Get the latest on the Kings,Lightning, Islanders, Devils, Sharks and Blue Jackets.
Highlights from Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts.”
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports there were rumors this summer that “the highest levels” of the Los Angeles Kings organization made it clear to management they didn’t want defenseman Slava Voynov (currently in the “formal process” of returning to Russia after serving jail time on a domestic assault charge) to return. He speculates GM Dean Lombardi may have had permission to see if there was a trade market (there wasn’t) for Voynov.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Given the uncertainty over Voynov’s future after he was released from jail, it’s unsurprising there wasn’t any interest in his services around the league.
The LA Kings and Anze Kopitar’s agent are still working on a new contract.
Speaking of the Kings, Anze Kopitar’s agent Pat Brisson will be in Switzerland this week meeting with prospect Auston Matthews, but it appears both sides hope to get a new deal in place before the start of the season.
There’s doubt outside of Western Florida that Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos will become a UFA next summer. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and Stamkos’ agent Don Meehan apparently have a strong relationship.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ll be among those in the “very surprised” category if Stamkos isn’t re-signed.
Friedman claims New York Islanders GM Garth Snow pitched a seven-year contract offer to RFA winger Brock Nelson, which was rejected. Rumors claim the Isles offered up two years totaling $2.5-$2.7 million, but those were denied. The Isles and Nelson reached an 11th-hour agreement last night on a three-year, $7.5 million contract.
The Islanders also looked at possibly adding UFA defenseman Marek Zidlicky this summer. Two other teams are believed interested in the veteran blueliner.
The New Jersey Devils could make an interesting move or two. They have plenty of cap space and currently 43 players under contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Not sure if this came out before or after the Devils signed Jiri Tlusty to a one-year, $800K deal. They’ve also invited wingers Tyler Kennedy and Lee Stempniak to camp. That could be the extent of their interesting moves.
Friedman claims the San Jose Sharks had interest earlier this summer in Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller, but Canucks GM Jim Benning remains committed to Miller. The Sharks instead acquired promising netminder Martin Jones.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Wonder if the Sharks revisit their rumored interest in Miller next summer if Jones struggles as their starter? Time will tell.
Jackets still shopping for defense?
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Aaron Portzline reports there’s speculation Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t done dealing, as it’s rumored he’s speaking with teams that are seeking forwards. Kekalainen expressed confidence in his defense corps for the coming season, but he has attempted to upgrade the blueline during the summer. If one or more of the Jackets promising young forwards crack the roster for the coming season, Portzline believes a trade becomes more likely.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: No word on who the trade candidates among the Jackets forwards could be. Best guess is they try to peddle Rene Bourque, who has a year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $3.33 million, or perhaps Jared Boll ($1.7 million). Winger Cam Atkinson occasionally popped up in trade chatter last season, but the Jackets re-signed him to a three-year extension. Maybe they try dangling David Clarkson by offering to pick up part of his salary, but I doubt they’ll find many takers.
Sooo lemme get this straight…the Jackets would try and boost their D corps by trading Boll? Umm..
And I only mention Boll because he could be the only one out of Boll Bourque or Clarkson who has any chance of being moved for a any kind of positive return at all… hmm interesting name for a line in there somewhere…..
For Whom the Boll Tolls.
columbus need defence + philadelphia excess defence = trade
Same with Detroit both Philly and Detroit possibly could help the Blue Jackets out.
There is Quincey available….
Lyle, there’s a small blurb in today’s Ottawa Sun that has Voynov apologizing for the problems he has caused the organization and the NHL and that he’s going back home to Russia.
Already noted in the Voynov link above and in my News section under today’s morning coffee headlines.
LOL. Yeah, notice that 10 seconds after I hit “send” – sorry about that.
No worries. 🙂
Please, Lord, let Stamkos re-sign with TB – and Tavares with the Islanders – so we’ll be spared the endless “home town boys dearly wish to play in TO” wishful-thinking.
Agreed!
Further to yesterday’s “rtumours” section and Huberdeau, TSN is reporting today that he’s signed a two-year contract with the Panthers worth $6.5 million.
That answers the question I posed yesterday after looking at the overall stats since 2012-13 – the year Huberdeau broke in as a rookie – compared to other top rookie forwards that year and what their cap hit is, make you wonder what he and his agent figure he’s worth (games played – goals – assists – points – cap hit):
Vlad Taresenko St.L – 179 – 66 – 69 – 135 – $7.5 mil to 2022-23
Brandon Saad Chi (now Clbs) – 206 – 52 – 74 – 126 – $6 mil to 2020-21
Jonathan Huberdeau Fla – 196 – 38 – 75 – 113 – ?
Mika Zibanejad Ott – 191 – 43 – 56 – 99 – $2.625 mil to 2017-18
Nail Yakupov Edm – 192 – 42 – 46 – 88 – $2.5 to 2017-18
Mikael Granlund Min – 158 – 18 – 70 – 88 – $3 mil to 2017-18
Chris Kreider NYR – 169 – 40 – 46 – 86 – $2.475 mil to 2016-17
What he got for two years is closer to the Granlund deal in Minnesota than it is to either the Tarasenko or Saad deals.
So I guess all the know-it-alls that were calling the Kings hypocrites for terminating Richards contract while keeping Voynov can eat some crow now. All three of the delinquencies (Richards, Voynov, and Stoll) were all jettisoned.
So my question is, since the Kings were getting so much hate for circumstances that were out of their control with players actions, where is all the hate for the other teams that haven’t done a god damn thing in terms of disciplining their delinquent players? I’m looking at you Buffalo (O’Reilly drunk driving), Colorado (Varlamov beating his wife and kidnapping) and my favorite Chicago (Kane beating an old man and raping women).
Speaking of irrational “god damn hate on” – Kane hasn’t even been CHARGED yet with raping that woman. Are you judge, jury and executioner?
Not sure you delay a grand jury to try and settle if youre 100 % innocent of everything…especially in a rape case which is no easy case to prove and thats just one of the cases Kane has faced you seem to miss the one where he beat an older man cab driver up over a fare….Preach King good on the Kings.
Well said Schticky, couldn’t have said it better myself. George also seems to forget that Voynov was labelled guilty LONG before anyone knew anything, in fact the NHL didn’t hesitate to hand out basically the longest suspension in history well before a trial date was even set.
I haven’t “forgotten” anything and I wasn’t one of those pre-judging Voynov. I let the judicial system take its course. If Kane is formally charged following grand jury assessment of the “facts” then we wait for the outoce of the formal trial. Isn’t that how the system works?
king… you seem to forget there was also pictures of voyonovs wife bloody and the neighbours called the cops cause of the constant screaming! nothing the same as the kane case
bigbear, I wasn’t saying they are the same case, I was just responding to george’s comment on how i was being “judge, jury and executioner” and how Kane is innocent until proven guilty, but Voynov wasnt’ given that same right.
I notice that George isn’t commenting on how Kane got away with zero discipline for beating an old man over 20 cents.
King… That’s what I’m saying all kinds of evidence was available right away from the neighbours phone cam but in the Kane case not much evidence is available… As of yet lol that’s what I mean of totally differnent I’m not saying Kane is guilty or innocent but voyonovs case was pretty open and shut
You want a comment? Here’s one. He was an a*hole for doing that, much like Ray Emery for pulling over an elderly man on the Queensway in Ottawa for allegedly cutting off his Hummer. But that doesn’t turn either one of them into a rapist until charged and convicted. Are you saying Kane and Emery should have been castigated for the rest of their careers (lives?) for some bad judgement?
Personally knowing nothing of the details of the case I think Kane is guilty yet that is my personal biased opinion. However having said that Kane did not delay the grand jury. His lawyer is on record as saying he does not know what caused the delay and it was not brought about by the defense.
Remind me again what is a high profile defense attorney supposed to say?
Much the same as a high-profile NHL star born in the GTA but playing elsewhere is supposed to say when a mic is shoved under his nose by a reporter asking him if he ever thought he’d like to play for the Leafs.
Canadian King, very well said. I was thinking the same thing myself.
When the Kings originally did nothing with Voynov, I suspect that they were working an angle to not get hammered by the cap. I suspected that the Kings were waiting on Voynov to be deported.
Oh come on. There was proportionate hat going to wards the teams of those players the difference was the Kings had 3 players with issues where as Colorado, Buffalo and Chicago had one in Buffalo’s case they just signed the guy.
“Western” Florida? That’s like saying “eastern Italy”.
I know it’s a little down the road, but it should be interesting to see how the Ryan Johansen negotitions go when he completes his current deal at the end of next season. Last summer’s discussions got pretty heated, with the Jackets’ management going public with their thoughts on Johansen and his demands. Ryan got a 3rd year at $6M, but you wonder if the public show of disaffection will have any impact on hs next deal, whether he decides to test the waters.
Leafs grab Grabner from the Isles – didn’t see that coming.
Don;t really understand this move of acquiring someone who is a UFA at the end of the season and give up 5 prospects including Finn, Gibson and Varhaeghe. On the brighter side I never have to learn how to pronounce Varhaeghe
My take on the Grabner to Leafs trade here:
https://spectorshockey.net/maple-leafs-acquired-grabner-from-islanders/
Yep, read that. Makes sense – thanks Lyle!
Make room for contracts for the PTO and get another guy with a 1 year deal give em all away at the deadline for what ever you can get….
trade in a nutshell.
Leafs dump 5 contracts, now have room to sign a player offer PTOs. I am a huge Grabner fan – skates like the wind.
Skates like the wind – scores like Greening.
If he stays healthy his goals for 60 minutes played is actually pretty good….so basically Lupul maybe a better comparison…who knows I am pretty sure he wont be a Leaf long.
ya cause those 60 minutes played stats will transfer over to a rebuilding team??
Wow…
He’s a 4th line player George, not a top 6 – good penalty killer
As long as there’s no repetition of the Jason Blake fiasco. On the basis of one season (2006-07) playing alongside Yashin (an a*hole but a pretty good C) he turns 40 goals into a UFA 5-year deal with the Leafs paying him $20 mil. In 426 games before that he scored 94 goals and in 363 games played after that season he scored 79 for an average for both periods of 0.2 goals per game.
That kind of juvenile, puerile comment has no place on a respectable sports blog like this one.
Goals per 60 min played:
Colin Greening: 0.24
Michael Grabner: 1.09
Good grief, I mean Jaysus! (no not you Jaysin)
Don’t know how you calculate that, but I see him having played 317 games in the NHL, scoring 95 goals for an average of 0.3 goals per game.
Here’s the link. http://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/stats/player-goals-per-60-min-played/2014/
Grabner is in pretty good company on that list.
So, they’re ignoring his stats history? That’s there for all to see.
Just checked that link. They’re calculating ALL his games, including minors.
Evene if you factor in his 17 NHL playoff games (2 goals scored), he’s played 334 NHL games – not 439 as shown in the table.
George, that’s TOI in minutes for last season. I read elsewhere that since 2010 he is 10th in the nhl in goals per 60 min TOI, ahead of Kessel in fact. Just another stat maybe but an intriguing one.
Well I’ll be damned. They’re getting as detailed as baseball with their infinite statistical comparisons!
You guys wanna her something funny. Just for shits and giggles.
In one of my keeper leagues, not the one I run but another I participate in. Someone has kept Voynov as a keeper.
grabners best days are behind him not a fan of this why not wait and see what finn is in a couple years dman take awhile. boyes setouguchi aren’t gonna fetch much at the deadline and teams are gonna catch on to what were doing and the lowball offer will be coming! lol why not let some kids play instead of filling the roster with some has beens?
It has been seen in the past that kids and Toronto do not do well. Let them get better in the AHL.
Babcock also like veterans.
As for the PTO guys, if they make the club do not under estimate what they will fetch at the deadline. Look at Winnik last year.
Something tells me there is no point trying to explain the cumulative effects of this move to big bear.
quit trolling shticky!! so its worth it to pay these has beens to play on a team that is realistically no chance at the playoffs so they can trade them to get more draft picks like finn nillson etc… only to trade them again for guys that really don’t help the team?
No you trade them for guys who can play on youre team today who may be able to be trade for more picks when the prospects you have developed properly Finn Verhagie and 1 of the hoalies would have likely been playing in Orlando to make room for prospects with more upside to develop….none of these guys were even in the top 10 of Leaf prospects coming in to camp…if they are not 7n the top 10 of a team who has little in the way of prospects what does that say about their ceiling?
lmao awhile ago finn was a sure fire nhl dman in your opinion and now is ceiling isn’t high enough?? you make no sense
Santorelli got decent value when packaged with Franson as well imo.
shticky… awhile back you were talking finn up now he is just a roster dump?? quit talking out of both sides of your mouth
How? This has nothing to do with anything more than the number of contracts a team can carry I like Gibson too but it appears that Sparks Bibeau and Perissini are liked as better options there is only so much ice and the Leafs management wantto develop the guys that they see with higher upside. They will replace them when the ones they want to see develop yes I liked Finn but Marinicin Loov Granberg Harrington Percy and Valiev all need ice time.
Babcock needed to free up space so he can bring in real nhlers to set the tone in terms of leadership and professionalism. Big words but this is going to be a veteran team and a hungry team and they will establish the team identity. Glencross and Boyes are odds on to make the team. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few surprises when we see who’s left off. If I were Holland or Robidas I wouldn’t feel real secure right now. New coach, new management. There are no loyalties but what’s earned. This also helps to answer Babcock’s open question about who will score the goals. Grabner has scored when healthy. Tough to give up on those guys but they were at the very bottom of the depth chart. A waiver wire candidate and 4 guys who were bound for the ECHL.