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West Notes: Kings, DeMelo, Pospisil

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The New York Rangers were the big winners at the NHL Draft Lottery, meaning the Westen Conference won’t have to deal with Alexis Lafreniere on a regular basis, right? Well, as Lisa Dillman examined for The Athletic, if the Los Angeles Kings or another team with a high pick came calling the Rangers would have to listen. The Kings have arguably the best prospect group in the entire NHL already and could potentially create quite a package of assets for the first overall selection.

While the Kings have that impressive prospect base and several high picks, the Ottawa Senators are primed to make a huge splash at this year’s draft as well. Not only do they hold the third and fifth overall selections, but they also have an incredible seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. Nine if you extend that to the third round, and 13 in total for 2020.

  • Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff liked the fit for trade deadline acquisition Dylan DeMelo, but hasn’t started negotiations yet for a new contract according to Murat Ates of The Athletic. The team will “definitely take a look” at a new deal with the pending free agent, who ended up playing just 14 total games for the Jets after arriving from Ottawa partway through the season. The 27-year old DeMelo recorded just ten points in 59 games this season and is coming off a two-year deal that carried a $900K cap hit.
  • Martin Pospisil, who signed his three-year entry-level contract in 2019, will be playing in Slovakia for the time being. The Calgary Flames prospect has been loaned to HC Kosice for the next few months but is expected back for NHL training camp. Pospisil played 26 games for the Stockton Heat of the AHL this season, recording ten points.

Ville Heinola Loaned To Rauman Lukko

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The Winnipeg Jets will do what so many other teams have done this summer and find a place to play for one of their top prospects. Ville Heinola has been loaned to Rauman Lukko of Finland’s Liiga, with the understanding that he will return to North America when the 2020-21 season begins. Heinola played most of the 2019-20 season with the Finnish club and will get a chance to start his season a little bit earlier than his North American counterparts.

Selected 20th overall in 2019, Heinola made an immediate impact at Jets camp and after several injuries (and disappearances) hit the blue line, he was forced into NHL game action as a teenager. The young puck-mover acquitted himself quite well, recording five points in eight games before going back to the minor leagues and then overseas. It’s unlikely that he can keep up that kind of scoring pace through his first full NHL season, but the Jets believe they’ve found a legitimate top-four option that just needs a little more polish.

By heading to Finland again, he’ll end up at NHL training camp with his legs under him and able to hit the ground running. If that ends up in a roster spot isn’t guaranteed since Heinola’s entry-level contract is eligible to slide again next season, but it certainly could as the Jets try to rebuild their club for another postseason run.

Morning Notes: Trades, Little, Muzzin

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As we start the first round of the playoffs, the offseason has started for nearly half the league. We’ve seen free agents start to take their talents overseas, prospects loaned to European leagues to get their development back on track and the draft lottery determining the order of the top picks this fall. There could be even more moves coming down the pipe, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has confirmed with the league that the 15 eliminated teams are now eligible to make trades.

LeBrun wonders if they will wait for a full 31-team market before pulling the trigger, but there is a difference in how teams can operate during these playoffs. The salary cap, which is usually not set for the following season until after the playoffs end, is fixed and known for 2020-21. That means if teams want to get a headstart on their financials, they could potentially start to pull off some trades and reshape their lineup before the Stanley Cup is handed out.

  • Bryan Little ended up playing just seven games for the Winnipeg Jets this season. After playing in all 82 for each of the last two seasons, Little took a slapshot from Nikolaj Ehlers directly to the head just a few weeks into 2019-20. He suffered a brain injury that kept him out for the rest of the season and even kept him from performing basic physical activity. Little spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic today, explaining that for six weeks after the injury he wasn’t even allowed to pick his young daughter up. Little did return to practice at one point before being shut down again, and now just hopes that he’ll be able to play hockey again one day. He’s “not shutting the door” but also needs to be told there’s no risk before returning. Little signed a six-year extension in 2017, which has four years remaining at a $5.29MM cap hit.
  • Jake Muzzin, another player who suffered a scary injury, is feeling much better and is expected to make a full recovery. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman was stretchered off the ice last week after an awkward fall and lost feeling in his extremities. After being taken to the hospital he was discharged later that night but did not play again for Toronto. Muzzin was part of the Maple Leafs’ media availability today, a good sign he’s on the road back.

Mark Scheifele Will Not Require Surgery

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When Matthew Tkachuk collided with Mark Scheifele in the first game of the qualification round, and the big Winnipeg Jets center collapsed to the ice clutching his leg and wailing in pain, everyone watching assumed the worst. It was obvious that Scheifele would have to leave the game as he was helped off the ice by a trainer and Nathan Beaulieu, but the anxious moments that followed surely had more disastrous scenarios playing out in many minds. Would he require major surgery, just a few months before the 2020-21 season was set to begin?

As it turns out, those same thoughts were racing through Scheifele’s mind. He spoke with reporters including Murat Ates of The Athletic and admitted he initially thought he tore his Achilles tendon. That would have meant surgery and a six-month recovery, taking him out of the first portion of the 2020-21—one which will have a condensed schedule. As it turns out, Scheifele was “very, very lucky” and will not require surgery at all. In fact, he told Ates that he’s going to be “back to 100% in the near future.”

While that news may fall on some deaf ears among Jets fans who just watched their team get eliminated before the real playoffs even begin, it’s extremely important for the future. As head coach Paul Maurice hinted at in his post-game tirade about what he called a “filthy, disgusting hit”, an Achilles injury like that doesn’t only come with a long recovery time, it also could potentially jeopardize a career. All hockey fans should be happy that isn’t the case for Scheifele, who has turned into one of the games preeminent two-way centers.

Selected seventh overall in 2011, the 27-year old has broken the point-per-game mark in each of his last four seasons, including 73 in 71 games this year. His postseason stats are just as impressive, making it all the more frustrating for the Jets that he received fewer than three minutes of ice time before being forced from the five-game series. Scheifele will be back next year and so will the Jets, thankful that he isn’t completing a grueling rehab at some point in February.

Offseason Keys: Winnipeg Jets

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As teams are eliminated from the Qualifying Round, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return, we shift our focus to the ones that have been ousted.  Next up is a look at Winnipeg.

This season was expected to be one where the Jets took a bit of a step back.  While they were only a year removed from nearly winning the Central Division, their back end underwent quite the overhaul as several regulars moved on with minimal replacements added for cap reasons while another didn’t play for them at all before his contract was terminated in-season.  They used a hot streak down the stretch to have themselves in the battle for a playoff spot before the pandemic hit before being ousted by Calgary in the play-in series.  Now, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has some flexibility to work with this offseason (but a lot of roster spots to fill).  Here is what he should be looking to accomplish.

Restock The D

No team took as big of a hit on their back end as Winnipeg did between last season and this one.  Ben Chiarot and Tyler Myers moved on via free agency, Jacob Trouba was traded, and Dustin Byfuglien briefly reported to camp, left, and didn’t come back.  The only current NHL asset they received for any of those defenders was Neal Pionk.  While the 25-year-old had a career year for the Jets, this was still a significant step backwards.  The team had to turn to the waiver wire to stay afloat and the results were predictable as Connor Hellebuyck faced the most shots of any goaltender in the league this season.

Only three regulars are signed for next season and one of those (Tucker Poolman) played a limited role this year.  Cheveldayoff will need to work to add at least one top-four option to take some pressure off Pionk and Josh Morrissey.  Youngster Ville Heinola showed some promise in an early-season look but while he has the upside to get to that level down the road, that won’t come in 2020-21.

If they’re unable to afford a blueliner of that quality, then restocking the cupboards with quality depth options is a good way to go.  Dylan DeMelo made an impact in limited action after being acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa and they’ll likely look to retain him although DeMelo is in line for a decent raise on his $900K AAV.  Nathan Beaulieu is another pending unrestricted free agent that could be retained at the right price.  But after them, the depth falls off quickly.  Bringing in a capable veteran or two that can log some minutes would be a useful backup plan; while it wouldn’t add to their top pairing, adding players that can log more minutes than a usual third pairing would still help.  Relying on the waiver wire for reinforcements didn’t work too well this season and that’s not a viable approach to reshaping their defense corps.

Acquire A Second Line Center

Finding a second line center has proven to be a bit of a challenge for Cheveldayoff.  In recent years, they’ve added Paul Stastny and Kevin Hayes as rentals at the trade deadline but they weren’t able to re-sign either one.  That’s left Bryan Little reprising that role but his season ended early due to a perforated eardrum.  They had some challenges filling that spot.  Jack Roslovic hasn’t developed as hoped and seems to be better on the wing at this stage.  Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry are effective players but they’re at their best in more limited roles.

That forced Blake Wheeler into playing down the middle for a large portion of the season.  He’s certainly capable of playing in that role but it takes him away from playing on the top line with Mark Scheifele holding down that number one spot.  That’s a nice fallback option to have but they shouldn’t be relying on that as their primary plan to fill the role next season.

In a perfect world, this is something that could be filled via unrestricted free agency but there’s a strong case to be made that there isn’t a top-six center available on the open market.  That means they’ll have to turn to the trade market to try to add one.  If they can get one over the coming months, it’ll stop them from having to part with more draft picks and/or prospects to try to add one as a rental closer to the trade deadline.

Add A Better Backup

Laurent Brossoit’s first season in Winnipeg was a strong one and he earned the one-year, $1.225MM extension that he played under this year.  However, 2019-20 wasn’t anywhere near as strong.  As a result, Hellebuyck led the league in starts for the second time in three years and while he played well enough to earn a Vezina nomination, asking him to regularly log as many minutes as he has isn’t ideal.  With a 3.28 GAA and a .895 SV%, it’s likely the end of Brossoit’s tenure with the team.

While they were eventually able to get Eric Comrie back (following stints in Arizona and Detroit), he’s probably better off as their third option once again.  He has been around long enough that he can serve as their mandatory exposure to Seattle in expansion (as long as he’s tendered a qualifying offer next offseason).

That could take Winnipeg out of the market of teams that will be seeking someone on a multi-year contract which will give them a few more options.  Ultimately, who they target will likely be determined by whether or not they’re able to improve down the middle and on defense as those are justifiably their top priorities but a better backup for Hellebuyck is something that Cheveldayoff will need to look for as well.  With 2020-21 likely to feature somewhat of a compressed schedule, those second options are going to be even more important so a more proven backup becomes that much more critical.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Who Do You Want To Win The Draft Lottery?

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Seven teams in the NHL didn’t get a chance to return to play this summer. Their regular seasons were so disastrous that they didn’t qualify for a tournament which saw 24-teams take part. But none of them will be rewarded with the first-overall pick in 2020. Instead, that selection will go to one of the eight teams eliminated over the past week, after the first part of the draft lottery ended with a TBA club taking home the top spot.

The qualification round provided some incredible storylines. It also provided some eye-popping upsets. Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, respective 12-seeds going into the return to play format, defeated Stanley Cup contenders with all-world talents leading the way. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and their teams are out before even seeing the first round but now have a chance to land a consolation prize of sorts.

The Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild all have a 12.5% chance of being awarded that first-overall pick, and the chance to select two-time CHL Player of the Year Alexis Lafreniere.

That may seem ridiculous, given the regular season performances from those clubs, but remember it required a previous lottery to get to this point. There was only a 24.5% chance of a qualification-round team earning the pick in the first place. That ended up happening, with the Los Angeles Kings also moving up to second place. The Detroit Red Wings, who had the highest chance of winning any of the three lottery spots ended up the big losers of the event, dropping all the way down to fourth despite winning just 17 games this season.

The league will announce the lottery winner this evening, with hockey fans all over the world tuning in to see where Lafreniere will go. The format of the lottery has drawn massive criticism given how things played out, but that won’t stop it from being a must-see event for the entire NHL.

Where do you want to see the phenom go? Which of the eliminated teams deserves the pick? Which would you hate to see win? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain your choice in the comments!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Morning Notes: Jets, Jarry, Stamkos

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The Winnipeg Jets are going home a little earlier than they had hoped after losing game four to the Calgary Flames last night. Eliminated from the playoffs, they could finally reveal what happened to Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, explaining to Sara Orlesky of TSN that neither one is expected to miss an extended period of time. Head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t believe there is any Achilles damage for Schiefele, who yelled in pain on the ice after colliding with Matthew Tkachuk in game one. Maurice called it “a crush” not a cut, but did admit that his top center is still undergoing further testing.

Laine meanwhile sprained his hand in the opener and couldn’t hold a stick, but Maurice believes he’ll only be out for a few weeks. Mason Appleton, who isn’t quite as important to the team as the former two, will also be out just a few weeks with a shoulder injury. The Jets will finally say goodbye to a 2019-20 season that was quite the rollercoaster, starting with Dustin Byfuglien’s disappearance and ending with two of their offensive leaders watching from the stands.

  • If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to avoid the same fate, they’ll need to stave off elimination against the Montreal Canadiens today. To do so they’ll call upon Tristan Jarry, starting him in game four over Matt Murray who has lost two of the first three. Murray did post a .914 save percentage in those games but received endless online criticism for how he played a shot from Jeff Petry, which ended up being the winning goal. After starting his career out with two Stanley Cups before his rookie status expired, Murray now has just two wins in his last 12 playoff contests. Jarry meanwhile will be making his playoff debut in an elimination game and has just 62 appearances at the NHL level under his belt.
  • Steven Stamkos won’t be playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they face the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow in a winner-takes-all round-robin game. The Lightning and Flyers have both won the first two round-robin contests, meaning whoever takes tomorrow’s game will be the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the duration of the playoffs. Stamkos won’t be able to help, and though he is working hard and rehabbing, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the captain will be out indefinitely.

Eisbaren Berlin Hoping To Acquire Leon Gawanke On Loan To Start Next Season

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With several prospects being loaned overseas to start next season, other international teams are hoping to jump in and benefit from this.  One of those is Eisbaren Berlin of the German DEL.  Their team director Stephane Richer told Jorg Lubrich of BZ Berlin that they have been in contact with the Jets regarding defenseman Leon Gawanke with the hopes of having him loaned there to start 2020-21.  The 21-year-old had a good professional debut with AHL Manitoba this season with four goals and 22 assists in 48 games and he would be returning to a program he’s familiar with having played there (in his hometown) for several years before transferring to major junior.

Jets Forward Andrei Chibisov Signs In KHL

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Last offseason, the Jets brought in forward Andrei Chibisov to give them some depth down the middle with the hopes that he could compete for a roster spot.  That didn’t really happen as he spent most of the year in the minors and as a result, he is heading back overseas as Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL announced that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract.

The 27-year-old returns to an organization that he’s quite familiar with as his best KHL campaign came with Magnitogorsk back in 2018-19 where he had 20 points in 50 games.  That helped him get on Winnipeg’s radar as he signed soon after that season came to an end.

Unfortunately for them, the deal didn’t quite pan out as well as they hoped.  Chibisov only played in two games for Winnipeg this season and was left off of their postseason roster.  While he had a respectable 25 points in 53 games with AHL Manitoba, that type of production wasn’t going to generate much interest in NHL free agency so going back home and getting some term on his deal in the process certainly makes sense from his perspective.

Snapshots: Schedule, AHL All-Star, Spacek

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The NHL has released game times for Thursday, though at least one of them may not even be needed. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will open things with game four of their series if the underdogs can extend it tomorrow. The full schedule is as follows (all times central):

Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers – Game 4, 11:00am
Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks – Game 3, 1:30pm
Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals – Round-robin, 3:00pm
St. Louis Blues vs Vegas Golden Knights – Round-robin, 5:30pm
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Game 3, 7:00pm
Winnipeg Jets vs Calgary Flames – Game 4, 9:30pm

Another few notes from around the hockey world:

  • The AHL has already canceled the 2021 All-Star Game because of its truncated calendar. The league is hoping to start the season at the beginning of December, meaning there won’t be a ton of extra time to fit in events like this. Laval, which was supposed to host the event, will instead receive the 2022 All-Star festivities.
  • Minor league forward Michael Spacek has signed a one-year contract in Finland for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The 23-year old is currently under contract with the Winnipeg Jets, but is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the season and has yet to receive an NHL opportunity. In fact, Spacek had his worst AHL season this year as well, recording just nine goals an 20 points with the Manitoba Moose. Winnipeg will be able to retain Spacek’s rights with a qualifying offer.

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