SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 8/14/2019 Anaheim Ducks 1107648 Ducks by position: Previewing Anaheim’s 2019-20 centers 1107649 Arizona Coyotes' radio move to Fox Sports 910, iHeartMedia more than a dial change 1107650 Bruins Summer Series: Jake DeBrusk looking to improve after a quiet postseason 1107651 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 29 Boston Bruins 1107652 The miscalculation: Flames’ value bet turns out to be bust 1107653 Carolina Hurricanes hire Rod Brind’Amour’s former teammate as its goaltending coach 1107654 Blackhawks add Swedish defenseman Philip Holm on a 1-year deal 1107655 Blackhawks sign Philip Holm, adding another name to defensive competition 1107656 Blackhawks sign one-year contract with Philip Holm 1107657 Win? Or develop? The Avalanche’s AHL plan for the is to do both 1107658 Red Wings' defense will take different shape as season progresses 1107659 Will Red Wings’ injury-plagued Trevor Daley draw trade interest? 1107660 Kid Rock paired with Nicklaus, Zetterberg added for Ally Challenge near Flint 1107661 The Brett Kulak miscalculation: Flames’ value bet turns out to be bust 1107662 WATCH: Devils’ Connor Carrick gives inside look at offseason training 1107663 NJ Devils' Michael McLeod ready to make an impact in NHL 1107664 What Flyers prospect Jay O'Brien 'can't wait to prove' has him charging ahead 1107665 First Call: Bill Guerin close to leaving Penguins?; Alex Rodriguez’s SUV robbed 1107666 Penguins Predictions: Can Dominik Simon ramp up his production? 1107667 These seven questions await when Penguins camp begins in a month 1107668 NHL Contraction Draft: Penguins load up on defense and get tougher in our 12-team league 1107669 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 1107670 ‘I have a lot to prove’: Pierre-Olivier Joseph bulking up to join Penguins 1107671 Sharks icons Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton working out in San Jose 1107672 Sharks jersey retirements: Why Owen Nolan should be honored first 1107673 How did the Lightning stack up on NHL Tonight’s all-decade team? 1107674 Who would make the Tampa Bay Lightning’s all-time lineup? 1107676 Analysis of Jacob Markstrom’s game reveals a goalie well on his way to establishing himself as a quality No. 1 1107675 Capitals defenseman John Carlson, coming off a career year, is on the ice early and looking to bolster his gam Websites 1107677 The Athletic / Breaking down an NHL salary: The numbers aren’t as big as you think 1107678 The Athletic / Why today’s NHL stars look far different than those that dominated decades ago SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1107648 Anaheim Ducks teammates have taken his cue in the past, yielding both positive and negative results. We suspect he will be on board.

What is possible? If Joe Thornton was able to rip out an 82-point season Ducks by position: Previewing Anaheim’s 2019-20 centers at age 36 and Teemu Selanne was able to trip up Father Time by going for 31 goals and 80 points at age 40, there’s no reason Getzlaf can’t turn back the clock a few years and get back the 70-point territory, if not dip By Eric Stephens Aug 13, 2019 his toe into the 80-point well for a comeback season. Just give him some regular wingers who can put 200 or more shots on net and score on

closer to 15 percent of their tries instead of 10. It is as if you’re on a desert road looking as far as you can into the What is realistic? It goes well into December, with Getzlaf trying to find distance, and the first hint of an image begins to appear on the horizon. It chemistry with wingers who haven’t played as much with him, or regain it could be real, but you’ve gone without for so long that maybe it’s just if it’s someone like Rakell. But if this is a season of better health for the your imagination fooling with you. And the unending thirst. center and his teammates, you would think he could still get at least 50 Don’t worry. It is real. The NHL season. So close and yet still so far points, even if he loses a minute or two of ice time on average as his role away. potentially shifts away from that of the leading man. Aches and pains might keep him from getting to 70 games, a total he hasn’t reached since But it’s coming. Not as quickly as you might want it to, but it is. And it will 2016-17. rescue you from that lonely, barren place called Hockey Summer. Sam Steel I’m here to help. I can’t bring the upcoming season to you any faster, but I can start arranging your accommodations for another months-long stay Age: 21 at Red Light Utopia. While you wait for your Ducks-themed vehicle to NHL season: First arrive, I’ve brought along some reading material to focus your mind as we drive across the last stretch of emptiness toward that magical place. What can he do? The way he turned to his backhand and shoveled a (You ask, “How long will it take to get there?” I smile and whisper in a neat shot over the shoulder of sliding Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom mock-sinister tone, “Weeks.” Then I wink to put you at ease.) on his first career shot — to finish off a hat trick in March — shows there is a lot he can do. Steel was a much different player at the Players have been training and are already gathering together in informal end and should get credit for being much better than when he made the skating sessions. They’re ramping themselves up and so shall we. As the team out of training camp. The coaching staff in San Diego should get days tick toward something real and tangible (i.e. rookie camp), I’ll bring credit as well for aiding his development and giving him a big role with some views into clearer focus on those who’ve been notable to the the Gulls. This was a role he grabbed with gusto. Ducks and who’ll likely see some significant time with them through these player previews by position. With a little different spin. Because he slid in under the 25-game mark that would have removed his rookie status, Steel qualifies for the Calder Trophy next spring. With This exercise is about looking at what each player is able to do for Ryan Kesler not occupying a spot, the door is open for him to snatch a Anaheim this season, what they need to avoid doing, what we should sizable role and stick in the lineup, starting when the puck drops on hope is possible and what we should anticipate that is more realistic. opening night. He has the vision and feel to be at home on Anaheim’s We’ll start with centers first and analyze the other positions in second power-play unit. He should put up better underlying numbers with subsequent articles. Eakins behind the bench. There will be opportunities to produce and if Ryan Getzlaf that happens, the Ducks will have a top-six fixture for years to come.

Age: 34 What can’t he do? Lose confidence. It is the thing that most often wavers when young players try to make their way in the league. Even when there NHL season: 15th are dips in his game over the long grind, Steel can’t get down on himself and start to doubt whether he measures up to others. He proved his What can he do? He’ll continue to be the possession-driving pivot who is worth in last season’s extended audition to end Anaheim’s season. a load to handle in the offensive end and a physical presence along the boards. Getzlaf will reach the 1,000-game mark early this season and Now is the time to assert himself further, rather than become complacent that is a significant milestone, even as he gets there without running after securing an everyday role. As a captain of his junior team, Steel mate Corey Perry also in tow. No other Ducks player will have played undoubtedly has a lot of belief in his abilities and has the discipline to not that many games in their sweater. None will have reached that mark in settle for reaching a certain level. He has the kind of hockey sense that Anaheim while playing for just one club. And as Anaheim’s captain, his will allow him to make an impact on a game even if he doesn’t score a influence will carry even more weight for a team reworking itself and point. Now it’s time for him to stay. trending younger. What is possible? Playing with Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg as his wings There will be a number of wingers he can build a connection with. On his at the end, Steel had five goals and three assists in seven contests. We left side could be Rickard Rakell, someone he’s been comfortable with. aren’t about to project him being a “point per game” performer. And it Or it could be a talented rookie in Max Comtois, if he wins a job out of remains to be seen if Eakins will keep those two veteran Swedes as his camp. His right side could be occupied by Ondrej Kase or Troy Terry. linemates. But he could see plenty of top-six ice time. If 50 points or more New coach Dallas Eakins has to recognize who can best play off the result, it could put him in the Calder discussion. center’s vision and patience and give him at least one winger he can bond with for six or seven months. If that happens, Getzlaf still has the What is realistic? Eakins decides to ease Steel in with a third-line role playmaking skills to turn that winger into a 30- scorer and possibly and incrementally give him more minutes and responsibilities as the get to 1,000 points himself. season wears on. It could be the smarter play right off the bat so he isn’t overwhelmed by game 20, but that could also limit his point total to the What can’t he do? View this season as a throwaway and have the 30-35 range. mindset that he is playing out his contract. There are still two years left on his big deal that was inked in 2013. The days of him being an Adam Henrique unquestioned top-10 center might be in the past and his numbers no Age: 29 longer are representative of someone making $8 million-plus, as he has been in the last few years, but he still carries a lot of clout on the ice as NHL season: Ninth much as off it. His play still has to live up to the high standards he has set. What can he do? Be an excellent support piece whose professionalism rubs off on those who look to veterans for example and leadership. It figures that Getzlaf and Eakins will meet often and see if their visions Henrique didn’t have a bad 2018-19 season. He just didn’t have the kind for what these transitioning Ducks will mesh into something singular. If of impact he made the year before when he arrived from New Jersey in a there is a difference of opinion, the center can’t let it affect his game and midseason address-a-dire-need trade for Sami Vatanen. It doesn’t mean become an occasionally interested performer marking time. If there is a he can’t give the Ducks some critical scoring depth as their stars hope to change in his role, he must not balk and become a distraction. His rebound from poor seasons. He doesn’t need to be a 30-goal scorer. The Ducks would gladly take What can’t he do? Be a detriment in a part-time role. If he is taking that, of course. But he has the capability to move back into 20-goal penalties – he typically doesn’t take many – or allowing opposing centers territory. Henrique can be real effective on the power play – he led to dictate the game and not generating momentum for the next line to Anaheim with eight tallies on the man advantage – and should at least hop over the boards, it will be the quickest way toward losing the faith of get an occasional spot on the first unit or a regular role heading the Eakins and being passed by others in the organization when the Ducks second unit. He is very adaptable as far as the teammates he lines up are dealing with lineup issues. Grant has always been at the edge of the with. He’s played at least 80 games in four straight seasons and you can NHL throughout his pro career so he must bring energy when called bank on him for 40 points or more. upon and never take his spot for granted.

What can’t he do? Not try to be something he isn’t, but also not fade into What is possible? When the Ducks had him the first time around, Grant the woodwork. Henrique is at his best as a pseudo-mentor centering a took advantage of injuries to Getzlaf and Kesler by playing a much higher line for players like Kase and Nick Ritchie. It was easy to see the times role in the lineup and registering career bests of 12 goals and 24 points. when he wasn’t as effective – you didn’t notice him much at all. He’s not Shooting at 18 percent again won’t happen and it is a stretch to see him going to be utilized best over the long haul if he’s playing a role in which playing 60 games or more, but he could chip in five to seven goals in a he is at a disadvantage against opposing centers. part-time role.

This isn’t to say he can’t make an impact when he doesn’t score. It is What is realistic? He’s 29 and has never stuck in an NHL lineup every more that he isn’t a gifted passer or a punishing forechecker, so his worth day, so Grant will always deal with competition and likely see younger comes more in nuance. The little things that aren’t as obvious to see. top prospects at his position vault over him. However, he has been a When those things lead to something significant, that’s where Henrique diligent worker for Anaheim in two stints and left a good impression with shines. But he’s being paid to be more than a “guy.” He can’t be the front office. He’ll scratch together 30 games for the Ducks, play insignificant. another 35 for San Diego and help each club with his presence.

What is possible? The only Duck to appear in all 82 games a year ago, Ryan Kesler Henrique plays a style that isn’t punishing and should allow him to age gracefully. He’ll be strong again in the faceoff circle. And since we’re Age: 35 talking about what is possible, we’ll hazard a guess and say that 25 to 27 NHL season: 16th goals could happen for someone with a career 15 percent shooting rate … and a few more fortunate bounces thrown in. What can he do? Steadily work on his rebuilt right hip and hope his body responds in a manner that allows him to suit up again. It will take time. What is realistic? Henrique has enough touch to where he shouldn’t have Lots of it. a major drop-off offensively. Even if he doesn’t reach the heights of 30 goals or 50 points, it isn’t too much to ask that he can duplicate the 18 What can’t he do? Push himself so that it will cause irreparable damage goals and 42 points compiled in 2018-19. that will hinder him during the years after his skates have been put away. Kesler is in tune with his body. He’ll do all he can to get back on the ice Carter Rowney and compete. He must also listen when it is telling him to stop.

Age: 30 What is possible? Last summer, there was some question about whether NHL season: Fourth he would be able to play in 2018-19. Instead, he dressed in 60 games and reached the cherished 1,000-game mark. As someone who revels in What can he do? Anchor the fourth line and play a big role on the penalty proving people wrong about him, who’s to say that Kesler won’t will his kill. Rowney’s 178 hits — second on the team to Josh Manson (184) — way into Anaheim’s lineup by season’s end? If that happens, put him shows he can play a tough game, while his 20 penalty minutes show he down as an instant Masterton Trophy candidate. can do it while playing cleanly and not hurting his team with repeated trips to the box. He doesn’t block a ton of shots, but he should provide What is realistic? How much of a toll did those 60 games take on him stability for a penalty kill that fell to under 80 percent for the first time long-term? His season was done after getting to game 1,001. It would not since 2009-10. be a surprise if he doesn’t dress in 2019-20.

What can’t he do? Be a leading offensive performer for the Ducks. The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 Rowney is not going to give you a ton of points. His numbers during his first season in Anaheim surpassed what he did as a part-timer over two years in Pittsburgh. Those totals for goals (seven), assists (13) and points (20) were still modest. If he is playing up higher in the lineup, that’s not a good sign for the state of the center position.

What is possible? Was his 2018-19 a one-time occurrence for someone who offers meager production? Or can he push his way into double digits for goals? Last season, Rowney missed 20 games. If he can play 75 or even 80 and up his shot total, 10 goals are reachable. Eakins would take that in a heartbeat.

What is realistic? If Rowney came back with the same numbers and played a large part in a penalty kill that vaulted back toward the top 10 in the NHL, that would be enough to please the coaching staff. His line must be the one that puts pressure on opponents, creates chances and injects shots of momentum.

Derek Grant

Age: 29

NHL season: Sixth

What can he do? Serve as a fill-in when injuries arise and be a veteran offensive presence with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls – as long as he clears waivers and stays in the organization. Grant isn’t a great skater by any means, but he does a good job of using his 6-foot-3 frame to protect the puck and maintain possession. His Corsi-for rating has improved over the years to a shade over 48 percent even though his zone starts are decidedly more in the defensive end.

(The Ducks have used him in more offensive-zone starts than any of his other five NHL clubs). 1107649 Arizona Coyotes The Coyotes have spoken to both defenseman Andrew MacDonald and forward Stefan Noesen about attending Coyotes camp on professional try-outs (PTOs), according to league sources.

Arizona Coyotes' radio move to Fox Sports 910, iHeartMedia more than a MacDonald, 32, was bought out by the Philadelphia Flyers and tallied dial change nine points in 47 games last season. Noesen, 27, is a former first-round pick who totaled eight points (three goals, five assists) in 41 games with the New Jersey Devils last season. Richard Morin, Arizona Republic Published 10:10 a.m. MT Aug. 13, 2019 | Updated 4:06 p.m. MT Aug. 13, 2019 Arizona Republic LOADED: 08.14.2019

The Coyotes' impending move to Fox Sports 910 is about more than a different radio frequency.

Instead of having their games constantly moved from station to station under their previous radio partnership with Arizona Sports, the Coyotes can now expect to be guaranteed a spot on the dial as well as have on- demand content available digitally.

Since Fox Sports 910 is owned by iHeartMedia, creators of the iHeartRadio app, Coyotes games and other content will be streamable digitally and out of market.

"The games will be on Fox Sports 910 but also heard on the iHeartRadio app," said Steve Geofferies, executive vice president of programming for iHeartMedia in Phoenix. "Fans can search for Fox Sports 910 via the app, and they'll also be able to listen to content 24 hours a day on the Arizona Coyotes audio channel."

The new deal begins with the 2019-20 season.

Although Fox Sports 910 is the new flagship station, the games will be simulcast on an FM frequency as well as AM and on the app, a league source confirmed.

The Coyotes are not the only NHL team with an iHeartMedia partnership. The Chicago Blackhawks, and New Jersey Devils all have games broadcast via radio to go along with the miscellaneous content on the iHeartRadio app.

"It's a pretty cool deal," Geofferies said. "I think it's the wave of the future for sports radio."

Since Arizona Sports generally did not give the Coyotes much air-time — the discussion on 98.7 FM is often overrun by the Cardinals, Suns and Diamondbacks — the Coyotes seem thrilled to now have an exclusive, consistent home for their content.

"This is an absolute game-changer for us," Coyotes President and CEO Ahron Cohen said. "It's a complete paradigm shift and an example of us looking at things differently. This isn't just a place to broadcast our games; it's a place to grow and connect with new and existing fans.

"Our fans should know that, with iHeart, they're getting a place where our games are played consistently and a place where they can tune in and there's a strong Coyotes presence."

Informal skates underway

Players have begun filtering in and taking part in informal skates at the IceDen Scottsdale, most notably Coyotes winger Clayton Keller and center Auston Matthews, both of whom arrived Monday.

The Coyotes contingent at Monday's skate consisted of Keller, Brad Richardson and Michael Grabner to go along with roster hopefuls Nick Merkley, Barrett Hayton and Kyle Capobianco. Coyotes prospects Nate Schnarr, Brayden Burke, Kevin Bahl and Jan Jenik also skated. Former Coyotes winger Josh Archibald was also present.

Former Coyotes captain Shane Doan was joined by his oldest son, Josh, who committed to Arizona State in June. Both were full participants on the ice.

Matthews, who was raised in Scottsdale and drafted No. 1 overall in 2016, routinely stays in Arizona over the summer and has been skating with Keller and others at various rinks across the Valley since offseason training began.

More and more Coyotes players and prospects should arrive in the coming weeks leading up to the start of training camp, which is expected to be held at Gila River Arena beginning in early September.

PTO discussions ongoing 1107650 Boston Bruins DeBrusk in his own words: “I’m just trying to see the positives out of this year in general, but it doesn’t really matter if you don’t win the last game of the year. We all believed that we were going to win it. We were right Bruins Summer Series: Jake DeBrusk looking to improve after a quiet there.” postseason The biggest question he faces: How much better can DeBrusk get as a top-6 winger after scoring 27 goals during the regular season, but only scoring one more point overall in his second NHL season. There’s no By Joe Haggerty August 13, 2019 3:39 PM question that the goal-scoring area was a big success for him in Year No. 2, but DeBrusk could stand to build the other areas of his game.

Obviously, DeBrusk also needs to step up his playoff game after scoring Today’s piece on Jake DeBrusk is the seventh in a 10-part series over just four goals in four rounds of the postseason this spring as well. Can the next two weeks breaking down the core Bruins group of players, and DeBrusk regain his reputation as a playoff performer next season and where they stand headed into next season after last spring’s beyond? That’s up to him to decide. playoff run. Comcast .com LOADED: 08.14.2019 The belief was that Jake DeBrusk was going to be a difference-maker for the Bruins in these playoffs.

After scoring six goals a year ago in his first postseason experience just two rounds into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the thought was that the 22- year-old DeBrusk would be a big offense driver after scoring 27 goals in 68 games during the regular season.

Unfortunately for both DeBrusk and the Bruins, that isn’t the way it all shook out for the second-year left winger. Instead he got embroiled into a nasty little exchange with Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri that left him dinged up, and then fighting to find his game for most of the rest of Boston’s long playoff run.

Bruins Summer Series: Krejci not going anywhere

There were some good games in there to be sure, and he still wound up with four goals and 11 points while ending up a plus-4 through four rounds of the postseason.

Still, newly acquired forwards like Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle outplayed DeBrusk during the postseason and left the Bruins brass hoping that the experience will make him a more effective playoff player moving forward.

“I thought we might see more from Jake, but then again it’s a learning experience. A couple of years ago he had a really strong playoff, especially against Toronto,” said Bruins President Cam Neely in an exclusive 1-on-1 with NBC Sports Boston. “But you’ve got to go through these experiences and hopefully learn from them and grow. That’s what I expect from Jake. I know these guys are all proud players and they understand the importance of playing well in the playoffs and not just in the regular season.

“That’s what I say to these guys. 'You really want to be known as a playoff player.' That’s what we all play for — to win the Cup. I expect Jake to learn from this and improve, not only during the regular season but you’ll see some growth in the playoffs because of this.”

Certainly, there is a streakiness to DeBrusk’s game that hasn’t really sraightened out over two seasons, and four rounds of postseason pressure is considerable for even the most talented of young players. There’s also an element of DeBrusk fully developing into what he’s going to be when things get nasty in the playoffs. Is he going to be a tough- minded, physical power forward type who can bring size and strength to the table as he matures? Or is he going to be another in a long line of skill players that rely on speed, hands and scoring ability to do all their damage?

20 Under 25: Time for McAvoy to live up to expectations

At 6-feet tall there’s a chance for DeBrusk to continue adding strength and muscle to his frame as he gets a little older and perhaps bring a little more physical oomph when his skating legs aren’t moving at their top speed. But there’s also the simple fact that DeBrusk is doing plenty right already with 43 goals scored in his first two NHL seasons.

The Bruins just have to hope the experience of getting to a Stanley Cup Final is going to make DeBrusk a more complete player in every facet. And the 22-year-old keeps developing the playmaking, two-way ability and consistency factors within his game that still need some improvement after two very solid seasons to begin his NHL career.

Key stat: 4 – The number of goals for DeBrusk in 24 playoff games for the Bruins this spring. DeBrusk had six goals in eight playoff games the prior spring. 1107651 Boston Bruins defender. I think he’s got enough vision to make plays in the NHL. He finds his options, whether a defender at the line or option near the slot to move the puck to. I don’t see a power play guy, but I could see him 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 29 Boston Bruins become a decent top-nine center with penalty kill duties.

4. Kyle Keyser, G, Oshawa-OHL

By Corey Pronman Aug 13, 2019 March 8, 1999 | 6-foot-2 | 179 pounds

Tier: Legit NHL prospect

Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL After going undrafted and being signed as a major junior free agent, organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into Keyser has steadily developed into a great goalie prospect and was one tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and of the best in the OHL. His quickness in goal is elite, he’s not small at 6- an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of foot-2 and that allows him to steal games. Keyser is lightning fast in the Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete net, getting to tough pucks easily, but I love his athletic ability combined ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. with his hockey sense. His anticipation and legs always allow him to move with the puck at all times. He’s very brave and aggressive in the As a contender, the Bruins have traded a few picks in recent years, net with his challenges. One nitpick is that he seems to be moving too picked high and two-thirds of their 2015 first-round picks have not looked much at times, but I think that’s just due to how quick he is. I think he’s incredibly promising, resulting in a bottom tier farm system. Some of their an NHL goaltender. recent top picks, like John Beecher, Trent Frederic and Urho Vaakanainen, will never likely be highlight reel types, but they project to 5. Trent Frederic, C, Providence-AHL supplement the current Bruins stars. Feb. 11, 1998 | 6-foot-2 | 203 pounds

Key additions: John Beecher Tier: Legit NHL prospect

Key subtractions/graduations: Connor Clifton, Ryan Donato, Jakob Frederic had a fine rookie pro season, getting a lengthy callup to the Forsbacka-Karlsson Bruins but not producing a ton of offense at the AHL level. I do think he 2018 farm system ranking: No. 27 has some skill and has particularly impressive vision. Frederic won’t be a big offensive guy in the NHL, but he has enough offensive IQ in his game 2019 draft grade: C-minus to create some chances and be a useful player. His skating continues to improve year over year to the point where it’s a strength. He plays hard, Prospect Ranking can check good players and chip in a few points. That will be a useful 1. Jack Studnicka, C, Niagara-OHL role guy in the NHL.

Feb. 18, 1999 | 6-foot-1 | 172 pounds 6. Karson Kuhlman, RW, Boston-NHL

Tier: Very good/legit bubble Sept. 26, 1995 | 5-foot-11 | 185 pounds

Studnicka had a good season between Oshawa and Niagara, and took Tier: Legit NHL prospect off offensively following the trade. He’s always flashed offensive skill but I remember being intrigued watching Kuhlman in college. Once he this season he was dynamic with the puck more consistently, as a threat signed, he translated incredibly well to the pro level, showing much more off rushes to beat defenders with skill. His hockey sense is very good. offense than I expected and deservedly earning a callup to the NHL – He’s creative with the puck and sees the ice very well, makinng high- including in the playoffs. He’s a very good skater who plays the game at level plays in tight areas. Studnicka isn’t an overly physical player, but a fast pace. He attacks the net and puts pressure on defenders. He has he’s a competent defensive center. His skating is fine for the pro level. more skill than I gave him credit for. He’s not a dangler, but he can make He won’t turn pro defenders, but he can skate at that level. He’s a well- plays on the move and moves the puck well. Kuhlman is likely more of a rounded player who may not be an impact NHL forward but could be a speed and penalty kill type in the NHL, but I think he’s going to play in the very quality pro. NHL, which is a nice coup for a college free agent. 2. Urho Vaakanainen, D, Providence-AHL 7. Jakub Lauko, LW, Rouyn-Noranda-QMJHL Jan. 1, 1999 | 6-foot-1 | 185 pounds March 28, 2000 | six-foot | 170 pounds Tier: Legit NHL prospect Tier: Legit NHL prospect Vaakanainen’s season started off tough with a concussion. He returned Lauko had a good season in the Q. He wasn’t a go-to guy on a rather for the world juniors, where he was a key player for Finland’s gold medal loaded Rouyn-Noranda team that won the QMJHL and CHL. With that run and was solid in the AHL after that tournament. There is a lack of said, he still had moments of brilliance with his high-end skating that spectacular in the way Vaakanainen plays. He is very smart, though, and could turn defenders consistently. He attacks with his skating, and a very good skater. He generates breakouts and ends forecheck combined with his hands and above-average shot, he was able to create pressure easily with how fluid his feet are and how quickly he picks up a lot of chances and goals. Lauko made more plays than I saw two speed. He passes the puck at a high-end level. He may never have the seasons ago, showing more offensive IQ than I thought he had. He hand skill to be a NHL power play guy or point producer, but he can find competes hard, some scouts argue too hard, as he attacks at times with offensive zone seams and break pucks out well. reckless abandon. 3. John Beecher, C, USNTDP-USHL 8. Jakub Zboril, D, Providence-AHL April 5, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 209 pounds Feb. 21, 1997 | six-foot | 201 pounds Tier: Legit NHL prospect Tier: Legit/chance bubble Beecher entered the USNTDP as a physical beast and was ready to win Zboril, the 13th overall pick in 2015, was solid in the AHL the past two battles versus USHL players as a 16-year-old. His production this season seasons but hasn’t really taken a major step forward. His skating drives was similar to the previous one, albeit with little to no power play time this his value, and if he gets to the NHL, it’s because of that attribute. He so time around. There are very few 6-foot-3 centers who can skate like easily exists his zone and gains the offensive zone with the puck Beecher. He regularly turned defenders around with his surprising speed. because of the fluidity of his stride. He can kill opponent’s attacks with And with his reach and ability to protect pucks, he generated so many how quickly he closes on them, plus the fact he plays the body well. chances with his skating. Beecher is big, strong and plays hard. He Offensively he has some skill, but his puck game isn’t anything notable. competes hard for pucks, is physical and makes his presence known on He’ll make some nice plays and then there will be times he throws pucks the ice. Offensively he has some question marks in the industry about away or worse if he goes beyond his limits. whether he’ll score in the NHL. I don’t mind his puck game. His hands are very average, but I’ve seen him pull off the odd move around a 9. Pavel Shen, C, Ufa-KHL Aug. 14, 1999 | 6-foot-1 | 183 pounds and his off-puck value isn’t much, but given his play in Boston, he’s still a prospect even as he enters his Age 23 season. Tier: Legit/chance bubble 15. Curtis Hall, C, Yale-ECAC Shen didn’t have a big statistical season for his club team, bouncing between the KHL and second tier pro league in Russia, but I liked him a April 26, 2000 | 6-foot-3 | 196 pounds lot for Russia’s U20 team. Shen’s hockey sense interests me a lot, and he seemed to add half a step from his draft season when he was a Tier: Has a chance seventh-round pick. He’s not a burner, but he can skate with pros and Hall had a decent freshman season at Yale. He got more opportunity turn corners occasionally. His skill is fine, it’s nothing special, but he can early on and should be a key guy for the team next season. He’s a play on a pro power play. He sees the ice very well and that’s his main fantastic skater for 6-foot-3. He’s so imposing when he’s bringing a puck offensive strength. He can be a two-way forward who can produce a little through the neutral zone with his frame, speed and physicality. The versus pros. question on Hall is how much offense he’ll bring. Sometimes I think he 10. Oskar Steen, C, Farjestad-SHL has offensive creativity, other times I see a rigid puck handler. He may be a chip and chase type who gets most of his points from going to the net. March 9, 1998 | 5-foot-9 | 187 pounds 16. Axel Andersson, D, Sodertalje-Allsvenskan Tier: Legit/chance bubble Feb. 10, 2000 | six-foot | 185 pounds Steen had a great season in , as one of his SHL team’s leading producers and an all-situations player. He’s always had an interesting Tier: Has a chance toolkit but this season he truly broke out. He’s fast and skilled. I don’t Andersson got a regular shift in the Allsvenskan with occasional very think either of those traits are high-end, and his height might still keep good moments versus men. Despite his low point totals, he showed more him out of the NHL. He’s a very smart and competitive player, though. He in his game offensively than I saw last season, with the odd occasion of can make high-end plays and do so at a pro pace. He attacks the middle high-end speed or skill. I wouldn’t describe Andersson as a dynamic of the ice, can play hard on his checks and has a sneaky good shot. player, though; more of a well-rounded one. He can skate pucks up, he 11. Jeremy Swayman, G, Maine-Hockey East can make some nice offensive plays with his hands and vision, and he’s competent defensively. There’s an upside question for me with him but Nov. 24, 1998 | 6-foot-2 | 187 pounds enough of a toolkit for him to have a shot.

Tier: Legit/chance bubble 17. Matias Mantykivi, C, Saipa-Finland Jr

Swayman has been a very solid college hockey goalie the past two June 21, 2001 | 5-foot-11 | 161 pounds seasons. At his best, he is a goalie who doesn’t move a lot, looks calm in the net and squares up a ton of pucks. He can move across his crease Tier: Has a chance and get to tough saves when he needs to, but his game is more about Mantykivi had a good season at the junior level, with impressive flashes reading the play and outsmarting the opponent with his positional play. versus men, and on the international stage. He’s a high-end playmaker Given Swayman isn’t the biggest or quickest goalie, I wonder if he could who can drive play. His patience, vision and ability to run a power play be an NHL goalie where pucks are flying all over the zone, but his high- get high grades. He’s very creative with the puck and is always looking to end IQ will give him a chance. make a play. His hands are good. Not as good as his IQ, but he can 12. Zach Senyshyn, RW, Providence-AHL make plays through defenders and slide out of danger. Mantykivi might not be the biggest guy, but he plays hard. He takes pucks to the net and March 30, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 192 pounds isn’t afraid to engage physically. His skating is the one thing that might limit him. It’s not bad and I’ve seen him turn around defenders several Tier: Has a chance times with his speed, but his stride flails at times and it’s not the most Senyshyn looks like he should be a player, but to date he’s been just fine powerful for a guy his size. at the pro level with inconsistent production. His skating is awesome. He Depth Players has quick-twitch feet and the ability to turn pro defensemen regularly. He’s got some sneaky skill and the ability to score goals. Senyshyn isn’t Jeremy Lauzon, D, Providence-AHL (Age: 22): Lauzon is a hard-nosed a crash and bang type, but he competes fine. The issue with him is he player with size and he can skate at a pro level, but he has limited doesn’t see the ice well and coughs up a lot of pucks. His average offensive upside. hockey sense leads to a player who can seem too basic at times with the puck. Victor Berglund, D, MODO-Allsvenskan (20): Berglund played all situations for MODO. He has some skill and decent feet but neither are 13. Cameron Hughes, C, Providence-AHL top level, and in a six-foot frame he’ll need to gain an extra step for the NHL. Oct. 9, 1996 | 5-foot-11 | 161 pounds Note: I have not seen Boston’s third-round pick in 2019, Quinn Olson Tier: Has a chance (18), enough to provide a tier and breakdown of his game.

There are times I watch Hughes and think there is absolutely a player 2019-20 Impact there. His skill is high-end and his IQ is arguably even better. He makes such creative passes and out thinks defenders consistently at the pro Kuhlman helped the Bruins already and seems like a great candidate to level. Then you look at the box score and see a 22-year-old with lock down a forward position. Studnicka, Vaakanainen, Cehlarik and mediocre AHL numbers. That is due to the fact he’s slightly undersized, Frederic could all get NHL time in a lower half of the lineup role. has average feet and isn’t high-end at bullying his way through pro checks. I’m willing to tab him as a flier type who as a second year pro Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under) something clicks and he goes off. David Pastrnak, RW (23)

14. Peter Cehlarik, LW, Providence-AHL Charlie McAvoy, D (21)

Aug. 2, 1995 | 6-foot-2 | 203 pounds Jake DeBrusk, LW (22)

Tier: Has a chance Brandon Carlo, D (22)

Cehlarik had another quality season in Providence. He got a lengthy look Jack Studnicka, C (20) with the Bruins as well and looked decent. Cehlarik has NHL appeal because he has good size and above-average offensive ability. He has Urho Vaakanainen, D (20) good hands and can make plays to his teammates. His skating has John Beecher, C (18) always been a hindrance, but he’s improved in that area enough to still be on the NHL radar. I don’t think his offensive abilities will ever dazzle, Kyle Keyser, G (20) Anders Bjork, LW (23)

Trent Frederic, C (21)

Pastrnak is one of the best wingers in the NHL with an elite combination of skill and offensive IQ. McAvoy may never wrestle first power play time away from Torey Krug, but McAvoy still logs heavy minutes and, with his high-end skating and two-way IQ to go along with good skill, he’s a true top pair defenseman. DeBrusk continues to develop and impress. He’s highly intelligent and scored more goals than I thought he would this early – even if helped by a 17 percent finishing rate. There’s nothing spectacular about Carlo, but the big defenseman skates well for a guy his size and has enough of a puck game to make the most of his significant defensive value. Bjork’s season was ended by injury, and prior to that he was just OK. I love his speed but I’m not sure if the offense will ever come in a major way.

Player Eligibility:

A skater no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 25 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 50 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

A goalie no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 10 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 25 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

Tier Definitions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107652 Calgary Flames retain? What is his opportunity cost on the roster given these costs? etc. This helps determine the downside risk of the bet, which is vital, particularly when the upside is unclear.

The Brett Kulak miscalculation: Flames’ value bet turns out to be bust The point of this perspective is to find bets with asymmetric risk profiles, particularly on the edges of the roster. Meaning — guys with some (as of yet unknown) level of upside, with almost no downside associated. With By Kent Wilson Aug 13, 2019 players like this, you don’t have to guess if they are going to be top rotation guys, or even if they are going to be everyday NHLers. All that

you have to know is that the risk of retaining them is so limited as to be In the summer of 2018, the Calgary Flames had a handful of players close to zero. elect for arbitration. One of them was 23-year-old Brett Kulak, even Instead of high upside players, we’ll call them no downside. though it didn’t seem like the young defender would have much of a case after a rookie season that saw him collect just eight points in 71 games The Kulak gamble on the team’s third pairing. Kulak was a perfect example of a somewhat unknown commodity with an Brad Treliving and the Flames brain trust reacted rather harshly to asymmetric risk profile. His results had steadily improved since he’d been Kulak’s arbitration request. He was placed on waivers twice prior to the drafted. His underlying numbers during his rookie season were strong, hearing, potentially to demonstrate his lack of value league-wide, and albeit over a small sample of games and in a limited role. And, most then traded to Montreal in exchange for two sub-replacement players in importantly, he was going to be very cheap (near league minimum) to and . With Noah Hanifin arriving via trade as retain. well as Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington bubbling underneath, Kulak seemed expendable anyways. There was no reason to assume Kulak would suddenly become a top- four defender even with his “good arrows,” but due to the information we Kulak began life in the Canadiens organization in the AHL, where he had at the time and with the very low cost of keeping him around, this collected 11 points in 19 games. He was recalled at the end of November didn’t really matter. Given his age, development arc, experience level, after an injury to opened up space in the lineup and stuck and fundamental shot and chance numbers, it was at least a safe for the rest of the season. assumption to assume Kulak’s floor was replacement level defender, even if his ceiling was unknown. In fact, Kulak rapidly became a fixture with Montreal. The team waived and demoted veteran to keep Kulak on the active roster. His When you match that profile with a contract that is short (one year) and underlying numbers exploded in his second full season in the league, at near-league minimum ($850,000), you have a no downside bet on your the bargain basement price of just $850,000. By the end of the year, he hands. The $850,000 deal can be easily buried in the minors with no was part of the Canadiens’ top four rotation. The team happily re-signed impact to the cap. The team can move on from the player in a year if Kulak to a three-year, $1.85 million per year contract this summer, a deal needed. Kulak’s results suggested he was, at worst, a bottom rotation that is poised to be a huge bargain for them moving forward. NHLer.

On the Flames side of the ledger, Matt Taormina scored seven points in Which means, the worst case scenario was the Flames had a 31 games for Stockton, while Valiev is likely ninth or tenth on the replacement level 24-year-old defenceman who could sub-in on the third organizational depth chart, and a good bet to never play an NHL game. pairing, stick around as a seventh defender, or be demoted to the AHL without any cap implications. They didn’t know what the best case Assessing the value prop scenario was in this situation because Kulak isn’t a blue chipper. Not Treliving’s miss on Kulak is a clear error in light of the player’s big step knowing his upside made him seem ultimately expendable, but, in fact, forward in his sophomore season, but it’s not one that should be they had something almost as powerful — they knew the downside on highlighted because he failed to anticipate Kulak’s unlikely evolution. It’s him was so minimal as to be non-existent. because he misinterpreted the bet on the player. Some (unknown level) of upside + virtually no downside = a worthwhile Axiomatically, an NHL GM’s job can be boiled down to one thing: find gamble. good players, keep good players. It’s a deceptively simple mission While this sort of bet by no means guarantees high returns on every statement since both finding and keeping good players can be endlessly player, it opens you up to random moderate-to-big payoffs over time. The complicated by the draft, the cap, player development arcs, age effects, perfect example of this principle in practice is the team’s captain, Mark dressing room chemistry, etc. Not to mention the fact that there are Giordano. An undrafted, PTO walk-on, Giordano crushed the AHL as a different interpretations of just what makes a player good. 23-year-old and then put up quality underlying results as a rookie in the No one has perfect knowledge and predicting the future is difficult, so the NHL. goal of a GM can be more accurately re-stated as: “find and keep players That Darryl Sutter allowed Giordano to walk as a restricted free agent to that are good bets,” because that’s essentially what an NHL organization Russia shows this kind of error is common in the league. The discord is doing whenever they spend assets or money on a player — gambling wasn’t even over money or cap space, but rather whether the player that he will provide value at or above the investment level in question. would get a one-way or two-way contract. That same off-season Sutter The existence of the cap makes this an especially salient issue. signed veteran Anders Eriksson (who was terrible) for two years, and Assembling an NHL team is an efficiency contest, meaning you need as over $3 million per year. Three years later, Giordano led the Flames blue many high value players as possible to tip the scales in your favour. line in scoring and Eriksson was basically out of the league. This point is intuitive when it comes to “pillar” or core players. To extend Giordano had none of the markers of a typical high-upside player, so his the investment analogy, we’ll call these blue chip investments — the position in the organization and during negotiations was not prioritized at value of the asset is obvious, they are in high demand, and all that is the time. What he did have, however, was an asymmetric risk profile (in needed is to find ways to leverage the player as much as possible. large part because he wasn’t clearly a blue chip prospect). The challenge often comes at the fringes of the roster, when the quantity This isn’t to say Kulak is going to become a Giordano-level player. Only and quality of information on a guy at the NHL level is limited. In many that you open yourself up to the potential for big payoffs when the upside cases, we can’t really know the upside of “depth player X” because the is real (but unclear) and the downside is next to nothing. signal to noise ratio is low. This is especially true in guys who are not tabbed as “top prospects” in an organization and aren’t adorned with the Conventional vs. risk profile thinking traditional labels that mark them as good bets. The Eriksson/Giordano contrast exposes how conventional thinking by In these cases, all we have left are good or bad “arrows;” indicators that GMs can sometimes lead to these kinds of errors. The NHL has a player is trending in the right (or wrong) direction. These can include operational norms and culture surrounding the evaluation and the rate and level of development outside of the league, as well as strong management of players that, ironically, are meant to help manage risk in underlying numbers (in limited roles) in the NHL. a number of ways. These heuristics, or rules of thumb, tend to be useful in a general sense, but may lead to big errors when they are deployed The other half of the equation is what ultimately determines the nature of automatically or mistaken for principles. the bet, however. That being, what does the player cost to acquire or For example, there is a long established bias in the league towards Valiev and Taormina are players you can pluck any time on the open veteran players. Generally speaking, this is a rational bias. Players that market) and then traded an asset at the deadline for 15 games of Oscar have proven themselves useful at the NHL level are a known commodity Fantenberg, who fled as a free agent this summer. and more likely to continue to stay useful NHLers (depending on a some known factors, like age). Guys with particularly impressive resumes get Kulak case study bonus points in evaluation terms (Stanley cups, individual awards, big Let’s establish that Kulak had enough positive leading indicators to counting stats, etc.). NHL culture also buttresses this bias by insisting suggest some level of upside. Here are his isolated impacts on goal players need to earn their contracts/privileges with some level of success differential, shot differential, shot quality for, shot quality against, and or respect before making any demands of the team (large dollar deals, shot differential against from his rookie season in 2017-18: no trade clauses, trade demands, role and ice time, etc.). Kulak_RAPM_201718 Another bias is heavily weighting the pedigree or the tools of a young player when there is little information about him at the NHL level. Again, Uniformly positive across the board. Again, this by no means marked this is a reasonable rule of thumb — in general, guys who get picked Kulak as a sure thing moving forward, but it illustrates that he was at higher in the draft tend to make the NHL more often. And guys who are least an intriguing option. For context, here is Andrew Mangiapane’s apparently above average at some fundamental aspect of the game RAPM chart from his rookie season last year: (speed, shooting, size, toughness, scoring) provide at least qualitative Mangiapane_RAPM_201819 cues that they may become quality NHL players in the future. Mangiapane has developed into a kind of no downside bet as well, Here’s how conventional thinking likely deprioritized Kulak last year: although his potential upside is clearer due to his counting stats and Lackluster draft pedigree (picked in the fourth round, played first pro dominant seasons in the AHL. You can be sure the Flames won’t be season in the ECHL). dumping him for a pair of AHLers this summer, even though the left wing up front is cluttered with high quality veterans (Johnny Gaudreau, Unimpressive counting stats (eight points in 71 game rookie season). Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Milan Lucic), and an excellent prospect Not overly big or physical. (Dillon Dube).

Making demands (arbitration) before earning anything. For the record, here’s how Kulak’s isolated impacts and micro-stats looked this year for Montreal: Not a veteran or known commodity. Kulak_RAPM_201819 Lost in the shuffle behind vets (Hanifin and Giordano) and prospects with an assumed higher ceiling (Valimaki, Kylington). The only Calgary defender with a better statistical profile than this in 2018-19 was Giordano. Sometimes no downside bets can have huge Uncertain upside. payoffs.

In contrast, here’s risk profile thinking: Conclusion

Good development arc (24 to 44 to 60 point player in junior, and then If we bring this back to the investment analogy again, Brett Kulak was a ECHL to top four to top two defenceman in the AHL). penny stock in an intriguing startup company with good fundamentals that the Flames gave away for two nickels. Losing Kulak for virtually Very good relative and isolated impacts on shots and chances as a nothing stings even more now that the team has lost Juuso Valimaki rookie. indefinitely to a torn ACL. To rub salt in the wound, Valimaki’s injury will Good chance to improve given age and experience level. probably mean TJ Brodie cannot be traded this summer, cutting off a potential avenue for the team to get under the cap in order to sign Very low contract demands, even in arbitration. Matthew Tkachuk. Treliving couldn’t have predicted that outcome at the time, of course, but it’s an example of why you keep a no-downside bet Further ahead in development than other, potentially higher upside around, if and when possible. prospects at the same position. For the sake of this thought experiment, if we conceptualize his contract Can easily demote or walk away from the player if he stagnates. numbers as his stock price, the Flames got out right before Kulak’s In the conventional perspective, Kulak isn’t very interesting. He didn’t shares more than doubled. For their part, the Canadiens are poised to score much as a rookie, he’s not all that toolsy, he was picked late in the get much more value from the player than the $1.85 million they will draft, and the team is already rich in left handed defenders. He looks like paying him moving forward (he’s a $4+ million player if this level of play clutter in the org chart. As such, he loses priority to guys who can bring continues). If so, there’s a good chance his valuation will double again either clear upside (the other prospects) or something that is during his next round of negotiations. conventionally valued (big body veteran). Of course, one good season doesn’t guarantee that Kulak is a proven In the risk profile perspective, we focus on the positive indicators (the top-four NHL defender. Maybe he takes a step back next year and is “good arrows”) and the lack of negative consequences to identify Kulak merely a just-okay third pairing guy for the rest of his deal. as a no downside bet. The conventional mindset mostly focuses on In fact, many no downside bets prove to be little more than fringe or upside or a player’s expected ceiling/impact (how good will this guy be?). replacement level players. The point is to collect as many of those bets The risk profile mindset understands that sometimes we don’t really know as possible so you’re positioned to benefit when a few of them do pay off a guy’s ceiling, only that it’s more than none and that the cost to keep (because the downside doesn’t really matter). In terms of structuring the him around is low. roster, then, NHL GM’s should aim to fill the bottom of the rotation with as Just as we can’t necessarily predict every player’s upside in the NHL, a many high upside and no downside players that they can find. corollary is that we can’t necessarily predict the role he will fill either Unfortunately, due to the veteran bias in conventional thinking, you see a (Mark Giordano IBID). The good news with no downside bets is you don’t lot of rosters cluttered either with no upside veterans (Dalton Prout), or have to. If Kulak doesn’t work out at $850,000 for one year, it doesn’t severe downside veterans with bad contracts (James Neal, Troy materially impact the team at all. Take a hypothetical situation where they Brouwer, Michael Stone). To bring this back to Kulak last season, the keep the player and Kulak is passed by one or both of Valimaki and preferred route would have been to eschew the Prout (no upside) Kylington on the depth chart. He spends most of the season in the signing**, get rid of the Stone (severe downside) contract, and keep minors and is cut loose next summer. That’s the entirety of the downside Kulak on a cheap, one-year deal. scenario. **You see young, no downside players get deprioritized in favor of no The Flames, however, are a team that gave 15 games to Oscar upside veterans all the time, usually because the veteran brings some Fantenberg, 20 games to Dalton Prout, 38 games to Oliver Kylington, 24 element that the team seems to need, such as leadership or toughness, games to Valimaki, and 14 games to Michael Stone on the third pairing even though this element proves to be worthless in the grand scheme of last year. Valimaki struggled through consistency and injury to start the things. year, Kylington was tried and then demoted after failing to win the trust of his coach, and the rest of the guys are veteran roster filler. The team The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 traded away a no downside bet in Kulak for nothing (practically speaking, 1107653 Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes hire Rod Brind’Amour’s former teammate as its goaltending coach

BY STAFF REPORTS AUGUST 13, 2019 12:11 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes have a new coach, and he’s someone who’s played with head coach Rod Brind’Amour before.

Jason Muzzatti, who was a goalie for Michigan State when Brind’Amour was a center there in the late 1980s, was hired by the Canes as its goaltending coach, the organization announced Tuesday.

Muzzatti helped lead the Spartans to two Central Collegiate Hockey Association titles, three NCAA tournaments and the NCAA hockey championship, according to the Hurricanes. He has been a goaltending coach at Michigan State for the past four seasons.

Muzzatti, 49, was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 1988 NHL draft as the 21st overall pick, and played in 61 games in the league. He had a 18-15-6 career record with the Flames, Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks and the , according to the Canes.

He replaces Mike Bales, the Canes former goaltending coach who resigned from the organization in June.

News Observer LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107654 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks add Swedish defenseman Philip Holm on a 1-year deal

By JIMMY GREENFIELD CHICAGO TRIBUNE |AUG 13, 2019 | 3:49 PM

The Blackhawks agreed to a one-year deal Tuesday with Swedish defenseman Philip Holm, who has one game of NHL experience and spent last season in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

Holm, 27, played his entire career in Sweden before signing with the Canucks in 2017. He made his NHL debut on Feb. 23, 2018, against the Golden Knights before getting traded to the Knights three days later and joining their AHL affiliate, the .

The Hawks appear set with their top six defensemen, but the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Holm could challenge Slater Koekkoek, Carl Dahlstrom and others for a roster spot. Like Koekkoek and Dahlstrom, Holm is a left- handed shot.

Holm’s two-day deal provides for a $700,000 salary if he’s with the Hawks and $300,000 if he’s in the AHL.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107655 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks sign Philip Holm, adding another name to defensive competition

Holm, 27, played in Russia last season but in North America in 2017-18, making one NHL appearance.

By Ben Pope Aug 13, 2019, 2:35pm CDT

Stan Bowman seemed excited at Blackhawks Convention late last month for one reason — August, his singular month of endless golfing, was right around the corner.

It has likely been a par-laden past couple weeks for the Hawks general manager, but he apparently stepped off the links Tuesday to toss another player into the Hawks’ defensive pressure cooker.

Philip Holm, a 27-year-old Swedish journeyman defenseman, signed a one-year, two-way contract with a $700,000 cap hit.

He becomes the Hawks’ 46th contract (against the limit of 50) for the 2019-20 season, 15 of which are defenseman — and almost all 15 of those will enter training camp in September with a viable shot at an NHL job.

Holm has only previously played one season, 2017-18, in North America, but it was a solid one. He scored 12 goals and 38 points from the blue line in 62 AHL games — 21 of which came with the Wolves — and also made his NHL debut, appearing in one game for the Canucks.

He then spent last season as the top-scoring defenseman for the Russian club Nizhny Novgorod, tallying 26 points in 61 games.

A native of , Holm should fit in well socially among the Hawks’ heavily Swedish defensive corps — Erik Gustafsson, Carl Dahlstrom, top prospect Adam Boqvist and minor-leaguer Lucas Carlsson are all countrymen.

But if anything, Holm’s addition will only make things more complicated in the group’s collective fight for the six or seven opening-night roster spots.

Dahlstrom and Slater Koekkoek, even on one-way contracts, were already looking like odd men out prior to Tuesday, notwithstanding young Boqvist’s very legitimate NHL aspirations of his own. Holm certainly won’t enter the preseason with high odds of sticking with the Hawks, but his impressive track record in other leagues indicates some possibility.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107656 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks sign one-year contract with Philip Holm

By Kelly Twardziak August 13, 2019 2:23 PM

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Monday they have agreed to terms with Philip Holm on a one-year, two-way contract that runs through the 2019-20 season ($700,000 NHL/$300,000 AHL).

The 27-year-old Swedish defenseman made his NHL debut in 2017 with the Vancouver Canucks against the . Playing for the Canucks affiliate, the , Holm tallied 29 points (11G, 18A) in 42 regular-season games. Holm was traded to the Golden Knights in 2018. Holm achieved one goal and eight helpers in 21 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. He added two points (1G, 1A) in three Playoff games.

Before playing in North America, Holm spent the 2015-16 campaign with the Växjö Lakers of the where he scored 21 points (4G, 17A) in 52 regular-season games. He recorded a SHL best plus-24 rating that season. Spanning parts of six seasons (2010-12, 2014-17) with Växjö and Djurgårdens of the SHL, Holm recorded 41 points (10G, 31A) in 197 regular-season games and had one goal and three assists in 26 playoff games. In 90 regular-season Allsvenskan games with Djurgården (2012-14), he had 20 points (6G, 14A). In 2017, Holm helped Sweden to a gold medal at the World Championships of that year, tallying one goal and two assists in seven games.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107657 Colorado Avalanche junior free agents that have a chance to play in the NHL within a few years. That’s the stuff you can’t manufacture.”

Enter Erik Condra, Jacob MacDonald, Jayson Megna, Dan Renouf and Win? Or develop? The Avalanche’s AHL plan for the Colorado Eagles is T.J. Tynan. to do both Condra, 33, is the most well-known of the five considering he has played nearly 400 NHL games. That alone could prove useful if the Avalanche By Ryan S. Clark Aug 13, 2019 need to call up a forward who can serve in a fourth-line capacity. Perhaps the greatest value Condra and the Eagles’ new signings provide are being experienced offensive factors.

You and practically everyone else in the hockey world have likely noticed Tynan was tied for third in the AHL in scoring last season with 71 points. the Colorado Avalanche are arguably having one of the stronger Condra finished with 54 points while MacDonald and Megna each scored offseason campaigns of any NHL franchise this summer. 43. Renouf scored 24 points in 74 games. Altogether, they have combined to score 822 points in 1,390 AHL games. That’s what happens when an organization drafts a promising prospect class led by Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook. Or when trades to get The Eagles could add more reinforcements with defenseman Calle Andre Burakovsky and Nazem Kadri are pulled off with the idea of Rosen. He arrived in the trade between the Avalanche and the Toronto bolstering the team’s top-six forward group. And there are the free-agent Maple Leafs. Rosen, who was an AHL All-Star last season, scored 46 signings of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Joonas Donskoi plus the points in 54 games but is also expected to compete for a roster spot with return of Colin Wilson to strengthen bottom-six roles. the Avs while Ian Cole continues to recover from dual hip surgery.

Here’s what you might not realize: The Avalanche’s front office has also “I think it’s multifaceted in that there are a group of young players from a spent quite a bit of time trying to potentially improve the Colorado Eagles. development standpoint and you want to get them the opportunity to play and to earn their ice,” Billington said. “But you want to do a great job of Why should Avalanche fans care about what goes on in Loveland? It’s surrounding them with veteran guys with character who are real pros. only the AHL. Yeah, about that. Not every prospect is going to be fast- They serve as an extension of the coaching staff. Maybe they are guys tracked to the NHL like Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. who it did not work out in another organization. Maybe they feel and the Some of them — such as Mikko Rantanen — needed at least a full AHL staff felt they can contribute to the Avalanche. season to develop. Nor is every player on the NHL roster going to remain healthy throughout an entire campaign and that makes finding depth “When you are building it out, you look at different scenarios with the idea even more vital. of being competitive always being the focus.”

This is the dilemma some franchises face when it comes to the AHL. O’Connor would be an example of Billington’s premise. He was a college Should it be a roster full of young prospects tasked with learning how to free agent who signed with the Avalanche after his junior season at the grow and win together? Or is it about having a venue for those who can University of Denver. The 22-year-old went from a bottom-six role scoring fill in when there are injuries at the NHL level while also trying to win 16 goals in 108 games with the Pioneers to finishing his first AHL season games? with 19 goals in 64 games with the Eagles.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and his front office staff believe Serving in a different role was one reason why O’Connor’s numbers were the Eagles can do both. strong. Another was the decision Cronin made to deploy him with Andrew Agozzino and Kaut. It allowed him to receive first-line minutes alongside “I think first and foremost, you still sign really good players and create a proven AHL scorer in Agozzino and a first-round pick in Kaut. Playing depth scenarios with the understanding those players are going to go with skilled forwards, in turn, allowed O’Connor to utilize his strongest through training camp and present themselves with a chance to play for assets of skating and speed, which led to him scoring the most goals at the Avalanche,” said Avs assistant GM Craig Billington, who also serves any level of hockey in his life. as the Eagles’ GM. “That roster will play itself out in training camp. Knowing we have depth and we have a competitive team with youth and The benefit of that trio, however, went beyond one player. Fast skaters veterans is done with our organizational goals in mind. … These are all such as Agozzino, who left in free agency, and O’Connor meant Kaut great additions to what we are building and that’s to build the best learned how to play with more pace in his game. It made his first few development center in the game.” strides quicker, which helped in his adaption process to the North American game after spending his entire youth playing in the Czech Start with what Billington said about youth. The Eagles, depending upon Republic. what happens in training camp, are likely going to open the 2019-20 season with prospects Shane Bowers, A.J. Greer, Martin Kaut, Logan “When you pluck a guy like (O’Connor) out of free agency, he was a guy O’Connor and Conor Timmins, among others, on the roster. that was probably a surprise,” Cronin said. “I don’t know if anyone thought he was going to get that many points. He benefitted playing with They are all players who could potentially contribute at the NHL level at a guy like Agozzino. You put him with a good player on the ice and a some point this season. But there are also aspects of the game they still good person off the ice, O’C benefitted. … You can’t miss on veterans. If need to learn. Bowers and Timmins are going into their first full you miss on a veteran, it is a major mistake in your player development professional hockey seasons while Kaut along with O’Connor enter their model. That’s my view.” sophomore campaigns. O’Connor parlayed what he learned into a five-game cameo with the That leads to the next part about veterans. The Eagles had one returning Avalanche. But it wasn’t just him. experienced figure in place in defenseman Mark Alt but added more to serve two purposes. No. 1? It was to insulate those younger players with Sheldon Dries, a former college free agent, came over from the Dallas more established presences in the dressing room. No. 2? To get proven Stars organization and impressed enough to play 40 games with the AHL scorers on a roster that finished with the second-fewest goals in the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz, even though he was 28, used his one AHL league last season. season to become an All-Star and enters this year as the backup to Philipp Grubauer. Ryan Graves showed his reliability with the Eagles “I am a big believer that when you create a winning environment that could translate to the NHL. It’s why he played in 26 games in 2018-19 development accelerates,” Eagles second-year coach Greg Cronin said. and will challenge for a third-pairing spot in training camp. Then there “You are creating a wave of confidence and a wave of good feelings was Greer who also scored two points in 15 games with the Avs. when you win. Each organization decides a plan on how they are trying to win. No general manager is ever going to say we want to develop and “I’m passionate about it and I love development and I love being we want to lose. Everyone says the same thing but when you open it up competitive and winning,” Billington said. “There’s no secret on that. and look under the hood, it is about what they are doing to strengthen Having said that, it is a collective effort and it starts with Joe. (Avalanche that vision. assistant GM) Chris MacFarland works hand-in-hand on building from that belief. Yes, I have the (Eagles) GM title but we all work collectively to “That is visible with the players that they signed and the players they build that team and to develop them and surround them with good have drafted and the players they have signed as college free agents or people.” The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107658 Detroit Red Wings defenseman played in Germany last season but where Seider lands this term is unclear.

Starting the season in the NHL is a long shot, but the Wings could Red Wings' defense will take different shape as season progresses choose to put Seider in Grand Rapids or junior hockey (Owen Sound has Seider’s rights)

Ted Kulfan , Albert Johansson, Gustav Lindstrom, Jared McIssac, Alec Regula, Vili Saarijarvi, Antti Tuomisto are just some of the Wings’ draft picks and undrafted free agents from recent seasons who are definitely on the team's radar. This is the second of a three-part series examining the state of the Red Wings' organization at every position. Monday: Goaltenders. Today: Red Wings defensive depth defensemen. ►Madison Bowey: Showed potential after arriving at trade deadline. Detroit — Get ready for some change on the Red Wings’ roster. ►Dennis Cholowski: Regressed as season went on, likely needs more Specifically on defense, where the opening night lineup isn’t likely to look seasoning in Grand Rapids. the same at the trade deadline. ►Trevor Daley: In final year of contract, Daley future with Wings looks And, then, even slightly more different to begin the 2020-21 season. hazy.

No position group on the Wings is likely to undergo as much change as ►Danny DeKeyser: Top-pairing defensemen in this lineup. the defense, where contracts, age and maturation of some recent draft picks all will conspire to force a new look. ►Jonathan Ericsson: Longtime Red Wing in final year of contract; likely trade bait at deadline. The Wings are waiting to see what veteran Niklas Kronwall will do. ►Mike Green: Would be an intriguing piece for contender at trade Kronwall, 38, hasn’t yet told the Wings whether he will retire or play one deadline. more season. ►Filip Hronek: Progressed rapidly over course of last season. Kronwall played 79 games last season despite chronic pain in his left knee, and performed well enough where returning for another season ►Oliwer Kaski – Undrafted European free agent was impressive in became a viable consideration. Finland.

Both the front office and coaching staff have said they’d welcome ►Niklas Kronwall – Long time warrior debating whether to retire, play Kronwall back. On this particular roster, Kronwall’s leadership and status another year. carry influence on an evolving roster. ►Patrik Nemeth – Free agent from Colorado a dependable defensive Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green are all in the final year defenseman. of their contracts. ►Moritz Seider – June’s first-round pick has loads of potential, skill; None of the three veterans appear to have a future with the organization, where will he play this season? and all three — after dealing with injuries last season — are likely to be Detroit News LOADED: 08.14.2019 moved at the trade deadline if the Wings are out of playoff contention.

For the Wings to trade them, they'll have to remain healthy.

Danny DeKeyser and Patrik Nemeth are two veterans whose futures are expected to extend beyond this season.

DeKeyser, 29, has three years left on his contract at a $5 million salary cap hit. DeKeyser dealt with injuries last season, but when healthy also played some of his best hockey.

Nemeth, 27, signed a two-year contract worth $6 million the first day of free agency, providing a buffer in case Kronwall retires.

Both are stable, defensive defensemen who should get a lot of minutes this season.

Then, there’s youngsters such as Filip Hronek — expected to have a significant role this season — Madison Bowey, Dennis Cholowski and Oliwer Kaski, who’ll compete for NHL jobs.

Hronek, 21, is likely to be a huge factor this campaign after an impressive second half of last season. Hronek followed that up with even a better performance for the Czech Republic at the world championship tournament.

Cholowski, 21, and Kaski, 24 (on Sept. 4), are wild cards. Cholowski began last season with the Wings, but was sent to Grand Rapids near mid-season as his confidence and defensive play slipped.

Kaski is an undrafted Finnish free agent signed after the world championships. An offensive defenseman, Kaski will likely need work in Grand Rapids adjusting to the North American game.

Bowey was acquired at the trade deadline for defenseman Nick Jensen in February.

Bowey, 23, is waiver-exempt, meaning he can’t be sent down to Grand Rapids without being exposed to other teams. It’s difficult to imagine the Wings taking the risk of losing Bowey for nothing.

Then, there’s this summer’s first-round draft pick, Moritz Seider, whom the Wings surprised the NHL by selecting sixth overall. The 6-foot-4 1107659 Detroit Red Wings

Will Red Wings’ injury-plagued Trevor Daley draw trade interest?

By Ansar Khan

Trevor Daley

Position: Defense

Age: 36 (on Oct. 9)

Height/Weight: 5-11/195

2018-19 stats: 44 games, 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, minus-3 rating, 12 penalty minutes.

Career stats: 1,015 games, 89 goals, 213 assists, 302 points, plus-14 rating, 628 penalty minutes.

Contract: One year remaining at a cap hit of $3.16 million.

2018-19 in review: He was sidelined five times, missing a total of 38 games, with several injuries (head, broken foot, back). … Appeared in 1,000th game Dec. 23 in Toronto, becoming 330th NHL player to reach the milestone. … Posted a plus-10 rating in 23 homes games and a minus-13 rating in 21 road games. … Scored what proved to be the game-winning goal (shorthanded) Nov. 1 vs. New Jersey. … Appeared in fewest games of his career in a non-lockout season since his rookie year of 2003-04 with Dallas.

2019-20 outlook: The Red Wings signed Daley to a three-year, $9.5 million free-agent contract on July 1, 2017, hoping the veteran, mobile, puck-mover would help boost a declining defense. Now, they will look to move Daley for a draft pick prior to the trade deadline.

Until then, the 15-year veteran figures to play regularly, if healthy, on the third pairing, possibly with Jonathan Ericsson, his partner for much of last season when they were in the lineup together.

Quotable: “It (1,000 games) is a big number, but I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I hope to play many more. I enjoy doing this. I have an awesome job. For me it’s a big number but I hope there’s many more.” – Daley.

Key question: Will the Red Wings be able to move Daley for a draft pick?

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107660 Detroit Red Wings

Kid Rock paired with Nicklaus, Zetterberg added for Ally Challenge near Flint

By Brendan Savage Updated Aug 13, 11:29 AM; Posted Aug 13, 10:15 AM

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, MI -- Former Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will be the fourth participant in The Ally Challenge Celebrity Shootout, tournament organizers announced this morning.

Zetterberg will join Jack Nicklaus, Dierks Bentley and Kid Rock in the charity exhibition that will take place Sept. 14 during the second round of the $2 million Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.

They'll tee off on the 10th hole behind the final group of the day in the Ally Challenge.

"Adding Red Wings legend Henrik Zetterberg to the celebrity foursome was the final piece of what will be an amazing day on tournament Saturday," said Andrea Zimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer for Ally.

Zetterberg and Bentley will play as a team against Nicklaus and Kid Rock in a nine-hole, match-play scramble. They'll play for $25,000 to benefit Genesee County Habitat for Humanity and United Way of Genesee County.

The teams will play for $1,000 on each of the first three holes, $1,500 on the next three holes and the final three holes will be worth $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. If the teams tie on a hole, the money will carry over so it’s possible the final hole could be worth the entire $25,000.

In the event the match is still tied after nine holes, there will be a chip-off for the entire purse.

There will also be a Celebrity Shootout Auction featuring an inside-the- ropes experience and a chance to caddie for one of the celebrities.

That items in the auction can be viewed by clicking here. There is also a “buy it now” option and the opportunity to caddie for Kid Rock has already been purchased for $25,000.

The 54-hole Ally Challenge will be played Sept. 13-15. Paul Broadhurst of England is the defending champions after shooting 15-under-par in last year’s inaugural event.

Bentley will perform a concert on Saturday night after the second round. Tickets for the Ally Challenge are $35 for Friday and Sunday and $50 for Saturday. The Saturday ticket includes admission to the concert.

Michigan Live LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107661 Montreal Canadiens retain? What is his opportunity cost on the roster given these costs? etc. This helps determine the downside risk of the bet, which is vital, particularly when the upside is unclear.

The Brett Kulak miscalculation: Flames’ value bet turns out to be bust The point of this perspective is to find bets with asymmetric risk profiles, particularly on the edges of the roster. Meaning — guys with some (as of yet unknown) level of upside, with almost no downside associated. With By Kent Wilson Aug 13, 2019 players like this, you don’t have to guess if they are going to be top rotation guys, or even if they are going to be everyday NHLers. All that

you have to know is that the risk of retaining them is so limited as to be In the summer of 2018, the Calgary Flames had a handful of players close to zero. elect for arbitration. One of them was 23-year-old Brett Kulak, even Instead of high upside players, we’ll call them no downside. though it didn’t seem like the young defender would have much of a case after a rookie season that saw him collect just eight points in 71 games The Kulak gamble on the team’s third pairing. Kulak was a perfect example of a somewhat unknown commodity with an Brad Treliving and the Flames brain trust reacted rather harshly to asymmetric risk profile. His results had steadily improved since he’d been Kulak’s arbitration request. He was placed on waivers twice prior to the drafted. His underlying numbers during his rookie season were strong, hearing, potentially to demonstrate his lack of value league-wide, and albeit over a small sample of games and in a limited role. And, most then traded to Montreal in exchange for two sub-replacement players in importantly, he was going to be very cheap (near league minimum) to Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. With Noah Hanifin arriving via trade as retain. well as Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington bubbling underneath, Kulak seemed expendable anyways. There was no reason to assume Kulak would suddenly become a top- four defender even with his “good arrows,” but due to the information we Kulak began life in the Canadiens organization in the AHL, where he had at the time and with the very low cost of keeping him around, this collected 11 points in 19 games. He was recalled at the end of November didn’t really matter. Given his age, development arc, experience level, after an injury to Noah Juulsen opened up space in the lineup and stuck and fundamental shot and chance numbers, it was at least a safe for the rest of the season. assumption to assume Kulak’s floor was replacement level defender, even if his ceiling was unknown. In fact, Kulak rapidly became a fixture with Montreal. The team waived and demoted veteran Karl Alzner to keep Kulak on the active roster. His When you match that profile with a contract that is short (one year) and underlying numbers exploded in his second full season in the league, at near-league minimum ($850,000), you have a no downside bet on your the bargain basement price of just $850,000. By the end of the year, he hands. The $850,000 deal can be easily buried in the minors with no was part of the Canadiens’ top four rotation. The team happily re-signed impact to the cap. The team can move on from the player in a year if Kulak to a three-year, $1.85 million per year contract this summer, a deal needed. Kulak’s results suggested he was, at worst, a bottom rotation that is poised to be a huge bargain for them moving forward. NHLer.

On the Flames side of the ledger, Matt Taormina scored seven points in Which means, the worst case scenario was the Flames had a 31 games for Stockton, while Valiev is likely ninth or tenth on the replacement level 24-year-old defenceman who could sub-in on the third organizational depth chart, and a good bet to never play an NHL game. pairing, stick around as a seventh defender, or be demoted to the AHL without any cap implications. They didn’t know what the best case Assessing the value prop scenario was in this situation because Kulak isn’t a blue chipper. Not Treliving’s miss on Kulak is a clear error in light of the player’s big step knowing his upside made him seem ultimately expendable, but, in fact, forward in his sophomore season, but it’s not one that should be they had something almost as powerful — they knew the downside on highlighted because he failed to anticipate Kulak’s unlikely evolution. It’s him was so minimal as to be non-existent. because he misinterpreted the bet on the player. Some (unknown level) of upside + virtually no downside = a worthwhile Axiomatically, an NHL GM’s job can be boiled down to one thing: find gamble. good players, keep good players. It’s a deceptively simple mission While this sort of bet by no means guarantees high returns on every statement since both finding and keeping good players can be endlessly player, it opens you up to random moderate-to-big payoffs over time. The complicated by the draft, the cap, player development arcs, age effects, perfect example of this principle in practice is the team’s captain, Mark dressing room chemistry, etc. Not to mention the fact that there are Giordano. An undrafted, PTO walk-on, Giordano crushed the AHL as a different interpretations of just what makes a player good. 23-year-old and then put up quality underlying results as a rookie in the No one has perfect knowledge and predicting the future is difficult, so the NHL. goal of a GM can be more accurately re-stated as: “find and keep players That Darryl Sutter allowed Giordano to walk as a restricted free agent to that are good bets,” because that’s essentially what an NHL organization Russia shows this kind of error is common in the league. The discord is doing whenever they spend assets or money on a player — gambling wasn’t even over money or cap space, but rather whether the player that he will provide value at or above the investment level in question. would get a one-way or two-way contract. That same off-season Sutter The existence of the cap makes this an especially salient issue. signed veteran Anders Eriksson (who was terrible) for two years, and Assembling an NHL team is an efficiency contest, meaning you need as over $3 million per year. Three years later, Giordano led the Flames blue many high value players as possible to tip the scales in your favour. line in scoring and Eriksson was basically out of the league. This point is intuitive when it comes to “pillar” or core players. To extend Giordano had none of the markers of a typical high-upside player, so his the investment analogy, we’ll call these blue chip investments — the position in the organization and during negotiations was not prioritized at value of the asset is obvious, they are in high demand, and all that is the time. What he did have, however, was an asymmetric risk profile (in needed is to find ways to leverage the player as much as possible. large part because he wasn’t clearly a blue chip prospect). The challenge often comes at the fringes of the roster, when the quantity This isn’t to say Kulak is going to become a Giordano-level player. Only and quality of information on a guy at the NHL level is limited. In many that you open yourself up to the potential for big payoffs when the upside cases, we can’t really know the upside of “depth player X” because the is real (but unclear) and the downside is next to nothing. signal to noise ratio is low. This is especially true in guys who are not tabbed as “top prospects” in an organization and aren’t adorned with the Conventional vs. risk profile thinking traditional labels that mark them as good bets. The Eriksson/Giordano contrast exposes how conventional thinking by In these cases, all we have left are good or bad “arrows;” indicators that GMs can sometimes lead to these kinds of errors. The NHL has a player is trending in the right (or wrong) direction. These can include operational norms and culture surrounding the evaluation and the rate and level of development outside of the league, as well as strong management of players that, ironically, are meant to help manage risk in underlying numbers (in limited roles) in the NHL. a number of ways. These heuristics, or rules of thumb, tend to be useful in a general sense, but may lead to big errors when they are deployed The other half of the equation is what ultimately determines the nature of automatically or mistaken for principles. the bet, however. That being, what does the player cost to acquire or For example, there is a long established bias in the league towards Valiev and Taormina are players you can pluck any time on the open veteran players. Generally speaking, this is a rational bias. Players that market) and then traded an asset at the deadline for 15 games of Oscar have proven themselves useful at the NHL level are a known commodity Fantenberg, who fled as a free agent this summer. and more likely to continue to stay useful NHLers (depending on a some known factors, like age). Guys with particularly impressive resumes get Kulak case study bonus points in evaluation terms (Stanley cups, individual awards, big Let’s establish that Kulak had enough positive leading indicators to counting stats, etc.). NHL culture also buttresses this bias by insisting suggest some level of upside. Here are his isolated impacts on goal players need to earn their contracts/privileges with some level of success differential, shot differential, shot quality for, shot quality against, and or respect before making any demands of the team (large dollar deals, shot differential against from his rookie season in 2017-18: no trade clauses, trade demands, role and ice time, etc.). Kulak_RAPM_201718 Another bias is heavily weighting the pedigree or the tools of a young player when there is little information about him at the NHL level. Again, Uniformly positive across the board. Again, this by no means marked this is a reasonable rule of thumb — in general, guys who get picked Kulak as a sure thing moving forward, but it illustrates that he was at higher in the draft tend to make the NHL more often. And guys who are least an intriguing option. For context, here is Andrew Mangiapane’s apparently above average at some fundamental aspect of the game RAPM chart from his rookie season last year: (speed, shooting, size, toughness, scoring) provide at least qualitative Mangiapane_RAPM_201819 cues that they may become quality NHL players in the future. Mangiapane has developed into a kind of no downside bet as well, Here’s how conventional thinking likely deprioritized Kulak last year: although his potential upside is clearer due to his counting stats and Lackluster draft pedigree (picked in the fourth round, played first pro dominant seasons in the AHL. You can be sure the Flames won’t be season in the ECHL). dumping him for a pair of AHLers this summer, even though the left wing up front is cluttered with high quality veterans (Johnny Gaudreau, Unimpressive counting stats (eight points in 71 game rookie season). Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Milan Lucic), and an excellent prospect Not overly big or physical. (Dillon Dube).

Making demands (arbitration) before earning anything. For the record, here’s how Kulak’s isolated impacts and micro-stats looked this year for Montreal: Not a veteran or known commodity. Kulak_RAPM_201819 Lost in the shuffle behind vets (Hanifin and Giordano) and prospects with an assumed higher ceiling (Valimaki, Kylington). The only Calgary defender with a better statistical profile than this in 2018-19 was Giordano. Sometimes no downside bets can have huge Uncertain upside. payoffs.

In contrast, here’s risk profile thinking: Conclusion

Good development arc (24 to 44 to 60 point player in junior, and then If we bring this back to the investment analogy again, Brett Kulak was a ECHL to top four to top two defenceman in the AHL). penny stock in an intriguing startup company with good fundamentals that the Flames gave away for two nickels. Losing Kulak for virtually Very good relative and isolated impacts on shots and chances as a nothing stings even more now that the team has lost Juuso Valimaki rookie. indefinitely to a torn ACL. To rub salt in the wound, Valimaki’s injury will Good chance to improve given age and experience level. probably mean TJ Brodie cannot be traded this summer, cutting off a potential avenue for the team to get under the cap in order to sign Very low contract demands, even in arbitration. Matthew Tkachuk. Treliving couldn’t have predicted that outcome at the time, of course, but it’s an example of why you keep a no-downside bet Further ahead in development than other, potentially higher upside around, if and when possible. prospects at the same position. For the sake of this thought experiment, if we conceptualize his contract Can easily demote or walk away from the player if he stagnates. numbers as his stock price, the Flames got out right before Kulak’s In the conventional perspective, Kulak isn’t very interesting. He didn’t shares more than doubled. For their part, the Canadiens are poised to score much as a rookie, he’s not all that toolsy, he was picked late in the get much more value from the player than the $1.85 million they will draft, and the team is already rich in left handed defenders. He looks like paying him moving forward (he’s a $4+ million player if this level of play clutter in the org chart. As such, he loses priority to guys who can bring continues). If so, there’s a good chance his valuation will double again either clear upside (the other prospects) or something that is during his next round of negotiations. conventionally valued (big body veteran). Of course, one good season doesn’t guarantee that Kulak is a proven In the risk profile perspective, we focus on the positive indicators (the top-four NHL defender. Maybe he takes a step back next year and is “good arrows”) and the lack of negative consequences to identify Kulak merely a just-okay third pairing guy for the rest of his deal. as a no downside bet. The conventional mindset mostly focuses on In fact, many no downside bets prove to be little more than fringe or upside or a player’s expected ceiling/impact (how good will this guy be?). replacement level players. The point is to collect as many of those bets The risk profile mindset understands that sometimes we don’t really know as possible so you’re positioned to benefit when a few of them do pay off a guy’s ceiling, only that it’s more than none and that the cost to keep (because the downside doesn’t really matter). In terms of structuring the him around is low. roster, then, NHL GM’s should aim to fill the bottom of the rotation with as Just as we can’t necessarily predict every player’s upside in the NHL, a many high upside and no downside players that they can find. corollary is that we can’t necessarily predict the role he will fill either Unfortunately, due to the veteran bias in conventional thinking, you see a (Mark Giordano IBID). The good news with no downside bets is you don’t lot of rosters cluttered either with no upside veterans (Dalton Prout), or have to. If Kulak doesn’t work out at $850,000 for one year, it doesn’t severe downside veterans with bad contracts (James Neal, Troy materially impact the team at all. Take a hypothetical situation where they Brouwer, Michael Stone). To bring this back to Kulak last season, the keep the player and Kulak is passed by one or both of Valimaki and preferred route would have been to eschew the Prout (no upside) Kylington on the depth chart. He spends most of the season in the signing**, get rid of the Stone (severe downside) contract, and keep minors and is cut loose next summer. That’s the entirety of the downside Kulak on a cheap, one-year deal. scenario. **You see young, no downside players get deprioritized in favor of no The Flames, however, are a team that gave 15 games to Oscar upside veterans all the time, usually because the veteran brings some Fantenberg, 20 games to Dalton Prout, 38 games to Oliver Kylington, 24 element that the team seems to need, such as leadership or toughness, games to Valimaki, and 14 games to Michael Stone on the third pairing even though this element proves to be worthless in the grand scheme of last year. Valimaki struggled through consistency and injury to start the things. year, Kylington was tried and then demoted after failing to win the trust of his coach, and the rest of the guys are veteran roster filler. The team Charts via Evolving Hockey and CJ Turtoro traded away a no downside bet in Kulak for nothing (practically speaking, The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107662 New Jersey Devils

WATCH: Devils’ Connor Carrick gives inside look at offseason training

By Chris Ryan

Like every NHL player, Devils defenseman Connor Carrick is busy preparing for the 2019-20 season. He’s in the middle of his offseason training regiment to prepare for his first full season in New Jersey following his trade to the team in February.

In the video above, Carrick takes viewers through a typical day of training in his hometown of Chicago, while also providing some insight into his life and views on what it takes for him to improve as a hockey player and person.

This day also happened to include Carrick signing a new contract with the Devils. The two sides agreed to a two-year, $3 million deal on July 16, avoiding arbitration.

Carrick gave some insight into the negotiations between his camp and the Devils, and the defenseman had plenty of incentive to get a multi- year contract done, rather than getting a one-year deal at arbitration.

“You’ve got a team that just decided to put stock in you for 24 months based off of six weeks of play,” Carrick said. “That’s a pretty good vote.”

Signing the deal came later in the day, well after he hit the ice for training. He began with warmups at 9:34 a.m. before skating for nearly two hours. He followed that will body treatment, which included massage and acupuncture.

After signing his contract, Carrick performed off-ice training in the afternoon, where he said he focused more on agility and speed rather than just adding muscle.

“Training for athleticism transfers better to strength than training for strength transfers to athleticism," he said.

Carrick talked about the idea of finding ways to improve his mindset both on and off the ice in his training and day-to-day life. At past points in his NHL career, he felt he wasn’t making the most of his development, and he’s worked on ways to be more consistent with it.

“Scarcity is a real thing. There’s 31 teams. There’s X amount of defense jobs,” Carrick said. “And in general, the career can be high pressure and high stress. At any given moment, if I just sit back and actually just focus on moments that were really special to me, people that are really special to me. All the work and effort that’s gone into how I’m here in the first place. There’s not a lot of issues that are not completely resolved in actually practicing feeling grateful.”

During a celebratory dinner at his house after signing the contract, Carrick also described his daily diet. Almost all of his calorie intake comes via organic meat, fish and vegetables, and he has a very low-carb diet.

Star Ledger LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107663 New Jersey Devils the shots come and get my shot total up and also try and get in front of the net more and get more tip goals.”

The roster is better so McLeod will need to be better as well, otherwise, NJ Devils' Michael McLeod ready to make an impact in NHL he’ll find himself back in Binghamton for another year of development.

Bergen Record LOADED: 08.14.2019

Abbey Mastracco

NEWARK — There was a moment in Michael McLeod’s first NHL game where he looked across the rink and saw Alex Ovechkin.

Suddenly, it all became real. That cool, calm demeanor the New Jersey Devils’ prospect displayed in the morning skate gave way to nerves and it was clear McLeod wasn't ready for that level of hockey at that point in time.

Needless to say, it didn’t go well for McLeod or for the Devils that night in Washington against the Capitals, but McLeod would go on to play 20 more games in the NHL. By the end of it, he was looking back on that night and laughing.

There are no more wide-eyed surprises for McLeod as he looks ahead to this upcoming season. He has a better idea of what it takes to compete and he feels he’s ready to hang with the big kids.

“I think I’m ready for the NHL right now,” McLeod said recently at the Devils’ annual prospect development camp. “I played 21 games last year and I’ve only gotten better. I’ve been working on my skating this summer with a skating coach, I’ve been working on my shot and I know what to expect now.”

What McLeod can expect is a crowded forward group. The Devils have only gotten better with the addition of center Jack Hughes and wingers Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev. Plus, the club is hoping Swedish forward Jesper Boqvist is ready for NHL action and Fabian Zetterlund is coming stateside as well.

The 21-year-old McLeod was drafted 12th overall out of Mississauga of the for his speed and playmaking abilities and may have once profiled as a top-six forward but if he’s going to be playing a top-six role it’s going to be in the American Hockey League, barring disaster.

But it’s not like McLeod doesn’t see that. He’s in the same group as Joey Anderson, his Mississauga super buddy Nathan Bastian, Brett Seney and maybe even Kevin Rooney and John Hayden, who New Jersey traded for during the draft. McLeod’s confidence is an asset but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s on the bubble as everyone gets ready to head back to New Jersey for training camp.

One possibility for McLeod is a move to the wing. New Jersey moved him to wing late last season and it helped him learn to use his speed more effectively. McLeod saw more scoring chances as a winger and though he didn’t capitalize on any he feels he’s better equipped to do so now and he isn’t afraid to shoot.

“They kind of told me to be prepared to play either position and I’m OK with that,” McLeod said. “Stepping in at the wing at the end of last year for a few games, I thought I did a good job with that. I know how they want us to play and push the pace at the wall, that can also fit into my game. I’ve been working on wall plays a lot this summer.”

McLeod took time off to go on vacation in Southern California early in the summer. He loved it so much he convinced his parents to go out there as well.

But once he returned, he picked up right where he left off last season, trying to improve on the same aspects of his game he worked on in Binghamton of the AHL last season, like getting to the middle of the ice, puck protection and stick detail. He’s working with a skating coach to improve his quickness without exerting so much energy and eliminate the mistakes he made by over-skating.

But one of the biggest improvements McLeod has made has been his mental approach to the game. He’s out of his own head, more inclined to use his hockey sense than trying to over-complicate his play.

“I’m not overthinking it,” he said. “That’s definitely what I was doing throughout the year, especially on 2-on-1s. So now it’s my first instinct, whatever I see first I need to use that and shoot more pucks. See how 1107664 Philadelphia Flyers "I kind of relied on myself more than anything," he said. "Just try to get mentally stronger."

While O'Brien is vowing to be a different player strength-wise, the What Flyers prospect Jay O'Brien 'can't wait to prove' has him charging ultimate goal is to rediscover his goal-scoring swagger in the BCHL. ahead "I'm just going to try to get back to the way I was playing, why Philly drafted me," O'Brien said. "Use my speed and my skill and create plays By Jordan Hall over the ice. Be more creative — I think that was great about Tony, he let me play and be creative and use my skill set, but he harped on the D- August 13, 2019 9:00 AM zone and things like that.

"I've always taken pride in playing hard in the D-zone and playing a 200- foot game, I think that's something I've done my whole life. Just continue Jay O'Brien sat at his locker stall and talked about adversity. to play a 200-foot game, use my speed. I think I've got to shoot the puck He is only 19 years old and growing up faster than he anticipated. more. Your chances are limited as you climb the ranks, so maybe be a little more selfish, shoot more and capitalize on opportunities." He wasn't gushing over highlights from his freshman year or discussing a burgeoning career at Providence. He went from scoring 43 goals and 80 The plan is for O'Brien to return to college in 2020-21 and play for Boston points in high school during 2017-18 to just two goals and five points at University after a season with Penticton. Flyers prospect Joel Farabee, the Division I level last season. who was drafted five spots ahead of O'Brien, took off with the Terriers in 2018-19, winning national Rookie of the Year and eventually signing his His plans have changed and so has his hockey career. entry-level contract in March.

"Stepping in from high school into the college level, it's a challenge," "I've talked to Joel, we've gotten really close over the last couple of Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in June. "It's not easy. years," O'Brien said. "He had nothing but great things to say, I know a lot It doesn't matter how good you are. I think he learned that. It's probably of guys at B.U. I went in a couple of times, you want to make sure you're the first time in his career that he went through any adversity at any level. making the right decision this time, right? You don't want to mess around Obviously, he's not happy." with it, you want to do your due diligence. Talking to guys like Joel and other draft picks that they have, they had nothing but good things to say O'Brien is not happy but he's doing something about it. In a way, he's about it." becoming a pro without actually being one just yet. "Adversity" is said often in sports but it's real and O'Brien is facing it as a teenager. O'Brien is from Hingham, Massachusetts, which is right outside of Boston. He is good friends with Amonte's son Ty Amonte, who is a junior He's starting to embrace it. on the Terriers and also played for Penticton. On top of that, the play- "Work on learning from this and how to battle adversity," O'Brien said in with-pace O'Brien loved the stylistic fit under head coach Albie O'Connell. June at Flyers development camp. "I think that's one of the biggest things "I wanted to be in Boston, I'm 30 minutes away from Boston — that's a in life is how you come back from adversity and I can't wait to prove that." dream, to play for a Boston school," O'Brien said. "I just know so many One of the Flyers' two first-round picks from 2018, O'Brien is no longer at guys there and they love it, they love the way they play, how Albie lets Providence, the school in which he committed to when he was 15 years them play, but they take care of the D-zone. I couldn't be more excited." old. With the Friars, he had setbacks because of upper-body injuries and Jay O'Brien then never found his scoring touch. O'Brien and his camp decided it was best for the prospect to join the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, a junior A The Flyers believe in O'Brien and have no problem exercising patience league, in 2019-20. with the teenage prospect. General manager Chuck Fletcher and Flahr didn't draft O'Brien, but the Thayer Academy product made believers out I'm happy this adversity is happening right now and not too later in my of the Flyers' scouting staff. career. You never want a year like that, but in a way, it was helpful for me to light the fire even more. "He's always been a competitor," Flahr said. "He's got quick hands, he can really shoot it. His skating is going to be good. … In order for him to Jay O'Brien play against bigger bodies in the NHL, he's going to have to be quick. O'Brien is a nifty playmaker with innate scoring ability. Two of his former That's going to be a work in progress. coaches — Nate Leaman at Providence and Tony Amonte at Thayer "He has been training with a group in Boston and from what I saw from Academy — raved about his skill set. Leaman called O'Brien's hands the beginning of the year to now, he's made significant strides strength- elite, while Amonte extolled the center's knack for creating and finishing wise. — all reasons why the Flyers' previous regime drafted him 19th overall. "He's a lot more confident, stronger and ready to go." Why didn't those traits translate with the Friars? Injuries played a factor, but O'Brien's size did, too. He's now 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and still The adversity has helped. adding muscle, which can improve more than simply being strong on the puck — it can enhance O'Brien's quickness and speed, as well. "I don't think there's any doubt in my mind, I know what I can do, I know why Philly drafted me — they drafted me for a reason, especially in that "I've gained 13 pounds of weight since the season ended," O'Brien said. spot," he said. "Talking to them, there's a little bump in the road — that's "I've put the pedal to the metal and I've been really trying to improve my life, that's hockey. I'm just happy, I'm looking forward, I'm pumped for game. next year.

"Just keep getting stronger off the ice because I learned being an 18- "Continue to work on my game and go into next season charging." year-old in college, you're playing against 24-year-olds and guys like that. If I want to take my game to the next level, I've got to work even harder A different player, taking a different path — and equipped for any off ice — get back to training right, eating right, little things like that that roadblocks along the way. make you a pro and to have success."

Jay O'Brien Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.14.2019 During this transitional phase, O'Brien has had plenty of people in his corner. From a hockey standpoint, the former Flyer Amonte and agent Matt Keator offer daily support.

"Tony was just saying how it happens to everyone, it's just a bump in the road and it's how you rebound from it," O'Brien said. "My agent, too, was great throughout the whole thing."

But O'Brien also looked within — the year molded him. 1107665 Pittsburgh Penguins Tate Martell lost the starting quarterback battle at the University of Miami to Jarren Williams.

That’s a surprise given that he received a hardship transfer after leaving First Call: Bill Guerin close to leaving Penguins?; Alex Rodriguez’s SUV Ohio State. The former Buckeye was expected to win the job in Coral robbed Gables.

The word has been received with much mockery from rival college TIM BENZ football fans.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019 6:45 a.m. Barstool inferred that perhaps Martell was torn away from his playbook too often because he hooked up with Instagram model Kiki Passo.

Please. College quarterbacks get girls all the time. Like one woman in a Tuesday’s “First Call” takes a look at Bill Guerin’s future, Alex bathing suit on social media is really going to be so gorgeous that she Rodriguez’s stolen jewelry, a kicker who copies “Sid the Kid” and Tate distracts a guy from his goal of being the star QB with a renowned team Martell losing another quarterback battle. like the Hurric …

Ripple effect? Oh, now I understand.

How does a guy from Raleigh pulling out of a job opportunity in Minnesota impact the hockey team in Pittsburgh? Tribune Review LOADED: 08.14.2019 Here’s how it might.

The Wild interviewed Carolina’s Don Waddell for their vacant general manager job. But he decided to stay with the Hurricanes instead.

Minnesota also interviewed Bill Guerin for that gig. So if Waddell was their first choice, and he has signed an extension to stay with the Hurricanes, might Guerin be the next in line for the post?

It’s possible. Guerin has shown an interest in becoming a GM since retiring as a player. And he has risen through the ranks with the Penguins.

Guerin retired in 2010. After that, he started as a player development coach with the Penguins and in 2014 was promoted to the role of assistant general manager to Jim Rutherford.

Guerin was also the general manager for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL.

Maybe travel lighter?

Has Alex Rodriguez been hanging out with Le’Veon Bell too much?

Actually, this is worse.

At least Bell had $500,000 of jewelry allegedly stolen from his own home by two … uh … female friends.

A-Rod was driving around with that much. The former MLB All-Star was in San Francisco working a game for ESPN.

NBC Bay Area reports that Rodriguez’s driver went to eat at a restaurant, and his SUV was robbed.

Watches, jewelry, a laptop and a camera were among the items reportedly stolen, police said.

Poor guy. He only made $429 million during his baseball career. We may need to get a Kickstarter going for him.

Speaking of throwing money away …

No, I kid. I kid.

But $40 million does sound like a lot for Dak Prescott, doesn’t it? NFL.com is reporting that is what the Cowboys quarterback wants in a contract extension.

Jane Slater says Prescott declined a $30 million-per-year extension. And she says he wants $10 million more than that.

She adds that the eventual agreed-to number will likely be closer to $34- 35 million per year.

Sure that’s more … “reasonable.”

Sidney Crosby scores goals like this all the time.

However, I’ve never seen Chris Boswell kick one in from that angle.

Of course, I’ve never seen him try.

That’s Coahoma (Miss.) Community College kicker Jarod Wetzel. And he may be on a plane to Pittsburgh if Boswell misses a kick — from any angle — early this year. 1107666 Pittsburgh Penguins THE PREDICTION

B. Between 8 and 12

Penguins Predictions: Can Dominik Simon ramp up his production? A shooting percentage correction should give Simon a few more goals, but not that many. He just doesn’t play the kind of game that lends itself to scoring in bunches. That said, no one should complain if Simon turns JONATHAN BOMBULIE in a 10-goal, 35-point season. That bit about him doing all the little things right isn’t just hockeyspeak. It’s real. He helps the team win. Tuesday, August 13, 2019 6:01 a.m.

Tribune Review LOADED: 08.14.2019 Assessing the game of 25-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins winger Dominik Simon is as simple as can be.

There’s one big minus: He’s almost never the one actually putting the puck in the back of the net.

Understandably, this makes Simon a lightning rod for fan criticism. Those who focus on the process like Simon’s game. Those who focus on results do not.

Inside the Penguins organization, Simon is a considerably less polarizing figure. From coach Mike Sullivan to captain Sidney Crosby, there is near unanimous praise for the little things Simon brings to the table.

He thinks the game at a high level, which is probably why he’s spent a lot of his career playing on a line with world-class talent, from Jaromir Jagr at the World Championships to Crosby in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s also an excellent passer and a conscientious defensive forward.

The analytics community can cite a series of complex statistics that measure Simon’s worth, but one pretty simple number does the job fairly well. When Simon played on the team’s top line with Crosby and Jake Guentzel last season, the Penguins averaged 5.3 goals per 60 minutes. When some other winger manned that spot, that figure was 3.6

“There’s a lot of subtleties in Dom’s game that help the line he’s on be effective,” Sullivan said last season.

The statistic that best illustrates Simon’s shortcomings, on the other hand, is even simpler still. He scored eight goals in 71 games last season.

There were 248 forwards who played at least 70 games in the NHL last year. Only 24 scored fewer goals than Simon.

For a player to continue to receive top-nine minutes in the NHL, he must have at least a modicum of goal-scoring ability. Does Simon? That remains to be seen.

THE QUESTION

How many goals will Dominik Simon score next season?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A. More than 12

Last season, Teddy Blueger led regular Penguins forwards with an 18.2% shooting percentage. Is he a better shooter than Guentzel, Crosby or Phil Kessel? Of course not. This illustrates the vagaries of shooting percentage at the NHL level. Simon’s was 6.6%. That’s bound to go up, even if he keeps playing the exact same game. After all, it’s not like he’s never been a scorer at any point in his career. In his first North American season in 2015-16, he led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 25 goals, posting a better per-game rate than Conor Sheary, Oskar Sundqvist or Bryan Rust.

B. Between 8 and 12

Simon is still relatively young, but 108 NHL games is enough of a sample to get a feel for what a player’s game is going to look like. It’s entirely possible he’ll never be a goal scorer of any repute. He doesn’t have a nasty wrist shot. He’s not big enough to score a ton of greasy goals at the net front. He might simply be a complementary player who has to scratch, claw and fight just to threaten double digits in the goal column.

C. Less than 8

With Dominik Kahun coming in from Chicago, Jared McCann preparing for his first full season with the team and Zach Aston-Reese healthy, there are plenty of candidates to bump Simon down the depth chart. If he couldn’t score 10 goals with a significant dose of top-line ice time, he surely won’t be able to do so from the fourth line. 1107667 Pittsburgh Penguins Murray.) DeSmith rode that wave into the season, buoying the Penguins in the first half when Murray was up and down or out of the lineup. The team re-signed him this past winter and sees him as a good fit behind These seven questions await when Penguins camp begins in a month Murray for reasons laid out here. But Jarry is a few years younger, cheaper and may still have untapped potential, in addition to being subject to waivers for the first time in his career. Will he show up in Cranberry with more consistent form and focus and force the Penguins to MATT VENSEL keep him here? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 6. What’s the power play going to look like? I’m guessing you heard by AUG 13, 2019 8:30 AM now that Phil Kessel got traded. He and Malkin were a mess at 5-on-5 last season, but Kessel was still dangerous on the power play, producing 12 goals and 24 assists for the NHL’s fifth-ranked unit. With Kessel now in Arizona, Guentzel will presumably get more minutes with a bad guy in While one training camp wraps up this weekend, another begins next the box. But the Penguins might be tempted to stick Alex Galchenyuk, month. the main guy who came back in the Kessel deal, and his big shot in The Penguins hit the ice in Cranberry one month from Tuesday, a harsh Kessel’s old spot in the left circle. And Patric Hornqvist will be looking to reminder that our ice coffees will get swapped for pumpkin beers before build on a strong showing in the world championship and re-establish we know it. But, hey, we’ll trade these steamy summer evenings for a himself as one of the peskiest net-front presences in the NHL. In addition hockey night in Pittsburgh. to which bodies will be out there on the top unit in camp, there will also be intrigue as to what those bodies are doing. With Kessel parked in the Before the real games start, the Penguins, still sour after an early-as-it- left circle and Hornqvist in the paint, there was not a lot of movement or gets playoff exit, have a lot of stuff to sort out during training camp and mystery on the man advantage, though the goals still came in bunches at preseason games and practices. They have new additions to integrate, times. A Phil-less but more frenetic fivesome could be more fun to watch important lineup decisions to make and need to get a certain Russian — unless your job is to chase around Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang and superstar back on track. Co.

A month out — and with maybe one more significant roster move to 7. Which youngsters will make a move during camp and the preseason? make — here are seven things we plan to watch closely when the This last one is twofold. The additions of wingers Galchenyuk, Tanev and Penguins open camp: Kahun threaten to bump young veterans Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon down or maybe even out of the regular lineup. It’s prove-it time for Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel collides with Minnesota goaltender those two, who have flashed but not consistently produced in top-nine Devan Dubnyk on Thursday Dec. 20, 2018. roles. Then there are the prospects. Will anyone among the next wave Jake Guentzel left off best wingers list, and fans have some questions make a push for a roster spot? Forwards Kasper Bjorkqvist, Adam Johnson, Sam Lafferty and Jordy Bellerive and defenseman John Marino 1. Who will be Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel’s third wheel? There is are ticketed for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but will try to alter plans. The no sense in splitting up Crosby and Guentzel after Guentzel scored the organization’s top prospects, led by slick 19-year-old defenseman Calen bulk of his team-leading 40 goals last season next to Crosby at 5-on-5. Addison, are considered to be further down the pipeline. But crazier So we’ll assume they stick together. Who then will be on Crosby’s right things have happened. wing? Last year, Daniel Sprong got the first shot. He didn’t remain there for long, but the Penguins didn’t throw Sprong out there for no reason at all. They hoped it would click. This year, Bryan Rust, Jared McCann and Post Gazette LOADED: 08.14.2019 newcomer Dominik Kahun are the likeliest candidates to open camp on the top line. Rust and McCann both had their moments last season alongside those two, and Kahun intrigues with his skating, versatility and skill. Maybe, just maybe, one of those speedy wingers will take the opportunity and never look back.

2. What will we see from Evgeni Malkin? Malkin’s worst season in a while, maybe ever, was the top Penguins problem during the uninspiring 2018-19 campaign. The Penguins need Malkin to bounce back in a big way to re-emerge as contenders. That, of course, will have to happen when the games start. But it will be interesting to see what kind of shape Malkin arrives in, both physically and mentally.

3. Who is Marcus Pettersson going to partner with? Pettersson, assuming these next few weeks bring a resolution to his contract situation, is the most fascinating Penguins blue liner, at least among the NHL guys. He appears ready for a top-four role after playing so steadily following his arrival from Anaheim. But how might the Penguins get him more minutes without creating a worrisome third pairing of Jack Johnson and Erik Gudbranson? Pettersson was not a regular penalty-killer last season and gets only a little extra action on the second power-play unit. Will they put him with Justin Schultz to open camp or spread their talent — and keep a puck-mover on each pair — by reuniting him with Gudbranson, his playoff partner?

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4. What’s the plan for Brandon Tanev? The Penguins raised eyebrows by signing the former Winnipeg winger to a six-year contract, one of the longest deals handed out in free agency. Clearly they feel the fast and feisty role player will make an impact. Do they believe he can do that on the fourth line and the penalty kill? Or do they see Tanev as a possible winger for Malkin or Nick Bjugstad, assuming the latter is not the odd man out who gets the Penguins under the salary-cap ceiling? Malkin in particular has in the past thrived with similarly selfless two-way wingers.

5. Will Casey DeSmith or Tristan Jarry back up Matt Murray? The two goalies duked it out last year, and DeSmith ran away with that camp battle, arguably looking the sharpest among all the puck-stoppers (even 1107668 Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL Contraction Draft: Penguins load up on defense and get tougher in our 12-team league

By Rob Rossi

Aug 13, 2019

Pittsburgh kept Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Of course it did.

Building around those two generational centers worked well in real life and will for this exercise, too. If you are unaware of what exercise I’m talking about, it all started when Eric Duhatschek pondered what the league would look like in 2019 with only 12 teams. With the help of his colleagues, a contraction draft was held, the results of which you can find here. Now that you’re all caught up, we can get back to our fantasy Penguins. Malkin is poised to bounce back in a big way after arguably his worst NHL season. When he does, and combined with Crosby’s customary excellence, that will give the Penguins a 1-2 offensive punch that can be matched by few clubs.

But we like the 1-2-3 centers better than anybody after snagging rookie Jack Hughes near the midpoint of the draft. He won’t have to carry the offense and should benefit from favorable matchups — even in a contracted league with clubs that lack “lesser” defense pairings.

Speaking of which, how about ours? Yeah, we’ll take our chances with this defense corps.

Loading up on the back end was our draft strategy. That explains keeping Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin as our other two holdovers. In a worst-case scenario, we were at least guaranteed a true No. 1 pairing.

We ended up with a best-case scenario, though. Our first two picks were used on defensemen who can play heavy minutes and contribute offensively. We’ll figure out who plays with whom, but that’s a nice problem to have with this group.

Wingers were plentiful throughout. We sought speed and skill to mesh with the Crosby-Malkin-Hughes dynamic.

Our captain, Crosby, will thrive with Jeff Skinner and T.J. Oshie is an ideal complementary winger for Hughes.

Too many former Capitals? Nah. We’ve seen enough of Washington over the years to know who would fit with Pittsburgh’s culture.

And, yes, we also sought toughness and intimidation. Too many times in Pittsburgh we have witnessed opponents take liberties with our stars — and that won’t be happening in this league.

Tom Wilson will thrive playing to Malkin’s right. It’ll be weird at first, but our fans will love him and so will our players. And with Micheal Ferland and Nazem Kadri on the fourth line, a local boy such as J.T. Miller will enjoy more space than most top-six centers.

We would have preferred to pick Matt Murray or Marc-Andre Fleury — goalies we know and trust. But we’ve long admired Braden Holtby from afar, and we bet on many good goalies being available late.

Again, we suspect other clubs will grade better. That’s fine.

Put ours on the ice, and a sixth Cup parade will be staged in Pittsburgh.

The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107669 Pittsburgh Penguins Poulin, the 2017 second-overall pick in the QMJHL draft, was a good junior player the past two years, and got better as the season went along and in the postseason. He’s a smart and competitive winger. He’s very 2019 NHL farm system rankings: No. 28 Pittsburgh Penguins intelligent, flashing high-end vision and tending to make good decisions with the puck. As the season went along he showed more consistent playmaking and overall dynamic elements. He’s got some soft skill, but he’s more of a distributor than an individual creator. He’s got very good By Corey Pronman hands in tight and scored several nifty goals. His shot is also good, and Aug 13, 2019 45 he can score with his wrist shot in tight. Poulin works hard, is strong on pucks, and wins his fair share of battles along the boards and in front of the net. He’s already quite strong, measuring in at over 200 pounds. His skating is OK. Some days he flashes a good top gear and other times I Corey Pronman’s deep dive into the farm system of every NHL don’t think his pace is anything noteworthy. organization includes a ranking of all of the team’s prospects, broken into tiers based on their projection; the impact on the upcoming season and 4. Filip Hallander, LW, Timra-SHL an overall ranking of all players under 23. Further explanation of Pronman’s system, player eligibility, prospect tiers and the complete June 29, 2000 | 6-foot-1 | 190 pounds ranking of all 31 teams can be found here. Tier: Legit NHL prospect After years of pushing all their chips to the middle of the table (and then Hallander had a very good first SHL season, as one of the top scoring reaching into their pockets for some loose change to toss in as well), the teenagers in the league and an important part of Timra’s team. He was Penguins made some mild attempts recently to add some young talent to less impressive with Sweden’s U20 team, though. Hallander is not a their farm. They made a first-round pick this past season, two seconds in player who will dazzle with speed or skill. He has skill and his skating is 2018 and traded for a former first-round pick in the Phil Kessel deal. The better than I thought in his draft season. But he produces because of how system is thin, but they’ve been efficient with the picks they’ve had so smart he is and how well he plays around the net. He’s a great passer there are some complementary players on the way. who makes plays in small areas. Hallander gets a lot of scoring chances Key additions: Samuel Poulin, Nathan Legare, Pierre-Olivier Joseph because he competes for space, and gets a lot of tips and rebounds around the net. He has a very projectable game to be, at the least, a Key subtractions/graduations: Daniel Sprong bottom-six NHL forward.

2018 farm system ranking: No. 23 5. Jordy Bellerive, C, Lethbridge-WHL

2019 draft grade: C May 2, 1999 | 5-foot-11 | 194 pounds

Prospect Rankings Tier: Legit NHL prospect

1. Calen Addison, D, Lethbridge-AHL Bellerive was injured in an offseason accident that left him burned and hospitalized. He came back from that though and had a good final April 11, 2000 | 5-foot-10 | 181 pounds season in the WHL. Bellerive is a well-rounded hockey player. He’s a Tier: Very good/legit bubble good skater who can carry the puck up ice in transition. For his size he doesn’t have an elite top gear, but he can skate at the pro level. Bellerive Addison was one of the better defensemen in the WHL, repeating his is dangerous inside the offensive zone because he’s a very good passer numbers from his draft season. There are a lot of attributes that make and finisher. He can make the tough distributions but also has a great Addison interesting for the NHL. His skating and hockey sense stand out shot that often beat goalies from a distance. He may not be the biggest the most though. He’s a very quick and elusive skater who can lead guy, but he competes hard and, as he showed this past season, has rushes and dance along the blue line. He’s very confident with the puck some toughness in him to come back from that injury. on his stick, looking to make plays and can execute difficult passes consistently. Addison has a good shot, but prefers to make a play. 6. Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D, Drummondville-QMJHL Defensively he had moments during the season he wasn’t at his best. At July 1, 1999 | 6-foot-2 | 161 pounds Lethbridge early on, he was being used very carefully, but later on he took tougher minutes. He’s got some push back in his game, but he is Tier: Legit NHL prospect still 5-foot-10. Joseph had a solid QMJHL career but never really took his game to 2. Nathan Legare, RW, Baie-Comeau-QMJHL another level to become a dominant player at that level. He has an intriguing pro toolkit. He’s 6-foot-2, very mobile and can move the puck. Jan. 11, 2001 | six-foot | 205 pounds He’s not devoid of offense but there is a lack of a wow factor to his game. Tier: Very good/legit bubble He doesn’t project as a power play guy in the NHL as it stands now. I do think he’s very smart defensively and can kill a lot of plays due to his feet Legare was a top player on one of the best teams in the CHL. The best and IQ, so there is a role for him in the NHL if he can transition the puck way to describe him is he’s a power play weapon. He typically lines up on well enough. the left circle and creates so much havoc. First, he’s got one of the best shots in the draft. He scored a lot of goals this season wiring a shot from 7. Justin Almeida, LW, Moose Jaw-WHL long distance off a post/crossbar or blowing it past a goalie. He’s a great Feb. 6, 1999 | 5-foot-11 | 165 pounds scorer and it’s where he’ll make his money, but he’s also a very smart overall player. Legare can hit tight seams consistently and is very crafty Tier: Legit NHL prospect overall with the puck. He’s not often going to wow you with an end-to-end rush, but he’s skilled. A wonky skating stride is Legare’s most noticeable Almeida was one of the best forwards in the WHL last season, scoring weakness. He has a decent top gear, but the stride isn’t smooth with a 111 points in the process. He was a big reason Moose Jaw’s first power rough first step, and he can tail off toward the end of a shift. Legare is a play unit was so lethal. Almeida’s value comes from his skill and big body forward, but he’s not overweight, it’s a lot of muscle. That’s particularly his vision. His ability to make plays off the flank is elite due to good, but also a minor cause for concern as scouts wonder if the skating his vision, patience and how quickly he thinks the game. So many times can ever improve because his strength level is so advanced already. during the season he made a high-end play that I didn’t even see was He’s also tough on pucks, goes to the net, is physical and is hard to there. Almeida isn’t the biggest or most physical guy, but he competes dislodge along the boards. well, and often I saw him generate chances off of that. The main concern on his pro projection other than his size is his very average skating, 3. Samuel Poulin, RW, Sherbrooke-QMJHL especially for his size. It’s been a problem for a while, but given how smart he is and what he did in the WHL, I think he’s shown he’s a real Feb. 25, 2001 | 6-foot-1 | 207 pounds prospect even with those issues. Tier: Legit NHL prospect 8. Sam Lafferty, C, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL

March 6, 1995 | 6-foot-1 | 194 pounds Tier: Legit/chance bubble straight-ahead quickness, but he’s not a blazing fast skater at the same time. Lafferty had a great rookie pro season, as a leading player for his AHL team and surprising some scouts with how quickly he put up offense after 14. Kasper Bjorkqvist, LW, Providence-Hockey East not being a top scorer in college. Lafferty showed high-end offensive instincts at the AHL level. He was a driver when he was on the ice. He July 10, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 198 pounds made a ton of plays to his teammates and showed the ability to break Tier: Has a chance open a shift with his 1-on-1 play. Lafferty played heavy minutes for WBS and killed penalties. The only knock on him is his average footspeed and Bjorkqvist was a top player for a good Providence team, being used on whether he’s quick enough for the NHL. both special teams. He’s a smart, competitive and versatile forward. He battles hard to win pucks, and with his above-average speed, he brings a 9. Emil Larmi, G, HPK-Liiga lot of energy to a shift. He can make some offensive plays, but he’s not a Sept. 28, 1996 | six-foot | 185 pounds natural skill type of player. His puck game is the main question in his NHL projection because he has the other components, but he may not be Tier: Legit/chance bubble able to score enough in the pros.

Larmi was a big reason why HPK won the Liiga championship, as he 15. John Marino, D, Harvard-ECAC went on an absolute tear in the postseason, putting up a .932 save percentage. He’s a very talented goalie, but also an undersized one at May 21, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 181 pounds about six-foot. He has the high-end quickness you want in such a small Tier: Has a chance goalie. Larmi can make the spectacular save and often shows the ability to get across his crease with elite lateral agility. He anticipates plays very Marino is a player who I think has pro attributes but whose numbers were well and when he’s locked in ,even at his size, he squares up a lot of suppressed this past season playing on such a talented blue line at pucks. Larmi is very aggressive, which he has to be due to his size, to Harvard. I see a 6-foot-1 defenseman who skates well – if not very well – cut off angles. It works often, but he gets beat a little too much doing so. sees the ice at a high-level, has some skill and can defend. Those are a His size will always be in question as he advances levels, and it remains lot of checkmarks in the scouting report. The only thing that hasn’t come to be seen if he can be a top AHL goalie despite his great traits. from Marino is consistent offensive production in the ECAC. I still think he’s a prospect because of the rest of the tools, and he played on a deep 10. Nikita Pavlychev, C, Penn State-Big 10 blue line in terms of offensive skill.

March 23, 1997 | 6-foot-7 | 201 pounds 16. Jacob Lucchini, LW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL

Tier: Has a chance May 10, 1995 | 5-foot-11 | 183 pounds

The first thing you do when you watch Pavlychev is look up. He’s a Tier: Has a chance massive 6-foot-7 forward. He wins a lot of puck battles because of his size and strength on top of his good compete level. He’s got good puck Lucchini was a quality college player and impressed after signing with the skills and can create in small areas. He’s not a natural playmaker, but Penguins, making a quick adjustment to the pro level and scoring seven he’s got offensive instincts and can create in the offensive zone. With a points in 15 AHL games. Lucchini isn’t the biggest or quickest, but he’s player that size, the first question will be his skating. He’s by no means a got skill and hockey sense. He’s always looking to make a play and can speedster, but he’s better than during his draft year, leading to a slightly make the tough passes within the offensive zone. I don’t know if his skill rising stock. He’s got a little straight ahead quickness, but his agility for is elite, but I’ve seen flashes of very creative moments from him. He’ll me is just so-so. need to add a step but he’s got enough ability to be interesting.

11. Jan Drozg, LW, Shawinigan-QMJHL 17. Judd Caulfield, RW, USNTDP-USHL

April 1, 1999 | 6-foot-2 | 174 pounds March 19, 2001 | 6-foot-3 | 207 pounds

Tier: Has a chance Tier: Has a chance

Drozg is an interesting prospect. He’s got talent, but he didn’t have the Caulfield had an up and down season with the USNTDP, but he has the best QMJHL career. With that said, Shawinigan didn’t have much around toolkit to be interesting as an NHL prospect. He’s a 6-foot-3 winger with him, and he’s played very well in international play. Drozg has some offensive touch. The skill level isn’t that interesting, but he’s got components to be a decent pro. He’s around 6-foot-2, he has good skill, good instincts – and I’m tempted to say even very good on that front. He he sees the ice well and he’s got a very good shot. I’ve seen his skating makes quality reads, makes creative passes and understands where to look average this past season, but some scouts think it’s below-average, move pucks to. His skating progressed to an average level in terms of and that lines up with past seasons for me. But I see some promise in his speed, even if he’s not super agile. Caulfield isn’t a crash and bang type, game and the odd high-end flash to think he’s got a chance. but he works hard, kills penalties and is a great net-front forward who gets a lot of tips and deflection shots. There’s work to be done with 12. Sam Miletic, LW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL Caulfield’s consistency, as he struggled in the second half creating May 4, 1997 | six-foot | 196 pounds offense, but he has components to work with.

Tier: Has a chance Depth Players

Miletic was better as a rookie pro than I thought he would be, proving to Adam Johnson, LW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL (Age: 25): Johnson is a br one of the team’s better forwards, scoring 35 points in 49 games. good skater with some skill but there isn’t a lot about his game that looks Miletic has above-average skill, and he competes well. He played on clearly at the NHL level. He played a few games with the Penguins with both special teams in the AHL. His skating is just decent, but it looked limited minutes. better than I remembered in junior. There are some attributes about his Will Reilly, D, RPI-ECAC (22): Reilly is a 6-foot-2 defender with some game that could translate to a higher level, but there’s nothing high-end puck-moving instincts and can make stops but has average mobility and about his game, he just does a lot at an average to above-average level. skill.

13. Anthony Angello, RW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton-AHL Liam Gorman, C, St. Sebastian’s School-U.S. High School (19): Gorman March 6, 1996 | six-foot-5 | 209 pounds is big with a decent stick, a good shot and skates fine for his size, but I questioned his hockey sense when I saw him last season. Tier: Has a chance 2019-20 Impact Angello had a quality first pro season, showing he can score at the AHL level. Angello is a big forward who can win battles versus men and has There isn’t a ton on the doorstep for the Penguins. Lafferty’s season was some hardness in how he plays. He possesses above-average skill. He promising and he could be a candidate for games. Miletic, Johnson and can make plays to his teammates and score goals from a distance. He Angello are depth options, too. The options on defense are very slim as doesn’t have high-end skill or speed, thus there remains some issue with scouts are skeptical Joseph will be ready next season. his NHL projection. For his size his feet could be worse and he has some Organizational Top 10 (23 and Under) Jared McCann, C (23)

Calen Addison, D (19)

Nathan Legare, RW (18)

Marcus Pettersson, D (23)

Samuel Poulin, RW (18)

Filip Hallander, LW (19)

Jordy Bellerive, C (20)

Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D (20)

Justin Almeida, LW (20)

Emil Larmi, G (22)

Pettersson is a big defenseman with good mobility, and while I wouldn’t call him a high-end skill type, he showed more offense last season in the NHL than I thought he would in his earlier prospect years, particularly after he was traded from Anaheim to Pittsburgh.

Player Eligibility:

A skater no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 25 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 50 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

A goalie no longer qualifies as an NHL prospect if he has played 10 games in the NHL in any campaign, regular season and playoffs combined, or 25 games total; or reaches age 27 by Sept. 15.

Tier Definitions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107670 Pittsburgh Penguins there and prove I can be there and that they made a good choice of picking me.”

Joseph could return to juniors, but he plans to jump to the pros this fall. ‘I have a lot to prove’: Pierre-Olivier Joseph bulking up to join Penguins He’ll likely start the season with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, Wilkes- Barre/Scranton. It’s a transition Joseph has anticipated for years while watching his brother climb the ladder to the NHL. It wasn’t until By Stephen J. Nesbitt December 2016 that Joseph realized he had pro potential. “Before that,” he said, “my dream was just to play juniors.” Six months later, the Aug 13, 2019 Coyotes drafted him at No. 23.

As Joseph was being interviewed in the lobby at Hockey Etcetera last MONTREAL — Pierre-Olivier Joseph, the newest Penguins defenseman Tuesday, Mathieu waited nearby, watching Letang carve up another prospect, pried the puck from forward Anthony Duclair opponent in the league’s second game of the night. The building’s and then flashed a smile as he skated away. Duclair shook his head, and basement garage was full of Range Rovers and sports cars, but the turning toward the boards he heaved his stick over the bench in mock Joseph brothers had parked out front, big brother driving little brother to fury. and from their hockey game.

This was sometime during the second period. The LED lights above the The Joseph brothers live together in an apartment in Montreal during the ice said the score, something to something, but no one took it too offseason and train at Axxeleration Inc., with Lightning strength and seriously. It’s a three-on-three league — four teams, with six skaters and training coach Mark Lambert. Off the ice, the brothers like to play video a goalie per side — that plays every Tuesday night in the summer on a games, golf and travel — they went to Slovakia, Iceland and France this scaled-down ice sheet at Hockey Etcetera, a training center just west of summer. Both brothers played soccer until hockey won out. Their mother downtown Montreal. played volleyball in college. Their father, Frantzi, played hockey into his teenage years. Last Tuesday, Joseph, 20, was out of his league — in a couple ways. When Mathieu, a 2015 fourth-round pick, debuted for Tampa Bay on Oct. First, he and his brother Mathieu, a 22-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning 6, 2018, Joseph had just rejoined his Charlottetown juniors team after winger, suited up only because they’d been asked to sub in on a missing their first few games because of Coyotes training camp. He shorthanded team. couldn’t leave again. So Joseph streamed the game on his phone during a 10-hour bus trip from Chicoutimi, Quebec, to Charlottetown, Prince And second, every player on the opposing team last Tuesday was a pro. Edward Island. Joseph, a 2017 first-round draft pick who has spent the past four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, was trying to slow “(Mathieu’s journey) has always made me more hungry,” Joseph said. down Duclair, Jonathan Drouin (Canadiens), Alex Killorn (Lightning) and “He pushes me every day. He’s there for me, and I’m there for him. But Nathan Beaulieu (Jets) in a fast-paced, back-and-forth game with four- knowing that he made it makes me want to be there as much as he and five-minute shifts. wants to stay there.”

The league’s top scorer is Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, with 34 On the ice, the Joseph brothers play different games. Mathieu is a points in five games, and his autographed jersey hangs on a wall next to speedy and agile forward. Joseph is a 6-foot-2 defenseman who mostly the rink. stays home to shut down the defensive zone. But he can skate. Last week, in a three-on-three setting, Joseph pushed the puck and joined the The Penguins’ Pierre-Olivier Joseph defends against the ’ rush when he could. He chipped in two goals and two assists in his Nathan Beaulieu. (Stephen J. Nesbitt / The Athletic) team’s 12-8 defeat. But Joseph didn’t look out of place. He took the ice in Penguins-issued “When a guy like Druoin comes at you, you have to get prepared to hockey pants and a white helmet with No. 77 on the back. He made defend,” he said. “But it helps if you jump in on offense and be on your smart passes and tried making life difficult for forwards in his zone, which toes wherever.” is harder than it sounds with this much open ice. Joseph and his brother have subbed in a couple times this summer, and he figures this league is For Joseph to develop into a physical top-six defenseman for the a pretty good way to prepare for his first training camp with his new team, Penguins, he’ll undoubtedly need to do one thing: “I have to get bigger. A the Penguins. lot bigger,” he said. That has always been the knock on Joseph, who has worked with a nutritionist for years but hasn’t been able to pack on “It’s a great level. It’s a great league. But there’s so much you need to pounds. improve on,” Joseph said, thinking back to when Drouin got around him and roofed a backhand. “The skill sets. The passes. The overall game. “It’s been the same question over and over again,” he said. You have to improve everything. If you think you’re good enough, you’re not going to be good enough. You always have to be better to play While his Penguins bio claims 185 pounds, Joseph said he began the against these guys.” summer weighing 167 pounds. He’s focused on lifting and eating.

When his flight touched down in Detroit on June 29, Joseph called his “Every three hours, you’ve got to eat something,” he said. “Every time mother, France Taillon, to tell her he might miss his connecting flight to you can, you’ve got to put something in your body.” Montreal. He was headed home after attending the Arizona Coyotes’ Joseph has seen improvement on the scale. Since he has stopped development camp. Joseph entered the terminal and started to run. growing, he’s hoping his body has realized that it’s time to fill out. He’s “Then my phone just explodes,” he recalled. Texts. Instagram messages. already added seven pounds this summer — his highest offseason Mathieu called. Joseph answered. weight gain prior to this year was five pounds — and he’s hoping to be at That’s how he heard about the trade. 180 pounds by the time he reports to Penguins training camp. His go-to grub is sushi. “I was all confused,” Joseph said. “It was kind of a weird moment.” Speaking of which, dinner time. Joseph was hungry again. He hoisted his The Coyotes had sent Joseph and Alex Galchenyuk to the Penguins to hockey bag over his shoulder, then gestured to Mathieu. Before the bring in Phil Kessel. As luck would have it, Joseph’s connecting flight was brothers headed out the door, Joseph was asked which name he delayed, so he turned around and said goodbye to the other Arizona preferred: Pierre-Oliver or P.O. He laughed. Either one, he said. Just not prospects on his flight to Detroit. It’s funny, Joseph said, because after Pierre. three years of development camps he was just starting to feel like one of the older guys. (This was two days before his 20th birthday.) “A lot of Americans call me Pierre because they think Olivier is my middle name,” he said. “So most of the time I say, ‘Just call me P.O. It’s way But he won’t deny that the thought of joining the Penguins was a thrill. easier.’”

“I feel like I just got drafted again,” Joseph said, smiling. “I have a lot to prove. I’m going to go there with the same mentality that I had in Arizona — showing the best I can do and having the mentality of making the The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 team. Nobody goes to (training) camp trying to get cut. I just want to go 1107671 San Jose Sharks

Sharks icons Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton working out in San Jose

By Marcus White

August 13, 2019 6:26 PM

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau might not be on NHL rosters at the moment, but both are staying active.

Ehrhoff, 37, is younger than Marleau, 39, and Thornton, 40, but the German blue liner is retired and his old teammates seem to be gearing up for another season. Marleau and Thornton currently are unrestricted free agents, and both have said they intend to play in 2019-20.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes in a salary dump earlier this offseason, and the Hurricanes bought out Marleau's contract after he informed the team he wanted to play closer to his family after they moved back to San Jose. He told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that a reunion with the Sharks "would be a good fit for me for sure."

Thornton, meanwhile, told reporters at June's NHL Awards he wanted to return for (at least) one more season. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said earlier this offseason he would give Thornton "all the time he needs to make whatever decision's right for him," and his photo with Ehrhoff adds credence to the idea it's a matter of when -- not if -- he re- signs with San Jose.

The Sharks have just under $4.7 million in salary-cap space with 11 forwards under contract, according to Cap Friendly. Both players made more than that last season, but Thornton made $3 million less than he did in 2017-18 and Marleau is owed just under $3 million from the Hurricanes after his buyout. Thus, it's conceivable San Jose has enough room to re-sign Thornton and bring back Marleau.

For now, with just over a month before the Sharks' preseason opener on Sept. 17, the waiting game continues. But Ehrhoff's Instagram post is just another indication the two longest-tenured players in San Jose history intend to play next season.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107672 San Jose Sharks Jose. Although he seems like a lock for a jersey retirement at some point, it’s fair to wonder if he should be first in line.

Verdict Sharks jersey retirements: Why Owen Nolan should be honored first For a certain generation of Sharks fans, Nolan is why they fell in love with the team. The called shot in the 1997 All-Star Game, the center-ice slap By Marcus White shot in Game 7 against the Blues in 2000 and Nolan’s presence on the “NHL 2001” cover all contribute to a largely unmatched legacy in San August 13, 2019 7:00 AM Jose.

But a few players have exceeded his accomplishments as a Shark, and are better candidates to get their number retired first. That discrepancy Editor’s Note: The Sharks are the only team in the Pacific Division -- can largely be chalked up to timing, as Nolan just happened to precede other than the nascent Vegas Golden Knights -- who have not raised the an era in which San Jose joined the NHL’s elite. jersey of a former player to the rafters. This week, NBC Sports California will examine the cases of the five likeliest candidates to have the Sharks’ Nolan’s Sharks tenure is an important milestone on the journey, however, first retired number. We continue with former captain Owen Nolan. and one that ultimately should be honored with his No. 11 jersey hanging in SAP Center’s rafters. It just won’t be the first one. Owen Nolan owns a couple of “firsts” in Sharks history, but none are as cool as being on the cover of a .

Nolan became the first Shark to score 80-plus points and 40-plus goals in Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 08.14.2019 a single season when he scored 84 and 44, respectively, during the 1999-00 season. He ranked sixth and second in the NHL in those categories that season, leading San Jose to a first-round upset of the President’s Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That season landed the power forward on the cover of EA Sports’ “NHL 2001” the following fall, making him the first San Jose player to earn a spot on the box of either EA Sports’ annual game or Sports’ now- defunct “NHL 2K” series. Joe Thornton followed in Nolan’s footsteps -- landing on the “NHL 2K7” cover -- but Nolan was, in many ways, the Sharks’ first real star.

Let’s examine the case for, and against, retiring Nolan’s No. 11 jersey first.

The case for

Nolan became the first Sharks player to appear in multiple All-Star Games while playing for San Jose, and he still ranks second in franchise history -- behind defenseman Brent Burns -- with four All-Star appearances. He also captained the team for parts of five seasons, and only Patrick Marleau can say the same.

From Nolan’s first game with the Sharks (Oct. 28, 1995) until his last (March 1, 2003), he scored more goals (206) than all but 26 NHL players and more points (451) than all but 38. That might not seem gaudy, but Pat Falloon, San Jose’s leading scorer in the four seasons prior to Nolan’s midseason arrival during the 1995-96 season, tied for 126th in the NHL in points (159) in the aforementioned pre-Nolan era.

He led the Sharks as they transitioned from annual also-ran into perennial playoff contender, captaining the first team in franchise history to win a division title in 2001-02 and just the third to even win a playoff series in 1999-2000. San Jose would not advance to the Western Conference Final until 2003-04 -- a year after Nolan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs -- but the Sharks’ success with Nolan wearing the “C” helped lay the foundation.

By the time Nolan left the Sharks, he had 101 more points and 57 more goals than any other player in franchise history. He was the most impactful player in San Jose’s first decade and change, and that’s worth honoring.

The case against

It’s not Nolan’s fault, but he has since been surpassed on the Sharks’ all- time lists. He now ranks fifth in goals -- behind Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Thornton and Logan Couture -- and sixth in points. He understandably has fallen down the games-played chart, too, and Tomas Hertl needs to play 164 games over his remaining three years under contract to push Nolan out of the top 10.

Nolan is right around there on the Sharks’ playoff points list, tying for ninth in goals (15) and ranking 13th in points (27) in San Jose’s postseason history. His tenure marked a turning point for the franchise, but he was never able to advance out of the second round in five playoff appearances in teal. One player does not make a team, but other Sharks have come closer to ending the franchise’s Stanley Cup drought.

Jersey retirements do not, and should not, have a higher standard than Hockey Hall of Fame induction, but some of Nolan’s successors accomplished more and over a longer period of time than he did in San 1107673 Tampa Bay Lightning 2020-29 all-decade team

• LW: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton

How did the Lightning stack up on NHL Tonight’s all-decade team? • C: Connor McDavid, Edmonton

• RW: Mikko Rantanen, Colorado

By Diana C. Nearhos • LD: Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo

Published 1 hour ago • RD: Miro Heiskanen, Dallas

• G: John Gibson, Anaheim

Bests, whether of all-time, right now or the decade, always make for fun There’s no argument with Draisaitl and McDavid, especially because debates. they’ll be linemates for the foreseeable future. Dahlin and Heiskanen are two of the most exciting young defensemen. NHL Tonight had analyst Mike Johnson name his all-decade first and second teams — plus, just to make things interesting — his first team for But would you take Rantanen’s next 10 years over Kucherov’s? the next 10 years. The Lightning made a couple of appearances, but perhaps not where expected. Rantanen has incredible potential and his big body makes him all the more exciting. But he fits the big body stereotype of less-than-elite No one from Tampa Bay cracked the first team and it’s hard to argue skating. That could hinder him going forward. there. Kucherov may not have a full decade at his current level but the All-decade first team Lightning bet on him playing near it for the next eight years as his extension kicks in this season. • LW: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Perhaps this raises a similar question to Kucherov vs. Kessel above, but • C: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Kucherov is likely to be the top right wing for more of the next decade • RW: Patrick Kane, Chicago than he was the past 10 seasons.

• LD: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa/San Jose And now for goalie. Andrei Vasilevskiy just won the Vezina Trophy in his second year as a full-time starter. That’s a high level for someone settling • RD: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles into the increased role.

• G: Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers Similar to Kucherov, the Lightning are likewise betting on Vasilevskiy for the next nine years (his eight-year extension has another season before Ovechkin and Crosby are the top players at left wing and center in the kicking in). So is Anaheim on Gibson, though. Both goalies start eight- past decade without question. There could be some debate on the rest of year contracts at 26. the team. For the most part, putting anyone from the Lightning on that list would be a stretch. Because he plays for a worse (less-exciting) team, Gibson doesn’t get much attention. Vasilevskiy is a more dynamic goalie his style comes One argument could be made for Victor Hedman, but he’s had a better with the eye-catching flashy saves and his team wins more. past five years to Karlsson’s decade. The Swedes entered the league at the same time, but Karlsson took off faster, as evidenced by his Norris Looking at the past two years combined, they have rather similar stats Trophies in 2012 and 2015. (save percentage and goals-against average within .04 of each other).

Two Lightning players did make the second team, though. Tampa Bay is This one doesn’t have a clear-cut answer. It will be fun to see it play out one of two teams to make the total list twice. on the ice over the next 10 years.

All-decade second team

• LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 08.14.2019 • C: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh

• RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay

• LD: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay

• RD: Brent Burns, San Jose

• G: Carey Price, Montreal

Johnson acknowledged some recency bias with Hedman and called him one of the best defensemen in the NHL of the last five or six years. He considered putting Chicago’s Duncan Keith here instead.

There’s an argument to be made there. Where Hedman has been one of the best for the past five or six years, Keith was for the first half of the decade.

Kucherov’s selection also carries some recency bias. He has been the league’s best right wing for the past three seasons. Kane definitely has him beat on the decade. Phil Kessel may as well.

Kucherov’s age counts against him in this comparison. He only played half of the decade in question, but this is an all-decade team. Do you take the better play for fewer years or the lower level (but still elite) sustained over the whole decade?

Johnson went for overall level of talent in this case. Kucherov ranks sixth with 462 points since Jan. 1, 2010, but he’s done so with 215 fewer games than anyone ahead of him.

The surprising part of these lists comes in Johnson’s predictions for the next decade. 1107674 Tampa Bay Lightning Feaster, who was in the Lightning’s front office from 1998 to 2008 and is now back as executive director of community hockey, was the GM who traded for Fedotenko in 2002. He gave up a first-rounder and the No. 4 Who would make the Tampa Bay Lightning’s all-time lineup? pick overall (used to pick Joni Pitkanen) while also receiving two second- rounders.

The deal paid off in a big way even if you just count Fedotenko’s Game 7 Joe Smith performance against the Flames in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Fedotenko played four years for the Lightning (2002-07) with 74 goals Aug 13, 2019 and 144 points. He had 12 goals (14 points) in that ’04 Cup run.

“It was a controversial trade,” Feaster said. “I traded the fourth pick to get TAMPA, Fla. — Martin St. Louis takes his assignment seriously. him, but everyone forgets (that) the two second-rounders we got turned into Brad Lukowich and Cory Stillman. But the reason I wanted Feds is The Hall of Fame wing, asked to help The Athletic create the “all-time because I saw what he had done playing for the Flyers in a limited role, Lightning lineup,” texts a photo of an actual lineup card, one he probably and I had no doubt in my mind (that) in a more prominent role he could uses for coaching his sons in Greenwich, Conn. produce. He’s been one of the top playoff performers in our franchise.”

You see some familiar (nick)names on there. “Andy.” “Richy.” “Vinny.” And, though it was debated by several in our panel, Brayden Point “Kuch.” cracked many of their lineups, including St. Louis’ as an extra forward. Though Point has played just three full seasons with the Lightning, he “There’s some obvious picks,” St. Louis tells me. “But I also did some has 198 points in 229 games, including an All-Star appearance in 2018 research.” and a 41-goal season last year. This was an extremely interesting (and fun) exercise. With writers across “You look at his production, his points per game, you’ve got to respect his The Athletic creating hypothetical lineups all month — the All-Minnesota game,” St. Louis said. “He’s proven enough that he’s got to be on there.” team, All-Michigan Team, etc. — I thought it would be fitting to put together the best team from Lightning players throughout the franchise’s So among forwards, the unanimous selections were Stamkos, Kucherov, 26-year history. This wasn’t just about picking the 23 most skilled guys or Lecavalier, St. Louis, Andreychuk, Bradley, Richards, Modin, Fedotenko the highest scorers, but more the best combination of four lines (with two and Tyler Johnson. Johnson has 308 points in 469 career games for the extra forwards), three defense pairs, two goalies and a head coach. Lightning, including 51 points (24 goals) in 58 career playoff games. Had it not been for Johnson’s heroics, the Lightning run to the 2015 Stanley I asked some of the franchise’s legends, from its first All-Star, Brian Cup final likely would have ended in a first-round loss to the Red Wings. Bradley, to Hall of Famers St. Louis and Dave Andreychuk, founder Phil Had Johnson not broken his wrist in the Cup final against Chicago, Esposito and Cup-winning GM Jay Feaster. They all gave their picks. Tampa Bay may have won it all. “When Team Canada puts their lineup together, it’s not all the best “Tyler Johnson is in there,” Andreychuk said. “Tyler Johnson has been a players,” Andreychuk said. “You have to put your lineup together that can playoff performer. He’d be a guy I put on there. He’s been here a while, win a gold medal.” had success.” So we’re going to look at who makes each Lightning cornerstone’s lineup Tyler Johnson is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal in and why. Take a spin through the five lineups here. Toronto against the Maple Leafs. (Tom Szczerbowski / USA Today) Their insights helped me form an all-time lineup, which is at the bottom. Andreychuk was also a no-brainer. Andreychuk, now 55, played just four Forwards of his 23 NHL seasons with Tampa Bay and scored just 68 of his 640 career goals in a Lightning uniform. But it’s no coincidence that there’s an Let’s start with St. Louis, since he is arguably the best player in franchise Andreychuk statue out on the plaza in front of Amalie Arena, the former history, one of two Lightning players (Vincent Lecavalier is the other) to captain holding the Stanley Cup. have his jersey hanging from the Amalie Arena rafters. “Andreychuk is the reason why they won the Cup,” Bradley said. “They On every ballot, there were the “obvious” choices: St. Louis, whose Hall had the three big guns: Vinny, Marty, Richards. They had Dan Boyle and of Fame journey included scoring the biggest goal in franchise history. a goalie in Khabibulin. But what Tim Taylor and Andreychuk did was Lecavalier, the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 and former face of the unbelievable in the room. Maybe that’s what we’re missing here, that franchise, is a pretty easy one, too, as are current stars Steven Stamkos veteran guy who knows how to win — and when things went good, they and Nikita Kucherov, the latter of whom won the Hart Trophy after his went right with him. When things went wrong, they corrected the ship. 128-point season. “You can’t replace veteran leadership like that. He’s a Hall of Fame Stamkos may have broken Lecavalier’s franchise record for goals last player, and he’s why they won.” season, but Lecavalier was the top-line center in St. Louis’ lineup. Lecavalier and St. Louis were arguably more dominant than St. Louis Esposito, the franchise’s Hall of Fame founder, couldn’t agree more. and Stamkos were, or Kucherov and Stamkos. So why didn’t St. Louis “That’s absolutely guaranteed in my mind: that we would have never won put himself up there with Lecavalier? a Cup if it wasn’t for Andreychuk,” Esposito said. “He kept that team “I put Kuch and Stamkos together because they’re playing now,” St. together.” Louis said. “Vinny is the best centerman who has ever played here. The word team rings true. You can’t have all skilled forwards or snipers in (Fredrik) Modin, (Brad Richards) and I, that was my first-year line with a lineup. You need Andreychuk’s leadership, and you also need some Tampa. size, grit and proficient penalty killers. That’s why Rob Zamuner was “Me and Vinny was give-and-go everywhere, blind passes. With another unanimous selection for the all-time team’s fourth line. Zamuner, Stammer, he was pretty much just a shooter, and I was a disher. I was now 49, played with Tampa Bay from 1992-99, netting his highest goal- more of a shooter when I played with Vinny and Richie than when I scoring season of 17 in 1996-97. He also had 323 penalty minutes in 475 played with Stammer. I feel like if I played with Stammer now, I’d be more games with the Lightning. of a shooter than when I was playing. That just shows you how much “I’d put Zamuner as a fourth-liner who can kill penalties,” Andreychuk (Stamkos) has evolved. He’s a great passer, a very underrated one. said. “He was one of the best in that era, a perfect candidate.” “It’d be very different. With Richie, we played chess. With Vinny, we Tim Taylor got Andreychuk’s vote as an extra forward for a similar role. played checkers. And with Stamkos, it was a little bit of both.” Chris Gratton got a few votes as a depth forward, as did Dino Ciccarelli. St. Louis said Vinny Prospal, who had 127 goals and 371 points in 468 Jay Feaster looked at Andreychuk’s lineup and thought there was games with the Lightning, deserves to be in the lineup because of his something missing. track record of production. And Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored two goals in the Lightning’s Game 7 victory in the 2004 Stanley Cup final, gets a “That element of toughness,” Feaster said. “Whether it’s Andre Roy on nod for being a “big-game performer.” the fourth line or Enrico Ciccone. They weren’t the highest-skilled players, but each of those guys contributed something in their own way The top four (Hedman-Boyle/Hamrlik-Kubina) were picked across the while they played.” board. The third pair was, for the most part, Jassen Cullimore and Cory Sarich. Cullimore, who played 408 games for the Lightning from 1998- Roy played parts of five seasons for the Lightning, including 2002-2004 2004, got strong reviews for those who played with him. So did Sarich, (through the Cup run) and a second stint from 2006-08. He racked up who played in Tampa from 2000-07 (including four straight years of 82 just 17 goals. But 42 of his 103 fights came in a Tampa Bay uniform. games). Former Tampa Bay Times Lightning beat writer Damian “He had a huge presence,” Feaster said. “He had the ability to relax a Cristodero said Sarich, a 6-foot-4, 207-pounder, would provide a physical hockey team. When he left for Pittsburgh (in 2005), we were a totally presence on the blue line. different team. You can sit in the stands at a practice and see it, hear it, “I thought Cory Sarich was one of the more underrated guys on those feel it. When Andre was part of the team, there was a looseness — Tampa teams,” Cristodero said. where you’re not squeezing the sawdust out of your stick. He made a difference. He was not one of the 23 best players in franchise history, but “He would be on my list,” Feaster said. “What I really like about having if I was putting a team together, I’d want him.” Sarich, there’s another element of physicality. So now, not only do you have Andre Roy, but you have Cory Sarich. He’ll step up.” Defense Feaster also suggested putting Darryl Sydor, the key Lightning deadline The blue line had a few obvious picks, too. pickup on their 2004 Cup run, as a seventh D-man in the all-time lineup. There was Victor Hedman, who won the Norris Trophy two years ago, He and two others also included Anton Stralman, a key cog on the blue who has established himself as the best defenseman in team history. line the last four years before signing with the Panthers in free agency. And he’s still in his prime. Andreychuk noted how much of an impact Stralman had on Hedman, a fellow Swede. “He might go down as the greatest player to ever play here, maybe beat Marty one day,” Bradley said. “He’s that player that you’ll never Goalies (bleeping) see again. He does everything so well. You can sit here and Esposito had a hard time picking a full lineup. say, ‘What happened in the playoffs?’ To me, what happened is we lost our (bleeping) best player. Our best player is Hedman. He wasn’t good “It’s hard to remember a lot of the guys,” Esposito said. “I’ve been doing for the first two games (dealing with an upper-body injury) and we didn’t this for almost 30 years. recoup after that. “But I’ll tell you one thing. My goalies would be simple. (Ben) Bishop and “At the end of the day, you can take the goalie out and maybe win. Take (Andrei) Vasilevskiy.” some forwards out and maybe win. But Hedman was taken out, and we weren’t the same team.” Esposito’s point was that Nikolai Khabibulin, the only goalie to backstop the Lightning to a Stanley Cup, struggled at times even in that Dan Boyle, a Lightning defenseman from 2002-08, was the prototypical championship season, with backup John Grahame having to step in. “He puck-moving, right-shot defenseman the team looked for the decade saved our bacon,” Feaster admitted. after his trade to San Jose. He had 253 points in 394 games for Tampa Bay, including quarterbacking the power play. “In the Cup final, there’s no doubt Khabby was good,” Esposito said. “But I think Vasilevskiy is going to turn out to be the best of all of them. He’s How much fun would it be to watch Hedman and Boyle move the puck up just got to win the Cup.” and down the ice? You can make an argument for Vasilevskiy, the only Vezina Trophy Then there is Roman Hamrlik, the first draft pick in franchise history (No. winner in franchise history, who recently signed an eight-year, $76 million 1 overall in 1992), who played six seasons for some pretty lean Tampa deal. He’s considered one of the best goalies in the world by his peers, Bay teams. The 6-foot-2 defenseman played a more subtle game. with Hall of Famer Ken Dryden calling the Russian “imposing.”

“He’s like a Ryan McDonagh,” Bradley said. “He wasn’t as good as Victor In a year or two, Vasilevskiy should top this list. Hedman, but his overall game improved every year. He was so smart with the puck for an 18-year-old kid. Roman was very steady.” But, for now, Khabibulin and Bishop were our consensus picks. For many, like St. Louis, Feaster, Cristodero and Andreychuk, it’s hard to Esposito remembered that 1992 NHL Draft, and he felt lucky to win the pick anyone other than Khabibulin because he has the Cup ring. coin flip with fellow expansion franchise Ottawa to pick No. 1. The top two picks were Hamrlik and forward Alexei Yashin. Bishop, a mentor to Vasilevskiy, helped bring about a turning point for the Lightning, spurring them to deep playoff runs in 2015 and 2016. He has It was a no-brainer to Esposito. been a two-time Vezina finalist himself, including this season. Both Bishop and Khabibulin had another aspect in common: they brought “If Ottawa got the first pick, they would have taken Hamrlik, too,” Esposito much-needed stability to a position that had turned into a revolving door. said. “We wanted Roman bad, and we won the flip. I would have never traded him if I could have afforded to keep him. “Right now, you’ve got to put Bishop on top,” Andreychuk said. “Vasy will probably overtake them all eventually, but you’ve got to go with Pavel Kubina, a key cog on the 2004 Cup team, was a unanimous Khabibulin because I believe he turned the franchise around. Winning the selection, too. The seventh-round pick in 1996 went on to play 10 years Cup, yes. But there was also no more turnstile goalies. That was your for the Lightning, becoming a physical presence on the ice and one of the guy. nicest humans off of it. “Then there was Bish. That team went from the Stamkos draft to the “I remember sitting there and we didn’t know who we’d pick in the Hedman draft, and all of a sudden it took off and Bishop was a huge part. (seventh round) and I said, ‘Let’s pick the guy with the big head from He had two shutouts in (the Eastern Conference final in 2015). There Czechoslovakia.’ That was Kubina,” Esposito said. “He came over and was no more turnstile goalie after him, too.” nobody worked harder than Pav to be a good player. He worked his butt off, he learned English and did what he had to do. I thought he was Head coach absolutely spectacular.” Current coach Jon Cooper is the winningest coach in franchise history, If we did this list a couple of years from now, you’d probably see Ryan surpassing John Tortorella a year ago. He’s now the longest-tenured McDonagh as a lock in the top six. The fact the shutdown defenseman coach in the NHL. has only been with Tampa Bay for a year and a half played into the fact that he wasn’t on more of our panelists’ lineups. There are only two coaches in NHL history who have won 62 regular- season games in a single campaign: Cooper and Hall of Famer Scotty Bradley had McDonagh in his third pair. Bowman.

“I think McDonagh is worthy of it,” Bradley said. “In terms of skill-wise, But Tortorella was still the unanimous selection among the panel he’s in the top three. Heddy is one, Dan Boyle two and McDonagh is right because he brought the Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay. Cooper has the there. Two years from now, he will for sure be the second-best edge in overall wins with the Lightning (305 to 239), but Tortorella has defenseman ever here.” the better playoff winning percentage (.533 to .529). “(The Lightning) were in turmoil when he took over,” Andreychuk said. “And Torts put them over the top.”

“There’s no question in my mind it’s Torts,” Feaster said.

Cristodero noted Tortorella also led the Blue Jackets to a major upset over the Cooper-led Lightning in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Cooper, like the rest of the team, shouldered some of the blame.

“So he won the head-to-head battle,” Cristodero notes.

Like Vasilevskiy among the goalies, Cooper could easily move his way to the top of this list as early as next summer. But for the sake of this exercise and the team built of these players, Tortorella was the pick.

John Tortorella speaks at the Lightning’s retirement of Martin St. Louis’ No. 26 in January of 2017. (Kim Klement / USA Today)

Overall

Some picks were tougher than others, but this was the team I came up with. The insight from the likes of Esposito, Andreychuk, St. Louis, Feaster, Cristodero and more was invaluable as I wanted to create the most accurate and fair list that covered the franchise’s entire history. Not having seen Bradley score an expansion-record 42 goals in the Lightning’s first season at Expo Hall or experienced the ’04 Cup run, there was a lot to learn.

In the end, I blended some of the old with the new, including current players like Brayden Point with the unanimous selections of Stamkos and Kucherov. I put Lecavalier and St. Louis together with Modin not only because of the St. Louis-Lecavalier dominance as a tandem but because they were the franchise’s No. 1 all-time center and right wing (though perhaps Stamkos and Kucherov can take over those spots by the time their careers are done). I also valued the toughness element with Roy on the team, and I like the addition of Stralman (with McDonagh almost cracking it).

I went back and forth quite a bit on including Vasilevskiy and even considered being the one person to pick Cooper over Tortorella.

My guess is when we try this exercise in a few years — perhaps for the team’s 30th anniversary — there will be several changes.

What do you think?

The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 1107675 Washington Capitals In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Carlson inherits the alternate captain’s ‘A’ that Orpik wore. (Carlson had sported the ‘A’ in the past when Orpik was out.)

Capitals defenseman John Carlson, coming off a career year, is on the Carlson said he’s not sweating the latter, but he’s undoubtedly aware of ice early and looking to bolster his game the former.

“It would definitely be a cool thing,” he said. “I take pride in my By Tarik El-Bashir leadership. I know coming into this year, whether I do or I don’t (get the ‘A’) I have to make sure that … I’m a lot more conscious of certain things Aug 13, 2019 because we have new guys that aren’t used to (how the Caps do things), we have some young guys that will be transitioning, some guys that will

be trying to next the step in their game.” ARLINGTON, Va. — John Carlson was an all-star for the first time, Carlson paused and smiled. amassed a career-high 70 points and finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting. By most accounts, 2018-19 was Carlson’s best season since he “I’m kinda the grandpa now,” he cracked. “Which is really weird.” entered the NHL a decade ago.

But the Capitals defenseman is not satisfied. The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019 There are still aspects of the game in which Carlson wants to improve, and he returned to the ice a little earlier than usual this summer to work on those areas.

Atop his to-do list, Carlson said on Tuesday, is tweaking his approach in the Capitals’ end.

Carlson defends the rush well. He’s aggressive in the neutral zone and at the defensive blue line. Next season, though, he wants to exert more pressure on the puck carrier inside the defensive zone, particularly down low.

“I think I could be a little bit more of an attacking defender inside our zone,” he said. “Not that I’m ever going to be Michal Kempny; he’s a great attacking defender, he takes away people’s time and space better than a lot of guys in the NHL.

“But, I want to be a hair more aggressive, get the puck out of their hands a little more quickly. It’ll be better for us if I do.”

At the other end of the ice, Carlson wants to finish more of his opportunities. He scored 13 goals last season — two off the career-high he established a season earlier — but Carlson believes there’s some room for improvement, at even strength and on the power play, on the rush and with his cannon of a slap shot from the point.

“Last year, I had the most chances I’ve had in my career, and I didn’t do a good enough job converting,” said Carlson, who won the hardest shot competition at the all-star game in January. “When I get a good scoring chance. I want to score.”

Carlson spoke to The Athletic following an early morning skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, where he was joined by teammates Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie as well as prospects Alex Alexeyev, Ilya Samsonov, Joe Snively and Bobby Nardella.

The daily 80-minute practices are run by longtime strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish. The sessions include skills work, scrimmages, and conditioning, giving Carlson ample time to work on the areas he’s targeting for improvement.

“You can’t have a good training camp without a good summer,” Carlson said.

This offseason has also allowed Carlson to press the reset button mentally — something many Caps were not able to do last summer. The goal, of course, is to hoist the Stanley Cup in June. The effects of a compressed offseason, though, can be felt deep into the following winter.

“I didn’t really feel physically fatigued at all, I wouldn’t say,” he said. “Mentally? Yeah, I would say, there a lot of times where myself personally or the team felt we could use a little jump here or there and we couldn’t find that spark.

“But I don’t like to use excuses. It was there ahead of us and we didn’t take advantage of our chances.”

Carlson said he also wants to be a better leader. With the departure of Brooks Orpik, Carlson, 29, is now the elder statesman of the blue line, even if he’s only got a few months on Kempny, Nick Jensen and Radko Gudas, all of whom were also born in 1990.

Carlson, though, has played more NHL games than any of the aforementioned players. He, also been in Washington the longest. Young players like 22-year-old Jonas Siegenthaler are going to follow his lead. 1107676 Vancouver Canucks can be just as much an art as it is a science, but as always, one of the best ways to gauge the likelihood of a certain outcome occurring is by looking at the past. In our case, we can try identifying goaltenders like Analysis of Jacob Markstrom’s game reveals a goalie well on his way to Markstrom that broke out in their late 20s in their first season as a solid establishing himself as a quality No. 1 No. 1.

To identify these comparables, we’ll search for goalies between the ages of 28 and 31 (Markstrom was 29) that posted their first season with a By Harman Dayal positive goals saved above average while appearing in at least 40 games. Since Corsica’s more complex calculation of goals saved above Aug 13, 2019 average only goes back until 2007-08, we’ll instead use Hockey Reference’s simplified version dating back to 1998. Again, an above average goals saved of zero would indicate exactly average play with In a 2018-19 season where there was little to celebrate, Jacob any negative figure being below par and any positive figure indicating Markstrom’s emergence as a bonafide starting goaltender stood out as performance better than league-average. one of the beaming positives. The only goalies omitted from the cohort were those that dominated as The shift in perception became abundantly clear at the end of the backup goalies when they were younger in their career (10+ goals saved campaign when the fans voted Markstrom as the Vancouver Canucks’ above average in a single season). This eliminates guys like Cory MVP over super rookie Elias Pettersson, who lit up the league with 66 Schneider and Cam Talbot that were great performers and ready to take points in 71 games. It takes something special to trump the franchise’s on bigger roles at a younger age but were simply stuck behind more budding superstar and Markstrom delivered exactly that for the majority established talent (Roberto Luongo for Schneider and Henrik Lundqvist of the year — posting a remarkable .921 save percentage from for Talbot). Markstrom doesn’t fall into this criteria because he’s never December on in front of a defence that was undeniably one of the worst had an overly impressive season as a backup. Below is the list of in the NHL. netminders that fit the bill.

Such words can reek of hyperbole and recency bias when one considers Jacob Markstrom that his 2018-19 .912 save percentage is the exact same as last year’s mark, but that says more about the shortcomings of save percentage as Antti Raanta a statistic than it does Markstrom’s play. Despite being a reasonable Darcy Kuemper starting point, save percentage remains a stat greatly influenced by the team around the goalie. Solid defensive teams that can keep shots to the Cristobal Huet outside like Minnesota, St. Louis and Tampa Bay can artificially inflate a goaltender’s save rate while playing in front of a porous defence like that Mike Smith of Vancouver, Edmonton or Ottawa’s, can sink it. Thomas Greiss

We need to adjust for shot quality and team effects and while more Chad Johnson advanced metrics still need refinement, when we move beyond using just raw save percentage, the numbers back up what we saw with the eye as Niklas Backstrom far as Markstrom’s season. Roman Cechmanek For those unfamiliar, expected save percentage is what league average performance would have led to based on the quality of the chances the Mathieu Garon goalie faced (determined based on shot distance, angle, type, etc). A Martin Gerber high expected save percentage, for example, means the goalie faced easier shots and thus we’d anticipate a higher actual save percentage Milan Hnilicka from them. Manny Legace Two years ago, Markstrom posted an identical .912 save percentage in Chris Mason his first year as Vancouver’s starter, but underperformed the .914 a league-average netminder would have posted based on the chances Tommy Salo allowed. This season, Markstrom faced much tougher shots and an average goalie would have notched just a .905 save percentage — Ron Tugnutt seven points below the .912 he actually ended up registering. In other Roman Turek words, while the year-to-year save percentage is identical, Markstrom faced significantly more difficult shots this year and ended up Darcy Kuemper is in the same boat as Markstrom in that his breakout outperforming league average by a substantial margin. year was this season so we don’t yet know how his situation will pan out. A similar case holds for Antti Raanta who was limited to just 12 games in Above, I’ve included a heat map that compares the shots Markstrom 2018-19 after breaking out the year prior. After excluding Kuemper and faced this past season and the year before. You can see that in 2017-18, Raanta, we’re left with 14 comparables for Markstrom. the Canucks not only conceded fewer shots but most importantly, there’s a solid area of blue right in front of the net — meaning that Vancouver did GSAA data used is the simplified Hockey-Reference version a pretty decent job of keeping shots to the outside. Contrast that to this year where opposing teams were consistently able to setup shop in the For each goalie, I’ve listed the save percentage during their breakout most dangerous areas of the offensive zone. The difference is significant season compared to that year’s average. I’ve also included Hockey- and the fact that Markstrom maintained his save percentage is an Reference’s simplified version of goals saved above average (it doesn’t achievement in itself. take shot quality into account which is why Markstrom’s isn’t that high). Otherwise, there are some pretty remarkable individual seasons. Another way of looking at this is with Corsica’s Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA) metric. This represents the number of goals Markstrom Mike Smith broke out with a .930 save percentage en route to saved compared to a league-average goalie facing the exact same shots. backstopping Arizona to the Western Conference Finals and finished In 2018-19, Markstrom ranked sixth-best among all NHL netminders with 11th in Hart Trophy voting. Roman Cechmanek came over from the 13.3 goals saved above average. This means that if Markstrom was Czech Republic for his first NHL season and finished as the Vezina substituted for a league-average goalie and all his starts unfolded the runner-up behind Dominik Hasek. All told, every name on the list finished same way, the Canucks would have allowed 13 more goals. the season as an above-average starter for the first time in their career and did so between age 28 and 31. Put simply, Markstrom was easily a top-10 goalie this past season. The burning question, of course, is how they fared in the year following. Naturally, the conversation shifts to whether this type of breakout Were most of them able to maintain their new standard or was it performance is sustainable. How likely is it that Markstrom’s turned a predominantly a group that regressed? Turns out it’s quite the mixed bag. corner in his late 20s and that this is the new the norm for him as an above-average starter? We’ll get insight from goaltending experts as this After including Mike Smith, who played in 34 of the 48 regular-season When it comes to sustainability, a key factor is if Markstrom’s legitimately games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, you’ll note that 10 of turned a corner with his technical game. The late Jason Botchford the 14 remained as starters the following year. Of those ten starters, five profiled Ian Clark and how he drove Markstrom’s success in another were very solid once more (Cechmanek, Nikas Backstrom, Manny piece. To follow up on that, I wanted to get insight from third-party Legace, Cristobal Huet and Tommy Salo). These five would represent goaltending experts who’ve watched him closely over his career. Nobody the best-case scenario for Markstrom next year. Four of the other starters fits this bill better than Kevin Woodley, Vancouver correspondent for (Smith, Thomas Greiss, Ron Tugnutt and Roman Turek) were slightly NHL.com and the managing partner of InGoal Magazine. Most below-par (think of Markstrom in 2017-18). importantly, he’s a goaltending guru and someone who’s spent a lot of time with both Markstrom and Clark. Elsewhere, Chad Johnson was a decent 1B option behind Brian Elliott for the Calgary Flames. After that, you have backups who largely regressed “There were a lot of things that evolved last season, both technically and by a significant margin or Chris Mason who struggled mightily as tactically, and Markstrom told me in mid-March that he couldn’t pick out Nashville’s incumbent No. 1. one as the biggest change but also added ‘the main part is staying ahead of the game, which is 10 different smaller things,'” Woodley told The Put simply, five of the fourteen comparables repeated their performances Athletic. as top-flight starters in the season immediately following their breakout, with another four being very close to league-average a No. 1. As a In speaking with Markstrom and Clark, Woodley listed the following as whole, the cohort averaged 46 games and saved 1.8 goals above the biggest specific changes that the 29-year-old Swede made. average. If Markstrom sustained a similar performance over 50-60 games, I think the Canucks would walk away generally satisfied. Sure, it A narrower, more upright stance that facilitated better movements (he might not put him on the cusp of being a top-5 goalie like he was this tended to get locked in too low, too wide, too soon before) and better year, but it’s very rare for even the best goalies to replicate an elite sightlines performance in consecutive years. Establishing more purposeful positioning early in end-zone sequences, Goals saved above average data courtesy Corsica beating opponents to his spots and making them play around him rather than vice versa In the above table, I’ve added the top-10 starting goalies in 2017-18 by goals saved above average. The group is littered with established high- A better-detailed system to manage how he works through and around end netminders, yet you’ll note that as a group they were barely above traffic to find the puck league average in 2018-19. Four of the top-10 goalies (Smith, Jonathan Movement into and off his posts, which is now one fluid motion into Quick, Connor Hellebuyck, Martin Jones) turned in below-par position rather than a two-piece movement like before. And when the performances this past season. John Gibson was essentially the only puck is behind the net, he added what Clark calls “reverse tracking” one on this list to repeat elite play in back to back years. technique, with both pads down and a skate on each post rather than Not only that, but notice the margin by which some of these guys fell. picking a side early and going back and forth Quick, for example, went from the fourth-best starter to posting an .888 A lot of this may sound like jargon to those not familiar with goaltending, save percentage within the span of just a year. After consistently proving but in simpler terms, Markstrom’s revolutionized how he tracks the puck himself to be a capable No. 1 in three straight seasons, Jones also sunk by making a series of smaller, physical changes to his style. It’s led to San Jose with below .900 goaltending in both the regular season and more controlled movements because he’s processing and seeing the playoffs. developing play and puck a lot better, as opposed to before when he was The point here is that it’s not uncommon to see established, top-15 playing catch up and relying on his physical stature to bail him out. He’s netminders turn in below-average play in a given season — it’s very essentially more proactive than he is reactive now. difficult to maintain elite-level performance. Every goalie goes through Clark supported the belief that they worked hard on Markstrom’s tracking peaks and valleys that are comparable to hot or cold streaks from ability, telling Woodley the following in mid-March: “What’s really scorers. The difference is while a skaters streak lasts for small portions of happened is because [Markstrom] is physically ahead of the game, that’s the season, goalies can have up and down stretches that last for the what allows his eyes and his mind to be clearer. You can’t have good entire year. You won’t ever see Sidney Crosby drop below replacement visuals when all you are doing is working hard because you are level, but you can see Carey Price post a .900 save percentage and have constantly behind the play trying to catch up to the game. What’s really the second-worst GSAA of all netminders like two years ago. This is what happened is he is a more organized goalie, which allows him to stay people mean when they say goalies are voodoo — even the best are ahead of the play.” unpredictable. Changing the old stance specifically has also been vital in cutting down Good goalies obviously wind up having much fewer down years in their the soft, long-range goals Markstrom would often allow in years past. career, but it takes a large sample to establish where their true ability level lies. With that in mind, it’d be prudent to look at how Markstrom’s “Some might point to the early goals that used to plague him as a sign of statistical comparables performed not just immediately following their mental issues but I always saw those as technically driven and those breakout, but in the long run. issues have been fixed,” Woodley claims.

The red line follows Markstrom’s goals save above average with the blue “[The] too low, too wide, too tense stance and resulting movement line representing the average of his comparables. You can see that mechanics that let the puck get underneath his vision contributed to a lot Markstrom lines up almost identically to his comparables prior to of the long, leaky goals he was most often criticized for.” breaking out — they were slightly below league-average in performance “[The narrower stance] gives him more explosive lateral movement, before rocketing up. The group holds steady as above-average which means that he can use a little more control in his crease and performers, albeit not reaching the same heights as they did during their ultimately exhibit better movement efficiency,” added The Athletic and breakout campaign. On the positive side, the majority of comparables InGoal Magazine’s, Cat Silverman. remained starters for at least three seasons. But soon after that, the cohort hit a pretty significant downturn. These technical changes sound promising, but the porous defence around Markstrom remains one of the hurdles that he’ll have to After holding steady for three years, most of the group falls off the map overcome. as far as playing at least 40 games per season. “As for being an above-average starter, I certainly think it’s possible if the It seems early, but this is where age-related decline kicks in as these Canucks give him an opportunity to succeed,” Silverman said. netminders enter their 30s. Except for truly elite players, the truth is that most goaltenders are like skaters in that they can fall off pretty sharply in “Their defense has been so chaotic in the last four or five years that it’s their early 30s (look no further than Cory Schneider). been really difficult to properly evaluate their goaltenders over large sample sizes; they’ve been able to steal games, but haven’t really been I’d imagine Markstrom probably lasts a little longer considering that he’s given an opportunity to play with a strong chance to win night after night. a year younger than most of his comparables, meaning you’re likely looking at another few years of him as a competent starter if he follows “I don’t think we can confidently predict that any goaltender will truly the trend of his cohort. thrive in Vancouver unless that atmosphere changes, but if they’re able Why goaltending experts see sustainability in Markstrom’s game to continue solidifying their defensive structure this season, I don’t really much of the buzz surrounding the team’s playoff aspirations, but the man see why Markstrom won’t be able to thrive [given his technical changes].” who’s ultimately most responsible for the team’s fate might just be the one between the pipes. No pressure. “I am confident that with Clark here pushing — and Markstrom has talked openly about how hard he pushes and deserves a lot of credit for embracing it because it’s not easy and Ian doesn’t often sugar coat things — he will continue to progress,” said Woodley. The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019

“In fact, if he did what was asked of him in terms of training this offseason, there are even some technical elements he should be able to add that he couldn’t last season because of physical limitations last season.”

The defence around Markstrom is an interesting case to think about. As far as defensive zone coverage is concerned, Jordie Benn will certainly help, but Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers aren’t particularly good at defending without the puck. Of course, puck possession is the name of the game and players like Hughes and Myers provide significant upgrades as puck-moving options, which means the Canucks will spend less time defending in the first place. But sometimes adjusting to a lighter workload can actually have a detrimental impact on goalies who are more rhythm-based.

“It might sound silly to suggest that better defense could hurt a goalie, but there are some goalies that rely on being busy and struggle when the gaps between shots go up,” Woodley said. “I’m not saying Markstrom is one of them but I simply haven’t seen him for long periods behind a really good team.

“Same goes for handling increasing expectations, or a contract year. We can’t see between their ears, just what they do between the pipes, so could external factors like that have a negative effect? It’s possible.”

Still, there are enough concrete signs of legitimate improvement that would suggest he’s on the right track as far as establishing himself as a quality No. 1– a fate many expected of him at a young age given his previous pedigree as one of the world’s best goaltending prospects.

“If asked to put money on it, I’d say yes, I am confident he’ll be an above- average starter next season,” Woodley said. “But that’s easier to say given the numbers I saw from Clear Sight Analytics put him top-5 in the NHL when factoring in shot quality and workload last season, so he doesn’t even need to match that to be above average.”

With everything we know, what should we expect from Markstrom?

History would tell us that goalies who break out later in their careers like Markstrom will probably regress to a notable degree in their following season.

The fortunate thing is that when you consider the quality of the shots he faced, it’s evident that he was bordering on the edge of being a top-5 goalie last year. While it’s unreasonable to expect him to continue stealing wins at that proficiency, regression could mean falling back from elite to above-average performance as a starter. If Vancouver’s defence rebounds from a disastrous year (which it should), that alone could offset any potential fall-off from Markstrom. And because his raw save percentage undersold the excellent season he just had, it’s possible that he could taper off without people really realizing it.

From a long-term perspective, it would appear that most of Markstrom’s statistical comparables went on to become solid, albeit close to league- average starters for two or three years after breaking out before succumbing to age-related decline. Unspectacular results won’t win you major accolades, but that’s just the history with goalies who’ve bloomed later in their careers.

In having said that, I’m more confident in him as an above-average starter in the short-term than the fate of most of his historical comparables would suggest and it comes down to belief in the tactical and technical strides he’s made alongside Ian Clark.

Markstrom’s movements and overall game are a lot more controlled thanks to improvements in his biomechanical setup and eye to ensure he’s tracking the puck more proactively — major contributing factors into why he’s cut down on the soft goals. Given this and a potentially improved blue line, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him buck the trend and further establish himself as a quality No. 1. It’s not entirely unprecedented either — Mike Smith and Manny Legace were two of his comparables and each lasted as viable starters for quite some time.

It’s been a long journey riddled with many obstacles and challenges, but Markstrom has finally broken out. The young stars in Vancouver get 1107677 Websites subject in most dressing rooms and – why not? – maybe even help others avoid his mistakes.

An NHL player is paid between Oct. 15 and Apr. 15, based on a payment The Athletic / Breaking down an NHL salary: The numbers aren’t as big schedule that runs between 186 and 192 days; not every team plays 82 as you think games in the same number of days.

The checks typically arrive on the 15th and the last day of the month.

By Sean Gordon Some players have bonuses built into their contract; in fact, all entry-level Aug 13, 2019 deals come with those bonuses specified ahead of time. Veterans will often negotiate summer bonuses, which serve a couple of purposes: they’re generally treated differently from regular income for tax purposes and they ensure summertime cash flow. You are a teenager from Montreal’s working-class west end and you have just signed your first NHL contract. Congratulations on that, by the If you’re fortunate, you’ll sign a one-way deal that pays the same in the way. minors as it does in the show. Most players aren’t that lucky.

The numbers look huge to a kid whose main source of income in the According to Spotrac.com, the median salary last year in the NHL was previous three or four summers is washing dishes in a relative’s $2,875,000. But 193 NHL players earned $1 million or less. Fully 100 of restaurant for $8 an hour: $643,000 (all figures U.S.) to play in the big them made under $800,000. league, $65,000 to play in the minors. The deal includes a signing bonus of about $260,000, which in this case is paid out in six equal installments This is not intended to provoke pity – hockey players are firmly over the three years of the entry-level contract. entrenched in the one percent – but it’s a fact that NHL players are underpaid relative to the other major professional sports. And they’re So what’s the first thing you do when you’re 19 and that first check probably not taking home as much money as you think. arrives? Oh, and they don’t play for very long. Estimates vary, but there seems to “I bought a Lexus ISF,” defenceman Marco Scandella be an informal consensus that five years is a good guesstimate of the said. “It was a good life lesson.” average career length. More than half of the people who play in the NHL suit up for fewer than 100 games. It’s not quite NFL running back short, Scandella, by his own admission, is an obsessive gear-head, a bona fide but it’s no kind of security. car freak. It was a slick ride, but awfully expensive (the retail price in 2010 was north of $50,000) for a guy who spent the bulk of his rookie Most of these players will have only one chance to accumulate enough season in 2010-11 playing in the AHL. wealth to ensure their financial independence. Not all of them will make the most of it. “That first year, I was like ‘oh man, am I going to be able to make the payments here?’,” Scandella said. “So I sold that car after a year. I In November of 2014, Scandella signed a five-year contract that pays couldn’t really afford it, but when you have no understanding of the value him an average of $4-million per season. It was back-loaded, so this of a dollar you’re going to make those mistakes. I’m happy it happened at upcoming year he’s slated to make $4.75 million in actual salary. 19 and not at 25.” He and Shannon recently walked The Athletic through what that It happens. A lot. represents.

Young men who acquire sudden riches aren’t exactly known for their First thing: roughly $641,000 will be returned to the league via the escrow financial restraint. As the Sabres defenceman embarks on his 10th full mechanism in the collective bargaining agreement between the owners professional season, he can afford to look back and laugh – and the NHLPA. Hockey players are employees of their respective teams metaphorically and literally. and it’s a union shop; their income taxes are deducted at the source, the same is true for things like escrow. And as a relatively old guy by NHL standards (he’ll turn 30 in February), Scandella considers it an obligation of sorts to speak out about financial So $4.75 million is de facto $4.109 million after escrow. literacy in the game. Or more to the point, the shocking lack of same. Because Scandella plays in the U.S., he is eligible to contribute to a Some players are lucky enough to have agents, advisers, family 401(k) retirement account; the maximum contribution limit for 2019 is members or friends who save them from themselves. Scandella’s reps let $19,000. Thus, the overall number drops to $4.090 million. him have that initial check to see what he’d do with it; by the time he’d finished his entry-level deal, he’d managed to save what he thought was The U.S. federal marginal tax rate is 37 percent, according to Shannon’s a respectable chunk of money. estimations a player making $4.75 million can expect to pay roughly $1.84 million in income tax. Players also pay between zero percent (in And that’s when he turned to his pal Matthew Shannon. The two played Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, Florida and, soon, Washington) and 13.35 Midget AAA hockey together (“I got cut after six games,” Shannon says) percent (California) in state tax. Canadian-born players who play in their and had become fast friends in the process. While Scandella scaled the home country can expect to be dinged for average combined tax rates hockey ladder to the NHL, Shannon graduated university and was that range from 47.2 percent in Alberta to 52.73 in Ontario. working as a corporate and investment banker on Bay Street, picking up a CFA designation along the way. So budget another few hundred thousand for provincial or state taxes, although those calculations can get complicated (you can play around “It was hilarious, he came to my parents’ backyard … he had about with the math here, if that’s your thing). Depending on where a player $300,000 saved up, I asked him what it’s invested in, do you like how plies his trade, he may file up to 18 different tax returns. Also, a player they’re investing it?” Shannon said, who now runs Fortra V, a sports may have options to defer tax depending on where he chooses to retire. management consultancy that works with more than a dozen hockey players. “And he was like, ‘what do you mean?’ Well, what stocks do you But between now and then, you have to live. own, do you have any ETFs and he’s looking at me like I’m speaking a Based on a gross salary of $4.75 million, Shannon estimates household different language.” expenses (rent, property taxes, fees for upkeep, etc.) would run in the After fumbling around trying to find his various online passwords, order of $50,000. Budget another $12,000 for car repairs, gas, license Scandella was able to locate the account with his nest egg. It was a plate registrations, parking, detailing and so forth. chequing account, earning peanuts – little tiny ones at that. When Those are expenses everyone pays, adjusted to their means. Some Shannon asked about estate planning, disability insurance, tax hockey players will spend more, others less, these are ballpark numbers. strategies, health proxies and the like, he was met with blank stares. Being in the NHL also means incurring expenses that are unique to pro “I had no idea what I was doing,” Scandella said. sports.

Now he does. This is the story about one NHLer’s education in all If you want to sign a contract, you’re going to need to hire an agent (well, matters fiscal, a tale he hopes will demystify what remains a taboo unless you’re Drew Doughty). That agent is going to charge you a commission that typically ranges from three to five percent. And those Pro sports being pro sports, players are expected to live in appropriately fees will be calculated as a function of gross salary minus escrow. glamorous surroundings. They rent or buy fancy places, drive fancy cars and eat fancy food (Scandella estimates he spends $500 per week on For a player making $4.75 million, agency fees will cost in the area of the finer things like organic meats and produce). $130,000. The rules prohibit certified agents from collecting commissions on revenue that hasn’t been earned, so generally players will get a hefty Peer pressure is a reality in all walks of life, but most of us can’t fathom invoice from their representative at the end of the season. For people what it’s like to experience it as a young, seemingly invincible, millionaire who don’t generally earn any income between mid-April and mid- pro athlete. The reality of the NHL player is not one most of us can easily October, that can require some financial gymnastics. relate to. That doesn’t make it any less real.

Shannon typically tries to put his clients on a monthly payment plan for And not only is there an expectation attached to how an NHLer should simplicity’s sake. live, but it’s also integral to the dream these young men have pursued all their lives. The headlong rush to achieve it is followed by a different kind There are other professional fees to consider. Nutritionists, strength of rush: that associated with buying a Rolex or a new Lexus. coaches, skills coaches. For the typical NHLer, it can run into the tens of thousands. Shannon typically budgets $10,000. That’s about the same Scandella, parenthetically, learned from his initial missteps; he managed amount a player will pay someone to handle their finances, plus another to make himself wait eight years to buy his first proper luxury timepiece $4,000 or so for tax preparation and perhaps $5,000 for legal and nine to buy his six-figure dream car (a Porsche 911 GT3). representation. “I feel like there is pressure (to spend),” he said. “You need a nice suit … Add it up, and you’re left with roughly $150,000 in professional costs and actually, you probably need three nice ones, to start. You can’t live in an fees. Those used to be deductible expenses under the U.S. tax code, but apartment that’s $2,500 or less – in the NHL, like there’s a certain no longer. Same goes for mortgage interest, which was fully deductible standard in the league. You’re shopping at Whole Foods, you’re living for approved loans but will be capped at $750,000 in 2019. this lifestyle where you need to spend money taking care of your body; nutrition is huge. I feel like if you’re out with the guys, everybody makes At one point, Scandella owned a home in Minnesota; it didn’t turn out to good money so you’re going out to really nice restaurants. This is just the be a profitable decision. NHL standard, it’s what it is. As a young guy coming in and making “I had no idea how high taxes were and condo fees,” he said. “It was like $600,000 and you’re probably keeping $280,000 out of that – you’re paying rent on a place I owned. I had just signed a five-year deal, I just spending money and when you look at how much is left at the end of the felt really good about playing the rest of my career in that city and with year … it’s not that easy to save. And careers are short.” that organization. That was another good life lesson.” Shannon said that for a player making $4.75 million, he would try and The lesson here: In most cases, rent, don’t buy. limit “fun money” spending on restaurants, All-Star break and summer travel, clothes and other conspicuous consumption to $180,000. That’s You’ve paid your work-related expenses but now you’re going to need still a colossal amount of money ($15,000 a month), but given the total insurance. salary being earned, it seems almost quaint.

The NHL group plan covers general health care costs for players and “There’s one number you need to understand: a guy making $4.75 million their dependents, and if a player needs a torn labrum repaired or a knee who’s only spending $180,000 in disposable income, fun money, is only scoped he generally won’t find himself out of pocket (although some left with $1.7 million,” Shannon said. “It’s nuts.” players do seek out multiple medical opinions, which is usually offset by the NHLPA, but sometimes not). That’s $1.7 million minus unbudgeted expenses and without considering state taxes for U.S.-based players and provincial taxes for Canadians. You may have heard hockey is a violent game, so people like Shannon advise their players to take out disability and life insurance. And again, nearly a third of the league makes less than $1-million per season. “Depends on the player and what they want to do, but I typically suggest off-ice coverage throughout the deal and in the last year we switch to 24- Many hundreds of pro hockey players won’t ever see even that much. hour (the athlete is covered both on and off the ice) to almost protect the Here’s a story about the minors: when Scandella was playing in Houston, future contract,” Shannon said. where the Wild’s AHL affiliate was then located, one of his teammates That sometimes runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It can got called up to the NHL in recognition of a great season at the minor cost $7,000 up front per million insured. For example, if Scandella league level. decides to insure himself for $15 million in his contract year (or a figure As it happens, the game was in Nashville, which at that time had a so- akin to what he hopes will be the value of his next contract), he’s looking called “jock tax” of $2,500 for visiting NHL players. at $105,000 for disability insurance. Life insurance comes in addition to that. “It cost him money to play in that game,” Scandella said.

Shannon estimates an NHLer making in the area of $5 million who The difficulty, of course, is a lot of players in the minors want very badly follows his recommendations can expect to pay $130,000 for insurance, to play in the NHL and many of them have two-way NHL contracts. That perhaps more in a contract year. means they’re facing similar levels of expenditures for things like off-ice training and eating right. Then, there’s what Scandella calls ‘sneaky expenses’ – the stuff no one tells you about before you play in the NHL. For example, tips paid to “Guys are making between $60,000 and $80,000, taxed, you’re paying trainers, equipment staff, physios, massage therapists and everybody for housing, food, car; some guys have girlfriends or wives, in the else who keeps the engine of a hockey team chugging. offseason some guys have (second) jobs,” he said, ‘It’s … not easy. It’s a grind.” Support staff for NHL teams are overworked and underpaid; the gratuities punted their way by their millionaire charges helps narrow the Just ask Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde about that. He income gap at least a little bit. For a veteran player on a long-term deal, didn’t become a full-time NHL player until the season he turned 26 and it’s an annual expense that can rise to the tens of thousands of dollars. earned his first one-way deal the year after that.

“I mean, they work,” Scandella said. “You have to look after those guys, Gourde spent the better part of seven seasons in the minors, split they do everything.” between the ECHL and the AHL. In the former, players often play for less than $1,000 a week. In the latter, he was guaranteed between $60,000 Now, it’s time to account for fun money. Scandella learned relatively early and $100,000 – a good salary to be sure, but not entirely out of whack in his career that if he was going to put funds aside for his post-playing with what workaday folk might take in. days, he had to learn to live on a budget. Last November, he hit the jackpot: a six-year, $31 million contract. It’s “I was spending more in places that I didn’t even realize I was bleeding been an incredible slog to get to this point and Gourde said it’s probably money,” he said. “I used to like to modify my cars, it was easy for me to the best thing that could have happened to him. As a player in his late say ‘ah, $2,000 on that.’ I was playing up and down (between the AHL 20s, he feels adequately prepared and well enough informed to deal with and NHL), I didn’t understand what I was making and how much I had.” what comes next. “I’ve matured a lot since the beginning of my career, I know what it’s like base that will ensure Scandella’s future and those of the people he cares to live on a pretty minimal salary; I mean the salaries in the East Coast about. aren’t the same as (the NHL), you don’t play for the money,” he said in a recent interview. “I’m ready for this now, I’m not going to change anything They’re nearly there. Scandella is accustomed to needling over his about the way I live. I’m happy, but it’s not going to change my life. budget-consciousness.

“I’ve never been a fancy car guy or anything like that. I’m aware of the “Some guys will be ‘ah, you’re being a little tight,’ but at the end of the value of a dollar, I’ve worked since I was a little kid; I bagged groceries at day I still do everything I want, we still go on great trips, but it’s those my dad’s store (in Saint-Narcisse, Que.), I worked on a farm, I paid for $20,000 out of nowhere that I don’t do,” he said. “You don’t need to go on my first car on my own. I had to work. I’ve always had to work.” that crazy trip on the P.J. (private jet), just get a business class or first- class ticket. It’s the same. Those things make a huge difference.” But work ethic alone isn’t enough when it comes to wealth management. And in the end, he says, it’s definitely worth it. Today’s players tend to have more formal education than past generations of NHLers – due in no small part to the growing influx of “I’m going into year 10, and having invested and watching my savings NCAA players. As Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jordie Benn, then of make a substantial amount of money, that’s where the fun is: watching the Canadiens, said at the end of last season when asked about his money do what it’s supposed to do … I had the discipline to listen,” he knowledge of financial matters, “if I have questions I usually just ask one said. “It’s actually happening and that’s what I’m proud of. We made this of the college guys.” work.”

As for his own investments?

“I know nothing, I have someone who takes care of that.” The Athletic LOADED: 08.14.2019

Variations of that answer tend to pop up when talking to players about the subject.

Financial adviser Chris Moynes, who works with roughly 70 NHL clients as part of his financial consulting practice at ONE Sports + Entertainment Group and Aligned Capital Partners Inc., said the I-hire-experts-for-that approach may, paradoxically, be making the league less financially literate on aggregate.

It can sound strange coming from one of the handful of people who work in the hockey player personal finance area (former NHL player Stewart Gavin is another) to say that, but facts are facts.

“It’s not rocket science, but you do have to be engaged in the process,” Moynes said. “The sport doesn’t lend itself to providing these kids with education on finances, or anything really. Pro sports, in general, doesn’t.”

It’s not that resources don’t exist, they do, but one has to seek them out. And not everyone does. Nor are investment strategies or the imperatives of budgeting regular themes in the dressing room.

“It’s a taboo topic,” Scandella said.

Generally, he continued, you only hear about wins with this or that investment. Sports is a competitive business after all.

At the same time, people like Moynes and Shannon will tell you the bulk of their business is generated by word of mouth. It’s another paradox, albeit fairly easily explained.

“It’s a trust thing with us, hockey players, it’s all about trust,” Scandella said. “Most guys come from pretty humble beginnings, family-oriented … you come into money and you don’t know who to trust. When I had that $300,000 in my chequing account I’d be getting phone calls weekly from people just begging me to let them invest my money. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know you, I’m not trusting you with this huge amount of money’. I don’t even know how people got my number. Then you get friends of friends who start to call, ‘I heard he doesn’t have anyone managing his money,’ it’s … yeah.”

A decade on, he knows how compound interest works. He understands risk allocation and the need to plan for a future after the game (yes, he fully appreciates the fact he can do so is the greatest luxury of all).

Scandella has come a long way from the kid who had only a flimsy grasp on how checks worked. True story.

“My first year in the league, I was getting actual checks,” he said. “And I would go deposit them with the cashier, here you go. I’m 19, 20 years old and I’d throw the check on the table, this one’s $25,000, that one’s $30,000, everyone’s freaking out in there … I didn’t even have direct deposit set up, that’s how little I knew. I mean, I didn’t realize you could re-issue a check, I thought – I was walking around like, ‘what if someone steals this’. I thought I had $30,000 in my pocket. I was holding on to the check and thinking if anyone tries to steal this check I’m fighting them to the death. I had no idea. Guys don’t know … how do they not teach kids in high school how to budget? Or how investments work?”

For a guy who knew nothing, Scandella has done well, thanks to a little help from his friends. He and Shannon have a number in mind – an asset 1107678 Websites with 15 (gone). Among forwards, only three guys took double digits all year. Marner attempted 12, Matthews 11, Nylander 10.

In conclusion, only Muzzin utilizes the slap shot as part of his arsenal at The Athletic / Why today’s NHL stars look far different than those that all, and even then, he uses it less than every other game. So … I guess dominated decades ago he has the hardest shot on the team? Unless Matthews or Nylander’s wristy/snap shots are outpacing him, I guess nobody really has a traditional “hard” shot on the Leafs? The heavy slap shot – what was By Justin Bourne once a highly prized NHL raw ability – basically just … isn’t, anymore.

Aug 13, 2019 That’s a bit of a strange concept for someone who remembers it being so revered back when I was a kid.

One of the other Leafs questions was who’s the hardest hitter on the Next week here at The Athletic I’ll start rolling out a series of posts that team? Well, that would be … well, damn, again. Who even hits anyone plays pretty well to my strengths in player analysis. They’ll look at the on that team? By hits-per-game, we’re again looking at Muzzin, who best isolated individual skills around the NHL while comparing the elite to averaged two per night as a Maple Leaf. Other competitors for the title, the other elites. Some of those will be looking at the classics, so to speak well … you’re tempted to say Zach Hyman, because he actually runs into – who is the fastest skater when it comes to straightaway speed, who’s people, but that’s not the right answer. He hits with a purpose, he’s a got the hardest shot and all the rest – while a couple of others will look at puck separator, he rarely puts anyone on their backside. The other who has the most unique NHL trait, who’s the most deceptive laterally leaders by hits-per-game are Zaitsev – gone, and not a hard hitter and more. anyway – Travis Dermott, who hits only strategically and Freddy the To make sure I didn’t overlook anyone, and to give readers a more Goat, who hits with all the gusto of a gentle breeze off a pond on a cool comprehensive look around the league, I enlisted the help of most of our spring morning (comparatively speaking, of course). Kasperi Kapanen beat writers to weigh in on their own teams. Given that I write on the bumps some people too, but yeah … you get the idea. The league itself Leafs a little more regularly than other teams, I filled in the questionnaire is low on bone-rattlers these days, and the Leafs are on the extreme side for Toronto, which brings me to a meta-point about NHL hockey today in their total absence. Therefore, I guess you’d answer Muzzin here, who that’s a reality but not often acknowledged. claims the title almost by default.

The skill sets that makeup star players in the NHL today would be This is a chart from an article I wrote last year on the decline of hitting in borderline unrecognizable to those who marveled at the speed of a Guy general (and why it’s not important that Auston Matthews do it), showing Lafleur, the cannon shot of an Al MacInnis or the brawn of a Clark Gillies. the team who led the league in hits by year. It shows a decline in hits by It’s extremely rare today that one player is good enough at one thing, or the league leader of over six hundred in just six seasons. even two things, to where it allows us to say “that’s the one raw ability The tool of straight-up hitting is fading away, as players use contact as that makes that player better than everyone else.” There are exceptions, more of a means of puck acquisition than intimidation and aggression. but they’re few. The full list: McDavid’s speed, Ovechkin’s one-timer, maybe or Zdeno Chara’s shot, though I’d argue their shots It’s easy to read about the Leafs not taking slapshots and not really weren’t even considered their most important attributes for their given hitting anyone as an indictment, but Toronto has proven that their core is, teams during their prime years. Every player today is so good at at worst, quite good. They’ve hit 100 points two seasons in a row, have everything, that being elite in one or two of the basics of the game is no made the playoffs each of the last three and nobody out there is thinking longer enough to earn status as an elite player. they’re going to miss Hainsey’s slapshots all that much on their quest to get back to that level. They’re just playing a game that’s closer to how To put it somewhat strangely, today’s stars have to be physical liars. hockey looks today in the big picture and doing it quite well. Seemingly nothing they do, and nothing they advertise themselves to be doing next, ends up being the truth. They’re changing angles, altering The advantage of having a guy with a cannon shot is so small in today’s release points and pushing their arms out on simple passes before game most players don’t bother winding up. The advantage of mowing changing that pass direction at the last second with their wrists. The over opponents in today’s game is so small that most players don’t speed they’re moving at now will not be the speed they’re skating at in a bother chasing others down. And, most teams certainly don’t bother second, and it may not be because they’re about to go faster. It’s so rare having those type of players around just because they do those niche to be good enough at any one thing that you can deploy it honestly and things very well. have it consistently best your opponents. This difficult point that this speaks to, for hockey, is that the game has a The American Hockey League and overseas are littered with players that problem on its hands. Hockey was already one of the fastest moving you could say this about: “My god, with the way he skates there’s no way games not just in North America, but one of the fastest moving games, he should be in the minors.” You may think it about a dozen different period. That made it hard to understand for potential new fans, and really guys and a dozen different abilities over the course of a single game. The only those who grew up watching or playing it were really adept at AHL’s fastest skater contest was won by Anthony Greco, whose time following what was happening. It was a tough game to sit down and was faster than McDavid’s by a blink. The hardest shot contest was won understand without real effort, which is why it was great for those fans to by Greg Carey, whose 100.4 MPH slapper would’ve been harder than at least be able to plainly see the contrast between the elite talents and five of the eight attempts taken in the NHL skills affair. If you want to everyone else. But it’s getting even harder for the newbie fan to do that. stretch it far back enough, I myself once went four for four in an All-Star game accuracy shooting contest. You get the idea – elite individual The stars of today, as I mentioned earlier in this piece, are making it such abilities do not an NHL All-Star make. a challenge to tell who’s good and who isn’t because “the little things” coaches reference all the time have gotten even littler. It seems like I mention that this came up when I was looking at the Leafs roster when I everyone can skate like the wind because the overall level of everyone’s had this epiphany, because, well, you try it, and let’s see where that skating is so high. Those of us who are around the game daily know takes us: who on the Toronto Maple Leafs has the hardest shot? there are a handful of players who are truly special in this specific category, but the gap between the Kasperi Kapanens and league Yeah, that’s kinda where I was too. No idea. average is not what the gap was between Guy Lafleur and the then I don’t mean who has the best shot – that’s another question entirely, and league average. You have to know what you’re looking for to find it now one that’ll be included in my upcoming “best raw skills” series – I mean and this is true for more than just raw speed. Explaining to someone why who cranks that thing up to the highest MPH on the team? That led me a great young player is great can rarely be done with simple terms like directly to the question “who even takes slap shots on the Leafs?” The “size” or “speed” or “great shot.” answer is somewhat irrelevant, as the point here is that asking that I find with most things in life, the deeper you go into your understanding, question is something that legitimately comes up when you consider the more enjoyable it becomes (save for maybe politics). For example, hardest shot on the Leafs. But for trivia sake, last year’s leader was Ron the more I learn about astronomy, the more I enjoy learning about Hainsey, who took 31 all season – good for 103rd most in the NHL. astronomy. Hockey (again, save for its politics) is like that. For us diehard Staying with the trivia portion for a second here, the Leafs top five was fans, we love that the best players of today do what they do via Hainsey (gone), Jake Gardiner with 19 (gone), Morgan Rielly with 19, deception. I get legitimately delighted when an offensive player lies to a Jake Muzzin with 15 (38 all season, LA combined), and Nikita Zaitsev defender about what he’s going to do next and the guy bites. Below is maybe my favourite video I’ve made during my time with The Athletic (from this piece, also on deception), purely because I love the Ryan Johansen’ seemingly unimpressive wrist roll so much.

That to me is art, that’s talent, that’s special. The average level of player is so good today that the game’s stars have to specialize in speedy subtlety. What’s great just looks so far different from the greatness of yore.

There are still extremely rare exceptions to what we’re talking about here, as I mentioned in the intro, but grouping players by individual skills is harder than ever. On the whole, the game of hockey has changed, and as a result, the tools players use to become stars have moved towards blending skills, improvisation and deception over great single weapons.

Whether it’s a good thing or not, the marveling over today’s players is less “did you see what they just did” and more “what did they just do?”

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