still develop at the level by playing a lot of games in the American league, if that’s where he is. He got his taste [with the parent club] last year. Part of it was we wanted to show Cal we believe he will be the future coming in through here, and we wanted to make that commitment to him this summer.

Blake, on expectations for Drew Doughty:

I thought up until probably the deadline Drew was one of our most competitive players. I know the stats and the different things, but when you play a lot of minutes and you play on a tough team, those stats are going to be hard to relate. But, again, Drew, Kopi, Quick, Carter, these guys have got to be better for us, no doubt about it. The year before we got into the playoffs … with 98 points and heavily relied on Kopitar, Quick and Doughty.

Blake, on the players he was in most frequent contact with over the summer:

Brownie, probably. Mainly because Brownie’s a lot, too, but I have a lot of talks with Brownie and Kopitar and Drew, probably. Those are the three that I probably relate the best to, maybe because I played with two of the three and Drew, maybe in the same position and different things, we have a real good relationship. But those are the three I probably go through a lot. … Brownie’s been through this, the whole thing. He came through here in a certain era of his career, he was one of the young kids, and Todd referred to the marathon, but Brownie’s gone through it. I thought he competed very hard last year for us. We hold real high standards, and I thought he was real good in that aspect.

Blake, on Todd McLellan’s autonomy:

I trust a lot of things that Todd does. I think I have a lot different background with him just from playing under him and understanding him and everything. But the one thing, I think our ideas are shared. We have a lot of input with different types of players and what he likes, the style he likes and what we’re looking for in the drafts.

Blake, on Tyler Toffoli’s contract year:

Well, there’s a lot. We’re going to take that obviously day-by-day. I think he’s obviously got to play better than he did last year, but I believe he holds himself accountable to that, too, and a lot of that revolves around scoring and different things. Again, I think some of those things will play out later in the year. As we get to that conversation, let’s just see where we are. See where we’re at come November, December and January.

Blake, on going winless at last year’s rookie tournament, and Anaheim’s experienced roster:

You’ve got to give Anaheim credit. There are certain rules put in place for this – whether it’s entry-level guys, under 100 games – and they’ve got really good players. They’ve got players that have played in the NHL. We want to be at that stage, obviously, a year from now. We hope we get these guys in there. But, no, I think if you look, two years ago we came in, I thought we had a really good training camp, we came out and we had a really good start in the first 10 games. We had a terrible camp last year. Rookie camp, main camp, and it carried over into the season, so, yeah, there are expectations in rookie camp. We know we’ve got a lot of young players, but we’ve got some good young players. They have to go out there and compete.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151651 Los Angeles Kings “He’s had it on-and-off,” Blake continued. “Played with a lot of it last year, so they’re working on some things there.”

–I asked Blake about providing mental health resources for players after BRIEF VILARDI/KEMPE/FORBORT/LADUE/SOTF UPDATES; LOTS he had mentioned providing such outreach, and it sounds like the team is MORE TO COME interested in diversifying their own in-house methods. “I think there’s a player wellness or player health and wellness division that we’ve got to build out within our team, and inside that division you’re going to have JON ROSEN SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 you nutritionist, you’re going to have your sleep [doctor], you’re going to have a psychologist, and I think you’re going to have a mental health

[professional], and I think we’ve got to be open to it and we’ve got to look CONTRACTS AND FINANCESINJURIESSITE NEWS at a lot of different aspects these players are dealing with and a lot of different outside things, but we want to have all those resources available INSIDERS. A good Tuesday to you as we wake, bleary-eyed, in for our players if they need.” John Mayer currently heads the medical and September’s gentle light. LAKI and ORI’s gears and batteries have been conditioning wing as Director, Player Health and Performance, while oiled and re-charged, and we’re ready to hit the ground running when on- Kristy Morrell has served as Sports Dietician; in the past they’ve also ice rookie camp sessions begin on Friday and continue this weekend called upon Brantt Myhres’ guidance as part of a Player Assistance role. with the annual rookie tournament. Here’s the upcoming schedule, which is always subject to tweaks and changes: –Via Justin Williams and Carolina:

Friday, September 6: 10 a.m. – Practice (TSPC) Justin Williams has announced that he is taking a break from the NHL

Saturday, September 7 10 a.m. – Practice (TSPC); 5 p.m. – Game vs. He will not join the team at the start of the 2019-20 season Anaheim (Great Park Ice) More Info » https://t.co/dXQHEbTPsQ pic.twitter.com/EQRzsyFydN Sunday, September 8: 1 p.m. – Game vs. Colorado (Great Park Ice) — Carolina Hurricanes (@CanesNHL) September 2, 2019 Monday, September 9: 10 a.m. – Practice (TSPC) –It’s not pressing as of today, but during the presentation to season ticket Tuesday, September 10: 1 p.m. – Game vs. San Jose (Great Park Ice) members, Blake also acknowledged that the team intends to sign Penn State junior defenseman Cole Hults, as LAKI previously reported. He’ll Wednesday, September 11: 9:30 a.m. – Practice (TSPC) play one more season with the Nittany Lions before joining Ontario. For more comings and goings from the SOTF, including an addition to the After a recovery day on September 12, training camp gets going on team’s hockey analytics team, refer to my Twitter timeline. Otherwise, Friday, September 13. The first preseason games will be Ye Olde Split stick around for some Blake and McLellan notes in greater detail over the Squads versus Arizona on Tuesday, September 17. next 24 hours. FOR YOUR RECORDS. New tenants in ‘Gundo. The Keck Medicine LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 09.04.2019 USC and Meyer Institute of Sport is now open. Also, Toyota Sports Center is now Toyota Sports Performance Center. It is still located at 555 N. Nash St. in El Segundo and will hereforth be referenced as TSPC. this may take some getting used to.

UPDATES. The State of the Franchise was held late last week at The Novo at L.A. Live, so big stick taps to those who commuted in on a holiday Friday (and slightly softer stick taps to those who commuted out and unclogged roads and freeways for the rare weekend).

Apart from the These Guys Are Motivated minutiae, there were important bits of information, all of which will be shared in quotes and notebook- style factoids later today and tomorrow. First, the bullet points’ bullet points:

–Nothing imminent with Adrian Kempe as of last Friday. “They’re getting close,” Rob Blake said to reporters after the event. “Wish I could give you better news tonight. But again, I’m not concerned that’s going to drag on.” I was about to follow up on the subject this morning, but all prior check-ins had indicated little reason for concern, so I’m going to hold off on that for the next few days.

It'll be a bridge deal (no surprise). Reached out to his NA rep last wk and was told they are "still grinding away" on working out a deal. Like all of us, people need a deadline :-) There's a lot of things to be concerned about but suspect this won't be one of them … https://t.co/GIqH59KxuH

— lisa dillman (@reallisa) September 2, 2019

–Gabe Vilardi (back) remains on the sideline. “He’ll be here for [main] camp, but he will not be on the ice,” Blake said. He also shared an update during his presentation to season ticket members, saying that despite progression – depicted here via The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman ($) – he’ll remain in sneakers rather than skates.

Blake says Vilardi "is progressing in his rehab" but won't be on-ice in camp. Said he's "farther along in rehab than any part in last 12 months."

— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) August 31, 2019

–Derek Forbort (back) is unlikely to be ready for the start of training camp, while Paul LaDue (knee) may be limited at its outset.

“Paul LaDue had a procedure right after the season on his knee, and he’s been back on the ice now. He’s progressing the right way – I’m not sure he’s going to be full-go day one at camp at camp, but it looks like Forbort’s going to be a little delayed.” 1151652 Minnesota Wild

Wild re-signs D Louie Belpedio

By Sarah McLellan SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Winger Kevin Fiala is the Wild's only unsigned restricted free agent after the team locked up defenseman Louie Belpedio with a one-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$100,000) Tuesday.

Training camp starts Sept.12.

Last season, Belpedio accrued 21 points (six goals and 15 assists) in 70 games with Iowa during his rookie campaign in the American Hockey League. He led team defensemen in goals, power play goals (3) and shots (147). The 5-foot-11, 196-pound native of Skokie, Ill., logged two NHL games with the Wild in 2018-19.

A right shot, Belpedio has 23 points in 80 career AHL games with Iowa and two assists in three career games with the Wild after four seasons at Miami University. Belpedio, 23, was drafted in the third round, 80th overall, by the Wild in 2014 and became the first rookie in franchise history to tally two points in his debut.

Fiala is part of a sizable group of RFAs who remain unsigned barely a week before camps open across the league. Noteable names like Mitch Marner (Maple Leafs), (Jets), Matthew Tkachuk (Flames), Brock Boeser (Canucks) and Mikko Rantanen (Avalanche) are also currently without a deal for next season.

Star Tribune LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151653 Montreal Canadiens doesn’t make sense that they will all repeat those feats this season. And even with all those career seasons, the Canadiens still didn’t make the playoffs.

What the Puck: Canadiens need to rewrite their Groundhog Day script You know what’s also very reminiscent of Groundhog Day? The Habs head coach Claude Julien said anything can happen once you Canadiens will, in all likelihood, once again leave millions on the table make the playoffs, but that's not the best philosophy for sports this season, just like they’ve done the past two seasons. Capfriendly.com management. has the team with US$4.044 million in cap space today, but that’s counting $2.35 million for Dale Weise, $800,000 for Charles Hudon and $4.625 million for Karl Alzner, and we all know these three are going to be playing up in Laval this season. So that means there will be BRENDAN KELLY, MONTREAL GAZETTE significantly more than $4.044 million left on the table (unless they make some major additions).

Being a Habs fan in the Marc Bergevin era is like watching the film It’s not that anything can happen. It’s more like the one sure thing that Groundhog Day on a loop. The only trouble is it’s not nearly as much fun will happen once again this season is that the Groupe CH will make a or nearly as funny as that Bill Murray cult classic comedy. bunch of money.

Murray plays a weatherman forced to live the same day over and over Montreal Gazette LOADED: 09.04.2019 again. For Habs fans, our purgatory is to watch the same season over and over again. And that would be the season in which the Canadiens are not in the discussion as a legitimate contender.

I was thinking these dark thoughts — surprising eh? — the other day after reading my colleague Pat Hickey’s interview with Habs head coach Claude Julien. This was the interview where Julien showed that he’s been spending way too much time in the Bergevin School of Hockey Thinking. That would be the college that has but one motto — Anything Can Happen!

I just knew that the Habs brass would take precisely the wrong lesson from the St. Louis Blues’ unlikely Stanley Cup victory this spring. Some of us saw a team that won because they got the quality centre they needed so badly (Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly), had a big, tough defence corps that just wore down the opposition and a goalie (Jordan Binnington) who had been ridiculously hot since January.

But the Habs bosses’ take on the Blues championship was that they got lucky.

“The thing I took from it — and I’ve always believed this — is if you peak at the right time, anything can happen,” Julien said in that interview. “Once you get in the playoffs, it’s everybody’s opportunity if you peak at the right time.”

He went on to underline the sense that it was just lucky timing for the Blues: “You can talk about a lot of things, like size, but there were players on that team that weren’t re-signed and so they didn’t have the ultimate answer. They just peaked at the right time.”

Bergevin has been saying similar things for years. His mantra as GM has always been, just get into the playoffs and anything can happen. That’s exactly what he told my colleague Stu Cowan on trade-deadline day this year.

“I believe if you get in … you get in,” Bergevin said. “You run a hot goaltender, you get the breaks, you get the matchup … anything’s possible. You could look back at teams like, I think, L.A. The first Cup they won they barely made the playoffs. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen. … Anything is possible.”

Of course there are surprises, like the Blues winning it all this past season or Los Angeles winning the Cup in 2012 though they were the eighth seed in the West. But managing a team based on the principle “anything can happen” is kind of goofy. Here’s a news flash for these folks: The best team usually wins the championship.

When the Kings had that Cinderella run in 2012, they became the first team in history to win the Cup starting from the lowest ranking in the conference. In other words, this almost never happens.

A regular WTP reader sent me an email with a tongue-in-cheek subject line after reading the Julien interview: ‘If your writing peaks at the right time this hockey season, you will win the Pulitzer.’ Ba-da-boom!

What this philosophy really means is that Bergevin and Julien are sticking with the approach that’s been the team’s go-to position for years: Close your eyes and pray that Carey Price plays like a Marvel Comics superhero … and peaks at the right time.

Back in the real world, the team made no significant moves during the off-season so it is, at best, the same team and maybe a little weaker given the loss of Andrew Shaw, who scored 19 goals in 63 games last season. In addition, several players had career seasons last year and it 1151654 Montreal Canadiens The main Canadiens training camp opens on Sept. 12 with physicals and fitness testing.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 09.04.2019 Can rookies Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki crack the Canadiens' lineup?

Highly-touted duo will be among 27 prospects to hit the ice on Thursday for the start of the Habs' rookie camp in Brossard.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: September 3, 2019

Can Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki follow Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s path and make the NHL out of rookie camp?

And how long will it take for defenceman Josh Brook and goaltender Cayden Primeau to be NHL ready?

Those are the key questions as 27 prospects hit the ice Thursday for the start of the Canadiens’ rookie camp in Brossard.

While the Canadiens have 23 players signed to one-way NHL contracts and two entry-level players (Kotkaniemi and Victor Mete) all but assured of spots with the big club, head coach Claude Julien said there could be room for some newcomers.

“Every year, we say we want to see what these players do when they get to training camp,” Julien said last week. “Ultimately, it’s the players who decide where they end up. We want to see players come in, play well and force us to make difficult decisions. That was the case last year with Kotkaniemi.”

Poehling and Suzuki are attempting to join a crowded field of 15 forwards and Poehling might be a step closer to the NHL after making a good impression in his big-league debut on April 6. He had a chance to play after the Canadiens were bounced from playoff contention and he responded by scoring three goals and adding the shootout winner in a 6- 5 victory over Toronto.

“The important thing for me was not the goals, but the way he played,” Julien said. Poehling was strong at both ends of the ice, won 57 per cent of his faceoffs and saw time as a penalty-killer.

Suzuki, who was touted as the key piece in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Las Vegas, had an opportunity to make the roster last season, but he was overshadowed by Kotkaniemi. Suzuki is a creative scoring machine who racked up 34 goals and 94 points in 59 OHL games and added 16 goals and 26 assists in 24 playoff games for the Guelph Storm last season. The one knock against Suzuki is that he is a perimeter player, but that might not be a problem if he can put up points for a team desperate for more scoring.

Brook has an outside shot at making the team, particularly if Noah Juulsen isn’t healthy. While there has been a focus on finding left defencemen, the Canadiens aren’t exactly deep on the right side with Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Christian Folin and Juulsen.

Brook had 16 goals and 59 assists in 59 games with Moose Jaw and was tied for the scoring lead among WHL defencemen. He has decent size at 6-feet and 192 pounds and his skating and puck-moving skills are geared for today’s NHL. He needs work in the defensive zone, but even if he starts the season in Laval, he should get a look in the NHL at some point during the season.

Primeau is the wild card in this group. A seventh-round draft pick in 2017, Primeau arrives in Montreal after two outstanding seasons at Boston’s Northeastern University, where he won the 2019 Mike Richter Award as the outstanding goaltender in U.S. college hockey. It’s rare to see a 20- year-old goaltender in the NHL and look for Primeau to battle Charlie Lindgren for the starting job in Laval. Lindgren might be facing a make- or-break season because, after winning his first six NHL starts, he has a 2-8-2 record with the Canadiens and has struggled the past two seasons backing up very bad teams in the AHL.

The rookies will practise in Brossard Thursday and Friday and then head to Belleville, Ont., where they will play in a three-team rookie tournament against Ottawa Saturday and Winnipeg Sunday. Local fans will get a chance to see the rookies against a team of Canadian university players in Brossard on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. 1151655 Montreal Canadiens The reason Kotkaniemi produced such stunning defensive numbers is his defence-first mentality. Not only did it allow him to earn Claude Julien’s trust much faster than most other young players, it also confused Dumont: An in-depth look at Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s excellent rookie opposing coaches who were hoping to take advantage of the rookie’s season place in the lineup, as was the case with Babcock on opening night.

Kotkaniemi has a tendency to collapse quickly, often forgoing potential offensive situations for a safer defensive approach. And while it probably By Marc Dumont Sep 3, 2019 didn’t do him any favours when it came to hitting the scoresheet, it definitely kept most of his opponents to the perimeter of the Canadiens’

zone, seeing as Kotkaniemi’s ability to maintain his defensive positioning, Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s first NHL shift came and went without much fanfare. as well as his shot and pass lane-blocking skills were quite apparent right It lasted 45 seconds, resulting in one low-quality shot by the young Finn. away.

But with the gift of hindsight, the footage gives us an early glimpse of Of course, Kotkaniemi didn’t go at it alone. He played on several different what would make his season a success, a low-event shift that was a lines; the most common combination had him playing with two fellow microcosm of Kotkaniemi’s raw skill, his adaptability and the adversity he Finns, Joel Armia and . In their 148 minutes of 5-on-5 ice would face throughout the year. time, the line controlled almost 62 percent of the shots, 57 percent of the goals, and 66.6 percent of the high-danger chances. What’s more, the And though his inaugural shift won’t feature prominently in the pantheon line’s expected goals for was actually 65 percent, indicating it had the of hockey’s best debuts, it’s worth noting that he did so against none potential to be dominant, though it also connotes that there’s room for other than John Tavares, throwing a wrench in Leafs head coach Mike improvement when it comes to capitalizing all those chances they Babcock’s plan to take advantage of the home-ice matchups. Logically, created together. throwing a powerhouse centre against an 18-year-old playing his first NHL shift is a recipe for success. But what’s important here is they kept opponents out of the defensive zone while spending the majority of their time playing in the offensive Unless, that is, the 18-year-old centre decides to pin the All-Star in his zone. Opponents had 29 percent fewer shots compared to the league defensive zone the entire shift. average when the trio was on the ice.

Not only did Kotkaniemi have to quickly react to the lack of time and Part of the reason they were so successful, beyond chemistry and hard space in the offensive zone, he showed off both his reach and hand-eye work, is due to Julien’s masterful use of Kotkaniemi in his first season. coordination by dangling Jake Gardiner and Zach Hyman on the same play, which, if we’re being honest, probably should have resulted in a It bears repeating, Kotkaniemi entered the league as an 18-year-old. By power play for the Canadiens. He went on to keep the play alive on two giving such a young centre an opportunity in the NHL, the Canadiens occasions, which ultimately led to the Maple Leafs icing the puck shortly definitely saw the upside of early NHL experience. But they were also after Kotkaniemi left the ice. He did not register a point on the play, dealing with an incredibly delicate situation, one that could quickly shift though he would go on to assist on Andrew Shaw’s game-tying goal in and become a drag on Kotkaniemi’s overall development. Long is the list the second period for his first NHL point. of players who were held back because they were rushed into the NHL, whereas there’s very little risk in overripening a prospect. But that shift provided the first glimpse that the youngest player in the league had what it took to start the season in the NHL. But Kotkaniemi had the skillset, and more importantly, the attitude to flourish as an 18-year-old. For his part, Julien tried to shelter him as And that sentiment would only get stronger as the year went on, though, much as possible. like most players, Kotkaniemi had his fair share of challenges to overcome, some of which remain as red flags in his game. The majority of his shift starts took place in the offensive zone, the highest percentage among all Canadiens regulars last season. He was Overview given two reliable wingers with a reasonable amount of offensive skill, and, for the most part, was kept away from the best opponents. With 11 goals and 23 assists in 79 games, Kotkaniemi finished ninth in rookie scoring last season, though his ranking improves to sixth once we Seeing as Kotkaniemi wasn’t legally allowed to purchase alcohol in filter the results to 5-on-5 play. Ontario last season and is still a year or two away from legally renting a car in most areas, it’s fair to say this was the right approach by Julien. And though those results are made even more impressive by the fact he The 100-metre dash will come soon enough, sooner than most prospects was learning to play in the NHL as a centre, an endeavor that has ruined expect, but for now, Kotkaniemi’s development path is more of a many highly-touted prospects in the past, it’s Kotkaniemi’s underlying marathon than a sprint. numbers that really shone through. For the most part, that development has to do with his offensive potential, He didn’t just have a good season from a statistical standpoint, he had a because it’s not hyperbole to suggest that he’s already verging on being great one. a defensive stalwart for the Canadiens. While Kotkaniemi was on the ice for the Canadiens at 5-on-5, they Take this play, for example. It was Kenny Agostino’s first goal with the controlled over 57 percent of the shots, 54 percent of the goals and 55 Canadiens. The highlight covers all the usual aspects, the last few percent of the high-danger opportunities. Those are the kind of numbers seconds of the play, celebrations and a couple of slow-motion replays. you usually see from a seasoned vet, an elite one, at that. An 18-year-old putting up those numbers is almost unheard of, especially when playing But let’s press rewind, shall we? centre. Because as is the case with most hockey plays, the catalytic event took There are three main things that eased Kotkaniemi’s transition to the place a few seconds earlier. NHL, the first being his innate ability to prevent opponents from setting up shop in front of Carey Price. Kotkaniemi pressures Alex Ovechkin while he has the puck on his backhand, that leads to a rushed pass to Devante Smith-Pelly, who has a When Kotkaniemi was on the ice, opponents took an average of 50.6 hard time cradling the puck. Kotkaniemi then cuts off all the neutral zone shots per 60 minutes of ice time, almost five fewer shots per 60 than the passing options and pressures Smith-Pelly, who, predictably, coughs up team average of 55.4. the puck.

That may not seem significant, but it’s quite the impact given the Kotkaniemi then shows veteran-like patience when attempting to send a Canadiens already ranked 11th in shots against, indicating that cross-ice pass to Lehkonen, delaying until a decent passing lane opens Kotkaniemi improved on what was already a relatively strong point for the up, albeit very briefly. team. Opponents scored just 2.04 goals per 60 when facing Kotkaniemi, down from the 2.45 goals the team allowed on average. Kotkaniemi takes advantage of the brief passing window, backs up the defence, and the rest, as they say, is history. The net result is best evidenced with the use of a heatmap, which reveals that his impact made life much easier on Price, especially in high-danger Reach areas. He’s only 6-foot-2, but Kotkaniemi possesses a wingspan that would An increase in offensive production isn’t likely to come from an uptick in make a great white pelican feel inadequate. He’s not the strongest player the quantity of shots he takes, but rather the quality. If Kotkaniemi can on the ice, and that’s something he’ll surely work on in the coming years, take advantage of his ability to find open ice, and more importantly, trust but his reach advantage gives him a leg up on his opponents when it his shot, he has the potential to score a fair amount of goals from the comes to puck retrieval in the offensive zone. right side of the ice.

It also helped him score, whether it was fighting in traffic to capitalize on His overall ability to drive the net and create high-danger chances left a rebound, or simply introducing some of the best players in the NHL to something to be desired last season, though, again, he’s only 18 and has his ridiculous reach. plenty of time to learn. It takes confidence, perfect timing and a penchant for finishing the play, all things Kotkaniemi needs to improve. But on the In a Feb. 3 game against the Oilers, it was Connor McDavid’s turn. few occasions he managed to get himself in a high-danger area, he Kotkaniemi was well below the goal line and was in position to retrieve showed he can make his way onto the highlight reel. The numbers the puck, though it certainly wasn’t a prime scoring area. weren’t quite there yet, but the potential certainly was.

Half a second later, the puck was in the back of the net. McDavid hardly Final Word had time to react, and by the time he did, it was too late. Kotkaniemi’s rookie season didn’t capture any votes for the Calder It was the very definition of a smooth move, and what’s more, he scored trophy, but it was more than enough to capture the attention of on his backhand, just to increase the overall degree of difficulty of the Canadiens fans, as well as the coaching staff. play. Players that can jump into the league at such a young age, especially as Kotkaniemi also uses his reach as a weapon when it comes to setting up a centreman, are a rare breed. Names like Ryan O’Reilly, Patrice his linemates, particularly in 2-on-1 situations. The goal for a defenceman Bergeron, Aleksander Barkov and Joe Thornton come to mind, most of is clear: just stop the pass. That’s all they have to do. The rest is up to whom had very similar rookie seasons in terms of offensive production. the goaltender. But coaches tend to place more importance on defensive play, which is where Kotkaniemi excelled. In that sense, he’s following in the footsteps To do that, an active stick in the passing lane is the most effective of some of the NHL’s elite, and some notable Selke winners. solution. But Kotkaniemi has a cheat code, or, more aptly, a workaround: the hook pass. There are aspects of his game that can be improved; some of his progression may come down to load management. It was clear that by My colleague Justin Bourne mentioned it in passing recently, though it’s the time Julien gave Kotkaniemi the night off in early March, the young worth exploring further. He’s not the first player to use such a tactic, but forward was almost out of gas. It takes years for a body to adapt to the he pulls it off with the greatest of ease. rigors of an 82-game season, and it takes almost as much time for a player to completely, blindly trust their abilities. But as Kotkaniemi told Let’s take a closer look at what just happened. me following a rather underwhelming showing at the rookie tournament Kotkaniemi enters the zone with control of the puck, keeping it on his last season, he planned on getting better every day. backhand to avoid any poke checks on the zone entry. His first year proved he was telling the truth. He needs to take advantage Once he’s in the zone, like any good fisherman, he has to bait his hook. of his time in the offensive zone to increase his quality scoring chances, The goal here is to entice the defenceman by giving him a glimpse of the but it takes time and patience to gain experience, to gain that killer puck, which in turn leads him to believe it’s a good opportunity to disrupt instinct. It also takes a lot of skill. the pass. Fortunately for the Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has more than enough The defenceman takes the bait while maintaining control of the only skill to improve upon what by any measure was a stellar rookie season. viable passing lane, and Kotkaniemi reacts by opening up his left hand. The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 For most defencemen, this is the last thing they’ll see before a weak shot on net. But Kotkaniemi has no intention of taking a shot.

He quickly flicks his wrist inwards, which allows him to hook a pass half a foot inside the defenceman’s reach. He’s already on step 4, whereas the defenceman is still trying to complete step 1.

By the time Dylan DeMelo figures out what just happened, the puck is out of his reach, well on its way to an awaiting winger, who now has a quality scoring chance on a vulnerable goalie that was just forced to readjust his positioning.

Comparables

Even though he plays a tougher position and is noticeably younger than both Andrei Svechnikov and Brady Tkachuk, they do offer up decent comparison points when it comes to Kotkaniemi’s production in his rookie year considering one was drafted immediately before and the other immediately after him last year.

Kotkaniemi is a playmaker, but his scoring rate wasn’t that far off from Svechnikov’s. He also made better use of his ice time by producing more primary assists and overall points. He did not manage to match Tkachuk’s production rate, though he certainly wasn’t far off.

One of the reasons Kotkaniemi’s goal-scoring rate was low compared to the other high-end forwards in his draft class is that he didn’t shoot a lot. And he definitely didn’t produce enough high-danger chances, at least relative to the two other forwards.

Part of it is that in the Canadiens’ system, centres tend to play a rather strict defensive role, which eliminates some shooting opportunities.

For example, Max Domi, the least defensively inclined centre of the group, had a little over eight shots per 60 minutes of ice time. Kotkaniemi finished with 7.77, ahead of Phillip Danault’s 6.1 shots per 60. But the lack of high-danger shots is a legitimate concern. Kotkaniemi ranked 14th on the team in that regard, behind Nicolas Deslauriers and Nate Thompson. 1151656 New Jersey Devils

Why Devils’ Martin Brodeur couldn’t believe Nikita Gusev wasn’t in NHL prior to 2019-20

By Chris Ryan

Nikita Gusev was not a new name to Martin Brodeur.

Like everyone else in the hockey world, Brodeur heard Gusev’s name floated in trade rumors this summer before the Devils landed the Russian forward in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights at the end of July.

But the Hall-of-Fame goalie and current Devils executive vice president of business development remembers scouting Gusev while he served as assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues.

Gusev, who is currently 27 years old, has spent his pro career blossoming into an elite scorer playing in the KHL in Russia. So one question repeatedly popped into Brodeur’s mind when he watched Gusev skate.

How is this guy not in the NHL?

“We sat there and everybody always shook their head,” Brodeur said Tuesday at his inaugural golf tournament on Tuesday at Plainfield Country Club in Edison. “Tampa Bay is kind of a Russian powerhouse with all the Russians they’ve had and then they had to move him for cap reasons, and same with Vegas. I guess we got lucky there to benefit from them.”

Gusev was initially picked by the Lightning in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft, and his rights were flipped to Vegas prior to the 2017 expansion draft.

Gusev will finally make the leap to the NHL with the Devils in 2019-20 after signing a two-year, $9 million dollar contract following his trade from the Golden Knights. He’s coming off a 2018-19 season where he posted 82 points in 62 KHL games.

It’s not entirely clear how that will translate to the NHL, since any player making the transition from Russia to North America will need to make an adjustment. But Brodeur is sold on Gusev.

“Just a slick, slick player, you know, just a guy that slows down the game," he said. "He’s got great vision, got scoring touch. Not a big guy, but this game right now doesn’t really ask for that anymore. He’s 27 years old, he’s a seasoned player now. He’s got the success where he played before, played with some NHL players in the KHL and now he’s moving on to the NHL.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151657 New Jersey Devils What are reasonable expectations for Hughes? Here’s what the first forward taken (either first or second) in the draft has done in his first NHL season:

State of the franchise: Jack Hughes expands what’s possible for the Two observations stand out here. For as much as teams, fans and Devils at center pundits worry about 18-year-old kids handling the physical rigors of the NHL, 10 of the 13 guys listed who spent the full year in the league played at least 79 games. The three who missed significant time were all Oilers By Corey Masisak Sep 3, 2019 (Nail Yakupov played all 48 in the lockout-shortened 2013 season).

Second, all of these forwards were productive. Staal played mostly on the wing and scored 29 goals, which still stands as his career-high. Ryan This week, The Athletic takes a detailed look at the state of the Devils, Nugent-Hopkins didn’t score at a per-game rate like he did in his rookie exploring each position on what could be the most exciting New Jersey season until last year. Yakupov never got close again in the NHL. roster since Gary Bettman handed Scott Stevens the Stanley Cup for the third time in 2003. The average production for first-year forwards in these 14 seasons is just under 27 goals and 61 points per 82 games. If Hughes can stay healthy First up, the centers. and find a consistent role on the power play, finishing the season in the Tuesday: Centers neighborhood of those two averages would be a successful first season.

Wednesday: Wings 2. Where does Zacha fit?

Thursday: Defensemen Zacha could be coach John Hynes’ Swiss Army knife this season, similar to how Blake Coleman was used a year ago. As we mentioned, Zacha Friday: Goalies could play next to Hughes to help protect the precocious rookie. Or he could end up as the No. 4 center and have the potential to be the best in 2018-19 in review the NHL (in part because he might be overqualified for the role). Or, he Nico Hischier in his second season played nearly two minutes more per could end up on Zajac’s wing as part of a loaded shutdown line. game and started fewer shifts in the offensive zone. Despite missing 13 “I think that’s what you see on great teams,” Zajac said. “You see guys games and spending two-thirds of the year without Taylor Hall, Hischier who might be overqualified to be in certain positions, but that’s a good scored at roughly the same rate as his rookie year. Overall, it was a small spot to be in. I can think of a few years ago when it seemed like we were step forward for the former No. 1 draft pick and there’s reason to believe trying to find guys who could just play the position. The fact that we have he will take a bigger step in Year Three. guys now on the team that won’t get as much ice time as they should, it’s Pavel Zacha failed to lock down the No. 2 center role for the second not a bad spot to be in. It’s a long season. There are going to be injuries straight season, but did produce nine goals and 21 points in his final 33 and droughts. The NHL has shown you need contributions from different games and became a fixture as the team’s No. 3 forward on the penalty groups and different lines throughout the season and in the playoffs.” kill. He also needs a new contract and it’s been very quiet. Zacha did not Travis Zajac became the de facto No. 2 center last season, and even the have arbitration rights, so there’s no summer deadline to push the two No. 1 guy when Hischier was hurt. He had his best offensive season sides along like an arbitration hearing. It took a few days into training since 2013-14, with 19 goals and 46 points, and absorbed most of the camp for Miles Wood to sign last season. toughest matchups. 3. Will there be a third-year leap for Hischier? The Devils used six guys at fourth-line center before Thanksgiving before Hischier has 37 goals and 99 points in 151 games through two NHL Brett Seney locked down the spot for about six weeks. From there, Kevin seasons. Here’s how he stacks up through two years against other Rooney and Michael McLeod mostly shared the role near the end of the centers who went in the first five picks of the draft and began their NHL campaign. careers since the 2004-05 lockout. McLeod got off to a slow start in his first year as a professional, but he (GAR = Goals Above Replacement, data courtesy of Evolving-Hockey) had a strong stretch in the middle of the season with Binghamton before a 20-game audition with New Jersey. Brandon Gignac had a bounce- We left a handful of players out of this group because they didn’t play back season after missing most of his first pro campaign with a major much center in the NHL after being drafted as one, or because they knee injury. Yegor Sharangovich proved he can handle a defensive- didn’t spend much time in the league in their first two seasons. Some of minded role at the AHL level in his first season on this side of the Atlantic the players included did not reach the NHL until their second post-draft Ocean. season.

Offseason in review There are stars who were more productive right away, but Hischier’s first two years combined compare favorably to those of Nathan MacKinnon The Devils’ future at center changed with four ping-pong balls. New and Tyler Seguin, two guys who became elite offensive forces and MVP Jersey won the draft lottery, selected Jack Hughes with the No. 1 pick in candidates later in their careers. June and now expect Hischier and Hughes to develop into one of the top center duos in the NHL in the coming seasons. Hischier has already proven to be more advanced without the puck than most young players in the league. The addition of talent around him and “It’s great. Now we have a No. 2 and a No. 3 center behind me,” Zajac another year of experience and physical maturity could lead to more said with a hearty laugh. “All kidding aside, those two, Nico and Jack … offense. this organization is in a good spot now for the next, I don’t know, 10 years. Maybe longer than that. To have those two guys here is going to “Nico is already so responsible at both ends of the ice, more than even be great. The center position is so important. As they mature and he gets credit for,” Zajac said. “He impresses me more than a lot of guys become responsible at both ends of the ice — Nico already is great around the league, just from playing with him and being his teammate. I defensively and Jack will get there — it is going to be great for the think he might be undervalued. He’s going to play with some really organization to have them.” talented guys, which should help him. If he has the same mentality and work ethic, he’s going to be fine.” Three big questions for 2019-20 Here is what the 18 players in our group drafted before Hischier did in 1. Will Hughes play in the middle from Day One? their third post-draft season: Hughes will be expected to be an impact player and a Calder Trophy * Turris spent the year in the American Hockey League. contender. Will he start the season at center? If the Devils aren’t sure he’s ready for the defensive responsibility and physical requirements of ** These are pro-rated stats because of the lockout-shortened 2013 the position, they could slide him to the wing. They could also line him up season. with Zacha to help ease some of the pressure on him when the team doesn’t have the puck. Players like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews were Rangers 63 104 167 already superstars by age 21. Other top-five picks took longer to become elite offensive players, and a few never reached that level. Hurricanes 66 98 164

Looking at stats on the back of a hockey card and picking out a Stars 65 94 159 “breakout” season neglects circumstances like linemates, health and Panthers 55 103 158 shooting luck. Here’s a best guess at when “the leap” came for each of the 18 players. Golden Knights 65 89 154

Six of the 18 had a noticeable bump in offensive production in their third Predators 53 99 152 post-draft season. For Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom, it was Sabres 55 95 150 their second NHL season and each had a natural incline upward (though Toews leveled off as an offensive force after that). Canucks 62 84 146

John Tavares did not dominate in his first two seasons, but became a Blue Jackets 51 87 138 point-per-game player in Year 3. Leon Draisaitl and Aleksander Barkov made similar jumps, though Barkov’s improvement was muted for a Coyotes 60 70 130 couple of seasons due to injuries. DEVILS 55 73 128 MacKinnon had a strong rookie year, then three seasons of everyone Kings 51 76 127 waiting for him to fulfill his world-class potential before he became a top-5 center in Years 5 and 6. Seguin had an offensive outburst in his second Ducks 44 74 118 year, then a trade before Year 4 helped him enter franchise-player territory. Wild 44 66 110

Players in this group took a leap in Year 3 more than any other. The New Jersey ended up fourth from the bottom, so they have a long way to ingredients could be there for Hischier to become a 25-30 goal, 70-point go toward mediocrity, let alone excellence. The top 10 clubs received at force for the Devils this season. least 200 points each from their center groups, and the top eight had 80- plus goals. A 70-60-40-30 split for Hischier, Hughes, Zajac and Zacha It should be noted that, according to Goals Above Replacement (and seems feasible and would get them to 200. hockey’s version of Wins Above Replacement), Hischier is already a top player in the NHL. He’s 28th in total GAR over the past two seasons. Hischier, Zajac and Zacha are all above-average defensively, too. The Hischier’s well-rounded game could lead him farther up that leaderboard potential is there for the Devils to have a potent group of centers. in the coming years. Special teams Depth chart analysis The Devils are suddenly flush with options for the first and second power- It’s likely to be Hischier, Hughes and Zajac in the middle of the first three play units, making it one of the top situations to monitor during training lines, with either Zacha or the winner of a battle between Rooney, Seney camp. and McLeod as the fourth. If it ends up being one of those three, they’ll It’s possible to construct a top power-play unit without any of the centers need to be more of an offensive threat than what the Devils got from the — P.K. Subban up top, Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev position last season. across the middle of the zone and Wayne Simmonds in front of the net. If it is Zacha, New Jersey has the potential to feature one of the most But who’s taking the faceoffs? productive center groups in the NHL. It’s hard to measure the full value of Winning and losing faceoffs at even strength is largely overrated, but any player in goals and points, and that’s especially true at center. But consistently losing the first one on a power play can be a problem. That let’s take a look at league-wide production at the position last season. provides good reason for at least Zajac, Hischier or Hughes to be on This chart includes the four players who played the most games at center PP1, unless Hall and Palmieri are able to handle their strong sides for each club. Injuries, split faceoff duties and other factors aside, below competently. All three are likely to play on the two units, though Zajac is an informed guess of the four most-used centers for each club and could get squeezed if the Devils use two defensemen on PP2 and one of what they produced. the Jespers (Bratt or Boqvist) wedges his way into the mix.

Team Goals Assists Points “That is the big question. Everyone wants to (be on it). If I was the coach, I’d be on there,” Zajac said with a laugh. “Those are roles that, one week Oilers 125 174 299 you might be on the power play and the next you might not be. On good teams, guys are going to get opportunities and you have to make the Sharks 116 143 257 most of it. Now the coaches will have to make some tough decisions. It Lightning 118 128 246 will be good for camp to have those internal competitions. I’ve never heard someone say they have too many good players on the team.” Flames 95 150 245 Zajac will anchor the first penalty-killing unit next to Blake Coleman, and Flyers 80 144 224 Zacha is likely to anchor the second. Hischier is an intriguing option to put next to him and give New Jersey a strong case for the best PK Avalanche 95 127 222 forward quartet in the league. If not Hischier, it could be either Rooney, Maple Leafs 103 116 219 Seney or McLeod if they win the fourth-line center job.

Penguins 72 135 207 Salary cap watch

Capitals 64 140 204 Hischier needs a new contract by the start of next season. We wrote earlier this summer that new contracts for the class of star restricted free Blues 72 128 200 agents this offseason would help set the market for Hischier. The Blackhawks 71 117 188 problem is most of those players still haven’t signed. Hischier is likely going to count as a big number against the salary cap starting in 2020- Bruins 66 121 187 21.

Red Wings 82 103 185 Zajac has this season and next left on his current deal at $5.75 million. Given how well he has played over the last 1.5 seasons and that the Islanders 80 99 179 Devils are paying little for Hischier and Hughes, his is not a problematic Senators 59 116 175 contract for the club.

Jets 76 97 173 Zacha could be ready to grab the No. 3 center role at the end of Zajac’s deal, or he could find a home on the wing and become a solid goal- Canadiens 54 115 169 scorer given his shot and skating ability. The uncertainty of where Zacha fits this year and in the long-term plan complicates the current negotiation.

Three years from now, the Devils could be trying to figure out how to fit a big second contract for Hughes into a salary structure that includes those for Hischier, Hall and others. For now, New Jersey will try to pry its Stanley Cup contention window open while Hughes is still on his rookie deal and one of the best bargains in the league.

In the pipeline

Hughes is expected to be the No. 1 prospect in the NHL on most preseason lists. It’s hard to count him as part of the pipeline given that Binghamton coach Mark Dennehy’s entire tenure coaching him is likely to consist of the three games at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo this weekend.

Rooney and Seney have played too many NHL games. There are a few prospects who were drafted as centers — most notably Boqvist, Aarne Talvitie and Fabian Zetterlund — who don’t seem likely to play there at the NHL level.

McLeod is the top guy in this category and 2019-20 is a critical season for him. A first-round pick in 2016, he has NHL tools but will need to show them more this season, either in a limited role with New Jersey or a big one with Binghamton.

Gignac needs to find another level in his second season after the knee injuries, or he might top out as an AHL player/injury call-up. Sharangovich could be on a similar path as Rooney, being groomed as a potential No. 4 center in the future.

Mikhail Maltsev is perhaps the most intriguing player on Binghamton’s roster this season and it will be interesting to see where he fits, both in which position and which role.

It’s hard to call this a position of need when the Devils have Hischier, Hughes and Zacha on the roster, but teams can never have enough centers in the incubator. If Zacha ends up on the wing and McLeod doesn’t develop into more than a No. 4 center, the Devils could be looking for one to slot behind their two young stars as soon as the 2021 offseason. Still, it is too early to discount the idea of Zajac playing beyond his current contract.

Final assessment

It’s easy to dream about the Devils’ future with Hughes and Hischier. They have the potential to become the best 1-2 center punch in franchise history.

That final product is likely to take some time. Hughes is a phenom but he’s young, as the first player to jump straight from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program to the NHL.

That said, if Hughes is ready, if Hischier can take another step forward and if Zajac can avoid a significant decline at age 34, then the center position can be a Devils strength right now — especially if Zacha slots in behind them and builds off the end of last season.

The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151658 New York Islanders because they included additional facets such as a new Long Island Rail Road station attached to the north parking lot of Belmont that would shuttle passengers to the arena.

Mayor: Floral Park wants meeting with Gov. Cuomo over Belmont plan Empire State Development officials disagreed, citing their outreach concerns efforts since 2017 and resulting project changes. Days later, the agency's board of directors approved the project at a Manhattan meeting attended mostly by supporters of the Belmont development. By Jim Baumbach Previous Empire State Development meetings were often packed with Floral Park residents expressing concerns over how the development could negatively affect their community. At the Manhattan meeting, only Floral Park officials want a meeting with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to two Floral Park residents showed — Deputy Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald and discuss the Islanders $1.3 billion Belmont project before possibly going to Trustee Lynn Pombonyo. court to stop the development, Mayor Dominick Longobardi said Tuesday night. Unlike other agency meetings where the Islanders’ project was discussed, village officials didn't ask residents to come to the one in Longobardi, speaking at a regularly scheduled trustees meeting, said Manhattan, Fitzgerald said, because their concerns had been raised village officials have left voicemails and sent emails to Cuomo’s staff multiple times to the Empire State Development but the project still attempting to set up a meeting “about the detrimental effects” the moved forward. Islanders’ proposal will have on Floral Park. After the August meeting, Fitzgerald answered: "All options are still on “It is in the governor’s court,” Longobardi said. “I’m going to hear from the table" when asked whether Floral Park officials were considering them tomorrow. If we do not, the village board will make a decision as to legal action to stop or delay the project. how to proceed.” Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 09.04.2019 Longobardi said village trustees authorized filing a lawsuit to stop the development at an Aug. 21 meeting. Ever since, trustees have reached out to Cuomo, who has been a champion of the Islanders’ project since the group won development rights in December 2017.

A spokesman for Cuomo said late Tuesday night the governor's administration has for months been addressing village concerns.

Since 2015, Floral Park has used the Washington, D.C.-based law firm, Beveridge & Diamond, to represent it regarding development efforts at Belmont, which has been a possibility for more than a decade.

The Islanders’ plans call for a 19,000-seat arena, 250-room hotel and 350,000 square-feet of retail space on 43 acres of state land at Belmont. Empire State Development, the state agency coordinating the project, approved it last month.

Jack Sterne, a spokesman for the ESD, said the agency does not comment on potential litigation before adding that the project's development "has adhered to all requirements under state law."

The window for lawsuits challenging the state’s environmental review closes in early December, but Longobardi said Tuesday night that “time is of the essence” because construction preparation at the site has already started.

“A lot of work is going on at Belmont,” he said, noting that potential lawsuit papers have already been drafted.

Beveridge & Diamond, which has an office in Manhattan, specializes in environmental law. Attorney Michael Murphy, who has appeared on Floral Park’s behalf at several Empire State Development meetings about the village's environmental review of the Islanders' project, did not immediately return an email Tuesday night seeking comment.

Murphy, in a letter to Empire State Development last month, said the final environmental impact statement released in July regarding the effect of the Islanders group’s proposals on the neighborhoods “fundamentally failed to consider local community needs and desires as mandated” by state law.

“ESD has completely disregarded local needs and desires," Murphy wrote, "most notably local residents’ expressed concern over the project’s size and unified request that a smaller project be pursued."

A groundbreaking ceremony is expected this month, and the new Islanders arena is expected to open by fall 2021. The development group is a partnership between the owners of the Islanders, New York Mets and Oak View Group, a Los Angeles-based arena development company.

“It’s very simple,” Longobardi said. “We’ve never opposed development. We’ve never opposed the New York Islanders and we’ve never opposed something happening at Belmont. But whatever happens it should never, ever, ever affect the quality of life and the life we’ve chosen to live here on Long Island.”

Before Empire State Development approved the project Aug. 8, Floral Park officials joined with other elected leaders to ask the state agency to give surrounding communities more time to respond to the plans 1151659 New York Islanders

Islanders' Semyon Varlamov embraces pressure of replacing Robin Lehner

By Andrew Gross

Of course, there’s pressure. There’s always pressure.

The Islanders made few offseason personnel moves, the most significant being importing Semyon Varlamov from the Avalanche to replace fan- favorite Robin Lehner in a goalie tandem with Thomas Greiss after Lehner’s storybook lone season on Long Island.

So, the 31-year-old Russian knows plenty is expected of him after signing a four-year, $20 million deal on July 1, the same day Lehner agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the Blackhawks.

“I just treat pressure as a privilege,” Varlamov said on Tuesday after 18 Islanders participated in an informal scrimmage at the team’s practice facility in East Meadow. The veterans will report to training camp on Sept. 12.

“I’ve played with the best players in the world and I’m very happy to a part of that, part of this organization and part of this league,” Varlamov said. “The pressure has always been there. It’s going to be there every game. Every time you step on the ice you feel the pressure. I think you just need to know how to deal with the pressure. I think pressure brings the best out of you.”

The Islanders will need that to replicate last season’s success.

The team, in its first season under coach Barry Trotz, director of goaltending Mitch Korn and goalie coach Piero Greco, improved by 23 points to finish second in the Metropolitan Division and sweep the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs before being swept by the Hurricanes.

“It was easy for me to make the decision and sign with the Islanders,” Varlamov said. “The Islanders have a great team and a great coaching staff. Barry Trotz just won the Stanley Cup, he’s the best coach in the league. To work with [Korn and Greco] and learn something new, it will be great for me.”

Lehner and Greiss shared the Jennings Trophy as the Islanders allowed the fewest goals in the NHL and Lehner (25-13-5, 2.13 goals-against average, .930 save percentage) was also a Vezina Trophy finalist and won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication after detailing his battles with addiction and mental-health issues.

“I never met the guy but he had an incredible year,” Varlamov said. “I’m very proud of the guy and what he’s done for himself and his team and then for the entire league. What he’s done is amazing. I’m sure the fans enjoyed it, watching this team last year. But this is a new season.”

Perhaps it’s a needed change for Varlamov, who was 20-19-9 with a 2.87 GAA and a .909 in his eighth season with the Avalanche. He has battled injuries, missing the last six weeks of 2017-18 with a lower-body issue and was limited to 24 games the previous season after suffering a torn groin.

“I’m very excited about a new fresh start with a new team,” said Varlamov, picked 23rd overall by the Capitals in 2006.

And the pressure that comes along with that.

Note: Defenseman Bode Wilde, picked 41st overall in 2018, is in a walking boot after spraining his right ankle. It is unlikely he will participate in the Islanders’ rookie camp, which opens Sunday.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151660 NHL “It’s nowhere near the scale, so I’m not comparing it in any way, shape or form, but we still had to go through similar issues,” he said. “We had to do team colors, the team logo, figure out what to do about a national NHL Seattle hires Ricky Olczyk as assistant general manager anthem, choose players, choose staff, build a culture. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do under the stewardship of Ron — build a culture, build a team with character, build it from the ground up.”

Geoff Baker Olczyk marks the third front-office hiring by NHL Seattle after Francis in late July and Mandrycky a few weeks prior. Francis said he’s likely done

hiring assistant GMs for this year, though he hopes to add a half-dozen Not every assistant general manager can say his boss has tasted his pro scouts within “the next week to 10 days’’ and possibly some mother’s cooking. additional analytics specialists to join Mandrycky.

But Ricky Olczyk, 49, announced Tuesday as the latest front-office hire “In talking with Alex (Mandrycky), we’re open to adding one, two or three by NHL Seattle, has known general manager Ron Francis on both a people if they’re the right people on the analytics side. If not, then we’ll be personal and professional level dating back years. Francis played two patient, but that’s kind of what our game plan is right now.’’ seasons in Pittsburgh in the late-1990s with Olczyk’s older brother, Ed, Francis added that “the bulk of’’ non-coach staffing hires will come next who then got into television broadcasting the following year and needed summer, including the team’s amateur staff, head athletic trainer and a place to stay. head equipment manager. “When Eddie was doing color (commentary) for Pittsburgh, I was Seattle Times LOADED: 09.04.2019 (playing) in Carolina, so he was staying at my house that was vacant,’’ Francis said. “And then he started coaching and kind of moved in to my house during the season. And then, over the years, I got to know the Mom and Dad and then Ricky…I’ve been over to their house for dinner. Their Mom’s a heck of a cook and I put on some weight that night. But yeah, really good people.’’

In addition to Ricky Olczyk, Francis expects to hire a number of professional scouts and possibly up to three analytics specialists within the next couple of weeks to join NHL Seattle director of hockey administration Alexandra Mandrycky.

Olczyk, seven years younger than Francis, was a college hockey captain at Brown University before earning a law degree from Cornell. He worked for the NHL Players Association and ran a legal clinic before being tabbed as an assistant GM for six seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.

When Francis was hired in 2014 as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes, Olczyk was one of his first front-office additions in largely the same role he’ll now fill here.

“He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades,’’ Francis said. “(Salary) cap management, collective-bargaining agreement, contracts, scouting. He can do a lot of different things. He’s got a lot of experience – he worked at the players’ association, then at Edmonton and four years with me.

“So, he’s done a lot of things, we work well together and he’ll do a lot of the same things that he did for me in Carolina.’’

Olczyk could barely contain his excitement Tuesday in discussing his new job.

“I’m high on life in general, but this just takes it to a whole other level,” he said in a phone interview. “I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ron Francis. He’s such a gentleman, just a tremendous person. He’s a tremendous hockey executive and I learned a lot. I loved working beside him.”

Olcyzk remembers the early days of being introduced to Francis when he played with his brother in Pittsburgh.

“I’d go to my brother’s games whenever I could when I wasn’t in school and doing my thing,” he said. “So, I got a chance to meet Ron during that time. And then, when I became an executive with Edmonton, he became an executive with Carolina and you’d see him at different events and we got to talk. And then when I left Edmonton and was without a job, Ron asked me to come work for him and it was a no-brainer for me, knowing him as a person like I did. I don’t regret it.”

Olczyk left the Hurricanes shortly after Francis was fired by them in the spring of 2018 and took a job as a professional scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Francis contacted Leafs GM Kyle Dubas within the last week or two and got permission to interview Olczyk before the pair hammered out a deal on Monday.

“Hopefully, we left Carolina in a better spot than when he took it over five years ago,” Olcyzk said, adding he’s excited by the prospect of helping build a Seattle team from scratch. He said Francis, in a conversation while offering him the job, tried likening it somewhat to a prior role Olczyk had as assistant GM of Team Europe ahead of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 1151661 NHL

Seattle NHL team hires Ricky Olczyk as assistant GM

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE-The expansion NHL franchise in Seattle has made its third front-office hire by adding Ricky Olczyk as the club's assistant general manager.

General manager Ron Francis announced the addition Tuesday. Olczyk joins Seattle after spending last season as a pro scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Olczyk has a strong connection with Francis after the pair worked together in Carolina. Olczyk was an assistant GM with Francis in Carolina and before that was the assistant GM in Edmonton for six seasons.

Olczyk's duties in Seattle will include managing contracts and the salary cap and overseeing player transactions.

Olczyk joins Francis and director of hockey administration Alexandra Mandrycky in Seattle's front office.

News Tribune LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151662 Ottawa Senators so ready to take another leap of faith with me. I would have been stupid to say no.

I know the fans in Ottawa are loyal and passionate, and I’m really excited Salvian: My journey to being your new Ottawa Senators beat writer to bring them the in-depth features — like some of the examples above — they deserve. Together with Chris Stevenson, who has been working the beat for years, and Graeme Nichols, we have big plans for Senators By Hailey Salvian coverage this year, including travelling on the beat.

Sep 3, 2019 I can’t wait to get to Ottawa in the coming weeks and jump headfirst into training camp, preseason and my first NHL season.

I’ve already met and been introduced to a number of wonderful people in I still remember it vividly. the Ottawa area who have reached out when they heard about my move, Sitting in the office of a high-ranking boss of a national media company which makes me feel comfortable and confident already. and being told that I’ll never be a sports reporter. At least not with their With this journey, I hope to bring with me the same nose for a good story, company. the same ability to uncover new things about your favourite players and “That job is reserved for Olympians. Are you a former Olympian that I’ve prospects, and to give the loyal Senators fans the in-depth features they never heard of?” they said, condescendingly, before lecturing me about deserve. how sports media is dying. See you soon, Ottawa. Then, a few weeks later, my realtor offered me a job as his assistant The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 because “There’s no jobs in journalism – may as well join my team!”

For two years after my undergraduate degree (in journalism from Ryerson University), I’d been working at CBC News first as an assistant who rolls the teleprompter for the news, then a producer, then a radio reporter, and a stint in television in Saskatchewan.

I adored CBC and everyone I worked with, but news was never my dream. Working in sports, and covering the NHL, was. Yet at every turn, I was being told that would never happen. My only job in sports was an in- arena host position with the Oshawa Generals. They were the only ones who would give me a shot in sports — that is until I got a call from James Mirtle.

He was intrigued by a freelance piece I had written a few weeks earlier about Natalie Achonwa and the struggles of female professional basketball players and was hoping I’d join the team at The Athletic Toronto as a general assignment reporter. Living alone in Regina, working in news and dreaming of sports, the decision was a no-brainer.

If you’ve read any of my stuff this year (which I hope you have), you’d know that I took the job.

I avoided writing about “Why I am joining The Athletic” last year. At the time I was joining on the same day as our very own Sean McIndoe (Down Goes Brown), and well, who would care about me?

But things have changed. And I’m proud to announce here today that I’m uprooting my life to move to Ottawa to cover the Senators full-time.

It’s been almost exactly one year since I joined The Athletic, and I can say that it has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had.

I was able to cover women’s hockey before all eyes started to follow with the announcement of the CWHL folding. I built relationships in the game with people I grew up watching on TV and, somehow, found myself at the centre of massive news. I was able to break some of that news with Katie Strang, who I had looked up to for years before becoming her colleague.

I was also able to cover the Toronto Marlies in the AHL and write features about upcoming Maple Leafs prospects, uncovering details about their childhoods and going in-depth on how some went from sitting in the press box to the top of the AHL scoring list. More recently, I went to follow around a WNBA All-Star for three days and worked out with an NHL trainer for a point-of-view story.

I don’t know how many companies would let you go and do stories like that in your first year on the job.

None of this would have been possible without an editor and a company who decided to take a leap of faith on some kid who had only ever worked in news but really, really liked sports.

To me, this last year has been one great step toward what my ultimate goal has been since I first watched Christine Simpson on Hockey Night in Canada as a kid in my parents’ living room in Fergus, Ont. I’d never expected the step was large enough to land me in a position to where I’d actually start working my dream job.

To be honest, when I was officially offered the job in Ottawa this summer, I was shocked. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a jump to the NHL, but I also knew that I couldn’t pass on an opportunity like this, with a company 1151663 Philadelphia Flyers The lower Hart’s goals-against-average is this season, it can be assumed, the more reasonable Vigneault will be.

Breakaways Flyers’ Carter Hart more comfortable as he prepares for potential breakthrough season The Flyers announced that their five-day rookie camp will be held in Voorhees starting Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Phil Myers, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, German Rubtsov, Isaac Ratcliffe, Mikhail “Misha” Vorobyev, by Sam Carchidi, and goalie Felix Sandsrom are among the 28 players who will be at camp.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 09.04.2019 With 31 NHL games under his belt after an impressive rookie season, goalie Carter Hart is much more comfortable as he enters his first full year in the league.

Hart, 21, who could become the face of the Flyers sooner rather than later, arrived at the team’s practice facility in Voorhees on Tuesday -- 10 days before veterans will officially be on the ice for the start of training camp.

He arrived feeling good about himself, about his new-look team, about his veteran goalie partner, Brian Elliott.

“Last year made me realize what it’s like to go through an NHL season,” said Hart, who had a 2.83 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage with the Flyers after being recalled from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. “I was only up for 50 games or so, but I got a taste of my first year as a pro and learned what it’s like to be a pro. All the things I went through last season, all the experiences, are only going to help me moving forward.”

Because of Hart’s strong rookie season and the fact that Elliott is coming off two injury-plagued years, it was assumed that Hart would enter training camp as the team’s top goaltender. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, however, said in a recent interview that the No. 1 goalie would be determined in camp.

Hart understands.

“Moose has had success in the league for a while,” said Hart, referring to Elliott by his nickname. “I think competition is healthy and it’s good that we’re there every day to push each other to get better.”

Added Hart: “I want to push for a majority of the games, but I just have to take it one game at a time and make sure I’m ready to go every night.”

As for his summer, Hart, who said teammate James van Riemsdyk has helped him with advice on nutrition and sleep habits, had an ambitious training schedule back home in Alberta.

From Monday through Friday, he worked out at the gym from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Three days a week he was on the ice for an hour and a half with his personal goalie coach, Dustin Schwartz. He had twice-a-week sessions with a chiropractor, and had a yoga/Pilates workout on Wednesday nights.

When he wasn’t training, he tried to get on the golf course as much as possible, and he got his handicap down to 13.

Now his attention is toward steering the Flyers into a playoff spot after a disappointing 37-37-8 season, a year in which injuries and poor performances caused them to set a dubious NHL record by using eight goalies.

Acquiring veterans Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, the Flyers hope, will stabilize the defense.

“We added a couple pieces that will definitely help our lineup,” Hart said. “I got to meet some of them today and I’m looking forward to playing alongside them. Obviously, you don’t like to see guys go like Gudie[Radko Gudas]. He’s a great team guy and he treated me really well and the boys are going to miss him, but from what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, we’re getting a really good guy in Matt Niskanen, and then to add Justin Braun and Kevin Hayes as well, I’m excited. I think the moves we made this summer are definitely positive.”

Hart got to play for new Flyers coach Alain Vigneault on Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in May.

“I got to know him a little bit there and all the boys liked him,” Hart said. “He seems like a players’ coach to me. Gets along with the guys really well and seems like a very reasonable guy.” 1151664 Philadelphia Flyers

2019 Flyers rookie training camp roster, schedule and links

By Jordan Hall

September 03, 2019 4:43 PM

It's time for the kids.

This weekend, the Flyers will open up 2019 rookie camp, which culminates with a prospects game against the Islanders.

For the Flyers, this year's rookie camp features seven players (Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, German Rubstov, Carsen Twarynski, Mikhail Vorobyev, Philippe Myers) with a legitimate shot to make the big club's roster on opening night (you can read much more about that below).

All camp practices will be held at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey, and are open to the public, free of charge.

The Flyers' main training camp will start on Sept. 13, while the preseason schedule can be found right here.

For all the details on rookie camp, see below:

Schedule

• Saturday, Sept. 7 — Practice, 9:30-11 a.m.

• Sunday, Sept. 8 — Practice, 9:30-11 a.m.

• Monday, Sept. 9 — Off-ice session

• Tuesday, Sept. 10 — Practice, 9:30-11 a.m.

• Wednesday, Sept. 11 — Morning skate, 10-11 a.m.

• Wednesday, Sept. 11 — Rookie game vs. Islanders at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m. (broadcast details TBD)

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151665 Philadelphia Flyers Hart took a week off from training after the tournament was over in May and didn’t go on the ice for about six weeks. Tons of squash, though. Keeping in shape that way is all part of the preparation for his next act Carter Hart ready for sophomore season after crazy first year with Flyers after a whirlwind rookie season.

His start in Lehigh Valley was rocky after being pulled twice in his first nine starts. In junior hockey he had been nearly unstoppable and helped Dave Isaac Canada win the World Junior Championships the prior season. To be allowing 3.05 goals against average in his 18 games in the American Cherry Hill Courier-Post Hockey League was quite the awakening. Published 3:06 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2019 | Updated 3:10 p.m. ET Sept. 3, He rebounded in December when he was recalled by the Flyers and 2019 finished his season with a .917 save percentage in 31 NHL games and was ninth in voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s best rookie. VOORHEES — It’s only going to get harder for Carter Hart to find a reprieve from the pressure and attention that comes with one of the most “It’s a good thing, a good sign if he’s really focused,” Flyers center Sean scrutinized positions in Philadelphia sports. Couturier said. “We saw it since he got called up that he’s really mature beyond his years. It’s a good thing if he’s down to Earth and focused on The 21-year-old goalie heading into his second NHL season with the hockey. It’s easy to have tests early in your career and you take it easy Flyers is as prepared for it as any young hockey player could be. Since and get caught into some distractions but he’s a great kid, really mature he was about 10 years old, he’s been working with sports psychologist and it’s good. He wants to get better and that’s the biggest quality you John Stevenson, whose other most famous hockey client is Washington can have in a young goalie. Even if he has success, he wants to be Capitals goalie . Hart and Stevenson have been working better, the best he can be. Hopefully he continues to improve.” on blocking out the noise that comes with the position, the city and the success. “It’s nice to be back, get settled in,” Hart added. “I’ve got about 10 days until camp starts so it’s nice to get back in here, get reacclimated with the “Last year the biggest thing is focusing on what you’re doing and the guys. It’s good to get back here with the guys and see the familiar faces team. That’s where your focus stays at,” Hart explained Tuesday after his again with this training staff and coaches and meet some of the new guys first informal skate with teammates. Training camp doesn’t officially start as well. I’m excited to play with some of these new guys and get things until Sept. 13. “I think there’s a big part where you keep your focus at the rolling.” rink when you’re here and then when you’re at home, you’re at home. You’re doing other things and getting your mind off hockey and other Courier-Post LOADED: 09.04.2019 things. For example, playing the guitar is something I’ve really gotten into. That’s a piece to help me get away from the game sometimes and put my focus on something else. I find that really crucial in an 82 game season is to make sure you find that balance.”

Hockey will throw Hart curveballs, whether it’s a more talented opposition or changes in the game or injuries. So too will life and trying to keep some level of anonymity in a city that craves sports and wants to be close to its heroes.

That brings us to July, when Hart spent a bit of time in the area after starting his offseason at home in suburban Edmonton. The Flyers goalie was at the Apple store in Marlton when he saw a different level of fandom than he was used to.

“I was walking in there and this guy came up to me and was like, ‘Hey Carter! Good to see that you’re back. Come meet Carter.’ It was their newborn baby,” Hart said. “I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, we were watching one of your games and thought that would be a cool name.’

“That’s something new to me that was pretty cool, that there was a baby named after me. That’s pretty crazy.”

Carter Hart played 31 games in his rookie season after he was recalled in mid-December. He figures to play much more this season considering he won't be starting in the minors again.

The encounter with his namesake infant made all the hype and expectations real. Part of blocking out the noise was Hart deleting his Twitter account, so he doesn’t typically see fan reaction to his play or the Flyers’ play. When he’s not at the rink he’s trying to take up more hobbies like the guitar so he doesn’t get too caught up in the mental mind games that can come with playing goalie.

Sometimes it even includes taking up a new sport.

Hart was on Canada’s World Championship squad in Slovakia and across the street from the team hotel was a gym with a squash court. He and New Jersey Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood played regularly, along with one of Blackwood’s buddies. It reminded Hart of the squash court that’s less than a mile from his home in Alberta.

“I knew it was there, but I never really played,” he said. “Then I got into it and mostly it’s a lot of old men that play, but it’s actually really, really fun.

“It’s like racquetball but it’s a dead ball. So instead of a bouncier ball, it’s dead and you’ve got to run to it most of the time. It’s a good workout. It’s actually tough. It’s fun. I played that a lot this summer. I got the goggles and a headband and everything. It was a lot of fun.” 1151666 Philadelphia Flyers “I don’t know what’s gone on here in the past or anything but it’s hard if you’re chasing it,” Niskanen said. “You can be .500 for the first month and a half even, probably, and then find your way. But if you fall too far, Matt Niskanen's new challenge: leading a Flyers team he's unfamiliar you’re in trouble. It’s a long, uphill battle then. Hopefully everyone comes with ready to go and we can jell quickly.”

Wylie hoping to sign

Dave Isaac Speaking of defensemen, Wyatte Wylie will be a player to keep an eye on in rookie camp. The 2018 fifth-round pick is in a unique situation NHL writer having a late birthday. He turns 20 on Nov. 2 and would be eligible to sign his entry-level contract and forego a fourth season with the Western Published 3:22 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2019 Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. That’s what he’s hoping to do.

With the Silvertips’ blessing, he has been absent for most of their camp VOORHEES — It’s one thing to play against a team and recognize the and spent the majority of his summer in the Philadelphia area training skill set in opponents. The view is from the other side of the ice and and hoping to turn pro. Wylie, a righty-shot who stands at 6 feet and 190 doesn’t really take into account the person’s life or practice habits or how pounds, was among those on the ice Thursday and would likely end up that person’s game gets put together. with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms if he signs. The potential of that will depend on how he does in rookie camp and whatever kind of look the Matt Niskanen is starting to learn those things about his new Flyers Flyers give him in NHL exhibition games. Last fall Wylie didn’t play in any teammates. of the Flyers’ preseason games before they sent him back to Everett.

It’s something that a newcomer would probably do anyway and is Courier-Post LOADED: 09.04.2019 especially important for Niskanen because part of the reason the Flyers traded for him on June 14 was to help be a leader for an otherwise green defense group. He and Justin Braun, acquired from San Jose four days after Niskanen, will be mentoring and playing.

“Yeah that’s part of our responsibility, I think, but we have to come in and play well, too,” Niskanen said. “There’s a talented group here and we think we can add to it. It’s gonna be up to the players and the coaches to find the right fit. Hopefully we can take a talented group and make us a good team.”

The 32-year-old defender came into town early to get acclimated and set his family up with housing in South Jersey. Most of the Flyers’ veterans aren’t in town just yet — more are expected to arrive after Labor Day weekend, including the coaching staff — so there haven’t been many for Niskanen to study just yet.

Of those who were on the ice at the team’s practice facility Thursday for an informal skate, only Shayne Gostisbehere and Robert Hägg played more than a game for the Flyers on defense last season.

“Nisky’s won a Stanley Cup. It’s a cool experience to have,” Gostisbehere said earlier this month. “I haven’t really had that much experience on the back end from my tenure with the Flyers. To have those guys, I want to see how they operate, how they carry themselves not only on the ice but off the ice. I think we obviously got more righties, so probably some guys playing their natural sides now.”

Niskanen is one of those righties and figures to play with either Travis Sanheim, who inked a two-year, $6.5 million deal in June, or Ivan Provorov who remains unsigned as training camp is set to kick off on the ice Sept. 12 for veterans. Rookie camp will be on the ice from Sept. 7-10 and finish with a rookie game against the New York Islanders on Sept. 11 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ home rink.

All that, plus the Flyers’ exhibition schedule, gives Niskanen time to meet his new teammates and try to see how he’d fit with them on a defense pair and maybe make a few well-timed suggestions on their game. But he realizes that the biggest reason he’s now in Philadelphia is that the Flyers didn’t make the playoffs last season and haven’t won a postseason round since 2012.

“My first year in Washington they missed (the playoffs) the year before, but I was a little younger then,” Niskanen said. “It’s a little different but they have good players and guys that have been around in this room. I know they’re gonna be hungry to get back in the playoffs. I’m gonna do my part but there’s good people here so I don’t have to come in here and shake people’s trees or anything. We’ll do it by committee. I think the biggest thing is working and playing for the betterment of the team and finding out what works for us and an identity and hopefully start fast. It’s easier to get into the playoffs if you get a good start.”

One milestone for that has been Thanksgiving in the U.S.

In the last 13 seasons, 75.48 percent of teams that were in playoff position on Thanksgiving were still there when the postseason began in the spring. The Flyers haven’t been in playoff position on Thanksgiving since 2011. They’ve made the playoffs anyway in three of the last six seasons. 1151667 Pittsburgh Penguins from Florida at the trade deadline, Bjugstad tallied 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 32 games.

One thing that may complicate things is that (as of the time this was Penguins 2019-20 camp preview: Can Evgeni Malkin bounce back? written) the Penguins are over the salary cap. A trade is likely. Bjugstad is one of the names who could be in the mix, considering his $4.1 million salary. Mike DeFabo Should the Penguins move on from Bjugstad, Jared McCann could step Pittsburgh Post-Gazette into the third center role. Newly acquired forward Dominik Kahun has also played center in the past and, technically, could in a pinch. But his SEP 3, 2019 7:00 AM value is probably greater on the wing.

What’s the ceiling on Teddy Blueger? First in a series leading up to the start of Penguins training camp Sept. Originally, Blueger was seen as a grinding, defensive-minded prospect. 13. But with a strong work ethic, he became more than that, rising all the way When it comes to NHL centers, few teams can rival the Penguins’ one- to fourth on the AHL scoring list at the time he was recalled in January. two punch of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. A bit of a late bloomer, Blueger has been with the Penguins organization Together, this pair of elite centers has tallied more than 2,200 points, since he was drafted in the second round in 2012. The Penguins won three Stanley Cups and racked up more individual hardware than a rewarded Blueger with a new two-year, $1.5 million deal this offseason. Home Depot. He’s expected to step into the fourth center role that was previously occupied by Matt Cullen. Even at 32, Crosby remains one of the league’s best. He’s coming off another outstanding two-way season, during which he scored 100 points With this promotion, he’s already achieved more than some thought he (35 goals, 65 assists), finished in second place in Hart Trophy voting and would when he was toiling away in the AHL. But now the question made a serious case for the Selke Award, given to the NHL’s best becomes, how much more development is left? Can Blueger continue to defensive forward. develop and eventually work his way into a third center role, or perhaps even a spot within the top-six? In other words, he played like Sidney Crosby. In the faceoff circle But that other half of the one-two punch? Well, something was missing. Over the course of his career, Crosby has gone from an average faceoff While Crosby tallied one of the better statistical seasons of his career, man to one of the league’s best. Malkin slogged through one of his worst. Consider that Crosby won just 49.91 percent of his faceoffs in 2014-15 Sure, he recorded a solid 72 points in 68 games. But there were several and 48.17 percent in 2016-17. But he’s worked to improve that facet of signs that Malkin wasn’t nearly in the same form. his game. Last year, Crosby improved his faceoff percentage to 55.42 and won a total of 744 faceoffs, second only to the Vancouver Canucks’ He was careless at times with the puck, racking up a career-high 84 Bo Horvat. giveaways. He was undisciplined, piling up the second-most penalty minutes (89) of his career. And, with the caveat that plus-minus is a Meanwhile, Malkin won 45.68 percent of his faceoffs, Bjugstad won terribly flawed statistic, Malkin’s minus-25 was by far the low water mark 48.48 percent of his faceoffs in 32 games with the Penguins and Blueger for his career. The Penguins simply need more from their highest paid won 44.57 percent. player. Numbers that matter: Others are taking notice of last year’s lull. Before last season, NHL Network ranked Crosby as the No. 2 best center in the league and Malkin • $4.1: The average annual value of Bjugstad’s contract for 2019-20 and as No. 3. 2020-21. He’s currently the sixth-highest paid forward on the Penguins’ roster, behind Malkin ($9.5 million), Crosby ($8.7 million), Jake Guentzel This year? Malkin dropped all the way to 13th. If you believe those ($6 million), PatricHornqvist ($5.3 million) and Galchenyuk ($4.9 million). rankings, the Toronto Maple Leafs (John Tavares at No. 5 and Auston Mathews at No. 6) and the (Steven Stamkos at No. • 65: The combined age of Crosby (32) and Malkin (33). While both are 8, Brayden Point at No. 10) are giving the Penguins a run for the best either in their prime or close to it, at some point age will become a factor. center tandem. • 1,516: The number of games Cullen played before retiring. The fourth- Can Malkin bounce back? line center scored just 20 points last season (seven goals, 13 assists) last year. A big part of the answer lies in the Phil Kessel trade. Clearly something wasn’t working last year with Malkin and Kessel playing alongside each Post Gazette LOADED: 09.04.2019 other on the Penguins’ second line. Kessel’s indifference to playing defense and his 5-on-5 scoring slump surely contributed to Malkin’s slump.

This offseason, the Penguins shipped Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk and defensive prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph. It’s likely that that Galchenyuk will step right in on Malkin’s wing.

The move puts Malkin firmly in the driver’s seat. He can no longer defer to the other star on his line.

How quickly he builds chemistry with Galchenyuk and how well he accepts this new responsibility will go a long way toward determining if the Penguins are scratching to make the playoffs at the end of the season, like last year, or if they become a legit Stanley Cup contender again.

Who is the third center?

The Penguins have a couple options for their third-line center, but the most obvious choice is Nick Bjugstad.

At 6-feet-6 and 215 pounds, he’s a rare body type for his position. He’s used that long reach and big frame to become an excellent puck- possession player with only 32 giveaways last season. After coming over 1151668 San Jose Sharks Two years ago before the start of the 2017-18 season, former Sharks player Joel Ward told Bay Area News Group about the amount of racism he’s experienced in hockey.

Evander Kane says hockey “far behind” other sports on awareness of Ward, a Canadian citizen and the son of Barbadian immigrants, said at racism the time he would not rule out taking a knee for the national anthem, as San Jose Sharks winger says hockey needs to do more to promote other athletes had done to protest police brutality and systemic racial diversity and acceptance; Is critical of NHL for only beginning to injustice. Ward later decided he would still stand for the national anthem. recognize Black History Month last season “I’ve experienced racism as a kid, as an adult,” Ward said in Sept. 2017, when there were roughly 30 black players in the NHL. “I think I’ll always experience it.” By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] Asked if he’s seen more acceptance of minorities in hockey, starting from Bay Area News Group the time he was in the WHL in Vancouver at age 15 to now at age 28 after 10 years in the NHL, Kane said, “I think when it comes to the sport PUBLISHED: August 30, 2019 at 3:27 pm | UPDATED: September 2, of hockey, I think it’s the exact same. I think it starts off, obviously, in 2019 at 3:45 am minor hockey. I think it’s worse there, just because you’re dealing with just normal kids, normal people, normal parents.

Sharks forward Evander Kane said the sport of hockey badly needs to “There’s no attention on it, There’s no television, there’s no spotlight on it catch up to other sports in bringing awareness to racism if it ever hopes on minor hockey what happens in dressing rooms with kids or what to become more diverse and grow acceptance and interest. happens on the ice with kids. You don’t hear a kid making a comment on the ice because there’s no microphones around the boards or nobody’s Two days after he called out a poster for telling him on Instagram to mic’d up. So, I think it’s the same.” “Stick to basketball,” Kane, whose father is black and whose mother is white, told TSN Radio in Vancouver on Friday that attitudes in hockey Kane said he hasn’t experienced any issues with racism from other NHL have to change if it wants to draw more interest across a wider cross- players but added that, “when it comes to fans, and I’ll be honest, some section of fans. media members, definitely not all, but some media members, there are those underlying tones. Being a racist doesn’t mean that you have to call “The time is now,” Kane said. “For me, the timing for myself and where me the n-word. Being a racist or having racist tendencies, there’s a I’m at in my career, playing 10 years in this league and kind of seeing bunch of different things you can do.” what it’s all about. Going through a bunch of different types of challenges and some adversity — and a lot of positive things as well throughout the Kane mentioned the Feb. 2018 incident involving Devante Smith-Pelley, course of my career — it’s time for that change and it’s time that hockey then a member of the Washington Capitals, where some fans at the grows and expands, because that’s really the only way our sport’s going United Center in Chicago chanted “basketball, basketball, basketball” at to grow.” him as he sat in the penalty box.

On his Instagram account Wednesday, Kane posted a photo of himself “As an example, telling somebody to stick to basketball as Devante going through warmups at T-Mobile Arena before a game against the Smith-Pelley was told when he was in Washington,” Kane said. “And Vegas Golden Knights with the caption, “where it’s all gonna start this then the comment the other day that I received. That’s not a racist season #35days until #1of82.” The Sharks open the regular season Oct. comment, but where it’s coming from, is a problem.” 2 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights, who have become San Kane was also sharply critical of the NHL for only beginning to officially Jose’s fiercest rival after two consecutive playoff meetings. acknowledge Black History Month this past season, when a traveling In response to the “Stick to basketball” comment by a poster named museum was used by the league to highlight the history of minorities in @jaybisss, Kane took a screenshot of it and wrote, “This is what I’m hockey. Willie O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958. talking about, happens all the time just never publicly talked about and “I’ve been in the league 10 years. There’s more than just me as a black just ignored. This exact thing was shouted at me in the penalty box in player in the NHL,” Kane said. “I think there’s about 15 consistently active Denver during game 4. It’s racially motivated, IT IS a problem in society guys that are on NHL rosters on a nightly basis in the league. Just and in SPORTS. because there’s so few of us, does that mean we should ignore our “There is focus on racism in football, basketball and baseball. But in the history, and not embrace our history in the sport that we play? I don’t Hockey world it’s easier to ignore, dismiss and forget because let’s face think so. the facts hockey is a white sport. But there are black players in the “I just found it ridiculous, the fact that this is the first year during my league and other minorities in our sport. Time to notice it, and give it the career in 10 years that it was even mentioned.” attention it deserves. The old way of thinking is done!” San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 09.04.2019 View this post on Instagram

This is what I’m talking about, happens all the time just never publicly talked about and just ignored. This exact thing was shouted at me in the penalty box in Denver during game 4. It’s racially motivated, IT IS a problem in society and in SPORTS. There is focus on racism in football, basketball and baseball. But in the Hockey world it’s easier to ignore, dismiss and forget because let’s face the facts hockey is a white sport. But there are black players in the league and other minorities in our sport. Time to notice it, and give it the attention it deserves. The old way of thinking is done!

A post shared by Evander Kane (@evander9kane) on Aug 28, 2019 at 3:57pm PDT

Kane told the radio station Friday that, “As you get older and as you move up in levels in hockey, and obviously once you get to the NHL and the pro level, you experience it less, because at the end of the day, everyone wants to win and people don’t really care what you look like for the most part in making personnel decisions.

“But at the same time, you look at other sports and what they’ve tried to do to bring awareness to racism, to their sport, to include more people to have a more diverse sport, hockey’s so far behind.” 1151669 San Jose Sharks

Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall list

By Alex Didion

September 03, 2019 8:36 AM

Ah yes, those controversial video game ratings are back.

EA Sports has released its top 50 individual ratings for “NHL 20,” and Sharks fans will see a few familiar faces among the game's elite.

It’s official. Here are the Top 50 Players in #NHL20.

Who got snubbed?  pic.twitter.com/ATOZuOXbCR

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) September 2, 2019

Checking in at No. 21 and No. 24 respectively are San Jose’s pair of elite defenders, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. It’s a pretty easy decision, with the two being commonly regarded as two of the best defensemen in the NHL.

A magician on the backend, @ErikKarlsson65 leads all defensemen with a 95 rating in Deking, Passing and Puck Control! Karlsson is easily the top offensive option on any blueline. #NHL20Top50 @SanJoseSharks pic.twitter.com/SrzyW8kAJX

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) August 29, 2019

Fear the Beard. @Burnzie88 highlights a stacked blueline for the @SanJoseSharks! With over a point-per-game last season, the sky is the limit in #NHL20 for the offensive defenseman. #NHL20Top50 pic.twitter.com/ghD3BdciHi

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) August 29, 2019

However, there are a few other Sharks who seem like somewhat questionable omissions from this list.

TomášHertl, for example, blew his career highs out of the water in 2018- 19, as he finished with 35 assists and 39 goals. His 74 total points was a full 28 points higher than he put up in 2017-18, despite playing two more games that season.

Hertl was an 83 in “NHL 19”, but at just 25 years old, he most certainly deserves at least a few more points after the season he just put together.

30-year-old Logan Couture is another snub by the “NHL 20” ratings committee. Couture also produced a personal-best in points, as he pumped out 70 in leading the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What a postseason Couture had, as he led all players with 14 goals, despite missing the final championship round after the Sharks were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals.

Couture was an 85 in “NHL 19,” but after a playoff performance like that, you’d think he might get enough of a bump to climb into that illustrious Top 50.

Even so, the Sharks will still likely be one of the best teams in “NHL 20” after just missing the Stanley Cup Final, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see either Couture or Hertl find themselves in the top-50 by season’s end.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151670 St Louis Blues Jake Allen, Jordan Binnington, Colten Ellis, Evan Fitzpatrick, Joel Hofer, Ville Husso, Adam Wilcox.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 09.04.2019 Blues announce details for first two days of practice at new facility

By Jim Thomas

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

11 hrs ago

Hockey season is near. Very near. As such, the Blues announced details for the first two days of camp practices at the brand new Centene Community Center in Maryland Heights on Sept. 14-15.

As an added attraction, the Blues will unveil a commemorative jersey to be worn for three home games this season just before the Sept. 14 practice.

Fans can get reserved seating for the Sept. 14-15 practices with a $10 donation to the Blues for Kids Foundation starting at noon this Thursday on MetroTix.com. Blues season ticket holders get first dibs on camp tickets with a presale at 10 a.m.

Here’s the schedule for both days:

Saturday, Sept. 14

9 a.m., doors open

9:45 a.m., commemorative jersey reveal

10 a.m., 1st practice session

11 a.m., 2nd practice session

Noon, 3rd practice session

12:30 p.m., Try Hockey for Free session

Sunday, Sept. 15

9 a.m., doors open

10 a.m., 1st practice session

11 a.m., 2nd practice session

Noon, 3rd practice session

The Try Hockey for Free session is for children ages 4-12 and will take place on the Plager Rink. A parent/legal guardian must be present to sign a waiver for their child to participate.

BLUES CAMP ROSTER

A total of 58 players are on the team roster to start camp. Among them is forward Erik Foley, who other than the Blues’ prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., missed the entire 2018-19 season because of a concussion. Not on the Blues camp roster is forward Dominik Bokk, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2018. Per general manager Doug Armstrong, the Blues did not want to interrupt his season playing for Rogle BK in the .

Forwards (35)

Nikita Alexandrov, Ivan Barbashev, Sammy Blais, Tyler Bozak, Cameron Darcy, Robby Fabbri, Erik Foley, Robby Jackson, Dakota Joshua, Tanner Kaspick, KlimKostin, Jordan Kyrou, Mathias LaFerriere, Nick Lappin, Mackenzie MacEachearn, Jeremy Michel, Zach Nastasiuk, Jordan Nolan, Ryan Olsen, Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Austin Poganski, Evan Polei, Zach Sanford, Brayden Schenn, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, Nolan Stevens, Oskar Sundqvist, Vladimir Tarasenko, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Michael Vecchione, Nathan Walker, KeeanWashkurak.

Defensemen (16)

Andreas Borgman, Robert Bortuzzo, , Jake Dotchin, Vince Dunn, Joel Edmundson, Carl Gunnarsson, Joey Laleggia, Niko Mikkola, Rob O’Gara, Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo, Derrick Pouliot, Mitch Reinke, Tyler Tucker, Jake Walman.

Goalies (7) 1151671 Toronto Maple Leafs “I think we might try that out and see how it goes,” said Barrie. “Hopefully I can fit in nicely, but it’s up to the guys up top.”

Toronto Star LOADED: 09.04.2019 Tyson Barrie eases into life as a Leaf — any contract talks can wait

By Kevin McGran

Sports Reporter

Tues., Sept. 3, 2019timer

Neither Tyson Barrie nor the Toronto Maple Leafs seem to be in any rush to ink a new deal.

That’s OK. The offensive-minded right-handed defenceman — the key player acquired over the summer in the Nazem Kadri trade with Colorado — is in the final year of his contract. But he’s happy to start getting a feel for the city and his new team.

“We’re just going to see how the fit works, start the season and play,” Barrie said.

The Leafs, of course, have bigger concerns than handing out extensions given that restricted free agent Mitch Marner remains unsigned. And Barrie is just getting his feet wet in Toronto.

“I’ve been laying low,” Barrie said at the Leafs’ practice rink. “I got in late Saturday and had dinner with some friends and just got here. This facility, and being out here skating with some of the guys, is making it feel more real, for sure.”

Defenceman Morgan Rielly — now the longest tenured Maple Leaf, entering his seventh season at age 25 — is happy to have Barrie as a teammate.

“He’s skilled, a good skater, moves the puck well,” said Rielly. “When you watch him on the offensive blue line, he’s always dangerous. I’ve been watching him for years now. I’m looking forward to playing with him.

“It’s exciting to see new faces, obviously,” added Rielly. “We’re going to miss a couple of guys. We have a lot of confidence in the group we have. Having new faces is good. It’s good energy. The guys are excited.”

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Both Barrie and Rielly took to the recently rebranded Ford Performance Centre ice for the first time on Tuesday as the some Leafs, Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers continue pre-season workouts prior to the official opening of training camp on Sept. 12.

“It’s a great opportunity for me. Really looking forward to getting going here,” said Barrie. “Just coming into a team with such a passionate fan base, and a team going in the right direction and has such a good chance to win, just being able to jump in and be a part of something they’ve been building for a while here is a cool opportunity.

“I can tell already being around here, it’s such a professional atmosphere. The guys have one goal. It’s cool to have a one-track mind like that.”

After informal workouts for most of the summer, it’s so packed now that they go out in two groups. Barrie was in the first group, paired with Jake Muzzin.

“I love playing with Muzz,” said Barrie, who had 59 points in 78 games with Colorado last season. “I played with him at the world championships (in 2015) and we won. He was a pleasure to play with. He’s a poised, smart guy. He’s got experience, and he talks a lot.”

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That 2015 world championship team featured another new Leaf, Jason Spezza, who led the tournament in scoring.

Rielly was skating with Cody Ceci, acquired from Ottawa in the off- season.

“I’ve known Ceci for a while. We played U-18s together,” said Rielly. “Good skater, moves it well. A young guy, motivated. We’re lucky to have him.”

With coach Mike Babcock also taking in the skate from a perch above, those could well end up being the pairings when the season begins. 1151672 Toronto Maple Leafs him,” Rielly said. “I’ve known Ceci awhile, we played as U18s together. Another good skater who moves the puck well, a young guy and motivated. We’re lucky to have him.”

Maple Leafs newcomer Barrie must play big Rielly also thinks a full camp in Toronto will lead to a great season for Muzzin, dealt from Los Angeles halfway through 2018-19.

Lance Hornby “How he handled it last year, getting traded (with a new baby arriving shortly after), I thought he did an outstanding job,” Rielly said. “I think Published:September 3, 2019 he’s happy, he’s got his place in Toronto dialled in and you can tell he’s a bit more comfortable. That will work to his advantage and in turn will help Updated:September 3, 2019 6:50 PM EDT the team.”

Toronto Sun LOADED: 09.04.2019 In Tyson Barrie’s first encounter with the media at the Maple Leafs summer skate he took one question bound to be repeated about 1,000 times before Game 82 in April.

Is the Toronto defence tough enough against the rest of the NHL and can it survive another head-on series with a big blueline such as Boston’s? Skilled as Barrie is with a career-high 59 points last year with Colorado, his 5-foot-10 frame won’t intimidate many foes in the trenches.

When you get past Barrie and projected partner Jake Muzzin (who definitely has some size and bite), then it’s Morgan Rielly and newcomer Cody Ceci (big, but never more than 20 penalty minutes in a season). Overall, the Leafs will be smaller at the back unless 6-foot-6 Ben Harpur sticks. They’ve lost 6-foot-plus Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev and, likely, Jake Gardiner.

Barrie can only speak for himself.

“With the way the game is now and how fast it is, you have to be able to skate, use your brain and have good stick position,” he said Tuesday. “I’m not the biggest guy, I won’t be out there running people over, but you have to play hard.

“That’s the biggest part about defending, the willingness to do it. That’s something I have to bring every night.”

The Muzzin partnership would reunite Barrie with his pal on Team Canada’s 2015 gold medal squad at the world championships. And new Leafs centre Jason Spezza was also on that title team and led the tournament in scoring.

“I love playing with Muzz,” Barrie insisted. “A very poised, smart guy, he has a lot of experience, and he talks a lot.

“I think we might try that (pairing) out, see how its goes and if I can fit in nicely there. But it’s up to the guys up top.”

Coach Mike Babcock, reduced to a spectator’s role until camp opens on Sept. 13 in St. John’s, Nfld., prefers a righty-lefty duo which Barrie- Muzzin provide, which could likewise set up the Ceci-Rielly pairing. When Travis Dermott returns from shoulder surgery sometime in October, the Leafs will have another smooth operator on defence, and then it’s a matter of general manager Kyle Dubas and Babcock deciding on who the better depth option is at six, seven or eight; Harpur, Jordan Schmaltz, first-rounders Timothy Liljegren and RasmusSandin, ex-Oiler Kevin Gravel, Finnish free agent TeemuKivihalme or Marlies wild-cards Justin Holl and Martin Marincin.

Barrie arrived Saturday night from his off-season home in British Columbia, but right after the July 1 trade had picked out a new Toronto home and spoken with Babcock about his role.

“It was nothing you wouldn’t expect; come in, help this team win and play to my strengths,” Barrie said of their talk. “Try and help offensively from the back end and be relied on to play against the other teams’ top lines.

“So far, so good. Just to jump in and have a chance to be part of something they’ve been building for awhile here is such a cool opportunity.”

Rielly also came back during the long weekend and participated in his first team skate.

“It’s exciting to see new faces,” the alternate captain said. “We’re going to miss a couple of guys, but we have guys who are going to fill those roles.”

He’s familiar with Barrie and Ceci.

“(Barrie) has good skill, great skater, moves the puck well. I’ve enjoyed watching him for years, now I’m looking forward to a chance to play with 1151673 Toronto Maple Leafs This is Rielly’s team as much as it is Tavares’ or Matthews’ or Andersen’s.

With Jake Gardiner pretty much gone as a free agent and Nazem Kadri TRAIKOS: Leafs' Rielly shows off hops with dunk seen around hockey traded to Colorado, the 25-year-old is the longest-serving Leaf. And he’s world starting to act like it. He’d be on anyone’s list of potential captains, especially after the season he had.

Michael Traikos Rielly is a legit No. 1. Last year, he finished third among defencemen with 72 points and was fifth in the Norris Trophy voting. The Hockey Published:September 3, 2019 News ranked him 33rd among the NHL’s top 50 players, while EA Sports put him 45th, with an 88 out of 100 rating, in its latest NHL20 video Updated:September 3, 2019 5:43 PM EDT game.

“Could’ve been higher,” said Rielly with a smile, though his avatar in the Of course, the dunk came up. It was the first thing that came up. game has caused more criticism. “People thought it looks awful, so I took that as disrespect, but whatever.“ Turns out Morgan Rielly can dunk a basketball. Like, really dunk it. We know this because last week the NHL’s Twitter account shared a video of As for this year’s Leafs, Rielly likes what he sees. him throwing down a one-handed jam in Vancouver. The team is younger and seems more balanced after losing Kadri, Rielly is 6-foot-1. He’s basically Kyle Lowry, with 30 extra pounds of Connor Brown and Patrick Marleau in trades that brought back muscle — most of it located in his butt and thighs. So him leaping up and defencemen Barrie, Ceci and Ben Harpur, as well as forward Alex slamming a dunk was more aggressive than graceful. It basically Kerfoot, who can play on the wing or at centre. Toronto also signed summed up the work Rielly had put in this summer, something that veteran centre Jason Spezza. But at the same time, Gardiner and Ron surprised him and his strength and conditioning coach, who first shared Hainsey are gone. the video. Is the team better? That depends on whether Barrie and Ceci are “I saw you dunking.” upgrades over Gardiner and Hainsey, and whether Spezza and Kerfoot can replace the 32 goals that Kadri and Marleau contributed last year? “Yeah.” And it depends on when Marner returns. “I didn’t know you could do that.” This might seem like the Nylander situation all over again, but it’s really “Neither did I.” not. After scoring 94 points and helping Tavares to the best year of his career, the Leafs know what Marner brings to the team. So does Rielly. That’s the end-of-summer shape Rielly brought to Toronto on Tuesday for his first Leafs optional skate. It felt like the first day of school, as It’s similar to what Patrik Laine brings to Winnipeg or Matthew Tkachuk players reintroduced themselves after four months away or met for the brings to Calgary. The same as Brock Boeser in Vancouver and first time. MikkoRantanen in Colorado, along with the other restricted free agents still awaiting new contracts. Morgan Rielly looking ready for the primetime, @Raptors!  “They’re doing what they think is best for them,” said Rielly. “But I don’t ( IG/mollyohbrien) pic.twitter.com/7574Ue4yFV care about what those other players are doing. I care about Mitch because he’s a teammate and we want him to get that done and there’s — NHL (@NHL) August 31, 2019 confidence that he will. It’s interesting that this is happening, because this The optional skates had been going on for some time now at the team’s hasn’t happened in the past, but it’s not anything I can control or anyone practice facility. But they don’t feel as optional anymore. Not with training else can.” camp less than two weeks away. And certainly not with head coach Mike He continued: “I think we have a lot of confidence in the group we have. Babcock now quietly watching from the stands. As players, you just get ready. It’s on us to be prepared, to be in shape.” What he saw on Tuesday was getting pretty close to what he will see on Done. And done. Sept. 12, as Rielly and trade acquisitions Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci joined a group that included Frederik Andersen, Jake Muzzin, William Toronto Sun LOADED: 09.04.2019 Nylander, KasperiKapanen, Andreas Johnsson and several others.

Auston Matthews has yet to arrive, but he’s coming. As for Mitch Marner, each day has brought forth a new rumour and a new worry, whether it’s spending all of training camp with a team in Switzerland or waiting until the start of the season for the Leafs to free up the necessary cap to sign him.

You’d think being in Vancouver, where the Canucks are going through a similar situation with Brock Boeser, that Rielly would have been able to escape the almost daily chatter.

“You’d be surprised,” he said with a laugh.

If it feels like deja vu, it’s because Rielly, Marner and the rest of the Leafs were down this same road a year ago with Nylander. He not only ended up missing all of training camp, but also sat out 28 games before he finally signed a new deal on Dec. 1.

No one wants that for Marner. At the same time, Rielly knows from the Nylander situation that played out a year ago that there’s no point thinking about it, as hard as that might seem.

“No. I mean, Twitter the way it is and TV, you hear about it a lot. That’s about the extent of it,” said Rielly. “We want Mitch here. We want him to be a part of camp. We want him to be involved, but he’s doing what he thinks he needs to do. It is what it is. All we can worry about is training camp. So, we all have confidence that he’s going to be here at some point. But for now, we’re just going to work hard and get ready.” 1151674 Toronto Maple Leafs “That’s not a real avenue that we’ve even remotely explored,” Dubas said. “It’s our full intention that Mitch will be a Maple Leaf for a very long time and that’s everything we’re working towards.”

‘SO FAR SO GOOD’: Maple Leafs’ new defencemen finally meet and Toronto Sun LOADED: 09.04.2019 greet

Lance Hornby

Published:September 3, 2019

Updated:September 3, 2019 3:37 PM EDT

The new-look Maple Leaf defence is getting its first look at each other this week.

The incoming Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie joined the longest tenured blueliner, Morgan Rielly (also just arrived), in a Tuesday summer skate observed by coach Mike Babcock.

“So far so good,” said former Colorado Avalanche Barrie after a scrimmage game at the club’s practice rink. “Just to jump in and have a chance to be part of something they’ve been building for awhile here is such a cool opportunity.”

Barrie is looking forward to a projected pairing with Jake Muzzin, who has been training in Toronto a few weeks ahead of his first full season here.

“I love playing with Muzz. I played with him at the world championships four or five years ago and (Team Canada) won. He was a pleasure to play with, a very poised, smart guy, has a lot of experience. And he talks a lot.

“I think we might try that (pairing) out, see how its goes and if I can fit in nicely there. But it’s up to the guys up top.”

Babcock, who can only watch these skating sessions until camp opens on Sept. 13 in St. John’s, N.L., prefers a righty-lefty duo which Barrie- Muzzin provide, which could likewise set up Ceci-Rielly. Ceci and defenceman Ben Harpur came from the Ottawa Senators in a trade for Nikita Zaitsev.

“It’s exciting to see new faces,” alternate captain Rielly said. “We’re going to miss a couple of guys (Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey are gone, likely Jake Gardiner, too), but we have guys who are going to fill those roles. We have a lot of confidence in the group we have.”

Rielly is familiar with Barrie and Ceci.

“(Barrie) has good skill, great skater, moves the puck well. I think when you watch him on the offensive blueline he’s always dangerous. I’ve enjoyed watching him for years, now I’m looking forward to a chance to play with him. I’ve known Ceci awhile, we played as U-18s together. Another good skater who moves the puck well, a young guy and motivated. We’re lucky to have him.”

Rielly also thinks a full camp in Toronto will lead to a great season for Muzzin, dealt from Los Angeles halfway through 2018-19.

“It’s going to help him, it’s going to help us,” Rielly said. “How he handled it last year, getting traded (with a new baby arriving shortly after), I thought he did an outstanding job. I think he’s happy, he’s got his place in Toronto dialed in and you can tell he’s a bit more comfortable and that will work to his advantage and in turn will help the team.”

Muzzin is big, but it remains to be seen if the 6-foot-6 Harpur sticks. Ceci is 6-2, but Barrie is 5-10 and the question remains whether the Leafs have enough bite on the blueline, especially come playoffs.

“With the way the game is now and how fast it is, you have to be able to skate, use your brain and have good stick position,” Barrie said. “I’m not the biggest guy, I won’t be out there running people over, but you have to play hard. That’s the biggest part about defending, the willingness to do it. That’s something I have to bring every night.”

The absence of restricted free agent Mitch Marner remains a concern, but general manager Kyle Dubas told The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun in an interview released Monday that he intended to sign Marner, not wipe his hands of the matter with a trade. 1151675 Washington Capitals

Ovechkin unhappy with his No. 4 ranking in NHL 20: 'Next time I will be better'

By Caroline Brandt September 03, 2019 9:34 AM

Did Alex Ovechkin get snubbed by NHL 20?

The popular EA Sports game NHL 20 has been slowly releasing player ratings and top 50 rankings ahead of their scheduled Sept. 13 launch date. When Ovechkin learned he was ranked No. 4 on the 2020 game, he decided to have some fun with it.

I will take it !!! but next time i will be better  #NHL20 #EAathlete @EASPORTSNHL pic.twitter.com/NrxQ5Y7Atn

— Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) September 2, 2019

"I will take it!!! But next time I will be better," Ovechkin tweeted Monday.

NHL 20 ranks Connor McDavid at No. 1, followed by Sidney Crosby at No. 2, at No. 3 and finally Ovechkin at No. 4 with a score of 95 for slapshot accuracy and power.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151676 Washington Capitals How realistic is a trade? Definite possibility, but not likely

Travis Boyd

If the Capitals make a trade to get under the cap, who will go? Boyd could have value as a potential third-line player and it would make sense for the Caps as he does not seem to immediately fit into their plans. With a likely third line of Hagelin, Eller, Panik and the fourth line of By J.J. Regan September 03, 2019 6:00 AM Brendan Leipsic, Dowd, Hathaway, Boyd may end up being a healthy scratch for much of the season.

The drawback to this is that Boyd’s cap hit of $800,000 and a trade would The Capitals are more than $1.3 million over the salary cap and will have not provide as much relief as it would with some of the other candidates. to find a way to shed salary before the start of the season. There are a few options for how they can do this including a trade and that sounds How realistic is a trade? Definite possibility like it is exactly what general manager Brian MacLellan is considering. Brendan Leipsic

"I think we'll probably have to move someone," MacLellan told The Caps just signed Leipsic in the offseason for a modest cap hit of only NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. "Injuries and all the stuff that happens in training $700,000. There is no trade value, it would not provide much relief and it camp and exhibition season probably dictates it a little bit, but we're would be a bad look to trade away a player right after signing him. going to be patient. We're not in a rush. We'll wait and let it play itself out." How realistic is a trade? Not happening

Given what MacLellan said, a move is not likely before camp, but only Radko Gudas before the season starts if there are no injuries and it is clear a move is absolutely necessary. Niskanen was an obvious trade candidate because the team had Jensen as a replacement in the top four. Washington could have dumped If and when it reaches that point, who could end up on the trading block? Niskanen for draft picks or prospects, but instead specifically targeted Gudas. MacLellan even got Philadelphia to retain some of his salary. The It is important to remember first and foremost why the team is making a team is not going to target Gudas for a third-line role just to trade him trade and what the goal is for this season. The Caps are trying to win a away before he ever puts on a Caps jersey. Stanley Cup and that makes trading players a risky proposition. Washington needs to dump salary, but needs to do so without hurting its How realistic is a trade? Unlikely chances to win. That limits the pieces they would be willing to trade. Christian Djoos To answer who MacLellan may be willing to trade, we first have to determine who he won’t. Anyone in the top-six on offense and top-four on Djoos played a role in the Caps’ championship run on the third defensive defense will almost certainly be off-limits. Yes, including Dmitry Orlov. I pair. A significant injury contributed to a down year last season and now bring him up because I know if I didn’t I would hear from plenty of it is unclear exactly what they have. Do they have 2017-18 Djoos or commenters saying trading him is the obvious solution. It’s not. 2018-19 Djoos?

Trading away a top-four defenseman, which Orlov absolutely is, and Djoos’ down year lowers his value, but the potential there adds to the expecting no drop off from the defense is not realistic. “But wait,” I can potential interest he may draw. His cap hit is $1.25 million which some already hear you asking, “Didn’t the Caps already trade Matt Niskanen?” teams may find steep, but he is only signed for one year. Plus, with Trading away Niskanen was only possible because the team had a players like Alex Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary developing, there is a replacement for him in Nick Jensen. Plus, analytically speaking, Radko logjam of left-shot defensemen in the organization. Gudas may prove to be the better player at this point in their respective How realistic is a trade? Definite possibility careers. Jonas Siegenthaler Washington has no clear replacement for Orlov. Sure, Jonas Siegenthaler looked good in limited playoff time last season. That is not Siegenthaler is an up-and-coming defenseman who has size and enough time to determine he is ready for a top-four role. Christian Djoos mobility. He played well in the playoffs and there is a definite feeling that played in 22 games in the team’s Cup run and yet half the Caps fans out he is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. He is also cheap there are ready to run him out of town. It’s too soon to promote with a cap hit of less than $715,000. That’s not an asset you trade away. Siegenthaler and you cannot step into a potential Cup run season with Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 09.04.2019 both players on the second defensive pair being question marks.

Braden Holtby is also not a viable trade option. A team with Cup aspirations cannot trade its starting goalie in favor of a prospect with zero NHL experience.

Considering how important the team feels center depth is, it should also be safe to take Lars Eller and Nic Dowd out of consideration. Richard Panik, Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway were important enough that MacLellan gave them all four-year contracts in the offseason. When you take away those possibilities, it leaves the team with only a handful of candidates.

Chandler Stephenson

There has been a lot of speculation over Stephenson's status after MacLellan signed several fourth-line players hoping to improve the team in areas that are supposed to be Stephenson’s strengths. Plus, Stephenson’s new contract comes in just below the maximum that can be buried in the AHL.

The only problem with a Stephenson trade is there would not likely be much value in it for opposing GMs. If the Caps do not make a trade this offseason, Stephenson would very likely start the season in Hershey. If there is any interest in him, most general managers will do the math and know that they probably could just wait until Washington has to place him on waivers and claim him then for free.

Stephenson would make sense from the Caps’ standpoint, but it is unlikely anyone would trade for him knowing the Caps’ cap situation. 1151677 Washington Capitals Four months later, Vrana said he still struggles to pinpoint exactly why he couldn’t get going against Carolina, but added that he’s determined to learn from the experience.

Coming off a career year, Capitals winger Jakub Vrana hopes he’s just “Obviously, the regular season gave me some confidence, but if you getting started want to be honest the playoffs weren’t great for me,” said Vrana, who indicated on breakdown day that he battled through an undisclosed injury in the playoffs. “I just couldn’t find my game against Carolina and I don’t By Tarik El-Bashir Sep 3, 2019 know why. I felt like the whole season they were pretty tough to play against. It’s a new (challenge) for me to find my game against every

team. It’s good experience. I know for next time I have to find a different ARLINGTON, Va. — Jakub Vrana successfully leaped from promising way to find my game.” youngster to proven NHLer last winter. Despite the humbling end to an otherwise stellar season, Vrana says he’ll His challenge now? Build on that breakout campaign while continuing to enter the upcoming year confident and motivated to prove he’s capable round out his overall game. of even more.

“I feel like I have the potential to be a great player,” he told The Athletic How much more? after a recent informal practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. “But I still Thirty goals? have lots to show.” Forty? Vrana’s future was a focal point for the Caps at the outset of the offseason. Facing a salary cap crunch, the club had limited space with Vrana smiled and said he wasn’t playing that game. which to work. And, because of that crunch, there was some concern that it would be vulnerable to another team preparing an offer sheet for him. “I will get what I deserve,” he said. “Number wise, there’s always talk In the end, though, there was no drama; the sides hammered out to a before the season. How many goals do you want to score? How many two-year, $6.7 million extension in mid-July. goals do you think you’re going to score? I’m going to the season planning to work as hard as I can and everything will take care of itself. I “Honestly, I wasn’t nervous at all,” the 23-year-old winger said. “I didn’t don’t know if it’s going to be 30 goals. It could be more; it could be less. even think much about that. I told my agent, ‘This is your job. My job is to I’m just going work as hard as I can and the rest will take care of itself.” play hockey the best that I can. I just want my focus to be on preparing for the season.’ The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019

“He told me all the news — what Washington wants, what they think. It went pretty smooth. I was actually on vacation with my friends by the pool having some fun, and then and I get a phone call that it’s happening. It was a good thing to celebrate that day. I want to grow and get better and this was the best deal we could get. I’m happy that both sides are happy.”

Vrana returned from vacation, signed the paperwork and promptly got to work in his native Czech Republic preparing for the upcoming season. In addition to scrimmaging twice a week in Prague with San Jose’s Tomas Hertl, Boston’s David Pastrnak, Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, Calgary’s Michael Frolik and the ’ Petr Prucha, to name a few, Vrana also worked out daily with his longtime personal trainer.

Vrana’s primary goal for the summer was to increase his lower body and core strength without bulking up. Listed at 6 feet, 197-pounds last season, he’s widely considered to be one of the fastest skaters in the game. To keep that edge, however, he’s had to learn how to strike a delicate balance between getting stronger and weighing himself down by adding too much muscle mass.

“I don’t want to get bigger anymore and lose my quickness,” he said. “The upper body strength I have right now, I want to keep it that way. My legs, they can always get stronger and I have been working on some good things with my coach back home.”

When the practices begin for real on Sept. 13 — the first on-ice training camp session at MedStar is that morning — Vrana will transition from getting his body right to growing his game.

At the top of his to-do list is being stronger on the puck and, specifically, winning more battles along the walls.

“I want to win more individual battles,” he said. “Sometimes you’re battling in the corner, and the other player skates away with the puck and you’re kinda stuck in there. So I want to be more aggressive around the corners and try to win more battles.”

Vrana also wants to continue polishing his play away from the puck, particularly in the defensive zone.

“It’s little details, but it’s so important,” he said.

When Vrana looks back on his 2018-19 season, he sees two halves — the successful regular season in which he established career highs in goals (24), points (47), ice time (14:02) and plus/minus (plus-20) — and the disappointing playoffs in which he failed to register a point, as the Hurricanes ousted the defending champs in seven games. 1151678 Winnipeg Jets

Illness forces Hawerchuk to sidelines

Paul Friesen

Junior Hockey coach and former Winnipeg Jets star Dale Hawerchuk is taking a leave of absence for health reasons.

The Ontario Hockey League’s announced the news on Tuesday.

“We are a tight and close family here and it’s difficult to have to make announcements like this,” team president Howie Campbell said in a statement. “Dale is facing some health issues and will be taking the time he needs to deal with that situation. Our best wishes and thoughts are with Dale and his family during this difficult time.

“All of us want to see Dale back as soon as possible and we look forward to that day.”

The Colts did not specify the nature of Hawerchuk’s illness, nor how long he’s expected to be away.

The most successful coach in team history, Hawerchuk was going into his 10th season behind the Barrie bench.

A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Hawerchuk played more than 1,100 career NHL games over 16 seasons, nine of those with the Jets.

The first overall pick in the 1981 draft, he led the team in scoring each of those nine seasons, was captain for six, posted 929 points with Winnipeg and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in ’81.

He was inducted to the Jets Hall of Fame in 2017.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 09.04.2019 1151679 Winnipeg Jets A brief chat with Jets head coach Paul Maurice produced a word he latched onto – fast.

It’s speed that the Jets employ in their game, especially with their Pionk ready to seize opportunity within Jets' defensive core aggressive forecheck.

For Pionk, it’s a change he’s spent the summer working on, physically Scott Billeck and mentally.

“You can create all the speed you want off the ice, but on the ice, it’s a mentality,” he said. “Whether it’s getting the pucks up to the forwards or September's here, and Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner isn't just not turning it back so often on the play, getting up in the rush more, whatever it is, we want to be in attack mode.” The moment the trade was announced, minds were already being made up about a 24-year-old defenceman from a small Minnesota town called He’ll chip in on special teams, too, if asked. Hermantown. “Wherever they want me.” You can chalk that up to the fallout of being traded for a top-pairing fellow D-man Jacob Trouba, a player both the Winnipeg Jets and their faithful WHERE WILL PIONK FIT IN? would rather have kept in the organization that drafted and groomed him. Being less than two weeks out from the opening of training camp, one of Neal Pionk’s name was the second piece to be mentioned in Winnipeg’s the larger questions facing the Jets is what will their defensive six looks side of the deal, with the first-round pick (20th overall) they received like when they head to the Big Apple to open the season on the road. slotting in before the undrafted rearguard. The return was underwhelming A right-hand shot, Pionk could theoretically play alongside Josh among the fan base. Morrissey on the team’s top pairing if things pan out that way in Even if the truth is that Winnipeg was never going to get a return that preseason. Sticking with the “in-theory” bit, it would also give Pionk a would have appeased the mob, Pionk, or [insert NHL name here] that defensively responsible partner to work with. ended up coming this way, was always going to begin on an upward Pionk said he prides himself on his two-way game but stresses that slope. Rarely does a deal result in “enough” when it comes to a return on everything he does begins with a defence-first mindset. a premier defenceman like Trouba. “I always say that I play defence first and help with the offence second,” And this was made all the more challenging when Trouba and his he said. representation essentially worked the Jets into a corner in terms of where Trouba would sign a big-money, long-term deal. Pionk was tasked with playing big minutes alongside Marc Staal with the Rangers. Big minutes didn’t exactly equate to effective ones, however. Pionk, in Winnipeg on Tuesday skating with a small contingent of his new teammates at BellMTS Iceplex, doesn’t care about any of that. Given Winnipeg’s options, he could also begin life here with Dmitry Kulikov on the third pairing. There, Maurice can shelter Pionk’s ice-time He’s not bothered that the New York Rangers used him to secure the and allow him to time to adjust. deal with the Jets. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 09.04.2019 “It’s just business,” Pionk said after an hour-long skate with the likes of Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry and Josh Morrissey on Tuesday. “[The Rangers] had a tough decision to make.”

Pionk views it as a situation where he can only control what he can control — such is the life of any hockey player sans a no-movement clause.

Whatever the opinions of him are — warranted or otherwise — they aren’t going to be verified or changed prior to the puck dropping on Oct. 3 back where it began for him in New York City.

Pionk scored six times and added 30 assists in 73 games for the Rangers last season, a team in the midst of a rebuild, with a new coach and plenty of young talent trying to make an impact on any given night.

Pionk is the first to admit that he struggled. A dreaded bout with lack of confidence plagued him for a portion of the season. He said he emerged from the slump in the last month or so of the season.

“When you’re a young defenceman in the NHL and you’re playing a lot of minutes and your team loses games, I tended to blame it on myself, which, in turn, led me to hesitate or lose confidence,” Pionk said in June conference call with local media after being acquired. “I think it was a bit of a dip. I wouldn’t say it was drastic.”

Pionk’s numbers won’t jump off the page in a good way. His shot share numbers (44.2%) favour the opposing team when he’s on the ice, as do goals for (40%) and everything else that matters in the game of hockey.

Is it a sign of a player who’s just not going to be good enough to help the Jets win? Perhaps.

But consider this: in his two seasons with the Rangers, he played on the worst team, possession-wise, in 2017-18 and the second-worst team in the same category in 2018-19.

How much Pionk played into that and how much he was a victim of his surroundings won’t be known for some time still.

He will enter a team that wasn’t great five-on-five last season, especially during the downward spiral that was the latter half. 1151680 Winnipeg Jets It’s going to be an outstanding ride ahead, and we’d love to have you following along every step of the way.

The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 Winnipeg, join me in taking Jets coverage to the next level this season

By Ken Wiebe Sep 3, 2019

Two of the things I’m most passionate about are building relationships and the pursuit of a compelling story.

That passion will provide the fuel as I start this next adventure in my career, covering the Winnipeg Jets for The Athletic Winnipeg.

I’ve been covering professional hockey in Manitoba since September 2000, when I followed the Manitoba Moose during the final season of the International Hockey League. The Moose were part of the American Hockey League merger in the summer of 2001 and I followed them in the minors until the summer of 2011, when the Jets relocated from Atlanta and returned to the NHL.

Back in August 2000, fresh off a three-month contract with the Winnipeg Free Press, I was hired to fill a maternity leave position at the Winnipeg Sun.

At the time, it was basically a one-year tryout to prove my worth – a real- world PTO that ultimately blossomed into a long and prosperous relationship.

For 19 years, I worked in the Sun sports department and that experience provided an excellent opportunity for growth for me, both personally and professionally.

But when the opportunity to join The Athletic came about, I jumped at it – and not just for the obvious reasons, like joining a growing company that recently eclipsed 600,000 subscribers.

I’ve been a subscriber for several years, originally signing up for the baseball coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays provided by John Lott, a former colleague at Postmedia.

Since that time, The Athletic has assembled an all-star team of NHL writers, many of whom I’m already lucky enough to call my friends.

I believe in the vision of the company and want to be part of the growth and expansion.

While deadline pressure and the constant race against the clock has often been a great motivator in my career, having some additional time for crafting Jets stories and making a few additional calls is something I look forward to.

Covering the minutiae of a hockey beat is something I enjoy and will continue to monitor, but instead of cranking out blogs or sidebars, that information will be provided to you on Twitter.

Not being required to hold a microphone in every scrum will free me – and my new The Athletic Winnipeg teammate Murat Ates – up to focus on the larger issues and deeper storytelling.

After a first-round exit last spring, there is a lot of intrigue surrounding the Jets this season. Thanks to a host of offseason departures via free agency and trade, there are vacancies on the roster to fill and roles to grow into.

If you haven’t tuned out hockey completely since April, you’re well aware the Jets have two significant restricted free agents left to sign in Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. The dollars and term handed out to those two will play a massive role in how wide the Jets’ window for contention is going to be, both in the short and long term.

The Athletic Winnipeg will be expanding its travel budget to be on the road with regularity, attending almost every game this season, and we’ll do our best to provide you with the type of quality journalism that keeps you coming back.

I was born and raised in this province and am proud to call it home. Combining two of my biggest passions – writing and sports – in this city led me directly to my dream job.

I’ve basically been working at the craft ever since my first journalism job in 1994, when I joined the Red River Valley Echo, not including my time spent at the University of Regina working on my degree in journalism. 1151681 Vancouver Canucks

Rehabbing Juolevi 'won't be thrown into fire' at prospects camp

BEN KUZMA

Olli Juolevi was going to be a story this weekend at development camp.

Now, the hard-luck defenceman has become the story because the Vancouver Canucks learned Tuesday that the fifth-overall pick in the 2016 draft won’t be up to speed. He has been skating since mid-June but is still rehabbing from right-knee surgery on Dec. 18 that shut down his AHL season, so his on-ice involvement in the three-day camp at Rogers Arena could be marginal.

“He just got the OK last week from the doctors and is still doing the rehab,” said Canucks general manager Jim Benning. “They’re just going to make sure they bring him along slowly. They’re not going to throw him into the fire and just see where he’s at day to day.

“There haven’t been any setbacks. He met with the surgeon last week and got a good report. It’s just part of the surgery and we’re just working through it right now to figure out what (camp) group he’s going to be in. There’s a good chance he’s going to be rehabbing and not in one of the main groups at the start.

“We don’t want to put him in a position where he’s going to have a setback. Right now, he’s on schedule to start the year.”

Juolevi got off to a promising start last season with the Utica Comets following microdiscectomy back surgery in mid-June of 2018. He didn’t start rigorous off-season training until mid-August and there was a feeling that after amassing 13 points (1-12) in his first 18 AHL games he had reached a turning point in his slow-evolving career.

Then came the second injury in sixth months, delaying a plan to have the 6-foot-3, 198 pound Finn log second-half games with the Canucks.

Juolevi injured his knee in late November after being slammed into the boards. The initial diagnosis suggested the ailment was of the minor variety and that he would only be sidelined three to four weeks. Then came the conclusion that he had suffered a meniscus tear, would need surgery and be out six months.

More than eight months later, the 21-year-old is still in the rehab phase. It has to be frustrating for the player and the Canucks.

“Not for me,” said Benning. “We want to make sure we follow the right protocol and do things the right way. I know he feels strong, had a good summer and keeps progressing.”

Juolevi appeared on the right trajectory during the 2017-18 season under the guidance of former Canucks defenceman Sami Salo, an assistant coach with TPS Turku of SM-liiga. In his first professional campaign, Juolevi started slowly, had a better second half and was the club’s best blue-liner in the postseason.

The numbers for a raw rookie were encouraging — 19 points (7-12) in 38 regular-season games and seven (2-5) in 11 postseason tests — and the off-season focus was about building an NHL frame and game before a training accident led to the minor back surgery.

“I’ve learned a lot with this injury,” said Juolevi. “You have to be patient. You can’t hurry it too much, because it’s going to backfire on you.”

Then came the knee surgery. And another waiting game. And more patience.

OVERTIME

Among prospects camp notables is Quinn Hughes, the seventh-overall pick in the 2018 draft, who teased of potential in five NHL games last season.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151682 Vancouver Canucks sustainable, profitable way forward for high-quality coverage of professional sports.

There’s no replacing Botch’s inimitable style or the peerless impact he Why I’m coming home, carrying the torch and covering the Canucks for made in the Vancouver sports market in his professional life. The Athletic Vancouver Our inheritance, however, will be Jason’s values: His stubborn determination that the hard questions get asked, his insistence that By Thomas Drance Sep 3, 2019 sportswriters should never take themselves too seriously, and his generosity – not just of spirit, but of information – that core belief that a reporter is responsible for entertaining, verifying and sharing what they know with their audience. Born and raised in Vancouver, I left this beautiful city way back in 2005, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever return as a permanent resident. Generous as always, Botch even left us with a mission statement embedded in the middle of his letter. It’s funny how sometimes the most unlikely paths lead you home. “The Athletic Vancouver’s ecosystem will be unlike any of the platform’s A decade ago, I graduated from university and entered a shrinking local other verticals. There will be opinions, analysis, great reporting, scoops, economy, the worst in 80 years. I took on a variety of odd jobs – speculation, feuds, rumours, peeks-behind-curtains and a whole lot of mailroom clerk, bus tour guide, professional cartoon watcher – that shenanigans. There will be nothing like it in Vancouver or anywhere barely paid the bills and left me bored to tears. else.” To maintain my sanity, I did what any rational, ambitious person would That’s the standard we’ll strive for with every sentence we type, every do: I started an Artem Chubarov parody account on Twitter. event we cover, every question we ask. I then converted a growing Twitter following into a social media- We’ll meet this standard by being at the rink constantly, covering the marketing job and several writing gigs. I joined Canucks Army and Canucks at home and away, providing exhaustive coverage of the club. quickly became the managing editor, a role in which I shepherded a vacant platform into a cult resource for Canucks fans. I was always I’ll work hard every day to have some interesting conversations at the grinding, writing hundreds of articles a month, committed to making it rink and share details you won’t find anywhere else in off-the-wall feature work in an increasingly volatile media industry. stories, original reporting and analysis of all things Canucks. I’ve learned a lot over the course of an eccentric career in hockey media and my As Canucks Army evolved, it attracted other smart, young people as perspective has changed significantly since working behind the curtain contributors and became a pipeline that a dizzying number of alumni with an NHL club. I can’t wait to put that experience into practice. have used to land jobs in hockey operations with NHL teams. This doesn’t start and end with me though. This is going to take an army. I never stopped working at Canucks Army until 2017, even as I moved between a variety of Toronto-based sports media companies, gaining Which is why The Athletic Vancouver will be the exclusive home of experience as a journalist and making connections. I wrote a book about analysis from the “Boy Genius,” the most talented college dropout since the history of the Canucks and was convinced that I would be a hockey Kanye, Harman Dayal. Harman will be unleashed this season. writer for life. That’s when life took an unexpected, discombobulating turn. Harman on road trips? Check.

I was working for Sportsnet at the Canucks garbage-bag day in April Harman with more access? Also, check. 2016 when my editor called me and told me I’d best book a flight to Fort Harman with the resources and time he needs to track, analyze and form Lauderdale. They had assigned me to cover the first-round playoffs completely original, perception-altering conclusions from Canucks-centric series between the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders. data? Check and check.

So I flew down, covered the hell out of an exciting series over the course Back in the fold, we’ve also got Wyatt Arndt, who will be unveiling a new- of two weeks, and built relationships in the Panthers front office. Eight look postgame feature next month. The Athletties was Jason’s months later, the Panthers organization brought me aboard as VP, Public masterpiece, but we’ve got grand plans to use the talent at our disposal Relations and Communications. in a fun, collaborative way to present you with something unique and I spent the better part of three seasons with the Panthers, learned a ton compelling. about the inner workings of an NHL team and had a chance to work with We’ll be fleshing out the precise composition of the Canucks coverage a tremendous group of people and athletes. The work in South Florida team further in the weeks leading up to the hockey season, but I can tell was challenging and gratifying, and I’m proud of what I accomplished in you that The Athletic Vancouver has big, exciting plans to ramp up our my time there. coverage at the rink and away from it.

Which brings us to today. I’m returning to my hometown of Vancouver to It’s good to be home and gearing up to cover what promises to be the cover the Canucks for The Athletic. most interesting Canucks season in half-a-decade. But it’s even better to I’m joining The Athletic because I’ve never stopped thinking of myself as be back among the VIPs. a hockey writer. The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 I’m joining The Athletic because, while I enjoyed leading strategic communications for an NHL club, I longed for this opportunity, for a chance to get out from behind the scenes and tell great hockey stories directly.

And I’m joining The Athletic because there’s a torch that’s been left to us to carry.

Turning this introductory column over in my head, my thoughts return constantly to a friend, mentor and the most unique sports writer I’ve ever encountered: The irreplaceable Jason Botchford.

It was less than a year ago that we were going back and forth about his “Why I’m joining The Athletic” column:

What I wouldn’t give for the chance to have had that conversation in reverse these past few weeks. (And the results were spectacular.)

Botch was a supernova. I’m conscious of the responsibility we have at The Athletic Vancouver to carry his legacy forward, for a subscriber base he built, at an outlet that he vehemently believed could offer a 1151683 Vancouver Canucks leads to a plus-26 penalty differential last season, a top-five mark last season. He projects to provide the third-highest impact there in 2019-20. Pettersson ended the season with 66 points in 71 games, winning the 2019-20 NHL Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks Calder Trophy in a landslide. The 20-year-old grades out as elite here and is Vancouver’s most valuable piece.

Still, it was only last year that many expected Mathew Barzal to build off By Dom Luszczyszyn Sep 3, 2019 an incredible rookie campaign of his own, only to take a step back in his sophomore season — though his follow-up campaign came with a

differing set of circumstances. Regardless, some caution might need to The buzz around town in Vancouver is that after years of suffering, the be exercised here regarding my model’s bullish expectations for Canucks finally have a team that can make the playoffs, with “can” being Pettersson to jump into the league’s elite tier. His second half wasn’t the key word in the sentence. After offseason improvements and internal nearly as illustrious as his first, as teams started clueing in on growth from the core, the playoffs — a pipe dream over the past few Vancouver’s new star. He scored at a 63-point pace there rather than the seasons — are becoming a legitimate possibility. 89 he had to start the year.

It better be, as management is betting on it with a capped out team and a Last season is all the data my model has on Pettersson, which poses conditional first-round pick already shipped away, but legitimate limitations on the range of his projection. With that data, his age and an possibility is still far away from a probable outcome. Despite increase in playing time, it expects him to build off that season, eclipsing improvements, the Canucks are still a team on which a lot of things have the point per game mark in the process. It’s not far-fetched given his to go right for them to qualify for the postseason. While the organization talent, but there is potential regression on the horizon considering his can finally sell the hope of a turnaround, it’s more than likely that next 19.4 percent shooting percentage. Last season it already began with him year’s likely leap forward will fall short of the playoffs. The team’s scoring 19 goals on 7.4 expected goals in the first half and just nine on chances sit at just 1-in-4. 6.7 in the second half. Despite that, I do expect Pettersson to keep the goals coming. He has an elite shot and I figure he’ll be less shy about A 25 percent chance is not a lot to go on, but it’s something, and a big using it next season. In his rookie year, he only took two shots per game. improvement over previous seasons when the team’s chances were 6 If he can raise that, that can offset the likelihood that fewer of them go in. percent, 11 percent and 7 percent. It might not be likely, but it is a real possibility, especially compared with prior seasons. Pettersson’s dangerous shot is such a threat that goaltenders and opposing defences have to respect, which allows him to unleash his just- The big issue is not where the Canucks stand; it’s the cost of doing so. as-lethal playmaking gifts. Luckily for him and the Canucks, the team has That conditional first-round pick looms large and puts additional pressure a second lethal weapon on the right side in Brock Boeser, a pure sniper. on the team to succeed. With a high probability that the team misses the The idea of those two on the same line for the next decade or so should playoffs, there’s a decent chance the pick ends up in the lottery, which is have some goalies quivering in their skates. Boeser also has an elite the last thing this franchise needs. The chance the team finishes in the shot, one he’s used to score on 14 percent of his shots in his career to bottom 10 is 56 percent, more than double the team’s chances of making date (which should put into context how difficult it will be for Pettersson to the playoffs. In that vein, it feels like those in charge mortgaged the future replicate his current scoring rate). In his 140 career games, Boeser has for a little job security they arguably don’t deserve. scored 59 goals, doing so on just 37.7 expected goals, which doesn’t account for who’s taking the shot. Based on my projections, if Boeser is The pick is conditional, though, and can be deferred to the following taking it, the shot is 42 percent more likely to go in, the 12th-highest mark season. That makes things a little better, but not much. In 2017-18, among forwards. Pettersson is third, making Vancouver one of four Philadelphia, Arizona, Ottawa, Buffalo, Vegas and Colorado were the teams to have two such threats (Tampa Bay, Boston and Florida are the teams with a 15-35 percent chance at the playoffs — two made it two others) in the top 15. years later. Last season it was Chicago, Colorado, Buffalo, Montreal, New Jersey and the Islanders in that range; six teams that have an If both are healthy, there’s a case to be made that Vancouver can finish average playoff chance of 38 percent this season, with only two above 50 the season with two 35-goal scorers. The acquisitions of J.T Miller and percent. Even next year, the odds likely won’t be in Vancouver’s favour. Ferland should be able to help them get there, too, though each comes with a differing skill set that can be beneficial to how the top line The Canucks are poised to improve after a rebuild, yes, but trajectories operates. aren’t always linear and aren’t always dramatic. On average, those 12 teams in that range improved their playoff chances year over year by 14 Miller is a very strong playmaker who’s generally a pass-first player. Last percentage points, which would likely put the Canucks around 40 percent season he had just 13 goals to his 34 assists, which aligns well with his next season. That’s a rough guess that largely depends on what happens shot to shot-assist ratio. He doesn’t get the puck on net often, but he’s this season, but it still shows the risk of trading a first-round pick at this excellent at setting up teammates for chances and that gives him 55-60 juncture of the rebuild, even if it’s conditional. point upside. He’s no slouch at carrying the puck himself and gives the line three capable options there. Miller is a very capable play-driver, too, That’s a lot of doom and gloom, an unfortunate circumstance of the an asset desperately needed on a Canucks team that was fourth last in decision-making from a lowly regarded management group prone to expected goal percentage last season at 45.7 percent. As good as taking shortcuts. It makes it difficult to appreciate what should be a Pettersson and Boeser are and can be in other avenues, they struggled stepping stone season for the Canucks, one when very real improvement in that regard last season, hovering around the 49 percent range when (their chances of besting last year’s 81 points is 66 percent) is likely on playing together. the team’s way. Ferland isn’t as capable of a point-producer, playmaker or puck-carrier, Looking at the roster, it appears most of the difficult work is already done but he has size and can grind. That can be useful on the top line, and is being hampered by decisions around the edges. creating more space for Pettersson and Boeser, being the line’s Starting with the forwards, there’s already a massive divide between the designated digger in the corners. It’s what makes him a decent play- top and bottom of the lineup, much like some other bottom feeders driver in his own right and he’s shown strength before in playing with before it. The top line is solid thanks to the contributions of the team’s skilled players like Johnny Gaudreau and Sebastian Aho. That those two cornerstone pieces up front, buoyed further by offseason addition players were stronger playmakers as opposed to shooters might be what J.T. Miller (or Micheal Ferland, depending which way the team goes). It keeps him away from the top line, though his other assets can still help. ranks as the 15th-best top line in the league, and for a team that’s been Wherever Miller and Ferland suit up, adding two legitimate options to the near the bottom for so long, that’s a huge positive. top six is still a big win. One of them will end up playing with Bo Horvat It all starts with , aka Dekey Pete, who changed on the second line and that’s not a bad spot to be. He’s really come into everything for Vancouver last season. The Canucks went from a team his own over the last few seasons and is a very strong option to anchor with little hope to one with a blindingly bright glimmer contained in the second line, doing well in tough minutes and finishing third among Pettersson’s 176-pound frame. Pettersson was electrifying from day one, Vancouver forwards in expected goals percentage. Horvat has first-line captivating a fan base with nightly highlight-reel antics. He’s exceptional centre value, and having him in the two hole gives the Canucks the type with the puck and already one of the game’s better puck carriers. The of one-two punch generally found on contenders. His 1.9 wins of value is fact he often has it on his stick combined with his speed and elusiveness tied for the 11th highest value at that slot, making him above average for makes him difficult to stop, too. Add that ability to his discipline and it the role. That the second line only grades out as mediocre is not on Horvat or Quinn Hughes and Jordie Benn. It’s a huge swing, exacerbated by the Ferland but on the dearth of options on the right side. That’s a hole that massive addition by subtraction, but it only shows just how bad it was needs to be filled for the Canucks to take the next step. before. Together the new trio add 1.8 wins and the three departures were close to that in negative value, and the team’s group still ranks in the And then there’s the bottom six, which has even more holes to be filled, bottom five. The new additions are solid, but not nearly strong enough, grading out to be the fifth worst in hockey. If you want to know what while the same can be said about the incumbents. There are no more separates the Canucks from bona fide playoff teams, a large part is the projected anchors, but there’s still no huge difference-maker. Finding that forward depth, which is 2.2 wins off the average of the teams projected to might be the key to unlocking Vancouver’s playoff hopes. make the playoffs. The extra 4.4 points would put them at 90 points and within spitting distance of the postseason. It’s not the team’s only Hughes can challenge that, though, and his play represents the entire problem, but it’s one of the team’s biggest. upside for this defence. They’ll go as far and as high as he can take them in his first season, a huge burden to put on a defenceman that’ll turn 20 The team’s biggest current problem is at third-line centre. While just before his fifth game of the season. Based on his NCAA work, a first- Pettersson and Horvat are terrific options down the middle, the depth pairing-calibre season isn’t out of the picture, and he flashed that stops there. As of now, it seems as if the Canucks have the intention of potential briefly in a five-game stint to finish last season. If he can jump in trying Adam Gaudette in that role, which doesn’t bode well for the team’s as power-play quarterback, there’s a chance for him to provide big value. immediate future. He is one of the lowest-rated players in the league. It’s difficult to foresee anyone else on the back end doing the same, Gaudette turns 23 at the start of the season, and though he came though. Newcomer Myers comes in with a lot of hype and a lot of dollars attached with a lot of hype after some terrific seasons at Northeastern in attached to his name, but will likely struggle to back up either. While he’s Hockey East, his skill set simply did not translate in his rookie season likely more valuable than some analysts suggest and could thrive in a when he scored just 12 points in 56 games. More alarming is how the bigger role, he still didn’t show much in a mostly sheltered role for the Canucks performed any time he stepped on the ice. Among forwards Jets last season. His expected goals rate was 48 percent on the third who played 500 minutes, none had a worse expected goals differential pair, with most of his issues stemming from his own end. He’s fine on than Gaudette’s minus-1.27, and he was one of just four players to be offence but seems to struggle defensively, which might seem outchanced by one expected goal every 60 minutes. It’s a putrid number counterintuitive for a player of his stature. Mostly, he uses that size to that rates as the seventh-worst mark since 2007-08, with little hope rack up penalties, and his projected minus-14 penalty differential is a coming from the peer group he finds himself in. rough mark.

The massive play-driving problem manifested at both ends of the ice Alex Edler projects to be even less disciplined, though, giving the where Gaudette’s expected goals for ranked second last while his Canucks the potential for some penalty trouble on the assumed top pair. expected goals against was 12th last, just 0.05 away from the bottom 10. Edler looks even weaker by most shot rate stats, but he’s tasked with Only one other player — Mikkel Boedker, who is expected to be outside one of the league’s most difficult situations in not only stopping Ottawa’s starting lineup — was bottom 25 in both. The kicker: This all opponents’ best players but also in being paired with players who can’t transpired in heavily sheltered minutes, further lessening his value. The handle the role. Maybe Myers can help solidify the top pair — he is a Canucks better hope he had a hell of an offseason because it seems capable puck-mover, which the team has been missing — but it’s more very unlikely he can adequately make the jump to be a dependable third- likely the team will continue to struggle there. It’s hard to be optimistic line centre. It speaks volumes that Jay Beagle, a dime-a-dozen fourth- about the team’s chances when its top pair still looks relatively weak. It’s line centre is valued higher, and there’s no chance he can dependably fill rated as the third worst in the league and there are 19 teams with a that void. second pair that’s stronger — including this one if Hughes ends up being The bottom-six centres should have some help on the left side though as good as many expect. with plenty of options. Antoine Roussel likely won’t be healthy to start the The other defenders are mostly unremarkable seat-fillers, projected to be season, but he’s a rare Canucks free-agent signing that has actually nothing more than third-pairing options. Chris Tanev is still OK worked out. He’s an underrated talent who scored at a first-line rate and defensively, but he’s no longer at the point where it outweighs his was second on the team in expected goals percentage. Josh Leivo was offensive deficiencies. Injuries have seriously derailed what looked to be first and the only Canucks forward above 50 percent and could be a a promising career for the stay-at-home veteran. decent option while Roussel recovers. Sven Baertschi should figure into the mix, too, though it’s possible he’s fallen out of favour after an injury- Goaltending looks like it should be one of the team’s biggest strengths riddled 2018-19 season. once again and could help cover up the flaws of the defence group in front of it. Jacob Markstrom’s save percentage the last three seasons has The right side is much less deep, starting with Jake Virtanen. He been .910, .912 and .912, with the latter two being his two years as de matched his career-high points per 60 from a year ago, but it’s still a facto starter. He’s clearly found a range, and it’s where my model lowly 1.27 at five-on-five. Virtanen is still young, but it’s difficult to expect projects him to finish this season as well. much more from him than the fourth-line quality or worse he’s shown so far. That he struggles to drive play only adds to that as his 41 percent Despite the numbers looking similar from year to year, last season was expected goals rate was only better than Gaudette’s. Having those two clearly his best as the shot difficulty ramped up in a season when league on the same line is a recipe for disaster. average shooting percentage increased. He saved eight goals above expected, one of the league’s better marks, and the Canucks have to Well, that’s for players who played more than 500 minutes; Brandon hope he can continue being above average there. If so, and the new and Sutter was worse than both at 38 percent (and had a team-low 0.74 improved defence makes things easier in front of him, the team can find points per 60), in 325 minutes, though his were arguably tougher in a a way to surprise. season plagued by injury — a common theme for a Canucks team with the ninth-lowest average games played projection among its starters. While the team is clearly selling the idea of this being a playoff team, Based on Sutter’s expected start on the fourth line, I’m expecting his Vancouver actually making it should be seen as exactly that: a surprise. minutes to drastically reduce from last season’s 17:28 (!), but given the While there are some strong pieces coming together and plenty of hope reverence he usually gets, perhaps we’ll have to see an actual minute coming from the youth, there’s simply too much missing here. From reduction to believe it. If he gets anywhere close to 17 minutes again, I’m difference-makers on defence to depth issues at forward, there are too not sure how this team can legitimately picture themselves in the many holes remaining to fill to be optimistic about the team’s chances. playoffs, though he shouldn’t be nearly as bad as he was last season. There’s a chance, there’s always a chance, and in Vancouver it’s the The bottom six is a mess, but the problems for Vancouver don’t end best chance the team has had in years — but it’s still not a great one. there. Though the defence corps will be better overall compared with the The Canucks just aren’t there yet. drudge Vancouver was icing for the last half decade, it’s still well below what other competitive teams can ice. There, the gap is 3.3 projected Market expectations wins, which is even larger than the one for the bottom six. Fix one aspect Vancouver Canucks: 88.5 points and the team can fight for the playoffs. Fix both and the team would be outside the league’s top 10 and challenging for home ice in a weak Like the Rangers yesterday, the Canucks open with a pretty decent line Pacific division. It shows just how much further this team has to go. on the market after a strong offseason, and once again it feels a touch too high. It’s not far off, but this team still has a number of unsolved The defence underwent a hefty overhaul during the offseason. Out goes problems and it’s hard to picture them that close to the playoff race. Ben Hutton, Derrick Pouliot and Luke Schenn. In goes Tyler Myers, What fans predict

Public sample: 1,337

Fan sample: 156

There’s a four-point gap between what Vancouver’s own fans believe will happen this season and what the rest of the hockey world thinks. After an offseason full of changes, it appears the team is ready to take the next step, but it seems as if Canucks fans are getting a bit overzealous as 47 percent of those surveyed think the team will make the playoffs. It’s not impossible, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

What The Athletic insider thinks

Harman Dayal: My expectation heading into these projections was that the Canucks might find themselves in the 16-20 range, so it certainly came as a bit of a surprise to see them clock in at 25. In taking a step back, I can understand some of the skepticism from Dom’s model. I’ve written extensively on how the Canucks’ bottom six sunk the team last year, and barring unforeseen rapid development from Adam Gaudette or a big bounce back from Brandon Sutter, those issues are likely to persist.

Looking at the back end, I am a little bit more bullish than Dom’s model. Troy Stecher, in particular, is someone I’m higher on as he’s shown very well in transition by Corey Sznajder’s data as someone who’s consistently led zone exits and offensive zone entries with possession. Couple that with the fact he took a notable step forward last year as a play driver with above-average defensive value and I actually believe he’s the team’s best right-handed defenceman (that might not mean much on this back end, but it still speaks to how I feel Stecher’s been valued in this model).

I also feel that the team is stronger on the right wing compared with the model. Tanner Pearson was reportedly playing through injury and was quite productive in a small sample with Bo Horvat. Jake Virtanen produced offensively at five-on-five at a pretty strong pace when playing away from Brandon Sutter and through his early career showed much stronger two-way value and the ability to drive a positive penalty differential with how many calls he’d draw — two factors that slipped significantly last season and could rebound.

These are nitpicks and you’re talking about marginal areas of improvement, but one facet I’m not sure is fully captured here is the potential special-teams boost the Canucks could get on the power play. After finishing in the top 10 in 2017-18, Vancouver was well below average on the man advantage despite having a lot of talent at their disposal. Add offensive weapons like Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller and Micheal Ferland to supplement the power play and add more depth to the first and second units and I believe the power play could quite conceivably finish in the top 10 — an improvement that would translate to 10-18 goals compared with this past year.

I think it’s important to realize that despite their lower ranking, the Canucks shine brighter than in years past. The playoffs are a legitimate possibility, and the model clearly believes they’ve improved by a significant extent.

Overall, there seems to be a consensus building that the most probable outcome for the Canucks is that they’re an 85-90 point team next season. That the model has them on the lower end of that range is understandable, and even if I’m a bit more positive on the chances of them making the playoffs, it’s not a huge difference of perception. The margin between the most likely outcome for Vancouver and more established playoff contenders is close enough that factors such as injuries and luck could sway things in either direction.

The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151684 Websites a lot of these teams are carrying some of those mid-level contracts that are taking up cap space. Something has to give.

But it’s not just about teams who are tight against the cap like Toronto, The Athletic / Why term appears to be the major stumbling block in many Tampa Bay or Winnipeg. of the current RFA standoffs Take Colorado. They’ve got loads of cap room. Now. But in a few years when Nathan MacKinnon is up again, and young Cale Makar is coming By Pierre LeBrun Sep 3, 2019 off his entry-level deal, that won’t be the case. This is a young, talented team but it’s going to be expensive and require a sound plan to keep all of the pieces together over time.

How little has changed in eight weeks, right? “Well that’s just it,” Sakic said. “We’re OK right now (with cap room) but in a couple of years, we’re not going to be. We’ve got to do what’s right by I started my summer holiday July 3 with so many of the high-profile RFAs our organization. Every team has their own internal structure as to how nowhere close to being signed. they do things.’’ Two months later it’s Sept. 3, and Brayden Point (Tampa Bay), Matthew The question is, are any of these situations headed for a William Tkachuk (Calgary), Mitch Marner (Toronto), Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), Nylander-like mess requiring Dec. 1 deadline drama? Patrik Laine (Winnipeg), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg), Brock Boeser (Vancouver), Zach Werenski (Columbus), Ivan Provorov (Philadelphia), GMs and agents around the league can perhaps take lessons from how Travis Konecny (Philadelphia), Charlie McAvoy (Boston) and there’s that played out last season. Dubas has certainly learned from it. more … they all remained unsigned. “We’ve spoken very openly in the past about the situation with William We’ve written for the past 12 months about how this class of high-end and my own personal regrets and the amount of blame that I feel needs RFA coming out of their entry-level deals was going to overhaul the to be shouldered for the way that that went,” said Dubas. “The fact that system, or at least attempt to. William missed two and a half months of the season if you want to include camp and just really wasn’t set up to have a good season. This Now comes crunch time. Camp is around the corner. The regular season situation I think for all of these players is a little bit different because I starts next month. For these negotiations, this is go-time. would assume, and I know in our case, we’ve been working at it for a If anyone thought the offer sheet signing of Sebastian Aho matched by while. I took the job over in May 2018. In William’s case, we only had four Carolina and the re-signing of Timo Meier in San Jose both in early July months before camp to be working on it. These ones here, they’re 10 was going to help fast track any of these other RFA situations, well, they months past that, I would assume most of the other teams have been were wrong. working on their situations and their players for the time at least. So I don’t know how similar these situations are to William’s. “It’s tough to say,’’ Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said on Tuesday morning when I asked him what he extrapolated from the long list of high- “On both sides, the teams and the players’ side, I would really say there’s end RFAs still unsigned. “Two of the restricted free agents came off the probably a strong incentive for everybody not to have their player miss board on the first day (July 1) with Aho and Meier and since then not only time and for the players not to miss time,’’ added Dubas. “I’m hopeful not the guys that are always talked about but even working way down the just for our case but for our every case that that is the outcome. Because list, there hasn’t seemed to be any activity at all. I don’t know what to put I don’t think for the benefit of hockey in general that we need high-end that on or what to equate that with, really; other than now that we’re into players missing time.’’ September and rookie tournaments are going to start this week and the Let’s take a specific look at some of these situations: business of hockey will proverbially get back and running, I think everybody hopes to see some activity. Mitch Marner

“Because these are all excellent young players,’’ Dubas added. “I don’t For what it’s worth, I was talking to an agent recently who has nothing to think we want to see them missing camp or missing time. Not just our do with the Marner negotiation, just an outsider opining, but he heard situation but every situation throughout the league.’’ through the grapevine that “Toronto was trying the hardest at trying to get something done with Marner.’’ There is so much media attention on the Marner situation with the Leafs, of course, and we’ll delve more into that below. But again, the situation in A comment which I shared with Dubas on Tuesday. Toronto is not a unique one. It really is crazy — even if we saw it coming — how many of these stars or stars in the making remain unsigned “I don’t know where they would get that from necessarily,” the Leafs GM today. said. “It’s hard for me to answer that because I don’t know exactly what every other team is doing or what every other team is doing with regards “It’s been talked about ad nauseam, really the whole year, and here we to their efforts to sign their players. I know how we’ve handled it, going are,” Flames GM Brad Treliving said on Tuesday morning. “Unique time back over a year ago in this case. Mitch is a spectacular, young player. for sure. But you just keep working away at it. That’s all you do with any He’s a spectacular person. We want to have him here. We don’t want to of these things, you keep daily picking away and hopefully find some have him miss any days, period. So that’s the way we’ve handled it and common ground and eventually put it together.’’ the amount of effort we’ve put into it.’’

I remember talking to Avalanche GM back in June and while Agent Darren Ferris has kept a low profile this offseason throughout the he was hoping to get something done earlier with his star winger, he Marner talks and maintained that tact on Tuesday when I reached out. knew back then it might play out longer and he would have to be patient with Rantanen’s camp. “I wouldn’t comment on the negotiations just for respect to the process,’’ Ferris said. “It seems like a wait and see for a lot of those guys,” Sakic said on Monday, referring to the long list of RFAs. “We’ve had dialogue and that’s Others sources suggest teams have talked to the Marner camp regarding going to continue from our standpoint until Mikko signs. We’ll see where an offer sheet. Frankly, if I were a team interested in Marner, I would try this goes. It’s probably the first time so many of these guys are RFAs and to trade for him instead. are still yet to be signed.’’ And while Dubas wasn’t going to get into specifics, obviously teams have Yes indeed. phoned. But the Leafs clearly don’t want to trade him.

As I stated in one my (rare) summer tweets, the difficulty is that while “You know, you talk to every team about different things that come up there’s no denying the impact all these young players have — and that and different things that are going on,” Dubas said. “Anytime a player the numbers strongly suggest teams should be investing more heavily in doesn’t have a contract or has a suspected stalemate I think if the other their younger core players and be more careful with players over 30 — GMs are doing their jobs and they’re great at what they do, they’re going it’s not easy to overhaul the system overnight. to find out what’s going on and whether there’s a fit there.

Sure, it’s becoming evident the mid-level roster player is going to take a “But that’s not a real avenue that we’ve even remotely explored,” the hit in future negotiations as the system recalibrates, but in the meantime, Leafs GM added. “It’s our full intention that Mitch Marner will be a Toronto Maple Leaf for a very long time and that’s everything we’re “I mean you’d certainly want everyone signed but it’s not shocking, no,” working towards.’’ Treliving said on Tuesday. “And so, all you do, and it sounds boring and cliche, but you just keep working away at it. So that’s what we plan on One narrative that has taken hold over the past year that I think Dubas doing. These things take time. We haven’t even started training camp would like to squash is this notion that while Marner might have wanted yet. I always remain confident and positive that you’ll get it put together. to sign a year ago, that the Leafs weren’t interested because they wanted It’s unique here with all the guys (around the NHL) that are there. But that to get Nylander signed first. doesn’t necessarily change everyone’s individual approach. You just Not the case, Dubas clarified. keep working away at it.’’

“If we would have had the opportunity to sign Mitch or Auston or William Patrik Laine early on to a deal that we thought would fit within the framework of what As I’ve said before, a bridge deal makes the most sense for me here. we were doing or they were willing to sign, for us there was no trying to Laine, after struggling at times last season, should bet on himself with a delay it, there was no trying to push it down the road,” Dubas said. couple of big years and come back for a mega-deal in a few seasons. “Going through all this, actually the first person once I took the job that I The Jets could use the benefits of a bridge deal to make the cap work met with regarding any contract at all was Darren (Ferris), at the right now when their window to win is still open. combine. Both Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Laine’s agent Liut declined to “I know that’s been floated out there and said (Leafs not willing to sign comment but it appears talks picked up last week. Which doesn’t Marner a year ago), but from our end of it, we don’t look back and regret necessarily mean anything. anything at all because we’ve just handled the situation as it’s come.’’ Brock Boeser So how does this end? Like Point, I thought for whatever reason Boeser would have been done While the Leafs, I think, would much rather have Marner signed long early, especially after Meier signed in San Jose. I think you can draw term, I believe the idea of a three-year bridge deal has been broached by some comparisons between Meier and Boeser. both sides. The question is, at what AAV? That’s where the problem still lies. Finding a number that works on a shorter deal. But it’s still not done.

Mikko Rantanen “We’ve been negotiating Brock’s contract for over a year now, hopefully we can get a deal done before training camp or the start of the season,” In this situation, I believe both sides are further away on term rather than Boeser’s agent Ben Hankinson wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday. “It’s an dollars. exciting season ahead for Canucks fans and Brock doesn’t want to miss Which is a theme for many of these current RFA negotiations. Just like anything.’’ Carolina would have wanted Aho for eight years instead of the five years Canucks GM Jim Benning remains hopeful. they will get after matching the offer sheet from Montreal, the same is true for many of these negotiations. “We’ve been working on this all summer and we’re going to continue to work on it,’’ Benning told me on Tuesday. “I’m hopeful that we can get “I prefer longer myself,” Sakic said. “With our situation, we want to get something done here this next week and a half so he’s here for the start Mikko done long term. More than the five years. We prefer long term and of camp.’’ hopefully, we can work towards getting that accomplished that here.’’ Meier signed for four years and a $6-million AAV, he’s still an RFA for On the flip side, again staying away from five years where the player one more year after his deal, although his final year salary is $10 million walks himself into unrestricted free agency, the other solution is a which gives him a very nice qualifying offer position. shorter-term bridge deal which I think has also come up in talks between the Avs and Rantanen’s agent Mike Liut. My sense is that they’ve Again if I had to guess on what is holding up Boeser and the Canucks I exchanged offers and counter-offers but nothing close at this point. would say mostly term. It’s a theme throughout the league in these talks.

Brayden Point Zach Werenski

This is the one that surprises me the most. I think because of the culture Status quo with the RFA Blue Jackets blueliner. established in Tampa with the contracts that Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy signed, I had that feeling that Point “No update, still confident it will get done before camp, that’s all,’’ Jackets might be the first of the high-end RFAs to ink a deal this summer. GM Jarmo Kekalainen said on Tuesday.

I was wrong. I would have to guess term again is an issue in this one. No way the Jackets would want to let Werenski walk into his UFA status. Both Tampa GM Julien BriseBois and Point’s agent Gerry Johansson declined to comment on how talks were going. My sense, quite frankly, is Judging from the way Columbus took a hard line in the past with Ryan that there haven’t been that many discussions this summer between the Johansson and Josh Anderson in RFA negotiations, I can’t see the sides. But that certainly should change now with the specter of camp Jackets giving in here. around the corner. These are only a handful of the RFAs that are still without a deal, what a Johansson, I’m told, is meeting with Point on Wednesday in Calgary to month or two it’s going to be on this front. further strategize with his client. The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 Point had a hip procedure done after the season but it sounds like he’s right on schedule in his recovery and should be ready for the start of the season.

Matthew Tkachuk

Again, the issue here is term. I think the Tkachuk camp led by Newport Sports would prefer five years while the Flames want to avoid that. I think there’s been talk of shorter-term scenarios and also longer-term but again like most teams, avoiding five years where the players go straight to UFA is what this is about for the Flames.

And I’m not sure a whole lot has changed since the June draft when both sides met.

Therefore, I don’t think it’s any surprise that it’s September and like many other RFAs, Tkachuk remains unsigned. 1151685 Websites coming from Montreal, he’s their development guy, so got real close to him and it just shows how great of a guy he is to just open up about that and own up to that.

The Athletic / NHL/NHLPA Rookie Orientation Program is an introduction “So, to hear what he’s been through and how he wishes he’d never have to the pitfalls of being a professional athlete done it and I think just taking little pieces of advice from him is something that everyone should do. I mean it’s not a joke. And people can say, ‘oh, I’ve heard this three or four times,’ but at the end of the day you can’t By Scott Burnside Sep 3, 2019 hear it enough. These are things that are real-life that can change your life in literally a matter of minutes, so to just know that and have that

reassurance from him to let you know what to do and what not to do is In 2007, the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL decided to help something you shouldn’t take for granted.” educate its young players as they transitioned from fresh-faced juniors In all, 13 former NHL players, many of whom work for the NHL or NHLPA and collegiate players to professional hockey players. in various capacities, were on hand to share their experiences, stories, How to stay out of trouble. How to make sure they made the most of their advice or just casual conversation with players at the opposite end of the lucrative salaries. How the league works and how to make the most of career arc. their careers. Among those presenters whose story left a deep impression was Kevin Great idea and long overdue given that for previous generations it had Stevens, the two-time 50-goal scorer and two-time Stanley Cup been sink or swim for kids showing up in the NHL. champion with the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins who saw drug addiction and alcohol abuse derail his career and leave his personal life So for the first six years of the program, league and union officials met in tatters. and discussed these weighty topics on the morning of the draft. Stevens is now a special assignment scout with the Penguins but also Great idea. Maybe not the best timing. regularly shares his story of recovery.

“The kids are just sitting there shaking, nervous, there’s no chance in hell Poehling, for one, remains stunned by how someone could go from that this is going to stick with them,” said Mathieu Schneider, longtime scoring 190 goals in a four-year span to losing it all. NHLer and current special assistant to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr. “I can’t even imagine going from that to literally having the cops knock on your door or bang on your door,” Poehling said. “I mean no one can So seven years ago, with the completion of the current collective imagine that.” bargaining agreement, the league and the players’ association decided that the Rookie Orientation Program deserved more resources and time. The former St. Cloud State star whom the Canadiens selected 25th overall in the 2017 draft and who wowed Hab fans with a hat-trick in his Just two weeks ago close to 80 top young players, some of whom had NHL debut at the end of last season is no different than any of his played some NHL games last season and others who are expected to be colleagues who attended the ROP. fixtures on their respective teams in the coming months, descended on Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., about 45 minutes outside “Everyone right now, we’re all young and we’re about to head into our Washington, D.C., for the seventh iteration of the ROP. professional careers and you feel untouched,” Poehling said. “And I think those are the kinds of stories that remind you that just because you’re in Over the two-and-a-half days, the young players mixed in some golf and this state of mind right now doesn’t mean this can’t happen to you. It’s some lighthearted moments provided by a Second City comedy troupe more of a reality check, and I think I took that to heart with him in with in-depth discussions on a diverse range of topics designed to make particular.” their transition to the NHL a smooth one. Among the former players who had a hand in the various topics covered “They have the on-ice part of it down. The off-ice stuff sometimes you get during the retreat was George Parros, the head of player safety for the blinders on as a professional athlete and trying to break into the NHL or NHL, explained the league’s supplemental discipline system. any pro sport and you lose sight of everything else,” said Schneider. “In the meantime, whether it’s finances or guys’ personal lives, relationships Andrew Ference and Jay Harrison presented on social media and player with their girlfriends, fiancés, wives, kids, all those things are important development. and there’s an awful lot of information that gets thrown at these guys and Rob Zamuner shared information during the group sessions on finances. the hope is they pick up a couple of different things that really resonate.” Kevin Westgarth weighed in on media relations, and health and safety So, how important could all of this be? issues, while Joe Reekie spoke on concussions and the value of second Given some of the presentations, it’s not a stretch to suggest that if these opinions. players take to heart what was being shared with them, it could save Because the young players so clearly respond to hearing from former careers, if not lives. players, it’s been a priority to include as many former players in the ROP Certainly that is the kind of somber message delivered by longtime as possible. NHLer and current director of player development for the Montreal “It’s critical,” said deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly. Canadiens, Rob Ramage. It’s pretty simple. To hear from those players there is an automatic Ramage, as he has for the past several years, shared his story of the element of trust, Poehling said. unthinkable. He was the driver in an accident that took the life of friend and former NHL player Keith Magnuson, as they were headed to an NHL “It just makes it so much easier to pay attention,” he said. alumni event. He told the young players, most between the ages of 18 and 22, the details of his conviction for impaired driving causing death Shane Doan, who retired after the 2017 season with 1,540 NHL games and the almost year he spent behind bars. to his credit and is currently working with the NHL’s Hockey Operations department, was part of the opening presentation. Part of the challenge in putting on a program like the ROP is finding a way to make the topics resonate when discussing drinking and driving, “He still resonates with these guys to a large degree,” Daly said. drug use, performance-enhancing drugs, and dealing with the media and “Everybody sits up and listens.” social media. Doan joked that it took him literally years to learn some of the things that But hearing directly from a man who played more than 1,000 NHL regular were being laid for the young players in a few days at the start of their season games and won a Stanley Cup in Calgary in 1989, and then careers. walked through the doors of a prison near Kingston, Ontario, having been In his early days in Winnipeg, he relied on the tutelage of older players responsible for the death of a close friend is as personal as it gets. like Kris King (who now also works in the NHL’s hockey ops group), “It’s very special,” said Canadiens prospect Ryan Poehling, who was Teemu Selanne, Teppo Numminen and Keith Tkachuk. Now Doan among the attendees at this year’s event. “I’ve known Rob for a while watched as young players were learning about nutrition and financial advice, sometimes in advance of their first NHL game. These players are going to be paid handsomely, “but you don’t realize The league and the players’ union follow up with players after ROP, how quickly it can go and how short a span you have to earn it,” Doan gauging which sessions were well-received and how adjustments might said. be made moving forward.

That is an important lesson to learn. Still, there are some core issues that remain constant as things that young players need to be aware of, like domestic violence, the resources Most of these players have dreamed the NHL for years. That dream is available to players and their families and the tools players can use to about the game and all that comes with it. Sometimes, though, having help defuse potentially explosive situations. been suddenly dropped into the middle of the milieu, young people have a difficult time staying focused on the nature of their dream. There is always a presentation explaining the jointly operated Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program that has been helping players and “You can’t let the game become secondary,” the longtime Arizona their families who struggle with drug and alcohol dependency and mental captain said. health issues.

What was shared in a number of the sessions in Virginia was a reminder The financial component of ROP is also an important part of the itinerary. that if players take care of the game, the game takes care of them, Doan added. Listening to financial experts, as well as former players talk about their own experiences and the financial end of being a pro player is important This year’s ROP comes with an especially sobering back story. for those young players who are mature enough to understand the finite Eighteen of the players who attended the ROP gathering were also part element of being a hockey player. of the NHLPA’s annual rookie showcase, including Poehling, No.1 overall “Coming from college, you make no money and all of a sudden hopefully pick Jack Hughes and his brother Quinn (the seventh-overall pick in now you’re playing in the NHL and you make a lot,” Poehling explained. 2018). “But you think you’re rich now but you’ve got to look at the long-term That showcase was held at the Washington Capitals’ practice facility in aspects of the whole thing.” Arlington, Va., where NHL star Evgeny Kuznetsov has been skating in If a good career is 10 years that still puts these young men in their early preparation for the coming season. That’s assuming NHL commissioner 30s when done. Gary Bettman rules that the talented center can take part in training camp and regular season games after Kuznetsov tested positive for “I feel like when I’m done with hockey I don’t want to feel like my life’s cocaine at the World Championships last May. over. I want to feel like there’s a new beginning and you have time to adjust to that new lifestyle, so that’s where the financial thing was very Kuznetsov was seen in a video taken last season in Las Vegas with a helpful for myself,” Poehling said. group of people and an unidentified white powder on a table. Kuznetsov insisted that he’d never done drugs when the league and the Capitals The ROP isn’t the only forum in which players are exposed to this kind of investigated the background of the video in the spring shortly before his information. Presumably players and their families have been searching positive test. out answers to the kinds of questions posed at ROP for some time now.

It’s believed Kuznetsov, who voluntarily entered the jointly operated Many player agents, especially those who are part of larger NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program, will be organizations, offer similar expertise as part of off-season camps and able to return to the team when camp begins in less than two weeks. get-togethers. Still, the news of his four-year ban from international hockey and required interview with the NHL commissioner would have brought another real- But the ROP ensures that players from all teams are exposed to what is life element to the ROP proceedings, even if it wasn’t discussed formally. critical information.

Schneider said player privacy is critical to the success of the SABH Each team submits a list of two to three players, and the league program, which is why they wouldn’t have addressed the Kuznetsov assembles the list of invitees from that list. Barring special issue specifically. But the Kuznetsov situation was or should have been a circumstances, the expectation is that an invitation means the player will reminder to the young players in attendance that vigilance in terms of attend ROP. being aware of your surroundings and the company you’re keeping, and The event is “just one touchpoint,” Schneider said. the decisions you make vis a vis drugs and alcohol can have long-term effects on your career. “We need to continually repeat the messaging when we get a chance, when we get in front of these guys.” Daly said Kuznetsov’s situation was discussed more indirectly than directly. At the end of the day, it’s always difficult to put a quantitative element on whether something like the ROP works. “There’s a lot of that messaging about making good decisions and not putting yourself in bad positions, including with respect to the use of “It’s not one plus two equals three kind of math,” Daly acknowledged. drugs and alcohol,” Daly said. “That point is made countless times … But there is a way of assessing the NHL landscape and then asking from different people. I don’t think you needed to use a specific player’s whether for the most part the players in a league that is getting circumstance to make that point and for it to get across.” consistently and persistently younger and younger is functioning the way The only time Kuznetsov actually came up was in some of the media owners, general managers, coaches and the players themselves would training when the young players were role-playing how to respond to like it to function in terms of being seen as a positive entity. difficult questions about teammates or other players in a mock media “We’ve always been fortunate, very fortunate with the sport,” Daly said. situation. As in, how would you respond if you were asked about a “Our guys are really good. Really good in their communities, really good teammate or other player being in a similar situation? with their teams and their teammates, really good with their behavior as a In the seven years that the league and the players’ association have general manner. You hope that continues. You hope that they get the been helping to educate young players on the cusp of their careers, the right messages and take away the right information and continue to format and makeup of the program has evolved. represent the sport and the league and their teams in a first-class manner. And certainly the messages they get here can help contribute to The messages have changed to reflect changes in society. that.”

For instance, there are separate sessions on dealing with the media and The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 social media.

In the beginning, the league felt it was more prudent for players to avoid social media as much as possible.

“We’ve changed our position 180 degrees on that,” Daly said.

Now it’s accepted that properly handled social media helps a player’s brand, helps the specific team’s brand and big-picture the NHL profile.

“Virtually all of these kids are on social media,” Daly noted. 1151686 Websites eventually demand that the Oilers tear up his deal and give him something better, the way that many NFL stars do. Back before the 2005 CBA, the NHL used to see big-name holdouts with some frequency, but The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Ten intriguing CBA ideas the NHL they were essentially eliminated once contracts couldn’t be renegotiated could borrow from other sports (but probably won’t) by either side.

Will we ever see it?: Let’s hope not. Even though the NFL offers more security than you might think and empowers their biggest stars, its By Sean McIndoe Sep 3, 2019 system is still stacked against the majority of players. Given everything we know about risks to players’ long-term health, nobody should be

rooting for a massive work stoppage just to take away more of their The NHL’s CBA is making headlines again and for a change, the news security. might actually be good. The league announced last week that they’ll That covers the elephant in the room. But there are other ideas that the decline their option to reopen the agreement next year, and there’s a NHL could borrow from the competition … chance that the NHLPA will decide to do the same. If so, what had seemed like an inevitable 2020 lockout would be avoided, or at least Contracts with option years pushed back until 2022. Borrowed from: MLB, NFL and NBA But whether the next CBA comes in a year or down the road, it probably won’t represent a radical change in the way the league does business. How it works: A player’s contract can include an additional year at an The 2005 deal that ushered in a hard cap was quite literally a game- agreed-on price that only triggers if the team or player decides to activate changer, one that reshaped just about everything about how the league it. operated. But the 2013 deal didn’t change all that much. And even as All of the big three leagues feature options in some form. In the NFL, both sides eye each other warily and stake out their PR ground, there every first-round pick gets a four-year deal with a team option for a fifth doesn’t seem to be much appetite to make major changes to a system that must be picked up after the third season. NBA contracts can feature that seems to be working reasonably well. both player and team options; star player like Kawhi Leonard and Kevin That’s almost certainly a good thing, at least from the perspective of fans Durant became free agents by declining their player options this summer. who just want to see a new deal get done without yet another lockout. MLB contracts can feature either player or team options, with team But it’s always possible that one side (or both) might decide to ask for options typically including a buyout paid to the player if a team doesn’t bigger changes. And they wouldn’t have to look far for inspiration, pick it up. (MLB deals have also seen mutual options, which are weird because the three largest North American pro leagues could all offer up but could occasionally make sense for both sides.) some ideas from their current agreements. What it would mean for the NHL: More flexibility for both sides. Team Today, let’s imagine a world where the current CBA needed more than options could reduce the risk of certain signings, while player options minor tinkering. Here are ten CBA ideas that the NHL could borrow from could give players more control of their future. That works both ways; the NBA, NFL and MLB, and how they’d impact the sport. team options mean less security for players, and player options can create headaches for their teams. And you could add a layer of We’ll start with the big one … complexity by allowing options that become guaranteed based on a player’s performance. No guaranteed contracts Will we ever see it?: We used to. The NHL used to have had option Borrowed from: NFL years, back before the 2005 CBA. But they were eliminated in that deal, How it works: The NFL is the only major league where contracts aren’t making the league an outlier among North American pro sports. It’s not guaranteed, so teams can essentially walk away from a deal whenever unthinkable that we could see them return, although it’s not a subject that they want. If a big star signs a five-year extension for mega-dollars and seems to come up often these days. then doesn’t live up to the deal through the first year, his team can just Larry Bird exception cut him and move on. (It’s a little more complicated than that, but we’ll stay out of the weeds here.) Borrowed from: The NBA. I’m guessing the name might have been a hint.

What it would mean for the NHL: Armageddon, probably. Whenever you How it works: It’s complicated and comes in different flavors, but talk about worst-case scenarios for NHL labor talks, this is the one basically Bird Rights allows teams to go over the salary cap to re-sign demand the league could make that could lead to another 2004-05 type their own players. It’s a way to promote continuity and encourage star of shutdown. The players would have no choice but to push back as hard players to stick around. Teams can also offer their own players more as possible. Most CBA demands that either side could make would be money than they could get in free agency, where the max contract the equivalent of face washes in a scrum; this one would empty both system limits how much the biggest stars can sign for. benches. What it would mean for the NHL: Fewer cap headaches, for one. If the But let’s pretend it happened. What would a new NHL without NHL had something like Bird Rights, a team like the Lightning could go guaranteed contracts look like? Not necessarily like you think it would, over the salary cap to re-sign Brayden Point. The rule would help the because many fans don’t really understand how the NFL system works. best teams stay together, and lessen (but not eliminate) the pressure on Cup-winning teams like the Blackhawks or Penguins to dismantle their While it’s true that NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed, that doesn’t mean rosters. that terminating them is painless. NFL players (and their agents) know that they don’t have long-term security, so they make sure to get as (In theory, an NHL version of the rule could also follow the NBA model by much of their total as possible through signing bonuses and other allowing teams to exceed the maximum 20 percent cap hit on their own guaranteed money. It’s not unusual for most of the money in a big NFL players. But since nobody gets close to that in today’s league, it wouldn’t contract to be guaranteed on day one. NHL players would demand the really matter.) same security. Will we ever see it?: Fans seem to like the idea; nobody wants to see Most of the money isn’t all of the money, and the NFL’s system still tilts their favorite players leave town because of cap constraints. The problem heavily in favor of the teams over the players – especially the ones who is that this sort of rule moves your system from a hard cap to a softer aren’t big stars and can’t insist on huge bonuses. But cutting a player on version, and the NHL has never shown any inclination to head in that a long-term deal can have serious cap implications, often creating big direction. Unless that changes, the additional year teams are currently chunks of immediate dead money. Hockey fans dreaming of a world allowed to offer their own players is probably as close as we’ll get. where their favorite team could just painlessly wash their hands of all of its worst signings won’t find the answer in the NFL’s system. Draft pick compensation for free agents

And remember, nonguaranteed contracts can cut both ways. The NHL’s Borrowed from: We’re looking at the MLB system, although the NFL has ironclad deals mean that, for example, Connor McDavid is locked into his a version as well. current eight-year contract, even as inferior players eventually blow by him with better deals. If contracts weren’t guaranteed, he could How it works: Up until a few years ago, teams that lost UFAs who’d How it works: Like the NHL, the NBA and NFL have limits on how much a received qualifying offers were eligible for draft pick compensation up to rookie can be paid. But unlike the NHL, those limits come from a sliding a first-round pick from the team that signed the player away. The players scale based on where the player was drafted. didn’t like that, because it depressed the market – teams weren’t willing to offer as much to a free agent if they knew they’d also lose a high draft Meanwhile, baseball doesn’t have quite the same concept because pick. The 2017 CBA changed the system, with teams now receiving picks players rarely go straight from the draft to the majors, so salary isn’t from the league in a special round between the first and second, while immediately an issue. But signing bonuses are, and those are largely the signing teams surrender lower picks than they previously had. Still, based on draft position. the basic concept remains – lose a star free agent, get a draft pick as What it would mean for the NHL: Players like McDavid and Auston compensation. Matthews and (presumably) Jack Hughes would go from being ridiculous What it would mean for the NHL: Potentially, more players hitting the bargains in the early years of their deal to merely great bargains. free-agent market. These days, not many top players hit the open Will we ever see it?: To some extent, the NHL already covers this market, although that’s been changing. Part of that is because teams are through the rookie bonus system, which makes sure that elite young so reluctant to let players walk for nothing. But if a team knew they’d get players can make more than the near-minimum that most rookies get. a decent pick as compensation, they may be more willing to let players Would they go further? I’m not sure they’d need to, and the NHLPA is walk. In theory, that could open up the market and make July 1 more typically more focused on veterans than on incoming rookies who interesting. technically aren’t members yet. The NFL only added its system in 2011 Of course, that would also mean less action at the trade deadline. Teams after rookie deals started getting out of control, which is hardly the case wouldn’t feel as much pressure to rent out their expiring deals, and we’d in hockey. (And it’s worth pointing out that some see the NFL system as probably see more bubble teams take a Blue Jackets-style approach and an overcorrection.) hold onto their assets. 10-day contracts

Will we ever see it?: Longtime readers know that I’m all in on conjuring Borrowed from: NBA up drafts picks to juice a sagging market. I don’t get the sense that the NHL feels the same, although this is one of the few entries on our list that How it works: Pretty much how it sounds. NBA teams can use 10-day would make a GM’s job easier, so there’s at least a chance they could deals to either plug a short-term roster hole or give a player a tryout and push for it someday. see if he fits in the lineup.

Then again, maybe you don’t want to see more star players hitting the What it would mean for the NHL: You know those PTOs we see during free-agent market. If not, there’s an option for that too … training camp? A lot like that, but during the season.

The franchise tag Will we ever see it?: The NHL wouldn’t necessarily need these sorts of deals since unlike the NBA, they have minor league teams they can use Borrowed from: The NFL to plug temporary roster issues. They can sign players to two-way deals How it works: It gets a little complicated, but the simplified explanation is to address short-term needs, at least as long as the waiver wire that NFL teams can designate one pending UFA as their franchise cooperates. Still, some veteran players might prefer to sign short deals player, retaining their rights on a one-year contract that pays the player without committing to a full season that might include AHL time, so some the average of the five highest salaries at his position. variation on the concept could be plausible someday.

What it would mean for the NHL: A team like the Blue Jackets could have Cap hits that can vary year-to-year kept Artemi Panarin or Sergei Bobrovsky away from the UFA market. Borrowed from: The NFL The Islanders could have kept John Tavares. And the Senators wouldn’t have been under as much pressure to trade Erik Karlsson or Mark Stone, How it works: In the NHL, a player’s cap hit will almost always be the because they would have had a way to ensure one of them had to stay. same each year of his contract. (The exceptions include rookie and veteran contracts that include bonuses, players who sign during a Will we ever see it?: Doubtful. NFL players hate it, and we’ve recently season and a rare case involving players over 40 that’s no longer in the seen star players sit out entire seasons rather than play under the CBA and now only applies to Zdeno Chara.) That’s true even if his actual franchise tag. This feels like it would be a non-starter for the players, and salary and bonuses rise and fall over the life of the deal, as is usually the given how lukewarm the UFA market already is, it’s hard to imagine the case. league pushing hard for it. But in the NFL, a player’s cap hit can fluctuate wildly because they’re Compensation-free offer sheets based on what a player earns in that given year, and how the cap hit for Borrowed from: The NBA their bonuses have been allocated. Combined with the ability to renegotiate non-guaranteed deals, that gives NFL teams the ability to How it works: At a high level, NBA offer sheets work a lot like the NHL massage their cap situation by shifting charges and reworking contracts version, with one major difference: There’s no compensation. If another to create more space. team targets your RFA, you have the right to match. But if you don’t, they walk, and you don’t get any picks in return. What it would mean for the NHL: A lot more flexibility for teams, especially those up against the cap. Is that a good thing? What it would mean for the NHL: I’ve made the argument in the past that the problem with the NHL’s offer sheet market is that the compensation It depends on your perspective. As a fan, you’d probably like it, at least levels are too low, not too high. But dropping them to zero would almost when your team was the one benefitting. But the league might argue that certainly mean more offer sheets being signed. Granted, that’s a low bar, a less flexible cap makes teams accountable for their decisions and but it’s fair to expect we’d see more than one every few years if the prevents them from buying their way out of mistake (or making a bad league borrowed the NBA’s system. And while you might assume that situation worse by kicking the can down the road). every offer sheet would be instantly matched if teams knew there was no Will we ever see it?: I wouldn’t be surprised. The league has had a hard compensation coming the other way, that isn’t the case in the NBA. cap for 14 years now and compared to the NFL and NBA, the NHL’s Will we ever see it?: It doesn’t feel as impossible as it would have a few system seems almost simplistic. At some point, you have to figure we’ll years ago. Back then, we would have said that the RFA system was see some season-to-season variance, even if that doesn’t look exactly working exactly the way the NHL and its teams wanted it to, by artificially like the NFL’s system. Would it let teams skirt the hard cap more than the holding down the salaries of players in their prime. But that’s not really league would like? Maybe, but they already do that using various LTIR the case anymore. Would the NHL want to open the door to more RFA loopholes and shady trades. Maybe some NFL-style flexibility would be movement? Probably not. Would it be willing to offer that if it meant a simpler. concession from the players somewhere else? We might find out. A luxury tax

Sliding scale for rookie salaries Borrowed from: The NBA and MLB

Borrowed from: NBA and NFL (and sort of MLB) How it works: The league sets a limit on how much teams can spend. But rather than that being a hard cap, it’s simply a threshold that triggers increasing penalties for teams that exceed it. It’s up to the franchise to decide whether they’re willing to pay the price to overspend and for how long.

What it would mean for the NHL: The big markets would be able to spend past the cap, at least occasionally. In theory that’s a competitive advantage, one that could shift us back towards the pre-2005 days when richer franchises could hoard talent. Those big markets tend to also be the ones that generate the most revenue, so seeing them succeed could mean a healthier league overall. But fans of smaller market teams would be left wondering if they really had a chance to compete with the big spenders.

Will we ever see it?: Not according to the NHL, which has made it clear that it wants to be a hard cap league. There are a lot of strong arguments in favor of a soft cap/luxury tax model and many smart people have made that case. But when it comes to the NHL, those conversations feel entirely theoretical. For now, at least, the league loves its cost certainty and doesn’t seem to have any interest in anything other than a hard cap.

The Athletic LOADED: 09.04.2019 1151687 Websites The time for playing games is almost up.

Soon, there will games to be played.

Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Kyle Dubas on Marner talks: 'I'm very Here are some more takeaways from Dubas’s media tour on Tuesday. optimistic' • More than three-and-a-half years have passed since the Maple Leafs had a captain. That could change this season.

Luke Fox | September 3, 2019 "We’ll see. I think a lot about it," Dubas said. "I’m a lot more close to saying yes now than a year ago on that front."

The heat endured by the club’s most recent captain, Dion Phaneuf, has Refreshed from a family summer vacation to Hawaii, Kyle Dubas cautioned the current regime into ensuring it makes the right choice. exemplified Tuesday’s post-Labour Day, back-to-work spirit. Dubas stressed he’s looking for "someone calm and stoic and ready at all As he made the media rounds and appeared in lengthy sit-downs with times." Someone prepared to face the daily wall of media in a demanding both national sports networks, the Toronto Maple Leafs GM sounded market. enthusiastic about the upcoming campaign — save for that "one To these ears, that description aligns most with the two alternate outstanding item" on what began as a rather cumbersome off-season to- captains remaining from 2018-19: Morgan Rielly, 25, or John Tavares, do list. 28. The latter served as the Islanders’ captain prior to joining the Leafs In listening to more than an hour’s worth of question-fielding, the main last season and has the longest contract on the team. takeaway we glean is that the bridge deal is the most likely path for Mitch "We’re fortunate," said Dubas, trying to not tip his hand. "We do have a Marner and the Maple Leafs to escape the troubled waters separating number of guys who can fill that role now or in time." the partners from a deal. • In wooing free agent Jason Spezza to a one-year, league-minimum "I’m hopeful that we’re closer by virtue that they know where we’re at, contract, Dubas was careful not to promise the veteran too large of an and we know where they stand," Dubas said on Tim and Sid, reminding on-ice role. The Leafs were up-front about getting Spezza to buy in to the that the goal is not only to get his restricted free agent into the opening- role of fourth-line centre, with the flexibility to slide up the lineup in case night lineup but on next Thursday’s charter to St. John’s, where the Leafs of injury (and, presumably, keeping William Nylander on the wing) or in kick off training camp. special situations.

"I’m very optimistic. That’s 100 per cent our hope." • Dubas did not anticipate the swirl of suspicion that surrounded his non- Dubas explained that the difference between Marner’s stalemate as guarantee of head coach Mike Babcock’s return on locker cleanout day. opposed to William Nylander’s at this time last September was that The GM suggested that, in the future, he might choose to simply not Nylander was dead set on a long-term contract. answer the question. It’s Dubas’s philosophy that it is reckless to make such impactful decisions when the wound of losing is so fresh. With time Nylander became "entrenched" in long-term security, according to to reflect, Dubas believes that although the end result was the same in Dubas, whereas Marner’s situation is different. ’18 and ’19 — a seven-game Round 1 loss to Boston — Babcock’s Leafs did take a step and were much closer to winning that series the second A nice raise now. Knock the next one out of the park once Toronto’s cap time around. flexibility improves and the league ceiling is raised by gambling revenue and the next U.S. network windfall. • The GM’s conservative estimate is that roster players Travis Dermott (shoulder) and Zach Hyman (knee) will both miss October as they Sign up for NHL newsletters rehabilitate from surgery. Despite the obvious lineup holes those injuries Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to create, the Maple Leafs will not risk re-injury. April is the month that your inbox! matters. As a result of Dermott’s rehab, Dubas is calling for a "heck of a battle" for the fifth, sixth and seventh D-man slots on opening night. Dubas says most term lengths are on the table from the Leafs’ perspective. So it may be simpler for the sides to find their common • As fun as it is for fans and media types to debate the length of the ground on a two- or three-year bridge. Maple Leafs’ window to realistically vie for a Cup, Dubas maintained there is never any discussion internally about the length of that window. Some more reasons for optimism: Despite obvious fatigue with this unsolved issue — the GM mentioned multiple times that he first broached "It’s so hard to predict," said Dubas, citing the seven-year gap between extension talks with Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, way back at the 2018 the Crosby-era Penguins’ championships and the delayed breakthroughs Combine — Dubas took the high road in praising Marner the person, of Washington and St. Louis. stressing Toronto’s position has always been to hold on to the player for The GM is building toward "as many chances as possible to contend," the duration of his NHL life. and with the unconventional likelihood of tying up more than $30 million Ever consider a trade during this summer of uncertainty? annually on just three forwards, the onus falls on Dubas to continually fill out his roster with affordable veterans (Spezza), under-the-radar steals "It’s certainly not something we want to explore, and we haven’t," Dubas (Tyler Ennis), European imports (Yegor Korshkov) and develop entry- said. level studs through the Marlies system (Rasmus Sandin).

Sure, "a few" opposing managers called to kick tires, but it was more Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 09.04.2019 along the lines of, "Would you ever consider moving him?" And: "Well, if you ever get to that point…" Nothing serious.

Dubas also said he has gotten no sense from Ferris that Marner wants to be moved and would be "shocked" if a few of these elite RFAs haven’t put pen to paper by this time next week.

While the hard numbers being offered back and forth remain a guessing game, Dubas was wise to tackle the elephant in the room head-on Tuesday (and Ferris wise, too, to steer clear of reporters’ requests), getting the jump on training camp speculation.

If there was any shade thrown, it was at the notion, explored by Camp Marner, that the Leafs’ leading scorer is considering training over in Switzerland instead.

"I don’t worry about that," Dubas said. "I don’t think we’re going to be moved by the Zurich Lions, frankly. No offence to the Zurich Lions." 1151688 Websites Dubas didn't shut the door completely on Gardiner possibly rejoining the Leafs when he spoke with TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie on Tuesday. But given the team's limited cap space is mostly allocated for TSN.CA / Rielly: ‘We want Mitch here’ Marner, a reunion may not make sense.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a zero per cent chance,” Dubas said. “And I don’t mean to put this on anything else, but until we have a solution to the Kristen Shilton situation with Mitch...I think at that point we would go back to Pat [Brisson, Gardiner's agent] and Jake and say, perhaps, here’s what we

have. And it may be enticing, it may not be.” TORONTO – Nine days before the official opening of NHL training As it is, Rielly has several new teammates to get acquainted with on the camps, more than a dozen Maple Leafs’ regulars marked the unofficial blueline. He was paired with newcomer Cody Ceci at Tuesday’s skate, end of summer at the team’s informal skates on Tuesday. who was traded from Ottawa for Nikita Zaitsev on July 1. Tyson Barrie, While unsigned restricted free agent Mitch Marner wasn’t among them, acquired via trade from Colorado for Nazem Kadri that same day, skated his presence – or lack thereof – loomed over those eager to see his with Jake Muzzin. situation resolved. Rielly and Ceci have played together before, for Team Canada at the U- “We want Mitch here. We want him to be a part of camp. We want him to 18 in 2011, and the Leafs’ veteran is hoping the next few days leading up be involved,” said Morgan Rielly at the Leafs’ practice facility. “But he’s to training camp gives the entire new-look defence a chance to start doing what he thinks he has to do, and it is what it is. All we can do is just gelling. worry about training camp. We all have confidence that he’s going to be “It’s exciting to see new faces,” Rielly said. “We have a lot of confidence here at some point, but for now we’re just going to work hard to get in the group that we have and having new faces is good. There’s a good ready.” energy and guys are excited. We’re looking forward to it.” It’s been more than four months since Leafs general manager Kyle TSN.CA LOADED: 09.04.2019 Dubas declared that the completion of a new Marner deal was the team’s “top priority” heading into another long off-season.

To that end, Dubas has maintained a constant dialogue with Marner’s agent Darren Ferris throughout the summer, including conversations late last month that TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported as “productive,” but Toronto’s top point-getter the last two seasons remains on the outside looking in.

Rielly said he’s spoken with Marner “a little bit” since Toronto was ousted from the postseason, but kept their interactions light.

“You just want to support him, just let him know you’re there,” Rielly said. “[See if] he has any questions. It’s more or less just a friendship, talking and catching up; it’s not really about business all the time.”

Like many of his teammates, Rielly is an old pro at fielding questions about an RFA stalemate. This time last year, it was William Nylander on his way to not being signed by the start of training camp. The impasse between player and team lasted until minutes before the Dec. 1 deadline, when they agreed on a six-year, $45 million pact.

Missing all of camp and then two months of the season significantly impacted Nylander and he spent the rest of the season shuffling between linemates en route to a 27-point showing in 54 outings. The Leafs could face a similar outcome with Marner should a deal not be reached quickly.

“I think it’s different every time,” Rielly said of parallels between the two wingers' situations. “But [Marner’s] not the only guy doing it. All we can really worry about is getting ready for camp and being prepared.”

Marner is one of a number of prominent RFAs yet to come to terms on a new contract, a list that includes Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Mikko Rantanen, Brayden Point, Brock Boeser and Charlie McAvoy. Not unlike those other players, Marner, 22, has been a backbone to his team's success recently, posting 163 points (48 goals, 115 assists) in 164 games for Toronto since the start of the 2017 season.

“I don't care what all those other guys are doing. I care about Mitch," shrugged Rielly. "He’s a teammate and we want him to get that done and there’s confidence that he will,” Rielly said. “But it’s interesting that this [lack of signings] is happening because it hasn’t happened like this in the past. But it’s not anything that I can control or anyone else can.”

Seeing Marner's negotiations stretch into September (and possibly beyond) though has been a much less shocking development for most than the fact that Jake Gardiner remains unsigned. The unrestricted free agent defenceman projected to be a hot commodity on the open market when free agency began in July, but after spending the entirety of his eight-year career thus far with the Leafs, he hasn’t found a new home.

“[I’m] pretty surprised,” admitted Rielly, who was not only Gardiner’s roommate in Toronto for years but also a groomsman at his wedding last summer. “It’s not the way I saw it unfolding, but it is what it is. I’m sure he’ll get something done. But that’s all I have. I don’t have any information. You just want the best for him.” 1151689 Websites from whatever the dynamic might be between the general manager and the head coach, the mere fact that the team’s lost in back-to-back first rounds against Boston that there’s a sense that this is the year that the TSN.CA / Kyle Dubas: Toronto Maple Leafs hopeful, continuing dialogue coach needs to make something happen. What’s your reaction to all that with Mitch Marner camp kind of talk?

“I think in the future I just won’t answer at the press conference in terms of a day after the season ends and I still feel that same way. I hadn’t had 7-8 minutes a review from Brendan [Shanahan] and from our owners about the job that I had done, so I’m more patient and don’t like to give anything one

way or the other the day after something is fresh. With training camp a week away, TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie I just think it’s a poor way to give – it’s a poor way to evaluate anything is went one-on-one with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas to do it right when the event is just ended and not reflect on it, not have to discuss the latest with restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the team time to go back through the year. So I understand why it maybe created captaincy and whether or not Mike Babcock enters the season on a short some of the action that it did, but it wasn’t my intention by any stretch of leash. Here are a few parts of the conversation that stood out. the imagination and you go back through the year and you look at it and What is the latest on Mitch Marner and the negotiations? That’s all Leafs we’ve had back-to-back 100 point seasons and last year we got off to a fans want to know. great start to the season and in the second half of the year we faced our challenges. But I think if you look at the two playoff series, I know we lost “Yeah, we’ve continued to have dialogue with Darren [Ferris, Marner's in seven games in both of them. I think they were very different series. agent] as recently as last week. I think I would feel a little more anxious or perhaps look back and wonder whether we should have done anything I thought the year before, you know the first two games in Boston and different, but I think everybody in the league with these types of restricted then even the fifth game which we won, we were badly outplayed at free agents are in the exact same spot. The guys who are mentioned all times in the series. I think this year, if you want to evaluate it solely on the time, but even if you peel it back a level below and even the guys how the season ended in both years, you can look at the point total which who aren’t mentioned all the time, they aren’t signed either. was a little bit less, [but] you can look at the way that we played in that series against Boston and I thought we were much better this season. There really hasn’t been a lot of movement in that market since July 1 We had the chance coming home to win the series and got the lead early when [Timo] Meier signed and when [Sebastian] Aho came off the board, and just couldn’t stick with it and Game 7 we didn’t play overly well, but I so I don’t know how it will play out here. I would expect – in looking at it thought overall it was a better series than the year before just in terms of and looking at the history of these things •– that some of it will start to how close we were to them and whether we were the better team in a shake loose and we’re certainly hopeful and we’ll continue to work certain number of games or not. It was a series between two very close towards having [Marner] be one of those players that signs in the coming teams.” week here.” Here is the full sitdown interview: Training camp opens on Sept. 13. Do you think Mitch Marner will be signed and in St. John’s? Dubas discusses the Marner negotiations, summer changes, and much more “It’s certainly our hope and our goal. I don’t think we want anybody to miss any day or training camp, period. So we’ll continue to work towards Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas sits down with Bob McKenzie that and remain hopeful. As I’ve said throughout, I’m optimistic about it to chat about the ongoing Mitch Marner contract negotiations, pressure and we lived through it last year. We saw the effect of a player who on head coach Mike Babcock, his excitement heading into training camp, missed training camp, missed exhibition, missed the first two months of and much more. the season and it’s tough. It’s tough to expect that player is just going to TSN.CA LOADED: 09.04.2019 jump back in and be at the level that we expect – especially at the pay that they’ve previously earned from their previous seasons. And then when that doesn’t work well, then criticism flows in and it makes it even tougher.

So that’s our hope and our goal and I’m sure every team in the league with these types of players is in that same spot. You want your whole team there for training camp. We’re going to have some guys missing from injury, which we knew from before and you can plan for that and be ready for that, but we hope everybody else is there.”

Will there be a captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season?

“We’ll see. I think it’s always something that I have been very patient about and I think some people would say slow or too slow to do because the Toronto Maple Leafs need a captain. And I think last year, going through the year in this position rather than in the assistant GM position, it really allowed me to see the different qualities that are going to be needed in that role – how the person conducts themselves every day and really the fact that the person really needs to be present and ready every day to deal with the things that come along with it.

It’s not to say that [being the captain] in other markets carries less prestige, I just think that it’s different here in that the player goes out and serves as the voice of the team to a strong media contingent pretty much day in and day out. They can’t take any days off from it, they can’t hide from it. And I think just needing somebody who is calm and stoic and ready at all times. We’ve got some great candidates in there and I think that’s the second part of it. Once accepting that you do want to have a captain of the team to serve as the central figure, we’re fortunate that we have a few players that can fill that void and then it’s trying to determine what’s best for the future of those players and for the group.”

At the end of the season there was a little bit of a delayed vote of confidence that fed into the narrative that you didn’t hire Mike Babcock and he’s not your guy. As you go into this season there’s all sorts of talk about Leaf fans saying ‘He’s got to be on a short leash.’ And quite aside 1151690 Websites the team’s younger players whose peak performance years are still ahead, led by the likes of Laine, Connor, Jack Roslovic, Nikolaj Ehlers, et al.

TSN.CA / Pressure building in Winnipeg after quiet summer But the one critical area that Winnipeg needs to address immediately? Their top units – the team’s first two lines and top blueline pairing – need to return to form. Last year, most of Winnipeg’s problems were actually at Travis Yost the top of the lineup. The depth of the Winnipeg lineup outplayed their weaker competition for the majority of the year; the same cannot be said

for the Mark Scheifele or Bryan Little lines: At the end of the 2018-19 season, the Winnipeg Jets turned their Not only was the majority of the playing roster last year in the red, some attention to what general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff called the busiest of the most notable deviations were from the team’s best players. The off-season of his tenure. team’s impact forwards – including Blake Wheeler, Scheifele, Connor, Yet no team – for now, anyway – has had a quieter summer than the Laine, and Little – were all in the red, and in some cases considerably so. Jets. Add that to an entire blueline that was treading water for most of the year, and you have a real problem. It’s a fascinating situation in Winnipeg right now. The Jets have every reason to focus their efforts internally – taking care of the eight restricted Winnipeg still has a very formidable roster and the Central Division, free agents alone (including Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, though extremely competitive, isn’t as daunting as it once was. That Jacob Trouba (traded), Nathan Beaulieu, Joe Morrow, Laurent Brossoit might be why the Jets front office felt comfortable giving this lineup one and Eric Comrie) is a mountain of work. more shot. It’s pretty uncommon to see such a talented lineup with a track record of producing fall completely off the wayside, and I don’t think But the two biggest names in Laine and Connor are still without that it’s unreasonable to make one more bet on the core of this group to contracts, and, at least in Laine’s case, everything is quiet. The last we drive Winnipeg back to the top of the Central. heard from Laine, he seemed prepared for anything – including the mounting possibility of a trade to another team. That said, the pressure is on – for both the players and the coaching staff. If the opening of the 2019-20 regular season looks like the last 60 In many ways, the Laine contract negotiation represents the real summer games of 2018-19, heads are going to roll. Expectations are high and this of 2019 for Winnipeg. Laine is a tremendously talented player, but the team needs to deliver. on-ice results just weren’t there in the 2018-19 season. There are serious reservations about where his defensive game is right now and how much Data via Natural Stat Trick of that limits the team’s overarching performance. This is a 21-year-old TSN.CA LOADED: 09.04.2019 with three consecutive 30-plus goal seasons to start his NHL career on a competitive team, yet there is a legitimate question about the prospect of a trade and whether or not it would make Winnipeg better.

Despite the gory defensive numbers last year, I’m still quite bullish on Laine as a player. It’s just extremely difficult to find players who can shoot the puck as well as he can, and his comparables in this area include names like Steven Stamkos, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Alexander Ovechkin.

The question I have, though: if the Jets just extend the rest of their restricted free agents (including the aforementioned Laine and Connor) and remain inactive elsewhere, is that a satisfactory summer?

I think patience is a virtue when it comes to roster building. But we are talking about a Winnipeg team who inexplicably cratered last year. By the time the playoffs rolled around, they hardly felt like a challenge for any other playoff team, let alone the likes of the St. Louis Blues. With no significant personnel changes and head coach Paul Maurice coming back for his seventh season, is that enough?

It’s important to underscore just how bad things turned last season for Winnipeg, especially in the context of their summer run-it-back strategy. Consider a 20-game average of their underlying performance over the last three seasons, and pay specific attention to the back-half of last year:

You expect slight bounce in performance over the course of a regular season – even elite teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning can go through stretches where play slips, and the team starts either struggling offensively or bleeding goals defensively, or a combination of the two. (Tampa Bay had one heck of a first-round series in last season’s playoffs to prove this!)

The problem with Winnipeg though is their slide lasted the majority of the season. At some point you have to lower expectations and accept that performance is the new norm.

We talked about Winnipeg as a possible Stanley Cup contender in 2017- 18, and there was still some belief the team could compete in that realm last season. But it’s a real problem when you are only turning 45 per cent of the shots in your favour. When you adjust for shot quality by way of expected goals, Winnipeg actually looked worse than the shot numbers would indicate.

So without a major – or really even minor – player acquisition and no change to the coaching staff, where should Winnipeg fans place their hope? The starting point is that normal roster attrition (like letting Tyler Myers walk in favour of some younger talent on the blueline) will have a positive impact. That would also include the growth and development of 1151691 Websites

YAHOO SPORTS / John Tortorella 'really pissed' with the free agents that left Blue Jackets this summer

Stan Temming

The Columbus Blue Jackets quickly became one of the biggest stories in hockey last season.

After making a number of deals at the trade deadline in February and going 7-3-0 down the stretch to nab the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, the Jackets found themselves facing a mighty foe in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The fact the Tampa Bay Lightning had put together one of the best regular seasons in recent memory didn’t cause the Blue Jackets to shudder, though.

If anything, Columbus embraced it on its way to a shocking sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy winners. While they’d go on to fall in six games to the Boston Bruins in the second round, the Blue Jackets proved they’re capable of beating just about anyone with that roster.

And that’s the rub for head coach John Tortorella. After leading the team to its first playoff-series win in franchise history, Torts watched as several of his star players marched out the door this summer once free agency opened up.

“I respect them all,” he said in a recent interview with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. “But I don’t want to hear ‘I want to win’ when it’s right f---ing here. I respect them, but I’m really pissed. It was right there, where we were really progressing... I think the players respect them, respect the rights they had to do what they did. But I’m pissed, too, just like the players. I’m saying, ‘Hell with them, we want to be here, let’s get it together and get going.’”

It’s an understandable reaction from a man known for his passion and emotion.

In just a few hours, Torts lost his team’s top regular season point producer (Artemi Panarin), starting goaltender (two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky) and second-best playoff scorer (Matt Duchene). On top of that, Ryan Dzingel — a solid secondary scorer — inked a new deal with the Carolina Hurricanes less than two weeks after the previous three joined their new organizations.

The departures have left a number of gigantic holes in Tortorella’s lineup that simply cannot be ignored. There will be plenty of questions up front and between the pipes as the upcoming campaign approaches. However, there shouldn’t be any questions about what will be fuelling his squad in 2019-20.

“We still made a step in the right direction (last season). That doesn’t change because we lose some players,” he said. “They’re really good players, but that doesn’t change our mindset as far as how we feel about ourselves...

“I think as we enter the season here we need to have the right amount of strut, but also a sense of camaraderie, and a chip on our shoulders as the guys who want to be here.”

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YAHOO SPORTS / Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall list

Alex Didion

Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall listTomas Hertl, Logan Couture snubbed from 'NHL 20' top 50 overall list

Ah yes, those controversial video game ratings are back.

EA Sports has released its top 50 individual ratings for "NHL 20," and Sharks fans will see a few familiar faces among the game's elite.

It's official. Here are the Top 50 Players in #NHL20.

Who got snubbed?  pic.twitter.com/ATOZuOXbCR

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) September 2, 2019

Checking in at No. 21 and No. 24 respectively are San Jose's pair of elite defenders, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. It's a pretty easy decision, with the two being commonly regarded as two of the best defensemen in the NHL.

A magician on the backend, @ErikKarlsson65 leads all defensemen with a 95 rating in Deking, Passing and Puck Control! Karlsson is easily the top offensive option on any blueline. #NHL20Top50 @SanJoseSharks pic.twitter.com/SrzyW8kAJX

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) August 29, 2019

Fear the Beard. @Burnzie88 highlights a stacked blueline for the @SanJoseSharks! With over a point-per-game last season, the sky is the limit in #NHL20 for the offensive defenseman. #NHL20Top50 pic.twitter.com/ghD3BdciHi

— #NHL20 (@EASPORTSNHL) August 29, 2019

However, there are a few other Sharks who seem like somewhat questionable omissions from this list.

Tomáš Hertl, for example, blew his career highs out of the water in 2018- 19, as he finished with 35 assists and 39 goals. His 74 total points was a full 28 points higher than he put up in 2017-18, despite playing two more games that season.

Hertl was an 83 in "NHL 19", but at just 25 years old, he most certainly deserves at least a few more points after the season he just put together.

30-year-old Logan Couture is another snub by the "NHL 20" ratings committee. Couture also produced a personal-best in points, as he pumped out 70 in leading the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What a postseason Couture had, as he led all players with 14 goals, despite missing the final championship round after the Sharks were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals.

Couture was an 85 in "NHL 19," but after a playoff performance like that, you'd think he might get enough of a bump to climb into that illustrious Top 50.

Even so, the Sharks will still likely be one of the best teams in "NHL 20" after just missing the Stanley Cup Final, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see either Couture or Hertl find themselves in the top-50 by season's end.

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