nhl`s daily clips - Philadelphia Flyers

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SPORT-SCAN
DAILY BRIEF
NHL 6/25/2012
Boston Bruins 635628
Lower profile, but big upside New Jersey Devils 635661
Buffalo Sabres 635629
Free agents will be shown the money despite CBA issue Calgary Flames 635630
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Flames newest goaltender has position in his blood Feaster has no time to rest after NHL draft Flames face free-agent decisions New York Rangers 635662
The Hurricanes’ top 10 trades Canes address needs on second day of draft Staal haul among top trades, but not No. 1 Friday was an unforgettable day for the Staals Chicago Blackhawks 635637
Roenick’s nephew among Hawks’ Day 2 picks Columbus Blue Jackets 635639
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Michael Arace commentary: When, oh when, will the waiting
be over? Jordan Staal gets new bride, then new team Blue Jackets | Howson: Offers not right for Nash deal Detroit Red Wings 635643
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Penguins, like Red Wings, eye Zach Parise, Ryan Suter Jiri Fischer pointed Wings to hard-shooting Martin Frk Bigger is better for Wings' draft choices Ex-Wings broadcaster Budd Lynch, 94, honored for
charitable work for kids Report: Penguins to make play for Ryan Suter, Zach Parise Red Wings' top pick Martin Frk wants to be power forward
who can crash and bang as well as score Red Wings have serious competition from Pittsburgh in their
efforts to land Ryan Suter and Zach Parise Edmonton Oilers 635650
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Top Oilers prospects on display starting Wednesday Oilers still have work to do Yakupov ready to get at it Florida Panthers 635653
After quiet draft weekend Panthers GM turns to present
issues Los Angeles Kings 635654
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A look at 2012-13 salary structure Stoll in Hermosa, Brown in Torrance Minnesota Wild 635656
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Wild Insider: Fletcher will be confronting the sales job of the
century Wild ready to take their best shot at top NHL free agents Sens’ prospect Maidens still on mend from concussion The ones to watch Philadelphia Flyers 635667
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Pieces falling into place for ‘Homer' Flyers' draft capsules Terry Murray could soon be back in Flyers organization Flyers reunite Schenn brothers James van Riemsdyk thanks Flyers fans Flyers get defensive in draft Flyers trade van Riemsdyk for elder Schenn brother Flyers' Day 2 headliners have taken unconventional paths to
Philly Laviolette firmly a part of Flyers’ future plans Flyers GM Holmgren makes splash again Pittsburgh Penguins 635677
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Sutter expected to address trade Top pick quietly takes stage Big-name free agents on pickup list? St Louis Blues 635680
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Blues turn attention to free agency Hockey Guy: Draft weekend winners Tampa Bay Lightning 635682
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Draft finished, Bolts' focus now on free agency Slater Koekkoek pick makes sense to Tampa Bay Lightning
and top NHL scout Toronto Maple Leafs 635684
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Brian Burke still has work to do, especially on Luongo Feschuk: Morgan Rielly, Leafs Nation turns its lonely eyes to
you Kings blueprint for Maple Leafs, coach says Leafs' won't regret Rielly pick Kulemin talks could get testy Bittersweet exit for Schenn Carlyle rolling up his sleeves Leafs’ Brian Burke still has plenty of holes to fill after James
van Riemsdyk trade Vancouver Canucks Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators 635694
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Predators show unprecedented focus on forwards at NHL
draft Sunday Night Hockey in Canada, anyone? NHL players meet to set agenda for contract war Ottawa Senators 635665
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Canadiens make the most of their top four picks Canadiens win in Pittsburgh Rangers holding camp for prospects NHL 635663
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NHL Draft 2012: Devils' second round pick, Damon
Severson, aspires to be like Shea Weber Iain MacIntyre: Trying to match a price to Luongo's value Draft notes: Canucks surprise with second pick Washington Capitals After draft, what’s next for the Capitals? After ‘great weekend,’ Caps’ McPhee weighs wading into
free agent pool Websites 635700
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USA TODAY / Which teams helped themselves most at
draft? YAHOO SPORTS / Rick Nash & Roberto Luongo: NHL stars
still waiting for the right trade to come along Winnipeg Jets 635696
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Team adds draft picks and intrigue Scheifele to play vs. Russians Jets' Mason wants a deal Gustavsson uncertain about future with Jets
SPORT-SCAN, INC. (941) 484-5941 phone (619) 839-3811 fax
635628
Boston Bruins
Lower profile, but big upside
By Stephen Harris / Bruins Beat | Monday, June 25, 2012 |
http://www.bostonherald.com | Boston Bruins
PITTSBURGH — The Bruins’ participation in the NHL draft was not nearly
as high-profile this year as in the previous two years (thank you, Phil
Kessel), but the net result may have been the same: getting a youngster in
Round 1 who seems destined for stardom.
Two years ago, tabbed with the No. 2 overall selection, there was Tyler
Seguin — not exactly a star yet, but heading in that direction.
Last year, the B’s landed big defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the No. 9
pick — and you’d be hard-pressed to find a hockey scout who doesn’t see
him as a can’t-miss, Rob Blake/Chris Pronger type.
And this time around, though they had to wait until No. 24 on Friday night,
the Bruins might well have again picked up a player who’ll be a key guy for
many years: goalie Malcolm Subban.
The Bruins never imagined Subban — with good size and extraordinary
quickness, athletic ability and competitiveness — would still be available so
late in the first round.
“If you ask every NHL scout about a pick, (you frequently hear), ‘I couldn’t
believe he was there when we picked,’ ” B’s chief scout Wayne Smith said
with a laugh just after the draft wrapped up.
“Certainly Malcolm Subban would be the biggest surprise. His upside is so
high, and the quality of person he is is so tremendous, any time you can
obtain an asset like that it’s very exciting. It’s the same as when we were
able to add a Doug Hamilton. These are the kind of people you want in the
organization. They’re winners.”
While Subban figures to be pressing Tuukka Rask for playing time in two to
three years, we’ll have to wait and see whether the other five youngsters
picked by the B’s on Saturday ever get the chance to prove themselves as
NHL winners.
There are great NHL drafts, with oodles of talent that runs deep down the
selection lists. There are OK drafts. And there are weak ones. This year’s
probably leans toward that final category, which meant teams had to make
picks on intuition more than ironclad certainty — or as close as you can get
to certainty when evaluating an 18-year-old’s future ability to play a man’s
game.
“This was a year universally through the league they felt it was a down year,
whereas next year is projected to be the strongest draft in 20 years,” Smith
said. “I think anytime you have a draft like this one, you go off of your gut,
you go off of the work of your scouts — sometimes maybe you go off the
board.”
The Bruins did that with their second choice, at No. 85 overall in Round 3.
Matt Grzelcyk, a product of Charlestown who enters Boston University in a
few weeks, was rated the 177th-best North American skater by NHL Central
Scouting.
The B’s have searched for years for a player in his category: a small, quick,
smart defenseman with the skills and vision to pass the puck out of the
zone and the inclination to jump up and join the attack. They believe
Grzelcyk may be one of those guys.
The fact his dad, John, has worked for the Garden for 45 years, and that
Grzelcyk will be playing just a few miles away in college, had to help with
the pick.
The Bruins used their first pick of Round 5 — acquired on the draft floor
from Tampa Bay in a trade of Benoit Pouliot — on an interesting Ontario
Hockey League scorer, Seth Griffith. He is not big, at 5-foot-91⁄2 and 180
pounds, and not blazingly fast, but is said to be a smart, pure scorer (45-4085 totals playing with B’s draftee Jared Knight at London).
The B’s other three picks probably fall more into the “project” category: a
pair of big and tough wingers in Cody Payne (Round 5, No. 145) and Colton
Hargrove (Round 7; No. 205), and a defenseman with a great NHL
pedigree in Matt Benning (Round 6, No. 175).
With the overall draft a bit weaker than usual, it was a very good year for
Massachusetts kids, with some 10 drafted — several higher than some
scouts expected.
“It’s definitely a strong college class,” said defenseman Doyle Somerby, a
Marblehead product who went in the fifth round to the New York Islanders.
“It’s put New England back on the map a little bit, specifically the Boston
area. It’s a great thing for hockey.”
Boston Herald LOADED: 06.25.2012
635629
Buffalo Sabres
Free agents will be shown the money despite CBA issue
By John Vogl
With the draft behind them, NHL teams are now looking toward free
agency. As usual, there is a ridiculous amount of money waiting to be
spent.
This year, though, the players available are worth only a fraction of the
cash.
The salary cap, instituted for the 2005-06 season, is going up for the eighth
consecutive year. Estimates have it rising to $70.3 million, up $6 million
from last season. Official totals will be released by the NHL this week.
The numbers come with a huge caveat, however. They will be based on the
current collective bargaining agreement, which expires Sept. 15. If the
league gets its way in negotiations, the players will no longer receive 57
percent of revenues and the cap number would go down. The NHL Players’
Association will fight to keep at least the current breakdown.
Despite the uncertainty of CBA talks, teams plan to attack Sunday’s
opening of free agency based on the current numbers.
“We’re going business as usual,” Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager
Brian Burke said this weekend in Pittsburgh. “That’s what the league has
instructed teams to do. We’re operating under the terms of this collective
bargaining agreement, and we’ll see what the future brings.”
Based on numbers crunched by CapGeek.com, the league’s 30 teams have
a whopping $678 million in salary cap space. They won’t come close to
spending that, of course, but there will be more rich hockey players next
week than there are today.
The Buffalo Sabres are expected to have $9.82 million in cap space for
2012-13, according to Buffalo News evaluations. That factors in the 20
regulars under contract — forwards Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Ville
Leino, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford, Cody Hodgson, Nathan Gerbe, Cody
McCormick, Marcus Foligno and Matt Ellis; defensemen Tyler Myers,
Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, Jordan Leopold, Andrej Sekera, Mike
Weber, Brayden McNabb and Alexander Sulzer; and goaltenders Ryan
Miller and Jhonas Enroth — plus the minimum required to sign forwards
Tyler Ennis and Patrick Kaleta, restricted free agents who have received
qualifying offers of 105 percent of their previous salary.
“July 1 will come, and I suspect it will be just like other July 1s,” said Sabres
General Manager Darcy Regier, who signed Leino to a six-year, $27 million
deal on the opening day of free agency last July.
Regier also got the jump on the money madness last year for the first time
during his tenure. He shipped a fourth-round draft pick to the New York
Islanders for the right to negotiate with Ehrhoff before the market opened. It
was a successful venture as the sides agreed to a 10-year, $40 million deal.
“It’s not something that we’ve focused on yet, but it may be a possibility,”
Regier said of trading for the rights to pending unrestricted free agents.
“There’s nothing in the hopper right now, but there’s still time, too.”
This year’s free agent class is smaller than previous years. The lack of
depth and influx of available cash could result in bidding wars for secondtier talent, in addition to the usual races for stars.
“It should be very interesting,” Tampa Bay General Manager Steve
Yzerman said. “There’s not a lot of players and the cap’s going up, so I
would expect it’s a good time to be an unrestricted free agent.”
The top names on the unrestricted market are forwards Zach Parise of New
Jersey, Alexander Semin of Washington, Ray Whitney of Phoenix and P.A.
Parenteau of the Islanders, and defensemen Ryan Suter of Nashville,
Dennis Wideman of the Capitals and Jason Garrison of Florida.
There figures to be substantial movement in the goalie market, but only at
the backup position. The only notable starter whose contract is expiring is
Martin Brodeur, and he will either re-sign with New Jersey or retire.
The Sabres will allow forwards Jochen Hecht and Brad Boyes to test the
open market. Other players in the organization set to become UFAs are
forwards Travis Turnbull, Derek Whitmore, Colin Stuart and Michael Ryan,
and goalies David Leggio and Drew MacIntyre. Defenseman Shaone
Morrisonn has already signed to play in Russia.
The Sabres bolstered themselves at center during the draft, with Mikhail
Grigorenko having a chance to make the team. If they seek a middle man in
free agency, other available players include Olli Jokinen of Calgary, Kyle
Wellwood of Winnipeg, Jason Arnott of St. Louis, as well as former Sabres
Dominic Moore of San Jose and Paul Gaustad of Nashville.
Because of the limited availability at every position, only a few of the teams
looking for a quick fix via free agency will be able to find it.
“It’s going to allow a couple of them to improve,” Burke said. “It’s not a deep
group. What’s happened is in this system everyone’s envisioned that
liberalized free agency would allow teams to improve more quickly, but in
response teams have started locking guys up.”
Buffalo News LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Calgary Flames
Flames newest goaltender has position in his blood
By Scott Cruickshank, Calgary HeraldJune 25, 2012 2:01 AMRockLake
A swell accomplishment, but Jon will never do double duty like his dad.
Imagine playing defensive end for the varsity team — “I was about 25
pounds heavier” — and, later in the same season, blocking pucks for the
hockey side.
While Gillies never did get an NHL game under his belt, he enjoyed the
experience. In addition to the Oilers, he also had brushes with the Hartford
Whalers and Vancouver Canucks. Three years in the minors.
Pretty cool trip, isn’t it?
Bruce Gillies entered the University of New Hampshire on a football
scholarship. He departed as a professional hockey goalie.
Maybe it should come as no surprise that — surrounded by Edmonton
Oilers such as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and Jari Kurri and Glenn
Anderson — he was out of his element.
“I didn’t really get it,” recalls Gillies. “You get to Edmonton, you get to a
Canadian city, the passion was unbelievable. It really dumbfounded me.
You have to get it early that this is a very passionate sport. You’re getting
6,000 or 7,000 people for training camp! It really didn’t hit me. I will honestly
tell you that I was not prepared. It was incredible.”
Gillies and Daryl Reaugh, the other netminding newbie, didn’t last long.
“Three or four days and they farmed us out.”
Not that it turned out badly for Gillies — he joined Muskegon and helped the
Lumberjacks capture 1986 Turner Cup.
But those were lessons. Learned and passed on.
“I think it was destiny that it allowed me to teach someone.”
And not just anyone.
His son Jon, also a goalie, was picked in the National Hockey League
draft’s third round Saturday by the Calgary Flames.
“I’ve always told him, ‘Everybody was good enough to get there — but
you’ve got to be smart enough to stay,’ ” says Gillies. “It’s really amazing
looking back (at that Oilers training camp), as a rookie going in. You worked
hard. You thought you were prepared. So I’ve made sure that he’s been
surrounded by a lot of people who consistently drill into him that the game
of hockey is bigger than you think it is.
“Especially now — him being drafted by a Canadian team.”
Puck-stopping is in the blood of the Maine clan.
Its family tree must be a goalie stick.
Goaltenders all — Gillies and his son . . . and Gillies’ father Bruce Sr.
(Norwich University) and Gillies’ brother Chris (Denver University).
Meaning Jon’s aspirations had been only natural.
First, though, his dad made him play an entire season at forward — just to
measure the kid’s desire for the game (and to strengthen his skating).
“Because,” says Gillies, “for parents of goaltenders — and goaltenders —
it’s a big responsibility.”
Little Jon passed that one-winter test, then announced his intentions to
move permanently to the crease.
“Which, deep inside, made my heart pound pretty good,” says Gillies. “I was
pretty fired up, I’m not going to lie to you. But I wanted to make sure that he
wanted to make a commitment to the net. You can’t take a night off. You
have to be at practice. Sometimes there’s only one goaltender on the team
— and that’s you. You have to show up.”
He hasn’t stopped showing up.
This past winter with the Indiana Ice, he dominated the USHL. Then came
recruiters and — like his dad and uncle and grandpa — Jon will have a
college career. Providence College is his destination.
Saturday, Jon, six foot four, became the first family member to be drafted.
And Papa didn’t pace. He managed to sit still, unlike during games.
“I’ve watched him from underneath chairs, peeking through crevices, and
making the saves on my own,” says Gillies, chuckling. “But I’m very proud
that he got drafted where he did.”
“He doesn’t talk much about his playing career for some reason,” says Jon,
laughing. “What I know about him is what I hear through the grapevine. I
know in men’s league, he plays defence now — he doesn’t want to play
goalie anymore.”
But hard-earned wisdom remains.
“On the mental side and the advice part, he’s my dad — so he’s the person
responsible for getting me here,” says Jon. “He’s had my back all the way
through. I can’t thank him enough.”
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Calgary Flames
Feaster has no time to rest after NHL draft
By Vicki Hall, Calgary HeraldJune 25, 2012 2:01 AMRockLake
2011/12 NHL stats: GP: 7 W: 1 L: 3 OTL: 3 GAA: 3.20 SV%: .912
The Skinny: In place of the injured Henrik Karlsson, Irving came up to
Calgary last season and showed flashes of ability to serve as a worthy
backup to Miikka Kiprusoff. But at season’s end, he went back down to
Abbotsford and lost the starting job to AHL journeyman Danny Taylor. Irving
has made it clear he wants to play next season in Calgary, and he’ll
consider a move to Europe if full-time NHL employment is not available.
Name: RW Akim Aliu, 23
Jay Feaster had little time this weekend to revel in the warmth, fuzziness
and tears of happiness that dominate every National Hockey League draft
day.
Height: Six-foot-four Weight: 225 lbs.
Nothing like watching a bunch of teenagers on the verge of realizing a
dream.
Acquired: Via trade with Winnipeg for D John Negrin
Fresh off that experience, the Calgary Flames general manager boarded a
westbound plane this weekend from Pittsburgh with a potential bit of nasty
business waiting at the other end.
The Skinny: Jay Feaster plucked Aliu off the unemployment line last winter
after the bruising winger fell out of favour with the Winnipeg Jets. Seemingly
on his last chance in the NHL, Aliu had the Saddledome faithful chanting his
name in unison in the otherwise meaningless season finale against the
Anaheim Ducks. Aliu has a troubled history, but he could inject size,
nastiness and speed into an aging forward group.
First up is restricted free agency. Today is the deadline to tender qualifying
offers to the 2012 class of RFA’s. There are six key names on Calgary’s list
at varying price tags.
Should the player not receive an offer in time, he walks away as an
unrestricted free agent. Will Feaster open his pocket book? Or bid farewell
to some familiar faces down at the Saddledome?
Here are the candidates:
Can be qualified at: $803,250
2011/12 NHL stats: GP: 2 G: 2 A: 1 P: 3
Name: C Paul Byron, 23
Height: Five-foot-seven Weight: 153 lbs.
Name: RW Blake Comeau, 26
Acquired: Via trade from the Buffalo Sabres along with Chris Butler for
Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik and a second-round draft pick
Height: Six foot Weight: 195 lbs.
2011/12 NHL stats: GP: 22 G: 2 A: 3 P: 5
Can be qualified at: $2.5 million
The skinny: Byron is a proven scorer at the American Hockey League level.
The question remains whether that offensive skill can translate to the NHL.
Defensively responsible, but hampered by a lack of size.
Acquired: Claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders
2011/12 NHL stats: GP: 74 G: 5 A: 10 P: 15
The Skinny: Comeau comes with a hefty price-tag, especially considering
his dismal production in a season split between the Islanders and the
Flames. The Meadow Lake, Sask. native can clearly score after putting up
24 goals and 46 points in 2010-11. But can the Flames afford to spend $2.5
million for a player fighting to rediscover his touch around the net?
Name: C Mikael Backlund, 23
Height: Six foot Weight: 198 lbs. Can be qualified at: $826,875
Acquired: First-round pick (24th overall) of the Flames in the 2007 NHL
Entry Draft
2011/12 NHL stats: GP: 41 G: 4 A: 7 P: 11
The skinny: Time is running out on Backlund to cement his place in the topnine for the Flames. In a season marred by injuries, Backlund broke his
finger in training camp and separated his shoulder in March. In between,
Backlund shuttled from the first line between Alex Tanguay and Jarome
Iginla to the fourth line with Tom Kostopoulos and Tim Jackman. Potential
not yet realized. Don’t expect the Flames to give up on him just yet.
Name: C Blair Jones, 25
Height: Six-foot-two Weight: 216 lbs.
Salary: $577,500
Acquired: Via trade from Tampa Bay for D Brendan Mikkelson
2011/12 NHL stats: G: 43 G: 3 A: 5 P: 8
The Skinny: Jones impressed in the heat of the playoff battle last season
before breaking his foot by blocking a shot in Phoenix. Solid, but not
spectacular. A favourite of departed head coach Brent Sutter, Jones
represents a dependable (and affordable) option for a third or fourth-line
centre.
Name: G Leland Irving, 24
Height: six foot Weight: 177 lbs.
Acquired: First round pick of the Flames (26th overall) of the 2006 NHL
Entry Draft.
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 06.25.2012
635632
Calgary Flames
Flames face free-agent decisions
Kiprusoff, then refusing to re-sign the pending UFAs add up to the moves
needed to get that ball rolling.
[email protected]
On Twitter: @SUNRandySportak
By RANDY SPORTAK
The potential free-agents
Pending restricted free-agents
Summer fun will have to wait for the Calgary Flames braintrust.
*Flames must provide a qualifying offer or they become unrestricted freeagent
It will still be a couple of weeks before things slow down enough for GM Jay
Feaster, assistant GM of player personnel John Weisbrod and the rest of
those running the team to be able to enjoy the season.
Player 2011-12 salary USD
(Then again, why should they be any different than the rest of us who are
wondering whether the arrival of the summer solstice will actually mean
warm temperatures?)
RW Akim Aliu $815,000
The now completed 2012 NHL Entry Draft is the kickoff to the coming
season, so the race to the Stanley Cup title has already started.
*C Logan MacMillan $787,500
In fact, amateur scouting director Tod Button headed to Rochester, N.Y.,
Sunday to attend the U.S. development team’s under-17 camp.
*C Paul Byron $570,000
But coming fast and furious are more tangible events which will greatly
impact the club’s on-ice product for the 2012-13 season.
Monday is the deadline to have qualifying offers for pending restricted freeagents filed with the league.
It’s hard to believe the Flames would make the same mistake made by the
Chicago Blackhawks a few years ago and be late delivering notices, so it’s
most likely that paperwork is done. However, Feaster has been unwilling to
publicly divulge any information, so we have to guess what the Flames will
do.
LW Blake Comeau $2.5 million
C Mikael Backlund $787,500
*G Leland Irving $600,000
*LW Ryley Grantham $550,000
C Blair Jones $525,000
Pending unrestricted free-agents
Player 2011-12 salary USD
D Cory Sarich $3.3 million
C Olli Jokinen $3 million
LW Lee Stempniak $2.3 million
It’s hard to believe the club won’t keep the rights to ’07 first-round draft
choice Mikael Backlund, ’06 first-round pick Leland Irving and fellow
forwards Akim Aliu, Paul Byron and Blair Jones.
RW David Moss $1.3 million
However, don’t be alarmed if the club allows a trio of potential RFAs to walk
in the likes of Blake Comeau and minor-leaguers Logan MacMillan and
Ryley Grantham.
D Scott Hannan $1 million
Comeau, who the club claimed off waivers in late November, is a
serviceable NHL player, but he’s coming off a season in which he collected
just five goals and 15 points — well off the 24-goal, 46-point campaign he
garnered the previous season with the New York Islanders. The Flames
aren’t likely to guarantee the 26-year-old winger another season with a
salary of US$2.5 million.
RW Tom Kostopoulos $1.1 million
*D Jordan Henry $600,000
LW Raitis Ivanans $600,000
*D Bryan Connelly $525,000
*LW Guillaume Desbiens $525,000
LW Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond $550,000
Should Comeau be willing to sign a lower salary, the Flames should listen.
LW Stefan Meyer $525,000
As for MacMillan and Grantham, neither have proven they are anything
more than career minor-leaguers.
*Two-way contract. Spent most of the season in minors
MacMillan, whose father, Bob, is a Flames scout, was the Anaheim Ducks
first-round draft choice in ’07 — 19th overall — but has fallen behind pretty
much any other of the club’s prospects. He spent the bulk of the year with
the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies and managed just 10 goals and 24 points.
Meanwhile, Grantham — a sixth-round pick in 2008 — spent the season in
the ECHL, with teams not even affiliated with the Flames organization.
The real buzz will come July 1, when the free-agency season opens.
The Flames have a lengthy list of pending unrestricted free agents, led by
veterans Olli Jokinen, Cory Sarich, Lee Stempniak, David Moss, Tom
Kostopoulos and Scott Hannan.
A case can be made to cut ties with all of their pending UFAs, who may
either command more salary or longer term than their worth — Jokinen,
Sarich and Stempniak would appear to be candidates for this category — or
coming off injury issues, as is the case with Moss.
That’s not to say the Flames would be best served to not try keeping any of
those players in the mix. But unless the price is right, they should turn the
page.
The need for a rebuild is obvious, and if the club not’s willing to burn it down
and jettison the big-ticket faces of the franchise in Jarome Iginla and Miikka
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 06.25.2012
635633
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes’ top 10 trades
By Luke DeCcock - [email protected]
1. Rod Brind’Amour for Keith Primeau, Jean-Marc Pelletier and a secondround draft pick, January 2000. Primeau’s holdout ended when he was
shipped to the Flyers for the Hurricanes’ future captain, whose No. 17 now
hangs in the PNC Arena rafters.
2. Doug Weight and Erkki Rajamaki for Jesse Boulerice, Mike Zigomanis,
Magnus Kahnberg, a first-round pick and two fourth-round picks, January
2006. A shot across the bow to the rest of the NHL, cementing the
Hurricanes’ credentials as a Stanley Cup contender.
3. Jordan Staal for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and a first-round pick,
June 2012. While the long-term impact of this deal remains uncertain, the
Hurricanes now boast two of the NHL’s elite centers.
4. Bret Hedican, Kevyn Adams and Tomas Malec for Sandis Ozolinsh and
Byron Ritchie, January 2002. The Hurricanes turned the unwanted Ozolinsh
into two essential players who would both later serve as alternate captains.
5. Justin Williams for Danny Markov, January 2004. The rebuilding
Hurricanes, under new coach Peter Laviolette, traded an older defenseman
for a young forward who became a huge fan favorite.
6. Mark Recchi for Niklas Nordgren, Krystofer Kolanos and a second-round
pick, March 2006. While Erik Cole sat out with a broken neck, the
Hurricanes went out and got another rental forward who would help them lift
the Stanley Cup.
7. Kevin Weekes for Shane Willis, March 2002. Awkward at the time,
because it gave the Hurricanes three NHL goalies with Arturs Irbe and Tom
Barrasso, but when Irbe faltered in the playoffs, Weekes delivered.
8. Joni Pitkanen for Erik Cole, July 2008. More notable for the player
departing than the player arriving. Cole had spent his entire career with the
Hurricanes, and would last less than a season in Edmonton before coming
back to Carolina at the trade deadline.
9. Danny Markov for David Tanabe and Igor Knyazev, June 2003. Markov’s
tenure in Carolina was relatively short, but the Hurricanes got him for what
were essentially spare parts and then turned him into Williams.
10. Jaroslav Spacek for Tomas Kaberle, December 2011. Kaberle may
have been Carolina’s worst-ever free-agent signing, but the Montreal
Canadiens took him – and the rest of his three-year, $12.75 million contract
– off the Hurricanes’ hands.
News Observer LOADED: 06.25.2012
635634
Carolina Hurricanes
Canes address needs on second day of draft
MacDonald said he “competes like a bulldog.” Team won Massachusetts
Division 1A title last season. Going to Boston University.
Guide: Ontario Hockey League (OHL), U.S. Hockey League (USHL).
By Chip Alexander - [email protected]
PITTSBURGH -- After upstaging the first day of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
with a blockbuster trade for Jordan Staal, the Carolina Hurricanes got down
to business Saturday at Consol Energy Center.
The Canes gave up their first-round draft pick Friday as part of their deal
with the Pittsburgh Penguins to obtain Staal. But they had nine picks in the
final six rounds and used them to select five forwards, two defensemen and
two goalies.
The Canes’ first selection of the 2012 draft was the 38th overall pick.
Carolina chose Phillip Di Giuseppe, a forward at the University of Michigan.
Later, the Canes took two goaltenders in a draft for the first time since
2004.
“I think overall we got a pretty good mix,” said Tony MacDonald, the Canes’
director of amateur scouting. “We got two good goaltenders and addressed
the need there with our future goaltending. We’ve got some speed, we’ve
got some skill at our forwards.”
Here’s a look at the Canes’ draft choices by round and overall pick:
Second round
38: Phillip Di Giuseppe, forward, 6-0, 197 pounds, University of Michigan.
The Toronto native played as a true freshman for the Wolverines.
MacDonald said his speed and shot are his two biggest assets.
47: Brock McGinn, forward, 5-11, 174, Guelph, OHL.
The younger brother of Jamie McGinn of the Colorado Avalanche, he
missed two months with a wrist injury last season.
Third round
69: Daniel Altshuller, goalie, 6-3, 191, Oshawa, OHL
The Ottawa native, 17, had a strong finish to his first season of major junior
hockey with the Generals.
Fourth round
99: Erik Karlsson, forward, 6-0, 161, Frolunda, Sweden
Not to be confused with defenseman Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators,
he played in the Swedish junior league last year.
115: Trevor Carrick, defenseman, 6-1, 171, Mississauga St. Michael’s, OHL
Finished his first OHL season with six goals, 13 assists and 64 penalty
minutes in 68 games for the Majors.
120: Jaccob Slavin, defenseman, 6-1, 170, Chicago, USHL.
Committed to Colorado College, the Denver native had three goals, 27
assists in 60 games for the Steel.
Fifth round
129: Brendan Woods, forward, 6-2, 190, University of Wisconsin.
Completed first collegiate season after two years in USHL. Had 67 penalty
minutes in 34 games for Badgers.
Sixth round
159: Collin Olson, goalie, 6-4, 197, US National Team Development
Program.
Headed to Ohio State, he starred as the U.S. won gold in the 2012 Under18 World Championship in April, going 5-0.
Seventh round
189: Brendan Collier, forward, 5-9, 168, Malden (Mass.) Catholic High
635635
Carolina Hurricanes
Staal haul among top trades, but not No. 1
By Luke DeCock - staff columnist - [email protected]
RALEIGH -- In terms of pure talent added, the last elite player the Carolina
Hurricanes brought in before this weekend was probably Doug Weight,
whose midseason arrival helped paved the path to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Unquestionably, Jordan Staal trumps him. His arrival Friday night from the
Pittsburgh Penguins to join his brother, Hurricanes captain Eric, is one of
the most dramatic moves the franchise has made since moving south.
If the Hartford Whalers years are considered, the disastrous trade that sent
Ron Francis to the Pittsburgh Penguins will always be No. 1. Chris
Pronger’s departure isn’t far behind. Sticking strictly to the team’s time in
North Carolina, this is one of the biggest. But is it the biggest?
History may have a different verdict, but at the moment, the answer has to
be no.
Two other trades stand out, both pivotal in the history of the franchise, both
leading directly to the Stanley Cup in 2006. In terms of long-term impact, it’s
impossible to top Rod Brind’Amour’s arrival, with the disgruntled Keith
Primeau going the other way, changing the direction of the franchise for a
decade (and beyond, as the attitude and work ethic installed by
Brind’Amour lives on).
No trade had a bigger short-term impact than the January 2006 deal when
the Hurricanes stole Weight from the rest of the NHL, not only adding the
best available rental forward but sending a message to the league that they
were serious about contending for the Cup. They wouldn’t have won it
without Weight, especially after they lost Erik Cole to a broken neck.
So on this Sunday morning, those two trades still trump the All Staal Haul,
but Friday night’s trade slots neatly into the third spot ahead of the second
Sandis Ozolinsh trade and the second Danny Markov trade.
Both of those deals shed defensemen the Hurricanes worked hard to get
and sold as franchise-changing players, only to deem them expendable not
long after – and both deals brought a tremendous return.
In January 2002, the Hurricanes sent Ozolinsh to the Florida Panthers for
Bret Hedican and Kevyn Adams, both of whom became critical pieces of
the franchise’s foundation going forward. Markov went to the Philadelphia
Flyers in January 2004 for Cup-clinching goal-scorer Justin Williams.
Those trades changed the direction of the franchise, so in terms of impact
they both top the Staal deal, for the moment at least. But in terms of shock
value, Friday is ahead of both.
As excited as Hurricanes fans were about the addition of Jordan Staal, they
will spend a long time digesting the loss of Brandon Sutter, whose hard
work increasingly made him a local favorite. Savvy fans were looking
forward to the NHL debut of big defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who had just
signed with the Hurricanes after three award-winning years at Boston
College.
And that No. 8 draft pick could have been 6-foot-2 forward Filip Forsberg, a
potential top-four pick going into Friday. (Forsberg went to the Washington
Capitals at No. 11, so if he turns out to be a star, the Hurricanes will see
plenty of him in the years to come.)
What the Hurricanes gave up makes this a big deal as much as what they
got back. Only history will tell where that balance lies.
635636
Carolina Hurricanes
Friday was an unforgettable day for the Staals
Eric Staal said he wasn’t sure how he and Jordan will be used by Canes
coach Kirk Muller. Both are natural centers and have primarily played
center in their careers, although Eric did go to the wing for Team Canada in
the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
By Chip Alexander - [email protected]
“Whether he’s the No. 1 center and I’m No, 2, or the other way, or if I’m on
the wing, those are the things we can explore as we get ready for the
season,” Eric Staal said.
For Jordan Staal, the date June 22, 2012, was supposed to be memorable
for one reason: It was his wedding day.
Staal was to be married in his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont., and he
would have several of his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on hand for the
big occasion.
The Canes’ Ron Francis, who had a Hall of Fame career at center, called
Jordan Staal a complete player.
“He’s big, he’s strong, he can play the offensive side, the defensive side,”
said Francis, who is vice president for hockey operations. “He can match up
against an offensive line and stop them, he can match up against a
defensive line and produce.”
Things soon changed, for Staal and the Penguins. And for older brother
Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jordan Staal said he did not care if he played the wing on Eric’s line. He
scored 25 goals this past season and likes the idea of getting the chance to
be a bigger offensive contributor for the Canes.
After the nuptials Friday at 1 p.m., there was the reception, where toasts
were to be made. But just after dinner, Jordan Staal learned from his agent
that his life had changed in another big way – the Penguins had traded him
to the Canes.
“It’s an opportunity for me to show what I can do offensively,” he said. “It’s a
new challenge for me. I’m excited to get a lot of wins, make the playoffs and
see what we can do.”
The news had been announced at the NHL Entry Draft at the Consol
Energy Center in Pittsburgh. To get Staal, the Canes traded center Brandon
Sutter, defensive prospect Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall pick in the
draft to the Pens.
“It was an amazing day but an emotional day,” Jordan Staal said Saturday.
“It was some tough news to hear but still very exciting. Even if you know it
might be coming, it still was a shock and kind of tough to get it all in.”
Staal, who will be an unrestricted free agent after next season, had an
inkling something might happen. He confirmed that he turned down a 10year contract extension offered Thursday by the Pens, putting Pittsburgh
general manager Ray Shero in a tight squeeze.
“It was a very difficult decision, no question, and I had a really tough time
with it,” Staal said.
Staal won the 2009 Stanley Cup with the Penguins and had close friends
on the team. But he said he realized that if he did agree to a long-term
extension, it would end any chance he might have of playing alongside
brother Eric in the NHL.
Jordan and Eric, the oldest of the four Staal brothers, always have been
close. There’s a third NHL-playing brother, defenseman Marc Staal of the
New York Rangers, but Jordan and Eric always appeared to have a tighter
bond. A fourth brother, Jared, is the youngest and is in the Canes’ minorleague system.
“I won’t lie. I’ve wanted to play with him since he broke into the league,” Eric
Staal said Saturday of Jordan. “He’s a great player and a great person, and
I knew he could help our team.
“He’s 6-4, with reach and size. He can add another weapon to our offense
and is underrated in that respect. He can be a difference-maker and he’s
only 23, with tons of years ahead of him to develop.”
At the same time, Eric Staal said it was difficult to see Sutter leave. Staal is
the Canes captain and Sutter, who also is 23 and sat to Staal’s right in the
home locker room, was an alternate captain.
“He’s a little bummed,” Staal said. “We’ve had a lot of conversations and I’m
very close with Brandon. I told him yesterday he was like my brother without
my blood. We’ll really miss him.”
Just as Jordan Staal will be missed in Pittsburgh.
During a break in the second day of the draft, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma
had a hard time expressing what Staal, who was drafted by the Pens and
played six seasons in Pittsburgh, had meant to the team and the franchise.
“You lose a really good person, you lose a character guy on your team,”
Bylsma said. “There’s certainly the hockey aspects of it. You’re losing a
good penalty killer and a very good defensive forward. You’ve seen in the
last two years, with the absence of Evgeni Malkin and/or Sidney Crosby (to
injuries), a guy who stepped up and played a more offensive role.
“It’s tough to have a conversation and think about not having a Jordan Staal
on your team. He did a lot for us.”
Eric Staal called his brother a “big piece” toward getting the Canes back in
the playoffs after a three-year absence. General manager Jim Rutherford
said the Canes would look to add more pieces.
“I think the trade shows a greater sense of urgency by the Hurricanes and
sends a message that they believe they can contend,” veteran TSN
commentator Bob McKenzie said Saturday. “Maybe this is the first step
towards that.”
But Jordan Staal may never have another day quite like Friday. Eric Staal
said 11 Pens players were on hand for the wedding.
“When you win a Stanley Cup with guys, you develop a bond,” Eric Staal
said. “The little thank-you to the out-of-town guys was tough for Jordan to
get through. It’s understandable. They’re dear to his heart.
“But they understand what an opportunity this is for Jordan. It was good
they were there. A lot of times you get traded, things happen quick and you
can’t spend that quality time with teammates.
“Jordan’s excited. He’s ready for the new chapter.”
635637
Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks then used their final two picks in the seventh round on goalies
in Whitney and Matt Tomkins of Sherwood Park.
Roenick’s nephew among Hawks’ Day 2 picks
None of the players the Hawks took over the weekend, including firstrounder Teuvo Teravainen, are expected to crack the lineup in the fall.
By Tim Sassone
Saturday’s biggest trade came after the draft when Philadelphia sent winger
James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for defenseman Luke Schenn.
Bowman may have laid some groundwork for a deal down the road, likely
involving defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Time will tell if the Blackhawks found another gem on the second day of the
entry draft Saturday like they did a year ago when they plucked Andrew
Shaw in the fifth round.
It could be gritty winger Chris Calnan, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound nephew of
Jeremy Roenick, who they grabbed in the third round with the 79th
selection.
Newest Blackhawks prospects
Here’s a recap of 8 prospects selected by the Chicago Blackhawks during
the two-day NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh:
Rd. Player Pos. Last team Age Ht./Wt.
1. Teuvo Teräväinen F Jokerit (SM-liiga) 17 5-11/165
2. Dillon Fournier D Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) 18 6-2/181
3. Chris Calnan F Noble & Greenough (HS-MA) 18 6-2/190
5. Garret Ross F Saginaw Spirit (OHL) 20 6-0/169
5. Travis Brown D Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) 18 6-1/161
6. Vincent Hinostroza F Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) 18 5-9/153
7 *Brandon Whitney G Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) 18 6-5/191
7 Matt Tomkins G Sherwood Park Kings (AJHL) 18 6-2/174
Acquired from N.Y. Rangers on Feb. 27, 2012 in exchange for John Scott
*Acquired from San Jose Sharks along with a 2013 fourth-round selection
on June 23, 2012 in exchange for the 109th overall selection in the 2012
Draft
Or it might be 6-5 Victoriaville goalie Brandon Whitney, who was still
available in the seventh round when the Hawks made him the 191st pick.
In all, the Hawks took seven more players on Saturday — two defensemen,
three forwards and two goaltenders.
“We were able to accomplish what we wanted,” general manager Stan
Bowman told reporters. “We got a mixture of different positions and different
style players. We got some skill, we got some size and we got a couple
goaltenders.
“Our objective coming in was to not only find the best players but round out
our depth chart.”
In the second round, the Hawks grabbed defenseman Dillon Fournier from
Rouyn-Naranda in the Quebec League then went for Calnan in the third
round.
Calnan is a banger who played at Noble and Greenough Prep School in
suburban Boston. He has committed to Boston College.
“We like his game,” Bowman said of Calnan.
“He’s got a big body and works hard,” said Mark Kelley, the Hawks’ director
of amateur scouting. “Where you really notice him is around the net. He
really forces the issue.”
In the fifth round, the Hawks went back to Saginaw in hopes of duplicating
last year’s success with Brandon Saad, selecting left winger Garret Ross,
who was Saad’s teammate.
After going with Moose Jaw defenseman Travis Brown with their second
pick in the fifth round, the Hawks went for center Vincent Hinostroza, from
Waterloo of the USHL.
Hinostroza is a native of Bartlett, who grew up a Hawks fan.
“This has always been a dream of mine,” Hinostroza told reporters. “I grew
up watching the Hawks.”
“There’s been a lot of talk the last week, but nothing panned out,” Bowman
said. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be more trades to come. I wouldn’t
rule anything in or out for us.”
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 06.25.2012
635638
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Gianluca Curcuruto
Seventh round, No. 182
New Blue Jackets
Size: 6-0, 198 pounds
Shoots: Left
The five players drafted by the Blue Jackets yesterday:
Age: 18
G Oscar Dansk
Last season: Three goals, 13 assists and 36 penalty minutes in 63 games
with Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Second round, No. 31 overall
Size: 6 feet 2, 186 pounds
Catches: Left
Age: 18
Last season: 28 games, 2.82 goals-against average, .910 save percentage
for Brynas Jr. (Swedish juniors)
The skinny: The native of Stockholm was the No. 2 European goaltender
available, according to NHL Central Scouting. … Sizable and fluid goalie
who said he was unsure whether he was still growing. … Played three
seasons of American high-school hockey at Minnesota powerhouse
Shattuck-St. Mary’s. … Ranked ahead of first-round goaltending pick
Malcolm Subban (Boston, No. 24) by The Hockey News. … Turned down
an offer to play at Harvard University.
G Joonas Korpisalo
Third round, No. 62
Size: 6-2, 163
Catches: Left
Age: 18
Last season: 38 games, 2.04 goals-against average, .920 save percentage
for Jokerit Jr. (Finland juniors)
The skinny: The Finn was ranked No. 3 among European goaltenders by
NHL Central Scouting. … He is lanky and lean and still growing, he said. …
Went 3-3 with a 3.02 goals-against average and .902 save percentage with
one shutout in seven games at the world under-18 championships, helping
Finland reach the bronze-medal game. … Could return to Finland or play
Canadian junior hockey next season.
RW Josh Anderson
Fourth round, No. 95
Shoots: Right
Age: 18
Last season: 12 goals, 10 assists and 34 penalty minutes in 68 games with
London (Ontario Hockey League)
The skinny: Played on the fourth line in London but expects to move to a
higher line next season. Has set a personal goal of 80 points. … The
Ontario native is not averse to standing up for teammates but is not a pure
fighter. … Had a plus-17 rating last season and had five points in four
playoff games for the OHL-champion Knights.
RW Daniel Zaar
Sixth round, No. 152
Shoots: Right
Age: 18
Last season: 14 goals, 24 assists and 28 penalty minutes in 44 games with
Rogle Jr. (Swedish juniors)
The skinny: The Swede is considered to have an accurate and hard shot.
… Had one goal in three games for the Swedish under-18 national team
and eight points in seven playoff games for Rogle. …Was a teammate of
Anaheim first-round pick Hampus Lindholm. … Ranked No. 114 among
European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
The skinny: The Toronto native was ranked No. 160 among North American
skaters. … Was once projected to go much higher in the draft but struggled
early last season. … Considered a strong skater. He played in the
Canadian Hockey League prospects game and was called into Canada’s
selection camp for the U-18 World Juniors.
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 06.25.2012
635639
Michael Arace commentary: When, oh when, will the waiting be over?
A clear and honest discourse would have made this situation more
fathomable, if not more palatable. Trade him or keep him. Resolution is long
overdue. This is turning into a joke, which is the last thing Columbus needs
at this point of its rebuilding, or reshaping, or whatever it is.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.
PITTSBURGH — The NHL draft came and went this weekend, and Rick
Nash was not traded. Meanwhile, Blue Jackets fans wriggle uncomfortably
and gird for more drama, which is the last thing they need. It is the last thing
the team needs. It is the last thing Columbus, as a hockey market, needs.
For the love of Espen Knutsen, fix this, all of you. Join the major leagues.
“We’ll just keep working,” general manager Scott Howson said. “I sensed
through the middle of (last) week that there was not a big push from the
teams I’ve been talking to. This was not a day when people felt a pressure
point.”
Howson looked red-eyed and weary as he left the floor of the Consol
Energy Center yesterday. Behind the scenes, Nash’s agent, Joe Resnick,
appeared agitated, but he will not speak on the record. As for Nash, he is
incommunicado.
Somebody, step up. Please.
Nash is tough to move, yes. He carries an annual cap hit of $7.8 million
through 2018, at which point he will be 34 years old. Howson is asking for
three to five pieces, a combination of high-end prospects, NHL talent and
draft picks.
There was a flurry of activity before the Feb. 27 trade deadline, and there
were some predraft stirrings. It is clear that potential trade partners are
unwilling to absorb the cap hit in combination with the asking price.
Nash’s no-trade clause has put the kibosh on some potential bidders. The
difficulty was exacerbated when Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan, a younger power
forward with a lesser cap hit, went up for trade last week and altered the
market.
Get it done anyway.
Other general managers swing big-boy deals. Pittsburgh’s Ray Shero and
Carolina’s Jim Rutherford pulled off a blockbuster trade that was
negotiated, Rutherford said, in 2 hours, 25 minutes. Pittsburgh shipped
center Jordan Staal to Carolina for center Brandon Sutter, defenseman
Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall pick, which the Penguins used on
defenseman Derrick Pouliot.
Staal is a prized, elite center. Sutter is already one of the best two-way
centers in the league. Dumoulin is a former second-round pick. Pouliot may
be the best skater to come out of this year’s draft. That is a lot of choice
talent in a major, meaty deal — and Shero and Rutherford carved through it
in 145 minutes.
It will be debated in Carolina whether Rutherford gave up too much to
acquire a player he probably would have gotten at the trade deadline or on
the free-agent market next year. A reunion of Staal brothers in Raleigh,
N.C. — where captain Eric and prospect Jared were waiting — was
probably inevitable. It can also be debated how a Staal deal and a potential
Nash deal might be similar and wholly different.
The point is in the action. Shero was not successful in his effort to re-sign
Staal, so he moved him posthaste. Rutherford wanted Staal, and paid the
price.
“I would have made this deal at 4 a.m. on the sidewalk,” Rutherford said.
Where is that sidewalk? Howson must strike a deal for Nash. Or he must
convince Nash that it is in everyone’s best interest for No. 61 to remain a
Blue Jacket. Or Howson and majority owner John P. McConnell should call
a news conference and say:
We cannot get fair value for Nash. He means more to us than anyone,
which is why we agreed to pay him $62.4 million over eight years. In any
case, he is contractually obligated to suit up for our team. Period. And
besides, we have no other forwards.
Show some fortitude. That goes for Nash, as well. Last February, he said
that he was told the Blue Jackets were rebuilding — and he said he wanted
to help by being trade bait. Then, Howson said the Jackets weren’t
rebuilding, they were “reshaping.” All of this sounds like Casey Stengel
talking about the 1962 Mets.
635640
Blue Jackets notebook: Two goalies drafted; pros still needed
By Shawn Mitchell and Aaron Portzline
PITTSBURGH — The Blue Jackets picked two goaltenders in the second
and third rounds of the NHL draft yesterday, prompting general manager
Scott Howson to declare the team is “well-stocked” at that position.
But the Blue Jackets are not done adding goalies, Howson said.
Their picks, second-rounder Oscar Dansk (31st overall) and third-rounder
Joonas Korpisalo (62nd), are European-born prospects. They are 18 and
far from NHL-ready. The Blue Jackets need one or two more goalies who
are.
“They’re both obviously young kids,” Howson said. “We need two more
pros, and we certainly need another goalie that can play in the NHL, one
that is not necessarily an NHL goalie yet but would give us some
competition at that spot.”
Dansk, an athletic, 6-foot-2 Swede, intends to play Canadian junior hockey,
Howson said, and Korpisalo, a Finn, might do the same or remain in
Finland.
The market for NHL-caliber goalies continues to shrink, which is in part why
the Blue Jackets paid a hefty price (three draft picks) in a trade for Flyers
backup Sergei Bobrovsky on Friday. Unless the Blue Jackets acquire a
proven No. 1 goalie through a major trade, Bobrovsky and embattled
veteran Steve Mason will compete for the top spot.
Both are coming off statistically ugly seasons, but the Blue Jackets hope
such a competition will spur improvement by Mason, Bobrovsky or both. In
the meantime, they will closely monitor the development of Dansk, whose
selection opened the draft’s second day.
“I was hoping to go (Friday) night” in the first round, Dansk said. “But it went
by quickly today.”
Dansk, ranked as the No. 2 European goaltending prospect by NHL Central
Scouting, considers himself an all-around goaltender.
“I try to be good at everything,” he said.
Korpisalo was ranked No. 3 among European goalies. He is lean, lanky and
still growing, he said. The prospect of one day competing with Dansk for a
starting spot is appealing to him.
“It’s good to have some competition,” Korpisalo said. “That’s a good thing.”
Scouts fired
Hours after the draft, the Blue Jackets notified four amateur scouts that they
will not be back with the club — Brian Bates, Andrew Shaw, Artem Telepin
and John Williams, who was assistant director of amateur scouting.Howson
confirmed the moves to The Dispatch yesterday and said each of the
scouts was given an “appropriate severance package.” Bates, Telepin and
Williams had been with the Blue Jackets since before the franchise’s
inaugural season in 2000-01. Williams, who scouted western Canada and
especially the Western Hockey League, had a heavy hand in the Blue
Jackets’ last two No. 1 draft picks, Ryan Johansen (2010) and Ryan Murray
(2012). Howson said the club will replace them this summer, likely with
three new scouts.
Prudent choice
When asked by NHL scouts to compare himself to an NHL player, fourthround pick Josh Anderson said, he chose Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash.
“I’m a big power forward, but I still have a lot of growing to do,” he said.
Anderson played on the fourth line for London of the Ontario Hockey
League last season but is expected to move into a scoring role this season.
Anderson didn’t travel to Pittsburgh for the draft but celebrated with family.
He also got a congratulatory message from Pete Mahovlich. Mahovlich and
his Hall of Fame brother, Frank, were NHL stars in the 1960s and ’70s. The
Mahovliches are cousins of Anderson’s mother and served as mentors to
him.
635641
Dispatch reporter Shawn Mitchell contributed to this report.
Jordan Staal gets new bride, then new team
It has been an unforgettable weekend for Jordan Staal. First a new bride,
then a new team with his older brother.
Staal was midway through his wedding reception when he found out the
Pittsburgh Penguins had traded him to his older brother’s team — the
Carolina Hurricanes.
After Staal turned down Pittsburgh’s offer of a 10-year contract extension
last week, the Penguins pulled off the biggest blockbuster at the NHL draft
Friday night when they dealt him for center Brandon Sutter, defenseman
Brian Dumoulin and the eighth overall pick.
“I don’t think we knew when we were planning our wedding date that it was
on the draft day and something like that would happen, but that’s the way it
goes sometimes,” Staal said yesterday during an impromptu conference
call with reporters.
“I found out, basically, in the middle of my reception. It was definitely some
tough news to hear, but obviously, still very excited about it. With my
teammates, it got a little emotional, but they knew a lot of good things could
come out of this.”
They include the chance to skate on the same team with oldest brother Eric
— the captain of the Hurricanes and the unquestioned face of the franchise.
They last played together when they represented Canada during the 2007
world championships in Moscow, with the brothers even skating on the
same line during one game, Jordan said.
It’s probably too early to tell how the brothers — both centers — will fit into
the Hurricanes’ depth chart.
Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford’s top priority this offseason was
finding a top-shelf forward to play alongside Eric. One option could be to put
Jordan at center and move Eric to left wing, a position he played for
Canada during the 2010 Olympics. Or, the club could leave both at center
and continue shopping for another winger — either through a trade or free
agency — to put on Eric’s top line.
Jordan Staal quickly developed into one of the keys to the Penguins’ rise.
Teaming with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, he helped form the most
formidable three-center combination in the league. He was a valuable
penalty-killer with a deft touch around the net, scoring 25 goals in 2011-12
despite missing 20 games because of injury.
He’s under contract through this coming season and can become an
unrestricted free agent in July 2013. The Penguins wanted to lock him up
for well beyond that, but several factors ultimately led him to reject that
long-term offer. Staal played a prominent role offensively last season while
Crosby battled injuries, and with everybody expected back in the lineup, he
wasn’t entirely sure how the ice time and the opportunities would shake out.
Besides, staying in Pittsburgh for the long haul likely would have prevented
him from playing with Eric — who’s locked up with Carolina through 201516. The Hurricanes also have youngest brother Jared in their organization.
A fourth brother, Marc, is a defenseman with the New York Rangers.
Future Buckeyes picked
Ohio State recruits Zach Stepan, Collin Olson, Cliff Watson and Matt
Tomkins were drafted. Olson, a goalie, will join OSU this fall. The rest are
due in 2013.
Stepan, cousin of New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan, was selected
by Nashville in the fourth round with the 112th pick. Olson was taken by
Carolina with the 159th pick.
Watson, a defenseman, also went in the sixth round (San Jose, No. 168).
Tomkins, a goalie, was taken by Chicago in the seventh round (No. 199).
Slap shots
The Flyers selected goalie Anthony Stolarz (45th overall) and left wing
winger Taylor Leier (117th) with the picks acquired from the Blue Jackets
for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. … NHL teams drafted 99 Canadians, 56
Americans, 22 Swedes, 11 Russians, nine Finns and six players from the
Czech Republic. Eight players from other nations also were taken.
635642
Blue Jackets | Howson: Offers not right for Nash deal
By Aaron Portzline
PITTSBURGH — The Blue Jackets added six players in the NHL draft this
weekend, but — with apologies to the No. 2 overall pick, defenseman Ryan
Murray — the biggest news is the player they can’t seem to unload.
Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash requested a trade, and the club agreed to
seek one, roughly five months ago. But general manager Scott Howson
said none of the offers he has been presented in recent days came close to
landing Nash.
“I thought there might be (more interest at the draft),” Howson said. “But
there wasn’t.”
So, now what?
Nash likely will remain with the Blue Jackets into the start of free agency
next Sunday. It will take a couple of days for the league’s big spenders to
sort out their pillage, so expect the next window for a Nash trade to be July
2-5. If he’s not traded by mid-July — and Howson has insisted he won’t
acquiesce to a lesser deal just to get it done — the situation could turn ugly.
Nash isn’t talking, and his agent, Joe Resnick, does not wish to speak
publicly, but it appears Nash is growing restless. Would Nash report for
training camp? Resnick’s not going there. In essence, Howson won’t, either.
“We’ll address that at the time if we have to,” Howson said.
He is banking on free agency to drive up Nash’s value. It’s a thin market,
with only two big-ticket players, New Jersey center Zach Parise and
Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter. Howson hopes simple economics play a
role: a scarcity of available services leads to higher prices for consumers —
meaning teams that want Nash.
“The landscape will become a lot more certain on July 1,” Howson said.
But the landscape appears to have changed significantly in the past week
or so, too. It was learned last week that Anaheim is trying to trade winger
Bobby Ryan, who is a younger, cheaper version of Nash. That muddies the
market.
Two teams that might have had interest in Nash took other routes at the
draft. On Friday, Carolina traded with Pittsburgh for forward Jordan Staal,
giving up a player, a prospect and a first-round pick. That deal might not
rule out the Hurricanes, but it certainly would dampen their interest.
Then yesterday, Philadelphia traded forward James van Riemsdyk to
Toronto for defenseman Luke Schenn. The Blue Jackets were said to be
asking for van Riemsdyk as a central part of a trade for Nash.
The New York Rangers, San Jose and Ottawa are potential destinations,
too, but strike the Rangers from that list if they land Parise during free
agency. The Dispatch has learned that Ottawa is not on the list of teams
that Nash would waive his no-trade clause for, so he would have to alter the
list before any trade could go through.
Such decisions seem a long way off, though.
Howson left this year’s draft having accomplished at least two goals.
The club was delighted to draft Murray — a polished, gentlemanly player.
He has a chance to play for the Blue Jackets next season, strengthening
the club’s blue line.
Howson also traded with Philadelphia for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who
he believes can push Steve Mason for No. 1 duty. Bobrovsky and Mason
were two of only four goaltenders in the NHL last season with save
percentages under .900.
Now, the Blue Jackets will head into free agency looking for offensive help.
If they trade Nash, their need for goal-scoring goes from severe to a crisis.
“We don’t have enough forwards right now,” Howson said. “That’s
something we have to look at through free agency or trade. “The freeagency market is not something that’s going to get us a high scorer.”
The trade of Nash would yield some offensive return. But when it happens
is anyone’s guess.
635643
Detroit Red Wings
Penguins, like Red Wings, eye Zach Parise, Ryan Suter
Zach Parise
PITTSBURGH -- Count the Pittsburgh Penguins among the Red Wings'
biggest competition for forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter.
Suter, who helped the Predators knock off the Wings in five games in the
first round of the NHL playoffs, and Parise, who helped the Devils reach the
Stanley Cup finals, will be the biggest names available when free agency
begins Sunday. Both will be unrestricted free agents.
The Penguins put themselves in a position to have a shot at both players
over the weekend. They freed up about $6 million in cap space by trading
Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek on Friday, and they could free up more
money by trading defenseman Paul Martin.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, citing team sources, reported Sunday that
Sidney Crosby will sign a new contract in the range of 10-13 years with an
average annual salary of $9 million to $10 million and will try to recruit
Parise, his longtime friend, and Suter to the Penguins.
The Penguins have a solid young nucleus that includes Crosby, league
MVP and scoring champ Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang and
Marc-Andre Fleury.
Suter is considered a small-town guy who doesn't like a lot of media
attention, and Crosby and Malkin would continue to get the bulk of the
media attention for the Penguins.
The Wings have about $20 million in cap space.
Suter would help improve the Wings' defense after the retirement of Nicklas
Lidstrom and the departure of Brad Stuart.
Parise would give the Wings another high-end forward to go with Pavel
Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.25.2012
635644
Detroit Red Wings
"I'm not scared to play physical at all," he said. "I don't care if somebody
give me hit or I give somebody hit. I want to hit somebody and be the bad
guy too on the ice."
Jiri Fischer pointed Wings to hard-shooting Martin Frk
Frk also has a lot of confidence in his offensive ability.
By George Sipple
"I can keep the puck, deke some players, and I got great shot," he said. "I
need to improve my defense."
PITTSBURGH -- Jiri Fischer showed a lot of faith in forward Martin Frk
when they were together in 2011 on the Czech Republic world junior team.
Fischer said Frk will be under a much stronger microscope next season
than he was in his draft year because Halifax linemate Nathan MacKinnon
is pegged as a top pick in next year's NHL draft.
Fischer was an assistant coach for the Czechs and recommended that Frk
play the point on the power play.
Barring injuries, Frk said he's hoping to score 40 goals next season playing
with McKinnon, who had 31 goals and 47 assists in 58 games last season
as a rookie.
The Wings put a lot of faith in the recommendation by Fischer, the team's
director of player development, to draft Frk (6-feet-0, 204 pounds) on
Saturday at the Consol Energy Center with their first pick in the NHL draft.
"Nathan is great hockey player," Frk said. "I hope he go first overall for
Mooseheads. That will be great for organization and for him. I'm happy I
can play with him."
Frk (pronounced ferk) didn't know the Wings would be interested in him.
Meet Martin Frk
"They don't talk to me at all," Frk said of the Wings. "I thought it'd be
different team, but I'm very happy. I think my family is, too."
Position: Forward
Frk, 18, wears No. 91 because of childhood idol Sergei Fedorov, so he
knows a little bit about the Wings.
"I know they won a lot of Stanley Cups and always the best team in the
National Hockey League," Frk said. "It's a great team. I hope I will soon play
for the Red Wings, too."
The Wings didn't have a first-round pick Friday and didn't think Frk would be
available when they picked 49th overall in the second round.
"Before the season, I believe he was a top-15 pick," Fischer said, adding
that Frk was the highest-profile European coming into the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League two years ago for the Halifax Mooseheads.
Frk had 22 goals and 28 assists in 62 games for Halifax in 2010-11. He was
the youngest player to represent the Czech Republic at the 2011 World
Juniors and led the team with three goals in six games.
"Every shift he works, works, works," Fischer said. "He really can finish.
He's got a good shot. He's not afraid to shoot. He's got enough confidence
to shoot it.
"He can play the point on the power play. He can find loose pucks around
the net. Relentless on the forecheck. He really (has) second effort hunting
pucks down, even after 50-50 battles."
The one area he needs to work on is getting faster on his skates. "He's
going to have to work on his top speed," Fischer said. "That's an area he's
going to have to improve to be successful in the NHL, but he can play
hockey."
And why did Fischer want him on the point for that Czech team? "He was
the best one-timer shot we had on the power play," Fischer said. "He was
better than all defensemen that we had. He can do a lot of good things with
the puck."
Fischer said Frk "would have been penciled in" to play again for the Czechs
in the 2012 World Juniors had he not been sidelined early last season with
a concussion.
Frk said the concussion came from a hit in a preseason game when he
attempted a spin-o-rama.
"I'm now good, no problem," he said. "No headaches anymore."
He had 16 goals and 13 assists in 34 regular-season games last season.
He also had five goals and six assists in 17 playoff games.
Frk played for HC Karlovy in the Czech Under-20 league before jumping to
the QMJHL two years ago. He said he made the move to play against
better competition in North America.
"It's smaller rink, it's very fast," Frk said of coming to North America, "In
Czech, you have more time. It's more skill here. It's a lot of hitting and
fighting. I like to play here."
Frk described himself as a power forward.
Selected: 2nd round (No. 49 overall).
Vitals: 6-0, 204 pounds.
From: Pelhrimov, Czech Republic.
Junior team: Halifax (QMJHL).
Overview: 18-year-old ranked No. 20 among North American skaters by
NHL Central Scouting. Shoots right. Frk missed a big chunk of games early
last season with a concussion. He was the youngest player to represent the
Czech Republic at the 2011 World Junior Championship and led the team
with three goals in six games. Wears No. 91 because of childhood idol
Sergei Fedorov.
Statistics
TM
GP
G
A
PTS
'10-11
Halifax
62
22
28
50
'11-12
Halifax
34
16
13
29
Totals
96
38
41
79
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.25.2012
635645
Detroit Red Wings
With the draft done, the Wings' primary focus shifts to unrestricted free
agency, which begins on July 1.
Bigger is better for Wings' draft choices
With more than $20 million available to spend, the Wings expect to be
active.
By Ted Kulfan
"We have a lot of cap space (over $20 million) and we're looking to be
aggressive on July 1," Holland said.
Detroit— The gradual change actually began last season when the Red
Wings selected several bigger bodies.
The Wings will have plenty of competition, though, in going after
defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Zach Parise , the two players who will
attract the most attention if they don't sign with their present teams this
week.
Last weekend at the NHL draft, the Wings became even bigger.
With the game going big, the Wings drafted bigger, bulkier prospects. All six
players drafted — even third-round goalie Jake Paterson — are at least 6feet tall.
"The game is changing," said Jim Nill, the Wings assistant general manager
in charge of the draft.
Pittsburgh created cap space for itself over the weekend, while teams such
as the New York Rangers, Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Los
Angeles also are expected to be in pursuit of Suter and/or Parise.
The Wings also will go after defenseman Justin Schultz , an unsigned
Anaheim draft pick, who can begin talking with teams Wednesday.
Wings draft picks
Not that the Wings are going to abandon the smallish player who can play.
Martin Frk
"If there's a player with high-end skills, you're going to take him," Nill said.
"But the game is changing. You look at the Stanley Cup Finals, the best
players were also big. You have to match up with them."
Round/pick : 2/49
Said general manager Ken Holland: "You don't wake up and suddenly
you're bigger. It's a process.
Height/weight : 6-0/198
"But you hope to keep adding gradually, drafting some players, and you
have a mixture of talent and size."
Scouting report : Has good size and hockey sense, and scouts love his
shot. He runs a good power play, and plays with a lot of character on the
ice. Suffered a concussion last season, but returned to the lineup late in the
season with no issues. Needs work on his skating and defense.
The Wings believe they added just that over the weekend.
Their top selection, in the second round, was Martin Frk, a 6-foot, 204pounder who is expected to grow into a grinding, tough-to-play-against
winger.
Position : Center/right wing
Last season : Halifax (Quebec League); 34 games, 16 goals, 13 assists
Jake Paterson
Round/pick : 3/80
Frk missed four months because of a concussion last season in Halifax
(Quebec Junior League) but returned late in the season and showed no
lingering effects.
Position : Goaltender
"A real character guy," Nill said. "We think he has a real bright future."
Last season : Saginaw (Ontario League); 18-18-3, .904 save percentage,
3.42 goals-against average
Two big-bodied defensemen were added in rounds 4 and 5.
Michael McKee was a fifth-round pick who, at 6-4, 230, is the type of tough,
burly defenseman the Wings have lacked.
McKee, who'll play at Western Michigan this season, had two goals and 17
assists — and 237 penalty minutes — last season in Lincoln (United States
Hockey League).
The Wings picked James De Haas (6-2, 200) in the sixth round, a two-way
defenseman who'll play at Clarkson after one more year of junior hockey in
Canada.
Scouting report : Played his way into the starting job at Saginaw after a
difficult start to the season. Was at his best when the games meant the
most, late in the regular season and particularly in the playoffs (6-6, 3.05
GAA, .903 save percentage).
Andreas Athanasiou
Round/pick : 4/110
Position : Left wing
Rasmus Bodin, a 6-foot-6, 207-pound left wing from Sweden, was the
Wings pick in the seventh round.
Last season : London (Ontario League); 63 games, 22 goals, 15 assists
"You give them time to develop and hopefully one day they turn into NHL
players," Nill said.
Scouting report : A small speedster who has big-time offensive skills, and
always has shown the ability to score. Athanasiou was considered a firstround talent but had an inconsistent season.
The Wings didn't abandon smaller players during the draft. They picked 6-0,
165-pound Andreas Athanasiou in Round 4.
Michael McKee
Athanasiou, a left wing, was highly rated coming into the season — many
mock drafts felt he was a possible first-rounder — but suffered through an
inconsistent season.
Athanasiou scored 22 goals for London (Ontario Hockey League) last
season and the Wings feel there's a huge upside in his game.
"He played very well in the postseason, has great speed," Nill said.
"This is a player who was very highly regarded going into the season."
The Wings like to draft one goalie in every draft and this one was no
different.
Getting Paterson in the third round, after a fine season with the Saginaw
Spirit (OHL), adds to the Wings' depth in the future in an important position.
Next step
Round/pick : 5/140
Position : Defenseman
Last season : Lincoln (United States Hockey League); 59 games, two goals,
17 assists
Scouting report : People will focus on the size and the 237 penalty minutes,
but scouts think highly of his skating ability and he has a good shot from the
point. McKee will play at Western Michigan next season.
James De Haas
Round/pick : 6/170
Position : Defenseman
Last season : Toronto Lakeshore (Ontario Junior Hockey League); 45
games, 10 goals, 19 assists
Scouting report : Will play in British Columbia junior league next season and
college hockey at Clarkson in two years. A project, but Wings like his size
and overall two-way game.
Rasmus Bodin
Round/pick : 7/200
Position : Left wing
Last season : Östersunds IK (Swedish junior league); 20 games, three
goals, seven assists
Scouting report : This year's sleeper of the draft? Bodin has imposing size,
and has the strength, reach and mobility to be a monster at some point
down the line. But he's extremely raw.
Detroit News LOADED: 06.25.2012
635646
Detroit Red Wings
"Now I ask the women out there," said son Tim of Brighton, "if someone
was writing you letters whose main theme was 12 kids and a dog, how fast
would you be running from that guy?"
Ex-Wings broadcaster Budd Lynch, 94, honored for charitable work for kids
Leila Lynch stood firm, and they wound up with the dozen children — plus
two dogs. Condolences to Leila, and bless them both.
Neal Rubin
How did you do?
Answers to the quiz you're not allowed to blame me for:
Budd Lynch may well have amassed a million memories, and he's easily
heard a million cheers. But a million dollars is something new.
1. Mount Everest. Westerners just hadn't seen it yet.
The Detroit Red Wings' Hall of Fame broadcaster and public address
announcer will host the 23rd annual Budd Lynch Celebrity Golf Classic
today at Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club.
3. Hector lives in the Southern Hemisphere.
While he certainly knew he was raising money for a highly worthy cause
these past few decades, The Guidance Center in Southgate, it never
occurred to him to keep track of how much. The organization did, and this
year's take bumped the total past $1 million.
To mark the occasion, The Guidance Center ambushed him at a pre-event
party last week with an announcement: It has established the Budd Lynch
Endowment Fund for Children.
"It's a great feeling. A very humble feeling," says Lynch, who'll turn 95 on
Aug. 7. Where tributes are concerned, "I thought maybe they'd put my
picture in the men's room or something."
The Guidance Center focuses on the developmental and mental health of
kids, adults, families and communities. It served more than 26,000 people
last year.
Lynch, the father of six daughters, has always had a particular interest in
children's projects, and the endowment will keep him connected to them in
perpetuity. Any contributors to it through the end of June will be considered
Founding Donors, says Guidance Center marketing director Al Sebastian;
checks should be made out to the Community Foundation for Southeastern
Michigan and sent to The Guidance Center, Development Department,
13101 Allen Road, Southgate, MI 48195.
"He seemed truly touched" by the honor, Sebastian says, and "at least
some of his daughters cried."
"Crazy things happen in life," says Lynch, who returned from World War II
without his right arm, "but a lot of fortunate things happen, too. You're only
here once, so you do what you can for people."
Take this quiz
I don't think this quiz originated with Art McCafferty, but I saw it in his
weekly Michigan Golfer News, so he gets the credit. Or the blame.
1. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in
the world?
2. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?
3. Hector was born on Dec. 28, but his birthday is always in the summer.
How is that possible?
4. In the state of California, you cannot take a picture of a person with a
wooden leg. Why not?
5. If a farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another,
how many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in a third field?
Loving farewell
A remarkable church, a remarkable man and a possibly even more
remarkable woman: My wife and I went to a memorial service this month at
Nativity of Our Lord Church, just off Gratiot Avenue on McClellan Street in
Detroit. It's one of the last locations you'd expect to find a stunning,
meticulously maintained house of worship, but the city is full of surprises
and many of them are good.
The service was for Ray (R.J.) Lynch of Grosse Pointe Farms, a former vice
chairman of ANR, who died in March at 89. A humble-origins sort of guy, he
flew P-38s in World War II and went from there to the University of Illinois,
where he'd write letters to his future wife about his concept of the perfect
family — "no less than 12 kids, plus a dog."
2. Incorrectly
4. Wooden legs don't take pictures. You'd need a camera for that, or at
least a cellphone.
5. One. A large one, but … one.
635647
Detroit Red Wings
Report: Penguins to make play for Ryan Suter, Zach Parise
By The Detroit News
It looks like the Red Wings will have some more competition in landing free
agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in a package deal.
Pittsburgh is being mentioned as a possible suitor for both players. After
trading center Jordan Staal to Carolina and defenseman Zybnek Michalek
to Phoenix last weekend, Pittsburgh has more than $14 million in salary cap
space, both the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
reported. Both papers also said the Penguins are trying to trade
defenseman Paul Martin, who earns $5 million.
Sidney Crosby is under contract though 2012-13 for $7.5 million. Team
sources told the Tribune-Review that the Penguins will try to sign Crosby to
a new long-term deal with an average annual salary of $9-10 million, and
that the Penguns will try to recruit Parise, Crosby's longtime friend, and
Suter.
Parise and Crosby both attended Shattuck St. Mary's prep school in
Minnesota, though they were not teammates. In 2003, Suter was drafted by
Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who was with Nashville at the time.
The Wings have more than $20 million in cap space available.
635648
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' top pick Martin Frk wants to be power forward who can crash
and bang as well as score
For that, it'll help to bulk up even more. He will spend another summer in
Montreal skating and training with NHL and junior players.
“I’m still 18, and I’ll go to Montreal and bring some more muscles and I’ll be
ready for the season,'' Frk said.
Michigan Live LOADED: 06.25.2012
Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected]
DETROIT – Nobody in Martin Frk's family played hockey, but that didn't
prevent his parents from putting skates on him at age 2½ and handing him
a stick sixth months later.
At 15, Frk left the Czech Republic, determined to develop his career in
North America.
After being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, the 18-year-old
Frk hopes to make it to the NHL in 3-4 years.
When he arrives, he doesn't want to labeled as a soft, skilled European.
“I’m not afraid to be physical, I don’t care if somebody gives me a hit,'' Frk,
a right wing, said. “I know the guy from Europe wants to play with skill, (but)
I want to hit somebody and be the bad guy, too, on the ice.”
At 6-foot, 204 pounds, Frk is equipped to handle contact, and dish it out.
But it was the goal-scoring ability his displayed for the Halifax Mooseheads
of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that prompted the Red Wings
to select him with their first pick, 49th overall, in the second round at the
Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
“Every shift, he works, works, works,'' Jiri Fischer, Red Wings director of
player development, said. “He really can finish. He's got a good shot. He
can play the point on the power play. He can find loose pucks around the
net. He's relentless on the forecheck.''
After a strong rookie season in Halifax and good showing at the World
Junior and Under-18 Championships, Frk was projected to go in the first
round. But a preseason concussion idled him for four months – he took a hit
to the head after doing a spin-o-rama and getting off a backhand shot. That
caused his draft stock to plummet.
“He was a big surprise for us; we didn't think he'd be there,'' Detroit
assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “He's a well-known player, (has)
skill and size and he plays hard.''
Fischer said Frk needs to focus on becoming a better skater.
“He's quick enough, he's smart enough, he's not a bad skater,'' Fischer
said. “Just to be an elite player in the NHL, that's one area he's going to
have to work on.''
Frk rebounded from the concussion that also cost him a spot on the Czech
World Junior team to pick up 16 goals and 29 points in 34 games.
“Before the season I believe he was a top-15 pick,'' Fischer said. “This year,
maybe even more so he was going to be under the microscope, playing
with Nathan MacKinnon (the potential 2013 No. 1 overall pick).''
Frk no longer is experiencing headaches, but he lamented, “It’s very sad
because you have your draft year and you aim to play good and all of the
scouts come to see you.''
He's over the disappointment and excited to be a Red Wing. Frk grew up
admiring Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr, but he wears No. 91 in Halifax
because of another of his childhood idols, former Red Wing Sergei
Fedorov. And he would relish the opportunity to play with current Detroit
star Pavel Datsyuk in the future.
“I like a lot about Pavel Datsyuk,'' Frk said. “I think he’s the best player in
the National Hockey League, so I’m happy that I can be with Detroit. I hope
I have the chance to meet him.”
For now, he will return for his third season at Halifax, playing on a line with
MacKinnon.
“I know how he can take the puck and deke four guys, so he’s a good
hockey player,'' Frk said. “I want to score around 30 goals. I don’t need to
have the pretty goals where you deke a guy one-on-one. I can take a
rebound or something like that.”
635649
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings have serious competition from Pittsburgh in their efforts to land
Ryan Suter and Zach Parise
Tribune-Review points out that the Penguins plan to build around a talented
young nucleus featuring Crosby, 24; Malkin, 25; winger James Neal, 24;
defenseman Kris Letang, 25; and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, 27.
The Penguins figure to be competitive for a long time.
Meanwhile, Datsyuk turns 34 on July 20, Zetterberg is 31, and Detroit's best
defenseman, Niklas Kronwall, is 31.
Ansar Khan | [email protected] By Ansar Khan | [email protected]
This is what the Red Wings will be up against on July 1.
Michigan Live LOADED: 06.25.2012
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that hosted this
weekend's NHL entry draft, created the biggest buzz at the Consol Energy
Center.
It was not so much for what they did – trading talented young center Jordan
Staal to Carolina and shipping defenseman Zbynek Michalek back to
Phoenix – but for what they are planning to do.
When the dust settled, the Penguins were left with $14.6 million in salary
cap space. And even though they still need to sign one or two of their own,
relatively inexpensive, free agents, they could create more room by
dumping defenseman Paul Martin and his $5 million cap hit.
Clearly, the Penguins plan to make a big push on July 1 for one, if not both,
of the premier free agents expected to be available – Nashville defenseman
Ryan Suter and New Jersey left wing Zach Parise.
Suddenly, the Detroit Red Wings have serious competition in their efforts to
land the two players they have been targeting for at least one year.
As attractive a destination as Detroit would be for Suter and Parise – the
opportunity to play with talents like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg,
for an organization with an unparalleled track record of success the past
two decades – Pittsburgh would be just as appealing.
Suter must have pondered the possibility of making passes to young
superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for years to come. And as
much as Parise admires Datsyuk and the way the Red Wings play, the
opportunity to be Crosby's winger for the next half-dozen years or so might
be hard to turn down, especially since they are close friends.
Both teams have plenty of cap space. The Red Wings will have roughly $19
million. It probably doesn't boil down to which team will pay the most. Both
clubs surely will tender competitive offers.
Other factors will come into play. Which city do they want to settle down in
for the foreseeable future? Which club do they believe gives them the best
chance to win the Stanley Cup, now and in the future? Which coach would
they prefer to play for, Pittsburgh's Dan Bylsma or Detroit's Mike Babcock?
And other teams will be in the mix. Minnesota has made it clear, through
back channels, that it will not be outbid in its attempts to bring Parise back
home. He is a Minneapolis native whose father, J.P., played for the old
North Stars. The Wild will make a pitch for Suter, too.
The New York Rangers, who seem to be in the mix for every big-name
player, figure to be interested as well, despite Parise's claim that he won't
play for them and reports that Suter is not interested in playing in a big,
East Coast market.
Perhaps a surprise team will throw its hat into the ring. The Stanley Cup
champion Los Angeles Kings, with plenty of cap space, reportedly are
interested in Parise.
And there's always a chance that they could re-sign with their clubs after
seeing what's available on July 1 – in addition to satisfying the NHL Players
Association, which undoubtedly is pushing them into testing the market.
Suter, a Wisconsin product who lives in Madison, is said to be a small-town
kind of guy who doesn't like the scrutiny and attention he would receive in a
big city. Nashville is ideal for someone like that. But so are Detroit and
Pittsburgh.
Predators general manager David Poile still believes he has a chance to resign Suter, which is why he has resisted trading his negotiating rights.
The Devils reportedly will make a competitive offer to Parise. But the larger
question is, will New Jersey, being in dire straits financially, be able to
surround their captain with enough talented players to satisfy him? How can
that guarantee be made by a club that is in so much debt?
There is no such concern in Pittsburgh, a highly talented team that fizzled in
the first round of the playoffs, losing to Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh
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Edmonton Oilers
Top Oilers prospects on display starting Wednesday
Yakupov, Klefbom highlight players at local development camp
By Jim Matheson, edmontonjournal.com June 24, 2012
EDMONTON - The future is now.
If you’re keen to see Edmonton’s No. 1 draft pick, winger Nail Yakupov, on
skates and not in a suit and an Oiler ball-cap like he was last weekend in
Pittsburgh, and highly rated Swedish defender Oscar Klefbom, they’ll be on
display at the Oilers develoment camp this week.
Thirty-four players — drafts and invitees — will take part in the six-day
camp which starts Wednesday with on-ice sessions at Millennium Place,
starting at 9:30 a.m. every morning. The Oklahoma City Barons coaching
staff — head man Todd Nelson and assistants Gerry Fleming and Rocky
Thompson — and the Oilers pro development guys Mike Sillinger and Billy
Moores will run the sessions.
The Oilers don’t have a head coach or assistants yet with Tom Renney
departing and his staff — Ralph Krueger, Kelly Buchberger, Steve Smith
and Fred Chabot — all having their contracts ending June 30. Krueger is
rumoured to be the front-runner for the head job with a press conference
coming this week.
Here’s the list of players coming, with the walk-ons who haven’t been
drafted with an asterisk.
Goal: Tyler Bunz, Olivier Roy, Frans Tuohimaa, Jared Coreau*
Defence: Klefbom, Taylor Fedun, Kyle Bigos, Brandon Davidson, Martin
Gernat, Martin Marancin, David Musil, Dillon Simpson, Kyle Bigos, Joey
Laleggia, Erik Gustafsson, Wade Epp*
Forwards: Yakupov, Kristians Pelss, Tobias Rieder, Mitch Moroz, Curtis
Hamilton, Travis Ewanyk, Cameron Abney, Stephane Legault*, Ryan
Martindale, Danill Zharkov, John McCarron, Cameron Critchlow*, Brett
Ferguson*, Conner Jones*, Kellen Jones, Juhhar Khaira, Antoine
Laganiere*, Brandon Magee*
Yakupov, who wore No. 10 in Sarnia, will be No. 64 in your program.
Klefbom, who will play one more year in Farjestads, Sweden, will be 84.
Fedun (81) broke his leg last fall in an Oilers exhibition game and didn’t play
in 2011-12.
Hamilton played in OK City for the whole year while Martindale, Abney and
Roy got a little taste of the American Hockey League after spending most of
the season with the Stockton Thunder in the East Coast Hockey League.
Marancin played six games in OK City after his junior season in Regina
ended.
Tuohimaa just signed an extension in Jokerit, Finland. Bigos (Merrimack
College), Simpson (U of North Dakota), Laleggia (Denver U) and Kellen
Jones (Quinnipiac) were drafted and played at U.S. colleges.
Rieder had 84 points in 60 league games and 27 in 16 playoff matches in
Kitchener, Ont. Pelss, Moroz and Ewanyk are all Oil Kings drafts.
Critchlow was captain of the Halifax Mooseheads and had 12 goals in 16
playoff games, Legault had 14 points in 20 playoff games for the Oil Kings.
Six-foot-five goalie Coreau is an invite from Northern Michigan, as is the
blue-liner Epp. Laganiere is a six-foot-four centre from Yale and Conner
Jones was with his twin at Quinnipiac.
ON THE BENCH: Oilers assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk’s contract
ends at the end of June, but GM Steve Tambellini said he’s expected to get
an extension … Defenceman Justin Schultz became an unrestricted freeagent Sunday at midnight, leaving him open to offers from teams looking to
acquire his services on July 1 … The Oilers have to decide which restricted
free-agents to send qualifying offers to by July 1 or they become
unrestricted free-agents. It’s expected Cam Barker will not get a tendered
offer.
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Edmonton Oilers
Oilers still have work to do
Robert Tychkowski, Edmonton Sun
Having three straight No.1 picks is every scout’s dream, the only bad part is
that means your team just came off a horrible season.
Head scout Stu MacGregor, sitting at the first table on the front row of the
draft floor since 2010, wouldn’t mind a longer walk when Edmonton makes
next year’s first-round selection.
“We’re hoping to move back another row or so as we continue in the
development of the team.”
GM Steve Tambellini wants to address some of that development as quickly
as possible. He knows the rest of the Oilers — also known as the guys who
aren’t Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov — have to get a lot
stronger.
“There’s a lot of things that still have to be done,” he said. “You can’t rest
and say because you’ve had a great selection in the draft your team is
going to take that major step — just because of that young player who’s
come to your organization.”
He wants another big, steady defenceman (somebody like Matt Greene),
another puck moving defenceman (along the lines of Tom Gilbert) and
some front-line muscle to complement the grit they don’t have.
Unfortunately, everybody in the NHL, except maybe L.A., wants those type
of players.
“We’ve been talking to teams,” said Tambellini. “There are many teams with
the same goals, looking for the type of forwards we’re looking for and the
defencemen we’re looking for.
“We have to stay on it and hopefully we can find the right player. We know
we need to add some depth to our defence. That’s one of our goals.
“I think where we do need to get better is to have that heaviness, not just
from a physicality standpoint, but the heaviness of being able to play with
our top six or top nine. We need some of that in our organization.
“The nice thing is we know we have some heaviness coming into the
organization and we know we have six or seven defencemen who are
poised to turn pro within the next year or two or three. Our cupboard is
getting close to what we hoped would happen over the last couple of
years.”
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Edmonton Oilers
Yakupov ready to get at it
Robert Tychkowski, Edmonton Sun
Edmonton, check your In Box — You’ve Got Nail.
The dynamic Russian winger touched down in the city Sunday afternoon,
his first visit as an Oiler after being selected first overall in the NHL Entry
Draft.
Maybe it was just coincidence that he was accompanied by one of the
greatest bodyguards of all time — current Oilers scout Dave Semenko —
and maybe not.
He is precious cargo, after all, and needed to be delivered in one piece.
“He’s all yours,” a grinning Semenko told an Oilers employee waiting to pick
up Yakupov at the airport.
After posing for a few pictures in the terminal, the 18-year-old said his plans
for a lazy Sunday were pretty basic.
“Go to the hotel and get some rest, then work out and get ready for camp,”
he said. “Simple.”
Yakupov and the rest of the 2012 picks get right at it Wednesday when the
Oilers host their development camp June 27 to July 2 at Millennium Place in
Sherwood Park.
Like Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins before him, he will put his first
blade on the ice as an Oiler at the week-long prospects camp.
“I’m excited, ready to go,” said Yakupov, who’s one year removed from
breaking Steve Stamkos’s rookie socring records in Sarnia. “I want to work
hard and show how I can play. Work in the gym and on the ice, meet the
guys, it’s going to be great.”
Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, after much hand-wringing and debate among
fans, made the Oilers, and made an impact, right out of training camp.
The club is hoping Yakupov’s skill level translates to the NHL level just as
seamlessly, but they won’t go as far as to say they expect it.
“I’m not going to put that kind of pressure on him,” said chief scout Stu
MacDonald. “I think Nail wants to make the transition to pro hockey and the
NHL. I would anticipate that he’s going to challenge.”
Size shouldn’t be an issue, he isn’t slight at 5-11, 185 and has three months
to add muscle. He also has skill falling out of his pockets. All that seems to
stand between Yakupov and a full-time NHL gig is the mental side of things
— making good decisions at the major-league pace.
“I think he has the skill set and overall strength,” said GM Steve Tambellini.
“Let’s just see what happens. He’s going to come to development camp in
Edmonton in a few days. Let’s just let him play, go through training camp
and exhibition games and see what happens.
“One thing I do know is he’s a very confident kid, he’s a very proud
individual. He had no hesitation telling me he was the No.1 pick.
“I love the confidence, and with that comes the courage to back it up and I
don’t think he lacks any courage in his ability, that’s for sure.
“I can’t wait to see him play with some of our skilled people.”
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Florida Panthers
Other than Versteeg, who had a career-high 23 goals and 54 points, the
remaining restricted free agents on the Panthers roster are forward Wotjek
Wolski as well as defensemen Keaton Ellerby and Dmitry Kulikov.
After quiet draft weekend Panthers GM turns to present issues
The Panthers must tender qualifying offers to their restricted free agents by
Monday or else they would become unrestricted free agents.
June 24, 2012|By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel
Wolski, who was acquired in midseason for his shootout prowess, made $4
million last season, so his shortlived Panthers' tenure is over. Tallon said he
has made a qualifying offer to a blossoming, yet oft-injured Kulikov, and will
negotiate from there.
Sometimes there's only so much room in the cupboard.
After stocking the organization's shelves with 23 picks, including four firstrounders, in his first two drafts at the helm, Panthers General Manager Dale
Tallon ended up with just five picks over a quiet weekend in Pittsburgh,
tying the 2008 draft with the fewest in franchise history.
He had some trade offers to pick up some additional picks, but said he
wasn't about to give up any of the organization's top prospects such as
Jonathan Huberdeau, Quinton Howden, Rocco Grimaldi or Drew Shore.
"I've got a lot of young players and want to make sure we give them
opportunities, and that's the goal,'' Tallon said. "I love the action, but there
wasn't any. We made the best of what we had to do.
"Sometimes you're hitting the drives and sometimes you're being hit. This
year was just one of those years. We have a lot of prospects. We've got a
lot of picks the last couple of years.
"We're satisfied. We got some speed, we got some skill and we got some
grit.''
Rumors were flying involving the Panthers reacquiring Canucks goalie
Roberto Luongo, and while Tallon admitted he has spoken to Vancouver
representatives, all reports were, "pure speculation.'' Luongo is due $5.3
million through 2022 and the Panthers have Jacob Markstrom waiting in the
wings, so do the math.
Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell won the Lady Byng in Vegas, the
organization's first prestigious voted-for award, and on Friday, Tallon may
have found Campbell's successor in about four years with his first-round
pick of USHL defenseman Mike Matheson. He was the 11th blueliner
chosen in the first 23 picks and was ranked 30th among North American
skaters.
"I try to model my game after [Campbell] so I'll take even closer attention to
him,'' said Matheson, who before heading to Boston College in the fall will
attend the Panthers development camp on Sunday at Savology.com
Iceplex.
Brian Skrudland, the Panthers director of player development, said
Matheson's skating ability is, "incredible,'' and he will get firsthand tutoring
from former Panthers defenseman Bryan McCabe, who has joined the
organization and will assist Skrudland in player development.
The Panthers added Victoria Royals (WHL) center Steven Hodges in the
third round, Russian winger Alexander Delnov in the fourth round, Quebec
Major Junior league forward Frances Beauvillier in the fifth and then added
Dallas'seventh-round pick for their 2013 seventh and tabbed Swedish
defenseman Jonatan Nielsen.
"Dale really likes speed and in today's game speed kills," said Panthers
Director of Scouting Scott Luce.
Tallon now focuses his attention from the future to the present as he
decides which restricted free agents to tender qualifying offers to, which of
his own free agents to re-sign and which to pursue from other teams.
The immediate priority is to re-sign defenseman Jason Garrison, who is
coming off a career-breakthrough season, particularly as the offensive
anchor on the power play, but who can become a free agent on July 1. The
Canucks and Red Wings are believed to be interested in Garrison.
Tallon said there are offers on the table for Garrison and restricted free
agent Kris Versteeg, but it takes two to tango.
"I'm always optimistic,''Tallon said. "We're trying. It's a matter of if we could
afford it or not. That's what it comes down to.''
Tallon said that Garrison was his only unrestricted free agent to deal with so
that seems to indicate that he has no intention of re-signing impending freeagent veterans such as Mikael Samuelsson, Krys Barch, Marco Sturm,
John Madden or goalie Scott Clemmensen.
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Los Angeles Kings
A look at 2012-13 salary structure
Posted by Rich Hammond on 24 June 2012, 3:00 pm
With Jarret Stoll and Colin Fraser now back in the fold, here’s a reasonable
guess as to how the Kings’ lineup might look in 2012-13. This does not
include Dustin Penner, as he is an unrestricted free agent, but it does
assume a modest raise for Dwight King. If you assume all of the below, it’s
a total salary-cap hit of approximately $59.05 million. The 2012-13 salary
cap is tentatively set at $70.3 million, but that will depend on the labor
negotiations. Based on that, it’s reasonable to get wide eyes and start
thinking that the Kings could add another big salary this summer. Not so
fast. Look ahead one season to 2013-14. The Kings already have almost
$43 million committed to only 11 players, and that doesn’t include Jonathan
Quick’s huge eventual raise and new contracts for players such as Slava
Voynov, Alec Martinez and Trevor Lewis. Plus the Kings would have to
replace or re-sign Rob Scuderi and Brad Richardson.
So, that’s the rub in terms of salary-cap math. You always have to have one
eye on this season and one eye on upcoming seasons. So while it’s not
unreasonable to think that the Kings might take a run at a free agent such
as Zach Parise, it would also require some very tough math in the coming
years. Here’s a look at next season’s possible salary structure.
—–
Brown ($3.175 million)-Kopitar ($6.8)-Williams ($3.65)
Gagne ($3.5)-Richards ($5.75)-Carter ($5.273)
King ($0.725)-Stoll ($3.25)-Lewis ($0.725)
Richardson ($1.175)-Fraser ($0.825)-Nolan ($0.532)
Clifford ($0.870)-Westgarth ($0.725)
Doughty ($7.0)-Scuderi ($3.4)
Mitchell ($3.5)-Voynov ($0.817)
Greene ($2.95)-Martinez ($0.738)
Drewiske ($0.617)
Quick ($1.8)
Bernier ($1.25)
TOTAL: $59.047
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Los Angeles Kings
Stoll in Hermosa, Brown in Torrance
Posted by Rich Hammond on 24 June 2012, 12:00 pm
A reminder that newly re-signed Kings center Jarret Stoll will be appearing
with the Stanley Cup tomorrow in Hermosa Beach, and there’s also news
that captain Dustin Brown will be signing autographs in Torrance on
Tuesday night (without the Cup).
On Monday, Stoll will be at Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach for a presentation
from the Hermosa Beach City Council and Chamber of Commerce, which is
scheduled for an 11:15 a.m. start. After that (at approximately 11:45 a.m.),
the Cup will be driven north on the Strand to the border of Manhattan
Beach.
On Tuesday, Brown will be at the Sport Chalet store in Torrance (21305
Hawthorne Blvd., at the corner of Torrance Blvd.) to sign autographs for the
first 300 people in line. The signing is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
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Minnesota Wild
If the Wild strikes out with Parise, it may dip into the forward market with
some short-term deals for offensive forwards, but there's no long-term piece
in free agency anywhere in the vicinity as Parise.
Wild Insider: Fletcher will be confronting the sales job of the century
So with the trade market expected to open up in July, the Wild would
examine that -- perhaps Bobby Ryan, Anaheim's 25-year-old scorer.
Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune
If it strikes out with Suter, expect the Wild to make a big run at Florida's
Jason Garrison, a 27-year-old, hard-shooting defenseman who played three
years at Minnesota Duluth. A Plan B could also include Philadelphia's Matt
Carle and Washington's Dennis Wideman, although the Flyers are trying to
re-sign Carle, or trading for Paul Martin or Keith Yandle.
PITTSBURGH — Zach Parise and Ryan Suter -- names that have been
joined at the hip for almost a year, not only locally, but nationally, as the two
biggest potential free agents to hit the market this summer.
In Minnesota, it has required an incredible amount of patience from fans as
they have waited for July 1.
Now, with Sunday approaching, the incredible anxiety begins.
Chuck Fletcher, fresh off his fourth draft and preparing for his fourth season
as Wild general manager, will have to make the sales job of the century.
The Wild isn't the only team in the NHL with dollars to sign the New Jersey
Devils captain and Nashville Predators defenseman. Several teams,
including those with more impressive lineages of success such as Detroit
and Pittsburgh, are expected to make runs at the two guys atop the freeagent pedestal.
So how will Fletcher attempt to make the Wild stand apart?
He might have given a peek at his strategy moments after Day 2 of the draft
on Saturday when he talked glowingly about the Wild's crop of nine
prospects that will be given the chance to compete for jobs next season.
"There's not a team in the league that has the number of young players we
have coming into camp next year," Fletcher said. "We're already
dramatically improved in my opinion, especially for the long-term."
And that will be the key to the Wild's game plan.
The Red Wings are the Red Wings, a franchise that has done a marvelous
job of creating a culture where players simply want to play there. It is a firstclass organization that has made the playoffs 21 consecutive seasons and
has won four Stanley Cups since 1997.
The Penguins are the Penguins, a team with an appetizing core of Sidney
Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury.
How is it possible for the Wild to convince Parise or Suter to choose
Minnesota over the enticement of playing with Sidney and Geno?
Parise being a Minnesotan and Suter's wife being from Bloomington surely
won't be enough.
The Wild, like others, have lots of salary-cap space. Maybe more than the
Penguins, the Wild will have the ability to sweeten an offer with frontloaded
money.
But money isn't everything, especially when you are talking about the
millions and millions all of the teams that go after Parise and Suter will offer.
So Fletcher will have to sell the Wild's plan, that the team is building a
quality corps led by captain Mikko Koivu, that it is developing such an
impressive crop of youngsters with guys such as Mikael Granlund, Charlie
Coyle, Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba that Parise and Suter will be
wholeheartedly convinced that they will be able to win in Minnesota for the
length of their contracts.
"This is a start of a new era," Fletcher said. "The fact they're turning pro is
significant. It's not just down the road anymore. We can actually see the
road now. What's exciting for me is when you look at it now, just from a
prospect standpoint, you look at the forwards we have, the goaltenders we
have, the defensemen we have, it's a well-rounded prospect pool.
"Our best days are ahead of us. We all want to get there tomorrow. But if
we have a little bit of patience here, we're all going to be rewarded in a big
way."
If the Wild is smart, the team will go after veteran Jamie Langenbrunner, a
friend of Parise's and the type of veteran that can bring leadership and a
work ethic this team could use. This is, of course, if St. Louis doesn't re-sign
him -- and the Blues are trying hard.
But the fact the Wild has to rely so much on free agency to cure all of its ills
is the biggest reason Fletcher has brought the draft-and-development
philosophy to Minnesota.
"You can't control what happens on July 1," Fletcher said. "You can have
your list, you can have your game plan, you can do a great job of
presenting your situation, but the players have earned the right on July 1 to
choose where they want to go. You don't have control. You have more
control over a trade and the most control over developing yor own kids.
"It's the easiest way to add talent provided you draft and develop well. And
it also pays long-term dividends because you're talking about kids you'll
have close to a decade if you handle it right. That has to be the foundation
of your team. We'll keep looking. But I think the best chance to be
successful is when our own talent base speaks for itself. That's when your
program can really sell itself. And we're getting there."
Star Tribune LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Minnesota Wild
Wild ready to take their best shot at top NHL free agents
By Ben Goessling
The first act of the Wild's summer is over. They made seven selections in
the NHL draft over the weekend, taking Matt Dumba with the seventh
overall pick and adding a 17-year-old defenseman whose high-wire style of
play could make him a fan favorite.
But the most interesting act of the Wild's summer is just about to begin.
It will start on Sunday, July 1, when a crowded field of suitors can officially
begin chasing New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise and Nashville
Predators defenseman Ryan Suter -- the two biggest prizes on the freeagent market and two players who could do nothing less than change the
Wild's future should they wind up in St. Paul.
Making that happen would require a convincing sales pitch, a little luck and
lots and lots of cash. The Wild have the third one. They'll soon see if they
have the first two.
"You can't control what happens on July 1," general manager Chuck
Fletcher said Sunday. "You can have your list. You can have your game
plan. You can do a great job with presenting your situation. But the players
have earned the right on July 1 to choose where they want to go."
If the NHL salary cap stays the same as it was last year, the Wild will have
almost $20 million to spend -- and people close to the situation have said
since the end of the season that the team plans to do everything it can to
land Parise (who grew up in the Twin Cities) and Suter (a Madison, Wis.
native whose wife is from Bloomington).
But the league is stocked
with teams that have money to spend this summer -- not the least of which
is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who cleared cap room for a big free-agent push
over the weekend by trading Jordan Staal to Carolina and Zbynek Michalek
to Phoenix.
The Penguins are more than $14 million under the cap, and could entice
Parise with the prospect of teaming him with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin
and James Neal. Suter could share the blue line with Kris Letang and
Brooks Orpik.
And there are plenty of other heavy-hitting teams -- like the Stanley Cup
champion Los Angeles Kings and retooling Detroit Red Wings -- who will
get involved in the chase, which says nothing of the Devils' and Predators'
efforts to re-sign their own players.
As bold as the Wild have been about stating their desire to upgrade their
roster with proven NHL players, and as much as they've positioned
themselves for a run at the two biggest names on the market, they know
they need contingency plans in case one or both players sign somewhere
else.
Outside of Parise and Suter, the market is thin on top free agents that might
interest the Wild. Philadelphia defenseman Matt Carle might make sense,
as would Carolina's Bryan Allen. But Fletcher said over the weekend he
might need to explore routes other than just free agency.
"If there's an opportunity to make a team better, it's hard to wait," he said.
"There's a lot of unknown factors in free agency, so it's hard to cure all your
ills there. The sense I got is, there may be a lot of (trades) later in the
summer."
If the Wild are going to land a top free agent, it's safe to assume a central
part of their sales pitch will center on the potential offered by young players
like Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin and Dumba.
Hockey's Future ranked the Wild's group of prospects as the second-best in
the NHL this year, and the team could try to tell free agents they'd be
joining a team whose window for success is just about to open.
They could find out in as few as six days whether that approach will work.
"We'll keep looking. We've been looking every year," Fletcher said. "But I
really think our best chance to be successful is when our own talent base
sort of speaks for itself. You start to see the dividends on the ice. That's
when your program can really sell itself."
Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens make the most of their top four picks
In addition to Galchencyuk, the Canadiens landed a trio of prospects –
Sebastian Collberg, Dalton Thrower and Tim Bozon – on Saturday, all of
whom were expected to go much higher than they did. If they all play, then
general manager Marc Bergevin is off to a flying start. Right now, he’s just
crossing his fingers.
Hoping … and dreaming.
Eric Duhatschek
For two days, Consol Energy Centre in Pittsburgh stood in for Bruce
Springsteen’s anthemic Land of Hope and Dreams.
Jacob Trouba, dressed in his new jersey, adjusts his cap after being picked
by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the NHL draft in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, June 22, 2012.
Keeping Track
2012 NHL Team-by-Team Draft Selections
In an uncertain, unpredictable NHL entry draft, pretty much every team left
the place figuring they’d pulled a fast one on the competition. The Toronto
Maple Leafs drafted Morgan Rielly, the No. 1 player on their list, and
acquired forward James van Riemsdyk from the Philadelphia Flyers. The
Montreal Canadiens selected four players (including Alexander Galchenyuk
at third overall) who theoretically could have gone in the first round. The
Calgary Flames reached down into the depths of the Central Scouting list
for Mark Jankowski, grandson of popular former NHLer Lou Jankowski, and
calmly theorized that 10 years from now he might be the best player chosen
in the 2012 entry draft.
But, hey, no pressure, kid.
Jankowski left Pittsburgh saying he would try to meet Calgary’s faith in him.
Years – and who knows how many regime changes, lockouts, trades and/or
retirements – will unfold before anyone knows who was right.
On that macro level, entry-draft weekend never much changes. Some
questions are answered. Many more are left up in the air, including the
future of prized defenceman Justin Schultz, who left the University of
Wisconsin following his junior year and is poised to become an unrestricted
free agent. Schultz was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round
of the 2008 entry draft, but declined to sign with them and now figures to
get contract offers or overtures from a dozen or more NHL teams.
The Ducks were frustrated by their inability to sign Schultz after trading
away 2010 first-rounder Jake Gardiner to the Maple Leafs. Might Schultz
pick Toronto, just so he can play with his old pal?
Mostly in the past, deals at the entry draft set teams up for the opening of
the free-agency period. The draft’s hosts, the Pittsburgh Penguins, made a
second deal after the Jordan Staal blockbuster in which they sent
defenceman Zbynek Michalek back to the Phoenix Coyotes, with whom he
was the No. 1 shut-down defenceman in the 2009-10 season.
Phoenix does an admirable job of repatriating players who’d left in search of
riches elsewhere; Radim Vrbata also returned after a year of wandering in
the wilderness (2008-09) and merely scored 35 goals last season. Maybe
that’s where Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke can park Matthew
Lombardi, who had his most productive season (53 points) with the Coyotes
in 2010. Phoenix needs a centre; it’s why defenceman Keith Yandle’s name
was briefly heard in rumours over the weekend.
Coyotes captain Shane Doan is coming up on unrestricted free agency next
week and though Doan has made it clear he doesn’t want to move
anywhere, what if the sale of the team falls through yet again? Suddenly,
Doan’s name will be added to the list of free agents hitting the open market,
a relatively thin group headed by two superstars, Ryan Suter of the
Nashville Predators and Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils.
The Penguins quietly shed themselves of a net $6-million (U.S.) in contract
with the Staal and Michalek moves. Did anybody remember that Pittsburgh
GM Ray Shero was working as an assistant in Nashville in 2003, when
Suter went seventh overall to the Predators in the entry draft? And thus has
a relationship with him? Suddenly, a new player has likely entered the Suter
sweepstakes.
Most teams hope they get at least one NHLer in every entry draft. Two is
considered a bonus, and the perfect world is four or more, something
Montreal managed in 2007 when it took Ryan McDonough, Max Pacorietty,
P.K. Subban and Yannick Weber, all of whom are playing already.
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Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens win in Pittsburgh
Posted by Mike Boone
Unless Alex Galchenyuk turns into the second coming of Lindsay Vallis,
your Montreal Canadiens had a successful 2012 draft.
We may not see the results for a while.
Galchenyuk played only eight games for Sarnia after pre-season knee
surgery. Barring a spectacular training camp, he’s likely headed back to the
OHL.
None of the other draftees is going to crack the big team’s lineup.
But in a year or two …
Marc Bergevin said he had targeted Galchenyuk since becoming the
Canadiens’ general manager. And he got him.
On Day 2 of the draft, the Canadiens landed three players many had
expected might go on Day 1: Sebastien Collberg, Dalton Thrower and Tim
Bozon.
And they drafted a trio of sleepers in Brady Vail, Charles Hudon and Erik
Nystrom.
Again, the seven draftees aren’t going to be waving at fans in a Stanley
Cup parade next June.
But by all accounts, Timmins and his team did a solid job of finding
promising youngsters for Bergevin’s new development staff.
• James Mirtle thought the Canadiens did well
• But Kevin Allen of USA Today wasn’t overly impressed
• Arpon Basu’s take
• François Gagnon: Patience with Galchenyuk
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Nashville Predators
Predators show unprecedented focus on forwards at NHL draft
By David Boclair
If the 2012 NHL draft works out as planned, the image of the Nashville
Predators as a defense-first (sometimes defense-only) team eventually will
fade.
The Predators used six of their nine choices, including each of their first
five, on forwards Saturday. They even traded a future pick to get an extra
third-rounder (89th overall), which was part of that initial forward push.
"It just sort of broke that way," general manager David Poile said. "We didn't
vary from our list. Forwards were there for us to take. When it was over we
had two defensemen, one goalie and [six] forwards. So we did have some
balance. Even in the first three forwards, one was a center, one was a left
wing and one was a right wing."
In its previous 14 draft efforts, Nashville never used more than its first three
picks up front, and not since 2006 had it picked centers and/or wingers with
the first two selections.
There were three times previously that the first three choices were
forwards, including the first draft in team history. The most recent was 2004
when the Predators took Alexander Radulov, Vaclav Meidl and Nick
Fugere. That group has not exactly made a profound impact on the
franchise.
This yer’s run on forwards ended with the selection of Finnish defenseman
Mikko Vainonen in the fourth round (118th overall).
Nashville did not have a pick in the first round, which was conducted Friday
night.
"It's not good not having a first-round pick," Poile said. "There's no way I
can sugarcoat that. ... [Saturday] was a lot more fun for our organization
because we got nine players. Sometimes you're in a draft and you're trying
to trade off your draft picks at the end. Our scouts wanted to get some
more, so I think they were happy right to the end."
A rundown of the Predators’ selections in the 2012 NHL draft:
SECOND ROUND
• 37th overall: Pontus Aberg, LW, 5-11, 194, Djurgarden (Sweden). An
illness disrputed his season and caused him to miss the World Junior
Championships. Has been a big-time scorer in Sweden’s under-18 and
junior ranks.
• 50th overall: Colton Sissons, C, 6-1, 189, Kelowna (WHL). He was the
team captain and finished second on his team with 26 goals and half of
those came on the power play. He has averaged 41 points and 54 penalty
minutes in two seasons with Kelowna.
THIRD ROUND
• 66th overall: Jimmy Vesey, LW, 6-0, 178, South Shore (EJHL). He was
the leading scorer in the Eastern Junior Hockey League with 91 points (48
goals, 43 assists) in 45 games. He plans to attend Harvard in the fall.
• 89th overall: Brendan Leipsic, LW, 5-8, 165, Portland (WHL). He is a
clutch offensive performer with great speed who has been named one of
the 28 players who will compete in this summer’s Canada-Russia
Challenge. He had 58 points (28 goals, 30 assists) and 82 penalty minutes
in 65 games this season.
FOURTH ROUND
• 112th overall: Zachary Stepan, C, 6-0, 166, Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep
(High School). He’s a consistent performer who has produced 64 and 65
points the last two seasons, respectively. His cousin is New York Rangers
forward Derek Stepan.
• 118th overall: Mikko Vainonen, D, 6-3, 205, HIFK-Helsinki Jr. (Finland).
He did get eight games in Finland’s top league this past season but spent
the bulk of his time with the junior club, where he was a solid but
unspectacular defenseman.
SIXTH ROUND
• 164th overall: Simon Fernholm, D, 6-4, 187, Huddinge Jr. (Sweden). He
has the size needed on the blue line. This season, in the Swedeish junior
ranks, he showed some puck-moving ability with 12 assists in 47 games.
• 172nd overall: Max Gortz, RW, 6-2, 196, Farjestad Jr. (Sweden). His size
suggests a power forward but he had just six penalty minutes in 28 gmes
last season.
• 179th overall: Marec Mazanec, G, 6-4, 187, Plzen (Czech Republic). At 6foot-4, he’s a little smaller than the typical Predators goalie, but he had
seven shutouts in 30 appearances at the junior level in 2010-11.
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New Jersey Devils
5(135) Graham Black, C Team: Swift Current (WHL)
5(150) Alexander Kerfoot, C Team: Coquitlan (BCHL)
NHL Draft 2012: Devils' second round pick, Damon Severson, aspires to be
like Shea Weber
Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger By Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger
Nine years ago, when the Devils made Zach Parise their first-round pick in
the 2003 NHL entry draft, they could have had defenseman Shea Weber in
the second round.
Instead, the Devils took center Petr Vrana, who played all of 16 NHL games
for the club and is now toiling in Russia’s KHL.
In Saturday’s second round of the 2012 NHL entry draft held at the Consol
Energy Center in Pittsburgh, the Devils used the 60th overall pick to select
17-year-old defenseman Damon Severson, who aspires to play like Weber.
“We had no choice but to take a defenseman because he was the best
player there,” general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “Even though we felt
that defense was something we didn’t have to address, we just had to take
the best player. He was that far up on the list with our western scouts and
cross-over scouts that it was a no-brainer for us.”
Severson, 6-2, 198 pounds, turns 18 in August. He scored 37 points (seven
goals, 30 assists) for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League
last season and is viewed by the Devils as a future quarterback on the
power play.
“Shea Weber played for the Kelowna Rockets and he knows what it’s like to
be me,“ Severson said. ”He’s been through the system already. I definitely
try to pattern myself after him. He’s a great role model.
“I’m going to push for a spot (with the Devils) right off the bat. We’ll see
what happens. You never know. I could take a little more time to develop.
I’m going to push myself forward, develop with the Kelowna Rockets and
hopefully in 2-3 years be in (the NHL).”
Do the Devils see him as a Weber type of player?
“You never know,” Lamoriello said cautiously. “Put it this way: He knows
how to play the game. He’s going to fill out. He’s young, but you know about
potential. Time will tell.”
Severson, from Bryce Salvador’s hometown of Brandon, Manitoba, was the
only defenseman taken by the Devils in this year’s draft. They selected six
forwards, including Windsor (OHL) left wing/center Ben Johnson 90th
overall in the third round.
Johnson, 5-11, 188 pounds, is the third cousin of Devils’ 2011 draft choice
Blake Pietila. He scored 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) in 44 games last
season and said he was inspired by Calder Trophy finalist Adam Henrique
after he worked out with the former Windsor center last summer.
“I talked to Henrique last summer a little bit and got to know him. I haven’t
had the chance to ask him about New Jersey yet,” Johnson said. “I saw
those guys (Henrique and several others) last year working out in the gym
and I saw how hard they push themselves. When you see them doing that,
you know what it takes to get to the next level. So you kind of want to model
yourself after their work ethic.
“This is a dream come true for me. This is a great organization for me to go
to. They made a really nice run this year in the playoffs. I got a chance to
watch them a lot.”
Rich Chere: [email protected]
DEVILS 2012
DRAFT PICKS
Round(Pick) Player
1(29) Stefan Matteau, LW Team: USA Under-18
2(60) Damon Severson, D Team: Kelowna (WHL)
3(90) Ben Johnson, LW Team: Windsor (OHL)
4(96) Ben Thomson, LW Team: Kitchener (OHL)
6(180) Artur Gavrus, C Team: Owen Sound (OHL)
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New York Rangers
Rangers holding camp for prospects
The Record
The Rangers will open their week-long prospect camp today at their
Greenburgh, N.Y., practice facility.
Defenseman Brady Skjei, selected 28th in this weekend's NHL Draft and
former first-round selections J.T. Miller (2011) and Dylan McIlrath (2010)
are among the 31 players listed on the camp roster.
Three of the Rangers' four picks this weekend are expected to attend, with
forward Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (No. 59) and Swedish defenseman Calle
Andersson (No. 119) also on the roster. Fifth-rounder Thomas Spelling of
Denmark (No. 142) is not expected to attend.
Camp will open today with a grueling conditioning skate, just as the
Rangers do with their first day of training camp. On-ice practices are
scheduled for Tuesday through Friday.
— Andrew Gross
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635663
NHL
Sunday Night Hockey in Canada, anyone?
BRUCE DOWBIGGIN
The possibility of a second network night in the next Canadian TV
broadcast contract due in 2014 might be the NHL’s solution to extending its
brand in Canada while keeping as many Canadian TV partners in the
game. The idea emerged after a discussion this weekend at the NHL Draft
in Pittsburgh with NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins.
Relaxing on a sofa beneath the stands of the Consol Center just prior to the
start of Round One of the draft, Collins was asked what new possibilities
exist for media initiatives. “I like the fact that Sunday Night Football has
become the No. 1 show on television in the U.S.,” Collins said. “Not just the
No. 1 football program in America, but the No. 1 television program overall.
That gives us lots of hope for our upcoming Canadian TV rights
discussions.”
Collins, a product of the NFL, didn’t elaborate, but Hockey Night In Canada
already owns Saturdays. But the thought naturally occurs, why not a
second night in an age when sports remains TV’s go-to property? The NHL
grows ever more popular in Canada, experiencing saturation coverage on
TSN and Sportsnet, with CBC and other networks not far behind in trying to
exploit the stickiness of hockey as a Canadian broadcast property. Could
the NHL emulate the NFL’s push to expand its brand in football-crazy
America?
Monday Night Football was the dominant football program (and overall
program) for decades. When the NFL decided to create a special Sunday
night platform for a national game, many scoffed. Monday’s the night with
the history, status and viewership. After seven or eight hours of football
already on Sundays, who was going to stick around for more?
Apparently, everyone. NBC is now king of the networks on Sunday, no
small thing in the era where networks are seeing their traditional advertiserdriven schedules abandoned for PVR, AppleTV and a host of new media
alternatives. So could we see a second featured night of network hockey in
Canada? If it means the NHL keeping Bell, Rogers and CBC all writing big
cheques for its rights, look for the NHL to provide platforms to satisfy their
needs.
Quick cuts
Collins hit on a number of other TV subjects in an exclusive chat.
On the importance of the Los Angeles Kings making L.A. a hockey market:
“We were in the market last year doing focus groups in major cities to
understand how high is the bar for casual fans. In Los Angeles, no one
could identify a Kings player. [Anze] Kopitar was maybe the one guy they
were trying to mention. This was last summer. Game 6 of this year’s final,
they did a 25 share in L.A. It was really important. And once you come off a
Stanley Cup run your ratings are better from then on.” (Plus, former Los
Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he watched the NHL, not NBA,
playoffs this spring.)
On Canadian antipathy toward the final rounds with no Canadian teams: “It
was a tough road for CBC, coming off the highest-rated final in decades
with Boston/Vancouver (in 2011). That was as good as it gets. So nothing
else could be as good as that.”
On programming differences between Canada and the United States: “We
had a lot of things to work out in terms of schedule, with games
overlapping. In the U.S. that didn’t seem a problem. They were looking at
ratings cumulatively, like [NCAA basketball] March Madness. But in
Canada, our broadcasters didn’t want overlap. We learned a lot, and we’ll
spend time in the summer trying to figure it out.”
On the positives from the 2012 playoffs: “The first two rounds were great
quality, with great buzz . We had almost a New York City final with the
Rangers and New Jersey in the Eastern final. We lost a little bit when the
Devils won, because even though they have the championship legacy of
Stanley Cups, they’ve still not got the tradition like the Rangers. By most
measurements it was a pretty successful final, coming off the greatest rated
final in a long time.”
On the NHL awards, which (aside from Will Arnett’s killer Brendan
Shanahan impersonation) tanked again: “It’s tough. Players like it. I’d love
to figure it out, I’d love to have more fun, I’d love for the players to be more
comfortable. I’d like to get more fans in. It is what it is. We’ll keep working
on it.”
Finally, on Rangers coach John Tortorella’s feelings about the HBO
cameras invading his dressing room for the cable channel’s 24/7 series.
“The last filmed session, just before the team was going on ice, he turned to
the HBO camera and said, ‘I want to talk to you guys.’ ... He went on to say
how much he respected HBO, that they had respected him and his players,
and he said he spoke on behalf of everyone. ‘You guys have been
welcomed into the hockey family, you have built the relationships. I just
want to thank you. Now, after the game, don’t let the door hit you in ass on
the way out.’”
635664
NHL
NHL players meet to set agenda for contract war
Kevin McGran
The posturing is beginning and the prospect of an NHL lockout is looming.
More than 50 NHL players — team reps and alternates — are expected to
descend upon Chicago for three days starting Monday to sort out the
union’s issues and positions in advance of collective bargaining, set to start
“imminently” according to both sides.
At the draft over the weekend in Pittsburgh, commissioner Gary Bettman
sounded upbeat but it was hard to find an agent or a league executive — off
the record — who was optimistic the season would start on time.
The contract between players and owners expires Sept. 15. The league has
already cancelled its overseas games and teams aren’t holding their
September rookie tournaments.
“I’m sorry (the pessimism) is out there, but I hope it doesn’t come to pass,”
said Bettman. “You’ve got to understand, there’s a process we have to go
with, that we have to deal with. There’s a new exectuive director. I
understand the speculation, but I’m not going to buy into it. We’re going to
do what is right in terms of this process.
“We hope it will be quick, quiet and painless.”
The NHL has grown from a $2.1 billion business to $3.3 billion in the seven
years since the lockout that cost fans the 2004-05 season. The growth is
the result of greater revenue from online ventures, the creation of the
Winter Classic and a 10-year, $2 billion contract with NBC.
The league emerged from the lockout with a salary cap, while the players
were promised 57 per cent of hockey-related revenue. While both sides
have played their cards very close to the vest, it’s believed the key issues
this time will be the percentage players receive, the revenue-generating
items that make up “hockey-related revenue” and revenue sharing among
teams.
“It’s a whole lot different than last time,” Bettman said.
By this point in 2004, it was clear to all in the hockey world that
armageddon was approaching. The league was intent on getting a salary
cap, the first among North America’s pro leagues. The NHLPA had warned
its players to save money for a prolonged lockout.
This time, the players are led by Donald Fehr, former head of baseball’s
union. He intends to use his baseball negotiating tactics. For one, he wants
more player participation. And he’s a big believer in baseball’s revenuesharing model, where rich teams aid poor teams.
“Obviously, what happened in the last round of negotiations is the starting
point for this round of bargaining,” Fehr told The Canadian Press over the
weekend. “The players made what can only be characterized as enormous
concessions. And so you want to make sure that the players understand
what happened the last time and that they take that as the beginnings of
where things go from here.”
The team salary cap for the season just passed was $64.3 million. The floor
— the least a team can pay in total salary — was $48.3 million, almost $10
million more than the first cap ceiling in 2005-06. Some small-market teams
find getting to the floor difficult.
According to Forbes.com, the average value of NHL teams has increased
by 47 per cent since the last lockout “but climbing player costs are eroding
the sport’s profitability.”
The influential website, which tracks values of most major sports
enterprises, says the league’s 57 per cent salary cap “is too high for some
teams to be profitable.”
It suggests the league is looking jealously at the 48 per cent model the NFL
agreed to before this past season, or the NBA’s 50-50 revenue split.
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635665
Ottawa Senators
Sens’ prospect Maidens still on mend from concussion
By Allen Panzeri, The Ottawa Citizen June 24, 2012
PITTSBURGH • The Ottawa Senators’ annual summer development camp
starts Tuesday at the Bell Sensplex, giving Ottawa fans a chance to see
players who might be in Ottawa’s lineup in October.
One player who won’t be there is Owen Sound Attack centre Jarrod “Iron”
Maidens, who missed most of last season with a concussion and still hasn’t
been cleared.
“With the head, it’s tough, they can’t give you a timeline,” Maidens said.
“They just say, ‘You’re your best doctor.’ Every head is different. All I can do
is hope and pray I’ll get back soon. I’m optimistic and confident I will get
back to who I am.”
A WELCOME WAKEUP CALL
Chris Driedger was sound asleep at home in Winnipeg on Saturday
morning when his phone rang. It was a call he didn’t expect so early, if at
all.
“My agent called,” he told the Calgary Herald. “And then my phone starting
blowing up 30 seconds later.”
The Senators had just selected him in the third round (76th overall) to make
him the first and only WHL goaltender claimed in 2012.
“I wasn’t expecting to go that early on,” he said. “I was going to get up in
about an hour, and I was just going to watch it from there.
“Turned out I should have been watching it earlier.
“You’re never sure.
“I was expecting to maybe be a fifth-, sixth- or even seventh-round pick if I
were to go at all.
“Honestly, you just have no idea what the scouts are thinking. Clearly, third
I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
THE BATTLER
Along with François Brassard’s skills as a goalie, the Senators like his
character. That he persevered in hockey even after being cut four times in
the last few years (twice by his Ottawa bantam AA team and then cut twice
by the Gatineau Intrepid midget AAA organization) figured into the team’s
selection of him.
“He’s a battler,” said Senators amateur scout Trent Mann. “He works hard.
This year he got to play a lot more than most backups played. He’s very
slight, but with a development program he’ll get bigger and stronger. We’re
excited about what’s in store for him.”
PICKING WITH HOPE
When you get around to the end of the draft, there’s no such thing as a
perfect pick, said Senators European scout Mikko Ruutu.
You just hope to get someone who one day might be able to play. And
maybe an unexpected diamond such as Sami Salo or a Brian Elliott, both
last-round picks.
So that’s the hope for Swedish defenceman Mikael Wikstrand, picked in the
seventh round, 196th overall.
“He’s a solid kid who can move the puck and make a play,” Ruutu said. “We
just hope he can progress. We hope he can be a depth player who can be
useful down the road.”
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Ottawa Senators
The ones to watch
Overshadowed by draft, release of new NHL schedule makes for good
viewing
By Ian Mendes, The Ottawa Citizen June 24, 2012
Family connections were the dominating storyline at this past weekend’s
NHL draft in Pittsburgh.
The Staal and Schenn brothers were reunited through trades, and we also
saw some draft selections with intriguing family dynamics. The Bruins
drafted P.K. Subban’s younger brother, Malcolm — a goalie, adding more
fuel to their rivalry with the Canadiens. The Devils certainly feel like the
ghosts from 1994 have been exorcised, which is why they felt comfortable
taking Stephane Matteau’s son with their first-round pick.
The Senators even got into the mix, drafting Brian Boyle’s younger brother
Tim because, presumably, Gary Roberts’ son isn’t draft-eligible just yet.
But lost in the shuffle of draft weekend and these family storylines, was the
fact that the league released its schedule for the upcoming 2012-13
season.
There was less hype about the schedule announcement this year because
most hockey insiders feel labour issues will disrupt the start of the
campaign in October.
If the season does start on time, however, there are plenty of games to be
excited about this fall.
This week, we’re going to look at some of the most compelling games on
the regular-season schedule for the Ottawa Senators and the rest of the
league.
Five Sens games to watch for this season
Nov. 2, Phoenix atOttawa: Senators fans who bought tickets for this game
in the summer are confused as to why the Coyotes are wearing blue
jerseys that say “Quebec” on them.
Nov. 14, Boston at Ottawa: The Bruins have been dominant at Scotiabank
Place over the past few years, with Tim Thomas winning nine consecutive
starts in Ottawa. The Sens will have to figure out a way to beat the Bruins
netminder — or hope that he really is watching this game from an
underground bunker in rural Colorado.
Dec. 21, Florida atOttawa: Speaking of underground bunkers, if the Mayan
doomsday prediction is right, this will be the last day we ever spend on
Earth. And who wouldn’t want to say goodbye to civilization with a Panthers
vs. Senators game?
March 3, Minnesota at Ottawa: Dany Heatley makes his third visit to Ottawa
since his infamous trade demand. We’re still holding out hope that Ottawa
fans will throw half-eaten buns onto the ice to represent a diminished role.
March 22, Ottawa atColumbus: Rick Nash’s first game back in Columbus.
Just kidding (maybe).
Ten NHL games to watch for this season:
Oct. 12, New Jerseyat Washington: For the first time in months, hockey
fans can watch a Capitals game without seeing 20 cutaway shots of Braden
Holtby’s mom.
Oct. 18, Pittsburghat Philadelphia: Based on their playoff series from the
spring, the over/under for their first meeting of the regular season has
conservatively been placed at 14.5.
Oct. 26, New York Rangers at Carolina: The Hurricanes host the Rangers
in their home opener, marking the first time the Staal parents don’t have to
use picture-in-picture to watch their sons play on television.
Nov. 9, New York Islanders at Anaheim: Can you sense the tension over
Lubomir Visnovsky’s return to Anaheim? Because we can’t.
Nov. 28, Philadelphia at Toronto: Luke Schenn makes his first return to the
Air Canada Centre after the big trade between these teams. Go ahead and
pencil in Schenn for at least a hat trick in this game.
Jan. 1, Toronto at Detroit: The Winter Classic is set for the Big House in
Ann Arbor, but the alumni game between these two teams will be just as
compelling. Will Nick Lidstrom just take the puck and skate around for the
whole game? Will Nik Borschevsky score the game-winning goal in
overtime? And will Wendel Clark — who played 12 career games for the
Red Wings — be willing to suit up for Detroit in the alumni game? I sure
hope so.
Dec. 29, Boston at Vancouver: The NHL’s best rivalry from last season
seems to have cooled off. I highly doubt Cory Schneider will suggest
Tuukka Rask pump his tires.
Jan. 3, Philadelphia at Los Angeles: During every TV timeout, Mike
Richards and Jeff Carter have the Kings’ training staff come and polish their
Stanley Cup rings on the bench.
Feb. 9, Los Angeles at New Jersey: This will mark the first time a
meaningless regular-season game between the two finalists will draw the
exact same television audience as their Stanley Cup final meeting from the
previous season.
Feb. 12, Phoenix at Chicago: Expect this to be an extremely tense game,
because it should mark Raffi Torres’s first trip to Chicago since his nasty hit
on Marian Hossa. On top of that, this is the second game in a home-andhome series between the two teams. Brendan Shanahan may want to save
himself some trouble and just attend this game in person so he can start
handing out suspensions during the intermission.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 06.25.2012
635667
Philadelphia Flyers
Pieces falling into place for ‘Homer'
Two things are clear: Holmgren is thankfully not interested in moving any of
his young pieces to make one big run at a Cup and that this version of the
Flyers isn't all that different from the one you'll see on the ice in October (or
whenever).
Frank Seravalli , Daily News Sports Columnist
Sometimes, when it seems like there may not be all that much going on,
Holmgren is waiting to play that one ace up his sleeve. It's all coming into
focus now. n
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 06.25.2012
PITTSBURGH — Paul Holmgren was standing in the bowels of the Consol
Energy Center, briefcase in tow, after restocking the Flyers' farm system in
the 50th annual NHL daft with picks that will take years to grade.
He was asked whether he was disappointed that the Flyers did not make a
big, headline-stealing splash in Pittsburgh to upend the host Penguins.
Holmgren chuckled, already knowing that he was knee-deep in negotiations
with the Maple Leafs to bring Luke Schenn to Philadelphia. He just couldn't
say it.
"Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring," Holmgren said with an awry
grin.
On the surface, as the league's general managers shuffled past Holmgren
out of the arena, hustling to their charter flights, Pittsburgh looked like the
clear winner of the weekend. Ray Shero cleared out nearly $7 million in
salary-cap space, collected a lottery pick in Derick Pouliot, and No. 22
overall selection Olli Maatta.
Very clearly, Shero began to bank the bucks on Friday to make a push for
some (or all) of the big boys on the open market.
And the Flyers? Well, they appeared to be stuck in neutral. On the surface.
Now, with Schenn in town, and James van Riemsdyk jettisoned to the most
persnickety hockey market in the world on the exact 1-year anniversary of
the most stunning trades in franchise history, the offseason picture is infocus.
In fact, the Flyers really don't even need to do all that much tinkering.
Especially if Matt Carle agrees to sign on the dotted line on July 1 to remain
in Philadelphia for a somewhat reasonable price.
Schenn, 22, was the exact piece the Flyers needed to fill out their blueline.
He fits the salary cap, is young and has room to grow, he's got 310 games
under his belt already, and he brings a consistent effort to the ice every
night.
With Carle in the fold, the Flyers will ice a deep defensive corps when the
puck drops on Oct. 11: Carle, Schenn, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn,
Andrej Meszaros and Nick Grossmann. It was a marked, overnight
improvement.
The flip side, as most pessimists point out, is that the Flyers will need to
somehow find a way to replace the offense lost from van Riemsdyk.
You know, since "JVR" was always such a consistent scorer.
Does that argument sound familiar? Every pundit was concerned with the
Flyers' scoring capability heading into last season with Mike Richards and
Jeff Carter gone. They ended up with five more goals scored.
And that's with van Riemsdyk — one of two players supposedly to benefit
with Carter and Richards out of the picture — cutting his production in
nearly half (from 21 to 11) thanks to an injury-riddled campaign. It didn't
faze the Flyers and neither will his departure.
The Flyers are in a serious position of strength heading into the opening of
free agency. Assuming restricted free agent Jake Voracek re-signs and his
salary bumps to $3 million and Chris Pronger's $4.9 million is moved to the
long-term injury list, the Flyers will have approximately $14 million to spend
(with a $70.2 million upper limit) on one forward, one defenseman and a
backup goaltender.
Let's say Carle is back for $4.5 million and they get a savvy, veteran
backup netminder for $900,000. That would leave Holmgren just under $9
million for the season to take a run at one of the premier free agents.
Not even Zach Parise, who I'm not even sold the Flyers are gunning for, will
be paid $9 million next season. There are 9 million different ways to spend
that $9 million, like throwing another $3.5 million at Jaromir Jagr and adding
a mid-level free agent defenseman to round things out. Or, they can make
that pitch for Parise.
635668
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' draft capsules
draft pick since 2004. Gostisbehere says: "I was surprised when I saw my
name. I jumped off the couch because it's a team that has such great
history and so much going for it. They're always a good team. I couldn't be
more proud. I'm definitely more of an offensive defenseman, but I'm no
slouch on defense, too."
FREDRIC LARSSON
By FRANK SERAVALLI
PITTSBURGH — Paul Holmgren said before flying to Pittsburgh that the
Flyers would stick to their list in the 2012 draft. He really meant it.
According to the Flyers' brass, nearly every player they seemed to target in
certain rounds was still available by the time they picked. For some teams,
that would be a scary proposition, perhaps a sign that you may value
players differently than the rest. The Flyers remained confident in their
selections, believing they left the Steel City on Saturday with a healthy
selection of new prospects to build around.
Luke Schenn
Kings 6, Devils, 1
Flyers pack up lockers
"I thought, going into the draft, we had a lot of guys identified in certain
areas that we had an opportunity to get," Flyers director of hockey
operations Chris Pryor said. "If we had to look from the first pick to the last
pick, we had guys in each area that we got that we're extremely happy
with."
Here's a glimpse into their picks:
SCOTT LAUGHTON
Round: 1st, 20th overall Position: Center
Age: 18 (May 30, 1994) Height: 6-0, Weight: 177 Birthplace: Oakville,
Ontario Team: Oshawa (OHL) Skinny: Gritty, two-way player known for his
work ethic and willingness to win puck battles ... Models his game after
former Flyers captain Mike Richards and Phoenix' Shane Doan ... Ranked
28th by Central Scouting among North American-trained forwards ...
Showed offensive upside with 53 points in 64 games after overcoming a
slow start and a coaching change in Oshawa ... Scored the gold medalwinning goal for Canada in the Under-18 World Championships in 2011 ...
Racked up seven fights and 101 penalty minutes last season ... Not overly
big or fleet of foot, but has plenty of room to continue growing. Holmgren
says: "We really liked Scott. I've seen him play a couple times. He kind of
reminds me a little of Mike Richards and a little of Adam Henrique. He's just
a good, solid, hard-nosed, two-way player. You never say never [about
making the jump to the NHL next year]. He's a really, really smart player
and very competitive. But I would suspect that he's planning on going back
to junior. He'll be at our development, coming in on July 8 and we'll start the
process."
ANTHONY STOLARZ
Round: 2nd, 45th overall Position: Goaltender
Age: 18 (Jan. 20, 1994) Height: 6-5 Weight: 210 Birthplace: Edison, N.J.
Former team: Corpus Christi (NAHL) Committed: Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
Skinny: Big, athletic goaltender who had the biggest wingspan of any player
at the Scouting Combine (81 inches). He also finished in the top 10 in VO2
(lung) capacity ... Finished fourth in Central Scouting rankings among North
American-trained goaltenders, up from 20th in the midterm rankings ... Did
not have a team to play on last season before attending an open NAHL
tryout camp in Albany, where he landed with the Corpus Christi (Texas) Ice
Rays. He posted a .920 save percentage on a team that allowed an
average of 32 shots per game. Stolarz says: "I think the Combine really
helped me. I just tried my hardest and did my best in the interviews. I'm not
in any rush, I want to develop in college and we'll see."
SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE
Round: 3rd, 78th overall Position: Defense
Age: 19 (March 20, 1993) Height: 5-11 Weight: 160 Birthplace: Margate,
Fla. College: Union College Skinny: Posted more points (22) than all but
one freshman defenseman in NCAA last season while leading the Flying
Dutchmen to their first-ever Frozen Four ... Ranked as the 148th-best North
American-trained skater ... He played on the same defensive unit as Greg
Coburn, the younger brother of the Flyers' Braydon Coburn ... Union's first
Round: 4th, 111th overall Position: Defense
Age: 17 (July 4, 1994) Height: 6-3 Weight: 172 Birthplace: Karlstad,
Sweden Team: Brynas Junior (Sweden) Skinny: Larsson collected four
points in 14 games in the "Super Elite" series of Under-20 prospects in
Sweden this year ... Decent size at 6-3, but did not finish among 120 best
European-trained skaters in rankings.
TAYLOR LEIER
Round: 4th, 117th overall Position: Left wing
Age: 18 (Feb. 15, 1994) Height: 5-10 Weight: 174 Birthplace: Saskatoon,
Sask. Team: Portland (WHL) On Twitter: @Leier22 Skinny: Strong rookie
season in the Western Hockey League, collecting 37 points (13 goals and
24 assists) in 72 games with the Winterhawks ... Finished third among the
team's 17-year-olds in scoring ... Ranked 131st among North American
skaters. Leier had two scraps with Portland, according to HockeyFights.com
... Did not attend draft because he was representing Canada in the World
Ball Hockey Championships.
REECE WILLCOX
635669
Philadelphia Flyers
Terry Murray could soon be back in Flyers organization
By FRANK SERAVALLI
PITTSBURGH — Former Kings coach Terry Murray, who was fired by Los
Angeles on Dec. 12, is close to beginning an unprecedented fifth stint with
the Flyers' organization.
As first reported by RDS' Renaud Lavoie, Murray could become the next
head coach of the Adirondack Phantoms.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed the two sides have
spoken about a job. Apparently, a position as the Phantoms' top coach is
not the only offer on the table.
"We have spoken," Holmgren said. "Nothing is in place."
Holmgren asked for and received permission from his Kings counterpart,
Dean Lombardi, to negotiate with Murray, since he is still under contract
with Los Angeles through the 2012-13 season.
Murray, 61, was fired by the Kings just one win short of 500 in the NHL. He
was 139-106-30 in parts of four seasons with the Kings. He scouted the
Eastern Conference for the Kings in the playoffs this spring. Lombardi said
Murray will receive a Stanley Cup ring for his service to the team, despite
being fired 6 months before the Kings actually won.
Before joining the Kings in 2008, Murray served 7 years with the Flyers, first
as a professional scout and then as an assistant coach to both Ken
Hitchcock and John Stevens. Originally, Murray was fired as head coach of
the Flyers just a few days after being swept by Detroit in the 1997 Stanley
Cup final. He was 118-64-30 behind the Flyers' bench from 1994-97. He is
499-383-89-41 (.557) in his NHL career.
He also played with the Flyers from 1975-77 and 1978-81.
Holmgren fired Phantoms coach Joe Paterson on May 22 after a year and a
half on the job in which he nearly made the playoffs with a talent-depleted
roster. The Phantoms' job needs stability, as they will be moving on to their
fourth coach in four seasons since the Flyers' top minor league affiliate
relocated from Philadelphia to Glens Falls, N.Y., in 2009.
Bryz's new backup
After praising outgoing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as one of the hardestworking players he's seen at any position, Holmgren said the Flyers will
"come up with a good guy" to back up Ilya Bryzgalov next season.
Surprisingly, Paul Holmgren mentioned the name of Michael Leighton twice.
Leighton, 33, finishes off his 2-year, $3.1 million deal on June 30. He played
just one regular-season game with the Flyers over the life of the contract
and did not make many friends with his theatrics after being yanked from a
2011 playoff contest against Buffalo.
Other than Leighton and Bryzgalov, the Flyers have only two goaltenders —
rookies Niko Hovinen and Cal Heeter — in their system.
"We talked about Michael Leighton, who is still really our guy," Holmgren
said. "Ilya plays a lot of games and we're counting on him playing a lot of
games next year."
Marty Biron, Scott Clemmensen and Johan Hedberg are some of the
veteran backups on the July 1 market, but former Flyer Brian Boucher —
who has 1 year left in Carolina — seems a logical and inexpensive trade
option.
Slap shots
Two different reports on Sunday have Paul Holmgren quoted as saying that
a new contract extension for coach Peter Laviolette should be completed in
a matter of weeks. Laviolette, 47, is entering the final year of his 4-year
contract, which began on Dec. 4, 2009 ... The Flyers' public relations staff,
headed by Zack Hill, was awarded the Dick Dillman Award at Saturday's
draft for the top staff in the Eastern Conference ... One analysis estimates
that the 2014 draft at the Wells Fargo Center could bring in up to $30 million
for the local economy.
Contact Frank Seravalli at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter
@DNFlyers. For more Flyers coverage and opinion, read his blog at
www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers.
635670
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers reunite Schenn brothers
By FRANK SERAVALLI
PITTSBURGH — Brayden Schenn was floating on a glass-smooth Shell
Lake in Saskatchewan on Saturday afternoon when his phone rang. The
Caller ID on his iPhone said it was his older brother, Luke, but Brayden
wasn't sure what he could possibly want. But with the excitement in Luke's
voice, Brayden knew exactly what was happening.
It was something he thought a lot about, especially after watching the NHL
draft on Friday night, when he heard the news about Penguins forward
Jordan Staal being reunited with his older brother, Eric, in Carolina.
Brayden Schenn, 20, was "genuinely excited" for the Staal family. He
wondered if he would ever get the same chance to play with his older
brother in the NHL.
Less than 24 hours later, the Flyers and Maple Leafs took a big step in
making that dream become a reality, as they completed a straight-up swap
of winger James van Riemsdyk for defenseman Luke Schenn.
"Since I joined the NHL, I've always been asked the question about what it's
like playing against your brother. Now I'll get to see what it feels like to play
with him," Brayden Schenn told the Daily News. "I was real surprised when
I found out. He told me we were going to be teammates. I'm excited and
stunned.
“It's been a dream since we were kids. We always wondered if we would
get the chance. We're just lucky enough to do it so early in our careers."
For the Flyers, the swap ends van Riemsdyk's tumultuous journey in
Philadelphia, one that started with high expectations as the No. 2 overall
draft pick in 2007 and never fully materialized. Instead, the 23-year-old
offered just enough brief flashes of brilliance and glory to warrant a gaudy,
6-year, $25.5 million extension last summer. It was based purely on
potential and not actually demonstrated consistency.
The Flyers get a player in Luke Schenn, 22, who also needed a fresh start
after being harshly criticized all season in hockey's most scrutinized market.
Schenn never really could seem to find his way out of Ron Wilson's
doghouse before Randy Carlyle took over. He saw his time drop an
average of 6 minutes, 20 seconds per game in just one season, down from
a career high of 22:22.
Luke Schenn is 6 months younger than van Riemsdyk but has 114 more
regular-season games under his belt, since Schenn joined the league as an
18-year-old and was an alternate captain by the time he was 20.
The trade opens salary-cap space for the Flyers. Schenn has 4 years left
on his deal and his cap hit is $650,000 less than van Riemsdyk's next
season.
Ultimately, general manager Paul Holmgren needed to make a decision
about whether he wanted to take a gamble on van Riemsdyk possibly not
living up to his contract, or make a gutsy deal while JVR was still
considered a valuable commodity.
Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke pulled no punches on Saturday,
admitting that there is risk on both sides. Burke also acknowledged van
Riemsdyk's "soft" reputation around the NHL. Van Riemsdyk's
unwillingness to use his full 6-3 frame and constant injuries sometimes
gave you the sense the Flyers wanted him to push through. That
undoubtedly contributed to the trade.
"I don't want to create any illusion or delusion that we're acquiring James
van Riemsdyk as a physical presence," Burke told reporters. "This is not a
big banger. This is not a guy who's going to put people through the glass.
Sometimes, people look at a big player and say, ‘Oh, he's big so he should
play tough.' This is not a plough horse. This is a thoroughbred."
There were reports circulating last week that van Riemsdyk put off having
surgery on a cam impingement in his hip to avoid being traded, something
van Riemsdyk called "a joke." Even though a deal had been rumored for
months, van Riemsdyk said he was still surprised to hear the news.
"It's not like I was completely blindsided," van Riemsdyk said. "Ideally, I
think anytime anyone gets drafted, they want to picture things perfectly.
Obviously, there's some mixed emotions because the Philadelphia
organization has treated me so well.
“But, at the same time, going to play in Toronto is really exciting for me. The
tradition they have there, the city, the fans, it's all unbelievable. Growing up
a big-time Yankees fan, it's kind of like playing for the New York Yankees of
the NHL."
Aside from Luke Schenn filling a huge void on defense, Holmgren was
asked about the impact he will have on Brayden's blossoming career. The
answer is a no-brainer.
"It's just surreal right now," Luke Schenn told reporters in Toronto. "It's
going to be exciting to play with my brother, that's for sure. I can't describe
how cool this is."
The two Schenn brothers train together each summer in Kamloops, British
Columbia. They vacationed together in the Caribbean during the All-Star
break last January. They talk to each other almost every day during the
season, even at different ends of the continent at times.
At long last, they are together.
"Luke is my best friend," Brayden Schenn said. "We are very tight, we talk
every day. Toronto was really good to him, but he didn't have the greatest
season. He needed a fresh start. I think this will have a huge impact on my
career. We push each other, and he knows just what to say to get me
going." n
635671
Philadelphia Flyers
James van Riemsdyk thanks Flyers fans
Former Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, who was traded to Toronto for
Luke Schenn on Saturday, thanked Flyers fans with a message via Twitter
today.
This is the first time he will play for a team other than the Flyers in his NHL
career.
"Would like to thank everyone in Philly for the support over the past few
years. Met a lot of great people and made some great memories. Very
excited to start the next chapter in Toronto. Really looking forward to it."
Van Riemsdyk also did a conference call with Toronto area media on
Saturday night after the deal. He referenced having grown up a New York
Yankees fan in North Jersey and referred to the Maple Leafs as the
Yankees of the NHL.
“Obviously there’s some mixed emotions because the Philadelphia
organization has treated me well... But at the same time, going to play in
Toronto is really exciting for me," he said, according to the Toronto Globe
and Mail. "The tradition they have there, the city, the fans, it’s all
unbelievable. Growing up a big time Yankees fan, it’s kind of like playing for
the New York Yankees of the NHL. I’m definitely looking forward to getting
everything going.”
On being traded: “You’ve got to kind of be prepared for anything and there’s
never really that big of a surprise. You kind of hear some of the rumours
going on and you kind of wonder so it’s not like I was completely blindsided
by everything here.
On things not working out with the Flyers: “Ideally I think anytime anyone
gets drafted they want to picture things perfectly. You imagine playing there
your whole career and winning a few Cups and that but that’s obviously not
the way things always work out.”
Posted by Daily News staff @ 4:50 PM Permalink | 16 comments
635672
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers get defensive in draft
PITTSBURGH _ Throughout their history, the Flyers have had problems
producing quality, home-grown defensemen and goalies.
Maybe that's why they drafted so many of them this weekend, hoping there
is strength in numbers and that SOME will blossom.
Out of their seven picks, four were defensemen and one was a goalie.
"We're very happy with the way things turned out," said Chris Pryor, the
team's director of hockey operations.
Their No. 1 pick, however, was center Scott Laughton.
"You can never have enough strength up the middle," Pryor said. "Our guys
had Scotty rated higher" than some of the marquee defensemen that were
available.
*
The Flyers' PR staff won the Dillman Award, presented to the Eastern
Conference's best media-relations unit. It was a well-deserved honor for a
group headed by Zack Hill.
Nashville won in the West.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
635673
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers trade van Riemsdyk for elder Schenn brother
By ROB PARENT
PITTSBURGH -- As the 2012 NHL Draft was wrapping up Saturday, Flyers
general manager Paul Holmgren summarized his day of trading inactivity
with a mere shrug and warned, "who knows what tomorrow will bring?"
Then Holmgren didn't wait that long.
Just before boarding a plane home, Holmgren pulled the trigger on a trade
with Toronto, sending power forward James van Riemsdyk to the Maple
Leafs in an even exchange for physical defenseman Luke Schenn, older
brother of Flyers' winger Brayden.
What the Flyers get is at least a semblance of an answer to their great
question for next season -- how to replace concussed Chris Pronger. What
the Leafs get is a van Riemsdyk who has shown flashes of greatness
through periods of injury and a guy who has battled occasional criticism that
he was a soft player.
“I think it's a real good trade for both teams," Holmgren said. "I believe (van
Riemsdyk) will become a very good player in our league. Unfortunately for
us, I believe it will be for Toronto now. But the guy we've got coming back, I
think, is going to fill needs on our team and become a good young player on
our team. So I think it's a win-win."
In Schenn, 22, Holmgren and the Flyers have answered a need for
physicality on the blue line. A No. 5 overall pick in 2008, and with four full
seasons with the Leafs under his belt, Schenn has size (6-foot-2, 230
pounds) and more importantly puts it to good use.
Schenn also presents a right-handed shot from the blue line, something the
Flyers sorely lacked. He should at least help on the power play.
With his brother and center Sean Couturier still both south of 21, this old
man Schenn also should bring more of a sense of closeness in the locker
room. His little bro is quickly developing into one of the team's stars.
"I know they're very close," Holmgren said. "So I've got to believe it's got to
be a positive for Brayden."
In a rushed conference call, Luke Schenn indicated he believed that, too.
Relating how his conversation went with his younger brother right after the
news broke in Toronto, Luke Schenn said that Brayden, “…told me it was a
dream come true.
“It’s hard to comprehend right now,” Luke Schenn added. “It’s unbelievable
to describe how cool this is.”
At first glance, this seems like a nightmare for van Riemsdyk, considering
the Maple Leafs last made the playoffs when he was 15 years old. But the
now 23-year-old JVR, the Flyers' No. 2 overall pick in 2007, had his issues
with the Flyers.
He was said to have had disagreements over wanting to stay at the
University of New Hampshire when the club thought he should develop in
junior hockey, and even after a terrific playoff in 2011 that sealed a six-year,
$25.5 million contract for him, a string of injuries set him back with the team.
Van Riemsdyk could not be reached for comment Saturday.
"He will provide speed, size, and finesse to our top two lines," Maple Leafs
boss Brian Burke said in a statement. "And we know that he fits those
needs that we have wanted to address for some time."
With Burke running the show in T.O., a Schenn deal to Philly was
something that both teams seemed to want to do for a long time. There was
plenty of trade speculation dating to the winter months about bringing the
elder Schenn in to the team his brother played for, and at the trading
deadline it really heated up.
Finally, it came to pass -- and on the 1-year anniversary of the day the
younger Schenn was traded by Los Angeles along with Wayne Simmonds
to the Flyers.
That moved Brayden to shout his joy in Twitterspeak: "Gunna miss playing
with @JVReemer21 great guy. Now get a chance to play with the bro!
Happy day in the Schenn household!"
Now with a week to go until the start of the free agency period, the Flyers
have filled one crucial hole on defense, and Holmgren has hinted he feels
he’ll not have a problem re-signing unrestricted free agent Matt Carle to
further solidify the blue line.
Of course, the loss of JVR leaves the forward lines somewhat lacking. It
also weakens what the Flyers might have been able to put together as a
trade package for Anaheim’s unhappy Bobby Ryan or a more unlikely and
costly (same thing) Rick Nash .
But Zach Parise will be an unrestricted free agent if the Flyers feel they can
muster that kind of cash and outbid Detroit and New Jersey in doing it.
"I don't think it shuts a door on anything else we're looking to do to improve
the hockey team," Holmgren said of the Schenn-JVR trade. "We tried to
improve our defense over the last few days. We looked for ways to try to
improve it and we think we did today. Obviously, we gave up a good young
winger in James but we got back a good young defenseman who's the
same age in Luke. So as I said, I think it's a good trade for both teams."
Delaware County Times LOADED: 06.25.2012
635674
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Day 2 headliners have taken unconventional paths to Philly
organization proud and work my hardest and hopefully work my way up
through the ranks.”
Also aiming to do that is Gostisbehere, who went 78th overall in the third
round though his formative hockey years were also spent in an unlikely
place —- South Florida.
By ROB PARENT
“I’m in Fort Lauderdale right now,” Gostisbehere said by phone after his
surprising selection. “My family didn’t feel like making the trip. We decided
to stay home in Florida.”
PITTSBURGH —- One kid was here to soak it all in. Another stayed at the
beach, doing a bellyflop to the floor when he heard. This was the general
reaction Saturday from two teenagers who could develop into important
pieces of the Flyers’ future.
Well, Fort Lauderdale or Pittsburgh? Where would you rather spend your
hockey draft?
For now, however, Anthony Stolarz and Shayne Gostisbehere are just a
couple of happy American kids, even if their teen years have been anything
but normal.
“I was surprised when I saw my name; I literally jumped off the couch,”
Gostisbehere said. “It’s a team that has so much history and so much going
for it. A great team, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
“I just wanted to hear my name, and the sooner the better,” said Stolarz,
better known to his tweeting friends back home in New Jersey as
@StolieTheGoalie. And for good reason.
While just a freshman at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., Gotisbehere
was an impressive offensive defenseman and power-play quarterback who
helped lead little Union to a Cinderella-type ride to the Frozen Four. Their
season ended in an NCAA championship game loss to powerhouse Boston
College.
“We got a big goalie that we really like,” Flyers general manager Paul
Holmgren said of Stolarz.
At every bit of 6-5 and 210 pounds, Stolarz —- who says he lives among
backyard bears in Jackson, N.J., though he played hockey this year in
Corpus Christi, Texas —- represented the start of an expedited second day
of the NHL Draft for the Flyers, who took him with pick No. 45 overall.
The league honchos peeled through rounds two through seven in 2 hours,
45 minutes ... thanks largely to no significant trade interruptions.
Of course, there’s always plenty of GM chatter to go along with no real
action.
“A lot of people are waiting to see what happens on July 1 to see if there’s
some big fish that move, and there will be movement once those big fish
land somewhere,” said Holmgren, referring to the first day of the free
agency period. He’s seeking a top-flight defenseman and like a bunch of his
management colleagues, spent much of his time this weekend greasing the
skids to make a possible move when free agents like Zach Parise and Ryan
Suter or even Justin Schultz will become available.
Before then, Holmgren will keep his eye on anticipated trade targets like
Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan and Keith Yandle. And he’ll be happy with his draft
weekend work.
“We’re happy with our draft,” Holmgren said. “We stocked our cupboard a
little bit. We got a big goalie we really like that’s going to college.”
Stolie The Goalie will be a crease specimen at the University of NebraskaOmaha, and he’s got the personality to match his size. Born in Edison,
raised a short Jeep ride from Six Flags’ Great Adventure and Wild Safari
amusement park, he says he has black bears roaming his backyard at
times, but it was the hockey bug that really bit him.
He idolizes Martin Brodeur and was a lifelong Devils fan ... or at least he
thought he was.
“Not anymore,” Stolarz said.
He played in the Devils’ Youth Development program two years ago, then in
an elite youth tournament at the Flyers’ Skate Zone and was cut twice in
trying out for the Eastern Junior Hockey League.
Undeterred, Stolarz went to a hockey camp in Albany, N.Y., and caught the
eye of a scout from the lower-level North American Hockey League that
offered him a tryout with the Corpus Christi IceRays. Soon the kid was
happily leaving Jackson Memorial High to spend his senior year at a school
in South Texas while living with a “billet family” of nice strangers.
“I always wanted to move away from home and play junior hockey,” Stolarz
said. “I never thought it would take me to South Texas, but it was a treat
living down there right at the beach. A lot of good things happened.”
All along the way, his progress was followed by Flyers’ front office goalie
guru Neil Little, who apparently noticed that hockey on the shores of the
Gulf of Mexico seemed to agree with Stolarz. But that’s quite a leap to
being a second-round pick in the space of one year.
“I was thinking it was going to be the third or fourth round,” Stolarz said. “To
be drafted in the second round is a true honor. I’m looking to make the
But maybe the folks didn’t foresee a draft selection quite this high.
“Couldn’t have asked for a better season,” he said.
But Saturday, it got a lot better.
635675
Philadelphia Flyers
Laviolette firmly a part of Flyers’ future plans
come July 1. Among the lower-level defensive options he may have are
trading for Phoenix’s Keith Yandle and signing pending UFA Justin Schultz.
... Holmgren seems lukewarm on re-signing Jaromir Jagr. He said he spoke
recently with Jagr’s agent, former Flyer Petr Svoboda, and expects to again
soon. Jagr is drawing interest elsewhere in the league.
By ROB PARENT
PITTSBURGH —- Peter Laviolette did his job this NHL Draft weekend. As
the head coach of the Flyers, he dutifully stayed in the team’s luxury box at
Consol Energy Center, shaking the hands of a few talented teenagers.
“That’s about it,” Laviolette said.
But it’s the job Laviolette’s done the rest of the year that will soon produce a
contract extension.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed Saturday that he’s been
discussing an extension with Laviolette and expects one to be soon agreed
upon.
“I’m not worried about it,” Holmgren said. “Obviously I assume in the next
few weeks, we’ll get something done.”
Laviolette, who replaced John Stevens early in the 2009-10 campaign, is
entering his fourth season with the team. The Flyers have gone 122-73-26
under him in regular-season games and 23-22 in the playoffs. Laviolette’s
teams have won an Atlantic Division title and made a run to the Stanley
Cup Finals. They’ve gone from bad to nearly great, then were rebuilt midstride. Yet he’s only the third coach in franchise history to take a team past
the first round of the playoffs for three straight years. The others were Fred
Shero and Terry Murray.
“We’re very happy with Peter,” Holmgren said. “He’s done a tremendous
job, and we’re looking forward to more good work from him over the coming
years.”
If Holmgren stays true to his word, that would put Laviolette in an even
more unusual stratosphere —- that of an NHL head coach who has actually
lasted more than a few short years. But you get the idea he feels he’s just
getting started.
“We have a lot of young players in place that now have a year’s
experience,” Laviolette said. “It’s exciting.”
But could it translate into greater postseason success?
“You need to play well. You need to stay healthy. You need some bounces.
You need to be consistent. If you get all that into a blender, then you can
make the playoffs,” he said.
Laviolette, 47, is also a coach who has earned enough respect —- and vice
versa —- for Holmgren to use as a personnel adviser. Any prep work for
personnel moves this week, free agency or trade, will likely include
Laviolette’s input.
“There’s always conversations with regard to July 1, and the players and
the team that will possibly come onto the ice next year,” Laviolette said in
reference to his relationship with Holmgren. “But that’s in Paul’s court.
Those conversations are there; decisions are made. I think he’s done a
terrific job.”
o
Aside from the Flyers’ most noteworthy picks in this NHL Draft, that of twoway center Scott Laughton in the first round (20th overall), goalie Anthony
Stolarz in the second and offensive defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in
the third round, the Flyers drafted a few more future hopefuls.
In the fourth round, they took Swedish defender Fredrik Larsson with the
111th overall pick and Canadian junior winger Taylor Leier at the 117th
spot. They picked big (6-3, 184) junior defender Reese Willcox in the fifth
round, skipped the sixth round then took Russian defenseman Valeri
Vasiliev in the seventh and final round.
o
Elsewhere around draft weekend …
Holmgren all-but ruled out the idea of an offer sheet for Nashville restricted
free agent Shea Weber and said it’s unlikely he’d attempt to trade for the
rights of any unrestricted free agent. Doesn’t mean he won’t be very active
635676
Philadelphia Flyers
Holmgren confirmed a report by RDS that he has spoken with former LA
Kings coach Terry Murray about a job coaching the Phantoms.
Flyers GM Holmgren makes splash again
“We have spoken about the Phantoms but nothing is in place,” Holmgren
said.
FOLLOW TIM PANACCIO
Murray is still under contract with the Kings, but general manager Dean
Lombardi has allowed him to seek another job.
Lombardi told CSNPhilly.com he expects Murray to accept some job in the
Flyers organization.
PITTSBURGH -- Go to the NHL draft, come home with Chris Pronger.
Go to another draft, and trade away Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and
come home with a boatload of players and prospects.
Need to get a jump on free agency? Trade for the rights to Kimmo Timonen
and Scott Hartnell.
That’s been the M.O. of Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. Get a
jump on the field, make a big splash at the draft, restructure his team.
Many observers thought Holmgren would use this draft to try and land a
defenseman before free agency begins July 1.
With Pronger’s Flyers career seemingly ended by post-concussion
syndrome, the Flyers had a gaping hole going into next season on defense
that needed to be filled.
Holmgren was unable to complete a blockbuster deal at the draft, but he did
swing James van Riesmdyk to Toronto for Luke Schenn to bolster his
defense and make it younger at the same time.
“There were a lot of conversations and not just with us, with a lot of teams,”
Holmgren said. “We’ve got a new CBA we’re going to be working under at
some point.
“It’s always a busy time of year. It starts here at the draft. Did I plant seeds?
I don’t know. I think we have an idea of what might be available for sure,
and we will go from there.”
Sources say that if the Flyers want Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle, they
can get him, but the Coyotes want either Brayden Schenn or Sean
Couturier in return. Yandle is not a pending free agent.
Well, we know Brayden Schenn is going nowhere now and neither is
Couturier, so the Yandle deal is dead.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins cleared almost $6 million in salary cap
space in the Jordan Staal trade to try and get the rights to Ryan Suter from
Nashville, Preds GM David Poile would not bite.
Pens GM Ray Shero feels confident he can still convince Suter, who
reportedly prefers Detroit or Minnesota as his next home, to consider the
Penguins given their past relationship when Shero was assistant GM in
Nashville and drafted Suter.
It now appears Suter is headed to free agency along with New Jersey star
forward Zach Parise, someone a lot of clubs would like to get their hands
on.
“A lot of people are waiting to see what happens,” he said. “I said all along,
I like our roster. I would like to add to it instead of subtracting through free
agency and other avenues.”
The Schenn trade was one-for-one.
Pressed on not shoring up the defense, Holmgren said about two hours
before the Schenn trade, “I’m not disappointed at all. It’s a long process
sometimes to do things you might want to do. You got to be patient. I said
all along, we like our team. We’ll see what happens in the coming days and
weeks.
“We had a lot of conversations over the last few days on what is available
and may be available.”
Schenn was available. Who’s next?
Jagr update
Holmgren did not meet with Jaromir Jagr’s agent, Petr Svoboda, at the
draft, but said he did talk to Svoboda before coming here and expects to
have another conversation in the days ahead. Jagr appears headed to free
agency.
Returning home?
If hired, this would a fifth time Murray has worked in the Flyers organization.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at [email protected].
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Sutter expected to address trade
By Josh Yohe
Penguins center Brandon Sutter is expected to end his silence today.
Sutter, 23, hasn’t spoken publicly since being traded from Carolina on
Friday night. A Hurricanes spokesman said Saturday that Sutter was
“shocked” by the trade.
Sutter became a fan favorite on and off the ice in Raleigh, N.C., and was
named alternate captain at age 22. He had been rumored as part of a
package for Staal during the past two months.
Sutter has been a finalist for Carolina’s “Media Good Guy” award in each of
the past three seasons and was a popular presence in the Hurricanes’
locker room.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Those would include getting stronger, getting better defensively as pointed
out by Morrow and, Johnston said, "being more consistent in his effort to
take over the game. He has to initiate in all areas of the game."
Top pick quietly takes stage
That last part assumes Pouliot has the ability to take over a game, and
Johnston confirms he does.
By Shelly Anderson / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The best way to describe Derrick is he's a defenseman who controls the
game, by his puck movement, by his decisions," Johnston said. "He's a
smart player. He's really intelligent everywhere on the ice.
The NHL likes red carpets. The league rolls one out at its annual awards
show, and it used one Friday for prospects heading into Consol Energy
Center before Round 1 of the 2012 entry draft.
"He can make a great breakout pass and then can join the rush. And he's
not a big guy, but he's a hard guy to hit."
Derrick Pouliot pulled an end-around.
"There were all the people standing around. He looked, and he quietly
snuck in the back door," Pouliot's mother, Wendy, said. "That's his way.
He's quiet, but tell the fans to approach him. He's very approachable."
Pouliot is expected to be back in Pittsburgh and at the arena next month for
development camp after the Penguins selected this offensive defenseman
eighth overall at the draft.
"He's a quieter guy," said defenseman Joe Morrow, the Penguins' firstround pick a year ago and Pouliot's teammate and occasional defense
partner last season with the junior Portland Winterhawks.
"Once you get to know him, he opens up. He's good-hearted. He's a really
likable person. He's worth getting to know."
For the Penguins, he was partly worth trading center Jordan Staal. They got
that eighth pick Friday as part of the return in a deal with Carolina and used
it to take Pouliot.
Pouliot, 5 feet 11, 192 pounds, had 11 goals, 59 points in 79 games for
Portland last season.
His self-analysis:
"I think I'm a good skater," Pouliot said. "I think that's one of my strengths.
Hopefully, I'll be able to carry that on to here.
"I try and model myself after [the Kings'] Drew Doughty, guys like that,
maybe [former Detroit star] Nick Lidstrom. I try to get that intensity and
grittiness."
That's apparently as verbose as Pouliot, 18, usually gets, particularly in a
lights-camera-action moment such as the draft.
Others are effusive on his behalf.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero called Pouliot "a power-play
quarterback of the future."
Ron Pyette, a Penguins amateur scout who followed Pouliot, got
testimonials from people such as Morrow, but his own instincts and
observations were sufficient.
"He's an NHL skater even today," Pyette said. "It's going to be a huge part
of his game.
"His hockey sense is so special. That's really the biggest part of his game
for us. He can advance the puck up the ice. We think he's going to be pretty
close to being elite when it's all said and done."
Pouliot is expected to spend another season in junior, but Morrow, a solid
prospect who has turned pro, could find himself competing against Pouliot
in the not-too-distant future.
He welcomes that, and indicated the Penguins and their fans should
welcome Pouliot, too.
"They're getting a phenomenally talented offensive defenseman," Morrow
said. "The kid could play forward if he wanted to. He has a smooth, calm
kind of poise to him. Good hands. Accurate shot. Thinks the game well.
"He's still young and needs to work on defense a little bit. When I got
drafted, I was the same."
Portland coach Mike Johnston, who was in town for the draft, stopped in the
middle of gushing about Pouliot to offer that "he does have things to work
on."
The Winterhawks drafted Pouliot into the Western Hockey League as a 14year-old, but, as standard policy, he could play only some exhibition games
before he was 16.
"He played as a 15-year-old, and a lot of people thought he should have
been granted special clearance to play [full time]," Johnston said.
Pouliot is the oldest of three siblings. Nicholas is 16, Janelle, 12.
He honed his skills in Weyburn, Saskachewan, an oil and gas exploration
plains town of about 11,000, first on a backyard rink and, after that became
too small, a city-approved neighborhood rink two doors down on an empty
lot.
Lionel Pouliot helped build a flooding machine and the skating area, which
has boards, lights and a warming shack.
"It is a culture. It's what you do," Lionel Pouliot said of hockey back home.
"You put on the skates at the age of 3, and it's just part of our daily lives.
We just love it."
The elder Pouliot always took comfort in knowing he could easily find
Derrick down the block on that rink when he wasn't in an organized game,
and that hockey provided a safe pastime as well as a way to develop
friendships, even with opponents.
Take, for instance, defenseman Matt Dumba, who grew up an hour or so
away in Regina and on Friday was selected one slot ahead of Pouliot, by
Minnesota.
"We left the rink [Friday] night and ran into the Dumba family," Lionel
Pouliot said. "They were competitors, and as we're going back to the hotel,
there's him and Matt Dumba walking side-by-side in their two [NHL]
jerseys."
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Big-name free agents on pickup list?
Minnesota, Los Angeles and, yes, the Red Wings are high on the long list of
clubs expected to try to lure Parise. The Penguins' sales pitch should be as
good as that of any other team, but that doesn't mean it will be appreciably
better than the others.
What has to concern the Penguins is that, after Suter and Parise, the freeagent pool is incredibly shallow.
By Dave Molinari / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Penguins haven't said a thing about trying to sign potential free agents
Ryan Suter or Zach Parise if, as expected, they go on the open market
Sunday.
Good idea.
Unless, of course, general manager Ray Shero is eager to pass along
some of that money he saved by trading Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek
to the league office to settle a tampering charge.
There really isn't much need for the Penguins to spell out their intentions,
anyway.
Shero's actions of the past few days, along with management's vision for
the makeup of its 2012-13 roster, make it clear what the Penguins have in
mind.
They would like a top-shelf defenseman to work alongside Kris Letang on
the No. 1 pairing. A guy such as Ryan Suter.
They would like a goal-scoring winger who can take full advantage of
Sidney Crosby's playmaking abilities. A guy such as Zach Parise.
It all ties together very nicely, with just one complication: There should be
numerous teams, including the ones for which they still work, lining up to
throw bags of money at both guys.
Teams that have as much, or more, salary-cap space to work with as Shero
does. Teams that can offer professional settings -- player-friendly working
conditions and a chance to consistently compete for championships -- that
rival the one the Penguins have.
It can't hurt the Penguins' chances that Crosby and Parise are friends or
that Suter has known Shero since Shero's days as assistant general
manager in Nashville, but Crosby isn't Parise's only pal -- he probably has
quite a few among his teammates in New Jersey -- and Suter has been
separated from Shero for more than six years.
Suter figures to be the Penguins' primary target, because their team
defense was mediocre in the regular season -- they gave up an average of
2.66 goals per game, tying for 15th place in the league -- and almost
nonexistent during much of their first-round playoff series against
Philadelphia.
Adding a guy such as Suter, who is solid at both ends, will hit and has spent
his entire career in a defensively responsible system, would help to upgrade
the Penguins' play in their own end.
Clearly, a lot of important pieces -- the Penguins' cap space, the personal
connections, the nature of Suter's game -- that could bring him here fit
together quite nicely.
Not all of them do, however, which is why Shero shouldn't be asking Mario
Lemieux and Ron Burkle to cut a check to Suter just yet.
Suter reportedly prefers to stay in the Western Conference; the Penguins
are in the East. What's more, Detroit has even more cap space available
than the Penguins, and is looking to fill the enormous void on its blue line
created by the retirement of future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom.
If it becomes a matter of money, Detroit can offer as much as the Penguins.
Probably more.
If not changing conferences really matters, well, the Red Wings are based
in the West.
If it's about joining a perennial contender, Detroit has been one for longer
than the Penguins.
None of that means the Penguins should resign themselves to not getting
Suter. Simply that they shouldn't be stitching a nameplate onto a sweater
for him just yet.
The same is true of Parise, who might attract even more interest than Suter.
If they don't get Suter or Parise, the niches those two would move into
couldn't be adequately filled by any other unrestricted free agent. Forget
Plan B; the Penguins would have to settle for something closer to Plan F.
In that case, their best option would be to explore trades.
They showed strong interest in Phoenix's Keith Yandle over the weekend,
as did clubs such as the Red Wings and Philadelphia. All found the
Coyotes' asking price, which is believed to include a quality forward, to be
too steep, but Yandle could become a fallback position for teams that lose
out on Suter.
Clubs spurned by Parise, meanwhile, could try to deal for Anaheim right
winger Bobby Ryan, whose relationship with the Ducks might result in
small-arms fire if it gets much worse. The cost would be high, though, as
befits a consistent 30-goal scorer.
How aggressively Shero will explore trades before free agency begins isn't
clear -- and might hinge on how confident he is about landing Suter or
Parise -- but there are other issues to keep him occupied this week.
Ironing out the details of Crosby's next contract. Shopping one or more of
his surplus defensemen. Deciding which unrestricted free agents to keep
(Steve Sullivan probably is the best bet). Extending qualifying offers to the
restricted free agents he wants to keep, which must be done by 5 p.m.
today.
But what shapes up as perhaps Shero's most critical task -- luring Suter
and/or Parise here -- won't start until Sunday. And it might be a lot more
challenging than some people realize.
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St Louis Blues
Blues turn attention to free agency
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD [email protected] 314-444-7135
| Posted: Monday, June 25, 2012 12:30 am
Other than making their eight scheduled selections, the Blues were quiet at
the NHL draft in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
The club selected defenseman Jordan Schmaltz with its first-round pick,
No. 25 overall, on Friday. As evidenced by having a jersey prepared with
"Schmaltz" stitched on the back, not typically seen with late first-rounders,
the Blues clearly targeted the University of North Dakota-bound blueliner.
Television coverage labeled Schmaltz's selection as the "most off the board
pick" at that point in the draft. One Western Conference scout said Sunday,
however, that his club had Schmaltz rated highly on its board, comparing
the puck-moving, power-play specialist to Washington defenseman Mike
Green.
But Schmaltz and the other seven Blues draftees are a ways off from
contributing at the NHL level, and immediate help is what will be on the
minds of most as the league's free-agency period starts Sunday.
The Blues will be looking for a top-four defenseman and perhaps a pair of
bottom-six forwards, depending on what happens this week in negotiations
with veterans Jamie Langenbrunner and Scott Nichol, who will become
unrestricted free agents Sunday.
The top defensive target in free agency will be Nashville's Ryan Suter.
Detroit, Minnesota and now Pittsburgh, after making a pair of trades at the
draft that freed up salary-cap space, appear to be the front-runners for
Suter.
The Blues have interest, according to sources, in Florida defenseman
Jason Garrison, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Garrison,
27, had a career-high 16 goals and 33 assists in 2011-12 but is reportedly
looking for a five-year, $25 million deal.
A possible trade option for the Blues is Calgary defenseman Jay
Bouwmeester, 28, who recently completed his seventh consecutive 82game season. Bouwmeester, who had 29 points but was a minus-21 for the
Flames last season, has two more years left on his contract at $6.7 million
per season.
The Blues have 18 players under contract and are an estimated $28 million
under the projected NHL salary cap.
General manager Doug Armstrong has received the parameters of a budget
from new owner Tom Stillman, and while it doesn't allow the Blues to spend
to the cap, Armstrong is expected to have more financial flexibility than in
recent years.
"I have a good understanding of where we're going to be at (budget-wise),"
Armstrong said. "The strength of our team is going to be our own players.
That hasn't changed with Tom, and I don't believe it should change with
Tom.
"I think we're a team that should do its heavy lifting internally. The work
John (Davidson) and Larry (Pleau) did before I got here was for today. So
the core of this team is going to come from the people that are here. But we
have a budget and I'm comfortable that we'll be able to accomplish the
things that I think are important, which is signing our own players."
The Blues re-signed defenseman Barret Jackman to a three-year, $9.5
million extension last week. The club also has interest in returning
Langenbrunner and Nichol, but no announcements appear imminent.
Blues coach Ken Hithcock is in favor of bringing back the vets.
"I don't know many coaches that want to give up any veteran players,"
Hitchcock said recently. "No. 1, they want to keep around as many players
as possible. No. 2, they never want to let go of veterans. I think (Jackman
and Langenbrunner) gave us a lot. I think Jackman has really found a way
to be a support player for (Kevin Shattenkirk), or at times for (Alex
Pietrangelo).
"Jamie is like a coach in the locker room. He's able to project our message
without us saying anything. He knows what the message is without having a
meeting. That's a real ally for us."
The Blues also re-signed Chris Stewart to a one-year, $3 million extension,
but the team is still looking to lock up T.J. Oshie and David Perron, who will
become restricted free agents if unsigned by Sunday. Oshie shared the
team lead in points (54) with David Backes last season; Perron had 21
goals and 42 points in 57 games after returning from a serious concussion.
"To me, I'd like to talk to T.J. Oshie about something that might have a little
bit of term to it," Armstrong said recently. "Now when I say 'term,' we're not
a team that's looking for 5-, 6-, 10-, 15-year deals ... that's not in my DNA at
this particular time. But I think I owe it to T.J. Oshie, who listened to the
organization last year about our desire for him to do certain things. I have
no issues with T.J. Oshie now. Whatever learning hurdles he had to go
through to get into the NHL, he's past those now. And I think David's injury,
as an organization, we want to make sure he's past that."
After a quiet weekend, it could be a busy week for the Blues.
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St Louis Blues
Hockey Guy: Draft weekend winners
By JEFF GORDON | Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2012 11:16 am
The NHL Draft weekend wasn’t quite as dramatic as some experts
predicted, but a lot happened. Several teams improved their standing via
trades and high draft picks.
Other franchises moved into position to make big plays in free agency or
the trade market during the weeks ahead. Many teams were looking to
upgrade and here are some that clearly succeeded:
Pittsburgh Penguins: When No. 3 center Jordan Staal forced the team’s
hand, it proved to be a blessing. Staal rejected a 10-year, $60 million offer
and signaled his intention to depart as a free agent if the team didn’t move
him to a desirable location. General manager Ray Shero sent him to his
dream destination, Carolina, and got back a young No. 3 center (Brandon
Sutter) and a first-round pick he used to take Derrick Pouliot. That move
and his subsequent salary dump of defenseman Zbynek Michalek freed up
$6 million salary cap space. Suddenly the Penguins are positioned to chase
both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in free agency. Who wouldn’t want to play
in Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
Carolina Hurricanes: The Jordan Staal-Eric Staal reunion is most promising.
Jordan was overdue to graduate into a lead role after getting trapped in the
No. 3 center role in Pittsburgh. He is a big goal-scoring center who can kill
penalties and match up against top opposing centers. GM Jim Rutherford
vowed to get an impact scorer and he jumped at this opportunity. Little
brother’s arrival should help Eric Staal regain his elite goal-scoring status.
Interestingly, the Hurricanes remain the Rick Nash hunt despite making this
move.
Buffalo Sabres: After watching his team go stale this season, GM Darcy
Regier made a big first-round play at center. Mikhail Grigorenko, a classic
risk/reward pick, fell to the Sabres at No. 12 when other teams got nervous
about the dreaded “Russian Factor.” Regier then swapped picks Calgary to
move up in the first round to No. 14 and nab Zemgus Girgensons, a
physical No. 2-type center. “To acquire two centers – two different centers –
is good,” Regier told The Hockey News. “We had a list of four forwards and
we wanted to get two of them. Grigorenko was there and so was
Girgensons.”
Philadelphia Flyers: In a swap of semi-busts from earlier drafts, the Flyers
sent forward James van Riemsdyk to Toronto for defenseman Luke
Schenn. Given the inherent value in physical D-men, this was a big gain for
the Flyers. That team is dealing with the loss of Chris Pronger to a careerthreatening concussion and it needed to add toughness on the back line.
The Flyers also gained $650,000 in cap space, which should make it easier
to retain pending free agent defenseman Matt Carle. Philadelphia sacrificed
some depth up front to make this deal, but van Riemsdyk never advanced
past the “supplemental scorer” level in his three NHL seasons. Toronto
coveted his size/skill combo and felt more inclined to move Schenn after
drafting offensive defenseman Morgan Rielly fifth overall.
New York Islanders: The team added veteran offensive defenseman
Lubomir Visnovsky at a real cost of just $3 million next season. (His $5.6
million salary cap should help the Islanders reach the salary floor).
Visnovsky will be 36, but he is just a year removed from a 68-point season.
His arrival helps a defensive corps that will audition many youngsters –
including fourth overall pick Griffin Reinhart, a player universally coveted in
this draft.
Washington Capitals: The team added a capable No. 2 center, Mike
Ribeiro, to fill a major void. With the Capitals looking to play a more uptempo game next season, he could regain his 70-point form. Big center Filip
Forsberg and power forward Tom Wilson were nice additions in the first
round of the draft, bringing the organization two key long-range assets.
Many experts were surprised to see Forsberg (no relation to former NHL
star Peter) fall to Washington. “At the table the scouts were unanimous: ‘We
have to take this guy, he’s a fantastic player,’” Capitals GM George McPhee
told the Washington Post. “I tried to give them other options to play devil’s
advocate with it but it was an easy one.”
Columbus Blue Jackets: Acquiring Sergei Bobrovsky from the Flyers gives
this team a much-needed goaltending option. Bobrovsky had a rough
season as Ilya Bryzgalov’s back-up in Philadelphia, but he will welcome the
challenge of becoming the lead guy in Columbus. This move was a bit
speculative but worth trying. Second overall draft pick Ryan Murray could
become the team’s defensive stabilizer for the long haul, playing off Jack
Johnson’s aggressive offense. Since this draft lacked depth, the Blue
Jackets wisely held off on trading Rick Nash. Picks outside the top 10
lacked value for Columbus. Next year’s draft should be deeper and now
teams will likely include ’13 picks in any offers for Nash.
AROUND THE RINKS: Power forward Bobby Ryan is looking to exit
Anaheim after hearing his name move in and out of the rumor mill during
the previous season. Ryan will attract interest from those teams that lose
out on Nash and Parise . . . Although Vancouver hasn't traded Roberto
Luongo to Toronto yet, that looks like a good opportunity for both teams. So
they should just go ahead and make that deal . . . When defensive prospect
Justin Schultz becomes a free agent July 1, he can expect heavy bidding.
The weak depth in the veteran free agent pool makes this collegiate free
agent especially attractive. The Ducks drafted Schultz but failed to sign him.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
Draft finished, Bolts' focus now on free agency
By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune
Eight picks in seven rounds landed Tampa Bay four forwards, three
defensemen and a top-ranked goaltender at this weekend's NHL entry draft
at CONSOL Energy Center.
As expected, Lightning director of scouting Al Murray walked away from the
weekend with a strong feeling of accomplishment, particularly with four
picks in the first two rounds that landed defensemen Slater Koekkoek (10th
overall) and Dylan Blujus (40th), goaltender Andrei Vasilevski (19th) and
forward Brian Hart (53{+r}{+d}).
"I'd say we are extremely happy. Our first four picks were all players we had
ranked very highly on our list and everybody else was well positioned within
their areas,'' Murray said.
"When you start off with the first round, we had (Koekkoek and Vasilevski).
That sort of makes life flow a little easier. You have two guys in your pocket
that you feel really good about. … Dylan and Brian were two guys we had
targeted in the second round, so it worked out perfectly.''
Now that Murray's work is done, general manager Steve Yzerman will get
down to business.
The deadline to submit qualifying offers to Tampa Bay's nine restricted free
agents — Benoit Pouliot, Anders Lindback, Brian Lee, Brendan Mikkelson,
Keith Aulie, Evan Oberg, Jaroslav Janus, Sebastien Piche and Mike Kostka
— is today. Any player not receiving an offer becomes an unrestricted free
agent. As of Saturday, Yzerman still had decisions to make before
submitting those offers.
Beyond that, Yzerman and his pro scouting staff, led by assistant general
manager Pat Verbeek, will gather this week and begin to finalize their plan
for free agency, which opens Sunday. After acquiring Pouliot in a trade with
Boston on Saturday with the expectation he will be a top-nine forward,
Tampa Bay figures to make a play for a top-four defenseman.
With a thin free-agent market for defensemen, other than Nashville's Ryan
Suter, Yzerman might make a trade to fill that need, something he tried to
accomplish during draft weekend.
"We'll make inquiries on (Sunday) to see if we can add anybody,'' Yzerman
said. "And if not, I still think there are some opportunities through teams
that, depending on whether they add defensemen, may be looking to do it
through trade. If we can't do it through free agency we'll look through trade.''
There also is a push coming from the farm as American Hockey League
defenseman of the year Mark Barberio or Radko Gudas could earn a roster
spot.
"Maybe one or two of our guys that played in Norfolk this year, and if we
can fill one spot (through free agency/trade), maybe one or two of those
guys can compete for another spot,'' Yzerman said.
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 06.25.2012
635683
Tampa Bay Lightning
Slater Koekkoek pick makes sense to Tampa Bay Lightning and top NHL
scout
By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — Many eyebrows were raised Friday when the Lightning
chose defenseman Slater Koekkoek with the 10th overall pick in the draft.
One who wasn't surprised was Dan Marr.
The director of NHL Central Scouting said Koekkoek, whose name never
came up in speculation regarding Tampa Bay's first selection, would have
been a top-10 prospect had he not missed five months last season because
of a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
In other words, Koekkoek's No. 23 ranking among North American skaters
was a matter of circumstance rather than a straight-up evaluation of his
talent.
"He would have been a top-10 candidate," Marr said at the Consol Energy
Center. "We knew that his game had taken off in the right direction."
The evaluation should provide solace for those who cringed when the
Lightning — saying Koekkoek was its highest-rated player available at the
time it chose — passed over forwards Filip Forsberg and Teuvo Teravainen
(the top-ranked European skaters) and scorer Mikhail Grigorenko, No. 3 in
North America.
"His core strength, he may be one of the better players in the draft," Marr
said of Koekkoek, 18. "He's very strong, but he's one of those effortless,
fluid skaters. He's got a game.
"He can lead a rush, but the best part of his game is getting the puck out of
the (defensive) zone. He'll make that good first pass."
Not that the shoulder wasn't a concern.
Ira Guttentag, the Lightning's medical director, checked out Koekkoek at the
prospects combine in Toronto. General manager Steve Yzerman and
director of amateur scouting Al Murray watched Koekkoek's workouts.
"He tested extremely well," Yzerman said. "He's a gifted athlete. He's in
good shape."
"I used the combine to show that my shoulder was really good, and from
there (I) just wanted to put it in the back of my memory," said Koekkoek, 6
feet 2, 184 pounds. "It was a good learning experience."
"I learned to deal with a pretty substantial injury," he added. "I learned how
to work hard to get what I want. It was obviously a big adversity thing. To
get back to where I was was huge.
None of that surprised Koekkoek's dad, Brian.
"Slater, when he was young, his work ethic was, 'I'm just going to do
something,' and he'd do it," he said. "When he was younger, he always said
to us, 'I'm going to make the NHL someday.' So, he always had a mission
when he went out to play hockey. He'll work hard. He wants to be the best
at everything he does."
Koekkoek, who plays for Peterborough of the junior Ontario league and
played for Canada at the 2011 under-18 world championship, also seems
okay with what he called the "fun-and-games chirping" he hears about his
Dutch last name, pronounced "cuckoo."
"I always laugh at it," he said. "I love my name."
"He didn't have any choice in selecting it," Yzerman said, "so he's got to
make use of it."
So far, so good.
St. Petersburg Times LOADED: 06.25.2012
635684
Toronto Maple Leafs
Gillis wants to recoup at least a little value given he was the one who
signed Luongo to the behemoth 12-year deal that now stands as such an
impediment to moving him.
Brian Burke still has work to do, especially on Luongo
Both men are stubborn, but they’re also smart enough to know they stand
to benefit from making the deal sooner rather than later.
JAMES MIRTLE
One move down.
Completing the trade in the next week would allow Vancouver to use the
extra cap space in free agency to add a depth player or solidify its backup
situation. Toronto could clear salary before the NHL’s buyout period ends
Saturday to make way for Luongo’s $5.33-million (all currency U.S.) cap hit,
Schultz’s contract and whoever else they decide to add.
Several more to come for Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian
Burke after a busy draft weekend in which he dealt defenceman Luke
Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers and netminder Jonas Gustavsson to the
Winnipeg Jets.
The likeliest outcome of all this is they somehow find a way to get Luongo
into a Leafs uniform, even if this won’t be an easy stalemate to break.
Judging from Burke and Gillis’s comments this weekend, however,
negotiations could get uglier before they get better.
Burke filled one need in acquiring a big forward in James van Riemsdyk
from the Flyers, but the Leafs’ roster remains filled with question marks,
including who fills Schenn’s spot on right defence alongside Jake Gardiner
next season in a top-four role.
“I think if you’re struggling to get into the playoffs, you certainly wish it was
easier to make a deal,” Gillis said, responding to a question about how hard
it is to pull off a trade in this climate. “But right now we like our team, and
we think we have a good team. So we’re not nearly as active as a lot of
teams trying to make trades.”
The only options on the current roster are Cody Franson and Mike
Komisarek, both of whom struggled to play higher in the lineup than the
sixth defenceman.
One potential candidate is Gardiner’s former college defence partner, Justin
Schultz, who hits free agency on Sunday and should be one of the most
sought after players given he’s joining one of the thinnest casts of July 1
hopefuls yet.
But because Burke needs his team to get better in a hurry, that’s a problem.
Or, perhaps more accurately, a complication.
In addition to the Schenn deal, Burke spent part of his time in Pittsburgh
negotiating with the Vancouver Canucks on a potential deal for netminder
Roberto Luongo.
While neither he nor Canucks GM Mike Gillis would specifically address
what was talked about – or even that they were talking at all – they weren’t
shy in making their frustration over negotiations in general known.
“From my perspective, the prices that are being asked have to be
reasonable,” Burke said. “If you can get a goaltender who makes you
better, and it costs you 15 first-round picks, would you do it? No.
“So somewhere between 15 first-round picks and something that makes
sense, we’re not there yet. I’m not going to overpay to upgrade at that
position. I’m not happy with what’s being asked. From my perspective,
rather than strip your organization to fill one positional need, we’ll go with
what we have.”
Gillis’s take was different, shedding some light on how far apart the two
may be in negotiations.
“In my mind, there’s probably 15 legitimate No. 1 goalies in the world and
he’s one of them,” Gillis said of Luongo. “Contrary to what people may think
or describe, there’s a tremendous amount of interest in players that are
high-end players in this league. Finding a fit is occasionally more
challenging, but there’s definitely a fit to be found.
“It hasn’t been close for me. I’m the problem. This is a significant
consideration for our organization, it’s not going to be done lightly. It’s not
going to be done in a hurry.”
Any interest in Luongo is complicated by both the 10 years remaining on his
contract and his no-trade clause, which dictates where he goes.
Toronto and the Florida Panthers are the only legitimate candidates for his
services with free agency looming, and Panthers GM Dale Tallon hardly
sounded like an interested buyer on Saturday as the draft wrapped up.
“We haven’t had many discussions about that at all,” Tallon said. “Our
goaltending was good for us last year.”
The deal that makes the most sense is somewhere in the middle of where
the Leafs’ and Canucks’ expectations lie.
Burke would love to land Luongo without giving up a player from his roster,
even though the addition of van Riemsdyk leaves the Leafs with a few extra
bodies up front.
635685
Toronto Maple Leafs
Feschuk: Morgan Rielly, Leafs Nation turns its lonely eyes to you
Dave Feschuk
An open letter to Maple Leafs draft pick Morgan Rielly.
Dear Morgan:
Welcome to Toronto. And relax. That racket you hear surely isn’t gunfire
from sidewalk cafes or shopping malls. It’s probably just the mayor
partaking in his morning ablutions after another KFC bender. Or more likely
it’s the overjoyed citizens of Leafs Nation busily building your statue outside
the Air Canada Centre.
That’s not to suggest expectations are out of whack here. But Brian Burke,
the GM who selected you fifth overall in the NHL draft on Friday, said he
would have drafted you first overall if he’d had the option. He’s not saying
you’re a good prospect. He’s only saying you, at age 18, are the Best Draft
Prospect Alive.
Burke, you’ll find out, says a lot of things. Recently he’s been insisting that
his team could easily have made the playoffs this past season — the same
season that saw them finish 26th in the 30-team league. He’s been insisting
that the Leafs, who haven’t made the Stanley Cup tournament since you
were 10 years old, could have simply tweaked the roster and finished in the
the lower half of the East’s top eight. He’s been saying he declined that
option to avoid getting his team’s “ass kicked” in the first round.
I know what you’re thinking — “. . . but the eighth-seeded L.A. Kings just
defeated the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils for the Stanley Cup . . .”—
and you’re right.
Don’t tell Burke. He stubbornly claims he had the option of a) ending what is
now the longest playoff drought in the NHL while bringing his city untold joy
and his employer multi-millions in post-season riches, or b) missing the
playoffs in large part for the benefit of drafting someone as promising as
you. He chose you.
So I have two questions. One: Can you double-check your birth certificate
to be you sure your real name isn’t Bobby Orr Incarnate? And two: Are you
freaked out yet?
Look, man, I hate to cast a pall over the greatest moment of your young life,
but it’s a geographical hazard. Thesaurus.com ought to list the phrase
“bearer of bad news” as a synonym for “Toronto sports columnist.”
The other day one of your new teammates, James van Riemsdyk, said
playing for the Leafs is “basically like playing for the New York Yankees.”
Clearly JVR, whose 2011-12 season was ravaged by a list of injuries that
included a concussion, has spent too much time in the quiet room.
Granted, there are some similarities between baseball’s iconic franchise
and hockey’s enduring punchline. The Yankees spare no expense. Spare
Leafs tickets are expensive. The greatest active Yankee, Derek Jeter, is a
glamorous bachelor who, when he hits the town, always gets the best
tables. The greatest current Leaf, Phil Kessel, is a renowned hermit who
excels at the ping-pong table.
It’s not exactly apples to apples. The Leafs haven’t won a championship
since 1967; the Yankees have won seven since that year. The Leafs last
played in the playoffs in 2004; the Yankees have been to the post-season
seven of eight seasons in the meantime.
Call me harsh, Morgan (and that’d be at the risk of Burke lambasting you for
not using a stronger word), but life as a Leaf might not be all rosebuds.
Consider the case of the last guy Toronto picked fifth overall, a fellow
defenceman named Luke Schenn. He was a golden boy for most of his four
years here. Burke used to scoff at the idea of trading him, used to speak of
him as a future captain. Then Burke gave Dion Phaneuf the C, kept Ron
Wilson around as coach and watched Wilson take up the hobby of crushing
Schenn’s confidence.
Perhaps it says something about Toronto’s status as a developmental black
hole that when Schenn was traded to Philadelphia for van Riemsdyk on
Saturday, Schenn was overjoyed.
Not all of that, thankfully, is your problem. Wilson was fired in March. And
the current coach, Randy Carlyle, is a former defenceman who won a
Norris Trophy in 1981. (If he gives you any guff about your play in front of
the Toronto net when you finally make the big club, be sure to mumble
something about “minus-135,” his combined career plus-minus.)
I’m not saying Carlyle is unprogressive, but his favourite drill is stops and
starts. If he gets fired — and Burke, nearing the four-year anniversary of a
six-year deal with only failure on his record, is in a position to be impatient
— he’ll almost certainly be succeeded by Dallas Eakins. Yes, that’s the
same Eakins who considers pedalling a bicycle up a 100-mile mountain trail
a fun vacation.
The club, you’ll be happy to know, supplies the puke buckets, and there’s
plenty more good news. One stellar reality about being a Leaf is that, stud
or stiff, you’ll always get paid. Schenn got paid (a five-year deal worth about
$3.6 million a season last fall), apparently because Wilson hadn’t
mentioned to Burke his impending plan to nail the kid to the bench.
Defenceman John-Michael Liles got paid — scored a four-year contract
extension worth $15 million in January — even though he was out with a
concussion at the time and hasn’t been the same player since he returned.
Who needs neurological soundness when you’ve got financial security? It
ought to be a franchise motto.
So keep your head up, Morgan, and thank heaven for the laws of
probability. The Leafs have been bad so long, you should be entering the
picture just when they’re due to be good. The bar is low. The pent-up
demand for even the smallest success is overwhelming. The best tables,
the ping-pong table — they’ll all be yours for the taking. Fulfill even half of
Burke’s blustery forecast and it won’t be long until this city full of backslapping, Leaf-worshipping fans is suggesting you run for mayor.
635686
Toronto Maple Leafs
Kings blueprint for Maple Leafs, coach says
Kevin McGran
The Los Angeles Kings are what the Toronto Maple Leafs hope to be — not
just Stanley Cup champions but grinding, forechecking, defensive-minded
Stanley Cup champions.
So says Leafs coach Randy Carlyle.
“I look at the way (the Kings) played and the type of team they had was
very similar to what we had in 2007 (in Anaheim),” said Carlyle, who won
the Cup with the Ducks that year.
“It was a grinding type of puck movement (in the playoffs) … There wasn’t a
lot of goals scored off the rush. There was a lot more special teams in the
games.”
This is the kind of hockey Carlyle wants his Leafs to play.
“I think the games were played tight to the vest,” said Carlyle. “But the pace
of the games were up there. You’ve got to be able to move the puck.
You’ve got to be able to get in on the forecheck, and you’ve got to be able
to create more offensive zone time.”
The acquisition of winger James van Riemsdyk — at the cost of
defenceman Luke Schenn — will give Carlyle a big, strong forechecker to
go with the likes of Joffrey Lupul, Mikhail Grabovski and Matt Frattin.
GM Brian Burke said after the van Riemsdyk trade that the solution at
centre might come from inside the organization. Van Riemsdyk could get a
long look there — he was a centre before he turned pro — but barring a
trade or a free-agent signing, prospects will challenge Tyler Bozak and Tim
Connolly for ice time up the middle.
“We’re very happy with the progress of a couple of the centres in the
system,” said Burke. “Joe Colborne had a phenomenal first half. (His)
production fell off in the second half. We think Joe is going to come in and
make a push to stick on the team. Nazem Kadri is going to get a good look.
We may have an internal solution.
“It may be coaches in training camp want to try JVR up the middle. I think of
him as a winger.”
Carlyle said he will demand attention to defence and will point to the 2012
playoffs as evidence.
“We want to play a different brand of hockey — not so much a rush team,”
said Carlyle. “We want to be able to grind teams. . . . Our mindset has to
change.”
635687
Toronto Maple Leafs
other 18-year-old defenceman, there is plenty to learn, an education that
will come only with experience.
Leafs' won't regret Rielly pick
But the encouraging indications are that Rielly badly wants to take it all in.
The hockey words for someone such as he are “highly coachable.”
By Terry Koshan
“I’ll tell you one thing, the Leafs aren’t going to regret taking him,” Stothers
said. “He’ll do anything in his power to improve. And he’s old-school, not the
rah-rah type. He’s just a leader in the way he plays the game.”
,Toronto Sun
THE MAPLE WHO?
TORONTO Mike Stothers has no problem acknowledging it.
Morgan Rielly bugged him toward the end of the 2011-12 season.
A lot.
But it’s not what you might be thinking, and Stothers, the head coach of the
Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, wouldn’t have had it
any other way.
As Rielly, selected fifth overall by the Maple Leafs on Friday night in the
2012 entry draft in Pittsburgh, was nearing the end of his recovery from a
torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, he would make daily stops
in Stothers’ office.
“Every day for about three weeks, telling me he was ready to get back in
the lineup,” Stothers recalled with a chuckle on Sunday afternoon. “I had to
keep telling him we had to wait for clearance from the doctors. The scary
thing was, he would be practising and he would be doing things that were
unbelievable (for someone coming off knee surgery). And we couldn’t play
him until we got the word.”
For Stothers — a former Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers defenceman who
has coached in various capacities in the NHL, AHL and major junior since
1991 — it’s hard not to think of what Rielly might have done had he been
healthy for the entire season. The smooth-skating defenceman had 18
points in 18 games before he was hurt on Nov. 6 after crashing into the net
during a game against Calgary, eventually returning in April for the end of
the Warriors’ playoff run.
But it’s clear the Leafs have a prospect who brings a lot more than a pointa-game pace. Stothers couldn’t have been more adamant about that.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Stothers said. “I’ve had a lot of kids in
junior, but his combination of talent, commitment, personality … you hear it
a lot, but with him, you’re really not going to meet a better kid.”
Whether Rielly was home in Vancouver during periods of rehabilitation or in
Moose Jaw, his presence around the team was constant. If he was not in
touch with his teammates through texting or other form of social media, it
would not be uncommon for the Warriors to return from a trip in the wee
hours of the morning and see Rielly waiting in the parking lot.
The hockey player that the Leafs drafted is one, Stothers believes, who is
finely suited for the game today. Rielly compared himself to Kris Letang
when he met with reporters in Pittsburgh, and Stothers dropped the names
of Erik Karlsson and Brian Leetch into the conversation on Sunday.
Big expectations, yes, but that’s what happens when you are taken fifth
overall.
“He can get up the ice and make plays and then come right back and not
miss anything defensively,” Stothers said. “It’s something every coach is
looking for, the ability to play that way. Morgan’s skating is a gift.”
In Stothers’ mind, it’s not just on the ice that Rielly will one day have an
impact for the Leafs. Toronto scouts could have attended every Warriors
game this past season and talked to the kid afterward, but still not have had
a full grasp of his personality.
Stothers, hired by the Warriors last summer, saw it up close.
“Humble and a great sense of humour,” Stothers said. “Infectious. One of
those kids who walks into the dressing room and everybody is happy to see
him. Down to earth. A real love of life.
“And his passion for the game — you don’t always see it with a kid who is
that talented. But with Morgan, you do.”
It’s not to say Rielly is perfect and will be a Norris Trophy contender from
the first shift he skates with the blue Maple Leaf on his chest. Not unlike any
And with their third pick in the 2012 entry draft, the Maple Leafs selected a
kid who had little insight into the organization.
“Honestly, I don’t know much about them,” centre Dominic Toninato said
after the Leafs chose him 126th overall in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
How about general manager Brian Burke?
“Not much,” he said.
Toninato, who was in Toronto once for a minor hockey tourney, represents
a long-term project for the Leafs. He will play for Fargo of the USHL next
year and attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth after that.
“We’re just going to have to see where it goes because he is not playing a
high level of hockey,” Leafs director of amateur scouting Dave Morrison
said of Toninato’s time at Minnesota high school Duluth East, where he
piled up 61 points in 25 games.
“But when you have a high level of compete and a high hockey IQ, I think
the rest can fall into place. He’s going to have time to fill out and develop
his game.”
The Leafs made six picks on the weekend, but a goalie escaped their
grasp.
“There were two of them, and they went (before the Leafs picked),”
Morrison said. “We’re trying to invite one we like (to the prospects camp),
so hopefully we get him. It’s just the way it rolls sometimes.”
Toronto Sun LOADED: 06.25.2012
635688
Toronto Maple Leafs
Kulemin talks could get testy
Staff Report
TORONTO Contract negotiations between the Maple Leafs and winger Nikolai Kulemin
could get a little sticky, if they haven’t already.
Kulemin’s agent, Gary Greenstin, was somewhat cryptic in a recent
interview, saying “we’ll see what happens” in talks with the Leafs, but
emphasized that Kulemin wants to remain in Toronto.
Two years ago, the sides went long and hard at each other before
hammering out a new deal.
Kulemin, Matt Frattin, Cody Franson and Ben Scrivens are restricted free
agents and have received qualifying offers.
The Leafs have two players — Joey Crabb and Jay Rosehill — facing
unrestricted free agency on July 1. Whether they are signed remains to be
seen, and David Nonis, the Leafs’ senior vice-president of hockey
operations, did not return an e-mail message on Sunday.
The Leafs, like most of the other teams in the NHL, are expected to take a
long run at University of Wisconsin defenceman Justin Schultz, who has
become a free agent but can’t be signed until July 1. No matter what they
say about their depth, or what people thought of Luke Schenn, there’s a
hole on the blue line now that Schenn has been traded to Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, prospect Josh Nicholls, who was not signed by the Leafs after
they selected him two years ago, went back into the draft this past weekend
but was not picked.
635689
Toronto Maple Leafs
Bittersweet exit for Schenn
By Lance Hornby
,Toronto Sun
Knowing Luke Schenn would be sad to leave four years’ worth of friends
and memories in Toronto, pal Clarke MacArthur tried a little humour when
Saturday’s trade to the Flyers was announced.
“He said he’s glad he won’t have to get up and stand every third period for
Luke’s Troops,” Schenn laughed in a phone interview Sunday night from
Kelowna, B.C. “He told me he’s tired of seeing my ugly face on the screen
at the ACC.”
But Schenn said his sponsorship of the game-night tribute to the Canadian
Forces was one of the things that made it so special in this market, even
though his play and the team’s were both under a giant microscope all 82
games. Not making the playoffs in four years only made it harder.
“This was a great place for a young guy to come and start his career,”
Schenn countered. “Everyone on the team did everything to help me out.”
Schenn included coach Ron Wilson in that group, the only coach he had
until Randy Carlyle took over the job for the final 18 games of the season. It
bothered Schenn that some suggest Wilson was an impediment to his
development.
“He’s the guy who gave me the chance (at age 18) to play in this league,”
Schenn said. “I was able to come in and have that extra year and learn so
much.”
Schenn broke in with the Leafs much the same way another Western
Hockey League kid named Wendel Clark did 20 years earlier, hitting hard
and fighting the battles of older or less-aggressive players. When Brian
Burke replaced Cliff Fletcher as general manager (Fletcher drafted Schenn
fifth overall), the boss quickly picked up some experienced ruffians to take
that pressure off of the kid.
By his third year, Schenn felt confident enough in his station to call out the
team on occasion when he sensed they were talking a good game, but not
being accountable. There were predictions he could become captain, a job
given to Dion Phaneuf.
As far as his day job went, Schenn had two really good years out of four,
his rookie campaign and the one that netted him a five-year, $18-million US
deal in the summer of 2011.
But another dip in his play this season and the addition of more
defencemen through trades put him on the block fairly early in the year. The
one-for-one deal for winger James van Riemsdyk idled for months but was
resurrected on the weekend.
“You’re going to have ups and downs in the course of your career,” Schenn
said. “I leave with no regrets. You find that four years can fly by pretty
quickly in this league.
“I’m going to a team that’s been competitive every year and has made the
playoffs. I’m looking forward to that.
“I think Toronto is going to be there, too. I think they have the players to do
it.”
Schenn is also joining younger brother Brayden in Philadelphia. Just a
couple of years earlier, parents Jeff and Rita were paying airfare from
Saskatoon to Los Angeles to watch Brayden and then to Toronto to see
Luke. Then came Brayden’s move to the Flyers last year, which meant four
annual meetings. And now what Brayden called “a dream come true”, both
boys on the same club. Jeff coached his sons in minor hockey, though his
double-dipping on the teams’ Father’s Day road trips is now done.
“That’s been the great part about this, the chance to play with my brother,”
Luke said. “You hate to leave Toronto, but this is a great opportunity. I just
hope they find someone to take over Luke’s Troops.”
635690
Toronto Maple Leafs
Carlyle rolling up his sleeves
By Lance Hornby
,Toronto Sun
As Randy Carlyle gazed around the draft tables on Friday night, there was
no avoiding a stroll down Memory Lane.
This was Pittsburgh, site of his career year and Norris Trophy in 1980-81.
On one side was the Anaheim Ducks group, with many names he shares
on the 2007 Stanley Cup. On the other was the reinstated Winnipeg
franchise, where he played for the Jets, coached the city’s AHL team and
influenced countless hockey people there for the better part of two decades.
At the far end of the floor were the new champions, the L.A. Kings, whom
Carlyle faced many times in his California days.
But making an impact behind the Maple Leafs bench is his current and
biggest challenge, a high-stress job that has burned out a long list that
includes Hall of Famers. Carlyle’s grace period as coach ended April 7, the
last of his 18-game mop-up role for Ron Wilson. His own watch officially
began the past few days, inputting on player personnel such as the James
van Riemsdyk trade, huddling with his assistants to set the training camp
agenda and meeting No. 1 pick Morgan Rielly.
He keenly watched the AHL Marlies’ run to the Calder Cup final this month
and, in less than a week, he’ll be looking in on the Leafs’ prospect camp.
But when real camp starts after Labour Day, so will the reality that Carlyle
hockey will require a Carlyle-style team, of which the Leafs are not, in mind
or body.
“If you look at the playoffs, that’s what we’re trying to duplicate,” Carlyle
said. “We’re trying to play that hockey for 82 games. “Obviously, there is a
new coaching staff in place (Carlyle and right-hand man Dave Farrish, with
Wilson holdovers Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon), a staff that demands a
higher brand of defensive hockey. We still want to skate, to be a
forechecking team. That doesn’t change.
“Are there areas in which we can improve? Obviously. There are going to
be staples of our game, and players became aware of that when the
change was made.”
The template Carlyle says he wants in 2012-13 was discussed in detail by
the staff on Wednesday, including how the current roster can best be
utilized, with further meetings planned in August and early September.
“We’re going to assign responsibility (roughing out lines and defensive
pairings), talking about how we can prepare our team for a higher level,”
Carlyle said. “We’re also going to create our own template for the staff
(such as who will be in charge of special teams), what systems we have to
play to change what we did in the last games of last season.”
Carlyle kept his composure on the bench as the Leafs lost 12 of his 18
games, but the wheels were already turning in his head for 2012-13.
“In the playoffs, there weren’t a lot of goals scored off the rush,” Carlyle
noted. “We want to play a different brand of hockey, not so much a rush
team, we want to be able to grind teams. If you can grind teams, you can
create more time with the puck, thus you draw more penalties, create more
scoring chances and you’ll wear down the opposition.
“Playoff games were played tight to the vest, but the pace of games was
still up there. You’ve got to be able to move the puck, get in on the
forecheck and create more offensive time. Our mindset has to change.”
To that end, the Leafs underwent a significant shift with van Riemsdyk
joining the band on Saturday in a trade for defender Luke Schenn. On the
day he fired Wilson, general manager Brian Burke acknowledged the need
to tailor the team up front to reflect what he and Carlyle crafted in Anaheim.
Saturday’s acquisition of van Riemsdyk was a vital first step.
“Randy will figure out where he plays,” Burke said of van Riemsdyk. “I
envision him in the top six, on one of the power play units. We’re not big
enough up front.”
Burke wants to position the Leafs to maximize what he believes will be a
trend this coming year to keep play moving. Certainly, by playoff time,
referees were more lenient on allowing battles for the puck to be settled
without reading to the letter of the law.
“No matter what happens, someone is not going to be happy,” Carlyle said
of past officiating trends. “Twenty guys will agree with the call or there are
20 who say: ‘How could you possibly miss that’?
“I think the standard of officiating created post-lockout has been a positive
for the game. But the work ethic demonstrated by the teams has been one
of playing up the neutral ice more and a lot less space in the middle. That’s
what has really changed, everybody putting as many people back in
defensive zones, five guys in that quadrant.”
If Carlyle can put life into the Leafs, Toronto’s table will be a desired
destination at future drafts.
635691
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs’ Brian Burke still has plenty of holes to fill after James van Riemsdyk
trade
By Michael Traikos
PITTSBURGH — If you think Brian Burke can take the rest of the summer
off after trading for James van Riemsdyk on Saturday, think again.
Yes, having finally added a top-six forward with size puts one fire out. But
after finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference in 2011-12, there are still
plenty of burning issues that the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager
needs to address if his team is going to qualify for the playoffs next season.
The Leafs lack an established starting goaltender. They lack a legitimate
No. 1 centre. They lack the level of toughness required to play Randy
Carlyle hockey. And there are many bad contracts that need to find their
way to the company shredder.
For Burke, it is the kind of wish list that might feel more like a bucket list
after having missed the playoffs for the past three years. But with the start
of free agency less than a week away, there might be enough time to cross
at least some of the items off before the Leafs open the season against the
Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 13.
“First off, what’s the date today?” Burke said Saturday. “We’re not starting
for a while, so I’d say it’s a work in progress. We need to do some things.
This is a starting point for the summer, not an ending point.”
The addition of van Riemsdyk, who was acquired in a one-for-one trade
with the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Luke Schenn, is certainly a
step in the right direction. The 6-foot-3 winger is the kind of power forward
that the Leafs have been looking for ever since Dave Andreychuk scored 53
goals without actually moving more than two feet from the other team’s
crease.
Does van Riemsdyk have that potential? Maybe. He was a No. 2 pick in the
2007 draft. Two years ago, he scored 21 goals and had what Burke called a
“magical playoffs” where he scored seven times in 11 games. But at 23, he
has been tagged with the “underperformer” label just like Schenn.
That is why van Riemsdyk was available to the Leafs. Well, that and his
injury history, which already includes a concussion and something Burke
called a “hockey hip” that most likely will require surgery in the near future.
So, no question, he is a bit of a gamble. But at this point in Burke’s tenure,
taking the shortcut seems more appealing than the scenic route.
For that reason, trading for Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo and his
massive contract appears to be more and more likely as the summer wears
on. Burke was seen speaking with Canucks GM Mike Gillis over the
weekend, but “backed off, because from my perspective the prices that are
being asked have to be reasonable.”
That does not mean a deal will not happen. It just might take some time.
Burke knows that Gillis does not want to start the season with Luongo and
Cory Schneider battling for the No. 1 job, and Gillis knows that Burke, who
traded Jonas Gustavsson’s negotiating rights to Winnipeg, does not want to
start the season with James Reimer and Ben Scrivens. Eventually someone
will blink.
As for the other fires, Burke said he was in on the trade that sent centre
Jordan Staal to Carolina, but ultimately lost out because “we didn’t have a
brother named Staal.” Instead, the Leafs will either move van Riemsdyk to
the middle, continue to masquerade Tyler Bozak in a role that is beyond his
depth, or look internally — prospects Joe Colborne and Nazem Kadri are
options — to fill the long-suffering need for a No. 1 centre.
The other stuff — adding more bite to the lineup, buying out or dumping a
contract or two, re-signing Nikolai Kulemin and Cody Franson — will take
care of itself.
“We still need to do some things,” said Burke. “We’ve got to get bigger up
front. We’re going to keep trying to build. This is just the first step in the
process. It’s an important step. I’m happy with the progress being made.
But we still have work to do.”
National Post LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Vancouver Canucks
Luongo could make a huge impact for either team, but so would a contract
that calls for $42 million over the next six seasons.
Iain MacIntyre: Trying to match a price to Luongo's value
Gillis can't get full value for his player because of the contract the GM
attached to him.
By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist June 24, 2012
“It depends on how you define full value,” Gillis said. “For some teams it's
defined a different way and that's why we're exploring all the options and
making sure we listen to everybody who wants to inquire about it.”
PITTSBURGH — The problem with making the Roberto Luongo trade is
that each side wants the other to beg.
The Vancouver Canucks see their deposed starter as a National Hockey
League star who is a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and remains one of
only a handful of netminders who guarantees his employer 30-40 wins a
season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers – and probably others – see
Luongo as a 33-year-old, $53.3-million account payable.
So you can imagine there might be a fair amount of indignation when
potential deals are discussed. How dare you demand our best prospect for
Luongo? How dare you offer flotsam for Luongo?
Whatever Toronto Maple Leaf general manager Brian Burke pitched to
Gillis at the NHL entry draft landed well short of acquiring Luongo, so the
Canucks left Pittsburgh with both their No. 1 goalies in the organization and
five newly-drafted prospects. The four chosen Saturday are all of a certain
type: big, older, late-blooming, low-budget gambles.
Second-round pick Alexandre Mallet, a 20-year-old forward from Amqui,
Que., and the Rimouski Oceanic, is probably ready to play for the Canucks'
minor-league team next season.
Friday's first-rounder, two-way centre Brendan Gaunce of Markham, Ont.,
should challenge for a place on the Canucks in a couple of years.
The rest of the Canuck Class of 2012, three 19-year-olds bypassed in their
first year of draft eligibility, are off to college next fall for up to four years of
free development.
So for now, with free agency opening on Canada Day and nothing close on
Luongo, the Canucks' NHL roster is as it was.
“It hasn't been close for me; I'm the problem,” Gillis said when asked about
trading Luongo. “This is a significant consideration for our organization. It's
not going to be done lightly, not going to be done in a hurry and it's certainly
not going to be done because of the pressure of selecting kids [at the draft]
who in all likelihood aren't even going to be involved in this deal. I don't feel
any pressure whatsoever to have done something this weekend.
“When I do the calculation, there are 15 legitimate No. 1 goalies in the world
and [Luongo] is one of them. Contrary to what people may think or
describe, there's a tremendous amount of interest in players who are highend players in this league. And finding a fit is occasionally more
challenging, but there's definitely fits to be found.”
Florida manager Dale Tallon, while not speaking specifically about Luongo
or the Canucks, said teams are trying to raid the Panthers' stockpile of
excellent prospects, including third-overall picks Jonathan Huberdeau and
Erik Gudbranson and other first-rounders Nick Bjugstad and Quinton
Howden.
Speaking specifically about Luongo, Tallon jumped on the word “premature”
when asked about speculation the Panthers are chasing the netminder.
“Yeah, I did talk to them about goaltending,” Tallon said. Pressed for
details, he said: “We haven't had many discussions about it.”
Tallon bluffs only slightly better than Burke when he says he is happy with
his goaltenders and doesn't necessarily need an upgrade.
Tallon orchestrated a breakthrough season for the Panthers, who made the
playoffs for the first time in 11 years. He did it with a goaltending tandem of
35-year-olds Scott Clemmensen and Jose Theodore, who is a decade
removed from his best seasons in Montreal.
The Leafs just missed the playoffs a seventh straight year, although their
suspects in goal, James Reimer and Ben Scrivens, are at least young
enough to get better. But Burke, facing dismissal if his team fails again,
can't afford to wait for them.
Picking late and less frequently than other teams due to trades for Maxim
Lapierre (third-round pick) and Sammy Pahlsson (fourth-rounder), the
Canucks may get full value on their draft picks from Saturday.
Some teams go for skill, some for size. The Canucks went for age.
Fifth-round pick Ben Hutton, a 6-2 offensive defenceman from Brockville,
Ont., played in the Central Canada Hockey League. Sixth-rounder Wesley
Morgan of Victoria, who had 42 points in 26 games for the B.C. League's
Victoria Grizzlies, would have gone higher had he not missed most of the
season with a shoulder injury. Seventh-rounder Matthew Beattie, a New
Jersey-born scoring dynamo, was unearthed playing prep hockey in New
Hampshire.
These three will be attending, respectively, the University of Maine, Boston
University and Yale University next fall.
All were bypassed in the draft as 18-year-olds, which generally makes
players seem like lesser prospects.
“At the same time, teams are tripping over each other right now to sign
these unrestricted college guys who were never drafted,” Canuck assistant
GM Laurence Gilman said. “We've looked back on some of those college
players and said: 'We could have drafted those guys.' But we didn't
because of the conventional idiom that if they're older, then there's
something wrong with them.
“The fact of the matter is, everyone matures at their own rate. We're not
deterred at all that these kids are a little older.”
Gillis said: “They're late-bloomers, but we know what we're getting.”
He isn't close to being able to say that about Luongo.
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Vancouver Canucks
“Obviously, they saw me play as much as anybody,” he said. “It was always
a possibility that Vancouver could be one of the teams, but I never had a
meeting with them so they were never really on my radar.”
Draft notes: Canucks surprise with second pick
Giants’ defenceman Brett Kulak of Stony Plain, Alta., was chosen in the
fourth round by the Calgary Flames.
By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist June 24, 2012
BEAUTIFUL B.C.: Saturday draft picks from B.C. included North
Vancouverites Colton Scissons and Dalton Thrower. The centre and
defenceman went 50th and 51st in the second round to the Nashville
Predators and Montreal Canadiens.
PITTSBURGH — The Vancouver Canucks noticed something NHL Central
Scouting didn’t: Rimouski Oceanic centre Alexandre Mallet.
Unrated by the league’s scouting department, Mallet was the Canucks’ first
choice Saturday on the second day of the entry draft.
The abrasive, two-way centre with 81 points and 132 penalty minutes this
season was also the last Canuck draft pick before the fifth round and
embodied management’s weekend draft strategy of going older, as the
National Hockey League team took more developed players with its final
four selections.
Mallet is already 20 years old, two years older than most of the teenagers
claimed here, and will probably play in the American Hockey League next
season after being ignored in last year’s draft.
“I didn’t even think about the second round,” Mallet, the son of a
veterinarian in Amqui, Que., said in accented English after the Canucks
chose him 57th. “Probably [round] five or six ... was what I suspect. It’s
really nice. I cannot describe the feeling.
“I play a lot this year. I don’t play that much at 16, 17, 18. This year I got
more chance, so I’m more confident this year and things went pretty well. I
just concentrate to work hard. I’m happy.”
Mallet is projected to be a third-line Alex Burrows-type player, except at
centre instead of the wing.
General manager Mike Gillis was unconcerned about drafting a 20-year-old.
“Kids grow up and they get better if they work at their game,” Gillis said.
“With Mallet, we feel he’s close to being a professional player. We felt
secure in taking him. I’m not concerned at all about [his draft year]. I’m
concerned if he can play and fits what we’re looking for.”
CHECK THE ATLAS: For the first time in four years, B.C. was beautiful for
B.C.’s NHL team.
The Canucks had gone 25 draft picks since last choosing a player from
their home province when they selected Victoria Grizzlies’ winger Wesley
Myron in the sixth round on Saturday. Myron, who is from Victoria and turns
20 in August, had 42 points and a plus-18 rating in 26 games this season in
the B.C. Hockey League and probably would have been claimed sooner
had he not missed most of the season because of a shoulder injury.
The Canucks are tired of hearing the criticism that they don’t take players
from their own front yard, although for the fourth straight draft they chose no
one from the Western Hockey League.
“I’m happy this takes away that issue,” assistant general manager Laurence
Gilman said, referring to made-in-B.C. draft picks. “We got to a point in the
draft where there was a player on the right spot on our list and he’s from
British Columbia, and we’re extremely thrilled to have him.”
Myron is bound for Boston University in the fall.
LAND OF GIANTS: The Canucks could have ended their 0-for-ever streak
on choosing Vancouver Giants, but their second-round selection of Mallet at
No. 57 allowed the Giants’ 40-goal scorer Jordan Martinook to go to the
Phoenix Coyotes with the next pick.
Martinook did not attend the draft and instead was in a trailer at a lake near
his family’s home in Leduc, Alta., when he learned he had been chosen by
the Coyotes. Martinook and Mallet could face each other in the AHL next
season.
“There’s no wireless here so I was trying to follow the draft on a mobile
stick,” Martinook. 19, said Saturday morning. “My phone was 100 per cent
an hour ago, now it’s down to 20. I wasn’t expecting to go in the second
round. I had a meeting with Phoenix and they told me they were really
interested.”
But he never had a meeting with the Canucks.
Surrey had two players drafted: winger Jujhar Khaira was chosen 63rd by
the Edmonton Oilers, while defenceman Reece Willcox went 141st to the
Philadelphia Flyers. There were also two players from Delta drafted: centre
Steven Hodges, 84th by the Florida Panthers, and centre Ryan Olsen,
160th by the Winnipeg Jets.
Powell River goalie Sean Maguire was chosen 113th by the Boston Bruins,
Burnaby defenceman Joey LaLeggia went 123rd to the Edmonton Oilers,
and West Vancouver centre Alex Kerfoot, the son of Vancouver Whitecaps’
owner Greg Kerfoot, was selected 150th by the New Jersey Devils.
Kerfoot’s former Hollyburn minor hockey teammates, defencemen Griffin
Reinhart and Morgan Rielly, headlined the B.C. crop as top-five selections
Friday. The New York Islanders chose Reinhart fourth, before the Toronto
Maple Leafs claimed his buddy.
BEAMING UP SCOTTY: Despite the Canucks refuting stories Friday night
that Scott Arniel will coach their minor league team next season, Arniel will
coach their minor league team next season.
Contract details had still to be finalized after the draft, but the Chicago
Wolves’ head coaching job has been offered to and accepted by Arniel,
who guided the Canucks’ farm team in Winnipeg before leaving two years
ago for an unsuccessful stint as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 06.25.2012
635694
Washington Capitals
After draft, what’s next for the Capitals?
By Katie Carrera
Now that the 2012 NHL draft has concluded and the cupboard of prospects
hs been restocked, the Capitals’ focus shifts back to the present. There are
plenty of decisions left to be made and room for changes, so let’s take a
look at what’s next.
Name a new coach
The single biggest item on GM George McPhee’s to-do list this offseason
has yet to be checked off, though it appears the Capitals may have a new
bench boss before the start of free agency on July 1. During the draft
weekend, McPhee said he had finished interviewing candidates and that
the process “might” wrap up this week.
The Capitals have interviewed at least seven candidates and Mike
Haviland, a former Chicago assistant coach, and Adam Oates, a New
Jersey assistant coach, are believed to be among the finalists for the
position. AHL coach Jon Cooper also may be in contention as well.
Add scoring depth on the wing
Acquiring Mike Ribeiro filled the Capitals’ long-time need for a top six center
on the depth chart behind Nicklas Backstrom. Now the question is: Who will
he be setting up?
Alexander Semin appears bound for the free agent market and all
indications point to the talented Russian not returning to Washington. While
it comes as no real surprise given comments made by Semin’s agent, Mark
Gandler, just days after the 2011-12 season ended, it will leave the Capitals
without the player who has been their second-leading goal scorer each of
the past six years.
While players like Troy Brouwer and Brooks Laich are important parts of the
framework, and likely may see time among the top six next year, the
Capitals will need more of a true scorer in the mix to help replace the
offensive production lost.
Whether that addition would come via a trade or free agency remains to be
seen. On Saturday, McPhee was tight-lipped as usual when asked if there
might be more roster changes prior to July 1.
“I don’t mind where we are,” McPhee said. “We’ll explore some things in
free agency, but I don’t think we’re desperate to do anything.”
Organize the defense
Restricted free agents Mike Green and John Carlson have received
qualifying offers, which they have until July 15 to accept. (In Green’s case,
should he wish to seek arbitration, that decision must be made by July 5.)
If the Capitals re-sign both Green and Carlson, they will have seven NHL
defensemen under contract for 2012-13, not counting injured Tom Poti. It’s
possible the Capitals could stick with the group they have, but an
adjustment in roles will likely be required because impending unrestricted
free agent Dennis Wideman is expected to depart.
Wideman played consistently among Washington’s top-four last season and
led the team in ice time (23:54). Those minutes aren’t always easy to
replace, simply because some players take better to workloads upwards of
22-23 minutes per game than others. Can Dmitry Orlov step into a 20minute role immediately in his sophomore season? Can Mike Green stay
healthy this year and anchor a pairing? Will 38-year-old Roman Hamrlik’s
ice time continue to decline as it has each of the previous two seasons?
Depending on the answers to those questions, among others, you can
make a convincing case to bring in another steady presence on the back
end.
Washington Post LOADED: 06.25.2012
635695
Washington Capitals
After ‘great weekend,’ Caps’ McPhee weighs wading into free agent pool
doesn’t see that as pressure, considering the quality of candidates
available.
“No,” he said, “because, you know what, I could pick any one of them and I
think we’ll be in good shape.”
Washington Times LOADED: 06.25.2012
By Stephen Whyno
PITTSBURGH — George McPhee had conversations, but the NHL draft
wasn’t quite the trade bonanza many expected. Jordan Staal joined his
brother with the Carolina Hurricanes, and naturally the Washington Capitals
weren’t consulted by the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
“They wouldn’t talk to us,” the Caps’ GM said with a smile.
Even though the Caps weren’t involved in a blockbuster deal over the
weekend, McPhee was satisfied with the trade for second-line center Mike
Ribeiro and the selection of Filip Forsberg with the 11th overall pick.
“I thought we had a great weekend. We’re really delighted with the way
things went,” he said. “We got an elite talent [Friday] in Forsberg, and
picking up Ribeiro makes us a much better team.”
The Caps filled a void at center that has existed since the departure of
Sergei Fedorov three years ago. And while McPhee’s retooling project may
not be complete, he indicated he’s not planning on doing much.
“I don’t mind where we are,” he said Saturday at the conclusion of the draft
at Consol Energy Center. “We’ll explore some things in free agency, but I
don’t think we’re desperate to do anything.”
Of course, there’s the possibility McPhee simply is not showing his hand
with unrestricted free agency starting July 1. But with veteran forwards Mike
Knuble and Jeff Halpern leaving and right wing Alexander Semin and
defenseman Dennis Wideman likely departing as well, the roster appears to
have holes.
Ribeiro filled one, with Cody Eakin and a second-round pick going to the
Dallas Stars.
“I’ve been after this player for a while, so we got it done. We gave up a real
good kid in Cody, who’s going to play a long time in this league. But
obviously, Ribeiro will come in and play much higher in our lineup right
away,” McPhee said. “He’s got skill and makes plays, 60, 70 points a year
and a pretty good shootout player, too.”
That was the Caps’ biggest splash of the weekend, and McPhee said he
didn’t have any trades in the works for this week. As far as improving
through free agent signings, he said “there’s no urgency to have to do
anything.”
Part of that might be the long-term realization of buyer’s remorse from some
good deals gone bad.
“I prefer to make a trade than sign free agents. That other process is
expensive and usually more term than you want,” McPhee said after trading
for Ribeiro. “Sometimes you get it done and then by the end of November
you’re asking yourself, ‘What’d I do here?’ You win the battle for the player
and then you’re trying to trade him two months later. Somehow, this is a
better way to do it.”
Even factoring in Ribeiro’s $5 million cap hit and what it will cost to lock up
restricted free agents Mike Green, John Carlson, Jay Beagle and Mathieu
Perreault, the Caps should have in the neighborhood of $10 million to
spend. But free agency is a crapshoot.
What shouldn’t be is the search for a coach, something that McPhee said
“might” be wrapped up this week though he refused to promise a speedy
resolution to the process. Ex-Chicago Blackhawks assistant Mike Haviland,
Norfolk Admirals coach Jon Cooper and New Jersey Devils assistant Adam
Oates seem to be the finalists.
“I might be leaning one way, but we’ll see,” said McPhee, who has not
discussed candidates’ names but has interviewed at least seven. “I’ve got a
few more questions to ask next week, not of these people but of people
who know them.”
Getting a coach in place, whether it’s this week or in July, is arguably the
biggest piece of the offseason puzzle, and hiring someone for that job is of
the biggest decisions any general manager has to make. But McPhee
635696
Winnipeg Jets
Team adds draft picks and intrigue
be said. He's been taught a lot along the way. The biggest thing is I really
believe in my heart, if you want something bad enough and you stay
grounded, good things will happen to those kinds of people. He's done a
good job at that."
By: Tim Campbell
Lukas, heading for his third season with the WHL's Blades, said it was
difficult to ignore the buzz coming out of Winnipeg during the city's first
season back in the NHL.
The Winnipeg Jets landed seven players over the weekend, six picks for
the future from the NHL's entry draft in Pittsburgh and a Saturday trade that
adds immediate intrigue to the club's goaltending makeup.
The team's much-anticipated first pick on Friday was defenceman Jacob
Trouba of the U.S. National Development Team, and headlining Saturday's
five selections was centre Lukas Sutter, former NHLer Rich Sutter's son,
from the Saskatoon Blades, taken early in the second round.
Saturday also saw Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff swing into action with a
trade. He acquired the rights to 27-year-old netminder Jonas Gustavsson,
who becomes an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.
The price was a seventh-round draft pick next June if the Jets sign the
Swede, who was courted by multiple NHL teams during the summer of
2009 when he decided to come to North America.
"Unbelievable," he said. "It's one of the best hockey markets in the game,
something that I'm extremely excited about."
[email protected]
2012 draft picks
1 (9) Jacob Trouba, D, 18, US NDT
2 (39) Lukas Sutter, C, 18, Saskatoon (WHL)
3 (70) Scott Kosmachuk, RW, 18, Guelph (OHL)
5 (130) Connor Hellebuyck, G, 19, Odessa (NAHL)
6 (160) Scott Olsen, C, 18, Saskatoon (WHL)
7 (190) Jamie Phillips, G, 19, Toronto (OJHL)
Cheveldayoff has both 2011-12 goalies headed for free agency this week -No. 1 man Ondrej Pavelec becomes a restricted free agent and backup
Chris Mason becomes an unrestricted free agent.
By Position: Centre 2, RW 1, Defencemen 1, Goalie 2.
Talks with both men have begun but don't appear to be proceeding
smoothly.
By Nationality: Canada 4 (including Sutter, who was born in St. Louis), U.S.
2.
Pavelec's camp is looking for four years and major money, something like
$17 million. Mason said last week he wants to stay in Winnipeg but the
team hinted loudly over the weekend those discussions aren't going well.
By Height: Below six-foot 1; above six-foot, 5.
Injecting Gustavsson into the mix certainly gives Cheveldayoff leverage,
though he protested on Saturday that the trade has nothing to do with
Pavelec's situation.
"Totally separate from this," Cheveldayoff said. "We're going to sign two
guys and get that done.
By Weight: 170-180 1; 181-190 4; 190-200, none; above 200 1.
Right shots: 3
Left shots: 3: (including 2 goalies)
"This is more an opportunity to be able to talk to a UFA person before the
July 1 deadline."
1993 birthdays: 3
It's unlikely Gustavsson-Mason is the tandem he's got in mind for next
season, but at least the GM has a better goaltending chart, even for a few
days, than he did on Friday.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 06.25.2012
"It just gives us an opportunity to talk to someone that is potentially an
unrestricted free agent," Cheveldayoff said. "So is Mason. When you get
this chance to speak with someone, you can evaluate all your options.
"(Gustavsson) is a big goaltender, very athletic. He's only had (three) years
over here. Again, he's an intriguing opportunity to talk to.
"It doesn't necessarily mean we're going to get him signed."
In his three seasons with the Leafs, Gustavsson failed to be the saviour in
goal that many projected. He had a stint in the AHL in 2010-11, then played
42 games for Toronto last season and went 17-17-4.
At the end of the season, the club had clearly decided Manitoba product
James Reimer was their No. 1 man.
"He (Gustavsson) saved our butts last year during the season at times, he
played some real good hockey for us," Leafs GM Brian Burke said. "I think
it's time for us as an organization to move on, I think it's time for him to
move on. Winnipeg approached us and said they want to sign him as a
backup goaltender."
Among their draft selections, the Jets turned to one of Canada's iconic
hockey families for a gritty prospect who's said to possess the Sutter
sandpaper.
"I don't think it's really registered for either of us," Lukas Sutter said
Saturday, his dad standing nearby. "I think he's just as excited as I am."
When did Rich know his son might have the right stuff?
"The biggest thing is his passion," the 13-year NHL veteran said. "He's a
very passionate kid. To be around his uncles and his dad, not a lot has to
1994 birthdays: 3
635697
Winnipeg Jets
Scheifele to play vs. Russians
By: Tim Campbell
HE'S been a rival for two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League but
suddenly Steve Spott will be playing both sides of the fence.
Spott, the head coach of the Kitchener Rangers, was recently named head
coach of Team Canada for next winter's World Junior Hockey
Championship.
And there's a very good chance he'll have centre Mark Scheifele on his
roster.
He'll certainly have the 2011 first-round pick of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets in
his lineup in August when Team Canada, in lieu of a summer development
camp, will assemble 28 of the country's elite juniors and play a four-game
challenge series against Russia.
Rivals -- Scheifele, the Kitchener native, is the top centre for the OHL's
Barrie Colts -- are now on the same side.
"I'm with Mark every day right now in Kitchener," Spott told the Free Press
over the weekend in Pittsburgh, where he attended the NHL's entry draft.
"He's skating with us right now, just talked to him (last Thursday)."
Spott has observed a blossoming young player rack up 138 points in 113
OHL games over his first two OHL seasons.
It's unknown if Scheifele will come to camp with the Jets this fall and stick in
the NHL. The issue, Spott said, will be strength.
"The challenge for Mark right now is very simple, it's physical strength,"
Team Canada's coach said. "It has nothing to do with hockey sense, with
hands or with compete. For me, it's sheer physical strength and it's going to
come.
"His level of hockey sense is incredible. When you look at the potential of
(Ivan) Telegin (also of the Colts and also a Jets draft pick) and Scheifele,
what an intriguing group of forwards that combine not only size but worldclass skill, and from what I've been told on Telegin, he's a great kid, too.
"For me, the scouts who have identified those kids have done a great job."
Spott is aware that should Scheifele be playing in the NHL, the decision to
have him in the World Junior will be out of his hands. But he does claim to
know one thing about the future.
"I know Mark personally and I feel he's going to be very big part of the
Winnipeg system for a long time," Spott said.
As well as Scheifele, the Team Canada coach will have two other
Winnipeg-connected players in the Canada-Russia Challenge Series in
August.
Also on his roster are Lukas Sutter of the Saskatoon Blades, a secondround pick of the Jets last weekend, and Brendan Leipsic, the Winnipegger
who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the draft.
Leipsic plays for the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks.
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Winnipeg Jets
Jets' Mason wants a deal
By Ken Wiebe
,Winnipeg Sun
Chris Mason understands the clock is ticking.
The veteran goalie remains hopeful he can get a new deal done with the
Winnipeg Jets and avoid unrestricted free agency. But he’s also been
around long enough to realize that it might take getting to July 1 before the
sides find common ground.
“I really have no idea,” Mason said in a telephone interview from Red Deer,
Alta.
Much like everyone who follows the Jets, Mason is curious to see what
effect, if any, the move to acquire Jonas Gustavsson from the Toronto
Maple Leafs has on his future.
Finding a resolution with pending unrestricted free agent Ondrej Pavelec
remains the top priority for the Jets, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff
reiterated on Saturday.
“A lot hinges on getting things done with Pav,” said Mason, who was 8-7-1
with a 2.59 goals against average and .898 save percentage last season.
“We talked (with the Jets) last week before the draft and we haven’t spoken
to them since. They’ve got a lot of things going on. It’s just a numbers game
now, we’ll see how the dominoes fall.
“I don’t know if I’d say stressful, but there is so much uncertainty. You know
what, it’s totally business. They have to protect themselves. They can’t
leave themselves in a vulnerable situation.”
Mason will spend the next few days on a family vacation in Hawaii, leaving
agent Tom Laidlaw to sort things out.
“This was planned a while ago,” Mason explained. “We’re going to get out
of town, turn the brain off and whatever happens, happens.”
While Mason’s preference is to remain with the Jets, it sounds like he’s
hoping for a multi-year deal.
“It’s tough, I want to be back,” said Mason, who is one of the leaders on a
young team. “I would love to see a rebuild of the Jets through. At my age
(36), obviously they won’t want to go as long as I would like. That’s one of
the things that’s important to me.
“In my career, I’ve been on teams that are rebuilding and then moved onto
different situations after, when the teams are coming of age and all of that.
But it’s definitely an option, that’s for sure.”
And Mason believes the Jets are trending upward.
“It’s an unbelievable organization and the people running the ship are
quality, class-act people. It’s something I felt very fortunate to be a part of
last year,” said Mason. “I definitely think they’re going in the right direction
but these things take time. It’s not like you can get the team one year and
become a Stanley Cup contender, though everybody would like that.”
It’s looking like a bit of a volatile market for goalies, with some already
traded and several others still looking for new homes. Once July 1 hits, the
goalie carousel might be in full swing.
“There are a few spots out there for a veteran goaltender and I’m aware of
teams that could potentially fill that spot,” said Mason. “You look at what the
logical destinations are and if somebody wants you, they call you and go
from there.
“But so many different things can happen between now and July 1. You
have to wait and see and take that kind of attitude.”
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.25.2012
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Winnipeg Jets
Gustavsson uncertain about future with Jets
By Ken Wiebe
,Winnipeg Sun
The Monster still doesn’t know how serious the Winnipeg Jets are about
retaining his services.
Joe Resnick, the agent for recently-acquired goalie Jonas Gustavsson, met
briefly with Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff on Saturday after the
deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs was made but didn’t draw any
conclusions about the short or long-term interest.
The Jets hold Gustavsson’s negotiating rights up until July 1, when he
would become an unrestricted free agent.
“I’m assuming we’ll talk early this week and see what their plans are,”
Resnick said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “At the draft, we didn’t
really have an opportunity to talk. There was too much activity going on. To
be honest, I don’t know what their intentions are.”
Resnick gave the impression Gustavsson wasn’t necessarily set on
exploring unrestricted free agency, providing the fit was right with the Jets.
“At this point, we’re open to everything really,” said Resnick.
TROUBA LOVES THE TIGERS
Jets 2012 first round pick Jacob Trouba spent a little time at the Jets draft
table inside CONSOL Energy Center on Saturday, but spent the bulk of the
afternoon watching his beloved Detroit Tigers take on the Pittsburgh Pirates
at beautiful PNC Park.
“I went to a lot of Tigers games growing up and losing 119 games (in 2003),
I was that one guy there,” Trouba said Friday when he met the media. “My
whole family is pretty big on baseball. I was a catcher and a pitcher.”
GUNNING FOR SCHULTZ?
It’s not known if the Jets will be among the many teams trying to make a
pitch for talented defenceman Justin Schultz.
Schultz, a second round pick (43rd overall) of the Anaheim Ducks in 2008
who is leaving the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA after three seasons,
chose not to sign with the Ducks and became an unrestricted free agent at
midnight on Sunday.
Although he can’t sign with a team until July 1, there will be a lineup to
make a pitch for Schultz, who had 40 goals and 83 points in 121 games
during his college career.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 06.25.2012
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Websites
USA TODAY / Which teams helped themselves most at draft?
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
The Jordan Staal trade made winners out of both the Hurricanes and
Penguins.
Sponsored Links
1. Carolina Hurricanes: The acquisition of Jordan Staal is a game-changer
for the Hurricanes, particularly if GM Jim Rutherford, one of the league's
most skilled horse traders, can add more pieces after July 1. The Eric StaalJordan Staal center combination gives the team a new identity, a reenergizing, fresh look. Roughly two-thirds of the time, one of the Staals will
be on the ice for Carolina. Also, keep an eye on Carolina's second-round
pick, Phil Di Giuseppe of the University of Michigan, as a possible sleeper.
He was considered a first-rounder by several teams.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: Knowing that he was likely to lose Jordan Staal
through free agency in 2013, GM Ray Shero was proactive. Brandon Sutter
fills Staal's spot on the third line. He may not have Staal's offensive
potential, but Sutter can be a 20-goal scorer and gritty defensive force.
More important, the Penguins made moves at the draft that cleared enough
cap space to make them a factor in the pursuit of free agents Zach Parise
or Ryan Suter. Parise could be a perfect winger for Sidney Crosby. Suter
could be the top-pairing defenseman they need.
STORY: Second-day roundup
3. Philadelphia Flyers: Paul Holmgren might be the league's most
underrated general manager. He's aggressive, thorough, always exploring
options to improve his team. Landing Luke Schenn, 22, a strong, physical
defenseman, seems like the right move for a team that doesn't know when,
or if, Chris Pronger will play again. Trading Sergei Bobrovsky opens up a
roster spot to add a veteran goalie. Given Ilya Bryzgalov's streaky nature,
an older goalie seems like a better choice as backup. The Flyers' first-round
pick, Scott Laughton, is said to be a safe bet to play in the league.
Holmgren has also talked to the Anaheim Ducks about Bobby Ryan.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs: GM Brian Burke wanted to add a potential impact
player to his top six forwards and seemingly has done that with the
acquisition of James van Riemsdyk. There's some risk here because he
has a six-year contract and $4.25 million cap hit, and he hasn't had a full
breakout season. But if van Riemsdyk can stay healthy, he could become a
30-goal scorer on the wing. He has speed and size. It's hard not to like
Toronto's first two picks: Morgan Rielly and Matthew Finn. Rielly could have
been the No. 1 pick if he had stayed healthy this season. Finn was
considered a first-round talent and the Maple Leafs landed him at No. 35.
5. New York Islanders: The addition of Lubomir Visnovsky seems like a
perfect fit for a team that needed more skill on the blue line. He's an
offensive-minded defenseman with the ability to get the puck smoothly to
his forwards. He will help the team next season, while first-round pick,
defenseman Griffin Reinhart, taken No. 4, could be a fixture for a decade or
more. Second-round pick, Finland's Ville Pokka, could also have high value
6. Washington Capitals: It was luck that allowed Filip Forsberg to fall to the
Capitals at the 11th pick. Some teams had him ranked in the top five. GM
George McPhee also plugged a hole at center with the addition of veteran
Mike Ribeiro. He might not be a full-package center, but he is an offensive
catalyst. He has averaged about 47 assists over his six seasons in Dallas.
He is still potentially a 20-goal scorer. McPhee's selection of 6-4 Tom
Wilson is intriguing. He was a physical force with the Plymouth (Mich.)
Whalers. McPhee could envision Wilson being a factor in a playoff series in
a few years. The Los Angeles Kings had a few of those guys when they
won the Stanley Cup this spring.
7. Buffalo Sabres: At a time when many teams are looking for quality young
centers, GM Darcy Regier made a draft-day deal with the Calgary Flames
that allowed him to select both Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons.
They were two of the better centers in this year's draft.
8. Winnipeg Jets: With their first pick, they took U.S. National Team
Development Program defenseman Jacob Trouba, who could be a cross
between Dion Phaneuf and Adam Foote. With their second pick, they
claimed Lukas Sutter. You are always headed in the right direction if you
draft a Sutter. That's a precept that should guide most NHL teams.
9. Phoenix Coyotes: In re-acquiring defenseman Zbynek Michalek, the
Coyotes regain a player who seems born to play in coach Dave Tippett's
system. When he played in Phoenix before, he was a defensive force. He
didn't fit as well in Pittsburgh's system. The Coyotes also used a first-round
pick to add feisty Henrik Samuelsson, who grew up in Arizona.
10. Dallas Stars: Radek Faksa was a quality first-round selection and
Swedish defenseman Ludwig Bystrom could be a second-round sleeper.
The Stars like Cody Eakin, whom they obtained in the Ribeiro deal.
11. Chicago Blackhawks: You have to admire the all-in philosophy of taking
smallish Finland forward Teuvo Teravainen with the 18th overall selection.
He could be the most exciting player in the draft.
12. Columbus Blue Jackets: Their top pick, Ryan Murray, could be to this
organization what Scott Niedermayer was to the New Jersey Devils in his
years there. Columbus landed goalie Oscar Dansk in the second round,
and he could have been a first-rounder.
13. Edmonton Oilers: GM Steve Tambellini resisted the temptation to trade
the No. 1 pick, and claimed Nail Yakupov, who could be a 30- to 40-goal
star. The Oilers now have a stable of offensive Thoroughbreds.
14. Montreal Canadiens: Early reviews suggest GM Marc Bergevin did well
in his first draft. The team's top choice, Alex Galchenyuk, could be a Ron
Francis-style center. Picking up Sebastian Collberg in the second round
was like adding another first-rounder.
15. Nashville Predators: The Predators gave up their first-round pick in the
acquisition of Paul Gaustad, but GM David Poile maneuvered last week to
land two second-round picks in exchange for Anders Lindback. With those
picks, the Predators landed Pontus Aberg and Colton Sissons, both of
whom could have gone at the bottom of the first round.
USA TODAY LOADED: 06.25.2012
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Websites
YAHOO SPORTS / Rick Nash & Roberto Luongo: NHL stars still waiting for
the right trade to come along
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika | Yahoo! Sports – 14 hours ago
PITTSBURGH – The NHL draft has come and gone, and Rick Nash is still a
Columbus Blue Jacket, Roberto Luongo is still a Vancouver Canuck.
Rick Nash asked out of Columbus, but the Blue Jackets have had difficulty
finding the right deal. (Getty)Though there were some trades – none bigger
than the Pittsburgh Penguins shipping Jordan Staal to the Carolina
Hurricanes – there is still work to be done, and it might not happen until
after the first wave of free agency.
"I think a lot of things are being held up maybe by July 1, with a few notable
free agents out there," said Penguins general manager Ray Shero, echoing
several of his colleagues. "I think you'll see that pick up as we get to July 1
and beyond. Once things start to fall, it might be a domino."
Scott Howson had better hope so. The Jackets GM has been unable to deal
Nash, and his options seem to be getting worse, not better.
Nash asked for a trade during the season. He has spent nine seasons in
Columbus and has scored at least 27 goals in each of the past eight. Yet he
has appeared in four playoff games, and the Jackets were the worst team in
the league this season. At age 28, he wants to go somewhere he can win.
Understandably so.
Howson has held out for a high price. Understandably so. This isn't about
what Nash wants; this is about what's best for the Jackets.
[Related: Ottawa Senators emerge as potential trade suitor for Rick Nash]
And when Howson didn't deal Nash at the trade deadline, what seemed to
be best for the Jackets was waiting until the draft, when more teams would
have more flexibility to give up assets and absorb Nash's contract – six
more seasons at a salary-cap hit of $7.8 million.
Problem is, it hasn't worked out that way, and what might have been best
for the Jackets was getting it done quickly in the first place. Asked if he
hoped there would be a larger market for Nash at the draft, Howson said: "I
thought there might be, but there wasn't."
Uh-oh.
Nash has a no-trade clause and a list of teams to which he would accept a
trade. Howson hasn't allowed himself to be handcuffed, looking beyond the
list to see if he can find the best deal. But asked if he had found a good deal
that Nash wouldn't accept, he said: "No. Not even close." He said there was
"very little" activity at the draft.
Nash has been the face of the Blue Jackets for nine years, but all the losing
eventually took a toll. (Getty)The New York Rangers think Howson is asking
for too much. Other teams think the same. Howson disagrees. Asked
directly if he is asking too much, if the idea has crossed his mind that his
standard is a little bit high, he said simply: "No."
The danger is that the suitors will move on and leave Howson stuck with a
disgruntled captain. Rangers GM Glen Sather said he expected to be "fairly
aggressive" in the free-agent market, adding, "What we really don't want to
do is dismantle the core of the organization." Now that the Hurricanes have
acquired Staal, they're likely out. Now that the Philadelphia Flyers have
traded James van Riemsdyk – a player the Jackets reportedly wanted in
return – they might be out.
Complicating matters is the news that the Anaheim Ducks might be willing
to trade Bobby Ryan and that Ryan is unhappy about being shopped. Ryan
is a younger, cheaper version of Nash – 25 instead of 28, with three years
left at a $5.1 million cap hit.
Howson might have to wait to see who doesn't sign top free-agent winger
Zach Parise (and possibly who doesn't acquire Ryan). Whoever is left out
will have to make his best bid for Nash.
"I think we'll have some more certainty then, yeah," Howson said.
[Related: Bobby Ryan goes public with discontent, makes de facto trade
request]
Calgary Flames GM Jay Feaster thinks so, too. "I think you have to see
where some of those guys are going to land," he said. "Once that happens,
you're going to have teams that maybe thought they were in on some of
those guys and they're not going to get them. Only one team can do it. And
so then there may be a little more willingness to move and get something
done."
Canucks GM Mike Gillis is in a similar situation with Luongo, though he
might have even fewer options than Howson has for Nash.
Luongo has won an Olympic gold medal. He was a finalist for the Vezina
Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender last season, and he took the Canucks
within a game of the Stanley Cup. But he lost his job to Cory Schneider in
the playoffs this season, and he is willing to waive his no-trade clause for
the right team.
Roberto Luongo ended up on the bench in the playoffs after leading
Vancouver to the Cup final in 2011. (Reuter …Gillis has to get a good return
for a rare commodity. "When I do the calculation, [there are] probably 15
legitimate No. 1 goalies in the world, and he's one of them," he said.
"Contrary to what people may think or describe, there's a tremendous
amount of interest in players that are high-end players in this league, and
finding a fit is occasionally more challenging, but there's definitely fits to be
found."
The problem is, only so many teams interest Luongo, need a No. 1 goalie,
are willing to part with assets Gillis wants and are willing to take on the rest
of Luongo's contract – 10 more years at a cap hit of $5.3 million. There
might be only one team, Toronto. Gillis said he hasn't felt close to a deal.
"I'm the problem," he said. "This is a significant consideration for our
organization. It's not going to be done lightly. It's not going to be done in a
hurry."
[Also: Penguins can take run at top two UFAs on market, Zach Parise and
Ryan Suter]
Gillis said that even though Schneider is scheduled to become a restricted
free agent July 1, meaning the Canucks would be vulnerable to an offer
sheet.
"There's no timeline, no timeframe," he said. "And we'll get through the next
week, see what transpires there, and then get through the remainder of the
summer."
It will all come down to what Howson and Gillis pull off in the end. If they
make good deals, they were patient. If not, they were stubborn.
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