NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 21, 2020

by | Apr 21, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 21, 2020

Brendan Shanahan and Bill Guerin remain optimistic the season will resume, the latest on Chris Kreider, the league rejects the Blue Jackets’ signing Mikhail Grigorenko, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

TSN: Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan believes the sidelined NHL 2019-20 season could resume at some point in the coming months. He indicated there’s plenty of determination between team owners and players to return to action, but he also stressed it would be determined by having health care services becoming better prepared to cope with and contain the coronavirus.

Nevertheless, Shanahan feels the NHL has more flexibility to resume its schedule than most people realize. “I don’t really believe stories of these crazy neutral sites. I still always think if we’re going to do this it’s going to be in a hockey market. A market where the infrastructure for putting on hockey and hockey games is available.” Shanahan doubts the season would resume with fans in attendance, but feels there would be an appetite for games on television.

NHL.COM: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin also believes the season will resume in empty arenas later this year. “The bottom line is, we’re not doing anything unless it’s safe for everybody. And if it is, I think we will, and I think it would be the right thing to do. It’ll be a little unusual, a little unorthodox, but that’s OK. If we just wrap our arms around it and accept it, it will be fine. Once we start playing hockey, you play hockey.”

New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider is recovering well from a foot fracture (Photo via NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Critics will consider Shanahan’s and Guerin’s comments as wishful thinking. Perhaps it is, but it reflects the genuine desire among the league and the NHL Players’ Association to complete the season, award the Stanley Cup, and recoup some of their lost revenue. The course of the coronavirus, however, remains the determining factor.

ESPN.COM: New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider said his recovery from a foot fracture is going well. He anticipates he’ll be ready to return to the lineup if the NHL season resumes this summer.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blues Jackets signing Mikhail Grigorenko to a one-year, $1.2- million contract yesterday was rejected by the NHL Central Registry. The Jackets issued a statement indicating it was due to a misunderstanding over the window for filing contracts. “We have been in contact with the league and Dan Milstein, Grigorenko’s agent, and the contract will be re-filed on July 1.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Grigorenko finished his contract with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow and is considered an unrestricted free agent. However, the Jackets cannot officially sign him until July 1, which is when the league’s free-agent period begins. That date could change depending on whether the league resumes its season this summer. Grigorenko could sign with another NHL club, but I think he’ll stick with the Jackets as they refile in July or later this summer.

TRIBLIVE.COM: Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford indicated everyone in his club’s various hockey operations departments have been regularly discussing contingency plans for the remainder of the season, including the draft and free agency. He said they’ve been talking four or five days a week.

ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes have held calls with their players to review the season and looking ahead. “We had 15, 20 minutes per guy, talking,” said head coach Rick Tocchet. “It’s not exit meetings because I still believe that we’re going to play in the next couple months, I’m trying to be optimistic. But I think it’s important that you stay connected with the team. I know it’s a little harder to do that.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: I suspect every club is doing the same as the Penguins and Coyotes. Talking to their players while the hockey ops map out its plans for resuming the season and the off-season.

TSN: The Ottawa Senators hired Anthony LeBlanc as their president of business operations. The former Blackberry executive served as president, chief executive officer and alternate governor of the Arizona Coyotes from 2013 to 2017. LeBlanc replaced Jim Little, who was fired six weeks ago after less than two months on the job followed a heated disagreement with team owner Eugene Melnyk.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best of luck ot LeBlanc in his new job. He’s gonna need it.










NHL Free Agents & Trade Candidates – Minnesota Wild

by | Apr 21, 2020

NHL Free Agents & Trade Candidates – Minnesota Wild

 










NHL Rumor Mill – April 20, 2020

by | Apr 20, 2020

NHL Rumor Mill – April 20, 2020

Recent speculation on the Canadiens, Penguins, and Panthers in today’s NHL rumor mill.

WILL THE CANADIENS RE-SIGN TATAR?

MONTREAL GAZETTE: Pat Hickey believes re-signing Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, and Phillip Danault should be an off-season priority for the Canadiens. The linemates are all eligible next summer to become unrestricted free agents. Tatar was quick to credit Gallagher and Danault for the success he’s enjoyed since joining the Canadiens in 2018. He turns 30 in December, which could affect the type of contract offer he gets from the Habs.

TVA SPORTS: If the Canadiens decide to trade Tatar, Jean-Charle Lajoie doubts he’d fetch much of a return. He cites sources claiming the winger didn’t attract much interest before the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

Will the Montreal Canadiens re-sign or trade Tomas Tatar? (Photo via NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Perhaps the reason Tatar didn’t draw much interest before the deadline was Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin’s reluctance to trade him? Regardless, if Bergevin were to shop the 29-year-old winger, he’ll probably have to package him with a draft pick to get a quality return.

Bergevin could re-sign Tatar, but I agree it won’t be an expensive long-term deal. I can see him getting a four-year deal with an annual average value of around $5.5 million.

MURRAY OR JARRY FOR THE PENGUINS?

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Matt Vensel recently wondered if the Penguins are due for yet another change of the goaltending guard. Three years after leaving long-time starter Marc-Andre Fleury unprotected in the expansion draft, the Pens could face another crucial goaltending decision.

Starter Matt Murray and backup Tristan Jarry are restricted free agents this off-season with arbitration rights. Murray won two Stanley Cup for the Penguins, but he’s been hampered by injuries and outplayed by Jarry for most of this season. Vensel believes they can afford to keep both in the short term, but he still mused about management perhaps trading one of them.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Penguins have over $68.5 million invested in 15 players. They can re-sign both to one-year contracts and take another season evaluating their performances before making a long-term investment in one of them, but it could cost a combined $9 million to do so, leaving little room to re-sign or replace their other free agents. Unless they shed salary elsewhere, they could be forced to trade Murray or Jarry before next season.

COULD THE PANTHERS MOVE BARKOV?

NEW YORK POST: In a recent mailbag segment, Larry Brooks was asked about the possibility of the Florida Panthers trading Aleksander Barkov and what it might take for the Rangers to acquire him. Brooks points out Barkov is signed through 2022 with a no-move clause that kicks in following this season and a modified no-trade in 2021-22. However, if Barkov were willing to waive it and the Panthers shopped him, Brooks considers Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko, along with players carrying no-trade clauses ( Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, and Chris Kreider) as untouchables for the Rangers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s media chatter suggesting Panthers ownership could implement cost-cutting measures if the club fails to reach the playoffs this season. That could be as simple as letting Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov depart via free agency following this season, or shopping defenseman Mike Matheson.

I doubt they’ll trade Barkov, but that could depend upon how much of a roster shake-up ownership wants if they don’t qualify for the playoffs. If they take a bolder step by moving Barkov, the asking price will be expensive. Barkov’s among the top two-way centers in the game. The Panthers would want at least a high-quality young NHL player, a first-round pick, and a top prospect in return.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2020

by | Apr 20, 2020

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – April 20, 2020

Wayne Gretzky believes the season will resume, plus the latest on Cam Talbot, Evgeny Svechnikov, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.

SPORTSNET: Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky believes the NHL will be able to resume the 2019-20 schedule later this summer. “I really believe somehow, someway, that the leadership in this country and in Canada, that we’re going to figure this out,” Gretzky said. “And I really believe that we’ll see hockey and some sort of other sports in June, July and August, albeit in a different way, but I really see it coming to fruition. I think it’s going to happen.”

Wayne Gretzky believes the NHL season will resume this summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If there’s any possible chance of resuming the schedule, crowning a Stanley Cup champion, and recouping some of their revenue lost from the current pandemic shutdown, the league and the NHL Players’ Association will give it due consideration. The logistics will be difficult, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Ultimately, the course of this pandemic will be the deciding factor.

Goaltender Cam Talbot believes he’s proven his worth after salvaging his NHL career with a solid bounce-back performance with the Calgary Flames this season. However, his future with the Flames remains uncertain.

Talbot, 32, is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. The Flames can afford to re-sign him, but his value could be driven up by other teams bidding for his services this summer.

CBC.CA: UFAs like Talbot, however, could find lucrative new contracts difficult to come by in this year’s free-agent market. The same goes for the top restricted free agents. NHL player agent Allan Walsh said it’s too early to tell how the market will be affected by the current shutdown of the schedule because of coronavirus concerns.

“When I talk to GMs, when I talk to people at the NHLPA, when I talk to players, when I talk to coaches, no one has answers. No one. No one knows what the market is going to look like,” Walsh said. He added there cannot be free agency until the upper limit of the salary cap for next season is established.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s ongoing speculation the league and the PA will agree to an artificial cap of at least $81.5 million for next season. While that will make things difficult for cap-strapped clubs, it won’t be as devastating to teams and pending free agents as a reduced cap would be. Most of the best players will still get healthy raises, but perhaps not as much as they would’ve had the cap risen to the original projection of $84 million to $88 million.

THE DETROIT NEWS: Red Wings forward Evgeny Svechnikov is hoping for a shot at establishing himself as a full-time NHL player. The 23-year-old has appeared in 20 games with the Wings over the past three seasons but struggled to stick in part because of injuries and inconsistency.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Svechnikov’s situation could be worth watching. Perhaps he’ll be shopped in the off-season if Wings management feels he’s not progressing as hoped.

CBS SPORTS: Defenseman Artyom Sergeyev has informed KHL team Salavat Yulaev Ufa that he will sign with the Florida Panthers when his contract expires at the end of April.










NHL Up and Down The Boards – Ovechkin Favored Over Gretzky in NHL 20 Showdown

by | Apr 20, 2020

NHL Up and Down The Boards – Ovechkin Favored Over Gretzky in NHL 20 Showdown

 










Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 19, 2020

by | Apr 19, 2020

Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – April 19, 2020

Recent Red Wings, Avalanche, and Devils speculation in the Sunday NHL rumor roundup.

RED WINGS OFF-SEASON NEEDS

MLIVE.COM: In a series of articles last week, Ansar Khan examined the roster needs of the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings. He believes they’ll require a top-six forward if they don’t win the draft lottery and land top prospect Alexis Lafreniere in this year’s draft.  Theyll also need a pair of free-agent defensemen and a backup goaltender.

Could the Detroit Red Wings sign Michigan native Torey Krug if he tests the UFA market? (Photo via NHL Images)

Khan listed the top free agents available at each position this summer. Forwards include Arizona’s Taylor Hall and Florida’s Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov. St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo, Boston’s Torey Krug, and Toronto’s Tyson Barrie are among the noteworthy defensemen, while goalies include Washington’s Braden Holtby, Vega’s Robin Lehner, and Vancouver Jacob Markstrom.

Asked in a recent mailbag if the Red Wings will buy out any players this off-season, Khan doubted they’ll go that route. He felt the Wings don’t want a player’s contract on the books for additional years, even at a reduced rate. Under normal buyout rules, most buyouts count as two-thirds the remaining value of the contract over twice the remaining term.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: With over $46.2 million invested in 11 players, the Wings have sufficient cap space to re-sign key players like Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabbri, and have enough left to land one or two quality free agents. The problem, however, is enticing them to join a rebuilding roster that’s several years from playoff contention.

We also don’t know if general manager Steve Yzerman is keen to invest big bucks in big-ticket UFAs to accelerate the rebuild. I don’t doubt he’ll try to bring in some short-term veteran help, but I can’t see him overspending to do so.

Maybe Yzerman tries to land Lehner or Markstrom, but he could find some decent backup options in Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, or Anton Khudobin. There’s been some media talk suggesting Krug, a Michigan native, could sign with the Wings, but I believe he’ll re-sign with the Bruins. Perhaps the Wings GM can add a UFA blueliner like Justin Schultz or Sami Vatanen.

The Wings might not want to go the traditional buyout route, but perhaps they’d consider a compliance buyout if the league and the PA agree to that rumored plan this summer. Frans Nielsen or Justin Abdelkader could be prime candidates.

WILL THE AVALANCHE RE-SIGN NAMESTNIKOV?

THE ATHLETIC: Ryan S. Clark recently wondered what the Colorado Avalanche should do with Vladislav Namestnikov. Acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline, the versatile 27-year-old forward proved to be a solid addition before the schedule was paused.

Namestnikov’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end completing a two-year deal worth $4 million annually. The Avs have over $24 million in salary-cap space, but also have several restricted free agents (include Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Graves, and Nikita Zadorov) to re-sign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Namestnikov’s future with the Avs could be determined by whether the season resumes and how he performs if it does. He appeared to be a playoff rental player, but maybe that changes if he plays well and would accept an affordable short-term deal.

DEVILS NEED BLUELINE HELP

NORTHJERSEY.COM: Abbey Mastracco recently examined the New Jersey Devils’ pressing need for depth on their defense corps. She felt they need another rearguard or two or three on their blueline, especially on the left side.

Any upgrades could come via trades, as the Devils aren’t in a position to throw big money at free agents. They have plenty of currency in draft picks and salary-cap space. She doesn’t rule out signing a veteran free agent on a short-term contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Devils must first decide who their general manager will be before making significant off-season decisions. They have over $55.2 milliion committed to 13 players. They have three picks in the opening round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but two of those are conditional picks. They also have two fourth-round picks in this year’s draft, plus two third-rounders and two fifth-rounders in next year’s draft.