NHL Return-To-Play Plan: The Draft Lottery
NHL Return-To-Play Plan: The Draft Lottery
NHL Rumor Mill – June 8, 2020
NHL Rumor Mill – June 8, 2020
The latest on the Sharks and Wild in today’s NHL rumor mill.
WHICH UFAS WILL THE SHARKS RE-SIGN?
THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): Kevin Kurz recently examined which San Jose Sharks’ unrestricted free agents could be re-signed and those who have likely played their final games in teal.
Will the San Jose Sharks bring back Joe Thornton for one more season? (Photo via NHL Images)
He feels it would make sense to bring back Joe Thornton if the long-time Sharks center accepts a $1 million or less salary to provide the club with salary-cap flexibility. He’s leaning toward Thorton’s return but doesn’t consider it a certainty.
Kurz wouldn’t be surprised if the Sharks re-signed Melker Karlsson but could also see him move on to another club. Having traded away a penalty killer in Barclay Goodrow, it might be worthwhile to re-sign Karlsson if he accepts a pay cut.
Backup goalie Aaron Dell won’t be back unless the Sharks can trade starter Martin Jones, but his contract makes him nearly impossible to move. Stefan Noesen will likely get an affordable one- or two-year deal. Unless the Sharks trade Brent Burns, Kurz expects the Sharks will part ways with Tim Heed.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ve singled out the more notable of the Sharks’ UFAs. I can see Thornton, Karlsson, and Noesen being re-signed if they’re willing to accept cost-effective deals.
Cap Friendly indicates the Sharks have over $66 million invested in 13 players for 2020-21. General manager Doug Wilson indicated he believes his club can make a quick turnaround from this season’s disappointing performance. To do so, he’ll need those aforementioned free agents to accept affordable one-year contracts or watch them depart via free agency.
UPDATE ON THE WILD
THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): Michael Russo recently reported the league’s proposed roster expansion to 28 skaters and an unlimited number of goaltenders would allow the Minnesota Wild to use Kaapo Kahkonen in the 24-team playoff tournament.
Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock are the Wild’s current goalie tandem. However, coach Dean Evason isn’t ruling out the possibility of the AHL goalie of the year becoming their starter in the tournament if he plays well in training camp. “Whoever is in there that we deem is going to play well for us in whatever position, I’m sure everybody will support him and we will go forward,” said Evason.
Russo suggested it also makes sense for Wild general manager Bill Guerin to play Kahkonen to determine if the 23-year-old netminder is ready to become their No. 1 or No. 2 goalie next season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild’s goaltending situation could get interesting in the off-season if Kahkonen outplays Dubnyk and Stalock in the proposed return-to-play tournament. Dubnyk has one season left on his contract with an annual average value of over $4.33 million and a 19-team trade list. Stalock has two years left at a cheap AAV of $785K. Should Kahkonen prove himself NHL-ready, Guerin could be tempted to use Dubnyk or Stalock as trade bait to address other roster needs.
Russo also reported Marcus Foligno hopes to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild. The 28-year-old forward will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Foligno’s become an effective third-line forward for the Wild. He carries a $2.875-million annual average value on his current contract. The Wild have over $39 million invested in just seven players for 2021-22, leaving plenty of space to re-sign Foligno if they choose.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 8, 2020
A synopsis of Phase 2 of the Return-To-Play Plan, NHLPA director Donald Fehr is proud of the players speaking out against racial injustice, a breakdown of the Stars’ goaltending tandem, & more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Ed Graney provides a synopsis of Phase 2 of the NHL’s return-to-play plan which begins today. Among the key points:
Phase 2 of the NHL’s Return-To-Play Plan begins today.
A maximum of six players on the ice at one time,
Players who live in a city that they don’t play for can use local NHL facilities,
Any player traveling to his team facility from abroad by other than private jet must self-quarantine for 14 days. Carpooling is also discouraged,
Goaltenders can hire an individual coach for one-on-one training but he cannot be a team employee,
Social distancing protocols (handwashing, use of sanitizer, no sharing of towels or flip-flops, showering elsewhere, no shared use of food or water) must be maintained at the facility,
Colored badges will designate a player’s access and that for non-players.
Coronavirus testing will occur 48 hours before accessing the facility and twice weekly. Players and staff will also complete symptom and temperature checks before departure. A positive COVID-19 test will be treated as a hockey-related injury.
Players skating at a team facility are prohibited from skating at a separate public rink,
Coaches cannot participate in on-ice activity but can observe from the stands.
TORONTO STAR: Damien Cox considers Phase 2 as the NHL’s cautious, careful road toward resuming play at some point this summer. He believes this slow start-up allows the league to observe and learn from the experiences of other sports that have already returned to action.
This phase brings optimism for those hopeful of completing the season and crowning a Stanley Cup champion. Others believe there’s a long way to go before that can take place.
Cox also reported the Maple Leafs have about 20 players in the area, including several still under a two-week quarantine after crossing the border.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There is a sense of cautious optimism that the league might be able to pull this off. The next big test begins next month when the teams converge for training camps.
SPORTSNET: NHL Players’ Association director Donald Fehr said he’s “really proud” of the more than 100 players who’ve spoken out against racial injustice.
“They understand it’s an important moment. They understand what the issues are, at least in the grand scope. And they’re making their voice heard. Not everybody, but quite a lot.
“And that’s to their credit.”
TSN: NHL analyst and former goaltender Kevin Weekes said he won’t mention the Greater Toronto Hockey League on television again until the amateur league discloses statistics about how often players are penalized for making racial slurs.
“I’m not mentioning the GTHL on the air if I can help it until there is reform,” he told TSN. “I’m on TV almost 200 days a year, on four different shows on the league network. I like to give credit both to players and to the organizations that help develop them.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Stars goaltending coach Jeff Reese recently broke down what makes Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin potentially the best tandem in the league by examining five key saves by each netminder this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Thanks to Bishop and Khudobin, the Stars finished the regular season with the league’s second-best goals-against per game (2.52). They played a significant role in the Stars qualifying for the post-season tournament and will be crucial to the club’s Stanley Cup aspirations.
THE SCORE: Colby Cave’s AHL teammate Cooper Marody will release a song as a memorial tribute. The 25-year-old Edmonton Oilers forward died in April from a brain bleed following emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst.
Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – June 7, 2020
Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – June 7, 2020
Should the Buffalo Sabres listen to trade offers for Jack Eichel? Should the Canadiens target Mikhail Sergachev, Pierre-Luc Dubois, or Torey Krug? Check out the latest in the Sunday NHL rumor roundup.
SHOULD THE SABRES ENTERTAIN OFFERS FOR EICHEL?
NHL.COM: In a recent mailbag, Dan Rosen was asked if he thought any of the non-playoff NHL clubs might attempt to acquire Jack Eichel. Rosen doesn’t believe the Buffalo Sabres’ captain is on the trade block. He also thinks it would take a significant offer (high draft picks, top prospects, at least one high-end NHL player) to get him.
Should the Buffalo Sabres listen to offers for Jack Eichel? (Photo via NHL Images)
If the Sabres were willing to trade Eichel, Rosen doubts they’d limit their market to just the six non-playoff clubs. Nevertheless, he thinks those teams (New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks) should at least ask about Eichel’s availability. He also believes it costs nothing for the Sabres to hear what other clubs feel their 23-year-old captain is worth.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I doubt Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has any plans to move Eichel unless he requests a trade. And no, I don’t believe Eichel’s reached that point where he wants out of Buffalo.
I agree it doesn’t hurt for Botterill to at least listen to offers for Eichel or for those clubs to inquire into his availability. But unless the Sabres front office has decided to tear down their roster and start another rebuild, I don’t see Eichel going anywhere. He’s their cornerstone player, the guy they have to build around if they hope to become a playoff contender next season.
LATEST CANADIENS SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): In a recent mailbag segment, Arpon Basu was asked if he’d prefer seeing the Montreal Canadiens sign Mikhail Sergachev or Pierre-Luc Dubois to an offer sheet, or Torey Krug via unrestricted free agency.
Basu doesn’t see the Canadiens prying Dubois away from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have lots of cap space and love the 21-year-old center’s game. If Krug doesn’t re-sign with the Boston Bruins, he’d love to see the Canadiens sign the 29-year-old defenseman.
He thinks the Tampa Bay Lightning would have a difficult time matching an offer sheet for Sergachev, making the 21-year-old blueliner a tempting target if Habs GM Marc Bergevin fails to make progress with Krug.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Of the three, the Canadiens stand a better chance of signing Krug than Sergachev or Dubois. That’s assuming, of course, he’s willing to sign with the Habs if he tests the UFA market.
Dubois’ not going anywhere. Neither is Sergachev. While the Bolts have limited cap space, it’s assumed they’ll shed a salary or two to clear up cap space for Sergachev and fellow RFA Anthony Cirelli. We also shouldn’t assume Sergachev is open to an offer sheet.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 7, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 7, 2020
Could the NHL schedule permanently change to run through the summer? Check out the latest in today’s Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE DENVER POST: Mike Chambers reports hearing the NHL is looking into permanently beginning its regular-season schedule in late November, early December or possibly January. He said the league likes the idea of growing the game after the NFL and NBA seasons are over when baseball is the only major in-season sport.
THE BOSTON GLOBE: Kevin Paul Dupont wonders if we’ll ever see regular-season games played in October and November again.
Could NHL summer hockey become a permanent thing? (Photo via NHL.com)
Dupont believes this year’s Stanley Cup could be awarded in early-October if the Return-To-Play Plan begins in early August, assuming there are no delays because of COVID-19. He envisions an off-season that would stretch from October into December, with the draft in late October, free agency perhaps starting on Nov. 1, and training camp opening in December.
Given the league’s intent to stage a full 82-game schedule for 2020-21, Dupont suggests the regular season could kick off on New Year’s Day. That would mean the playoffs would begin in July and finish in September. “Unless the virus has other things in mind.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) also reported of talk in some NHL circles about a permanent change to the NHL schedule. I don’t believe the league brain trust is seriously considering this option right now, but I daresay some executives will take a wait-and-see approach. If staging the Stanley Cup Playoffs this summer and next summer proves popular among sports fans, it certainly could become a permanent thing. It’s all just speculation at this point.
TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons reports it’s not official yet, “but it appears as though Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver are out as hub cities for the upcoming NHL games.” He claims Las Vegas is almost certain to be one of the two hub cities, with Chicago or Los Angeles as the other. He also reports hearing there will be no media, including game announcers, onsite.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If the league wants to see what summer playoff hockey will look like, staging it in Las Vegas and Los Angeles will provide an interesting spotlight. Maintaining proper ice conditions in those warm-weather climates will be a significant challenge.
TSN: The NHL has suggested roster sizes of 28 skaters plus goaltenders for the 24-team Return-To-Play tournament. That number could change depending on negotiations with the NHL Players’ Association.
NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Bruins captain Zdeno Chara wrote a heartfelt statement on Instagram after attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Boston on Friday.
“First thing is first and let me be clear: I stand with the Black community. Black Lives Matter,” Chara wrote. “There is no room in this world for racism. Period.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chara is the latest in a growing number of NHL stars to speak out against racial injustice over the past week. NHL executive Kim Davis believes it’s a “huge moment” for the league, suggesting it could take them “to yet another level of opportunity and change.”
THE SCORE: Despite the worst season of his career, Jimmy Howard isn’t considering retirement. The 36-year-old goaltender is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. While he’d love to stay with the Wings, he realizes that he probably won’t be re-signed. Nevertheless, he believes he can still play in the NHL.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Howard might have to accept a professional tryout offer. If he does well in training camp for next season (whenever that might be), he could earn a one-year deal from a club seeking experienced goaltending depth.
No Asterisk Required for 2020 Stanley Cup Champion
No Asterisk Required for 2020 Stanley Cup Champion