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Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Tallon, OHL, Crotty

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While scouting opportunities have been rather limited so far, preparations for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft must go on.  Accordingly, the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau released its Players to Watch list with 341 prospects listed in total.  A total of 31 players were ranked as ‘A’ (first round) grades with the rest checking in at ‘B’ (second or third round) or ‘C’ (fourth round and beyond).

While Alexis Lafreniere was the widely-anticipated top pick heading into last season, there isn’t a consensus number one choice just yet.  Defensemen Owen Power (Michigan, NCAA), Luke Hughes (US NDTP), and Brandt Clarke (Barrie, OHL) along with centers Aatu Raty (Karpat, SM-liiga) plus Kent Johnson (Trail, BCHL) and winger Dylan Guenther (Edmonton, WHL) are all among those who figure to be within the top-10 with some contending for the top spot.

More from around the hockey world:

  • It appears that former Florida GM Dale Tallon may not be out of a job for long. Rob Rossi of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the 70-year-old has emerged as a candidate to join the front office in Pittsburgh.  The Penguins made a move yesterday with the firing of Jason Karmanos and it’s possible that they could turn to Tallon to take his place, albeit likely in a role other than assistant GM.
  • The OHL is expected to announce their revised plans to start the 2020-21 season on Wednesday. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the league is now targeting a February 4th start date with training camps beginning on January 25th.  With the regular season needing to be extended well past its usual March finish date, Dreger also notes that a reduced playoff field of eight teams is expected to be announced as well.  This is a significant difference compared to the other major junior leagues as the QMJHL has already started their season (though most divisions have been shut down temporarily) and the WHL is targeting January 8th to get things underway.
  • Cameron Crotty’s professional career was supposed to begin in Arizona’s system but he’ll have a detour in Norway first instead. Sparta Sarpsborg of the Eliteserien announced that they’ve added the defenseman on a loan agreement although he has yet to make it over there so it will be a little while before he debuts.  The 21-year-old opted to turn pro with the Coyotes after spending three years at Boston University where Crotty had 10 goals and 17 over that span.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Haydn Fleury

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Scratch another player off the arbitration list.  The Hurricanes announced that they have re-signed defenseman Haydn Fleury to a two-year deal with a $1.3MM AAV.  The two sides were scheduled for a hearing on November 8th.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement:

Haydn made a huge leap in his development last season and established himself as an everyday NHL defenseman. He was very dependable late in the regular season and in the playoffs, and we look forward to him continuing his development into an elite NHL defenseman.

The 24-year-old was up with Carolina all season, the first full NHL campaign of his career.  However, given the depth that the Hurricanes have, Fleury was limited to 45 regular season games in almost exclusively a number six role.  He had four goals and ten assists, numbers that were decent considering he averaged less than 14 minutes per game.  However, Fleury was tasked with a bit more ice time in the playoffs, logging over 16 minutes a night while chipping in with a pair of goals in eight games.

That was enough to earn Fleury a small raise in his second trip through restricted free agency after he made $850K this season.  Notably, this contract will give him a third and final RFA stint in 2022 as he’ll still be a year shy of being able to hit the open market and he will be arbitration-eligible once again.

Even though Carolina has lost Joel Edmundson (trade with Montreal), Trevor van Riemsdyk (free agency, Washington), and Sami Vatanen (unrestricted free agent), Fleury will still have some work cut out for him to earn a regular spot in the lineup.  As things stand, he’s likely to battle with offseason acquisition Joakim Ryan and prospect Jake Bean for the sixth spot on their depth chart.  Even with the raise, it’s a reasonable price tag for a player that still has some upside but may still have to spend some time in the press box.

Waddell still has some work to do in the short term though as Warren Foegele is still in need of a contract with an arbitration hearing scheduled for November 4th.  Following this signing, Carolina has about $3MM in cap space to work with and a good chunk of that will be going to the winger.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report the deal.

Sharks Loan Joachim Blichfeld To Denmark

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One of San Jose’s more intriguing prospects is heading home to get in some playing time before the 2020-21 NHL season begins.  Frederikshavn of the Metal Ligaen in Denmark announced that they’ve added winger Joachim Blichfeld on a short-term loan agreement until training camps in North America get underway.

The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick (210th overall) by San Jose back in 2016 and he looks like he’ll outperform that selection.  In 2018-19, Blichfeld was the top scorer in the WHL, putting up 53 goals and 61 assists with Portland in just 68 games.

He made his professional debut last season and spent most of it with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda where he acquitted himself well, tallying 16 goals and 16 assists in just 44 games.  That helped earn him four separate recalls to the Sharks between December and January while he was able to get into his first three NHL contests.

As things stand, with San Jose largely standing pat this offseason, Blichfeld will be among the young players that will have a chance of carving out a regular spot in the lineup.  Accordingly, this loan takes on a bit more importance as unlike most prospects getting sent out for some development time, a good showing in his hometown could be the difference between breaking camp with the Sharks or going back to the minors.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Jansen Harkins

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed Jansen Harkins to a new two-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $725K. The 23-year-old forward was a restricted free agent but did not qualify for salary arbitration.

Harkins, a fan favorite in the Jets organization who earned his first taste of NHL action this season, scored seven points in 29 games. When Harkins was inserted into the lineup and scored in the Jets qualification round against the Calgary Flames this summer, head coach Paul Maurice took time in his press conference to highlight exactly how hard the young forward has worked to get to that point.

I don’t know that I’ve had a player that has been given less opportunity and stayed in the fight, competed as hard as this guy has. He had no chance of making our team, but had a good camp. But he’s not a first overall pick so he doesn’t have ten guys pounding the table for him to give him that chance. He’s been given nothing here. But what he did was he forced an opportunity. With the [Manitoba] Moose, there was no choice but to call him up. And then he gets in the lineup and he gets into practice and he works so hard you just have to play him.

A second-round pick in 2015, Harkins was in the ECHL during the 2017-18 season and his career seemed completely off track. He’s turned things around since then and now could be a full-time option for the Jets in 2020-21.

While he may never be an impact scorer, his work ethic and competitiveness have made him an effective option, at least in Maurice’s eyes. A multi-year deal will now give him some financial security and allow him to really try and prove he belongs at the NHL level.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Calvin Thurkauf

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed restricted free agent Calvin Thurkauf to a one-year, two-way contract. The 23-year-old forward is currently playing with Zug EV of the Swiss NLA, but is expected to return for NHL training camp when it starts later this winter.

Thurkauf made his NHL debut this season, suiting up in three NHL games for the Blue Jackets after spending most of the last three years in the minor leagues. A seventh-round pick from 2016, he’s slowly worked his way through the minor league system and is now a real candidate for a bottom-six role.

It’s hard to know exactly where Thurkauf’s offensive game can go at the highest level, but he has looked good in a two-way role in Switzerland so far. He’ll have to continue to play good defense and use his big frame to carve out a role in Columbus.

This is of course not the restricted free agent that Blue Jackets fans are excited to hear about. That would Pierre-Luc Dubois, who figures to get a massive raise if he agrees to a long-term deal with Columbus. Still just 22, Dubois is already arguably the team’s best forward but does not have arbitration rights.

Tyler Bertuzzi Receives Arbitration Award

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Most players that file for salary arbitration never reach it, instead settling on contract terms in the days preceding their scheduled hearing. That wasn’t the case for Tyler Bertuzzi, whose hearing was held over the weekend with the Detroit Red Wings. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Bertuzzi has received the arbitrator’s decision today, awarding him a one-year $3.5MM contract.

Bertuzzi had filed for $4.25MM, while the Red Wings had filed for $3.15MM. That means the deal comes in slightly closer to the Red Wings side of things but still landed in the middle like usual.

The award is not above the “walkaway” threshold, meaning it is binding and will be signed by both parties in the coming days. Bertuzzi, 25, will still be a restricted free agent when the contract expires and will be eligible for arbitration once again.

A $3.5MM salary actually makes Bertuzzi the fourth-highest paid forward on the Red Wings, something he certainly deserves after the last two seasons. The scrappy, in-your-face forward has recorded consecutive 21-goal campaigns, actually leading the Red Wings in 2019-20. His ability to get under opponents’ skin while also contributing at the offensive end is something not easily found in the NHL, making him an important piece for Detroit to build around.

Unless, of course, the team decides to build around the next wave of prospects instead. Given Bertuzzi’s proximity to free agency and ability to take another one-year arbitration award that would walk him right to the open market, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman could potentially dangle him as trade bait if they decide not to (or believe they can’t) sign him long-term. Anthony Mantha, who decided not to file for arbitration, could potentially be in the same situation.

The Red Wings minor league system is filling up with extremely talented youngsters that will soon be the core of the NHL roster, while Dylan Larkin remains the only player signed through the 2022-23 season (not counting entry-level contracts). A one-year deal for Bertuzzi certainly doesn’t guarantee he’ll be around the next time the team is competitive.

Ottawa Senators Sign Filip Chlapik

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The Ottawa Senators have taken care of a little more business, signing Filip Chlapik to a new contract. The one-year, two-way deal will pay him $735K at the NHL level. Senators GM Pierre Dorion had this to say on his young forward:

Filip’s a competitive player who works hard. He has applied himself to becoming an important player for us in Belleville. We’re confident that work ethic will be equally as effective for him as he strives to become the same type of player in Ottawa.

Chlapik, 23, still hasn’t established himself as a full-time NHL option, but did play 31 games with Ottawa this season. The 48th overall pick in 2015, he has 11 points in 56 career games. As Dorion points out, he has become a core piece of the Belleville lineup and could very well make the jump in the coming years.

While he waited for a new deal with Ottawa, Chlapik had signed on to play with HC Sparta Praha in the Czech professional league. Unfortunately, he has suited up just three times because of the COVID-19 situation overseas, which has put that league on pause. He has one goal in those three games.

Chlapik’s new contract leaves only Christian Jaros left for the Senators to sign, with an arbitration hearing on the books for November 7.

Oscar Fantenberg Signs In KHL

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A free agent defenseman has decided to take his talents overseas. Oscar Fantenberg, who spent the 2019-20 season with the Vancouver Canucks, has signed a one-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. The deal carries him through the end of April 2021.

Fantenberg, 29, has actually played in the KHL before, suiting up 44 times for Sochi HC in 2016-17. That’s the season which landed him an NHL contract, signing a one-year entry-level deal with the Los Angeles Kings almost immediately after it ended. Since then, the two-way defenseman has played in 147 NHL games, split between the Kings, Canucks, and Calgary Flames.

Perhaps his most impressive hockey came just this summer for the Canucks, where he played 16 postseason contests. While he’ll never be a top-four option in the NHL, it did appear as though he could be a useful depth piece for the next several years.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if his name pops up again after the KHL season ends, given that the NHL schedule will likely not be finished by the beginning of May. He’ll also be a candidate to return for the 2021-22 campaign, if he decides to try his hand in North America once again.

Hendrix Lapierre Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Washington Capitals have signed their first-round selection, inking Hendrix Lapierre to a three-year, entry-level contract.

A few years ago, if someone had said that Lapierre would be available with the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 draft, they would have been laughed out of the building. Selected first overall in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, Lapierre was considered a candidate to go in one of the very first few spots by the time he was 18. His rookie season went well, with Lapierre winning the Michel Bergeron Trophy as offensive rookie of the year, scoring 45 points in 48 games.

Unfortunately, during that first season for Chicoutimi, Lapierre suffered a concussion that forced him to miss several games. He would return and play well in the playoffs, before suiting up for Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky (dominating the tournament competition). The next season, Lapierre suffered multiple head injuries over a short time period and he suffered endless symptoms. He had played just 19 games in the 2019-20 season.

It wasn’t until February that it was discovered that the injuries were not actually concussions, but related to a previous vertebrae injury. He was on track to return for Chicoutimi when the season was shut down due to COVID-19. The lack of in-person medical testing because of the lockdown only lessened teams’ comfort with selecting the talented youngster, which allowed him to drop all the way to the back half of the first round.

Washington, apparently unwilling to wait any longer, used the 80th overall pick to trade up two spots and take Lapierre at 22. Now, presumably after putting him through their own medical testing, they’ve given him his first pro contract.

Lapierre was back playing for Chicoutimi this season before the QMJHL instituted another temporary shutdown. He has eight points in four games.

Devon Toews Avoids Arbitration

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One of the most interesting arbitration cases on the schedule this year was Devon Toews, who would have had to sit across the (virtual) table from Colorado Avalanche management that barely knew him. The Avalanche traded two second-round picks for Toews earlier this offseason, taking him away from the New York Islanders. That hearing, scheduled for October 31, will not be needed anymore, as the team has reached a four-year contract with Toews that will pay him an average annual value of $4.1MM.

CapFriendly has the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.35MM
  • 2021-22: $3.55MM
  • 2022-23: $4.6MM
  • 2023-24: $5.9MM

Toews, 26, is giving up three years of unrestricted free agency in the deal and turning down the chance to walk into the open market next offseason. An arbitration award would have only been able to be a one-year deal, making him a UFA at the age of 27. In exchange for giving that up, Toews has received quite the raise over the $700K salary he had averaged over the last two seasons.

Though it took him a while to get to the NHL, when he did, Toews found immediate success. A fourth-round pick in 2014 after his first season at Quinnipiac University, Toews would stay in college for two more years before joining the Islanders organization. In 2016-17 he would burst onto the AHL scene with 45 points in 76 games, racking up the most assists by any rookie and earning himself a place on the All-Rookie team.

Though injuries would limit his sophomore year, Toews would finally make it to the NHL just before Christmas in 2018 and never look back. In his first season with the Islanders he recorded 18 points in 48 games while averaging a little less than 18 minutes a game, but both those numbers ballooned in 2019-20.

Now thrown over the boards for more than 20 minutes a night and given regular powerplay time, Toews racked up 28 points in 68 games and was a monster in almost every possession statistic.

In Colorado, while the powerplay opportunity may disappear thanks to the presence of talented youngsters like Cale Makar and Samuel Girard (not to mention Bowen Byram, who is on the way), he’ll represent a perfect two-way complement that can slide in beside almost anyone. In fact, he seems a capable replacement for Ian Cole, who has quietly been extremely effective since ending up in Colorado, but whose contract expires after the 2020-21 season.

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