SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/18/2021 1191406 Could Ullmark Be Breakout Guy For Boston Bruins? 1191429 COVID-19 vaccine mandates for fans attending Kraken games? The alternative could be worse 1191407 Sabres round out development staff by hiring Tim Kennedy, Nathan Paetsch 1191430 Lightning’s Steven Stamkos sells Davis Islands home for $16 million 1191408 Hurricanes offensive depth chart for 2021-22: How have early offseason moves shifted the projected lines? 1191431 Casting an NHL season of “Survivor,” rare jersey numbers and the worst-case scenario for the Leafs: DGB mailba Blackhawks 1191409 NHL will let teams place sponsor advertisements on jerseys 1191435 Abbotsford Canucks sign ex-Giants captain Alex Kannok 1191410 Tony Esposito, Hawks' winningest goalie, dies at 78 Leipert 1191436 ‘Ad’ it up: Canucks, other NHL teams look for new revenue with sweater advertising starting in 2022-23 1191411 Michael Arace: Blue Jackets training camp fast 1191437 Weeks after release, Jake Virtanen banner still up at approaches. Who are these guys? Rogers Arena 1191438 Inside an NHL offseason skate with Zach Werenski, Zac Jones, Will Lockwood and Brandon Naurato 1191412 Ryan Martin reportedly leaves Red Wings for assistant GM job with Rangers 1191432 Knights don’t say if proof of COVID vaccination will be Panthers required 1191413 Panthers considering trading Sasha Barkov? No 1191433 No decision yet on mandatory vaccines for Golden Knights home games 1191414 Wild signs restricted free agent Mason Shaw to two-year, two-way contract 1191434 What do the Caps need to improve on the most from last 1191415 Kevin Fiala agrees to one-year, $5.1 million contract with season? Wild 1191416 Wild sign Mason Shaw to two-year, two-way contract Websites 1191417 Analyzing Kevin Fiala’s latest contract, and his opportunity 1191439 The Athletic / NHL top 10 goalie prospects, 2021 edition: to prove himself Askarov and Knight lead Wheeler’s ranking of the bes 1191440 The Athletic / NHL top 50 prospects, 2021 edition: Byfield, Caufield and Power headline Wheeler’s drafted skat 1191418 What the Puck: This Habs team will be hard-pressed to 1191441 TSN.CA / Dissecting ’s downward spiral in make the playoffs women’s hockey 1191442 USA TODAY / NHL board of governors approves jersey ads for 2022-23 season, according to reports 1191419 Saros extension maps out Predators’ future in SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1191420 State of the Devils: Interesting options, but plenty of questions on the wings 1191421 GARRIOCH: Ottawa Senators bring back rugged winger Scott Sabourin on one-year deal to help Belleville 1191422 An advertisement on the Flyers' jersey? Why not? 1191423 Penguins name Alec Schall director of hockey operations 1191425 News: Penguins Hire Fmr. Agent as Director of Hockey Ops, WBS Signs Promising D-ManPublished 16 hours ago on A 1191426 Dan’s Daily: Fans Poke Sabres w/ Billboard, Wild Galchenyuk Trade TreePublished 20 hours ago on August 17, 202 1191427 Sharks Dev Camp: Ozzy Talks Training with Jumbo, Gushchin on Why He Wears No. 66Published 6 hours ago on Augus 1191428 Sheng’s Daily: Thornton’s Beard Won’t Make It to Florida? 1191406 Boston Bruins while telling this story about being singled out in the dressing room https://t.co/d7mfV26DjN pic.twitter.com/iK2iISOrOM

— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) August 15, 2021 Could Ullmark Be Breakout Guy For Boston Bruins? *For something completely different: Why did Finn Jones fail as Iron Fist? Umm, because he was terrible. (Geekosity)

1By Joe Haggerty Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021

Could newly signed Linus Ullmark be a breakout player for the Boston Bruins?

That’s what FOH Greg Wyshynski is thinking over at ESPN.com as he looks at the top 10 potential breakout players for next season. It’s an interesting choice above Erik Haula, Nick Foligno or even Derek Forbort, who will no doubt play heavy minutes for the Black and Gold. There’s no denying the talent with the 28-year-old Ullmark, who certainly looks the part as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound goaltender that still managed to put together a career .912 save percentage while toiling in Buffalo over the last three plus NHL seasons.

And there is very clearly a Buffalo bounce where players act, and play, like they’ve been let out of hockey jail once they escape from the Sabres organization. Just look at the way Taylor Hall played with the Boston Bruins once he arrived after the trade deadline last season as Exhibit A of that particular phenomenon.

But there’s also a very good defensive system with the Boston Bruins in place that has allowed Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak to flourish over the years, and Ullmark could be a big time beneficiary of that system. As Wysh put it very succinctly in his piece, “This feels like an NFL team taking a solid quarterback from a mediocre team, sticking him in a time- tested system and watching him turn into an All-Pro.”

It remains to be seen how much playing time Ullmark is going to wrest away from standout rookie Jeremy Swayman once the 2021-22 NHL season gets going, but any rookie falters from the phenom in his first year could open the door for Ullmark.

Either way, it’s a really interesting dynamic that Ullmark is walking into and a dramatic change for the Black and Gold after it being Tuukka Time in Boston for more than a decade. Perhaps we’re all underestimating just how much of an impact Ullmark could have with the B’s this season once the Big Swedish goalie is up and running.

Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*Chris Kelly and Adam McQuaid have new positions in the Boston Bruins organization, and are looking to promote the winning culture that’s been in Boston since their time suiting up for the Black and Gold. (Boston Hockey Now)

*What is Dmitry Orlov going to bring to the table for the Washington Capitals next season? It’s absolutely a question worth asking. (Washington Hockey Now)

*This story of a visually-impaired Canadian hockey player skating across is pretty darn amazing. (Vancouver Hockey Now)

*Adam Erne may be the best under-the-radar acquisition for the Detroit Red Wings for this coming season. Stevie Y is putting in the time in Hockeytown. (Detroit Hockey Now)

*Nothing more precious than TJ Oshie taking his toddler son out on skates for the first time.

.@TJOshie77 taking Campbell out for his first time on the ice #CapsDads

( : IG/lauren.oshie) pic.twitter.com/9NZoFNFwPL

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 16, 2021

*Do you think Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin is bothering by threats of the KHL from his unsigned Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov? Think again. (TSN)

*A great Torts story from NHL journeyman Matt Calvert that really tells the story about the fiery hockey coach.

“Matty F-ing Calvert’s our best forward, there’s no way he should be our best forward!” –@mattcalvert11 did his best John Tortorella impression 1191407 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres round out development staff by hiring Tim Kennedy, Nathan Paetsch

Lance Lysowski Aug 17, 2021

With collegiate and junior hockey seasons drawing near, the Buffalo Sabres hired former players Tim Kennedy and Nathan Paetsch as development coaches Tuesday.

Kennedy, a sixth-round draft choice in 2005 and a Bishop Timon-St. Jude graduate, most recently served as director for the Academy of Hockey at LECOM Harborcenter. He played 10 years of professional hockey, including parts of six in the NHL. The 35-year-old retired forward appeared in a career-high 78 games with the Sabres in 2009-10, totaling a career-high 10 goals.

Paetsch, 38, retired following the 2019-20 season, his 17th in pro hockey and sixth in two stints with the . The left-shot defenseman appeared in 157 regular-season games across five years with the Sabres from 2005-09. He also appeared in the 2006 playoffs, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes. His on-ice role with the Amerks had diminished the final two seasons, but Paetsch was tasked with coaching and mentoring the club's young players.

A seventh-round draft choice of the Sabres in 2003, Paetsch rejoined the organization for the 2017-18 season after winning a with the the previous year. He lives in the Rochester area, where he's run hockey camps for defensemen.

Kennedy and Paetsch join a development staff that includes three other coaches – Dan Girardi, Mike Ansell and Seamus Kotyk – and is led by newly appointed director of player development Adam Mair. Matt Ellis, now an assistant coach under Don Granato, led the department last season.

Development coaches work with prospects in the , ECHL, NCAA and junior or pro leagues across the globe. Paetsch will be among those working closely with Owen Power if the left- shot defenseman returns to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season.

Buffalo News LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191408 Carolina Hurricanes Niederreiter is notorious for his streaks, so it might be wise to figure out some insurance.

The big storyline: The Hurricanes haven’t re-signed Svechnikov yet, but Hurricanes offensive depth chart for 2021-22: How have early offseason it’s only a matter of time and roughly $7 million dollars until that gets moves shifted the projected lines? done. Once they do ink that deal, the new set of questions need to be answered: Will Svechnikov be able to kick into that deeper goal-scoring gear that faded in and out at times last season — especially during the By Sara Civian Aug 17, 2021 playoffs? Is this the year he doesn’t let the frustration get to him and figures out how to rein it in with the stick infractions?

Criticism of Svechnikov has been a little harsh, only because we expect The Hurricanes might not be totally finished with their offseason so much out of him. That’s why I expect him to improve on last season’s excursions, but the expansion draft, the entry draft and the crucial first 82-game pace of 22 goals and 63 points. few weeks of free agency are over. The result is a team that looks all set with its goaltending and (barring more of the unexpected) its blue line. Right wing

Up front, things get murkier. Teuvo Teravainen

Will the Canes go the trade route and bring in another top-six forward? Martin Necas Will they bank on Nino Niederreiter, Teuvo Teravainen and Vincent Trocheck being fully ready to drive regular-season offense and be Jesper Fast healthy for the next playoff run? Will they put their trust in young stars Jordan Martinook Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov taking the next steps? The Canes re-signed locker room favorite Martinook somewhat Speaking of bank and Svechnikov, will the Canes get that restricted-free- unexpectedly after losing McGinn, Foegele and Geekie. While Martinook agency deal done drama-free? has played center (and left wing, for that matter), he is best on the wing, General manager Don Waddell still has to answer those questions, but and adding Derek Stepan gives the Hurricanes that option. I guess we until he does, we have a pretty good idea of the current standing of the can refer to the right wing as the depth chart portion of normalcy, 2021-22 Hurricanes forward depth. With those questions in mind, let’s considering these are all familiar faces. I’m excited to see what Necas take a look at who the Canes do have up front and how they could can do, building off a 2020-21 season in which he handled added replace those who’ve moved on. responsibility masterfully.

Who’s in and who’s out? The big storyline: Will Teuvo Teravainen fully return to form?

In: Derek Stepan (unrestricted free agent), Josh Leivo (UFA), Stefan He didn’t miss a step in his return to the postseason, but he was hit with Noesen (UFA, two-way contract), C.J. Smith (UFA, two-way contract) a tough injury, a concussion and COVID-19 last season. That’s hard on anyone — physically and mentally. Teravainen has become a core Out: Brock McGinn (signed with Pittsburgh), Warren Foegele (traded to member of the Hurricanes, and his consistency will be essential if the Edmonton), Cedric Paquette (signed with Montreal), Morgan Geekie Canes are to make a run at the Cup. (selected in the Kraken expansion draft) Center I was surprised the Canes didn’t re-sign McGinn, who is one of Rod Brind’Amour’s all-time favorites, but at the same time, a $2.75 million Sebastian Aho average annual value is pretty hard to stomach of a fourth-liner. The Vincent Trocheck team is going to hurt without him in terms of heart, blocked shots and big playoff moments, but it did bring in some hearty, shot-blocking Jordan Staal defensemen to help alleviate that blow. Derek Stepan The Canes didn’t bring in much to help the scoring, though, so they’re either relying on those aforementioned next steps or Waddell is making The Canes added Stepan on one of many one-year contracts. It looks some phone calls in pursuit of a trade. This isn’t to say the depth like he’ll provide the replacement for Geekie as the Hurricanes fourth-line additions are bad — it’s super important to fill out your roster if you’re center, and I love the idea of that veteran fourth-line center on any team looking to make a long playoff run. Still, most of the big changes in a looking to go far. Martinook and Lorentz are also capable of playing busy offseason for the Hurricanes occurred on defense. When you move center, but you absolutely need depth at this position, and now the a few pieces around, the Hurricanes are only adding two new players into Canes don’t have to worry about that. their forward lineup, barring injury or a prospect blowing expectations out The big storyline: It’s not fair to expect the same offensive surge (16 of the water. goals, 38 points in 53 games) we saw out of Staal in 2020-21, which (Note: For the purposes of this exercise, players are listed once. could be scary for the Hurricanes because he was holding the team Categorization is based on a combination of their natural or most together at times during the regular season. So what then? It once again frequently played position and holes in the Hurricanes lineup. Many comes back to hoping top scorers stay healthy and Necas and players can — and often will — be shifted to other positions based on Svechnikov can get even better than the flashes of excellence they’ve need and/or matchup.) shown.

Left wing So where does that leave the Hurricanes up front?

Andrei Svechnikov Again, the offseason isn’t over and there might be moves left to be made. Already our 2021-22 lineup projections have shifted since late July. Nino Niederreiter Here’s how the lines project for 2021-22 at the moment: Steven Lorentz Svechnikov-Aho-Teravainen Josh Leivo Niederreiter-Trocheck-Necas Carolina brought on a pretty smart third- or fourth-line option in Leivo, someone who could definitely be a solid complement to either Jordan Lorentz-Staal-Fast Staal or Derek Stepan based on need and fit. Assuming Lorentz is used Leivo-Stepan-Martinook at left wing and not center or right wing, I could see him and Leivo battling it out for that third-line spot. Or the Canes could trade for a top- The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 six left winger, but if Niederreiter plays up to his 20-goal standard and is ready to go for the playoffs, the Canes might not need to outsource that job. Obviously, you can’t predict or bet on that, though, considering that 1191409

NHL will let teams place sponsor advertisements on jerseys

The league will allow teams to put sponsor patches on jerseys beginning with the 2022-23 season.

By Stephen Whyno | Associated Press Aug 17, 2021, 4:13pm CDT

Jersey advertisements are coming to the NHL.

The league will allow teams to put sponsor patches on jerseys beginning with the 2022-23 season after the board of governors unanimously approved the move, according to a person with knowledge of a memo sent this week. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the league had not announced the decision.

The NHL added helmet ads last season, which largely allowed teams to make sponsors whole during the pandemic for previously negotiated agreements.

League officials, including Commissioner Gary Bettman, had said the next step of going to jersey ads would have to be at a value that’s worthwhile in hockey, a sport that has long prioritized the front of the “sweater.” Sportico first reported the addition of jersey ads, saying they can be up to 3.5x3 inches.

The New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators were the first teams to unveil helmet ads last December. Each struck a deal done with the company that sponsors the naming rights for its arena.

The NBA began selling jersey sponsorships in 2017-18, when Nike became the league’s official apparel company. The program has brought in well over $150 million in revenue.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 1191410 Chicago Blackhawks times (1970, 1972 and 1974), was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and had his No. 35 retired by the Blackhawks on Nov. 20, 1988.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.18.2021 Tony Esposito, Hawks' winningest goalie, dies at 78

BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

Tony Esposito, the Blackhawks' winningest goaltender, died on Tuesday after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 78.

Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz released a lengthy statement on the passing of a franchise legend:

"The Blackhawks and the have lost a legend in Tony Esposito, who passed away today after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. As we mourn with his wife Marilyn, sons Mark (Kim) and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Kamryn, we celebrate Tony’s life and contributions to the Blackhawks and the community.

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

Likewise, four generations of hockey fans grew to love Tony. We were lucky enough to draft him from the Montreal Canadiens on June 15, 1969, for a sum of $25,000. The Blackhawks had finished in last place of the East Division the previous season. Tony immediately took over as the No. 1 goalie, and led the Blackhawks to an unprecedented leap to first place in his first season while recorded 15 shutouts, still a modern record.

He was tireless, reliable and a great teammate. If you were a new player in Chicago, Tony and Marilyn always made you feel welcome and comfortable. Rookies were invited to their home for countless dinners, and when the Espositos held their annual Christmas party, everybody associated with the Blackhawks was there. Everybody, whether you were an established veteran or an awed rookie.

Tony’s number 35 has long been retired, but his career with the Blackhawks actually encompassed two marvelous chapters. After all those years of making spectacular saves and hearing chants of “TO- NEE!! TO-NEE!!” throughout the Stadium, he joined the Blackhawks as an ambassador. He was born for that role, too, as he reached out— whether by request or on his own—to fans, sponsors, and friends of our team. He rejected thousands of pucks in his first job, he never said no in his second job.

It is a sad day for the Blackhawks and all of hockey. But with his wonderful family, let us celebrate a life well lived. Tony Esposito’s banner will be part of the forever, as will his legacy as a superstar, on and off the ice."

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also released a statement on the passing of a Hockey Hall of Famer:

"The National Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks and the city of Chicago lost a beloved member of the hockey family earlier today with the passing of Tony Esposito,” Commissioner Bettman said. “From his arrival in the Windy City in the late 1960s through an illustrious playing career and decades as a franchise icon, Tony left an indelible mark – both on the ice and in the community – over the next 52 years. Beyond the individual awards – and there were many, including a Calder Trophy, numerous All-Star and Vezina Trophy recognitions, and ultimately election to the Hockey Hall of Fame – it was Esposito’s style, charisma and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans not only in Chicago but across the NHL. ‘Tony O’ was a fierce competitor who also took great pride in being an entertainer, whether it was with his pioneering butterfly style during his playing days or interacting with fans across the League as one of this game’s great ambassadors.

"The hockey world will miss him greatly. The NHL family extends its deepest sympathies to his wife, Marilyn, sons Mark (Kim) and Jason, and grandchildren Lauren and Kamryn."

Esposito spent 15 of his 16 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, where he ranks No. 1 in franchise history with 873 appearances, 418 wins and 74 shutouts. He won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender three 1191411 Columbus Blue Jackets a break from elite sniping last season, and Jack Roslovic, 24, who needs more reps. Who is Emil Bemstrom, 22? Alexandre Texier, 21?

“Yegor Chinakhov (age 20) was rookie of the year in the KHL,” Michael Arace: Blue Jackets training camp fast approaches. Who are Kekalainen said. “He’ll have a great chance to show what he can do, and these guys? time will tell. Also, our ‘old-young’ players like Bemstrom and Texier. With a new coaching staff, we’ll see what kind of new look they give to the offense and the systems.” Michael Arace Amid the flurry of transactions since the first night of the draft on July 23 — dang, was that just a few weeks ago? — it's almost forgotten that John Tortorella, the greatest coach in team history, has been replaced with The Blue Jackets are among five NHL teams that will send a squad to Brad Larsen. the Traverse City Prospect Camp, which opens Sept. 16. The official opening of training camp in Columbus is Sept. 22. Yes, the hockey Kekalainen suggests that younger players could thrive with a new season is sneaking up quickly. coaching staff.

In a sentence: Single-game tickets go on sale later this week. “Brad Larsen is Brad Larsen, and he’s not just going to copy the system,” Kekalainen said. “He has got his own ideas. He’s pretty progressive on Presently, all is quiet in hockey operations. General manager Jarmo how he wants to play hockey. I think that’s why he hired (associate Kekalainen was afforded the time to play in the golf tournament his family Pascal Vincent and assistant Sylvain Lefebvre). They’re progressive as organizes as a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research well. It’s going to be an exciting brand of hockey.” Foundation. He also played in a charity tournament run by the team’s majority owner, John P. McConnell. Soon, we will begin to understand how “exciting” is defined. And "patience." Kekalainen was economical in using one word to describe his golf game. He’s better at tennis and pickleball. Put it that way. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 08.18.2021 Michael Arace:Zach Werenski sticks his foot in Blue Jackets' revolving door in Columbus

It is a respite after one of the most seismic summers in franchise history. The Jackets’ roster has been turned over, almost by a half. It was the first stage of a major rebuild. The goal is to “build it right.”

“Yeah, I’ve said that a few times,” Kekalainen admitted Sunday. “We’ve had some great core players, great on the ice, great people, great character. But we weren’t getting any parades. Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and it’s why we made the decisions we felt we had to make.”

Kekalainen hates to use the word “patience” because it belies his competitive nature. Yet, it’s no secret that some patience will be required. Two of the foundational players in the rebuild — first-round draft picks Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger, both centers — are not expected in Columbus anytime soon. The same can be said for the Jackets’ other first-round pick, defenseman Corson Ceulemans.

It may be that all three are playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Tournament, which will run from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

It may be, too, that another future Jacket will be playing in the World Juniors. The event is often a showcase for prospects, and the Jackets have two picks in the first round of the 2022 draft.

Michael Arace:Blue Jackets are hurtling through an all-time makeover

“We’re going to need to grow a little bit,” Kekalainen said. “There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon. … The depth chart is completely different as far as the prospect side goes. We’re stocked on defense, at forward, with skill, grit and character, all kinds of things. We’ll have to wait and see how much of an impact it all makes at the NHL level.”

Star defenseman Zach Werenski, 24, essentially ratified Kekalainen's long-range plans earlier this month when he signed a six-year contract extension worth $57.53 million.

What about the present? With training camp coming in about a month, what is one to make of the big club and the season to come?

NHL draft:Blue Jackets cap 'bittersweet day' with trio of talented prospects in NHL draft's first round

Once again, the Blue Jackets will be one of the youngest teams in the league, with an average age somewhere between 25 and 26.

We have a good idea what the players above the 25-26 line can do. I’m talking about guys like Jake Voracek, 32, Gustav Nyqvist, 31, Boone Jenner, 28 and Sean Kuraly, 28. Granted, Gregory Hofmann, 28, and Justin Danforth, 28, are wild cards. And, admittedly, I have no idea how to rate Max Domi, 26, who won’t make it back from shoulder surgery until December. Who is Max Domi?

What will provide early momentum — or put a drag — on rebuild are the players below the 25-26 line. I’m talking about Patrik Laine, 23, who took 1191412 Detroit Red Wings

Ryan Martin reportedly leaves Red Wings for assistant GM job with Rangers

By Ansar Khan

The have hired Ryan Martin, a longtime member of the Detroit Red Wings front office, as assistant general manager and the GM of their AHL affiliate Hartford, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported.

Martin had been an assistant GM with Detroit for 11 years and the GM of the Grand Rapids Griffins since 2013.

He had been sharing the assistant GM title with Pat Verbeek since 2019, shortly after Steve Yzerman was hired as general manager.

Martin will be working under newly hired Rangers general manager Chris Drury. The two have worked together in the past with the U.S. national team.

Former Red Wings GM Ken Holland hired Martin, a Connecticut native, in 2005 to manage the salary cap, which was implemented in the 2005- 06 season, and handle collective bargaining issues. Yzerman, after becoming GM for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010, offered Martin the same post but Martin elected to stay in Detroit.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191413

Panthers considering trading Sasha Barkov? No

By George Richards

On Monday night, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski put up a post in which he asked Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito “if there was a date when he’d have to consider trading” star center Sasha Barkov.

Zito, according to Wyshynski, said there is not one.

“I’m confident we’ll be able to work something out,” Zito said per ESPN.

Zito, of course, has been saying this for some time.

And he’s not just blowing smoke.

Sasha Barkov is not going anywhere.

Barkov is entering the final season of the six-year contract extension he signed with the Panthers in 2016.

The Panthers were officially allowed to start negotiating a new extension with Barkov on July 28 when the new NHL year started — and they have done so. The talks have gone well by all accounts.

Although neither side is talking about it publicly, it is believed Barkov either has or is close to agreeing to a new deal. It will be announced soon enough.

For an ad-free reading experience, sign into your Florida Hockey Now account — or sign up for one today!

Why the holdup?

Because there is no rush. Barkov is still in Finland but will be returning to South Florida soon to start gearing up for the 2021-22 season.

When Barkov is back in Florida, the new contract will be announced. It’s pretty much that simple.

The Panthers would simply rather finalize and publicize what will be a major contract extension — Barkov is the team’s captain and the reigning Selke Trophy winner — when he is in town.

The team would much rather have Barkov here to publicize the contract than do it on a Zoom from Tampere.

As always, stay tuned.

FLORIDA PANTHERS LINKS

Not a whole lot going on in the hockey world right now, but you can still bet on what’s going to happen in 2021-22. Check out the latest Vegas odds on the Panthers in yesterday’s FHN Today. (FHN)

— Expectations for the Florida Panthers should be sky-high this season. (NBC)

— Takeaways from the Panthers offseason. (SN)

AROUND THE NHL

Eric Joyce and Wes Clark, both formerly of the Panthers, received promotions from the Maple Leafs.

Clark, a former Florida scout, will stay as assistant director of player personnel, Clark while adding director of amateur scouting.

Joyce, Florida’s former assistant GM, is Toronto’s director of hockey strategy as well as its director of pro scouting. (TSN)

— Auston Matthews has wrist surgery. (SN)

— Playing GM for the cap-strapped Penguins. (PHN)

— Got questions about the Bruins? (BHN)

— Why did Detroit give Adam Erne $2.1 million? (DHN)

Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191414 Minnesota Wild

Wild signs restricted free agent Mason Shaw to two-year, two-way contract

Shaw was a fourth round draft choice in 2017 and played the past four seasons for the .

By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune AUGUST 17, 2021

The Wild made another signing Tuesday, bringing back forward Mason Shaw on a two-year, two way contract.

This deal is worth $750,000 in the NHL each season and $100,000 in the American Hockey League in 2021-22 and $125,000 in 2022-23.

Shaw, who was the team's last restricted free agent to sign, tallied eight goals and 14 assists in 30 games with Iowa last season. The 22-year-old has 61 points in 124 games over four seasons with Iowa.

A native of Lloydminster, Alberta, the 5-foot-9, 182-pound Shaw was drafted by the Wild in the fourth round (97th overall) in 2017.

On Monday, the Wild agreed to a one-year, $5.1 million contract with Kevin Fiala.

Kirill Kaprizov is the only roster regular who remains unsigned.

Star Tribune LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191415 Minnesota Wild "This is a business," Guerin said. "It's not a personal attack. It's not, 'We don't like this guy. We like that guy more.' It's a business and we have a salary cap, a budget and a pay structure that we have to follow in order Kevin Fiala agrees to one-year, $5.1 million contract with Wild for us to be successful, and that's what we're doing.

The 25-year-old winger, who scored 40 points last season, was headed "Lots of players go through this. I don't look at it as a slap in the face and toward salary arbitration with the team this week. if somebody does, then great. Prove us wrong."

Kaprizov is the only Wild regular still unsigned, but Guerin said he is in constant communication with Kaprizov's agent. By Sarah McLellan Star Tribune AUGUST 17, 2021 — 8:41AM A recent report from Daily Faceoff indicated Kaprizov has a tentative agreement in place to return to Russia's KHL if he can't finalize a deal with the Wild. Guerin said he wasn't sure if the report was true, The Wild and Kevin Fiala didn't agree on a multiyear contract this explaining: "It's not my decision. Doesn't bother me at all." offseason, but the two sides won't have to wait long to try again. The NHL's reigning Rookie of the Year is coming off a dynamic debut, in Fiala is returning on a one-year, $5.1 million deal, a short-term solution which he led the Wild with 27 goals and 51 points. Kaprizov falls into the announced Monday that avoided arbitration and gives the top-six winger unique category of not meeting restricted free agency or unrestricted free another audition to show he merits a lucrative commitment from the Wild. agency requirements. He is only allowed to negotiate and sign with the "It's a great opportunity for him," General Manager Bill Guerin said. "It Wild, is ineligible for an offer sheet from another team and doesn't have didn't work this year, but he's got to be motivated. I do think Kevin's the arbitration rights. type of guy that probably wants to prove me wrong and say, 'You "Things are going well enough," Guerin said of the contract talks. "We screwed up.' That's what you want as a GM, too. That's what you want as still have lots of time. There's no rush or panic." a coach. Even if Kaprizov is signed before training camp, the Wild could "You want these guys that are driven and hungry. I think Kevin's got the reconvene next month with holes in the lineup. capabilities of doing that." Trades, the waiver wire and internal candidates are all options Guerin Although the Wild "would have loved" to sign Fiala long-term, Guerin said mentioned to patch up the roster, but the flexibility might be enticing. it seemed like that result wasn't feasible. "It's not always the worst thing to have some competition spots open," he Negotiations began in July, and talks went back and forth without a said. "When you get to training camp, you see who wants it. You see resolution. But the team guaranteed an outcome before training camp who's hungry. But we'll see." when it filed for salary arbitration earlier this month, a move that was driven in part by Fiala's last contract. Star Tribune LOADED: 08.18.2021 That two-year, $6 million deal didn't get done until the day before training camp opened in 2019, and Fiala was a late arrival.

A restricted free agent, Fiala also could have elected for arbitration but didn't.

His arbitration hearing with the Wild was scheduled for Tuesday, but like in most cases in the NHL, a new contract was worked out ahead of time. The salary request filed by the Wild was $4 million and $6.25 million by Fiala's camp, and although these figures aren't necessarily indicative of actual offers, the two sides ended up settling in the middle.

"We're happy," Guerin said. "We're very happy to have Kevin back in the mix. There's no threat of missing training camp, and he can just kind of focus on being ready for training camp and his conditioning and all that stuff. Kevin's an important player for us."

Since joining the Wild in February 2019 in a trade that sent to Nashville, Fiala has been a ringleader in the offensive zone while striving to become more of a complete player.

Last season, Fiala finished second in goals (20) and points (40) on the Wild, but he was also benched for turnovers. Overall, the 25-year-old has 101 points in 133 games with the Wild; a team-high 54 points came in 2019-20.

Fiala will be a restricted free agent again next offseason before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency. He can sign an extension with the Wild as soon as Jan. 1.

"It's a very important year for him," Guerin said. "Anytime you're in a contract year, it's very important. If Kevin truly wants to establish himself as an elite player, he's going to have to keep improving. He's had two good years for us, and he's going to have to continue to get better.

"Kevin's still young, too. He's still a young man, and there's lots of room for improvement in his game on a lot of different areas. But there are some things that he does extremely well that other people in the league can't do."

Guerin is optimistic the Wild could still re-sign Fiala to a long-term deal, which is what center Joel Eriksson Ek received and what Guerin anticipates for Kirill Kaprizov.

All three were offensive leaders for the Wild last season, and Guerin has identified the trio as part of the team's foundation. But the same contract might not work for everyone. Eriksson Ek re-upped for $42 million over eight years in July, an average of $5.25 million per season. 1191416 Minnesota Wild

Wild sign Mason Shaw to two-year, two-way contract

Shaw, 22, was third in scoring for Iowa Wild with 8 goals and 22 points in 30 games last season

By PIONEER PRESS | PUBLISHED: August 17, 2021 at 4:46 p.m. | UPDATED: August 17, 2021 at 4:46 p.m.

The Wild have signed Mason Shaw to a two-year, two-way contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Shaw, 22, ranked third in scoring for the AHL Iowa Wild last season with eight goals and 22 points in 30 games. He is scheduled to make $100,000 and $125,000 the next two seasons, respectively, in Des Moines and $750,000 in St. Paul.

In four seasons with the Wild, Shaw has 61 points (19-42—61) and a plus-8 rating in 124 games. He has one assists in three Calder Cup Playoff contests.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191417 Minnesota Wild This summer, Russo reported that the Wild’s range for a long-term deal was between $5 million and $6 million on average.

That value would have fallen short of his market value over the next Analyzing Kevin Fiala’s latest contract, and his opportunity to prove seven seasons, which, according to The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn’s himself model that is based on Game Score Value Added, was about $6.9 million on average. But, that’s his market value, or what he’d be worth if he hit the open market right now as an unrestricted free agent, not his salary By Shayna Goldman Aug 17, 2021 projections.

Salary projections, according to Evolving-Hockey’s model, were closer to $6.1 million on average over five years. But if a one-year deal was Restricted free agent Kevin Fiala likely thought he would sign the most signed, like it was, the model pointed to a cap hit that’s under $5.4 significant contract of his career this offseason. Instead, he inked a one- million. year, $5.1 million contract to avoid arbitration, putting him in a similar position next summer. That market value, however, drops closer to the salary projection of $6.1 million on average across the next seven seasons when his player When the Wild’s ideal range didn’t line up with what the winger was comps from Luszczyszyn’s similarity score generator are factored in. The seeking long term, the team filed for arbitration. Arbitration can be a tricky comps help build a future curve based on how these players — factoring process that runs the risk of souring relations between player and team. in scoring, play-driving, along with physical attributes and age — played But it puts a deadline on when contract negotiations have to be settled. after that ‘similar’ season, although they do not consider play style. Electing for arbitration ensured there wouldn’t be a repeat of negotiations lingering into training camp, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported. If Fiala follows this curve, his market value will be lower on average after this season because next year currently projects to have the highest That cap hit comes just below the midpoint of the $2.25 million gap value. In the six seasons to follow, his market value is about $5.9 million between player and team, as the Wild’s offer was $4 million. Meanwhile, on average. the player requested $6.25 million next year. Fiala opted for a one-year deal over the two-year option that would take him right up to unrestricted With those comps in mind, there’s a high probability that Fiala provides free agency for the first time in his career. positive value to his team over the next four years, which slips in the few years to follow. So, the fact that this contract would start at age 26, not With a one-year extension, Fiala gets another chance to prove his value. 27 had he signed a two-year deal this summer, does help his case in “Anytime you’re in a contract year, it’s very important. If Kevin truly wants what the team might be willing to pay, and the chances of it being a to establish himself as an elite player, then you know what? He’s gonna successful deal. have to keep improving. He’s had two good years for us and he’s gonna Fiala’s playing style, which isn’t considered in these projections, might have to continue to get better,” Guerin said. help his case. In his work on how players age, Eric Tulsky, now of the “Kevin’s still young, too. He’s still a young man and there’s lots of room Carolina Hurricanes, found that passers generally can age more for improvement in his game on a lot of different areas. But there are gracefully, as do more frequent shooters, versus snipers. Fiala is a some things that he does extremely well that other people in the league combination of a passer and a frequent shooter. can’t do. And, like I said, it’s a big year for him. Always is.” To compare, without comps, Fiala’s market value after next season So what does Fiala need to do this year to exceed the Wild’s best offer, projects to be about $6.9 million on average over the next six years. So, and what could that next contract look like? what his next contract could be worth somewhere in between those two market values, depending on how his game trends. Fiala’s an excellent play-driver; he’s one of the best players, not just in Minnesota but the league, at carrying the puck up the ice and into the Although, those values can shift by this time next year depending on offensive zone. He ranks highly in his rate of possession entries, and his potential cap growth. While more space could open over the life of that efficiency, as well as the plays that spark those shifts back to offense next contract, the Wild will have another hurdle in balancing buyout costs with takeaways. that will weigh heavily on their cap these next few seasons.

What makes him such a dynamic player offensively is what he can do in While the Wild were, and are, willing to go long term with certain players the zone with the puck on his stick. Fiala’s one of the better players in the this summer, that trend didn’t continue with Fiala. But, as Guerin league at converting those possession entries into scoring chances, explained, “It’s not, ‘We don’t like this guy, we like that guy more.’ It’s a along with cycle shots from extended zone time. business and we have a salary cap, a budget, and a pay structure that we have to follow in order for us to be successful and that’s what we’re He’s multi-dimensional in how he generates those scoring chances since doing.” he’s a very capable shooter and passer. The winger not only frequently shoots the puck, but ranks highly in primary shot assists or passes that “Lots of players go through this. I don’t look at it as a slap in the face, and directly precede a shot attempt. So whether the puck came off Fiala’s if somebody does, then, great, prove us wrong,” Guerin added. stick, the Wild created more shots and scoring chances when he’s on the Fiala has one season to do exactly that. ice. The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 The challenge is that those underlying numbers don’t always shine on the scoresheet, and scoring drives salaries. There is work for Fiala to do to become a more consistent producer. But even more so, there’s work for the team to do to get one of its better offensive generators support in high-caliber linemates who can either finish those high-danger passes, or set up the shooting winger.

If Fiala’s put in that ideal situation, the onus is still on him to run with it to maximize his earnings.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for him. It didn’t work this year, but he’s gotta be motivated,” Guerin said.

“I do think Kevin’s the type of guy that probably wants to prove me wrong and say, ‘You screwed up.’ That’s what you want as a GM, too. That’s what you want as a coach. You want these guys that are driven and hungry. I think Kevin’s got the capabilities of doing that.”

So if he proves the Wild wrong, what kind of contract could he be looking at next year? 1191418 Montreal Canadiens could play the position. Fact is, there’s a big series of question marks down the middle for the Habs. Clearly Slick Nick Suzuki is the No. 1 , but after that it becomes a bit murky.

What the Puck: This Habs team will be hard-pressed to make the One assumes the plan is to have Jesperi Kotkaniemi as the second-line playoffs centre, but in spite of what the fan boys say, the facts tell us that three It doesn't seem like GM Marc Bergevin has adequately replaced the seasons in, KK has yet to have a strong, consistent season. This is the injured Shea Weber or the departed Phillip Danault in his rebuilt lineup. make-or-break-year for him. The No. 3 guy, Jake Evans, is also a question mark. I like him, but the jury is out on him, too.

Also which Price will show up next season? Saint Carey of the playoffs or Brendan Kelly Publishing date:Aug 17, 2021 the ultra-inconsistent chap who has been often injured and even more often not very good in the regular season in recent years?

Then there is the small detail of being back in a division that will include What a difference a month or so makes. Tampa, Toronto, Boston and Florida. The Habs aren’t likely to be top In early July, your Montreal Canadiens were coming off their first Stanley three in that mix and thus they’ll be battling for the wild card with the Cup final appearance in 28 years. And even though they lost in five entire conference. In short, there’s a good chance the team, as it stands games to a much stronger Tampa Bay Lightning squad, fans were on a now, doesn’t even make the playoffs. mighty high following this totally surprising playoff run by a team that was Montreal Gazette LOADED: 08.18.2021 predicted to go absolutely nowhere in the post-season. In fact, four games into the playoffs, down 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Habs nation was in foul humour, with most suggesting we fire owner Geoff Molson, GM Marc Bergevin, coach Dominique Ducharme and every player not named Brendan Gallagher.

Then they roared back and beat Toronto (or maybe the Leafs beat themselves as usual), annihilated the and, most impressively, silenced the Vegas Golden Knights. These were heady days.

Then came the Stanley Cup Final hangover. Instead of being ecstatic in his end-of-year press conference after Montreal’s amazing run, Bergevin sounded tired and a bit beaten down by the stress of the year. He refused to commit to staying with the team long-term. All he would says is: “I have one year left on my contract and I will honour that.”

It was a strange answer. You ask an exec if he or she is staying with a corporation and they always express total loyalty, even if they’re set to quit the next day. So is he headed somewhere else after this coming season?

Then came the expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken and Bergevin stunned the hockey world by exposing the team’s two senior statesmen, captain Shea Weber and Carey Price. With Price, it was a roll of the dice on Berg’s part. He figured, correctly as it turned out, that Kraken GM Ron Francis wouldn’t want to add an annual hit of US$10.5 million to his salary total. Weber’s injuries guaranteed he wouldn’t be picked up. But to leave Man Mountain and Saint Carey unprotected suggested a changing of the guard is in the offing.

Both have injury issues and Bergevin said it is quite possible Weber’s career is over. Those are big skates to fill. And that brings us to the crux of the reason Habs fans aren’t feeling the Cup buzz a month after the end of the playoffs. There have been big changes to the team in the off- season and it’s impossible to argue that the resulting roster is stronger than last year’s team.

Weber, who was a force of nature in the playoffs, is presumably gone for at the very least the regular season and maybe forever. So who replaces the Habs’ No. 1 defenceman? Bergevin picked up David Savard and he’s a good addition, but he’s not a No. 1 D-man.

Just as crucially, the Habs lost Phillip Danault, who signed as a free agent with the . That was a head-scratcher. The Canadiens had reportedly offered the centre a six-year, US$30-million contract in the fall, which he turned down. Then he signs a US$33 million, six-year deal with L.A. In other words, he rejected US$5 million annually from Bergevin, but took US$5.5 million from the Kings.

Can you explain that? Surely if you want US$5.5 million and the team is at US$5 million, you settle at US$5.25 million no? It makes you wonder if there’s some bad blood between the Québécois centre and the Habs GM.

The loss of Danault is huge. He has great difficulty scoring — he had only five goals last season and one in the playoffs — but there’s no way the team makes it to the final without his defensive play. So who replaces Danault? There is no one in the lineup who comes close to playing that shutdown role.

Bergevin signed Cédric Paquette, who is presumably the fourth-line centre and also nabbed , who isn’t usually a centre but 1191419 Nashville Predators If the stars align and Askarov is ready to transition to be the starter by 2024, the Preds could then flip the would-be-30-year-old Saros at or before the trade deadline for future assets.

Saros extension maps out Predators’ future in goal Nashville Post LOADED: 08.18.2021 26-year-old avoids arbitration hearing, signs third-richest goalie contract in franchise history

MICHAEL GALLAGHER AUG 17, 2021

Following one of the more dominant half seasons of hockey in recent memory, Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros appears to have finally stepped out of Pekka Rinne’s shadow and earned a nice pay raise in the process.

On Monday, Saros agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract with the Predators and avoided a salary arbitration hearing in the process. He will earn $4 million this season, $5 million in 2022, $6 million in 2023 and $5 million in 2024.

It’s the third-richest contract the franchise has ever given a goalie, behind Rinne’s seven-year, $49 million contract in 2011 and Tomas Vokoun’s four-year, $22.8 million contract in 2006.

“Juuse has proven himself as one of the best young in the NHL, and we are very pleased to have him remain our No. 1 goaltender for years to come,” GM David Poile said in a release. “While being mentored by Pekka Rinne, he has spent the last several seasons growing and taking steps physically and mentally to become a top goalie in this League, as evident by his spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2017-18 to finishing near the top of Vezina Trophy voting this past season.”

Saros just finished the best statistical season of his five-year career. Among goalies to start 20 or more games, he ranked seventh in wins (21), fourth in save percentage (.927), ninth in goals-against average (2.28), fifth in shutouts (3), 10th in shots against (1,073) and ninth in saves (995).

The 26-year-old Finn led the NHL in wins (16), save percentage (.947) and goals-against average (1.90) among players to start 15 or more games over the second half of the season as the Predators stormed out of the doldrums and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Saros finished sixth in the Vezina Trophy voting — which, let’s be honest, was way too low — and 11th in the Hart Trophy voting. But perhaps his most notable accomplishment from the past season was finally answering the question that’s been looming over his head since unseating Rinne midway through the 2019-20 season: Is Saros a legitimate, starting-caliber goaltender? We now know that’s a resounding yes.

“Juuse gives our team a chance to win in every game he plays,” Poile said. “We feel confident that with him leading the tandem we’ve established with David Rittich, our goaltenders will be a large part of our success in 2021-22.”

Yes, Saros’ extension gives the Predators four years of stability in net. But what it also accomplishes is clearly defining the team’s succession plan at the position.

Those four years allow the Predators to have a still-in-his-prime Saros stopping pucks and winning games while the team waits on who many scouts consider the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price: 2020 first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov.

The 19-year-old Askarov posted a .951 save percentage and 1.21 goals- against average with a 5-4-0 record in nine starts in the KHL last season. His contract with SKA St. Petersburg runs through the 2022 season, and Predators chief amateur scout Tom Nolan confirmed prior to the NHL draft that Askarov would spend the next two seasons in Russa and possibly join the Predators after that.

“He’s going to be a franchise player, we believe,” Nolan said.

In a perfect world, Askarov would join Nashville following the 2022 season and the Predators would still have two more years of Saros as the starter while bringing Askarov along at whatever pace they wanted. 1191420 New Jersey Devils spent time at wing early in the season, but finished at center and we’re going to consider him one for now.

Traditional stats State of the Devils: Interesting options, but plenty of questions on the wings PLAYER GAMES GOALS POINTS SOG TOI/G

Pavel Zacha

By Corey Masisak Aug 17, 2021 50

17

This is the third in a series of stories, State of the Devils, that will take a 35 short- and long-term view at where the franchise stands after a second weird, pandemic-shortened season and where it is going in the years to 103 come. 17:09

Here’s a quick thought exercise: Imagine what the Devils’ lineup is going Yegor Sharangovich to look like the next time they host Game 1 of a playoff series. So not just the next playoff team, but one that finishes first or second in the division 54 and is therefore likely a contender for the Stanley Cup. Now, focus on 16 who the best players on that team are going to be. 30 Who came to mind immediately? 114 Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, obviously. Dougie Hamilton, almost certainly. Mackenzie Blackwood and Ty Smith, most likely. Whether it is 16:48 2023 or 2025, projecting who will be the core figures for the next great Devils team starts with those five players. That said, it’s also almost Jesper Bratt certainly the next five — the guys who aren’t necessarily a lock to be 46 inner-circle core players — that will determine how deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs the Devils can advance. 7

And if you didn’t notice, none of the first five play on the wing. Barring 30 major injuries or stunted development for any of the five players already mentioned, the position with the most long-term uncertainty for New 101 Jersey is, kind of suddenly, the wings. 16:05 This is a franchise that was led by Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri in its Miles Wood most recent playoff appearance, and by the Ilya Kovalchuk-Zach Parise duo during the one before that. Who are going to be the club’s top wings 55 moving forward? 17 There are a lot of interesting options, and some with high-end potential, but nearly all have more to prove. 25

NOTE: Stats for this series are compiled from Natural Stat Trick, 127 Evolving-Hockey, Hockey Reference and NHL.com. And the GSVA 14:59 numbers are courtesy of The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn. Janne Kuokkanen State of the Devils: The Timeline 50 State of the Devils: Centers 8 State of the Devils: Wingers 25 State of the Devils: Defensemen 61 State of the Devils: Goalies 14:46 2021 in review There were some serious highs and lows on the wing for New Jersey last season. Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen not only established 50 themselves as NHL regulars but finished the season next to Jack Hughes on the club’s top line. Pavel Zacha finished the year on the wing, and set 5 personal bests in goals and points despite playing the fewest games in 11 his five-year career. Jesper Bratt had a late start, but matched his career- high in points per game. 65

Miles Wood scored a rate he never has before in the NHL and tied Zacha 13:56 for the club lead in goals. Nathan Bastian became a fixture on the “energy” line, often next to Wood and Michael McLeod. Marian Studenic

Conversely, the three veterans expected to lead the group all failed to 8 meet expectations. Kyle Palmieri scored eight times in 34 games before 1 being traded, which was easily the worst rate of his Devils tenure. New addition Andreas Johnsson scored just five times in 50 games, and 2 struggled to find any sort of consistent place in the lineup. Nikita Gusev 7 was a breakout player in 2019-20, and then cratered in 2021. He had five points in 20 games and was consistently a healthy scratch before being 10:47 released and signing with Florida. Nolan Foote A trio of prospects — Nolan Foote, Tyce Thompson and Marian Studenic — all saw action with the club after the trade deadline. Jesper Boqvist 6 1 Marian Studenic

2 45.24

5 45.76

9:41 49.17

Tyce Thompson -0.05

7 -0.9

0 Nolan Foote

1 47.37

4 42.86

8:43 41.09

Advanced stats (five-on-five) -0.09

PLAYER CF% SCF% XGF% GSVA GAR 0.5

Pavel Zacha Tyce Thompson

48.31 54.65

47.05 63.41

48.91 61.04

0.4 -0.04

1.5 -0.1

Yegor Sharangovich CF% = corsi for percentage; SCF% = scoring chances for percentage; xGF% = expected goals for percentage; GSVA = game score value 50.31 added; GAR = goals above replacement

50.08 Zacha had his most productive season and scored in a variety of ways. 46.79 He had nine goals and 17 points at 5-on-5, but a team-leading five goals and 11 points on the power play, plus a goal and five points when one 0.53 team had the net empty plus two overtime tallies lead to his club-bests in goals and points overall. 3.2 The Devils had three players (Zacha, Wood and Sharangovich) score at Jesper Bratt least 0.29 goals per game, or an average of 24-plus per 82 contests. 53.49 They haven’t had three guys score that frequently with at least 50 games played since 2011-12, when they had four guys fill the net at that clip. 52.54 The only Devils who had done it in the previous four seasons were Palmieri (four times), Hall (once) and Blake Coleman (once). 53.79 Bratt’s possession stats took a big leap forward. His previous career 1 bests: 48.33 GF%, 49.09 SCF%, 50.62 xGF%. 7.3 While Gusev was about 52 percent in CF%, he was also an example of Miles Wood why you have to dig a little deeper. The Devils allowed 50 high-danger scoring chances when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 and attempted only 49.1 21, and they were outscored 14-2. His goals above replacement just with the Devils (-6.5 in 20 games) was the fourth-worst in the league among 49.91 forwards, and his -7.3 overall GAR including his time with the Panthers 51.35 was second-worst, ahead of only Eric Staal.

0.64 Offseason in review

4.2 The Devils had 11 wings play 20-plus games for them in 2021. Five of them are no longer on the roster. Palmieri was traded and Gusev Janne Kuokkanen released during the season, but Bastian (expansion draft), Nick Merkley 52.14 (trade) and wing/center Mikhail Maltsev (trade) are also no longer with the club. 48.93 New Jersey has made one significant addition to the group so far. The 49.52 Devils signed free agent Tomas Tatar to a two-year, $9 million contract. Tatar has six 20-goal seasons on his NHL resume. The rest of the Devils’ 0.38 current roster has two — Hischier had 20 in his rookie season (2017-18) 3.6 and Johnsson had 20 for Toronto in 2018-19.

Andreas Johnsson The Devils did add a wing with NHL experience on a two-way contract — 33-year-old Brian Flynn has 275 NHL games on his resume, but none 53.46 since 2016-17. Flynn spent parts of the past three seasons playing in Switzerland. They also signed Chase De Leo and Joseph Gambardella 54.87 to two-way contracts.

52.49 Brett Seney, who spent all of 2021 with Binghamton, signed with the 0.13 Maple Leafs. Two other minor-league forwards, Ben Street and Brandon Gignac, remain unsigned UFAs. 3.8 Three big questions for 2021-22 Wood had his best, most consistent season as a pro in 2021. He was the club’s most consistent scorer, despite spending most of the year in a 1. Can Tomas Tatar and Andreas Johnsson bounce back? bottom-six role. He did set a career-high by averaging 14:59 of ice time Tatar had six consecutive 20-goal seasons before 2021. He finished the per game, and it’s possible that he (and Michael McLeod) could solidify regular season with 10 goals and 30 points in 50 games — that’s a 16- themselves as third-line guys. That could depend on what happens with goal, 49- pace. He had averaged 24 goals and 51 points per 82 the line that doesn’t feature Hughes, Hischier or McLeod. games over the previous six years. 3. Will any of the prospects break through?

The dip in goal scoring isn’t what Tatar needs to bounce back from The Devils have 10 forwards who seem like locks, if healthy, to be in the though. His team made the Stanley Cup Final in a surprising postseason opening-night lineup. Hughes, Hischier and McLeod in the middle. Tatar, run … but the Canadiens did it mostly without him. Tatar was scratched Sharangovich, Kuokkanen, Bratt, Johnsson and Wood on the wings. for much of the run, appearing in only five of Montreal’s 22 playoff Zacha … somewhere. games. Jesper Boqvist should be the 11th forward, possibly as the fourth center. His three regular seasons with the Canadiens were undeniably The 12th forward will be … well, that’s to be determined, unless the successful — particularly at even strength. He averaged 2.45 points per Devils add another veteran before camp begins. 60 minutes at 5-on-5, which is tied for 25th in the NHL among forwards (with 500-plus minutes) over the past three seasons. That’s clearly first- The pool of candidates includes Foote, Thompson and Studenic, who all line production. He’s tied with , just ahead of Brendan got short stints with the club in 2021, plus prospects , Gallagher and Nikolaj Ehlers. Dawson Mercer and Graeme Clarke. If you’re looking for a wild card, maybe it’s Fabian Zetterlund, or one of the AHL vets (Flynn, De Leo or He could also help on the power play. Tatar’s points per 60 with the man Gambardella?) advantage over the past three seasons is 4.19, which is better than anyone on the Devils’ current roster except for Zacha (4.23). He has New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald would probably want Holtz, scored at least eight power-play goals four times in the past seven years. Mercer, Clarke, Foote and Thompson to all get a little more seasoning The only Devils to score eight-plus in that span are Palmieri (five times), before thrusting them into the NHL lineup in an ideal situation. But there Hall (once) and Mike Cammalleri (once). are clearly at least one, maybe two, roster spots open, and one of those guys could certainly win a job in camp. Tatar will need to prove he can still produce at a high level without playing next to Gallagher and Philip Danault. Eventually, he’d like Even if the Devils don’t add another forward in free agency or trade another chance to disprove the “not a playoff player” narrative that is now before camp begins, signing one (or two, even) to a player-tryout contract attached to him. would make sense to give them a little more insurance in case they don’t want to play one of the kids from the start. Some of Johnsson’s advanced stats look pretty good from last season. The first time he played with Hughes and Bratt early in the season, they Depth chart analysis were great together. But the production just never happened. 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 When the season ended, Johnsson revealed that he has asthma and dealing with COVID-19 and its aftermath was a big problem. How much First line of Johnsson’s struggles were some combination of that, plus trying to Sharangovich/Kuokkanen settle with a new club, plus a bit of poor shooting luck? If he is able to play better and produce more this season, the Devils might end up being Tatar/Sharangovich deeper with competent scorers on the wings than expected. Tatar/Sharangovich 2. Can everyone else retain their gains from 2021? Sharangovich/Holtz All of the other returning wings — Zacha, Bratt, Sharangovich, Second line Kuokkanen and Wood — either set or matched a personal best in some type of production, either overall or on a per-game basis. The simple Zacha/Bratt answer to this is almost certainly no. At least one of those five guys is not going to match what they did last season, either because of injury or a Zacha/Bratt dip in performance or just plan bad luck. Bratt/Holtz Zacha has been a divisive player for years. He found a new level of Bratt/Mercer production in 2021, but his advanced stats lagged behind so that’s a new wrinkle in the long-running discourse about him. The underlying numbers Third line say it is going to be hard for him to consistently produce at that level, but the goals and the points still matter, particularly given how little he costs Wood/Bastian (more on that later). If he’s found a new lease on his NHL life as a shoot- Johnsson/Kuokkanen first guy, or if other teams respecting his shooting ability affords him the ability to make more plays for others, he can still be a key player for Johnsson/Mercer them. Foote/Clarke Bratt was arguably New Jersey’s second-best player last season, even after a bit of a slow start following a contract/immigration delay and the Fourth line COVID-19 outbreak. Yes, offered some of the same criticism Johnsson/Merkley of his game that John Hynes and Alain Nasreddine did before him. Bratt is also still just 23 years old — the same age Will Butcher was a rookie in Wood/??? 2017-18. If he and the coach did find some common ground in the second half of last season, and if Hughes and Hischier stay healthy, Bratt Foote/Wood could end up being the guy who statistically takes the biggest step Wood/Stillman forward among the wings in the coming season. Extra Sharangovich and Kuokkanen need to avoid the “sophomore slump.” One of them seems likely to drop down in the lineup, unless Zacha Maltsev moves back to center. They worked very well together, both with Hughes and between them, but they might have to figure things out Flynn with new linemates. The Devils could really use Sharangovich’s goal- Thompson/Zetterlund scoring ability if he can prove capable of beating goalies on a consistent, year-to-year basis. Kuokkanen’s all-around game should fit with just Thompson/Moynihan about anyone. There is one thing missing from the 2021-22 depth chart, beyond an Holtz and Mercer have the potential to be top-six forwards, though eighth player. The other seven guys are all lefties. If we drew up a wing Mercer could be the long-term solution as the club’s No. 3 center as well. depth chart based on left- or right-handedness, the Devils have one It’s more of an expectation than potential for Holtz. Foote and Clarke righty who played any games for them at the wing in 2021 — Thompson. could also reach that level as well. In a perfect world, those four could be Palmieri, Merkley and Bastian are all gone. the wings that flank Hughes and Hischier at the start of the 2023-24 season, or at least occupy four of the six wing spots. The Devils do have options to fill the last slot with a righty, and the long- term outlook at RW is fine. Beyond Thompson, all of Holtz, Mercer and Thompson, Studenic and Zetterlund all have a chance to be NHL Clarke are right-handed shots. They could be the club’s top three guys at players, more likely as role players and maybe even in-and-out of the right wing in a couple of years. Zetterlund and Flynn are also right- lineup guys. They’re all a little different as players, but all three could see shooting forwards. time with the Devils this season even if they don’t make the club during training camp. How much does this actually matter? Eh, it’s not exactly a crisis. Some of the most talented players like playing on their off-wing anyway, and it’s Chase Stillman was a divisive pick late in the first round of the 2021 draft. possible that Holtz could end up on the left side in the future, even if the He could be ready to slot into the bottom six in a couple of years, but club is short on natural right wings. there are questions about his long-term upside. Patrick Moynihan will be a junior at Providence this season and could be a candidate to sign and New Jersey has McLeod to handle the important faceoffs where a righty join Utica when the Friars’ season is over. is preferred. Rolling with seven or eight left-handed wings is more of a quirk than a bug. The Devils might feel they miss other attributes from There is also the trio of late-round European wings — Arseni Gritsyuk, Palmieri and Bastian more than their right-handed sticks. Nikola Pasic and Eetu Pakkila — that are all probably long shots at this point, but they did have the benefit of not missing as much development Special teams time during the pandemic as some North American prospects have.

Zacha became a fixture on PP1 last season, but also played a lot less on Final assessment the kill after being a go-to guy there in previous years. Sharangovich had a chance to play on the power-play late in the year, Do the Devils have a future star or two on the wing? Holtz has the and two of his three shots on goal with the extra man went in. He’s one of pedigree, but his 2020-21 season was only so-so for a player with his the best shooters on the team and probably needs to play more on the draft status. Guys like Bratt, Sharangovich and Mercer might never rise PP, but he is also one of the top penalty killers. to the level of “star” but the Devils would be happy with a “consistent, winning player” label for all of them. Bratt is a bit like Hischier in that he hasn’t really found a role to settle into on the power play. He and Tatar should fit somewhere, though maybe it Zacha and Foote can offer size and shooting ability. Holtz, Sharangovich is on PP2 for both of them. Wood seems like a good bet for the net-front and Clarke can all shoot it well. Tatar and Bratt have a blend of exciting spot on PP2, though that’s a role the Devils probably want to see Foote offensive skills. Wood has elite speed and appeared to improve in some grow into someday because of his size and soft hands. other areas last year. Kuokkanen has a quiet game, but a mix of size, craft and playmaking ability. If anyone from the group of candidates fighting for the last spot could help on the PK, that might be a nice tiebreaker in their favor. There is a lot to like about the individual talent on the wing for the Devils, both in 2021-22 and beyond. With the right development and injury luck, Salary cap watch New Jersey could have the supporting cast it needs up front for Hughes This is where the arguments about Zacha, Bratt and Wood in particular and Hischier already in the system. This coming season is critical, really start to matter. Debating what types of players they were in 2021 is particularly for the three guys who need new contracts. The Devils hope one thing. Dissecting what their production and role mean in 2021-22 is to learn a lot more about a lot of the other guys at the pro level in 2021- another thing. But all three need new contracts before the start of the 22 as well. 2022-23 season, and they’ve all reached the point where committing to The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 them starts to get pricey.

All three are restricted free agents with arbitration rights next summer. If Zacha has another year where he produces traditional stats well, but the underlying information is still so-so or bad, how do the Devils handle that negotiation? There are some players who just consistently outperform the projectable metrics, but those players are either a) stars or b) high- risk bets who often eventually crash.

What if Bratt has another year where the talent is obvious and there are flashes of him being a high-level, bankable producer, but he still only ends up with 35-40 points because of injuries or inconsistency? Are the Devils going to commit to a long-term deal for a lot of money without one year of actual proof that Bratt will be a 60-point player?

What if Wood doesn’t regress, and puts up another 17-20 goal season? Given how other teams covet some of Wood’s other attributes, he could get expensive for a bottom-six forward.

The Devils have zero dollars committed to anyone on the wing beyond the 2022-23 season. Those three players could become three of the toughest decisions Fitzgerald has to make in his entire tenure as GM. Is Bratt an inner-circle core guy who should be locked up for five or six years? Are Zacha and Wood outer-circle core guys who the club should be confident investing in, or will some of the prospects behind them make them potentially expendable?

The stars are almost always worth what they cost. The young guys and cheap veterans provide plenty of value. It’s the players in the middle that make or break cap sheets around the NHL. Get those three decisions right, and the Devils are one step closer to being a Cup contender. Get two or three of them wrong, either by letting the wrong guys go or paying the ones who stay too much, and it could really hurt their chances of being a great team in the Hughes-Hischier-Hamilton era.

In the pipeline 1191421 Ottawa Senators

GARRIOCH: Ottawa Senators bring back rugged winger Scott Sabourin on one-year deal to help Belleville

Bruce Garrioch

Scott Sabourin is coming home again.

The rugged winger, who grew up in Orléans, agreed to a one-year, two- way deal with the Ottawa Senators Tuesday. This will be his second stint in the organization.

Sabourin will make $700,000 in the NHL and $200,000 with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville. Make no mistake, he’s being brought in to make sure the club’s young players in the AHL are protected and the opposition is held accountable on a nightly basis.

We also know Sabourin can be called up if needed to help Ottawa. He was with the Senators during the 2019-20 campaign and made his presence felt. He finished with two goals and four points in 35 games that season.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, coach D.J. Smith and Belleville coach Troy Mann will be happy to have him back. He made the team coming out of training camp and signed a one-year deal just before the season got under way.

“Scott is a player and person with whom the organization has familiarity,” said Dorion. “He plays hard, has a physical presence, is respected on the ice and maintains strong leadership qualities. We’ll look to him to help guide our younger players and prospects.”

Sabourin spent last season with the AHL’s and did suit up for one game with the Leafs.

He missed several games during his season with the Senators after devastating head-to-head collision with Boston Bruins forward David Backes. Sabourin was taken off the ice on a stretcher and was admitted to hospital on Nov. 2, 2019 in a game against the Bruins on the road at the TD Garden.

He did return to play later that season.

The Senators will have no shortage of youth with Belleville and need someone with Sabourin’s experience to play a key role.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191422 Philadelphia Flyers

An advertisement on the Flyers' jersey? Why not?

BY JORDAN HALL

Last season, the Flyers added a sponsorship to their helmets.

Not this season but the following one, it appears the Flyers will sport a sponsor on their jerseys.

The NHL board of governors voted unanimously for the approval of the league's 32 teams adding an advertisement to their jerseys in 2022-23, Sportico.com reported Tuesday. According to the report, "the ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly bigger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys for the 2017-18 season."

These decisions are never super popular among fans at first, but they make perfect sense. It's an unambiguous avenue for the NHL to take in order to increase revenue and start making up the deficits caused by the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic.

Really, the ads are harmless and you even forget they're there once the band-aid is ripped off. Remember when everyone first saw the Tata Consultancy Services sponsorship on the Flyers' helmet? You hardly recognized it was on the helmet the rest of the season.

At an NHL game, the boards are littered with sponsorships and the ice has them, too. It doesn't take away from the viewing experience or the integrity of the game. A patch on the jersey won't depreciate a club's sweater or the history behind it.

We'll have to wait and see (for a while) what the Flyers negotiate for their jersey sponsor. The first time everyone sees the sponsored sweater might be the last time everyone remembers the controversy of it.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191423 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins name Alec Schall director of hockey operations

TRIBUNE-REVIEW | Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021 12:16 p.m.

Former player agent Alec Schall has been named the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new director of hockey operations, general manager Ron Hextall announced Tuesday.

Schall will be responsible for working with player contract negotiations, managing the salary cap and assisting with other hockey-related duties.

“Having spent over 25 years in professional sports, Alec brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with contract negotiations,” Hextall said in a statement. “His unique perspective and background make him an exciting addition to our hockey operations staff.”

Schall has spent the previous nine years as director of athlete representation at LEGACY Global Sports, a sports marketing firm for amateur and professional athletes where he scouted and recruited clients and was a liaison with teams and the media.

Before that, he founded R4PA in 2001, which was an independent agency specializing in the comprehensive representation of professional hockey players. R4PA was acquired by LEGACY Global Sports in 2012.

He was an NHLPA agent for several players, including James van Riemsdyk, Alec Martinez, Connor Clifton, Joel Farabee and Luke Glendening. He has negotiated more than $200 million in contracts.

Schall, who has an MBA from Columbia Business School, got his start in professional sports with Advantage International, a sports marketing and representation firm now called Octagon, as their manager of the hockey division from 1994-98.

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191424 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins name Alec Schall director of hockey operations

MIKE DEFABO

Penguins general manager Ron Hextall continued to build out his hockey operations department on Tuesday when he named Alec Schall director of hockey operations.

Schall, who previously worked as an NHLPA registered agent, will primarily focus on contract negotiations, managing the salary cap and other hockey-related duties. He will report to Hextall.

“Having spent over 25 years in professional sports, Alec brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with contract negotiations,” Hextall said in a statement. “His unique perspective and background make him an exciting addition to our hockey operations staff.”

Schall graduated from Trinity College in 1990 with a degree in sociology. He went on to earn an MBA in marketing and business economics at Columbia Business School in 1993. He’s worked nearly three decades in various roles related to sports marketing and athlete representation.

Most recently, Schall spent the last nine years as director of athlete representation at LEGACY Global Sports, a marketing firm for amateur and professional athletes. Before that, he founded R4PA in 2001, an independent agency specializing in representing professional hockey players.

During his time as an NHL agent, some of the notable players Schall has represented include James van Riemsdyk, Alec Martinez, Connor Clifton, Joel Farabee and Luke Glendening. In total, he has negotiated over $200 million in contracts for various clients.

Schall’s addition to the Penguins organization comes at an intriguing time. The Penguins, who are pressed right up against the upper limit of the $81.5 million salary cap, are permitted to engage in contract talks with a number of key players who are entering the final year of their respective deals.

Evgeni Malkin, 35, is coming off of knee surgery and is entering the final year of his eight-year contract ($9.5 million average annual value). Kris Letang, 34, is set to play the final year of his own eight-year contract, which carries a $7.25 million average annual value. Previously, Hextall said the Penguins see a future with these members of the core.

While both Malkin and Letang will likely need to take less money to fit into the Penguins’ cap future, Bryan Rust could be in line for a raise. The 29-year-old forward is entering the final season of a deal that carries a team-friendly $3.5 million cap hit. After scoring more goals than any other Penguin over the last two years, Rust is likely to see that cap hit grow, whether that’s in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

One way or another, the Penguins were going to be engaged in some tough offseason negotiations. After Tuesday’s news, Hextall will have another voice in the front office to help make these salary cap decisions.

Mike DeFabo

Post Gazette LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191425 Pittsburgh Penguins

News: Penguins Hire Fmr. Agent as Director of Hockey Ops, WBS Signs Promising D-ManPublished 16 hours ago on August 17, 2021

By Dan Kingerski

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a new Director of Hockey Operations, and they reached into the agent world to find him, but he had several dealings with Penguins GM Ron Hextall. On Tuesday, the Penguins named former agent Alec Schall as the hockey operations staff.

His primary responsibilities will be aiding with player contract negotiations, managing the salary cap, and assisting with other hockey- related duties. Some of those duties previously involved Sam Ventura, who departed for the Buffalo Sabres organization.

Schall will report to Hextall. Here is his Puckpedia.com clients page

“Having spent over 25 years in professional sports, Alec brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with contract negotiations,” said Hextall. “His unique perspective and background make him an exciting addition to our hockey operations staff.”

Hextall and Schall have sat across the table from each other on at least two occasions. Schall represented Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk during contract negotiations in 2018. He also represented Flyers first-round pick, Joel Farabee in 2019. Hextall was the Flyers GM in both cases.

It may speak well of Schall that Hextall wanted him on his side of the table.

Schall spent the last nine years as director of athlete representation at LEGACY Global Sports. Before joining LEGACY Global Sports, Schall founded R4PA in 2001, an independent agency specializing in the comprehensive representation of professional hockey players. LEGACY Global Sports acquired R4PA in 2012.

He was an NHLPA registered agent, and some of the notable players Schall has represented include van Riemsdyk, Alec Martinez, Connor Clifton, Farabee, and Luke Glendening. In total, he has negotiated over $200 million in contracts for various clients.

WBS Penguins

An under-the-radar, AHL only signing could pay dividends for the Pittsburgh Penguins down the road. Christopher Merisier-Ortiz signed a two-year deal with the WBS Penguins. The 20-year-old defenseman was a teammate of Penguins prospect Nathan Legare with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar before each was traded last season.

Close team sources said Merisier-Ortiz is a solid skater with creative puck skills. He ran the Drakkar power play and was one of the leading defenseman scorers in the QMJHL.

Splitting time with Baie-Comeau and Blainville-Boisbriand, the young defenseman scored 20 points (4-16-20) in just 24 games. He is a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 172 pounds. Professional scouts told PHN his pro prospects are unclear but liked his potential.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191426 Pittsburgh Penguins I do not promise anything, but I really like Joe Thornton on that team. Just in case you want to get a head start

DraftKings Sportsbook Dan’s Daily: Fans Poke Sabres w/ Billboard, Wild Galchenyuk Trade States: PA, NJ, IN, IL, CO, MI, TN, VA, WV TreePublished 20 hours ago on August 17, 2021 GET THE APPSIGNUP BONUSUP TO $1,050 FREE

DEPOSIT BONUSBET NOW By Dan Kingerski Detroit: The Red Wings received howls when they signed Adam Erne to

a $2.1 million deal to avoid arbitration. Kevin Allen explained WHY Steve Do you miss the offseason drama surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins, Yzerman did it. or are you enjoying their relative removal from the headlines? As the Also in Detroit–another oddity that Penguins fans may find familiar. Penguins boat drifts quietly down the offseason river, New York Rangers Check out the Matt Murray and JIM PAEK note in this story: Goalie Alex fans bought a billboard to antagonize the Buffalo Sabres over the Jack Nedeljkovic who finished third in the Calder Trophy voting last season– Eichel-NHL trade standoff, a wild trade tree for Alex Galchenyuk, the will be eligible again this season. WHL will require the vaccine for everyone, and we played Penguins GM within the confines of the current cap trap. Didn’t think you’d get a Jimmy Paek reference today, did you?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Playing GM with the Penguins cap-strapped, no- Colorado: It’s punchout time in the Rockies. Newly acquired Kurtis trade-asset situation. It isn’t easy, but we did it anyway. Who to trade, MacDermid doesn’t mind punching people if they take liberties with when, how, and who would we sign? teammates. It’s part of the league lurch back to knuckles. Here are the Top 5 Avalanche Enforcers of all time. We opened up for a mailbag segment, and we’ll do one, but the first submissions had one thing in common–angst over the Penguins’ future, San Jose: I really like the Sharks prospect system. They’re coming along including Evgeni Malkin. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Will fans turn on quickly, and Sheng Peng is covering it well. The Sharks began their the stars? rookie camp and Wookie Brent Burns had some hallway advice for first- round pick William Eklund. Buffalo, Vancouver: Here’s the story you need to read today–Mark Demontis. The time has come. Blind hockey player. Skated over 3100 miles from Toronto to Vancouver Starting today for the next two weeks in honor of our 300th episode: in 2009. He’s at it again on Sept. 1. He’ll skate from Windsor to Ottawa to raise funds for Canadian Blind Hockey, which specifically helps blind and Blueshirts Breakaway has purchased a billboard on I-190 next to the partially sighted children play hockey. Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Arena demanding an Eichel trade. Go Mark! We all want this Jack Eichel saga to end.#FreeJack pic.twitter.com/RNVQToorFK Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021

— Ryan Mead (@OhRyanMead) August 16, 2021

Sportsnet: Steve Dangle looks at the Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk NHL trade tree, which–neither player really performed well for their new team–but is still bearing fruit for both the Montreal Canadiens and . Interesting video.

TSN: The Minnesota Wild and Kevin Fiala avoided arbitration and agreed on a new contract for the Wild star forward.

The Nashville Predators did the same with goalie Juuse Saros and agreed to a four-year, $20 million contract.

Boston: Our boys in Boston have a cup of a story. Remember when Alex Ovechkin mercilessly speared Trent Frederic in the family jewels? Frederic talked more about it and said–it didn’t hurt?!

Philly: The Pittsburgh Penguins have not yet announced a prospect development camp or rookie tournament, but the Philadelphia Flyers announced their camp, with some pretty high-end prospects (some drafted by Ron Hextall), will begin Aug. 28.

Count us as jealous and hopeful the Penguins will announce a camp soon.

NYI: Keeping with the Penguins rivals, NYI Hockey Now isn’t sold on Ilya Sorokin as the No. 1 goalie just yet, or rather, they’re onboard keeping the goalie tandem with Semyon Varlamov.

One wonders how the Islanders can afford it.

Washington: The greatest Pittsburgh Penguins rival, the only other Metro team to win a Stanley Cup in the Crosby era, the Washington Capitals also have blue line questions. Sammi Silber writes–Dmitri Orlov will be the key this season.

What a find Sammi has been. It’s a joy having her on the team. Unfortunately, both the Penguins and Capitals seem paralyzed by age, fading hopes, and lack of options.

Florida: I like the Florida Panthers’ odds to win the Stanley Cup. George Richards laid out the new odds, and the Panthers are still a second or third-tier betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup. 1191427 San Jose Sharks First, he knows what he has to work on to crack pro hockey. “I need to improve in my D-zone,” he acknowledged.

Second, Gushchin has a good friend to show him the ropes. He’s been Sharks Dev Camp: Ozzy Talks Training with Jumbo, Gushchin on Why training with fellow San Jose Sharks prospect Ivan Chekhovich this He Wears No. 66Published 6 hours ago on August 17, 2021 summer.

“He’s a good guy. He’s my friend. We practice everyday, go hang out, go By Sheng Peng to restaurants, go watch movies,” Gushchin offered. “He’s helped me with everything.”

SOMETHING HISTORIC? Don’t sleep on Ozzy Wiesblatt. If the San Jose Sharks have their way, Wiesblatt will be starring with top While 2021 first-round pick William Eklund and 2020 second-round pick picks Eklund and Bordeleau in teal for the next decade or so to come. Thomas Bordeleau garner the headlines at San Jose Sharks development camp — well-deserved, mind you — 2020 first-round pick So maybe 2021 Sharks Development Camp is shaping up to be historic? Wiesblatt spent his entire summer in the Bay Area, getting ready for the This appears to be the first time that Wiesblatt, Elkund, and Bordeleau upcoming campaign with team strength and conditioning coaches Mike have met. Potenza and Stephen DiLustro. What did Wiesblatt think of his fellow top prospects? In May, Wiesblatt told San Jose Hockey Now and Locked On Sharks that “I think Eklund has amazing speed, so agile, and a great shot. He’s his No. 1 goal for the 2021-22 season was to “make the Sharks.” gonna be a great player for a lot of years to come,” Wiesblatt The 19-year-old winger is certainly putting in the work toward that goal. volunteered. “Bordeleau, his hockey sense really sets him apart.”

“I think for myself, being a little bit undersized, I wanted to work on my San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021 speed. I wanted to work on my strength and my shot,” Wiesblatt shared on Day 2 of San Jose Sharks development camp. “You can always get better in all areas. Those three things, I really tried to focus on.”

Making San Jose his home away from home has its benefits: Wiesblatt had a chance to train with Joe Thornton when the San Jose Sharks legend visited old haunts earlier this summer.

Wiesblatt beamed: “That was really cool to pick his brain. He’s been in the NHL longer than I’ve been alive. He knows one or two things.”

Thornton’s NHL debut was on Oct. 8, 1997. Five years later, Wiesblatt was born on Mar. 9, 2002.

Wiesblatt added: “He taught me a ton. From nutrition to doing extra workouts, it’s not an easy league to make, not an easy league to stay in.”

Wiesblatt had his share of San Jose Sharks veterans to learn from this summer: He also trained with Logan Couture, Brent Burns, and Erik Karlsson, among others.

Could they be his teammates sooner than later?

WHERE WILL GUSHCHIN GO?

In the big picture, it’s an unimportant question.

But I’m fascinated with the fact that Danil Gushchin chose to wear No. 66 for a USHL team which uses both the Pittsburgh Penguins’ color scheme and jersey template. I’ve wondered for a while: Was this Gushchin’s homage to ?

For Gushchin, there’s more to No. 66 than that.

“My dad has a friend. He played hockey bandy. He was a superstar in hockey bandy. And he was No. 66,” Gushchin said. “I was No. 11. But when I [went] to my next team when I was younger, somebody had that number. And so my dad [asked] if I wanted to try No. 66.”

And he’s been No. 66 ever since. Well, except for dev camp — he’s sporting No. 75 here.

So will Gushchin wear No. 66 in the NHL? It won’t be received kindly by traditionalists, if we remember the controversy when Joshua Ho-Sang rocked it.

But that’s getting way ahead of ourselves.

More importantly, where’s Gushchin playing this year? Will he finally make his OHL debut? The 19-year-old was ticketed for the Niagara IceDogs last season before COVID-19 canceled the league’s year. Or will he get one step closer to the NHL and suit up for the ?

We likely won’t know the answer to that until after training camp, when the San Jose Sharks will have a better sense of where the offensive dynamo’s game is.

But the Russian winger does have a couple things on this side. 1191428 San Jose Sharks Kelly And McQuaid Excited To Continue Winning Culture For Bruins Flyers announce roster and dates for 2021 Development Camp

San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 08.18.2021 Sheng’s Daily: Thornton’s Beard Won’t Make It to Florida?

Published 18 hours ago on August 17, 2021By Sheng Peng

William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau talk to the media during Day 1 of San Jose Sharks development camp: What are Eklund’s plans after camp? Does Bordeleau plan on turning pro this season?

Sharks Dev Camp: Eklund Shares Burns’s Advice, Bordeleau on COVID Ordeal

I talk about San Jose Sharks dev camp and the Evander Kane situation here: https://t.co/5sUeCeRTRk Big Thank You to @Sheng_Peng from @sjhockeynow for joining @StrandeScott and @IthswR to talk all things @SanJoseSharks and @sjbarracuda tonight on Professional Hockey SW Weekly! pic.twitter.com/dCERKIpooT

— NHL ITHSW (@NHL_ITHSW) August 17, 2021

IN OTHER SAN JOSE SHARKS NEWS…

Register to watch Thursday’s prospects scrimmage:

See our future play some hockey this Thursday!

The only way to watch our 2021 Prospects Scrimmage is by registering for our FREE livestream: https://t.co/M4acv28Sg9 pic.twitter.com/nl15uDUZBk

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) August 17, 2021

Happy and proud to sign my first NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks, can’t wait to get things started. @SanJoseSharks pic.twitter.com/sWfccWz0XS

— William_eklund (@Williameklund72) August 16, 2021

UFA Marcus Sorensen says he’s talking to some NHL and European clubs, but has yet to come to a decision as to where he’ll play this season. (Telgenytt)

Details of the upcoming #SJSharks season are beginning to arrive, including a "commemorative gift" for Opening Night on October 16th vs. WPG.

Also, five specialty shirsey nights are scheduled. More details to come.

— TEAL TOWN USA – A San Jose Sharks Podcast (@TEALTOWNUSA) August 16, 2021

The San Jose Barracuda announce their pre-season schedule. (San Jose Barracuda)

AROUND THE NHL…

Joe Thornton doesn’t know if his beard will make it to Florida. (NHL)

Canadian Blind Hockey Player to Skate Another 1,000 K

Kurtis MacDermid: “MacKinnon, Rantanen, everyone … I’ve got their back”

Playing GM with Penguins Cap Strapped, Few Trade Asset Team

Juuse Saros and Nashville agree to a four-year extension. (On the Forecheck)

Orlov Will Be Key In Leading Washington Capitals’ Blue Line In 2021-22

Islanders Should Roll with a Tandem in Goal Yet Again This Season

FHN+ | Predicting the Florida Panthers Opening Night lineup

Bill Guerin isn’t worried about the slow negotiations with RFA Kirill Kaprizov. Also, fellow RFA Kevin Fiala avoided arbitration and signed a one-year pact. (Pioneer Press)

Why the Detroit Red Wings gave Erne $2.1 million per season 1191429 Seattle Kraken Small wonder the NHL reportedly issued directives to teams and the players’ association that all players, coaches and hockey personnel be fully vaccinated. Compliance among Kraken players, I’m told, is nearly 100% and probably will hit that by training camp. COVID-19 vaccine mandates for fans attending Kraken games? The alternative could be worse By all accounts, players leaguewide were near 85% vaccine compliance before the NHL edict. Given threatened hassles for holdouts, including loss of salary for being unavailable to play in Canada, it’s assumed almost all will get shots by camp. By Geoff Baker But fans are different. The NHL is leaving fan vaccination requirements

up to teams, and the Winnipeg Jets are the only club mandating it thus The likelihood of vaccination requirements for all Climate Pledge Arena far. The Jets, who also mandated mask usage by fans, said season- patrons ahead of the Kraken’s initial season appears to be nearing. ticket holders made clear both steps were preferred.

And given spiking COVID-19 case rates nationwide, requiring And that’s only fair. If millions have done their part to vaccinate and vaccinations might be the easiest way out for the Kraken and its fans. protect themselves and fellow citizens, why force them to worry whether Though no official decision has been made, people familiar with ongoing the person next to them at games took the selfish, riskier approach? Kraken discussions say a vaccination mandate could be far preferable to I asked NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly by email about any another alternative looming behind the scenes. differences in law between the U.S. and Canada that might prevent the That would be state and county health officials restricting capacity at league from acting more broadly. sports venues this fall. Yes, that’s right, there have apparently been “Laws are different in all of our jurisdictions,” Daly replied. ongoing murmurs about that, and the Kraken is on high alert. The last thing it wants is fans who waited 3½ years to see a Kraken game after Indeed, some parts of the country could prove tougher than others. But making season-ticket deposits in March 2018 to suddenly find the Anschutz Entertainment Group and Climate Pledge Arena partner themselves shut out if Climate Pledge Arena is limited to, say, 70% Live Nation just announced vaccine mandates or a negative COVID-19 capacity or lower. test to attend concerts at all affiliated venues nationwide.

Not to mention, those ticket refunds would cost the team a bundle. The Eagles have a Nov. 5 date at Climate Pledge for vaccinated patrons only, as per the band’s request. Vaccines are also mandatory for front- None of this is surprising, given mounting hospitalizations and deaths office staffs with the Kraken, its Oak View Group development partner linked to the delta variant and mostly unvaccinated populations. But it’s and the arena. still a jolt, given the Kraken is less than a month from training camp and more than $1 billion has been spent readying the arena for an Oct. 23 The Kraken has said it’s awaiting guidance from local health authorities, opener against the Vancouver Canucks. knowing fans would need a month to get both shots and have them take effect. That leaves about five weeks to finalize any vaccination policy. Was this avoidable? Probably. But with barely half the country vaccinated against COVID-19 and governors of states such as Florida, Texas and For now, just like the county and state, the Kraken is waiting and Tennessee opposing mask mandates in schools, the potential for deadly watching. The team is aware of declining COVID-19 case rates in Europe spread is now the greatest in months, and tough decisions likely will be this month following a lethal summer surge. There’s some hope that, if forthcoming. vaccinations increase nationwide and more people take precautions, a similar decline might happen here. So, faced with imposed partial capacity or preemptively mandating that fans follow established medical advice for the greater public good, it isn’t But make no mistake. Things today are headed in the wrong direction. difficult to figure out how the Kraken would lean. This is already a And the Kraken, which already saw mountains moved to get its arena franchise doing more than the average team when it comes to promoting built during a pandemic, seems open to imposing whatever’s needed to environmental causes, hiring women and people of color and taking get as many fans as possible into that venue. stances on social issues that sometimes rile up a specific, vocal segment of the populace. Geoff Baker

Yes, the Kraken is aware there could be backlash over vaccines, as Seattle Times LOADED: 08.18.2021 somehow an infringement upon freedoms. But there’s an old legal saying — perhaps spawned by a 1970s NHL player tired of being beat up on by Philadelphia’s “Broad Street Bullies” teams: “Your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins.”

OK, so it was probably Oliver Wendell Holmes, Abraham Lincoln or John Stuart Mill who said it, and none played hockey. Suffice to say, the Kraken hasn’t shied away from blowback on a host of things — including its choice for the team’s name — and it’s unlikely to be swayed by anti- vax rhetoric during a public-health crisis.

Especially if the alternative is turning away ticket-holding fans because of new government capacity restrictions.

Sure, there are other local sports that would also likely be impacted. But the Kraken plays indoors and — like the Storm — could be hit harder by imposed fan restrictions than the Mariners, Seahawks or Sounders.

The NHL already has been hit harder for two seasons by COVID-19 than arguably any other major professional sports league.

It lacks the television revenue of other major leagues and relies heavily on fan attendance bridging that gap. It’s also the only league that revamped its entire format and 2020-21 schedule due to a Canada’s border closure and more-stringent COVID-19 rules in that country impacting seven of 31 teams.

Now it’s also the only league grappling with unvaccinated players likely not being allowed across the border to play nightly games against multiple Canadian clubs. 1191430 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning’s Steven Stamkos sells Davis Islands home for $16 million

By Emily L. Mahoney

Back-to-back Stanley Cup champ Steven Stamkos notched another win this week: a top-dollar sale of his Tampa home.

The Lightning captain’s waterfront Davis Islands house at 78 Martinique Avenue sold Monday for $16 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

That’s the third-highest sale in Hillsborough County so far this year, behind two of Tampa Bay’s priciest deals ever: Derek Jeter’s $22.5 million sale of his Davis Islands mansion and the $16.7 million paid for a sweeping 36-acre estate in Thonotosassa.

Stamkos and his wife, Sandra, purchased the property as vacant land in 2017 for $3.85 million, records show. The home was completed in 2018 and now has six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, and 8,516 square feet, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser.

The back of Steven Stamkos' home features a pool.

The back of Steven Stamkos' home features a pool. [ Courtesy of Soleil Design Build ]

Allan Mezrah, an agent with the Toni Everett Company who represented both the buyers and sellers, said the home was never listed on the market. But the buyers, who are listed on the deed as John and Kathy Shields, wanted to move to Tampa from the Boston area and were looking for a newer home with open bay views, just like the one Stamkos had built.

Mezrah was skeptical that the Stamkoses would sell, since the house was relatively new and they “were very happy living there,” he said. But he texted Stamkos and asked him if he had “a move-out number.”

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos holds the Stanley Cup as he and teammates celebrate the Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory with a boat parade Monday, July 12, 2021 in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos holds the Stanley Cup as he and teammates celebrate the Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory with a boat parade Monday, July 12, 2021 in Tampa. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

“He gave me a number and the guy met it,” Mezrah said. “There’s a lot of money and big time people moving to Florida and when they come to Tampa, they seem to want to be in Davis Islands.”

All this happened back in March, according to Mezrah, but they delayed the sale to give the hockey star enough time to finish his Stanley Cup winning season and the ensuing celebrations without distraction. After knocking on doors and looking at other homes, Stamkos is getting ready to move to another house similarly not listed on the market, Mezrah said. His contract with the Lightning will keep him on the team through the 2023-2024 season.

“I can tell you he is not leaving the island,” said Mezrah, who said he’s known the couple for 13 years.

The home’s features include lots of glass showcasing the waterfront views, and a trophy room.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191431 Toronto Maple Leafs I love me a good HHOF debate, and since we don’t get a class to argue about this year, we’ll take them where we can get them. This is an interesting question, or actually two, so let’s look at both sides of the Cup coin. Casting an NHL season of “Survivor,” rare jersey numbers and the worst- case scenario for the Leafs: DGB mailbag First, does not having a Cup hurt your Hall chances? I went through the last few decades of inductees, and I think the answer is pretty clearly no, it doesn’t, with one exception that we’ll get to in a bit. There are some borderline candidates who haven’t made it in and who don’t have a Cup, By Sean McIndoe Aug 17, 2021 245 like Jeremy Roenick, Daniel Alfredsson, Pierre Turgeon, Peter Bondra and Keith Tkachuk. But the Hall has welcomed a lot of players who never won a championship in the last few decades, including Paul Kariya, Cam It’s August and nothing is happening. Let’s open up the mailbag and Neely, Pavel Bure, Mike Gartner, Mats Sundin, Doug Wilson, Pat argue about reality TV, bigger nets and how bad it can really get for this LaFontaine, Eric Lindros and Adam Oates. Each of those guys had a Hall year’s Maple Leafs. resume that ranged from reasonably strong to quasi-lock, but none were absolute slam dunks, so if there was a strong anti-Cup bias, we could (Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and style.) have seen it with any of those players. And we’ve also seen some Cup- You’ve mentioned on the podcast a couple of times that you and the less candidates who were downright questionable, like , family are big “Survivor” fans, so you seem like the ideal person to bring Mark Howe and Bernie Federko, and they all made it, too. If there’s a the NHL and “Survivor” together. Which current NHLers bias against players without a Cup, it’s not very strong, and it’s not doing (players/coaches/executives) would make the best pre-merge tribe? – a very good job of keeping players out. Scott A. Here’s that exception I mentioned: There aren’t many goalies without a This is true. “Survivor” is like the only regularly scheduled program my Cup who make the Hall of Fame. It’s pretty much Eddie Giacomin and family watches (everything else is YouTube, Netflix or sports). So yeah, that’s it, while guys like Curtis Joseph and Ron Hextall wait for their call. let’s take a crack at a 10-person tribe. But there just aren’t enough goalies in the Hall, period, so maybe that’s all we’re seeing here. Either way, Henrik Lundqvist and Roberto Luongo To state the obvious, we’re not looking for the 10 best “Survivor” players. should both be first-ballot candidates, so that will probably balance the That would be boring. Instead, we need to check all the boxes for a scales for the no-Cup brigade. typical reality show lineup. Here’s the best I can come up with, although I want to hear some alternate versions in the comments. So no, not having a Cup doesn’t seem to matter. But does it work the other way? Does having your name on the Cup make it easier to get in? Nathan MacKinnon: The guy who seems cool at first and takes a leadership position but turns out to be out of his mind and eventually As best I can tell, it does — but only for the guys who won it several makes half of his tribe hate him, even though nobody will say that to his times. Having one Cup ring hasn’t helped Theo Fleury or Alexander face because they’re secretly terrified of him. Mogilny, not to mention Sergei Gonchar, Rod Brind’Amour, Tim Thomas or Steve Larmer. Even two championships haven’t helped guys like P.K. Subban: The super-charismatic dude who is immediately loved by Patrik Elias, Tom Barrasso or Mike Vernon. But when you get to three or half of the tribe and hated by the other half. more, the committee seems to perk up and take notice, even if you were Brad Marchand: The guy who’s super-annoying and knows it, and uses never the best player on any of those championship teams. There are a that to drive everyone else out of their minds and probably ends up lot of questionable selections that fit into this category, with recent winning. honorees Kevin Lowe and Guy Carbonneau joining names like Glenn Anderson, Clark Gillies and Bob Gainey. Joe Thornton: The lovable goofball who everyone wants to keep around even though he gets winded a few seconds into every challenge. So yeah, it seems like the Cup don’t matter all that much to the HHOF selection committee unless you’ve won it at least three times, at which Marc-Andre Fleury: The super-nice guy everyone is rooting for who gets point you can often punch a ticket if you also put up decent career blindsided in the season’s saddest moment. numbers.

Phil Kessel: The awkward guy who looks like he’s never done a sit-up in (And before the Chris Osgood truthers show up, remember he was only his life but turns out to be amazing at challenges and kind of makes you the starter for two of his three Cup runs.) feel bad about yourself for some reason. If you got your (entirely reasonable) wish and goal size was increased, Brent Burns: The actual outdoorsy guy who gets to stay in the game but you could only choose wider or taller, which would you choose? – because he’s the only one who can make a fire or catch fish, but then Eric A. gets backstabbed at the end because otherwise, he’d win. I’ve always argued for making a small increase all the way around the Sidney Crosby: The really good player who’s so desperately boring that net, since adding an inch or two would be a small enough difference that you can practically hear the producers begging him to say just one it would be imperceptible to the average fan watching at home or even at interesting thing they can use. the rink. Make the change to only height or width and I think you would run the risk that the new net would look “weird” to fans in a way that Tom Wilson: The over-the-top villain who all the viewers at home will would bother them, even if they couldn’t quite put their finger on why. hate but who kind of secretly be rooting for just to see what kind of drama he creates next. But OK, you’re forcing me to pick one. There’s a good argument to say you go with height, since that’s what’s changed about goalies. They’re so Joe Sakic: The guy who gives somebody else a rock and tricks them into much taller now, and sumo equipment aside, they’re not much wider. So thinking it’s an immunity idol while you scream at your TV about how you raise the crossbar three or four inches and restore some of the anyone could be dumb enough to fall for that. balance we lost when lighter equipment and the butterfly introduced the Honorable mention: Connor McDavid (the challenge beast on the era of the 6-foot-7 goalie. hopeless tribe), Elias Pettersson (the lovable one who turns heel halfway I’d be on board with that, except for an objection I’ve heard from a few through the season), Mitch Marner (the way-too-young-looking one who players: that you’d be making the game less safe by encouraging higher doesn’t seem to be having any fun), John Tortorella (the crusty old guy shots. It’s already dangerous enough to go near the front of the net and who tries to tell everyone what to do and gets voted out first), Jack Eichel risk taking a shot in the head or throat, the thinking goes, so let’s not give (the swing vote who might decide the whole season). players an incentive to aim even higher than they already are.

I think by now we’re all in agreement that as far as a player’s legacy I’m not completely convinced we’d be introducing that much extra risk, goes, winning the Stanley Cup weighs more heavily than it should, since but I don’t want to find out, so let’s go with increased width. That has the in hockey there’s only so much one player can do. My question is, how added bonus of encouraging athleticism among goalies, who would have do the worst Hockey Hall of Famers who never won the Cup stack up to to go side-to-side more than they do today. Goaltending is more fun to the worst Hall of Famers who did win? Does it look like you have to watch when it involves guys actually moving and not just waiting for the significantly overachieve to make the HOF without a Cup, or that you can puck to hit their chest, so let’s give them a little more ice to cover. coast your way in if you’ve done enough winning? – Juho T. If you matched a six-man squad (three forwards, two defensemen and a For example, there’s one famous number that has barely been worn, but goalie) of players younger than 20, based on their best statistical season which you wouldn’t be allowed to choose today. That one, of course, is at that age, against a six-man squad of players 40 and over, based on 99. In addition to , it was briefly worn in NHL play by Rick their best statistical season at that age, who’d win in a best-of-seven Dudley and Wilf Paiement, both in the early 1980s, but has since been series? – Mike L. retired league-wide, so it’s out.

This is a little tricker than it looks, since you have to decide where your You also couldn’t go with the least-worn number in NHL history, which is cutoff is for players whose birthday falls during the season. Let’s keep it 0. Neil Sheehy is the only player to ever wear it, with the Whalers back in simple and use hockey-reference.com’s cutoff, which goes by a player’s 1987-88, while Martin Biron and John Davidson both briefly wore 00. age on February 1 of a given season. Neither is an option anymore because NHL players are no longer allowed to wear a zero. I’m not completely sure why that is – any time I ask I get Up front, Team Young Punks is going to dominate. They can use Wayne a hand-wavey explanation about it causing problems in a database Gretzky’s first NHL season in 1979-80, which saw him rack up 51 goals somewhere, which seems weird – but it’s a tragedy because wearing and 137 points. Our next spot goes to Mario Lemieux, who had 43 goals zero or double-zero has always been cool, especially for goalies. If it was and 100 points as a rookie in 1984-85 despite playing on a Penguins good enough for both the Blue Jays’ designated hitters in their 1985 team on which nobody else knew how to tie their own skate laces. And pennant run, it should be good enough for the NHL. while the third spot could go to big names like Dale Hawerchuk (103 points in 1981-82), Sidney Crosby (102 points in 2005-06) or Steven The last number to ever debut in the NHL was 84, which nobody had Stamkos (51 goals in 2009-10), I think we actually have to give it to ever worn until Guillaume Latendresse in 2006-07, but 11 more players Jimmy Carson. He didn’t go on to have the career you’d have expected have since. So instead, our answer for the least-worn legal number is based on his first few years, but his 55 goals in 1987-88 still rank as the probably a predictable one: 69, which has only ever been worn by Mel all-time record for a teenager, while his 107 points that year are the most Angelstad of the 2003-04 Capitals, Andrew Desjardins of the 2011-12 of anyone who wasn’t Gretzky. Sharks, and the shadiest-looking dude on every beer league team in history. If you want to make a splash and cause annoying people to say By contrast, Team Old Fart is going to have a tough time keeping up. “nice” every time you’re mentioned, that’s your pick. Gordie Howe does offer us a 103-point season from 1968-69 (when he was 44 years old). But beyond that, the best we can do is probably What teams in any era of NHL history would have made for the best Johnny Bucyk’s 36 goals in 1975-76 and Teemu Selanne’s 31 in 2010- unfiltered behind-the-scenes documentary? – Robert R. 11. Other stars who stuck around into their 40s didn’t really have great seasons at that age, including Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Steve The right answer here is “we don’t know,” because there are definitely Yzerman, so our options are limited. The young guys have a big edge some teams that had some serious off-ice drama that we never heard here. about.

Maybe not surprisingly, the blue line tilts the other way. Team Young But I think we have a few solid options just based on what we do know. Punk can offer up a pair of 70-plus point guys in Larry Murphy (1980-81) The 2018-19 Blues might be fun, as we watch them go from the depths and Phil Housley (1983-84), which is pretty impressive even when you of dead last to a championship. For sheer pathos, the 2010-11 Canucks take era into account, but neither guy was much help in his own end back would have to rank up there. The 1996-97 Wings went from almost then. There are a handful of more well-rounded players we could trading Steve Yzerman to landing Brendan Shanahan to the Avalanche consider, including and Ray Bourque, although that brawl to a Cup. And depending on how much unfiltered access we really causes a problem because we’re going to use Bourque on Team Old had, any of those mid-80s Oilers teams would (allegedly) be very Fart. He was the Norris Trophy runner-up in 2000-01, and we’ll pair him interesting. with Norris-winner Nicklas Lidstrom from 2010-11 (with Chris Chelios Alex Pietrangelo in 2019. (Brian Fluharty / USA Today) from 2001-02 as next man up) to give the old guys a clear advantage here. And yes, there is of course that rumor about your favorite team, in which two players got into a fight over somebody’s wife and the team covered it So it comes down to the goalies. We don’t really see teenaged goalies up. Trust me, every team has that story, they’re all the same, and none of anymore, but there was a time when it wasn’t unheard of, so we can go them are true. (Maybe.) with a big name like Grant Fuhr or Martin Brodeur. But I think we have to go with Tom Barrasso, who had one of NHL history’s most ridiculous What is the absolute worst-case scenario for Leafs fans this year? – debuts when he won the Vezina Trophy as an 18-year-old (!) straight out Tyler M. of high school (!!) in 1983-84. It’s safe to say we’ll never see that happen Not making it out of the first round again. again. I mean, that’s it, right? I know you’re looking for something more detailed, Team Old Fart has far more options to choose from, including strong but we don’t need to get creative here. The Leafs will either win a round seasons from modern stars like Dominik Hasek and Eddie Belfour as well this year or they won’t, and if they don’t then the whole thing gets blown as legends like Johnny Bower and Gump Worsley. But I think up and it doesn’t really matter how they get there. our choice here has to be Jacques Plante, who had an absolutely ridiculous 1970-71 season at the age of 42, leading the league with a What if they’re mediocre and lose to a better team in the first round? .944 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average in a season in Sure, that would do it. But what if they have a dominant regular season which scoring rates were higher than they are today. with a bunch of individual honors and then get upset? Same. What if they lose to the Bruins again? Same. What if it’s a rematch with the Habs? Put it all together, and you’ve got a classic matchup between a high- Same. What if they lose to some team they’ve never played? Same. flying group of kids and a bunch of cagey veterans. The question might What if they miss the playoffs entirely? Same, except the implosion be whether the kids can wear the geezers down, or whether Plante and happens a bit earlier. the blue line can hang on long enough for Gordie Howe to catch a few teens with their heads down and send them into the upper deck. My The point is that the worst-case scenario for the Leafs is that their season money’s on the old guys. ends up in the “not even in the second round” bucket yet again, and it really doesn’t matter how the Plinko chip bounces down to that outcome. I am a new NHL player (note: I am not really a new NHL player) and Nobody will care if they came close or had good numbers or had a bunch based on my research (note: I have not done any research) I figure the of injuries or got screwed by a bad call or deserved a better fate. best way of making a splash is not by scoring goals but rather by wearing Ownership won’t. The media won’t. Fans won’t. And nobody should. This the most original number possible. Could you please advise which team is fully and completely out of chances after this year. Maybe they number has been used the least, either in terms of fewest players or should be already. They win something this year, the bare minimum of fewest games played, or the longest it has been since a particular one round, or the whole thing detonates. number has been worn? – Jean-Guy B. Brendan Shanahan knows it. Kyle Dubas knows it. Sheldon Keefe knows This is one of those fun questions that ends up being relatively easy to it. Do the players know it? I’m not sure. I guess we’ll find out. answer thanks to hockey-reference.com having a jersey number database. You may remember The Athletic doing a “best player to wear The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 each number” post last year, or my follow-up on the worst players. Some of our answers can be found there. 1191432 Vegas Golden Knights

Knights don’t say if proof of COVID vaccination will be required

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Golden Knights have not announced any changes to their policies at T-Mobile Arena in the wake of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s announcement Monday that large venues can opt out of Nevada’s indoor mask mandate by requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The Raiders said Monday that fans will need to be at least partially vaccinated to attend games at Allegiant Stadium. The Knights have not said whether they will follow suit. Their first preseason game is Sept. 26, and their regular-season opener is Oct. 12.

“We will continue to follow the applicable guidance and recommendations from state and local health officials, the National Hockey League and the CDC,” the Knights said Tuesday in a statement. “If any adjustments are made to our existing fan policies, we will communicate those changes once confirmed.”

The Knights did not require proof of vaccination during the 2021 season when fans were allowed to attend games again March 1. They returned to 100 percent capacity at T-Mobile Arena starting in Game 3 of the second round of the playoffs against the .

The Knights also stopped requiring fans to wear a mask or face covering or complete a health questionnaire to enter the building at that time, though Nevada has since reinstated a mask mandate for counties with substantial or high rates of transmission. That includes Clark County.

Two NHL teams — the Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs — have announced they will require fans to provide proof of vaccination to attend games next season.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191433 Vegas Golden Knights

No decision yet on mandatory vaccines for Golden Knights home games

By Justin Emerson (contact)

The Golden Knights have yet to announce a policy regarding a possible vaccine mandate for fans attending games at T-Mobile Arena this season.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said Monday that large venues must require attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or require everyone to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.

The Golden Knights don’t have a home game until their preseason opener Sept. 26, so they have time to decide. The team said in a statement today it is still evaluating its options.

“We are aware of the recent announcements from the governor regarding large venues and possible vaccination requirements. We will continue to follow the applicable guidance and recommendations from state and local health officials, the National Hockey League and the CDC. If any adjustments are made to our existing fan policies, we will communicate those changes once confirmed.”

Almost immediately after Sisolak’s announcement, the Raiders announced all fans will need to be vaccinated to attend games, starting with their regular season opener on Sept. 13, becoming the first NFL team to enact such a policy.

In their only home preseason game on Saturday, fans had to wear masks, but vaccines were not required.

If the Golden Knights decide to enact a vaccine requirement, fully vaccinated fans would not need to wear masks. Partially vaccinated fans could attend but would have to wear masks. Unvaccinated fans would not be allowed entry.

If the Golden Knights opt for a universal mask mandate, vaccine status would not be relevant.

The Winnipeg Jets is the only NHL team that has enacted a vaccine requirement for games. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today fans will need proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test.

The Golden Knights were at full capacity for their playoff games by the end of last season, with the option for vaccinated attendees to remove their masks.

That was before the Delta variant led to a spike in cases in Nevada.

The Golden Knights have four preseason games, then open the regular season at home Oct. 12 against the Seattle Kraken.

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191434 Washington Capitals

What do the Caps need to improve on the most from last season?

BY J.J. REGAN & ANDREW GILLIS

Believe it or not, summer is winding down and it is time to think about the 2021-22 season. Andrew Gillis and JJ Regan will discuss the biggest questions surrounding the Caps heading into the new season.B

Today's topic: What do the Capitals need to improve on the most from last season?

Andrew: Improved offensive metrics from the entire lineup. Stick with me, I’ve got reasons here.

The Capitals lost defensive stalwart Brenden Dillon in the salary cap crunch, but they were still strong as a team at slowing down opposing offenses. I don't expect that to change much this season.

I am also a believer in the tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov in net. I think Samsonov can continue to improve as a goalie and put up decent numbers, which for a Capitals team that can prevent shots and score with the best of the league, that’s good enough.

But at five-on-five, they were slightly above average in terms of puck possession metrics, which has never mattered much to the Capitals since their scoring talent is as good, or better, than anyone in the league in the Alex Ovechkin era. Still, problems might be on the horizon. Or, worse yet, here already.

Yes, they were third in the league in goals a season ago, but that had a lot to do with their second-best shooting percentage of 11.41 percent. The Capitals’ top three goal-scorers last season (Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom) will be 36, 33 and 34 on Opening Night. The drop-off, eventually, could be coming.

In order for the Capitals to mitigate that, they’ve got to tilt the ice more than they did a season ago to keep the pressure off some aging veterans and their younger goaltending pair. That means the third line of Conor Sheary, Lars Eller and Daniel Sprong will have to have a strong season, and Anthony Mantha and Tom Wilson will need to take another step forward.

If they can do that, I think they'll be just fine.

JJ: The biggest issue the Caps had last year was durability. They dealt with injuries all season long up and down the lineup and the team completely ran out of gas in the playoffs.

When your entire top unit power play is out of a game just a few games from the start of the playoffs, that's a bad sign.

With a normal summer to train plus a regular-season schedule that is not quite as condensed and closer to what the players are used to, this should not be quite as big of an issue in 2021-22. If you want a specific area in which the team itself needs to improve, then I look at goaltending. It was far too inconsistent last year.

Vitek Vanecek went had a .908 save percentage with a 2.69 GAA while Ilya Samsonov had a .902 save percentage with a 2.69 GAA. On most nights, both netminders were good enough, but rarely did either netminder really steal a game. To advance in the playoffs, you need a netminder who can steal a few saves and a few games. Samsonov elevated his game in the three postseason games in which we saw him, but you want to see both goalies be able to play at a high level more consistently than last season.

What was the big conversation heading into the 2021 trade deadline? It was if the Caps would get a goalie to bolster a tandem that did not appear strong enough for a contending squad. If the Caps are facing the same questions at the 2022 trade deadline, then it means another inconsistent performance between the pipes for two goalies reaching an age where you can no longer just write them off as young goalies anymore. It's time to perform.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191435 Vancouver Canucks

Abbotsford Canucks sign ex-Giants captain Alex Kannok Leipert

Patrick Johnston

Hard-hitting former Vancouver Giants captain Alex Kannok Leipert'has been signed to the Canucks' AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.

The Abbotsford Canucks have signed another young player with local connections.

Last week they signed ex-Vancouver Giant Tristen Nielsen. On Tuesday, they signed Nielsen’s former captain, Alex Kannok Leipert.

The 21-year-old blue-liner had a hard-hitting reputation from his five years with the Giants, recording 240 penalty minutes in 219 career games.

He captained the Giants for the last two seasons, including 22 games during this past season, which was long-delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 6-foot, 195-pound defenceman scored seven goals and added 11 assists in 2020-21, to go along with 29 penalty minutes.

The Abby Canucks now have a bevy of defencemen, with Kannok Leipert one of the youngest. If there are no injuries in Vancouver Canucks training camp and preseason, Abbotsford will likely have nine defencemen on the roster.

Asked last week how the younger players near the bottom of the roster might be handled this season — Nielsen is the 16th forward — perhaps being reassigned to Kalamazoo of the ECHL, Abbotsford general manager Ryan Johnson played coy.

“We have no declaration where these guys are going to be,” he said.

A native of Regina, Sask., Kannok Leipert was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round, 161st overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191436 Vancouver Canucks promotions around the team, from social media to fan-focused setups outside the stadium and in the community.

With that in mind, Mayenknecht said he wasn’t surprised the NHL is ‘Ad’ it up: Canucks, other NHL teams look for new revenue with sweater taking a full year to launch sweater sponsorships. advertising starting in 2022-23 “They’re smart to target the 2022-23 season to launch so as to give a full year to integrate existing sponsors into the opportunity and identify prospective new sponsors. Don’t be surprised if current lead sponsors or Patrick Johnston arena title sponsors get the jersey opportunity … Rogers, for example, for the Canucks and Bell for the Montreal Canadiens.”

It seems likely that helmet and sweater ads will be from different Rogers-sponsored — the helmets, at least — Darnell Nurse (left) of the sponsors, raising the risk of NHL teams starting to look like teams in and Vancouver Canuck Zack MacEwen trade shots last European hockey leagues, with ads plastered all over their sweaters, season in Edmonton. Those type of helmet ads will move onto the pants and even socks, a look that North American fans have long players’ sweaters, starting in the 2022-23 NHL season. expressed wariness over. The Vancouver Canucks and their National Hockey League rivals will be “Some fans will say, ‘It’s not the end of the world,’ and of course they’re allowed to place advertising on their sweaters beginning in the 2022-23 right — the world will keep on spinning,” Paul Lukas, who has mused — season. and tracked — about uniforms for two decades at the Uniwatch website, As first reported by sports business news website Sportico, and said in an email. “But this development is part of the steady drip-drip-drip confirmed by a source to Postmedia, the league’s board of governors of commercialization that makes sports and uniforms less enjoyable. A recently voted in favour of allowing a single three-by-3.5-inch ad patch, calamity? No. A serious drag? For sure.” beginning a year from now. Mayenknecht was skeptical, though, that the NHL would go any further The Canucks declined to comment while the NHL didn’t respond to a with sweater sponsorships. request for comment. “It all depends on culture. I don’t think there is a culture that would allow NHL commissioner Gary Bettman once said you’d have to drag him for European-style logos. The NBA did so much research four, five years kicking and screaming to allow ads on sweaters. ago and the result was as long as it’s discreet, it works,” he said. The NBA’s sponsor patches are visible enough on TV and in still Images, he All it took, it would seem, was a major revenue dip due to the COVID-19 noted. pandemic to get him to reconsider. The NHL did sign a new American TV deal this summer and the final expansion payments from the Seattle “But not so big it changes the landscape of the jersey,” he added. Kraken have come in, but there are still teams struggling financially. “Jersey patches will be the top of the food chain, followed by helmet Teams may not be able to put full crowds in their buildings this winter — patches. So many of the sponsors currently on the helmets will ‘graduate’ without even considering how hesitant fans might be about attending to the jerseys and other senior partners will move into the helmet games in person in the first place — so it’s no surprise the league is position,” said Mayenknecht. searching for alternative revenue streams. “Just like in the NBA, there will be a wide range of values associated with Can confirm the @Sportico report that NHL will have ads on jerseys the jersey sponsorships. The heritage brands and big-market franchises starting in the 2022-23 season. The league surveyed its teams, found the will command the highest value, while the smaller markets and regional majority in favor and had a formal Board of Governors vote to approve. franchises will tend to settle for smaller dollars. Some may even provide jersey patches as a way to retain existing sponsors.” — Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) August 17, 2021 Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.18.2021 The approved patch size is slightly larger than the 2.5-inch square that National Basketball Association teams have been allowed to wear on their jerseys since the 2017-18 season. Major League Soccer has allowed teams to sell ad space on the front of their shirts since 2006, following the long-standing global trend in soccer.

All teams in the CFL wear two small ad patches on their jerseys.

Last season, NHL teams were permitted to sell ads on their helmets. In the Canucks’ case, the Rogers branding on their helmets didn’t generate direct revenue but was to make Rogers whole for lost revenue as a result of the shortened 2020-21 and 2019-20 seasons. It’s expected that going forward, the Canucks will sell the ad space on their helmets.

Tom Mayenknecht, principal of Emblematica Brand Builders in Vancouver, said he wasn’t surprised by the news.

“This is an entirely unsurprising move by the NHL, especially given the lead-in of helmet advertising last year. The NHL is simply following in the footsteps of the NBA when it comes to jersey patches,” he said. “The key will be taking a similar approach to the NBA where the corporate patch is big enough to be seen on television but not so large as to dilute the team branding. We will not be seeing — at least anytime soon — the use of large corporate logos such as in soccer.”

Hell’s Bells! Montreal Canadiens players, sporting the logo of the company whose name also adorns their home arena, listen to their coach during practice last season. Sports business commentator Tom Mayenknecht says don’t be surprised if the current lead sponsors or arena title sponsors get the first crack at the jersey opportunity for the clubs with which they’re affiliated.

Soccer teams, like the Vancouver Whitecaps, don’t just sell their shirt sponsorship as a standalone item; it’s part of a broader branding exercise. Bell has been on the front of the Whitecaps’ shirt since the team joined MLS in 2011 and Bell has put its name on plenty of 1191437 Vancouver Canucks

Weeks after release, Jake Virtanen banner still up at Rogers Arena

Patrick Johnston

Jake Virtanen banner remains on Rogers Arena on Aug. 17 after the Vancouver Canucks released the player following sexual assault allegations.

Three weeks after he was bought out by the Vancouver Canucks, Jake Virtanen still graces the outside of Rogers Arena.

Several fans asked Postmedia why the winger’s likeness is still on the side of the building, so we took the question to the Canucks themselves.

“We are in the process of updating them all to ensure they are representative of the current roster,” a team spokesperson replied.

Virtanen was placed on leave by the Canucks on May 1, following an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Jake Virtanen is still flanked by current Canucks Elias Pettersson (left) and Quinn Hughes (right) outside Rogers Arena after the Vancouver Canucks released the player following sexual assault allegations.

Vancouver police have spoken with the woman who made the allegation and have said the investigation is ongoing. Asked following his release by the Canucks if more women had made complaints to the police, a VPD spokesperson said they “couldn’t confirm exactly how many people have come forward.”

The woman has sued Virtanen in civil court, while Virtanen has denied the allegations and asked the court to order the woman to compensate him for special costs due to the nature of the allegations.

Virtanen was placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout on July 25. Virtanen remains a free agent.

Workers remove a poster of ex-Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo after he was traded to the Florida Panthers in March 2014.

As a comparison, in 2014, the Canucks took down Roberto Luongo’s likeness from a large window on the side of the arena just three days after the goaltender was traded to the Florida Panthers.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191438 Vancouver Canucks adding to his high-level goal scoring from the back end by finding scoring chances for his teammates when he doesn’t have a shooting lane. Meanwhile, Lockwood — who spent much of last season with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Utica — said he got a “long list” from the Inside an NHL offseason skate with Zach Werenski, Zac Jones, Will franchise, things that will help him realize their vision for him as a gritty, Lockwood and Brandon Naurato hard-to-play-against bottom-sixer.

At first glance, those to-do lists don’t necessarily scream “compatible” for doing the same skill drills. But to the players, even a drill done at the By Max Bultman Aug 17, 2021 28 offensive blue line — where the applications for a defenseman are more obvious — can have benefits that transcend positional lines.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. — It’s just before 11:45 a.m. and skates have hit the “I don’t even really look at it as where it is on the ice,” Lockwood said. ice at USA Hockey Arena, steel carving into the glossy, resurfaced sheet. “It’s more of just the skill. Like when we were doing the walks on the blue line, it was bringing the puck to the far side with a fake and looking the Outside, the August air smacks of vacation. The start of NHL training other direction to really sell — use your deception. So for me, that’ll camps is still more than a month away, and the offseason carnival has happen in the corners, that’ll happen walking the dot and things like that. largely passed, leaving hockey to temporarily fade from the public eye. So guys have (a) really good understanding that just because it looks like The arena’s blue seats are all but empty. But on the ice, the work for next it’s a drill for the D or for the forwards, guys take it seriously and know season has already begun. that they can improve during that drill as well.”

The players gathered at the rink today are at widely different stages of The players rep a couple more individual shooting drills — one with a their pro careers. Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is among long black pad in the slot as an obstacle — before the next phase of the them, a star just entering his prime and fresh off signing a contract practice begins just past the halfway point. extension worth an average of more than $9.5 million a year. Rangers defenseman Zac Jones is also here — only a few months removed from Now, the players will battle each other one-on-one and then two-on-two, an NCAA championship at UMass, with 10 late-season NHL games to applying some of the skills they’ve been working on at a higher degree of his name and soon the chance to break through full time. Cooper Marody difficulty with a defender on them, forcing them to problem solve. and Riley Barber, the AHL’s top two goal scorers last season with “When I get closer to you, you need to learn puck-protection skills,” Bakersfield and Grand Rapids, respectively, are also here. So is newly Naurato said afterward. “Versus when I’m further away, it’s manipulation minted Seattle Kraken Dennis Cholowski, Vancouver Canucks prospect skills. Meaning if I skate in a straight line down the wall, you just come at Will Lockwood, Detroit prospect Carter Gylander and more. me. But if I attack you, I’m a threat to go to the middle or back to the wall, Even the Red Wings’ practice goalie and emergency backup, Josh Block, so then your feet will change, and I need to read off that. So everything’s is out here — because EBUGs need summer reps, too. done with your head up so you can make a decision.”

It might be the dog days of the offseason, but this is when players — He refers to the “cues” players need to pick up on and compares it to through work few will ever see — can create the proverbial step forward. driving. The next hour and a half will be a window into how those summer leaps “The cues of a player poke-checking you, a player coming at you, a are actually made. player backing up is just like brake lights, turn signals,” he said. “If I wait The players are here working with Brandon Naurato, who, for the past for a car to merge into my lane, it’s too late. Versus ‘oh I see (a) turn three seasons, has been a player-development consultant for the Red signal, he’s coming at some point, I better slow down or speed up.’” Wings and was announced Monday as a new assistant coach at the The process of creating a summer program for these current and hopeful University of Michigan, his alma mater. Werenski has been working with NHL players is a fairly methodical one for Naurato, who together with Naurato since the summer he was drafted. Jones had skated with him a Matt Larke runs programs for Midget AAA players all the way up through few times over the years but became a full-timer last offseason when he the NHL (though Naurato has typically only worked with the junior, couldn’t find an NHL-caliber skate in Virginia during the pandemic. Now, college and pro groups). he’s back again for another summer. That summer arc begins with the proper form and making sure the body “The skates here are elite-level skates,” Jones said, “every day.” and brain are working together, then putting players into awkward There are no cones, tires or other apparatuses set up on the ice, but the situations that force them to self-correct — eventually introducing players’ warm up with a stickhandling route through the neutral zone and pressure from the front, side or behind, and then getting into the off-puck eventually in on net, followed by a similar path pivoting with the puck. details like getting open or coming for support versus spreading out. Then they get into the more formal drills. As the summer goes on, they’ll work at everything from one-on-one to First is a shooting drill from the point with a puck-tipping element at the more live-action five-on-five, with players problem solving inside of those net. The players take a pass where the blue line meets the boards, walk different scenarios. the line and fire a shot, then catch a new pass more toward the middle of “From the beginning to the end, it would go from movement to full-on the ice and walk and shoot from the opposite angle. pressure, and then everything in between of giving them tools in their It seems to fit with what Werenski later identifies as one of the themes of toolboxes to pick different options to create space or take it away,” he the day’s practice: going one way and shooting the other. said.

“It’s a hard shot,” Werenski said, “but it happens more than you think in For a player like Werenski, he and Naurato talk before the summer about games. If you’re crossing over and there’s a guy on you or whatever, you what he wants to work on, and they, of course, communicate throughout kind of have to shield the puck and then fire.” the summer. But on a given day, Werenski just trusts Naurato’s plans.

On the next run-through, they add a new element: a hip-swiveling fake “I think he knows what guys need to work on, how to score goals,” pass as the skaters move back toward the boards, meant to open a Werenski said. “I’ve trusted him for about (seven) years, and I just feel shooting lane. like every year I get into the season (and) I’m ready to go.

“It’s changing the angle of the puck, just trying to flip defenders’ hips,” “When I show up here, it’s just trying to get a little bit better, whether Werenski said. “There’s no defender in the drill, but it’s more so like that’s shooting or goal scoring or a specific shot — there’s a hundred ‘alright, I’m coming at him, I fake this way, moves his stick and then different shots you can shoot in a game. Whatever that plan is that day, there’s your chance to shoot it.'” it’s just trusting it, believing in it and making sure you work hard on it.”

The added wrinkles continue: next, instead of shooting while walking the And for players like the 20-year-old Jones, getting to work alongside line, the players make a pass back to their starting side, then work up ice players like Werenski was part of the draw that brought him back to and get the puck back for a shot. Michigan this summer.

Each player has their own checklist of items to work on during the “You’re playing against top pro-level guys, top college-level guys, top summer. Werenski, for example, wants to create more primary assists — junior-level guys every day, and it’s awesome,” Jones said. “Like I’m working out with these guys, I’m learning from them, I’m learning from pros, I’m learning from college guys — I’m learning from everybody.”

When the heavy stuff is done and a few minutes remain on the clock, the players engage in something lighter: a classic little breakaway contest with different variations such as having to shoot or having to deke. But by this point, the day’s progress has already been made.

After stepping off the ice, Jones will talk about having gotten better at collecting the puck and shooting it off his backhand, and Lockwood will talk about the contrast between the loose vibe in between drills and the focused, business-like mentality during them.

As he does so, Lockwood captures the tie that connects all the players here — despite their varying ages, teams, levels and status — who have shown up on an August morning when, for so many, hockey is out of mind.

“Everyone’s out here and wants to develop and get ready for the season,” he said, “so they can have the best year possible.”

The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191439 Websites prospects here. With Knight, there’s just an enviable reliability and consistency in every facet that breeds success.

3. Jesper Wallstedt, G, 18 (Minnesota Wild — 20th overall, 2021) The Athletic / NHL top 10 goalie prospects, 2021 edition: Askarov and I’ve said it before but Wallstedt looked like a goaltending robot until some Knight lead Wheeler’s ranking of the best drafted goalies late-season struggles in the SHL showed that he was human. He plays sharp lines positionally, he holds those lines, he swallows the first shot so that he doesn’t have to make a ton of second saves, his movement is By Scott Wheeler Aug 17, 2021 188 compact, he tracks through layers incredibly well to find pucks, and he reads opposing shooters beautifully so that he’s rarely beat cleanly. If he

can develop a little more quickness (he’s strong across the net and low- Welcome to the second part of the 2021 edition of my drafted NHL to-high on pushes, but I wouldn’t say his feet are super fast), he’s got all prospect rankings. of the makings of a No. 1 starter.

Today’s top 10 goalie prospects list follows yesterday’s top 50 drafted 4. Sebastian Cossa, G, 18 (Detroit Red Wings — 15th overall, 2021) skaters ranking. Together, this package of content serves as the I really like Cossa as a goalie prospect and understand the allure the Red conclusion of all of my work from the preceding season and the start of Wings felt in taking him instead of Wallstedt. They weren’t alone in that my prospect coverage for a new one. belief. He’s a massive, superbly athletic and confident goalie who fills the It collectively follows thousands of hours spent watching tape, in rinks net, has great hands up high, corrals a ton of pucks in his chest and then learning about these players, speaking with sources and studying the ins has rare side-to-side ability for a goalie as big as he is. But there’s just a and outs of their game and the data that comes with it. question mark or two more present in Cossa’s game than in Wallstedt. There’s obviously the contextual piece of the puzzle where you can’t help After producing a combined annual ranking in 2018 and 2019, the but wonder if some of his results are influenced by playing behind a skaters and the goalies were divided in 2020 and now 2021. This is done dominant Oil Kings team the last two years. But it’s hard to knock him for to evaluate for our readers a greater number of goalies (when it was one that. The real concern, if there is one, is stylistically in the way he can pull top 50 list, I only ever liked two or three goalie prospects enough to rank himself out of position and lose himself in the net a little on scramble them) reflective of the one-sixth share they represent on the ice. plays. Because he’s so strong and athletic, his pushes can lack control. Separating the two lists also allows me to use a different set of criteria for And after noticing that he was getting beat a lot five-hole at Team the goalies which better understands the different rates at which goalies Canada’s summer showcase in , I reviewed some tape this week develop and the different reasons for which they’re drafted in the first to check on that and I do think it’s a bit of a concern (hard to close the place. five-hole when you’re 6-foot-6!). None of this is meant to downplay how good Cossa is, though. He’s got starter upside and rare explosiveness As such, the criteria for a goalie’s prospect’s inclusion in this ranking for his size. differs from the one I use for skaters. To be eligible, a goalie must be: 5. Dustin Wolf, G, 20 ( — 214th overall, 2019) Under 25 years old. This expanded age criteria (I used to lump goalies in with my under-23 cutoff for skaters) allowed for the continued Wolf has now wrapped up one of the best CHL runs we’ve seen from a consideration of goalies like Connor Ingram and Mikhail Berdin, who are goalie in recent memory. There was nothing left for him to prove there. still very much prospects. The .935 save percentage across 149 games spanning four seasons in Everett speaks for itself. Now his journey becomes about proving people Not currently established as one of their NHL club’s two primary options, wrong at the pro level and showing that his size (5-foot-11) won’t be an with rare exceptions for goalies on the younger side. I give myself some impediment against better competition. I’m a big believer that it won’t. arbitrary leeway here. You’ll notice that 20-year-old Spencer Knight, who The strengths of Wolf’s game are his footwork and his tracking, which finished the year with the Panthers last season and is expected to both get As. You’ll rarely see a player beat him side-to-side on a challenge Sergei Bobrovsky this year, still features in the ranking. If he breakaway because he can stick on top of them and does such a good were 23 or 24, he wouldn’t have. But other established, young NHL job anticipating their movements. On top of that, he’s also got refined goalies like Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Minnesota’s Kaapo Kähkönen, technical ability and positioning which allow him to challenge shooters, are no longer eligible. block a lot of pucks with his hands (especially his glove hand, which is 1. Yaroslav Askarov, G, 19 (Nashville Predators — 11th overall, 2020) really strong), play within himself and stay center.

The top three goalies here are all really close for me. There were various 6. Jeremy Swayman, G, 22 (Boston Bruins — 111th overall, 2017) points in the last year where I would have ranked each at No. 1. But it’s Swayman has become one of my favourite goalie prospects in the sport more of a 1A, 1B and 3 ordering for me now, with Askarov and Knight as and a really nice story out of a college program that doesn’t produce a a virtual coin flip. I lean Askarov because of the raw talent level and ton of NHL talent. His consistency out of college and into pro last season athleticism that he possesses. There isn’t a goalie prospect in the world with the Bruins really turned some heads, but he had established himself who can stick with shooters one-on-one, change directions, make as one of the better goalie prospects in the world before that in my mind reactionary saves and recover quite like he can. He just has this way of (and was No. 10 when I last released this list). He relies on perfect adjusting in the net to get to difficult second and third chances or to hold positioning that doesn’t wander to fill the net and he gets into his butterfly his body positioning on scrambles as players crowd in on him. I do quickly to steer low shots out of dangers so that he’s not kicking pucks believe that concerns about his glove hand are real. He does get frozen back into the slot. And while he’s not a physically advanced goalie per high glove and that could get exploited if it doesn’t improve. He bounces se, he has turned his athleticism into an asset. There’s just a maturity to around the net and looks jittery as well (though he says that helps with his game that doesn’t really leave me questioning his upside. He almost those reactionary saves). His extended early track record, his ability to never gets cleanly beat. And while he’s going to come back down to make the difficult lateral saves that others can’t with his blend of power earth relative to the numbers he put up last season, he’s got what it takes and quickness, really distinguish him for his age. He’s never out of a to be a good 1A/1B type in a platoon even if he never becomes one of play. the game’s true 60-game starters. 2. Spencer Knight, G, 20 (Florida Panthers — 13th overall, 2019) 7. Lukas Dostal, G, 21 ( — 85th overall, 2018) Knight and Askarov are such different goalies that it’s going to be I’ve been cautious with my evaluations on Dostal over the years. He’s a fascinating to track their careers side-by-side. It was tempting, given skinny, smallish goalie who I’ve seen play some ugly games live and I Knight’s unflappable success at Boston College and his strong showing think I’ve allowed those perceptions to linger a little too much. Over time, with the Panthers at the tail end of last year, to give him the edge here. though, he has really turned me not just with his play but with the resume Knight checks more of the prototypical goalie boxes than Askarov, he has built for himself across several years and leagues. That continued because he’s got a composure and calm in the net that remains a last year out of and into the AHL. He’s not a very powerful goalie in goalie’s most coveted asset. But he’s also big, agile, athletic and the net given his size, but he’s agile through his shuffles, his control in supremely technically and positionally sound. And even when I’ve seen the net is pristine on his outside edges, he stays with the play through him struggle in games, it’s not because he’s flustered and he lets things screens, he’s compact in his movements and he makes a lot of recovery get away from. He’s also a better puck handler of the three top goalie saves. I’m not convinced he’s going to be a starter, but it’s not hard to imagine him as a good tandem goalie at this point and he comfortably Jesper Wallstedt projects as a backup at the very least. 18 8. Drew Commesso, G, 19 (Chicago Blackhawks — 46th overall, 2020) 2021 Commesso reliably makes the saves that he should and plays the same game-to-game. He doesn’t steal a ton of starts and he’s got below- Wild average size, but he plays a studious game that reads the play well, cuts 4 down on angles, stays on his lines and relies on his quick feet and athleticism only when he has to. I wouldn’t say he’s got any A-plus tools Sebastian Cossa that really pop, but there’s not a lot in his game that you can nitpick either 18 and I thought he was really good for a teenaged freshman goalie at Boston University last season. 2021

9. Mads Søgaard, G, 20 (Ottawa Senators — 37th overall, 2019) Red Wings

Søgaard’s game comes with some inconsistency and a few too many 5 shots that sneak through his towering 6-foot-7 frame. And while he can look a little gangly in the net at times, he actually moves very well for his Dustin Wolf size, has added some power to his pushes, gets into and out of his 20 butterfly quickly, and has developed some impressive control. Denmark’s professional league, Metal Ligaen, is a difficult one to evaluate (it’s a 2019 nine-team league and he was the best goalie on its third-place one) but he has a strong first season professionally regardless, capped off by a 7- Flames 0 run with Belleville. He’s got a high ceiling if he can put it all together. 6 10. Erik Portillo, G, 20 (Buffalo Sabres — 67th overall, 2019) Jeremy Swayman The last spot on this list came down to Portillo and fellow Sabres 22 prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. I lean Portillo because I think his upside is higher at this point. He was in a weird situation in his freshman 2017 year at the University of Michigan because he had to play behind standout college hockey senior and captain Strauss Mann. But he has Bruins now played at a high level in Sweden’s junior ranks, the USHL and the 7 NCAA. And I fully expect him to run with the job at Michigan this season, backstopping what should be one of the better teams in the country. Lukas Dostal Portillo is massive, with a 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame. But he has also honed a poised, deep-in-his net style that rarely sees him overcommit to 21 shooters or caught in scrambles. When he’s dialed in, he takes away a 2018 shooter’s locations in the net and looks unbeatable. If he can eliminate some of the soft goals that find their way through, I see real upside in his Ducks game. He’s got impressive coordination and mobility for a goalie as big and heavy as he is. 8

The Ranking Drew Commesso

All told, 31 goalies were considered for this ranking. 19

The goalies who were factored in but ultimately not ranked were 2020 Colorado’s Justus Annunen, Nashville’s Connor Ingram, Montreal’s Blackhawks Cayden Primeau, Winnipeg’s Mikhail Berdin, Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi, Pittsburgh’s Joel Blomqvist and Calle Clang, 9 Detroit’s Keith Petruzzelli, Columbus’ Daniil Tarasov, Arizona’s Ivan Mads Søgaard Prosvetov, Tampa Bay’s Hugo Alnefelt, Edmonton’s Ilya Konovalov, the Rangers’ Tyler Wall and Dylan Garand, Carolina’s Pyotr Kochetkov, 20 Vancouver’s Michael DiPietro, Philadelphia’s Alexei Kolosov and Samuel Ersson and St. Louis’ Joel Hofer and Vadim Zherenko. 2019

The ranking is broken down into tiers to give you a better sense of where Senators the divisions are between one group and the next. 10 Top 10 drafted NHL goalie prospects Erik Portillo RANK PLAYER AGE DRAFT TEAM 20 1 2019 Yaroslav Askarov Sabres 19 The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 2020

Predators

2

Spencer Knight

20

2019

Panthers

3 1191440 Websites pace is ramped up, but there aren’t many 6-foot-4, 220-pound players who can skate and make plays like he can. He’s got legitimate first-line center upside in a way that no other prospect in the sport currently does.

The Athletic / NHL top 50 prospects, 2021 edition: Byfield, Caufield and 2. Cole Caufield, RW, 20 (Montreal Canadiens — 15th overall, 2019) Power headline Wheeler’s drafted skaters ranking I mean, what more can you say really? Caufield has always been the real deal and now he gets to make somewhere around 10 of the 14 teams that passed on him pay for it by filling the back of their nets for the next Scott Wheeler Aug 16, 2021 672 decade (or more). Special talents have a way of proving people wrong when fears of size or skating or anything else strays from reality in

search of lesser players who “look” more like teams want them to. Welcome, for a fourth consecutive year, to my annual ranking of the Caufield gets to teach us another lesson in the size bias piece of that NHL’s best prospects at The Athletic. equation, because the skating bias never existed in his game. Once Caufield began to support the play better defensively, cheat a little less This project is broken into two pieces, separating today’s top-50 drafted and widen his peripheral vision to open up his natural playmaking skaters (forwards and defensemen) list from tomorrow’s top-10 drafted instincts, he was never going to look back. When all of that began to goalie prospects ranking. happen at the tail end of his freshman year and then really stamped itself into his sophomore season, it was checkmate. The skill as a shooter After publishing just one combined ranking in the first couple of years of doesn’t need to be explained, but it’s not just about power and accuracy this exercise, the switch to two lists was made last year for a couple of and the versatility of his shot (standstill catch-and-release wrister and reasons. The first was to better reflect the modern realities of prospect one-timer, moving snap shot off either foot, etc.) but how he gets open to evaluation and scouting, which makes it difficult to contextualize goalie use it both with the puck (through a blend of soft hands, an acceleration prospects. They develop along different curves, are selected for different gear and quick lateral cuts) and without it (in his timing sliding into reasons in the draft and should be understood under different age pockets of space). I’m confident he’s going to score 30-40 goals a year criteria. The second was about demand from readers for evaluations of a throughout the prime of his NHL career (and likely more on occasion with wider range of goalie prospects after there were only ever two or three a good run of luck and the right linemates). He doesn’t shoot it as hard as goalie prospects who I felt warranted inclusion in the top-50 ranking. Arthur Kaliyev, but he’s still a clear cut above him and the rest of the Doing it this way allows me to rank and evaluate a larger number of game’s top goal-scoring prospects (Chaz Lucius, Mason McTavish, goalies, with a 50-skater, 10-goalie split that now aligns with the one- Carter Savoie, Alexander Holtz, Cole Sillinger, etc.). sixth share of the players on the ice that goalies represent. 3. Owen Power, LHD, 18 (Buffalo Sabres — 1st overall, 2021) If you’re new to my work, it’s worth noting that the criteria I use for defining an NHL prospect versus an NHL player does not align with the Power doesn’t debut at No. 1 here like Alexis Lafrenière, Jack Hughes NHL’s criteria for rookies. The NHL’s definition says that once a prospect and Rasmus Dahlin did before him, but he becomes my top-ranked D has played 25 games in a single NHL season, six or more NHL games in prospect in place of the previous suspects (namely Moritz Seider, Bowen multiple seasons or has turned 26, he is no longer considered a rookie. Byram and Jamie Drysdale). I think there’s an outcome for Power and My criteria differs on both the games played and the age front to better Seider’s progressions where at Power’s low-end and Seider’s high-end, reflect what we know about developmental curves. the latter becomes a better player. But if they both reach their ceilings (or close to them), Power is going to have a playmaking element, particularly Under my criteria, for a player to be eligible for inclusion as a prospect, as a passer inside the offensive zone, that is above and beyond Seider’s he must be: on both the power play and at even strength while being a comparable Under 23 years old. We know that by the time a player turns 23, he is defender, which says a lot considering how mature Seider’s game is — largely done the steep progression we typically see in prospects and/or and was when he was drafted — defensively. Power breaks down the has begun to plateau. play and executes east-to-west at a much more advanced level than Seider did at 18, while also defending at an advanced level (he’s got Not currently in the NHL, with rare exceptions for players who I believe length that even the 6-foot-3 Seider doesn’t have, though Seider is the could still bounce between levels, aren’t yet considered full-time NHLers more physical of the two) and possessing unique skating ability for his by their teams or made their first appearances in the NHL as black aces size (I’d argue Power is a smoother skater at this age, relative to his in the preceding season. This is the arbitrary section of the criteria where frame, than Seider was as well). I trust my judgment more than a games cutoff. Preference for exemption is always given to teenaged players rather than 22-year-olds. Here, I 4. Trevor Zegras, C, 20 (Anaheim Ducks — 9th overall, 2019) consider things like whether or not a player played more games in the Even after the introduction of a whole slew of names from the top of NHL than any other league in the preceding season (you’ll find, for another draft class, Zegras is still clearly the best facilitator on this list. example, that 20-year-old Cole Caufield was included here due to a His ability to see plays that others don’t, hit difficult seams with the combination of his age and that he played the college hockey season in perfect touch and passing, create lanes with his hands, play at his own full last year, even after he was a regular with the Canadiens in the pace and surprise defenders and goalies, is truly unique. He’s also not playoffs). shy physically, which helps him play above his weight class in board Either signed to an NHL contract or selected in the entry draft, without battles and he’s a lethally accurate, pinpoint shooter who has started to either of those rights having expired. look for his own chances more consistently. He’s not a burner as a skater, which does limit his ability to create separation at times, but he Note: For more insight into my evaluation process, check out my guide to never looks like he’s in any trouble even when his surroundings cave in scouting. on him, so I don’t see it as much of an impediment. It’s not hard to 1. Quinton Byfield, C, 18 (Los Angeles Kings — 2nd overall, 2020) imagine him slinging passes to Mason McTavish or Jacob Perreault (who can both cleanly beat goalies from mid-distance) in the not-too-distant There isn’t a clear No. 1 prospect for this list in the way there often has future, even if that means one of he or McTavish has to play the wing for been in previous years, in large part because the top-ranked prospect the Ducks (which they have both played and can play). from the previous draft class isn’t an obvious choice to take the mantle but also because there isn’t a graduating prospect who clearly rose to the 5. Cole Perfetti, C/LW, 19 (Winnipeg Jets — 10th overall, 2020) top in the way Elias Pettersson had in the summer of 2018 or Quinn Loyal readers will know that I think the world of Perfetti as a player and Hughes and Cale Makar had in the summer of 2019. I debated four person. The only knock on Perfetti in terms of his ability to reach his names for this slot but I always seemed to come back to Byfield’s ceiling upside has always been his average(ish) athleticism in terms of his as the most high-end of the bunch. Byfield didn’t have the picture-perfect strength and skating. But I believe as strongly today as I did when the year that Cole Caufield did last year or even the one that Trevor Zegras Jets drafted him that the skating isn’t going to be an issue because of the had, but he also doesn’t turn 19 until Aug. 19, meaning he’s 19 and 17 way he problem solves and anticipates out there, both of which grade months younger, respectively, than those two. I suspect by the time he’s among the best outside the NHL. Perfetti’s ability to adjust to the play in their age, he’ll be bursting at the seams with NHL potential and front of him, whether that’s shaping a shot around a stick, bending a pass excitement in the way they are. He’s too good a skater and too big and through a seam, navigating into or away from pressure for an intended strong and talented for his size not to. I have minor concerns about his purpose or just reading and reacting to quickly execute a difficult play, processing and some of the bobbles that happen in his game when the should make him a multidimensional, offensive winger who is equal parts play, I’m still not convinced he’s going to be the true game-changing star scorer and playmaker. this next version of the Red Wings will sorely need.

6. Kent Johnson, C, 18 (Columbus Blue Jackets — 5th overall, 2021) 10. William Eklund, C/LW, 18 (San Jose Sharks — 7th overall, 2021)

If Johnson reaches his true potential, he may become the most I don’t see anything in Eklund’s game that will be a barrier to his productive player on this list. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the progression from one of the best teenage players to play in the SHL in best one or the most complete one, but he’s got a chance to be a point recent memory to second-line NHL forward. Not his skating. Not his skill per game star and highlight reel creator who plays at the very top of a level. Not his shooting. Not his passing. Not his spatial awareness or his lineup. He’s the best one-on-one player on this list, for starters. And processing. Not his engagement level nor his ability to engage. Not his that’s not just about his talked-about hands, but also the way he uses his reads or his instincts. The question with Eklund has always been about footwork to spin off pressure, change directions and cut and leap past whether he can progress beyond that to become a first-line player. I think checks. There’s just a finesse to his game that is rare. He’s got an there’s a chance he does, but it will probably have to be on the wing incredible feel for the puck and for the way defenders and goalies move before center (I think he’s capable of playing center because of that on top of obvious skills of dexterity as a passer (he’s got a feathery aforementioned near-flawless toolbox but it’s hard to imagine him as the touch) and finisher (his shot and touch around the net is more about 1C on a contender given that most of those tools are A-minuses before timing and accuracy than power). Johnson can create something out of they’re A-pluses). He’s a heck of a player all told, though. nothing in ways that few others can. Give him another year, maybe two, in college to add more strength and refine the way he operates to 11. Moritz Seider, RHD, 20 (Detroit Red Wings — 6th overall, 2019) become a little more efficient, and then watch out. A few months ago, as Rogle BK finished their regular season and 7. Brandt Clarke, RHD, 18 (Los Angeles Kings — 8th overall, 2021) prepared for a playoff run that ended with them as the runner-up in the SHL, I asked Rogle head coach Cam Abbott for his take on Seider, who Clarke has offensive zone skill that is extremely hard to find among by then had become one of his top players. defensemen. It doesn’t look like the skills possessed by the other highly talented defensemen who either made this list or were considered, This was his answer: “Seider is just unbelievable. He’s got a great though. He doesn’t have the creative flair honed by Ryan Merkley or the balance between being serious in his approach, fully mature beyond his athlete’s makeup that Bowen Byram has, for example. He’s just a roving, age — I mean it’s crazy — but not like a robot either. Personable, funny, confident, attacking defender with an uncanny ability to beat opposing cracking jokes, balancing between being loose and goofy and also players side-to-side, find his way into dangerous areas and then execute dialing it in. He is the real deal. And he’s humble, which is so important NHL-level plays to drive offense. That’s what everyone agrees upon. But too. His teammates are just drawn to him. And he’s smart. When you get I think he’s more than his oddities in other areas, too. Do his knees into the everyday with a guy as a coach, you see the full portfolio of all of knock? Yes. Does he ride on his inside edges? Yes. Is he the most his decisions and it’s just ‘wow.’ He’s solid. And that’s so much easier to athletic? No. But I don’t think any of those things are prohibitive to his recognize if he wows you offensively, but when you have to appreciate development, he has built his strength up significantly and he’s actually a the everything because you’re coaching him and that all counts, he’s pretty darn good defender against the rush and inside his own zone as is. even better.” Difference isn’t necessarily a negative and I think that’s the case with That’s the perfect synopsis of Seider as a player. He’s got more of the Clarke. All of his little quirks make him the weird, fascinating, gifted stuff that grabs your attention now that he did when he was picked. His player that he is. And I expect his intricacies will make him a special game with the puck has become more commanding and less deferential. player at the next level, just like they have at every level below it. But that has never been what wows you about Seider. What wows you 8. Matt Beniers, C, 18 (Seattle Kraken — 2nd overall, 2021) about him is the whole and all of the little things we have to look a little harder to see in his play. And those are the things that allow a player to Beniers is going to be a fascinating case study, because I think he has eat minutes like he now has in the DEL, AHL and SHL. Up next: the NHL, been a bit miscast in terms of his skill level due to all of the focus on where he likely won’t flash like some of his contemporaries but could well everything else he provides on the ice. I think we see detail-oriented, be better than them regardless. high-octane, 200-foot types and we expect them to be closer to role players than stars just because they’ll be capable of being that, whereas 12. Alex Newhook, C, 20 (Colorado Avalanche — 16th overall, 2019) we see players who don’t have those traits and project them into scoring Newhook is a superb athlete whose sturdy frame helps him stay over or playmaking roles because they likely can’t be pucks and win battles, and whose explosive skating helps him power up complementary/checking types. And sometimes both of those things are the ice, attack off the wall, create partial breaks for himself and win races. true and the players who are always moving, and always making He’ll beat opponents with outside speed on one shift, muscle his way to something happen, and pushing tempo, just top out as good third-line the front of the net on the next, carve up coverage in traffic on the next players. But when a player can do that and they have top-six skill, that’s and then forecheck into a turnover and a quick play to a teammate on the no small thing. And I think that’s where Beniers comes in. Because he’s a next. Newhook has become a real favorite of mine over the years. I fully fabulous transition player, and his hands can keep up, and he sees the expect him to develop into an excellent top-six creator who plays a pro- ice with underrated vision, and he finishes off plays around the net style game built upon his speed-skill blend. because of the frequency with which he helps get the puck there. Then on top of those things, he plays center and he understands how to 13. Matthew Boldy, LW, 20 (Minnesota Wild — 12th overall, 2019) support the play, stay above the puck and play alongside different types I’ve stuck my neck out for Boldy over the years, even when he struggled of linemates. through the first half of his freshman year with the Eagles. He’s an 9. Lucas Raymond, RW, 19 (Detroit Red Wings — 4th overall, 2020) incredibly intelligent operator on the ice who understands where to be with and without the puck, when to take a risk and when to make a smart I debated having Raymond as high as No. 7 and as low as No. 10, which play, and how to support and use his linemates in all three zones. But speaks to both his persisting talent level and some of the reservations I he’s also a supremely gifted puck handler who can do things in tight to still have about how it will come together for him at the NHL level. his body that few 6-foot-2/6-foot-3 players can. And while he’s not the Raymond’s always going to be able to craftily run a power play from the quickest player from a standstill, his skating has some sneaky elements flank or the point. He’s always going to be able to feed pucks into space to it that help him manipulate opponents to create spacing for himself. for his linemates, control play under pressure and dictate with his clever He’s also going to have real defensive value because of his size, length, on-puck skill. He’s always going to work hard when he doesn’t have it to strength along the wall and overall intuition around the sheet. apply pressure, come up with steals on the backcheck and intercept passes. His wrist shot has improved, adding a bit of oomph to make it 14. Marco Rossi, C, 19 (Minnesota Wild — 9th overall, 2020) more threatening than it once was. His straight-line speed has picked up If Rossi shows us that he’s still Rossi this fall, which I fully expect he will, half a step and is complemented by the impressive edge work he has he’s a better prospect than Boldy. But they’re close enough in terms of always possessed. But I’m still waiting for him to find another gear in that upside that I gave Boldy the slight edge here given everything that has acceleration so that he can get to the middle of the ice with a little more gone on with Rossi’s development, which in effect kept him out of game pace. And even with his improved shot, he’s never going to be a action for a year and a half. Rossi will play for Austria in their Olympic marksman scorer. And while I’m very confident in his ability to become qualifications over the next couple of weeks, which is big for him and an impactful top-six creator who picks up some freebies on the power something he wanted to get under his belt before Wild camp. Those games follow a five-week training camp that his camp set up for him with skills coaches, goalies and some competition in Austria this summer. perimeter of the offensive zone when he keeps his feet moving. But he’s According to his dad, Michael, he’s looking stronger than he did a year also skinny and his skill isn’t particularly dynamic, so the use of that extra ago. “He looks very powerful, the pitbull.” Rossi looked like a legitimate runway that he has to get stronger over pucks and develop more of a top-flight two-way center prospect with a strong center of gravity, slick killer instinct to the inside of the ice offensively will be critical. Still, the skill in traffic, playmaking acumen and a superb defensive game that tools are there and the potential of what they could become is real. If he would allow him to penalty kill and take late draws before the Wild drafted can put it all together, he’ll be a tremendous new age defenseman. him ninth overall. I’m sure they’ll ease him back in before letting him run with it now, but I’d bet on the destination being the same. 20. Anton Lundell, C, 19 (Florida Panthers — 12th overall, 2020)

15. Bowen Byram, LHD, 20 (Colorado Avalanche — 4th overall, 2019) I have only good things to say about Lundell. He is a terrific hockey player in every sense and I’d sooner rank him much higher than this Avs fans got a taste of Byram last season but I don’t think they’ve seen before I’d rank him much lower. He’s got NHL size. He’s an excellent anything just yet. He’s a player who has always lived and died with the puck protector. He’s always in the right spots. He wants to look to score confidence he plays with and I suspect the same will be true in his when he’s out there but he’s also an advanced passer. He’s a reliable progression at the NHL level. To be at his best, he needs to feel like he three-zone player who can impact a game even when the scoring can really attack, create his own looks, activate in the rush, rove inside chances aren’t falling. I think he’s ready to play and have an impact in the the offensive zone and just dictate. That comes with time and the leash NHL. I also think concerns about his skating or the ceiling of his talent, provided by a coaching staff. His game isn’t the most polished without were both overstated — and should be gone by now. He’s going to be the puck, so you’re always going to have to live with him making some of the kind of second-line center who is better as the games get tougher. the wrong reads as he tries to make something happen. But you want him taking risks and looking to make something happen. I’m confident 21. Mason McTavish, C, 18 (Anaheim Ducks — 3rd overall, 2021) we’ll see the Byram of lower levels at the NHL level in time. If you were to pull the 2021 draftees that appear on this list out of the 16. Dylan Guenther, LW/RW, 18 (Arizona Coyotes — 9th overall, 2021) herd and into their own ranking, you’ll notice that one thing in their order has changed since my final list dropped: McTavish has risen from 10th to There are outcomes for Guenther as a player at the next level that could eighth. Now, that’s still not as high as third (where the Ducks took him), position him higher than where I have him ranked here when I do a nor is it any softening on the two he has leapfrogged (you’ll notice they retrospect of this in a few years. I’d listen to arguments that have him follow him in quick success here, so they’re still very close for me) but the slotted as high as No. 12. He’s a fabulous, light skater who carves up way McTavish’s soft area skill and playmaking flashed at Team Canada’s neutral ice with his speed. In the words of Britney Millar, one of the summer showcase in Calgary really helped to soften some of the skating coaches who has trained him, when I asked about what makes concerns I had about his ability to play more than the push-and-pop goal- his stride so smooth: “Let’s just say he has done a lot of power skating. scoring game we already know he’s so good at. It was also evident that He’s a beautiful skater.” But he also possesses a dangerous wrist-shot he has worked very hard this summer to get into pretty incredible shape, release that can fool goalies and defenders off the blade and then he can which will help him play the kind of game he needs to play at the next beat them one-on-one with effortlessly quick hands when they think the level to reach his ceiling. shot is coming. So there’s some deception to his game that way as well. (For what it’s worth: I also recently learned that McTavish was the Blue 17. Jamie Drysdale, RHD, 19 (Anaheim Ducks — 6th overall, 2020) Jackets’ target at fifth overall, so even if the Ducks didn’t take him, he wasn’t ever going to be around where I had him ranked.) I also considered slotting Drysdale in as high as No. 12 on this list. But he remains a bit of a tricky one to pinpoint at the NHL level because I’m 22. Chaz Lucius, C, 18 (Winnipeg Jets — 18th overall, 2021) not sure what exactly he is. His skating (particularly his incredible edge work) allows him to make a lot happen with his feet on offense but I’m not It was a weird draft year for Lucius and he’s going to have to stay healthy sure he’s particularly dynamic as a shot creator (he gets them through and prove some of the teams that passed on his uncertainty wrong with with the best of them but it doesn’t come off hard) or a playmaker (he can his play, but based on everything I know about his health and his skill create lanes for himself with ease but he’s not a dynamically creative level, I expect him to become an impactful goal-scoring forward (that may player. And then the same is true defensively, where his feet help him do be at the wing but he is a natural center). His ability to shoot from a a lot of things really well (particularly against the rush but also turning variety of stances, get his shots off quickly under pressure, get open and back to pucks, etc.) but I’m not sure he’s ever going to be a true then create for himself with his hands when there isn’t a clear lockdown type. Drysdale’s going to be a top-four defenseman who can opportunity, are A-level tools that grade out among the best prospects in run a power play and be relied upon going both ways because of his the sport in each category. But he’s also a sneaky-good playmaker who I ability to evade pressure, outlet pucks and then quickly recover when suspect will offer more dimension in college (and beyond) than people play goes back against the grain. I’ve never been quite convinced that expect. he’s going to be a No. 1, though. 23. Cole Sillinger, C/LW, 18 (Columbus Blue Jackets — 12th overall, 18. Alexander Holtz, RW/LW, 19 (New Jersey Devils — 7th overall, 2021) 2020) From a pure skill standpoint, Sillinger’s tools are undeniable. He can Holtz had a fine post-draft season but it left many, myself included, a little cleanly beat goalies from distance with his wrister, a catch-and-release or disappointed by just how stagnant it was. There were some real highs his one-timer. He’s got a dynamic set of hands, which lend themselves to (specifically his strong start in the SHL and his SHL playoffs). But there his individual creation style. And then he’s physically strong and were some lows too, marked by being outshone between that SHL start muscular and already looks and trains like an NHLer, so the filling out and finish by Eklund, a mediocre (though unlucky) world juniors, and a that is required for many of his peers isn’t a hurdle for him. But his 10-game stint to wrap it all up in the AHL where he struggled with the skating still needs some work, not because he’s slow or sluggish but pace of play. There is a ton to like about Holtz. There’s the obvious ability because his knees can trail through his extensions, leaving him a little to shoot the puck and create his own looks for his shot with his hunched over and limiting his explosiveness. If he can correct that, he’s combination of skill and power. There’s the underrated playmaking got the rest of the makings of a dangerous NHL player. sense. There’s the pro frame and strength. But he needs to get a little 24. Simon Edvinsson, LHD, 18 (Detroit Red Wings — 6th overall, 2021) quicker and play a little quicker to maximize those tools and for a player who plies his trade as a goal-scorer, he needs to start putting the puck in Edvinsson’s a difficult player to get confidently project because there’s a little more than he has. But it’s easy to forget that he’s a teenager still so much that needs to happen for him to reach his true potential. His playing very high-level pro hockey. If he can develop a little more pace ceiling, though, is extremely high and backed by a set of traits and skills (he’s not slow!), he’ll be the goal-scoring winner everyone believes he that already pop, from his exceptional hands and control of the puck for a can be at even strength and he’s always going to have power play player his size to his fearlessness with and without it to his towering upside. frame and his strong foundational knowledge of how to use it to defend in a variety of ways (with an active stick, with step-up physicality when 19. Luke Hughes, LHD, 17 (New Jersey Devils — 4th overall, 2021) opportunities present themselves, on box-outs, etc.). If he can develop Hughes is the youngest player on this list and its only 17-year-old. That his shot (which needs a lot of work), learn to hone his frame and his has always been part of the allure with projecting him forward, because skating a little more smoothly and make better choices, the potential is he’s already this brilliant transition defenseman whose skating helps him there in spades. snuff out rushes, lead them back the other way, and then create on the 25. Arthur Kaliyev, RW/LW, 20 (Los Angeles Kings — 33rd overall, 2019) Kaliyev can look like Bambi out there with his dragging skating he’s got excellent hands, he’s crafty with the puck in tight spaces and he mechanics (almost like he’s snowshoeing). Nobody’s ever going to call just seems to effortlessly flow within the game making plays. He also him a well-rounded defensive forward, either (though he has made showed last year, as the AHL welcomed an influx of young talent, that he progress with his propensity to cheat, his attention to detail and the was one of the league’s very best under-20 players. I’m looking forward frequency of his fly-bys). But you can also count on two hands the to seeing what he looks like in the NHL because he has most of the number of hockey players on the planet who can shoot the puck makings of a multifaceted offensive creator who could give the Predators anywhere near the way he can. Not prospects. Players. NHL stars a much-needed injection of skill. included. And while skating and effort level can hold back great scorers, and often have, there’s a level between the ones that usually don’t make 30. Alex Turcotte, C, 20 (Los Angeles Kings — 5th overall, 2019) it and where Kaliyev is at. The Kings’ next chapter is going to need some Speaking of injuries … Turcotte’s progression hasn’t followed the linear game-breakers to insulate the glut of well-rounded top-nine players they road I think it could have had he not dealt with his fair share of bumps in have coming. That’s where Kaliyev should fit in. Find him the right the road over the course of the last three seasons. While the addition of linemates, use him on PP1 and don’t look back. He’s going to fill nets Phillip Danault complicates Turcotte’s path to a top-six center role in the under the right coach/circumstances. post-Kopitar era (given that one will be place-held for Byfield), my job 26. Peyton Krebs, C/LW, 20 (Vegas Golden Knights — 17th overall, here is about player evaluation more than measuring job openings 2019) against one another. And though I’ve soured on Turcotte a little since his draft year, I’m still a big believer in him as a hardworking, up-tempo For my money, not only was Krebs the best player in the WHL last year facilitator who forechecks effectively, gets to loose pucks and then allows but he’s ready to play a full 82-game season in the NHL this year. If the his skill and his spatial awareness to take over so that he can drive pucks Golden Knights can find a spot for him in the middle six, I’d bet on him to the middle of the ice or put pucks there for teammates to capitalize on. not looking out of place in that role on a contending team that is likely to win the Pacific Division. He’s that good. Krebs isn’t going to ever score a 31. Evan Bouchard, RHD, 21 (Edmonton Oilers — 10th overall, 2018) ton of goals, but he’s the kind of player who could well score 20 goals, It’s going to start to become a bit of a disservice to Bouchard if the Oilers add 30-35 assists and be a damn-good 50-55 point player who adds can’t find a way to get him into any kind of regular offensive-zone usage speed, pace and playmaking near the top of a lineup. this year. I still believe in him as a capable second-pairing defender at 27. Jake Sanderson, LHD, 19 (Ottawa Senators — 5th overall, 2020) even strength who can really make an impact on the power play. He’s never going to be a late-in-games, shutdown type but he has made I feel like this ranking needs to be prefaced with Sens fans by saying this: progress in some important areas (defensively, in his intensity levels and Sanderson is one of the best prospects at his position in the world. Even focus and in a couple different elements of his skating), should be able to by me having him ranked 27th here, he’s still the eighth-ranked D hold his own against NHL competition, and has clear value with the puck, prospect. This ranking also tells you that if I were to do a 2020 re-draft in particular as an outlet passer and shot generator. They need to find a today, he’d rank 11th, behind the seven 2020 prospects that feature way to give him an opportunity to showcase that in a role that suits his ahead of him here three that don’t (Alexis Lafrenière, Tim Stützle and skill level, which doesn’t mean having him bounce in and out of the press goalie Yaroslav Asakrov, who will feature prominently on tomorrow’s list). box and limited minutes. And while that’s still a decent ways away from fifth, where they took him, it’s also higher than where I had him ranked heading into the draft last 32. Connor McMichael, C/LW, 20 (Washington Capitals — 25th overall, year (19th in a tier that ran from 9-23, meaning I would have been 2019) comfortable taking him once my top eight were gone but not sooner). Do McMichael doesn’t necessarily look or play like our image of a modern I still have concerns about Sanderson’s ability to make plays inside the forward. He’s not this elusive, deceptive individual creator who slides in offensive zone at the level I believe is required to warrant having taken and out of traffic pulling in defenders and making east-west plays. He’s him there, ahead of favorites of mine like Cole Perfetti? Yes, I do. But not the outside speed guy who creates separation with changes of pace Sanderson’s impressive athleticism and skating, combined with his and goes north-south to push tempo and create in transition, either. He’s staunch defensive presence and his ability to play in transition with his an average-sized, average-skating two-way forward with an NHL release, feet will likely allow him to play eat up rushes, go the other way and a knack for playing with a variety of linemates and the tools needed to spend a lot of time inside the offensive zone even if he’s not going to be successfully play inside a system. He’s just a quietly good player with a the one driving a lot of the goals that are scored once he helps get the well-rounded offensive zone game that’s supported by no real holes. And team there. That has huge value in a top-four role, even if I believe he I’d bet on him soon becoming the effective goal-scorer and underrated doesn’t have the skill that the game’s true Norris Trophy types do. playmaker at the NHL level that he has been at every other level to date.

28. Nick Robertson, LW, 19 (Toronto Maple Leafs — 53rd overall, 2019) 33. Dylan Holloway, C/LW, 19 (Edmonton Oilers — 14th overall, 2020)

This is the point in the list where we get from the true cream of the crop After having one of the best seasons by a prospect last year, I debated into a bubble tier of sorts before falling off into a true second tier. ranking Holloway as high as the late 20s here. He has always been a Robertson’s 2020-21 season was a bit of a weird, transitional one. He freakishly strong athlete. At a very early age, he looked like a battled an injury, he was kept out of playing for Team USA at the world professional athlete in his build, his skating and his physical presence on juniors (which was a bit of a head-scratcher then and remains one in the ice. He always played fast and hard, popping pucks into the net with hindsight, even though we know that both parties were on the same page a hard snap off his blade, driving wide with his speed, finishing every about it), and though he was very good in the AHL, his train didn’t check along the wall as a forechecker and playing to the interior with scream up the steep upward progression quite like it did the previous coveted bullishness and quick hands. Those tools were always going to season. In that way, I would say Robertson’s stratosphere as a prospect make him the kind of player who could play up and down a lineup, exists a little closer to the handful of players behind him here than the whether he’s driving a third line or complementing a top one as its third- handful in front of him. He shoots it like an NHLer, with a shot that comes best player. I think last year showed that he might be able to be more off his blade hard from a catch-and-release, a curl-and-drag, a set stance than that, though. That there might be a second-best player on a top-six and a one-timer position (though the first two can take him a split second line in there. That he’s also got impressive playmaking instincts off all of too long, which has resulted in him beating pro goalies a little less cleanly those won battles. than he’s used to). He’s also got some of the faster hands outside the 34. Nils Lundkvist, RHD, 21 (New York Rangers — 28th overall, 2018) NHL, which help him quickly adjust and shape his shots (or spin off checks). Add in a middle-lane drive and a tenacious approach to puck Lundkvist is one of a handful of NHL prospects who I’m most fascinated pursuit, and there’s a lot to like about his ability to become the left-shot to see where his career ends up because he has played, for the last two top-six scorer the Leafs have sorely needed. I do think he’s always going years, like one of the best young players in the sport with Lulea. And in to be on the precipice of getting injured due to a combination of his style just about any organization that would, when combined with his of play, size and hunched over stride puts, though. handedness (he’s a righty!), guarantee a path into the kind of role that he’s capable of filling: a top-four defender who runs one of your power 29. Philip Tomasino, C, 20 (Nashville Predators — 24th overall, 2019) plays and can really drive offense while also being relied upon, despite The more I’ve watched Tomasino over the years, the fonder I’ve grown of his 5-foot-10 frame, to give you comfortable minutes defensively. But his game and its upside. He’s a breezy skater who threatens off the rush because he’s on the Rangers, he’s going to have to try to find those with his ability to fly wide or burst to the middle to create in transition as minutes and that role on a team that already has Adam Fox and Jacob both a passer and a finishing threat. His wrister is a mid-range threat, Trouba down the right side, and a similarly constructed player in lefty Zac Jones inevitably vying for power play usage on the left side. And yet There’s a lot about Podkolzin’s game that has typically drawn evaluators despite all of that, I’m still confident Lundkvist will end up where he to him. His power over his feet. His good hands through and under sticks deserves to be somehow. He’s too good not to. I absolutely adore the or in tight. His knack for seeing a play and then executing it, whether way he operates on the ice. He has built upon a solid, efficient foundation that’s attacking the slot when it’s available or knifing through coverage by developing a harder point shot (he’s as comfortable stepping into a with surprising finesse for a heavyset player. His sneaky passing ability one-timer as he is walking into the high slot to use his writer), adding a when seams open in coverage. His tenacious and physical disposition. little more tempo to his game, making plays through seems more But I’ve got the same concerns today about Podkolzin’s game as I’ve regularly and escaping with his feet more often. always had, concerns which center primarily around two things: his instinctual nature and the way it can limit him and his average speed. I’ve 35. Thomas Harley, LHD, 20 ( — 18th overall, 2019) always believed he’ll make a good complementary piece who can slot Harley’s going to be another fascinating exercise in player evaluation and into a middle six and give a line something a bit different. I don’t think deployment because whether or not Harley ever gets to be the best he’s going to be true top-of-the-lineup player, though. version of himself will likely depend greatly on coaching and just how fast 40. Ville Heinola, LHD, 20 (Winnipeg Jets — 20th overall, 2019) the game can catch up to guys who play like him. He’s at his best when he’s playing a confident, freeflowing, roving style that allows him to use Between Lukko in Liiga, the Manitoba Moose in the AHL, and an his impressive skating to lead rushes, carry the puck deep into the incredible showing at the world juniors to help Finland to a bronze medal offensive zone and look to make something happen. I think the Harley (earning a place on the tournament all-star team along the way), Heinola that sits back on his heels, crosses over into outlets, defends the rush had a really strong year for 19-20-year-old. He looks ready for the full- passively with his feet and length and contributes on the power play is a time leap to everyday NHL defenseman. His edgework has improved fine player that the Stars will be happy with. I’ve seen that player. He from an asset to a real advantage. He’s looking to attack and impose tried (twice) to play that game in auditions with Canada for the world himself more offensively. And that has taken advantage of the biggest juniors, and actually played it at the tournament once. But I want to see asset he has always had: his poise. It may take him time to build that him looking at taking risks to take over games in a system that gives him same confidence at the NHL level because he’s not such a high-end a longer leash than that. Because I think in that setting he can be a truly prospect that he’s going to be handed opportunity. But I believe in him as unique kind of player. We’ll see whether he’s ever allowed to be. a top-four guy at this point.

36. Seth Jarvis, C/RW, 19 (Carolina Hurricanes — 13th overall, 2020) 41. Shane Pinto, C, 20 (Ottawa Senators — 32nd overall, 2019)

Jarvis is another player that I considered ranking as high as 28th on this Pinto’s emergence as one of college hockey’s best two-way players has, list. He’s closer to the eight players in front of him (like borderline a lot like Jones’ rise, become a really nice success story. He’s not going interchangeable) than the eight behind him, for sure. He’s a lock to be a to wow anyone with his dynamism but he’s a three-zone player who top-six player for Canada at the 2022 world juniors and should eventually excels in the faceoff circle, has size that isn’t hindered by skating, has a be the kind of player the Hurricanes have clearly shown an affinity few tricks up his sleeve as a shooter, thrives in puck protection and won’t toward. Jarvis is a crafty, puck-dominant forward who possesses equal require a specific kind of linemate to be successful. Pinto’s not likely playmaking ability as a perimeter outside-in passer as he does going to show up on the scoresheet like most of the forwards ahead of manufacturing offense to higher traffic areas on the inner third. Add in him on this list (though he sure did in his first NHL opportunity) but he’s slick hands, a natural finishing touch, easy NHL speed and a determined going to have an impact in other ways while still being talented enough to work ethic and there’s not a lot to poke holes in with Jarvis’ game. I’m still pull his weight offensively inside the Sens’ top-nine forward group long not convinced he’s got star power, but he’s got clear NHL talent. term. His two years in college took his ceiling from third-line center to potential second-line one and that would be a big deal for this next 37. Cam York, LHD, 20 (Philadelphia Flyers — 14th overall, 2019) chapter in Ottawa.

York has become a bit of a polarizing prospect in scouting circles. Not 42. Zac Jones, LHD, 20 (New York Rangers — 68th overall, 2019) because there’s anything overtly wrong with his game or who he is as a player/person. In fact, precisely the opposite. Nobody finds any real fault None of the players ranked ahead of Jones were selected after where he in those things. Everyone agrees he’s a good player and leader who was, and only two of the ones that followed were, so Rangers fans does a lot well. But there are very different opinions of what he will look should count their lucky stars here. I do think it’s kind of interesting that like in the NHL, because he’s also not particularly strong or athletic. He’s all three of the prospects who were selected in the third round or later a smooth skater but not an explosive one, and he can struggle in net and made the list were defensemen, though. I don’t think that’s a front and board battles but I wouldn’t call him. Those are two things that coincidence and anecdotally I’d probably guess that it’s linked to the create reservations in a 5-foot-11 defenseman. And while he’s talented bigger challenges that still exist in evaluating defensemen (especially with the puck on his stick, capable of running a power play, mobile teenaged ones) than forwards. But Jones belongs here given everything moving side-to-side across the line and a superb passer who has he has accomplished in the last three years. He just gets it. He produced at every level he’s ever played at, some worry that he’s not understands how to make plays that drive results. He understands how quite dynamic enough in those minutes to be a truly high-end offensive to defend without needing to be big or powerful while doing it. He defenseman. And they project him as a good 4-6 guy who can run PP2 manufactures offense without ever looking like he’s forcing it. He’s just a as a result, rather than a 2-4 guy who can potentially play PP1. I started functional, methodical defender whose game fits in with the way the NHL as a big believer in the latter outcome for York. And while I have softened game is trending. His ceiling probably tops out as a No. 3 or a No. 4, but I a little, I still see a second-pairing future as a productive two-way (but think he can be really good in that kind of role long term. offensively inclined) defenseman. 43. Fabian Lysell, LW/RW, 18 (Boston Bruins — 21st overall, 2021) 38. Victor Söderström, RHD, 20 (Arizona Coyotes — 11th overall, 2019) Lysell’s a tricky one, because I think there is a range of outcomes where After coming away disappointed by some of my viewings of Söderström prospects who I left off this list become much better players than he last year, I’ve done a fair amount of review on him in recent weeks. And does. But if Lysell can figure out how to use his special (it’s not an after doing that, I think part of the mixed feelings that I began to develop exaggeration to call it that) skill-skating combo a little more effectively about his game stem from just how fractured his season was, spanning shift-to-shift, instead of just flashing it in spurts, his ceiling is just flat out three different pro levels (on top of the world juniors). He was a little higher than the rest of the prospects I considered at this point in the underwhelming out of the gate in HockeyAllsvenskan and then at the ranking. At a point in the list where the players tend to lack the dynamic world juniors, without being bad. There were some bumps in the road as traits that could distinguish them from one another, Lysell’s ability to knife he tried to figure things out in the AHL on a terrible Roadrunners team, through the ice with his speed and turn a dead play into a chance — or too. But I also watched a couple of the four NHL games he played in and better yet a goal — is exactly that. he looked great. Söderström’s a highly mobile defender who relies on his feet to escape pressure, start rushes, turn back to pucks and defend. 44. Connor Zary, C, 19 (Calgary Flames — 24th overall, 2020) Inside the offensive zone, he relies on his skating and his vision to Zary’s going to be an NHL player. So then it’s just about how good he manufacture the bulk of his offense. His head is always up and he can be. I’m confident he projects safely as a top-nine guy who can slide navigates the ice intelligently, too. He’s going to be a good defenseman, up and down, contribute equally as a scorer as he does as a playmaker, even if there isn’t star quality there and he doesn’t become a top work pucks to the middle third, track the play effectively as a forechecker pairing/PP1 guy. and play between checks making quick decisions. I think there’s a 39. Vasili Podkolzin, RW, 20 (Vancouver Canucks — 10th overall, 2019) chance he becomes something more than that and tops out as an impactful offensive creator whose work ethic matches his skill level, too. (and frankly without) the puck. He wants to slide off the line and use his But he’s not so dynamic in one area that he’s going to be wow fans with shot or beat the first guy off the point and riffle a pass to a teammate in a his goal-scoring ability or his creativity or his hands or his speed, so the dangerous spot. He has developed some needed power and strength absence of an A-plus tool in any one of those areas could make him into his compact frame. And he has learned when to play a little more more of a contributor than a driver. He’s unquestionably talented across passively defensively, relying on his stick and feet more instead of the board, though, and a much better skater than he’s usually given always trying to overcompensate for his size by really pushing and credit. leaning on guys along the boards (where he’s often not going to win those battles). He’s never going to be a stalwart defensively, but he’s got 45. Jack Quinn, RW, 19 (Buffalo Sabres — 8th overall, 2020) legitimate offensive flair and I like the way the rest of his tools work Quinn played through the start of his first pro hockey season and into the around his skill game enough to project him as a second-pairing/PP guy world juniors with a hernia problem that eventually required season- in the prime of his career. ending surgery, so his post-draft season was very difficult to evaluate on 50. David Farrance, LHD, 22 (Nashville Predators — 92nd overall, 2017) its merits. It also makes updating his scouting profile challenging. Quinn is a lot like McMichael though in that he’s got an A-level shot that he can After finishing up two of the most productive seasons in recent college score with from medium range (and occasionally a little further out), he’s hockey memory by a defenseman, combining for 59 points in 45 games, diligent and counted-upon off the puck, he’s got a pro frame that he’ll be Farrance has turned himself into a really intriguing prospect. And though able to continue to fine-tune and add muscle to, but the rest of his tools he feels old, being one of only two 2017 draftees on this list, having are good without being great, including most notably a skating stride that stayed in college for all four seasons and having been a name prospect is fine but doesn’t have a pull-away gear. He’s going to score some goals at the national program before that, he only just turned 22 in June and he with his ability to control the puck to the interior and then let it go. He’s was a true freshman when he started at Boston University. I’ve watched going to be useful even when the points aren’t there because he’s got a lot of Farrance (both in-person and on tape) to come to a pretty firm defensive acumen that many young players lack as well. Can he be more conclusion with where I’m at with him as a prospect. And despite his age, than a reliable top-nine winger (he actually has a lot of experience on he has shown consistent year-over-year improvement that suggests to both sides) who can score 25 goals and maybe play on both special me that he’s not going to hit some wall and plateau as an AHL guy in teams, though? Can he be either a dominant two-way guy or a truly Milwaukee this year. I see a prospect who will work his way into the 4-5 upper-echelon scorer who lives up to his top-10 selection? That’s where conversation with the Predators (as crowded as that blue line remains) in the questions pop up. In time, those who’ve worked with him believe he the next year or so before becoming something more than that in the can. But progress will be key and he just lost most of a key year. prime of his career while running a power play throughout. He’s a plus- level skater, passer, creator, rush sergeant and handler with a mid-level 46. Jakob Pelletier, LW, 20 (Calgary Flames — 26th overall, 2019) game without the puck (his offense can come at the expense of You won’t find a scout in hockey who doesn’t love the detail and positioning and support, but he’s a heady defender when there’s no roundedness that Pelletier has built his versatile game upon. But you will offense to look for). find scouts who question whether at his size (5-foot-9), with his skating The Ranking (it’s not his hallmark), whether he’s skilled enough to go from “he looks like a good role player” to “he looks like an impact guy.” I’ve always This edition of my top-50 drafted prospects ranking includes 12 players leaned closer to the latter than the former. Here’s why. from both the 2021 and 2020 drafts, 20 from the class of 2019, four 2018 prospects and two more from 2017. Broken down for position, it includes 47. Jack Rathbone, LHD, 22 (Vancouver Canucks — 95th overall, 2017) 32 forwards and 18 defensemen (of which 11 are lefties and seven are The lowest-drafted player on this list, Rathbone worked his way onto this righties). list after establishing himself as one of the best defenders in college Eleven of the players featured on last year’s ranking have since hockey at Harvard and then making quick work of the AHL to look like graduated. They are, in order of appearance on the 2020 list: Alexis one of its top players almost instantly in the COVID-shortened season Lafrenière, Tim Stützle, Dylan Cozens, Kirill Kaprizov, Gabe Vilardi, before earning a deserved eight-game NHL audition in May that ended in Drake Batherson, Erik Brannstrom, Nils Höglander, Owen Tippett, Ty May. Each step of the way, he has gone from establishing himself as a Smith, Josh Norris. potential modern-day third pairing candidate to a lock to become that to a potential second-pairing guy who can more than hold his own defensive Here is the full ranking, broken down into tiers for a better sense of the despite a smallish frame while contributing offensively at both even proximity within groups of players. strength and on the power play (though he’s more likely a PP2 guy on most teams than a PP1 guy). There are no issues with his skating, which RANK PLAYER POS. AGE DRAFT TEAM is smooth in straight lines and agile through crossovers and side-steps. 1 There are no issues with his handling, which fits comfortably into his four- way mobility to allow him to evade the first layer of pressure in all three Quinton Byfield zones. He defends the rush well because of his ability to correct and C adjust against opposing carriers. And he’s stronger than he looks on his feet, which limits some of the negatives that we tend to assume come in 19 smaller defensemen. 2020 48. Jonatan Berggren, LW, 21 (Detroit Red Wings — 33rd overall, 2018) Kings Berggren, one of my longtime favorites, had the kind of season in the SHL last year that it always felt like he’d have once he could finally stay 2 healthy. His talent level with the puck on his stick is undeniable. It pops in Cole Caufield his ability to hang onto the puck when others would get rid of it, delay, deceive and then make a play from the perimeter (where he works most RW of his magic) to the inside as soon as one’s presented. It pops in his ability to extend sequences when it looks like he’s trapped in traffic. And 20 while he’s not the tallest, he’s stocky along the wall, which helps him 2019 absorb contact and extend cycle sequences as well. If he had an extra gear in his skating, he’d be a menacing offensive forward. And while Canadiens there’s a boom or bust element to his upside as a player who is going to have to play in an offensive role to succeed, if the Red Wings can find 3 him the right fit he could be a much-needed shot of skill into their lineup Owen Power in the next year or two. LHD 49. Calen Addison, RHD, 21 (Minnesota Wild — 53rd overall, 2018) 18 I’ve been pretty bullish on Addison over the years and that’s still true today. I’m a huge believer in him. He’s a beautiful lateral skater on his 2021 edges across the line or under pressure. I love his aggressiveness with Sabres Red Wings

4 12

Trevor Zegras Alex Newhook

C C

20 20

2019 2019

Ducks Avalanche

5 13

Cole Perfetti Matt Boldy

C/LW LW

19 20

2020 2019

Jets Wild

6 14

Kent Johnson Marco Rossi

C/LW C

18 19

2021 2020

Blue Jackets Wild

7 15

Brandt Clarke Bowen Byram

RHD

18 LHD

2021 20

Kings 2019

8 Avalanche

Matt Beniers 16

C Dylan Guenther

18 LW/RW

2021 18

Kraken 2021

9 Coyotes

Lucas Raymond 17

RW Jamie Drysdale

19 RHD

2020 19

Red Wings 2020

10 Ducks

William Eklund 18

C/LW Alexander Holtz

18 RW/LW

2021 19

Sharks 2020

11 Devils

Moritz Seider 19

RHD Luke Hughes

20 LHD

2019 17 2021 2020

Devils Senators

20 28

Anton Lundell Nick Robertson

C LW

19 19

2020 2019

Panthers Maple Leafs

21 29

Mason McTavish Philip Tomasino

C/W C

18 20

2021 2019

Ducks Predators

22 30

Chaz Lucius Alex Turcotte

C C

18 20

2021 2019

Jets Kings

23 31

Cole Sillinger Evan Bouchard

C/LW RHD

18 21

2021 2018

Blue Jackets Oilers

24 32

Simon Edvinsson Connor McMichael

LHD C/LW

18 20

2021 2019

Red Wings Capitals

25 33

Arthur Kaliyev Dylan Holloway

RW/LW C/LW

20 19

2019 2020

Kings Oilers

26 34

Peyton Krebs Nils Lundkvist

C/LW RHD

20 21

2019 2018

Golden Knights Rangers

27 35

Jake Sanderson Thomas Harley

LHD LHD

19 19 2019 2021

Stars Bruins

36 44

Seth Jarvis Connor Zary

C/RW C

19 19

2020 2020

Hurricanes Flames

37 45

Cam York Jack Quinn

LHD LW/RW

20 19

2019 2020

Flyers Sabres

38 46

Victor Söderström Jakob Pelletier

RHD LW

20 20

2019 2019

Coyotes Flames

39 47

Vasili Podkolzin Jack Rathbone

RW LHD

20 22

2019 2017

Canucks Canucks

40 48

Ville Heinola Jonatan Berggren

LHD LW

20 21

2019 2018

Jets Red Wings

41 49

Shane Pinto Calen Addison

C RHD

20 21

2019 2018

Senators Wild

42 50

Zac Jones David Farrance

LHD LHD

20 22

2019 2017

Rangers Predators

43 Honorable mentions (sorted alphabetically): Rodion Amirov (TOR), Mavrik Bourque (DAL), Lukas Cormier (VGK), Grigori Denisenko (FLA), Fabian Lysell Morgan Frost (PHI), Noel Gunler (CAR), Vitali Kravtsov (NYR), Hendrix LW/RW Lapierre (WSH), Kirill Marchenko (CBJ), Dawson Mercer (NJD), Ryan Merkley (SJS), Scott Perunovich (STL), Lukas Reichel (CHI), Yegor 18 Zamula (PHI). Those 14 final cuts were each strongly considered for the 40s on this year’s list, bringing the total number of players I seriously debated ranking to 64. That coincidentally fits the NHL’s new 32-team size quite nicely to help you contextualize where your team’s top prospects stack up leaguewide (with two being average, anything less being below average and anything more creeping toward the top of the league).

The Red Wings led the way with five ranked prospects, followed by the Kings with four and the Ducks, Jets and Wild with three apiece. Had the list run to 64 players, the Flyers, Rangers, Devils and Blue Jackets would have also had three prospects featured.

Five teams didn’t have a prospect ranked: the Islanders, Penguins, Lightning, Blues and Blackhawks. Three of those teams (the Islanders, Penguins and Lightning) didn’t even have a player in the honorable mentions, either.

Beyond the 50 ranked players and 14 honorable mentions, there were nearly twice as many prospects who were given some consideration here, which gives you a sense of how close things get from the 40s right through to the early 100s. I would qualify the first three tiers of this year’s ranking as A-level prospects, with the fourth group from 28-42 on the fringes of A-level. But the drop-offs really widen out after that, with the differences between the B-level prospects I have ranked at the tail end of this year’s list and those who would ultimately rank into the triple digits being quite small.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.18.2021 1191441 Websites In the summer of 2016, veteran defenceman Emma Eliasson, who was rumoured to be one of the driving forces behind the letter, was kicked off the team by Boork. Eliasson, who was 28 at the time, had been on the national team since she was 14, played in more than 200 matches for TSN.CA / Dissecting Sweden’s downward spiral in women’s hockey Sweden, helped lead her country to silver at the 2006 Olympics, and had just been named Swedish Player of the Year.

Boork told Sportbladet, “I think that too much has been compromised and By Meaghen Johnson that the leadership has been too weak.”

Eliasson would later tell Radiosporten that following the petition, she was When the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship begins on Aug. 20 in summoned to a meeting with Boork, who asked her if she truly stood Calgary, there will be a noticeable absentee. behind the contents of the letter, to which she said yes.

For the first time in the history of the women’s worlds, Sweden will not be Roughly a month later, captain Jenni Asserholt abruptly retired at age 28. participating in the top division. The team was relegated after finishing She would later tell the Swedish media that Boork had bullied her about ninth in the 2019 world championship. her weight.

It’s been a remarkable downward spiral for a country that has “It became a number on a scale. That's what it's about. He was pretty consistently iced one of the top-four women’s teams in the world. hard on me that you need to fix this. Somewhere I started to lose the Sweden was the first country not named Canada or the United States to desire to try to get back to the national team,” Asserholt told play in the final of an international women’s hockey tournament when Radiosporten. they earned silver at the 2006 Olympics. They also earned two bronze Despite the players’ unrest, SIF president Anders Larsson reiterated that medals at the women’s worlds in 2005 and 2007. the federation had “full confidence” in Boork, telling Sportbladet that the So, what happened to the national team that upset the Americans in the players’ letter had been “handled.” semifinals of the Turin Games? Let’s take a closer look at what led to In early 2017, a Swedish newspaper, Norrländska Socialdemokraten, Sweden’s relegation. reported that Sweden’s men’s national team could earn a bonus of START OF DECLINE several million kronor for advancing to the finals of the world championship, while the women would receive nothing if they had the After picking up a medal in three straight major tournaments from 2005 to same success. 2007, including the aforementioned Olympic silver, Sweden’s downturn began at the 2008 women’s worlds. The team lost 4-3 to Switzerland in ROAD TO RELEGATION the qualifying round, eliminating them from medal contention and earning The unrest off the ice continued to spill onto it. In the 2016-17 season, them a fifth-place finish. Sweden won just four international games, the team’s worst record since After bouncing back to play in the bronze-medal match in 2009, losing 4- 2002. The squad finished sixth at the 2017 world championship, losing 4- 1 to Finland, Sweden followed that up with two more fifth-place finishes in 0 to Finland in the quarter-final and then falling to Russia in a shootout in 2011 and 2012. The Swedes regressed further in 2013, finishing last in the fifth-place game. their group in the preliminary round after failing to win a game. They Following the tournament, Boork took to Twitter and shifted the blame to would win the best-of-three series against the Czech Republic to avoid the players, writing, in part: “One of the problems of Swedish women’s relegation, but still finished seventh, the country’s worst result since hockey is that they previously compromised with so-called star players.” 2001. At the end of 2017, SIF announced that it would not be renewing Boork’s There was more disappointment on the Olympics stage, where Sweden contract after the 2018 Olympics, but the damage had been done. ended up with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in 2010 and 2014. In Sweden finished seventh at the PyeongChang Games, a record low for the preliminary round of the Vancouver Games, the Swedes were the team. The Swedes were dismantled by Finland in a 7-2 loss in the demolished by Canada 13-1 and were outshot 52-13. They followed that quarter-finals, and then fell 2-1 in overtime to Japan in their 5th-8th place up with a 9-1 loss to the Americans in the semifinal. semifinals game. At the Four Nations Cup, Sweden has not won a preliminary round game That summer, the Swedish Olympic Committee announced that it was since defeating Finland 2-1 in the 2009 tournament. cutting all funding from the women’s national team. LEIF BOORK ERA Ylva Martinsen, a former player and an alternate captain on the silver Sweden’s downward spiral was aggravated during the Leif Boork era, medal-winning team in 2006, was named the new head coach. But even who was head coach from 2015 to 2018. Boork had little experience in though the team was free of Boork, things would get worse for Sweden. the women’s game, spending one season as an assistant with the team The team was given just five days of preparation before the 2019 world before being named head coach. He had success as a coach in men’s championship. The Swedes lost their first two games to Germany and the hockey in the 1980s, winning a championship in the Swedish Hockey Czech Republic. After a come-from-behind win against France, Sweden League in 1983. needed to beat Japan to avoid relegation. At the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which was held in With the game tied 2-2, Ayaka Toko scored with 1:15 left in regulation to Malmö, Sweden, the team ended up with another fifth-place finish after give Japan the win and seal Sweden’s fate: for the first time, they would falling to Russia 2-1 in the quarter-finals. It was déjà vu in 2016, when be demoted from the top division. Sweden once again lost to the Russians in the quarters, this time by a score of 4-1. TEAM STRIKE

After the 2016 tournament, the fifth straight women’s worlds where Relegation proved to be the final straw for the Swedish team. In August Sweden failed to reach the semifinals, several players joined forces and 2019, all 43 players who were selected for camp announced they would asked to meet with the Swedish Association (SIF) to convey be boycotting the upcoming team activities, including that month’s Five their dissatisfaction with the direction of the team. SIF refused to meet Nations tournament. with the players, asking them to submit their grievances in writing. The players and their union, the Swedish Ice Hockey Players Central The players sent a letter petitioning for Boork’s removal, citing issues Organization (SICO), which they had joined in 2018, published a list of with training, tactics, and player treatment, including rules about how grievances, including: players should dress. SIF said it was “surprised” by the players’ decision and added that In the documentary film Underdogs, the specific contents of the letter compensation and insurance should be covered by an agreement with were revealed, and the players wrote, in part, “There is a lack of an professional clubs in the country, which is the case for the men’s game. ounce of human value to be at national team camp.” But according to Swedish newspaper Sportbladet, SIF did not offer any substantial Several big names in women’s hockey publicly supported the Swedish feedback. players, including Americans Jocelyne and Monique Lamoreux, who tweeted: “Proud of Team Sweden and what this will mean for their program and the next generation of young girls in Europe!”

Former player Eliasson also supported the boycott, telling Sportbladet, “It feels like there will be a lot of good from it.”

SIF responded by cancelling the 2019 Four Nations Cup, saying it could not guarantee Sweden’s participation. Klara Stenberg, who represented the players, told TheHockeyNews.com that the federation didn’t talk to the players before making its decision.

“The players did not tell the federation they won’t play. They just said they can’t give the federation an answer [right away], but the federation made the decision all by itself to cancel the tournament,” she said.

In October 2019, the players and SIF announced they had reached a deal, which included compensation for national team duties, bonuses for medals in international tournaments, and an additional bonus if the team rejoins the top division at the women’s worlds.

Forward Fanny Rask, who has since retired, said in a release, “For us players, we have always said that there is nothing greater than playing for our national team. It feels like we have taken important steps in the discussions and that we have now been given better conditions for playing [for Sweden].”

Last year, SICO announced the first-ever collective bargaining agreement between the players and the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), which includes insurance to cover injuries sustained in either the SDHL or international play.

Unfortunately, Sweden will have to wait another year to work its way back into the top division for the women’s worlds, with the Division 1 tournament being cancelled the past two years due to COVID-19.

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USA TODAY / NHL board of governors approves jersey ads for 2022-23 season, according to reports

Christian Ortega

The National Hockey League will become the latest league to feature advertisements on player jerseys after the league's board of governors unanimously approved the change for the 2022-23 season.

Clubs can begin negotiating with potential partners, according to a memo obtained by Sportico and confirmed by ESPN.

The ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly larger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys in 2017.

According to ESPN, the league surveyed its teams and the majority were in favor of stitching ads onto jerseys before the board of governors formally approved the policy.

Last season, the league appred a sponsor decal on player helmets, a move designed to prevent teams from having to give refunds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jersey ads have been featured on players across the globe, though the trend is more recent for the major North American leagues. In addition to the NBA, the WNBA and Major League Soccer allow it.

Despite a ratings decline and the pandemic, the NBA generated roughly $150 million in revenue through sponsored jersey patches, according to CNBC.

USA TODAY LOADED: 08.18.2021