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CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • Jan. 13, 2018

After 24 hours of celebration, grim reality

crashes down on Hurricanes

By Luke DeCock

RALEIGH

After 24 pretty good hours for the Carolina Hurricanes franchise, Friday night delivered a four-minute reminder that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows in the NHL.

In the wake of a win in Washington on Thursday and Thomas Dundon's introduction as the team's new owner Friday, things were looking up for the Hurricanes, right through the first 56 minutes and change Friday.

Then Noah Hanifin made his second catastrophic late play in the past three games to allow the Capitals to tie the score, both officials missed an obvious lip-splitting high stick on Jordan Staal and Victor Rask lost a faceoff in the Washington zone that allowed the Capitals to go end-to-end and score the winner with 1.3 seconds left, a potentially season-altering two-point swing in 3 minutes, 8 seconds and a 4-3 loss.

Instead of sending another message to the Metropolitan Division – the Hurricanes were 4-0-1 in their previous five division games – by sweeping this two-day set with the Capitals, they were left beaten and bereft. The giant big-screen TV in the locker room was splattered with unknown liquid, a visible sign of the barely hidden frustration.

“It's part of the game,” said Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, who scored what should have been the game-winner by turning Washington defenseman John Carlson inside out and rifling a top-shelf shot. “You play 82 games and this is one of 82. It was kind of a tough break, but at the same time, we've got more games. We've got to move on.”

That's how it goes in the NHL, especially for a team trying to bob and weave its way into the playoffs. Even little mistakes are harshly punished, let alone big ones. Hanifin, the team's sole All-Star, for reasons easily explained but difficult to justify, has made two in the past four days, single-handedly costing the Hurricanes points.

On Tuesday, Tampa Bay's tiny Tyler Johnson outmuscled Hanifin on the rush to score the game-winner, as embarrassing a fate as any NHL defenseman has ever suffered. Friday, with the Canes trying to protect a 3-2 lead, Hanifin threw a blind pass up the middle from behind the Carolina net, which Brett Connolly popped instantly past

Cam Ward. Off the glass and out, kid, like the old days. (And here, Glen Wesley nods sagely.)

There's so much good in Hanifin's game and so much “I hope my high-school buddies never see that clip.” He's only 20, but he has played 204 NHL games. He may not be a finished product, but it's fair to expect more than this at this point. Or less than this, if you just want to look at the self-sabotaging mistakes.

“Yeah, you got to stay with him, you've got to teach,” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. “You've to to learn from it. You've got to stay with people. It's easy to go away. Right now, we've got the opportunity to put a game away and we give up two in the last three (minutes) roughly. It would have been nice to lock it down.”

But this isn't entirely on Hanifin. It never is. The Hurricanes should have been on the power play with 32 seconds to go, with Staal's lip split open, and even if they didn't score they would have started overtime 4-on-3 with a chance to pick up an extra point.

There's no point in complaining about NHL officiating, which is like the weather. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, it rains on everyone the same and it evens out in the end. In a way, it was karmic payback for Thursday, when Rask scored the game-winner after the Capitals thought the puck had been possessed on a delayed penalty and play should have been blown dead.

That won't make Peters feel any better or heal Staal's split lip. This wasn't a judgment call, or a debatable interpretation of a rule (like Justin Faulk's questionable interference penalty on Tom Wilson; you may not like it, but all you can do, or should do, is shrug). This was as glaring a missed call as you'll ever see, and no excuse for either referee – Steve Kozari and T.J. Luxmore – to miss it. Staal said he couldn't get an explanation, either.

The last goal was a chain of errors, with Rask losing the faceoff and Brock McGinn whiffing on a chance to clear the puck when Alexander Ovechkin lost control, breiefly, and Ward flopping around in the crease. It was basically a repeat of the N.C. State game in this same building Thursday, except the Capitals finished with a four-point play for the win.

Dundon was watching from a suite, and got a nice round of applause when he was shown on the scoreboard. (It was subtle and unannounced, and many fans may even have missed it.) He's been living and dying with the team for months now – he even went back to Peter Karmanos to offer more money after walking away from the deal initially,

CAROLINA HURRICANES


because he was hooked – so these emotions won't be new to him.

But they will be fresh, as they will be for the team, and they will linger. Because if it comes down to the final days and a point or two, circle these as two that never should have gotten away.

Caps hand Hurricanes brutal 4-3 loss

By Chip Alexander

The Carolina Hurricanes, with new owner Tom Dundon in the

house Friday, were looking for a two-game sweep of the

Washington Capitals to please the new boss.

The Caps wouldn’t let it happen, beating the Canes 4-3 on

Jay Beagle’s goal with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation.

Nicklas Backstrom swiped the puck from Canes forward

Brock McGinn and found Beagle open for the score, handing

the Canes what had to be a brutal loss.

“They all feel similar to me,” Canes coach Bill Peters said.

“It’s a loss, no points.”

The Canes topped the Caps 3-1 in Washington on Thursday,

the day Dundon’s deal to buy the Hurricanes was finalized.

They returned to PNC Arena on Friday to finish the back-to-

back on the day of Dundon’s introductory press conference

at the arena.

Jeff Skinner’s third-period goal gave the Canes a 3-2 lead,

scoring his 14th of the season on a perfectly placed shot that

beat goalie Philipp Grubauer. Forward Lee Stempniak,

playing his first game of the season, assisted on the Skinner

score.

But the Caps (28-14-3) tied it 3-3 at 16:52 of the third when

Brett Connolly scored after Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin

made a sloppy pass in the defensive zone that Connolly

picked off.

Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho each had power-play goals

for the Canes, who have a game left Sunday against the

Calgary Flames before taking their mandated five-day break.

Steal was bloodied by a high stick from the Caps’ Evgeny

Kuznetsov with 32 seconds remaining in regulation, but there

was no call. It would have been a four-minute double minor

that would have carried over into overtime had the Canes not

scored in regulation.

"It was a stick in the face in front of (the ref) and he chose

not to call it,” Staal said.

Staal said there was no explanation from the ref, saying, "He

didn't want to talk to me tonight."

Lars Eller had a first-period goal and Alex Ovechkin a

second-period score for the Caps, the Metropolitan Division

leaders.

The Canes (20-16-8) had the fans roaring early with their first

power-play goal — and a textbook one, at that.

Steal won a faceoff, Aho got the puck low to Justin Williams

and Williams promptly found Staal in front for the score. It

was Staal’s 200th career goal, making him the fourth player

from the 2006 NHL draft class to reach that milestone.

The Canes’ second-power play goal, in the second period,

was scored as quickly as the first. Aho was open at the top of

the slot and unloaded a shot that Grubauer couldn’t track as

the Canes tied the score 1-1.

No one has a bigger blast than Ovechkin and it was his

second-period goal — his 28th of the season — that gave

the Caps a 2-1 lead.

Ellen was credited with the Caps’ first goal of the night after a

wild scramble in front of the Canes net that had Eller tangled

up on the ice with goalie Cam Ward.

Peters challenged the goal, claiming goaltender interference,

but the Caps won the ruling after a lengthy review.

The Canes played without defenseman Brett Pesce, who

was placed Friday on injured reserve, and forward Derek

Ryan, injured in Thursday’s game in Washington. Elias

Lindholm and Joakim Nordstrom were held out of the game

because of illness.

Returning to the lineup was Stempniak, who missed the

Canes’ first 43 games with various injuries. Stempniak

played on a line with center Lucas Wallmark and Skinner and

was effective.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Dundon says he couldn’t say no to a

chance to own the Hurricanes

By Chip Alexander

Tom Dundon says he’s not the type to circle back on a business deal.

Dundon, a Dallas billionaire, does his due diligence, sifts through the financial data and decides on a fair offer. If it doesn’t close the deal, that’s that.

Except with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Dundon, introduced Friday as the new majority owner and managing partner of the Hurricanes, said he made first made an offer to Peter Karmanos Jr. that the owner turned down. A week later, a somewhat depressed Dundon was back with a new one.

Money is money, he said. He’s made a lot of it. But there’s an emotional attachment involved in owning a major-league sports team, and Dundon said he already felt that attachment to the Hurricanes.

“Never in my life had I gone back on a deal,” Dundon said. “If we didn’t get it done it was over and I didn’t think about it again and went on to the next one.”

But Dundon said he had been watching the team and was emotionally invested in the team, excited when they won and miserable if they lost.

“Then it’s over and I’m done,” he said, speaking of the deal falling through. “I can’t do what I want to do with the organization.”

A week later, Dundon reached Karmanos again, with a higher offer. He wanted to own the hockey team.

“I called him back, groveling,” Dundon said. “That’s how we came to our deal. So I’ve already proven I will make an irrational financial decision.”

Dundon’s day

Dundon agreed to buy 61 percent of the franchise, which was valued at $550 million, with an option to purchase the remainder in three years.

On Friday, Dundon sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on a dais at PNC Arena, saying he first met Bettman three months ago and adding, “I think we’re best friends now.”

To Bettman’s right sat Karmanos, who will remain as a minority owner and was praised by Bettman for his contributions to the sport, both in bringing the Hurricanes to the Triangle and North Carolina and in his long-time support of youth hockey in Detroit. That earned Karmanos an ovation from the large crowd packed into the Arena Club.

But Friday was Dundon’s day. And he was Tom Dundon. He wore Hurricanes athletic gear to the press conference. He wore Under Armour sneakers.

He’s not a dress-up, coat-and-tie kind of guy. He looked as if he was ready to head to a nearby golf course and get in a quick 18 holes.

But Dundon, 46, is about results, not appearances. His mantra appears to be “Keep improving everything, every day, all the time” – a phrase he used Friday in describing the culture he wants in the organization moving forward.

Fresh blood

Among those at the Arena Club at PNC Arena was Abel Zalcberg, one of the Hurricanes’ investment partners.

“I think it’s going to be great for the franchise,” Zalcberg said of the ownership change. “It’s time we get fresh blood in here. … I think the team is definitely prepared for success for the next five, six years. I think he has all the right traits to take this to the next level and we hope he will do that.

“I think Tom Dundon knows what he’s doing from a business point of view. He didn’t become a billionaire from not knowing what to do.”

Karmanos, 74, said he would have an advisory role with the team and said one suggestion to Dundon was to double the season-ticket sales.

“That would make a huge difference because some of those crummy crowds are a result of not having enough season tickets,” Karmanos said.

The fan experience

The Canes rank 30th in NHL home attendance this season at 12,494 per game, but Dundon said that not the fault of the fans.

“If we don’t sell more tickets it’s our fault,” he said.

Dundon, as he did in an interview Thursday, again expressed the need to provide a better fan experience at PNC Arena. He noted at the games he has attended, “It didn’t look like what I would want it to look like.”

As far as the team on the ice, the Canes topped the Washington Capitals 3-1 on Thursday to again move into a

CAROLINA HURRICANES


wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Canes and Caps faced off again Friday at PNC Arena – with Dundon watching.

“He’s been like the Energizer bunny,” Canes general manager Ron Francis said. “He’s gathered as much information as he can to sort of help steer things and get a better understanding of how we can be better. He’s looking at every facet of the organization and see where we can do things that can give us an edge and make us better.”

An outdoor NHL game in Raleigh? Don’t rule it out, commissioner says

By Luke DeCock

RALEIGH

It wasn’t exactly a promise – and Gary Bettman has made, and delivered on, actual promises to this franchise before – but the NHL commissioner wouldn’t rule it out.

In the wake of the ownership change, from Peter Karmanos to Thomas Dundon, could the Carolina Hurricanes host an outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium?

“Tom has already asked,” Bettman said Friday at the PNC Arena press conference to announce the ownership transition.

And?

“An outdoor game across the street is not out of the question,” the commissioner said.

That’s not exactly the same as when he promised the 2004 NHL Draft to the Hurricanes back in 2001, with an All-Star Game to follow, in 2011 as it turned out. And it’s hard to imagine Bettman answering the question any other way. But it’s better than nothing.

Ice-making technology has advanced to the point where it’s possible to make a playable surface under almost any conditions, so it wouldn’t have to be below freezing like it was last weekend here. And N.C. State would have to be a willing partner.

“We are absolutely receptive to any creative ideas that serve Raleigh, Wake County and the state of North Carolina well,” an athletic department spokesman said.

Nothing would jump-start the Hurricanes in this market under Dundon’s ownership more than a Winter Classic, an event for which the Hurricanes have not heretofore been considered as a participant, let alone a host. It would also be

a step toward restoring the Hurricanes’ status as a model Sun Belt franchise, a distinction widely bestowed upon the team in the wake of the beyond-all-expectations All-Star Game in 2011.

So it’s a long way from happening. But for the first time, it’s actually worth talking about.

As Hurricanes move into a new era, their old owner is as excited as anyone By Luke DeCock RALEIGH These are new and exciting and uncertain days for the Carolina Hurricanes, the kind of days when a midday press conference at PNC Arena overshadows not only the massive divisional win the night before but the rematch with the Washington Capitals to come at the arena later that night. If it wasn’t clear Thursday just what a brand new day this is for the franchise when Thomas Dundon assumed control of the Hurricanes, it was clear Friday when he sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, with Peter Karmanos on Bettman’s other shoulder. “Those lousy crowds are the result of not having enough season tickets,” Karmanos said. Moments later, without skipping a beat, Dundon laid down the new law. “If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault. It’s our fault,” Dundon said. Hallelujah. Dundon’s wardrobe alone indicated nothing is going to stay the same. Karmanos and Bettman wore suits, per their usual. Dundon wore a windbreaker, per his usual, and must have left his omnipresent hat in his office. A wild ride lies ahead. You might think, given Dundon’s determination to examine and, if necessary, upend every aspect of the franchise – even the hockey side, as much as Dundon thinks the team is on the right track, will be given upgrades in analytics and medical treatment – that Karmanos might look askance at some of this. For 24 years, this was his team, his baby, and while it’s fair to criticize his stewardship of it at times, none of this, from 2002 to 2006 to 2009, from the draft to the All-Star Game, even that dead-stinking-last season in 2003 that was a mesmerizing catastrophe to watch, would have happened without him. An orderly transition of power is the hallmark of any functioning democracy, and you never know how the one of end era will slide into a new one. Karmanos didn’t have the smoothest transition from Compuware, the software

CAROLINA HURRICANES


company he founded, and the Hurricanes meant as much to him – if not more than Compuware. He choked up Friday talking about his silent partner Thomas Thewes, whose death in 2008 led Karmanos to consider selling the team in the first place. This team was his dream for a long time, and it was time to walk away. He knew it. That doesn’t make it easy. But Karmanos is entering this new era with the same optimism and anticipation as anyone else around the franchise. For the first time in decades, at age 74, he’s a fan again. No worries about profits or loss. No one asking where to park the pallet-jack. No memos from the NHL. “That’s the best part,” Karmanos said, smiling broadly. “It’s been that way for a few weeks.” One of the things I was concerned about as we did this is, we want to do a lot of great things and we want to change a lot of things. Pete, I talked to him a couple times about this, is it OK if we do things differently? And he’s been the biggest cheerleader for, let’s do everything we can with no limitations and not worry about what we did before, and I don’t think that means we don’t appreciate what he did. Thomas Dundon Karmanos’ new role as minority owner will be as a sort of senior adviser, but it’s clear Dundon is going to do things his way regardless of what Karmanos thinks, and Karmanos is fine with that. If anything, he’s as curious as anyone to see what happens.

“One of the things I was concerned about as we did this is, we want to do a lot of great things and we want to change a lot of things,” Dundon said. “Pete, I talked to him a couple times about this, is it OK if we do things differently? And he’s been the biggest cheerleader for, let’s do everything we can with no limitations and not worry about what we did before, and I don’t think that means we don’t appreciate what he did.” Or, from Karmanos’ side: “I knew from the first time I talked to Tom he was the real deal and he would be a good owner. That’s very important to Gary, and especially to me, as far as who you turn the team over to.” So this, as much as anything, will be a part of Karmanos’ complicated legacy. He brought the team here. He won a Stanley Cup. There were too many years where the franchise languished and failed to reach its potential. And then, when the time came, he turned the keys over to someone with a new vision, new ambition and new energy committed to making this work in Raleigh, as we all know it can. On his way out of the building Friday, Karmanos stopped by the sixth-floor office that used to be his. He never used it much, and Dundon was already in it Thursday afternoon, holding meetings and digging through merchandise samples. Karmanos slid the plate bearing his name off the wall and slipped it into his bag. Then he stepped outside to smoke a cigar, and for the first time in a long time, he was just another guy outside the arena hoping for a Hurricanes win on a Friday night.

Capitals score with 1.3 seconds left to

stun Hurricanes

Jay Beagle's last-second goal capped off a Washington rally

that kept Carolina from sweeping home-and-home

January 13, 2018

Cory Lavalette

RALEIGH — New Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon was

introduced Friday, and one of the things he said drew him to

owning an NHL team is how the margin between winning

and losing is very small and that slight advantages can tip

the balance in your favor.

He learned that first hand Friday night.

The Washington Capitals scored twice in the final 3:08,

including the game-winner from Jay Beagle with 1.3 seconds

remaining, to snatch a 4-3 win from Carolina at PNC Arena.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


It was a loss that left a sour — and bloodied — taste in the

Hurricanes’ collective mouth.

In the final minute with the score knotted 3-3, Carolina center

Jordan Staal was high sticked by Capitals forward Evgeni

Kuznetsov in the Hurricanes zone. Staal was cut on his lip,

but no call was made.

“Pretty obvious, right? Thirty-two seconds to go in the game,

should be on the power play,” Carolina coach Bill Peters

said. “Don’t score there — power play’s good tonight — don’t

score there, you start 4 on 3 in OT.”

Instead, play continued, and a draw in the Washington zone

led to a Capitals rush up the ice. Hurricanes defenseman

Justin Faulk got the puck off Alex Ovechkin’s stick, but Brock

McGinn had the puck swiped away by Nicklas Backstrom.

Backstrom zipped the puck to the goal mouth and Jay

Beagle knocked it in for the winner with 1.3 seconds

remaining.

“It was a stick in the face in front of [the ref] and he chose not

to call it,” a dejected Staal, blood still dripping from his cut

upper lip onto his lower lip, said of the high stick.

It looked like Carolina would complete a home-and-home

sweep of the Capitals — the Hurricanes won 3-1 in

Washington the night before — when Jeff Skinner ripped a

shot past Washington goalie Philipp Grubauer 1:49 into the

third period to give Carolina the lead.

Brett Connolly, however, tied the game with just 3:08

remaining after T.J. Oshie’s forecheck forced Noah Hanifin to

throw a pass into the slot. Connolly quickly shot the puck

past Cam Ward (23 saves) to make it 3-3.

“You gotta stay with him, you gotta teach, you gotta learn

from it and you gotta stay with people,” Peters said of

Hanifin, who was named an All-Star for the first time this

week but suffered his second recent turnover that cost the

team points in the standings after getting steamrolled by

Tyler Johnson for a goal in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The shorthanded Hurricanes — playing without injured Brett

Pesce and Derek Ryan and ill Elias Lindholm and Joakim

Nordstrom — spent the first two periods exchanging special

teams goals with the Capitals.

With Connolly in the penalty box for interference, the

Hurricanes converted on their first power play opportunity of

the night.

A quick passing play from Sebastian Aho to Justin Williams

below the goal line and into the slot resulted in Staal’s 200th

career goal just 10 seconds into the man advantage, giving a

1-0 lead 3:20 into the game.

The Capitals got it back quickly, also on the power play.

Klas Dahlbeck was called for holding while trying to break up

a 2-on-1 Washington rush, sending a depleted Hurricanes

penalty kill that was without four frequent penalty killers out

to defend.

With just seconds remaining on the kill, a mad scrum in front

of Ward eventually kicked the puck out to Jakub Vrana, who

shot and hit the post. The rebound was banged in by forward

Lars Eller — to give him goals in four straight games — at

7:25.

Hurricanes coach Bill Peters challenged on the grounds of

goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld.

The teams exchanged goals again in the second, with

Ovechkin scoring right as a Capitals power play ended to

push Washington ahead just 28 seconds into the middle

frame.

While the Caps were using all of their power play time to

score, Carolina struck quickly again on their second chance.

Aho got his second point of the night when he one-timed a

Justin Faulk pass at the point just five seconds into the man

advantage to make it 2-2 at 8:50 of the second.

“PP’s been rolling, and on the flip side the PK’s gotta be

better, so if you want to win games you gotta get both,” Staal

said.

Skinner’s goal was assisted by Lee Stempniak, who was

playing his first game of the season after missing the first 43

with two different injuries.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


“It’s easy to read off a guy like that because he’s consistent,

he makes good plays and you always know where he’s going

to be,” Skinner said of Stempniak, his frequent linemate last

season. “So it was a good game for him, hopefully something

he can build off. He’s a big piece.”

The Hurricanes now have to shake off the loss before

Sunday’s 3 p.m. home game against Calgary — their last

before a league-mandated bye week.

“It’s never a good feeling to lose,” Skinner said. “Obviously,

it’s a little bit worse feeling when you lose like that. It’s just

something that we’ve got to move on from.

“It sucks right now, but it’s something you can learn from, I

think,” he added. “You obviously don’t like the feeling. Yeah,

we’ll move on. We’ll get focused for the next game and be

ready for that challenge.”

Caps rally, beat Hurricanes on Beagle's

goal with 1.3 left

By JOEDY McCREARY, AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes learned a tough

lesson over the past 1½ weeks: No lead is safe on home ice

against the Washington Capitals.

Jay Beagle scored with 1.3 seconds remaining and the

Capitals rallied to beat the Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday night.

Final 1 2 3 Tot

Carolina 0 1 2 3

Washington 0 1 0 1

Preview | Box | Gameview | Recap

Three Stars

1: Scott Darling, Car (27 Saves)

2: Victor Rask, Car (1G)

3: Lars Eller, Was (1G)

Copyright © 2018 by STATS LLC.

All rights reserved.

Brett Connolly notched the tying goal with 3:08 left, and Alex

Ovechkin added his NHL-leading 28th goal and two assists

for the first-place Capitals, who lost to the Hurricanes a night

before in Washington.

• New Hurricanes owner to focus on winning hockey, fan

experience

ADVERTISING

"It kind of had almost a playoff atmosphere, especially in the

first, just seeing each other back-to-back," Beagle said. "It

kind of gets that little bit of hatred and little bit of rivalry

going."

Lars Eller scored on the power play and Philipp Grubauer

stopped 36 shots to help the Capitals earn their second

come-from-behind victory in Raleigh in less than two weeks.

Washington won 5-4 in overtime on Jan. 2 on two late goals

by Ovechkin.

"The character of the team, it shows it," Ovechkin said.

"Right now, we're starting to realize who we are. We have to

work hard. It's not going to be easy."

The Hurricanes got power-play goals from Jordan Staal and

Sebastian Aho — with each player assisting on the other's

goal — and an even-strength goal from Jeff Skinner.

"We had the opportunity to put a game away, we gave up ...

two in the last three minutes," Carolina coach Bill Peters

said. "Would have been nice to lock it down and get the two

points. Didn't happen."

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Carolina appeared headed for a sweep of the back-to-back

series, but T.J. Oshie pressured All-Star Noah Hanifin into a

turnover behind the net and Connolly snapped the loose

puck between Cam Ward's legs.

Beagle then stuffed in a rebound past an outstretched Ward

in the closing seconds.

With Ovechkin chanting his name in the dressing room and

calling him a legend, Beagle said he was just "crashing the

net, eyes closed, and it hit my stick."

The goal came moments after Carolina co-captain Jordan

Staal appeared to take a high stick to the face, though no

penalty was called, with Staal saying the officials "chose not

to call it."

"Pretty obvious, right? Thirty-two seconds to go in the game,

should be on the power play," Peters said. "The power play's

good tonight, you don't score there, you start 4-on-3 in OT."

The game came hours after Carolina publicly introduced

Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon as the new majority owner

and successor to longtime owner Peter Karmanos Jr.

Dundon took over control of the team Thursday after the sale

closed.

Ward made 23 saves — including a tumbling gem midway

through the third to rob Evgeny Kuznetsov — for Carolina,

which was down a handful of regulars for the rematch of their

3-1 victory Thursday night .

Forward Derek Ryan didn't play after taking a hit from Tom

Wilson the night before, defenseman Brett Pesce was placed

on injured reserve earlier in the day and key forwards Joakim

Nordstrom and Elias Lindholm were scratched with illnesses.

Then, defensemen Trevor van Riemsdyk and Klas Dahlbeck

skated off after being hit in their legs with shots, though both

players quickly returned.

"It shows the value of those guys" on the penalty-kill unit,

Peters said. "They're unsung heroes, all of those guys."

NOTES: Aho has goals in three straight games, and Staal

has points in four straight. ... The Hurricanes recalled C

Lucas Wallmark from their AHL affiliate in Charlotte to

replace Pesce. ... RW Lee Stempniak made his season

debut for Carolina. He missed the first half of the season with

an upper-body injury. ... Washington recalled C Travis Boyd

from its AHL affiliate in Hershey, but he was scratched.

UP NEXT

Capitals: After their week off, they visit New Jersey on Jan.

18.

Hurricanes: Wrap up a two-game homestand against

Calgary on Sunday.

New Hurricanes owner to focus on

winning hockey, fan experience

Raleigh, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have a new owner,

and Tom Dundon said Friday he won’t waste any time making

sweeping changes to the fan experience as he tries to bring a

winning culture back to a franchise that has missed the

playoffs for the last eight seasons.

The Dallas billionaire shared plenty of smiles during an

introductory news conference at PNC Arena, but he also spent

much of his time at the mic speaking on what he views as his

most important job – improving the fan experience and getting

people to the arena.

"We're just going to do stuff, and people will decide if they like

it. If they don't like it, we'll try to do better," Dundon said as he

spoke at length about figuring out ways to improve the fan

experience for those who visit PNC Arena for Canes games.

"We've got folks that know how to build a great hockey team,"

Dundon said. "I don't think I'm happy with what a fan gets

when they come here tonight. Other than the great hockey, we

need to do more than that. We want to make sure that when

someone comes here, they feel like they got value, they got

entertainment, they want to tell their friends and they want to

come back."

Former majority owner Peter Karmanos Jr. quipped that he’ll

recommend “doubling season ticket sales” to Dundon, but the

new owner said it’s incumbent on the franchise to make fans

want to come.

“If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault. It’s our

fault,” Dundon said.

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Dundon said one of the many things that attracted him to the

Hurricanes was the young roster that, in his mind, is set up to

win now and have sustained success – something that could

help his goal of getting more people in the seats.

Ahead of Friday’s game against the Washington Capitals, the

Hurricanes (20-15-8) sit in the final wild-card playoff spot in

the competitive Eastern Conference.

“I know we’ll get more fans and more revenues. I don’t think

we’ll wait for that if (Ron) has an opportunity. We’re going to

make good, rational decisions, and we’re going to win,”

Dundon said. “I value winning more than money, but it doesn’t

mean I want to burn it.”

The agreement transferring ownership of the franchise from

Karmanos to Dundon received final approval by the league

Thursday, about two months after Dundon signed a purchase

agreement for a 61 percent ownership stake in the club.

Karmanos will retain a minority ownership interest in the club,

but day-to-day operations now fall to Dundon.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who came to the Triangle

to welcome Dundon to the league, said Dundon impressed the

NHL Board of Governors.

“He had us at hello. He came to us with us having done his

due diligence. We knew he had an extremely successful

business career,” Bettman said. “He knew what he was getting

in for, and his energy, his intelligence, his focus and perhaps

his lack of patience we all found intriguing.”

Bettman rebuffs relocation rumors – again

In response to continued reports about possible relocation that

have plagued the Hurricanes amid the sale process, Bettman

said in his opening statement that they were nothing more

than “innuendo and rumor.”

“Let me tell you, as I repeatedly said over the years. This

franchise wasn't going anywhere and isn't going anywhere.

And, you should feel good about the fact that Peter

(Karmanos) has made an arrangement, has brought on a

partner, who is not from here but has recognized what a great

community this is and wants to be a part of it,” Bettman said.

“There was way too much speculation about the future of this

franchise. I think a lot of those rumors started in other places

that would like to have a franchise. There was never a risk of

this team moving.”

Karmanos in 2015 said "we'd have to be idiots to move from

here," largely because of the team's PNC Arena lease, which

extends through 2024 and is considered one of the most

team-friendly in the league.

Dundon grew fortune as CEO of auto lending giant

Dundon, 46, is the former CEO and president of Santander

Consumers USA Inc., a giant subprime auto lender that he

founded and ran until July 2015.

Dundon is also the majority owner of Employer Direct, a

growth-stage health care services company, and is a large

investor and director of Topgolf, a premier global sports

entertainment business headquartered in Dallas that

incorporates technology, golf and entertainment.

Dundon is also a managing partner of Dundon Capital

Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm. Dundon

Capital Partners and Employer Direct Healthcare currently

operate in a 33-story Dallas office building Dundon bought in

2015.

Dundon was born in New York but raised in Dallas, and he

earned an economics degree from Southern Methodist

University in 1993.

Karmanos remembered for vision that brought Canes, Stanley

Cup to Raleigh

Under Karmanos' leadership, the Hurricanes came to North

Carolina from Hartford in 1997 and have won a Stanley Cup,

two conference titles and three division championships in the

City of Oaks.

“A little over 20 years ago Pete had a vision. He had a vision

that a remarkable market like the Triangle in North Carolina -

that didn't have any professional sports - would be a great

place to bring hockey,” Bettman said.

“Over the last 20 years, we had a draft here. It was

sensational. We had an All-Star game here. It was

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sensational. You had a parade here after winning the Stanley

Cup. And if you think back over the last 20 years, there are

plenty of teams that haven't hoisted the Stanley Cup. This was

all part of Pete's vision.”

Karmanos said Dundon’s arrival comes at the right time.

“Nobody can take away 24 years of ownership, but there’s a

time, and this is the time,” he said. “And we have the right

person. “I put a lot of time and energy when I was younger

here. There is a time you know you have to move on, and I

realize that.”

Five Takeaways from Dundon's

Introduction

Dundon formally introduced as Hurricanes new majority

owner

by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com

January 12th, 2018

It was a historic day at PNC Arena, as Peter Karmanos

passed the baton to Tom Dundon, who is now the majority

owner of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes.

Dundon was formally introduced at a news conference,

sitting alongside Karmanos, NHL Commissioner Gary

Bettman, Hurricanes Executive Vice President and General

Manager Ron Francis and team President Don Waddell.

Here are five takeaways from the introduction of Dundon as

the new owner of the Hurricanes.

1. A Thank You to Karmanos

Without the foresight and vision of Karmanos in the mid-90s,

today might have been just another Friday in Raleigh. But,

because he saw how hockey could thrive in the Triangle, the

Hurricanes were born and have rooted themselves within the

community.

"Transitions always make for opportunities and dreams and

visions as to what comes next, but I also think it's

appropriate today to recognize what Pete Karmanos has

meant to the Triangle and hockey, not just in the Triangle

and North Carolina but throughout the United States,"

Bettman said at the opening of the press conference. "A little

over 20 years ago, Pete had a vision. He had a vision that a

remarkable market, a growing market, a vibrant market like

the Triangle in North Carolina that didn't have any

professional sports would be a great place to bring hockey,

to have hockey grow, to make it part of the community.

"If you think about over the last 20 years, we had a draft here

and it was sensational. We had an All-Star Game here and it

was sensational. You had a parade here after winning the

Stanley Cup," Bettman continued. "This was all part of Pete's

vision as to what NHL hockey could be in North Carolina."

Karmanos' longtime business partner and friend, Thomas

Thewes, passed away in 2008, and his search for a new

partner and, ultimately, a successor has ramped up in the

last few years.

"I've been looking for someone I thought would move this

whole franchise forward, and I was extremely excited when

Tom came along," he said. "There is a time, and this is the

time. We have the right person."

Now in their 20th Anniversary season, a new era begins for

the Hurricanes.

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"One of the great things that Peter has done for this

franchise is ensured a smooth transition that will give this

franchise stability as far into the future as you can look,"

Bettman said.

"We want to do a lot of great things and we want to change a

lot of things," Dundon said. "[Karmanos] has been the

biggest cheerleader for let's do everything we can with no

limitations and not worrying about what we did before."

"You're going to see some pretty fantastic things going on

here, and I'm looking forward to it," Karmanos said.

2. Dundon is Getting Right to Work

The purchase transaction between Dundon and Karmanos

was officially finalized and approved by the league on

Thursday, but Dundon has been busy behind the scenes for

months.

He's had countless meetings with members of the hockey

staff and the business staff. He's spoken with the coaching

staff, medical staff, equipment staff and players in order to

ascertain what they need to be successful. He's discussed

next steps and tried to absorb as much about the business

as he can with confidants, friends and peers.

It's a new venture for the billionaire entrepreneur and

philanthropist, but it's one he's tackling with the same

enthusiasm, passion and drive as he's done throughout his

entire professional life.

"Everything Tom is going to do is part of his vision to not only

bring a championship, the Stanley Cup to Carolina, but to

make sure this franchise is a vibrant and important part of

this community," Bettman said.

"What we're doing today isn't good enough, and we're going

to do better," Dundon said. "What I was excited about is they

want to do better. Everyone here that works at the arena and

works for this team, they're ready. They're ready to do

something better than they did yesterday, and I think we can.

It's not even a choice. We're just going to do it."

3. Whatever it Takes

That phrase should be familiar to Hurricanes' fans: it was the

team's mantra en route to the 2006 Stanley Cup

championship. Dundon is embracing the same mentality, as

he works to provide the necessary resources to build a

perennial playoff contender.

"Having this culture where everybody knows - whether it's

the players or the people who work here - we're always

going to keep improving everything, every day, all the time,"

Dundon said. "It's never going to be enough."

"Whatever it takes" doesn't necessarily mean cutting checks

for this, that and the other without a purpose.

"We're going to make good, rational decisions, and we're

going to win," Dundon said. "I value winning more than

money, but that doesn't mean I want to burn it."

4. Improving the Fan Experience

In a basic sense, there are two sides to the Hurricanes as an

organization: the hockey side and the business side. Dundon

likes a lot about the hockey side already but will be looking

for ways to better support the players.

"Ron and Bill and the team, I feel pretty fortunate that

they've got something that works," Dundon said. "That

doesn't mean we won't keep trying to get better, but it's

pretty good right now.

"On the hockey side, the advice is repeatedly: you've got to

trust the people who know what they're doing," he continued.

"There's nothing super complicated about understanding

who the smart people are and giving them the resources to

do their job and supporting them."

Dundon sees the biggest opportunity for improvement on the

business side of the team, where he wants to first and

foremost improve the fan experience at PNC Arena.

"Other than the great hockey, we need to do more than that.

That's our focus right now," he said. "We want to make sure

when someone comes here, they feel they got value and

entertainment. They want to tell their friends, and they want

to come back."

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The fan support exists in the market. It's been seen before; it

just must be reinvigorated.

"All the stories I heard as I started looking at this opportunity

was about 2006 and the fan experience and the tailgating,"

Dundon said. "That already happened. We don't have to

hope for it. It's there. It's built in. Now we've just got to go get

it again."

5. The Hurricanes Stay in Raleigh

It's been said countless times, but here it is again, bolded,

underlined, italicized, emphasized in every single way

possible: the Hurricanes are remaining in Raleigh.

"This is a community that has embraced NHL hockey and

the Hurricanes," Bettman said. "I know over the years there

has been speculation and rumor and innuendo about the

future of this franchise. Let me tell you, as I've repeatedly

said over the years, this franchise wasn't going anywhere

and isn't going anywhere."

Tuck those unfounded rumors in bed and turn off the lights.

The Hurricanes have been and will continue to be committed

to the Triangle, especially with Dundon at the helm.

"I think there was way too much speculation about the future

of this franchise. I think a lot of those rumors started in other

places that would like to have a franchise," Bettman said.

"There was never a risk of this team moving. It used to drive

us crazy when we'd have to spend hours on the phone

refuting stories that were just made up and, in some cases I

suppose, wishful thinking - not wishful by us, but by the other

places that would like to have a team."

Potpourri

Friday's press conference clocked in at around 40 minutes,

so there was much discussed. Here are some additional

highlights.

Bettman: "When I was first introduced and you were nice

enough to not only be here today but to give some applause,

Don Waddell leaned over and said, 'Well, that doesn't

happen very often.'"

Dundon: "I didn't know Gary three months ago, and I think

we're best friends now."

Bettman: "We thought we were getting the real deal, and the

more I've gotten to know my new best friend, it's clear we've

gotten the real deal."

Dundon: "The thing that's great about sports is you get to

build an emotional attachment. If we can get the players and

the fans engaged with each other and give people a reason

to come - the team's winning, the experience is good, they're

getting value - then we'll sell more tickets. If we don't sell

more tickets, it's not the fans' fault, it's our fault."

Dundon: "When they win, I can't sleep. When they lose, I'm

just miserable. I just need more people on that with me."

Francis: "I'm with you." Dundon: "He's with me, for sure."

Bettman: "This is the one team that really can unite this

community. There's a lot of fragmented sports rooting

interests depending on which school you follow, which

school you went to or where your kids went."

Recap: Canes Drop Heartbreaker

by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com

January 12th, 2018

The Carolina Hurricanes suffered a heartbreaking loss in the

tail end of a home-and-home, back-to-back set, dropping a

4-3 decision to the Washington Capitals in the final seconds

of regulation.

The Capitals erased the Hurricanes' 3-2 lead in the final five

minutes of regulation, and Jay Beagle tapped home the

game-winner at the 19:58 mark of the third.

Here are five takeaways from Caps-Canes, Part II.

One

This one hurts - literally, for Jordan Staal, who fielded

questions postgame with a bloody lip, the plain-as-day

remnants of an uncalled high-sticking infraction.

"It was a stick in the face right in front of him, and he chose

not to call it," Staal said. "He didn't want to talk to me

tonight."

CAROLINA HURRICANES


That would have given the Hurricanes a four-minute power

play in the final minute of regulation. Instead, the Capitals

made a play and won the game late.

"It's pretty obvious, right? 32 seconds to go in the game,

should be on the power play," head coach Bill Peters said. "If

you don't score there … you start 4-on-3 in OT."

Granted, that non-call didn't directly lead to the Capitals'

game-winner, but they certainly would not have been in the

same position had the correct penalty been assessed. Still,

it's up to the Hurricanes to play out regulation in the same

fashioned they played the first 55 minutes of the game.

"It would have been nice to lock it down and get the two

points," Peters said. "It didn't happen."

Two

So, what happened on that last-second, game-winning goal?

The Hurricanes lost an offensive zone draw, and the Capitals

then moved the puck up the ice. Alex Ovechkin gained the

zone and had the puck whacked off his stick. Nicklas

Backstrom was there to pick it up and centered to Beagle,

who banged it home.

"They made a play," Peters said. "Trying to go for the win.

Lost the draw, and they made some good plays coming up

the ice."

Four minutes prior, it was Brett Connolly taking advantage of

a giveaway off the stick of Noah Hanifin to tie the game at

three.

"A couple miscues. They capitalized on a couple mistakes,"

Jeff Skinner said. "You learn from it. Overall you look at the

game, and I felt like we played pretty well."

Three

Frustratingly, that was indeed the case for the Hurricanes, as

Skinner said: disregarding the final five minutes, the Canes

played a solid game, probably one good enough to win their

second against the Caps in as many nights. Alas.

"I thought we played a great game. A couple mistakes at the

end, but all in all a great game," Staal said. "It definitely hurt.

I thought we had a lot of guys step up and play really well. I

thought we controlled a lot of the game, too. Two good

teams going at it. A couple of frustrating things out there, but

that happens sometimes."

As was the case a night ago, the Hurricanes and Capitals

entered the third period all square on the scoreboard. On

Thursday, it was a 1-1 game. Friday, 2-2. Tonight, it was

Skinner breaking the deadlock as he accepted a pass from

Lee Stempniak - who was making his season debut with the

Canes - and walked around John Carlson before shooting

and scoring.

In the first period, Staal scored a power-play goal, his 200th

career tally, on a bang-bang play in the slot. In the second,

Sebastian Aho scored his ninth goal in his last 10 games, a

blast from the point on another Canes' man advantage.

"You take the positives - and there were a lot of positives -

and you move on," Skinner said.

Four

In game No. 44, Stempniak made his season debut with the

Hurricanes. It's been a frustrating 2017-18 for the veteran

forward, who had been sidelined with two separate upper-

body injuries for the first three-plus months.

Stempniak logged 13:35 of ice time, including 1:53 on the

power play, in his return. In addition to his primary assist on

Skinner's goal, he was a plus-1 with two shots on goal and a

hit.

"He looked real good. He's been around a while. He's real

smart and skilled," Skinner said of his linemate. "It's easy to

read off a guy like that because he's consistent. He makes

good plays, and you always know where he's going to be."

"I thought he skated good. I was impressed with the jump he

had," Peters said. "I thought he had a real good game."

Five

The Hurricanes' injury report was clean just a couple of days

ago. And tonight? It ballooned to four players, with Brett

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Pesce (morning skate in Washington) and Derek Ryan

(boarded by Tom Wilson in Washington) out with upper-body

injuries and Elias Lindholm and Joakim Nordstrom sidelined

with illnesses.

"It's good to see guys stepping up. It's nice to see Stemper

back there. A bunch of guys stepped up. That's what you

need in this league. It's good to see," Skinner said.

"Hopefully we can build on that, because you're always going

to need that."

Up Next

The Hurricanes will look to rebound when they host the

Calgary Flames on Sunday at 3 p.m. in their final game

before the bye week.

"Sunday is a big game. Tough letting points slip tonight. I

thought we battled hard," Staal said. "It's going to be a hard

one to swallow. We're going to have to get that one down the

hatch as soon as we can and come up with a big effort

against Calgary."

"You play 82 games. It's one game out of 82. It's obviously

not the result we wanted and kind of a tough break, but at

the same time it's one game," Skinner said. "We've got to

move on. Next game we have another opportunity to get two

points."

Tom Dundon Introduced as Carolina Hurricanes Majority Owner

“I value winning more than money,” the Canes’ new owner tells the media - and a fanbase who can’t get enough.

By Brian LeBlanc

RALEIGH - It was the wardrobe you noticed first.

There were NHL commissioner Gary Bettman,

Carolina Hurricanes president Don Waddell and

general manager Ron Francis, attired as you

would expect executives to be at an important

business function. There was now-minority owner

Peter Karmanos, in his standard blazer and button-

down shirt.

And there was new owner Tom Dundon, in what

amounted to a Canes-issue warm-up track suit,

fist-bumping Chuck Kaiton while making his way

onto the stage, taking ownership of the Triangle’s

only major-league sports franchise.

Welcome to a new era of Hurricanes hockey, one

in which the team’s owner is just as much a fan of

the club as the paying customers watching his

team.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


And much like every fan who walks through the

doors of PNC Arena 41 times a season, Dundon

has his own opinions of how things could be made

better. Spoiler alert: he isn’t happy, and he’s

making the fan experience job one.

“I don’t think I’m happy with what a fan gets

when they come here,” he told a crowd of about

125 media members and local dignitaries on

Friday. “We want to make sure that someone feels

they got value, they got entertainment, and that

they tell their friends. I’m not going to do a lot of

talking. We’re going to do things.”

The 46-year-old Dundon wasted no time firing

shots across the bow of the team staff, both the

hockey side and the business side. “We’re going

to have a culture where everybody knows we’re

going to keep improving everything, every day, all

the time. It’s never going to be enough.”

Dundon had taken in a few games at the arena

going all the way back to the preseason. And

when asked at what point he realized the fan

experience was going to be the most critical first

step of his ownership, he wasted no time saying

that he noticed it right away.

At one point, Karmanos, unsolicited, told Dundon

that he would like to see season ticket sales

double. Not thirty seconds later, Dundon turned

that statement on its head. “If we don’t sell more

tickets,” the new owner said, “it’s not the fans’

fault. It’s our fault.”

Dundon’s business experience is in leading

consumer-focused brands that don’t necessarily

have the rabid following of a sports team. No one

is going to be telling their friends, say, how

excited they were to make a car payment. But

Dundon showed on Friday that his passion for

doing things right by the customer supercedes any

specific line of business.

And he doesn’t mind spending money to do it,

drawing a contrast - even if he didn’t realize it

was happening - with the man sitting two seats to

his right. “We want to do a lot of great things,”

Dundon said. “Pete has been the biggest

cheerleader for doing everything we can with no

limitations.”

For Bettman, Friday was a victory lap. Similar to

past ownership transfers in Sun Belt markets like

Tampa with Jeff Vinik and Dallas with Dan

Gaglardi, Dundon represents the fulfillment of

Bettman’s long-view expansion strategy, one that

has never wavered in the face of any number of

Canadian dreams to the contrary.

And he relished it. “This is a community that has

embraced NHL hockey and the Hurricanes,” the

commissioner said. “Over the years there has been

speculation and innuendo and rumors about the

future of this franchise. As I have repeatedly said,

this franchise wasn’t going anywhere, and it isn’t

going anywhere.

“There was never a risk of this team moving. It

used to drive us crazy that we had to spend hours

on the phone refuting stories that were just made

up.”

Not going anywhere physically, maybe, but

Dundon made it clear that it would be going

places: on the ice, in the locker room, in the

marketing suite, and any number of places. “I’m

not patient,” he admitted. “The fact that they have

a team that can win right now, and we can do

some things to bring more fans and resources, that

was an opportunity. This is a market that has

supported this team and loves sports. This is a

winning place. I know we can fix it.”

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Dundon will be commuting between Dallas and

Raleigh for the indeterminate future. With five

kids at home, he will have his attention somewhat

divided, but when he’s in Raleigh, he says that he

will be a regular presence at the arena, where the

team will have his undivided attention.

And he’ll have one goal in mind with every

decision he makes, every tweak he implements,

every shift he watches, every meeting he attends.

“I hope we set some new expectations that are

hard to meet, and we will keep working every day

to meet them.

“I value winning,” he said, “more than I value

money.”

Recap and Ranker: Caps Stun Canes, 4-3

That was the opposite of good.

By Kyle Morton

On a day where the Carolina Hurricanes gained an owner, they proved unable to shed another.

The Washington Capitals, a team that has long exerted dominance in their meetings with the Hurricanes, willed themselves to victory when Jay Beagle finished a centering pass from Nicklas Backstrom with about a second left to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead they wouldn’t be able to relinquish if they tried.

A buzzing crowd at PNC Arena hoped to be able to celebrate a victory on such a monumental day for their team, and an early power play goal by Jordan Staal felt like it had them on their way to being able to do so.

But Lars Eller scored on the Hurricanes for the second consecutive night to tie the game before the end of the first, and Alexander Ovechkin unleashed one of his patented one-time slappers from the circle to give Washington a 2-1 lead in the second.

Carolina answered when Sebastian Aho beat Philip Grubauer with a power play bomb of his own later in the second, and Jeff Skinner scored a dazzling goal early in the third to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead.

Then, with about three minutes to go, an ill-advised pass to the middle of the ice by Noah Hanifin found the stick of Washington’s Brett Connolly, who beat Cam Ward with a shot that neither player was entirely prepared for.

It looked like the Hurricanes at least had a point sewn up until the aforementioned goal by Beagle.

The Hurricanes return to action at home on Sunday when they welcome a surging Calgary Flames team to PNC Arena. Following that, they will embark upon their league-mandated five day “bye week.”

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Tom Dundon takes over majority ownership of Carolina Hurricanes

New owner actively assumes immediate control and oversight of team

January 12, 2018 Peter Koutroumpis

RALEIGH, N.C. – National Hockey League (NHL) commissioner Gary Bettman kicked it all off midday on Friday at PNC Arena when he introduced entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Dundon as the new majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Sitting alongside Bettman, Dundon was also joined by former majority owner and now minority owner Peter Karmanos, Jr., team president Don Waddell, and executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis.

“Tom Dundon sees the potential in the Hurricanes and in Raleigh,” Bettman said.

“Tom represents a bright and secure future for the team, here — let there be no doubt about this — here in North Carolina.

“You are going to like Tom and Tom is going to bring his energy and his vision for this franchise. He wants success for the Hurricanes, on and off the ice; he wants the team to be the pride of the Triangle and an even-more integral part of the community.”

In making the introduction of Dundon, Bettman also presented his appreciation for what Karmanos had done in bringing an NHL franchise to the Triangle.

“I also want to take a moment to express my appreciation to Peter Karmanos for his many contributions to the NHL and to the community,” Bettman said.

“I know how much the Hurricanes mean to him and I am glad to know he will remain connected to the team that he brought to North Carolina in 1997.”

Dundon indicated he would be very hands-on in working to improve all aspects of the club’s operation, particularly related to the fan experience.

“The blueprint for the business is fairly obvious – not too different from every other business in the world,” he said.

“I’m not patient. It’s not going to work for me to be patient. And the fact that they had a team that can win right now, and we can then hopefully do some things to bring more fans and more resources, and they can sustain what Ron and these guys have built.”

With the Hurricanes holding the second wildcard spot and facing the Metropolitan Division’s top team, the Washington Capitals, in the second of a back-to-back, home-and-home set Friday night, Dundon was active and visible all over the arena before the puck dropped.

He showed up and watched head coach Bill Peters during his pregame scrum and wished him luck following it.

He talked with local media, and made the rounds on various NHL radio and television outlets.

He was making good on what he said during the press conference, working to make the Hurricanes a successful and winning team once again.

“I’m probably not going to do a ton of speeches and talking – we’re just going to go do stuff,” Dundon said.

“Ways to be able to keep finding ways to improve this place, that’s the job, that’s the journey.”

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Done deal! Tom Dundon becomes Carolina Hurricanes majority owner

Dundon to be formally introduced at press conference Friday

January 12, 2018 Peter Koutroumpis

RALEIGH, N.C. – Tom Dundon is the new majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, the team announced on Thursday.

To officially introduce and recognize Dundon accordingly, National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman will be on hand to do so at a press conference that will be held at PNC Arena at Noon on Friday.

Dundon, who formally closed his purchase transaction with Peter Karmanos, Jr. on Thursday, via league approval, will take over operation of the organization with Karmanos retaining a minority ownership interest in the Club.

The process comes to closure a little over a month since Dundon had signed an agreement to purchase a majority stake in team as was announced on Dec. 7, 2017.

“I am thrilled to continue to build upon what Peter Karmanos started in Raleigh,” Dundon said in a statement at that time.

“The Hurricanes are a team on the rise, and I believe we have an opportunity to take the franchise to the next level. I’m ready to get to work.”

Dundon who resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife Veruschka and their five children, is the chairman and

managing partner of Dundon Capital Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm.

He has been involved in investment activities that have spanned the entertainment, healthcare, real estate and hospitality, technology, automotive and financial services sectors.

Karmanos originally purchased the Hartford Whalers franchise in 1994 before he moved it to Raleigh and renamed it as the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.

Since relocation, under Karmanos’ ownership, the team has captured three division titles, two conference titles and the 2006 Stanley Cup Championship.

In 2015, Karmanos was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the category of Builder, in recognition of his more than four-decades of achievements and contributions to the sport.

In seeking a buyer over the past few years, Karmanos was adamant in finding an individual who would work to keep the team in Raleigh while he could transition out of any ownership of the club in coming years after a sale was completed.

“Tom has had tremendous success in business, and I fully expect that to continue as he takes control of the Hurricanes,” Karmanos said.

“I look forward to working with him, and bringing another Stanley Cup to North Carolina.”

Caps rally, beat Hurricanes on Beagle's goal with 1.3 left

by STATS

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Carolina Hurricanes learned a tough lesson over the past 1 1/2 weeks: No lead is safe on home ice against the Washington Capitals.

Jay Beagle scored with 1.3 seconds remaining and the Capitals rallied to beat the Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday night.

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/teams/page/CAR/carolina-hurricanes

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/teams/page/WAS/washington-capitals

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Brett Connolly notched the tying goal with 3:08 left, and Alex Ovechkin added his NHL-leading 28th goal and two assists for the first-place Capitals, who lost to the Hurricanes a night before in Washington.

''It kind of had almost a playoff atmosphere, especially in the first, just seeing each other back-to-back,'' Beagle said. ''It kind of gets that little bit of hatred and little bit of rivalry going.''

Lars Eller scored on the power play and Philipp Grubauer stopped 36 shots to help the Capitals earn their second come-from-behind victory in Raleigh in less than two weeks. Washington won 5-4 in overtime on Jan. 2 on two late goals by Ovechkin.

''The character of the team, it shows it,'' Ovechkin said. ''Right now, we're starting to realize who we are. We have to work hard. It's not going to be easy.''

The Hurricanes got power-play goals from Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho - with each player assisting on the other's goal - and an even-strength goal from Jeff Skinner.

''We had the opportunity to put a game away, we gave up ... two in the last three minutes,'' Carolina coach Bill Peters said. ''Would have been nice to lock it down and get the two points. Didn't happen.''

Carolina appeared headed for a sweep of the back-to-back series, but T.J. Oshie pressured All-Star Noah Hanifin into a turnover behind the net and Connolly snapped the loose puck between Cam Ward's legs.

Beagle then stuffed in a rebound past an outstretched Ward in the closing seconds.

With Ovechkin chanting his name in the dressing room and calling him a legend, Beagle said he was just ''crashing the net, eyes closed, and it hit my stick.''

The goal came moments after Carolina co-captain Jordan Staal appeared to take a high stick to the face, though no

penalty was called, with Staal saying the officials ''chose not to call it.''

''Pretty obvious, right? Thirty-two seconds to go in the game, should be on the power play,'' Peters said. ''The power play's good tonight, you don't score there, you start 4-on-3 in OT.''

The game came hours after Carolina publicly introduced Dallas billionaire Tom Dundon as the new majority owner and successor to longtime owner Peter Karmanos Jr. Dundon took over control of the team Thursday after the sale closed.

Ward made 23 saves - including a tumbling gem midway through the third to rob Evgeny Kuznetsov - for Carolina, which was down a handful of regulars for the rematch of their 3-1 victory Thursday night .

Forward Derek Ryan didn't play after taking a hit from Tom Wilson the night before, defenseman Brett Pesce was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day and key forwards Joakim Nordstrom and Elias Lindholm were scratched with illnesses. Then, defensemen Trevor van Riemsdyk and Klas Dahlbeck skated off after being hit in their legs with shots, though both players quickly returned.

''It shows the value of those guys'' on the penalty-kill unit, Peters said. ''They're unsung heroes, all of those guys.''

NOTES: Aho has goals in three straight games, and Staal has points in four straight. ... The Hurricanes recalled C Lucas Wallmark from their AHL affiliate in Charlotte to replace Pesce. ... RW Lee Stempniak made his season debut for Carolina. He missed the first half of the season with an upper-body injury. ... Washington recalled C Travis Boyd from its AHL affiliate in Hershey, but he was scratched.

UP NEXT

Capitals: After their week off, they visit New Jersey on Jan. 18.

Hurricanes: Wrap up a two-game homestand against Calgary on Sunday.

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Capitals defeat Hurricanes on goal with

two seconds left Beagle breaks tie to give Washington split of home-and-

home

by Kurt Dusterberg

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jay Beagle scored with two seconds

remaining in the third period to lift the Washington Capitals to

a 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on

Friday.

Beagle took a pass from Nicklas Backstrom at the top of the

crease and slipped a shot past goalie Cam Ward to give the

Capitals a split of the home-and-home.

"Beagle doesn't always get the sexy stats," Washington

coach Barry Trotz said. "Great play by [Backstrom] getting it

over there, but Beagle went to the net hard. It was great for

us."

The goal was Beagle's first in 15 games.

"Backstrom makes an incredible play there," Beagle said.

"The stick lift [on Hurricanes forward Brock McGinn] and then

he throws it across. I'm just crashing the net, eyes closed,

and it hits my stick."

Brett Connolly tied the game 3-3 for the Capitals when he

scored from the slot with 3:08 remaining after T.J. Oshie

stripped the puck from Noah Hanifin behind the Hurricanes

net.

"[Oshie] is such a good player with the puck," Connolly said.

"He's always hunting pucks and backchecking and doing the

little things. You combine that with his really good skill set,

and that's why he such a good player."

Ovechkin had a goal and two assists for the Capitals (28-14-

3), whose five-game winning streak ended in a 3-1 loss to

the Hurricanes on Thursday. Philipp Grubauer made 36

saves.

Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and an

assist for the Hurricanes (20-16-8). Ward made 23 saves.

The Hurricanes took a 1-0 lead 10 seconds into their first

power-play opportunity. Justin Williams fed Staal, who

flipped a shot under the crossbar at 3:10 of the first period for

the 200th goal of his NHL career.

The Capitals tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal of their own at

7:25. After a lengthy goal-mouth scramble, Lars Eller scored

from the left side of the crease after Jakub Vrana hit the right

post. Eller has scored in four straight games.

Ovechkin gave Washington a 2-1 lead 28 seconds into the

second period with a one-timer from the left face-off circle for

his NHL-leading 28th goal. John Carlson got his 300th NHL

point on the set-up pass.

Carolina scored five seconds into its second power play

when Aho beat Grubauer with a one-timer from above the

circles at 8:50 to tie the game 2-2.

Skinner gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead at 1:49 of the third

period when he skated through the Capitals defense and

beat Grubauer to the short side. Lee Stempniak had an

assist in his season debut after missing the first 43 games

because of back and upper-body injuries.

"We had an opportunity to put the game away, and we gave

up two in the last three minutes," Hurricanes coach Bill

Peters said. "It would have been nice to lock it down and get

the two points. It didn't happen."

The Capitals go into their five-day break on a roll.

"The character of the team shows," Ovechkin said. "We're

starting to realize who we are. We have to work hard. It's not

going to be easy. For us right now, a huge two points."

Eller nets PPG amid scramble

00:56 • January 12th, 2018

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Goal of the game

Beagle's goal at 19:58 of the third period.

Beagle's last-second goal

01:05 • January 12th, 2018

Save of the game

Grubauer's saves on Hanifin at 10:40 and Stempniak at

10:41 of the second period.

Grubauer stops Stempniak in close

00:32 • January 12th, 2018

Highlight of the game

Ovechkin's goal 28 seconds into the second period.

Ovechkin drills one past Ward

00:50 • January 12th, 2018

They said it

"I think everybody realized we had to be a little bit better than

[Thursday] night. You got big goals when you needed it.

Connolly getting it, then the late one [from Beagle]. That's

going to leave a mark on [them]. I think we're in a real good

spot getting the win tonight. It will make the break a lot more

pleasurable." -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz

"All in all, a great game. It definitely hurt. We had a lot of

guys step up and play really well. I thought we controlled a

lot of the game too. It's going to be a hard one to swallow." --

Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal

Need to know

Beagle's is the latest go-ahead goal in Capitals history,

according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Alexander Semin

scored at 19:49 of the third period in a 3-2 win against the

Hurricanes on Nov. 6, 2008. ... The Capitals are 7-3-1 when

tied entering the third period. ... Aho has nine goals in the

past 10 games. … The Hurricanes played without

defenseman Brett Pesce, who was placed on injured reserve

with an upper-body injury sustained during the morning skate

Thursday, and forward Derek Ryan, who was injured in the

third period of the win at Washington.

New Hurricanes owner commits to Raleigh

market Dundon eager to get started, wants to enhance fan

experience

by Tom Gulitti

The news conference to introduce Tom Dundon as the

majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes was being

delayed, and while they talked on the dais, NHL

Commissioner Gary Bettman could see Dundon fidgeting in

his chair, eager to get started.

"Tom is champing at the bit," Commissioner Bettman told the

media and Hurricanes staff members in attendance at PNC

Arena on Friday. "Punctuality will be at the cornerstone of

this franchise moving forward."

Dundon's impatience was clear throughout the news

conference, and he made it clear to anyone watching that he

wants to get to work immediately on transforming the

Hurricanes into the successful, profitable, championship

team he envisions.

"I'm not patient," Dundon said. "It's not going to work for me

to be patient."

Immediately after the news conference, Dundon sent out a

letter to the Hurricanes fans, expressing his commitment to

the market and some the immediate changes he's planning,

including supplementing the training and analytical staffs and

building a new practice facility.

The good news is Dundon, the 46-year-old chairman and

managing partner of Dundon Capital Partners, a Dallas-

based private investment firm, is taking over a young team

that appears on the verge of a breakthrough on the ice. The

Hurricanes held the second wild card into the Stanley Cup

Playoffs from the Eastern Conference entering their home

game against the Washington Capitals on Friday.

The Hurricanes haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2009,

but Dundon expressed confidence that general manager Ron

Francis, coach Bill Peters and their staffs have the team on

the right path hockey-wise. It will be up to him to produce

success business-wise.

"What I think is the most important thing we have to do,

knowing that we've got folks that understand how to build a

great hockey team and have a great foundation, is figure out

how to give a great fan experience," Dundon said. "I don't

think I'm happy with what a fan gets when they come here

tonight. Other than the great hockey, we need to do more

than that. And that's our focus right now."

The sale was completed Thursday, with Dundon purchasing

61 percent of the Hurricanes from Peter Karmanos, who

bought the Hartford Whalers in 1994 and moved them to

CAROLINA HURRICANES


North Carolina in 1997, when they were renamed.

Karmanos, 74, retains a minority stake in the team and will

serve as an advisor to Dundon.

"Tom says he's not patient. There isn't an owner, I think,

that's patient in the true definition of the word," Karmanos

said. "But you have to put that aside and try to do the right

things."

Karmanos provided an example of how his own impatience

once cost him, referencing the five-year, $35 million

extension the Hurricanes gave forward Alexander Semin in

2013. The Hurricanes ended up buying out the final three

seasons in 2015 after the enigmatic Semin struggled to live

up to it.

"So one of the things that I can do, Gary can do, Ronnie can

do, is help Tom through those periods of time when you want

to do something stupid," Karmanos said.

Karmanos can also tell Dundon about how good the Raleigh

market can be if the Hurricanes can consistently have a

competitive team. Commissioner Bettman reminisced about

the scene outside PNC Arena before playoff games when

the parking lots would be filled with tailgating fans. Inside the

arena, the atmosphere was electric during the Hurricanes'

run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 and the Eastern

Conference Final in 2009.

The crowning moment came when they defeated the

Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final

there.

"During the Stanley Cup Final, Game 7, this is the first time

at a professional sporting event that I can recall that

everybody stood for the entire game," the Commissioner

said. "This is a community that has embraced NHL hockey

and the Hurricanes. I know there has been speculation and

rumor and innuendo about the future of this franchise. Let

me tell you, as I repeatedly said over the years, this

franchise wasn't going anywhere and isn't going anywhere."

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward, the Conn Smythe Trophy

winner in 2006 when he was 22, would love to see those

glory days return. Having met with Dundon in the past

month, Ward can tell he's done his homework and

understands the potential of the market.

"He's genuinely really excited," Ward said. "The players feel

that excitement from him. I think he's a guy that makes an

impact, wants to win, wants to make a Raleigh a place where

players want to come and play. As players, that's always

exciting to hear that from your owner."

Dundon spoke Friday about increasing ticket sales and

getting the community engaged with the team.

Winning always helps. Dundon believes there are "a hundred

little things" he can do, as well.

He admitted he doesn't have an exact business plan yet and

didn't want to discuss the details he has figured out, but it

won't take long for them to be revealed.

"I'm probably not going to do a lot of speeches and talking,"

Dundon said. "We're just going to go do stuff. Then, people

will decide if they like it, and if they don't' like it, we'll try to do

better."

As for his financial commitment, Dundon said, "I value

winning more than money, but it doesn't mean I want to burn

it."

He then told the story of how he almost walked away from

the sale when Karmanos, "wasn't OK with my price." The

problem for Dundon was they'd begun talking during training

camp, and by that point, he was emotionally hooked.

"I'd been watching the team, and now I'm invested," Dundon

said. "And now I'm done, it's over. I'm irrelevant, and I can't

do what I want to do with the organization, so I called him

back, groveling. That's how we came to our deal.

"So I've already sort of proven that I'll make an irrational

financial decision if it means we can win."

Dundon becomes majority owner of

Hurricanes Sale from Karmanos official, will own 61 percent of team

NHL.com @NHL

Tom Dundon is now majority owner of the Carolina

Hurricanes.

The NHL announced Thursday that the sale, which was

agreed to in December, had been completed. Dundon will

own 61 percent of the Hurricanes, with Peter Karmanos

retaining a minority stake. The NHL Board of Governors

previously approved the transaction.

"Tom Dundon sees the potential in the Hurricanes and in

Raleigh," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday at

PNC Arena, where Dundon was introduced. "Tom represents

a bright and secure future for the team, here -- let there be

no doubt about this -- here in North Carolina."

Dundon said Thursday he was 100 percent confident in

general manager Ron Francis and coach Bill Peters. The

Hurricanes have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once (2008-

09) since winning the Cup in 2005-06.

He said Friday he plans to work to improve the experience

for fans on and off the ice.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


"I'm probably not going to do a ton of speeches and talking ...

we're just going to go do stuff," he said. "Ways to be able to

keep finding ways to improve this place... that's the job, that's

the journey.

"I came to the games and it didn't look like what I would want

it to look like. If I'm going to be involved, I have what I

consider the right way to do things, and this isn't it. ... If

people are going to spend their money, they should get value

for it."

Dundon, 46, is chairman and managing partner of Dundon

Capital Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm.

Commissioner Bettman said he is confident that the NHL has

the right man for the job.

"You could see it today," Commissioner Bettman said. "He's

the real deal. He's down-to-earth, he's really smart, he's

really passionate and emotional. He's going to create an

organizational culture in his image. I think that's going to be

exciting for the franchise."

Karmanos had owned the team since 1994, when he

purchased the Hartford Whalers. He moved them to North

Carolina in 1997, when they were renamed. They played in

Greensboro for two seasons before moving to Raleigh.

Karmanos was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the

category of builder in 2015.

New Hurricanes owner Dundon values

'winning more than money'

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes

is new to owning a professional sports team and, for that

matter, relatively new to hockey.

But Tom Dundon knows how to run a successful business _

and he wants to win soon.

``The blueprint for the business is fairly obvious _ not too

different from every other business in the world,'' Dundon

said Friday during his introduction as the team's majority

owner.

Carolina Hurricanes new NHL hockey team majority owner

Thomas Dundon smiles during an introductory press

conference at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., Friday. Chris

Seward/AP Photo

`Òn the hockey side, the advice (has been) repeatedly,

you've got to trust'' his hockey-minded employees, he added.

`Ì don't think I'm going to walk in and understand more

hockey than (general manager Ron Francis). That would be

ridiculous.''

Dundon, a 46-year-old billionaire from Dallas, is the former

CEO of Santander Consumer USA, a Dallas-based lending

firm. He's also an investor in the Top Golf chain of golf and

entertainment facilities and a key financier of a new golf

course in Dallas.

ADVERTISEMENT

Now he's part of the exclusive club of pro sports owners.

`Ì value winning more than money,'' Dundon said, ``but it

doesn't mean I want to burn it.''

Dundon, who repeatedly described himself as impatient, has

taken over the team with the NHL's longest active

postseason drought _ eight years. Carolina entered Friday

night's home game against first-place Washington in playoff

position after beating the Capitals 3-1 on Thursday night.

`Ì'm not patient. It's not going to work for me to be patient,''

Dundon said. `Ànd the fact that they had a team that can

win right now, and we can then hopefully do some things to

bring more fans and more resources and they can sustain

what Ron and these guys have built, that was the big

difference.''

One of Dundon's top challenges is attracting more fans. The

Hurricanes rank next to last in attendance this season,

averaging about 12,500 at the 18,680-seat building. Their

average attendance of 11,776 last season was the team's

smallest since moving into PNC Arena in 1999.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


`Ìf we don't sell more tickets, it's not the fans' fault _ it's our

fault,'' Dundon said. ``Clearly, this is a winning town, this is a

winning place with a team that is ready to win. ... They'll

come when we give them a reason to come.''

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says Dundon's purchase

of the team and commitment to the Raleigh area should bury

the talk about possible relocation.

``This is a community that has embraced NHL hockey and

the Hurricanes,'' Bettman said. `Ì know over the years, there

has been speculation and rumor and innuendo about the

future of this franchise. Let me tell you, as I repeatedly said

over the years, this franchise wasn't going anywhere and

isn't going anywhere.''

Under the ownership transition, Peter Karmanos Jr. will

retain a minority piece of the club he purchased in 1994 and

moved from Hartford, Connecticut, to North Carolina three

years later.

Karmanos had been publicly seeking a local buyer for at

least three years. He acknowledged over the summer that he

and a group led by former Texas Rangers CEO Chuck

Greenberg had agreed to an outline but could not settle on

terms for a purchase agreement. He also said he was

looking for a sale price of about $500 million.

Dundon said Karmanos initially rejected his first bid for the

franchise. He said he usually can shake off a failed deal and

move on to the next one, but described himself as

``depressed'' because `Ì was watching the team and now

I'm (emotionally) invested, and it's done.

`Ànd I called (Karmanos) back, groveling, and that's how we

came to our deal,'' Dundon added. `Ì've already sort of

proven that I'll make an irrational financial decision if it

means that we can win something.''

Carolina Hurricanes Sold To Tom Dundon

For $420 Million

Mike Ozanian

Tom Dundon has purchased the Carolina Hurricanes and the

operating rights to PNC Arena for $420 million.

Media outlets are reporting the value of the sale as $550

million. Not true. Two people with first-hand knowledge of the

sale have told me the enterprise value was $420 million. Still,

the sale price is 13.5% more than our valuation of the NHL

team last month.

Dundon now owns 61% of the Hurricanes with outgoing

owner Peter Karmanos retaining 39%. Dundon has an option

to purchase the remainder of the team in three years at a

significantly higher enterprise value.

For Karmanos, the $420 million (3.9 times 2016-17 revenue)

is a huge win. The Hurricanes generally have been losing

money and with no basketball team to help anchor PNC

Arena, which is run by the hockey team, the building's

economics are challenging.

For the NHL, the $420 million enterprise value hammers

home the point that expansion team prices do not equate to

a floor for team values. The expansion fee paid by Vegas

Golden Knights, which joined the league this season, was

$500 million. And the next expansion team, possibly in

Seattle, may indeed go for over $600 million.

But the Hurricanes were a debt-laden, thinly capitalized

franchise and Karmanos--who bought the team for $47.5

million in 1994--has wanted out for a few years.

The Hurricanes now have a much stronger balance sheet.

Prior to the sale the team was saddled with some $260

million of debt. The team's debt is now roughly $100 million.

The question for Hurricanes supporters is this: With much of

the money to buy the team used pay off past bills, does

Dundon have the money to market and support the

franchise?

Apparently, yes. A Dallas Morning News story from 2015

claims Dundon is a billionaire.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


TODAY’S LINKS

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article194543569.html

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article194537319.html




https://nsjonline.com/article/2018/01/capitals-score-with-1-3-seconds-left-to-stun-hurricanes/

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/caps-rally-beat-hurricanes-on-beagle-s-goal-with-1-3-left/17253739/

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/new-hurricanes-owner-to-focus-on-winning-hockey-fan-experience/17252193/

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/five-takeaways-from-tom-dundon-hurricanes-introduction/c-294894628

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-hurricanes-drop-heartbreaker/c-294903994

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/1/12/16885468/carolina-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-peter-karmanos-gary-bettman-ron-francis

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/1/12/16886982/recap-and-ranker-washington-capitals-stun-carolina-hurricanes-4-3-nhl

http://trianglesportsnet.com/carolina-hockey-network/tom-dundon-takes-majority-ownership-carolina-hurricanes/

http://trianglesportsnet.com/carolina-hockey-network/done-deal-tom-dundon-becomes-carolina-hurricanes-majority-owner/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/caps-rally-beat-hurricanes-on-beagles-goal-with-1-3-left/

https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-carolina-hurricanes-game-recap/c-294906196

https://www.nhl.com/news/carolina-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-commits-to-raleigh-market/c-294897848

https://www.nhl.com/news/tom-dundon-majority-owner-of-carolina-hurricanes/c-294871730

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/22060776/new-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-values-winning-more-money

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2018/01/12/carolina-hurricanes-sold-to-tom-dungon-for-420-million/#6a62c79e73d8

1092808 Carolina Hurricanes

Dundon says he couldn’t say no to a chance to own the Hurricanes

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 05:47 PM


Dundon, a Dallas billionaire, does his due diligence, sifts through the

financial data and decides on a fair offer. If it doesn’t close the deal,

that’s that.


Dundon, introduced Friday as the new majority owner and managing

partner of the Hurricanes, said he made first made an offer to Peter

Karmanos Jr. that the owner turned down. A week later, a somewhat

depressed Dundon was back with a new one.

Money is money, he said. He’s made a lot of it. But there’s an emotional

attachment involved in owning a major-league sports team, and Dundon

said he already felt that attachment to the Hurricanes.

“Never in my life had I gone back on a deal,” Dundon said. “If we didn’t

get it done it was over and I didn’t think about it again and went on to the

next one.”

But Dundon said he had been watching the team and was emotionally

invested in the team, excited when they won and miserable if they lost.

“Then it’s over and I’m done,” he said, speaking of the deal falling

through. “I can’t do what I want to do with the organization.”

A week later, Dundon reached Karmanos again, with a higher offer. He

wanted to own the hockey team.

“I called him back, groveling,” Dundon said. “That’s how we came to our

deal. So I’ve already proven I will make an irrational financial decision.”

Dundon agreed to buy 61 percent of the franchise, which was valued at

$550 million, with an option to purchase the remainder in three years.

On Friday, Dundon sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on a

dais at PNC Arena, saying he first met Bettman three months ago and

adding, “I think we’re best friends now.”

To Bettman’s right sat Karmanos, who will remain as a minority owner

and was praised by Bettman for his contributions to the sport, both in

bringing the Hurricanes to the Triangle and North Carolina and in his

long-time support of youth hockey in Detroit. That earned Karmanos an

ovation from the large crowd packed into the Arena Club.

But Friday was Dundon’s day. And he was Tom Dundon. He wore

Hurricanes athletic gear to the press conference. He wore Under Armour

sneakers.

News Observer LOADED: 01.13.2018







https://nsjonline.com/article/2018/01/capitals-score-with-1-3-seconds-left-to-stun-hurricanes/

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/caps-rally-beat-hurricanes-on-beagle-s-goal-with-1-3-left/17253739/

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/new-hurricanes-owner-to-focus-on-winning-hockey-fan-experience/17252193/

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/five-takeaways-from-tom-dundon-hurricanes-introduction/c-294894628

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/recap-hurricanes-drop-heartbreaker/c-294903994

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/1/12/16885468/carolina-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-peter-karmanos-gary-bettman-ron-francis

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/1/12/16886982/recap-and-ranker-washington-capitals-stun-carolina-hurricanes-4-3-nhl

http://trianglesportsnet.com/carolina-hockey-network/tom-dundon-takes-majority-ownership-carolina-hurricanes/

http://trianglesportsnet.com/carolina-hockey-network/done-deal-tom-dundon-becomes-carolina-hurricanes-majority-owner/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/caps-rally-beat-hurricanes-on-beagles-goal-with-1-3-left/

https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-carolina-hurricanes-game-recap/c-294906196

https://www.nhl.com/news/carolina-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-commits-to-raleigh-market/c-294897848

https://www.nhl.com/news/tom-dundon-majority-owner-of-carolina-hurricanes/c-294871730

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/22060776/new-hurricanes-owner-tom-dundon-values-winning-more-money

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2018/01/12/carolina-hurricanes-sold-to-tom-dungon-for-420-million/#6a62c79e73d8

CAROLINA HURRICANES


As Hurricanes move into a new era, their old owner is as excited as

anyone

BY LUKE DECOCK

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 04:08 PM

RALEIGH

These are new and exciting and uncertain days for the Carolina

Hurricanes, the kind of days when a midday press conference at PNC

Arena overshadows not only the massive divisional win the night before

but the rematch with the Washington Capitals to come at the arena later

that night.

If it wasn’t clear Thursday just what a brand new day this is for the

franchise when Thomas Dundon assumed control of the Hurricanes, it

was clear Friday when he sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman,

with Peter Karmanos on Bettman’s other shoulder.

“Those lousy crowds are the result of not having enough season tickets,”

Karmanos said.

Moments later, without skipping a beat, Dundon laid down the new law.

“If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault. It’s our fault,” Dundon

said.

Hallelujah.

Dundon’s wardrobe alone indicated nothing is going to stay the same.

Karmanos and Bettman wore suits, per their usual. Dundon wore a

windbreaker, per his usual, and must have left his omnipresent hat in his

office. A wild ride lies ahead.

You might think, given Dundon’s determination to examine and, if

necessary, upend every aspect of the franchise – even the hockey side,

as much as Dundon thinks the team is on the right track, will be given

upgrades in analytics and medical treatment – that Karmanos might look

askance at some of this. For 24 years, this was his team, his baby, and

while it’s fair to criticize his stewardship of it at times, none of this, from

2002 to 2006 to 2009, from the draft to the All-Star Game, even that

dead-stinking-last season in 2003 that was a mesmerizing catastrophe to

watch, would have happened without him.

An orderly transition of power is the hallmark of any functioning

democracy, and you never know how the one of end era will slide into a

new one. Karmanos didn’t have the smoothest transition from

Compuware, the software company he founded, and the Hurricanes

meant as much to him – if not more than Compuware. He choked up

Friday talking about his silent partner Thomas Thewes, whose death in

2008 led Karmanos to consider selling the team in the first place. This

team was his dream for a long time, and it was time to walk away. He

knew it. That doesn’t make it easy.

But Karmanos is entering this new era with the same optimism and

anticipation as anyone else around the franchise. For the first time in

decades, at age 74, he’s a fan again. No worries about profits or loss. No

one asking where to park the pallet-jack. No memos from the NHL.

“That’s the best part,” Karmanos said, smiling broadly. “It’s been that way

for a few weeks.”

Karmanos’ new role as minority owner will be as a sort of senior adviser,

but it’s clear Dundon is going to do things his way regardless of what

Karmanos thinks, and Karmanos is fine with that. If anything, he’s as

curious as anyone to see what happens.

“One of the things I was concerned about as we did this is, we want to do

a lot of great things and we want to change a lot of things,” Dundon said.

“Pete, I talked to him a couple times about this, is it OK if we do things

differently? And he’s been the biggest cheerleader for, let’s do everything

we can with no limitations and not worry about what we did before, and I

don’t think that means we don’t appreciate what he did.”

Or, from Karmanos’ side: “I knew from the first time I talked to Tom he

was the real deal and he would be a good owner. That’s very important

to Gary, and especially to me, as far as who you turn the team over to.”

So this, as much as anything, will be a part of Karmanos’ complicated

legacy. He brought the team here. He won a Stanley Cup. There were

too many years where the franchise languished and failed to reach its

potential. And then, when the time came, he turned the keys over to

someone with a new vision, new ambition and new energy committed to

making this work in Raleigh, as we all know it can.

On his way out of the building Friday, Karmanos stopped by the sixth-

floor office that used to be his. He never used it much, and Dundon was

already in it Thursday afternoon, holding meetings and digging through

merchandise samples. Karmanos slid the plate bearing his name off the

wall and slipped it into his bag. Then he stepped outside to smoke a

cigar, and for the first time in a long time, he was just another guy outside

the arena hoping for a Hurricanes win on a Friday night.



After 24 hours of celebration, grim reality crashes down on Hurricanes

BY LUKE DECOCK

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 11:14 PM

RALEIGH

After 24 pretty good hours for the Carolina Hurricanes franchise, Friday

night delivered a four-minute reminder that it isn't always sunshine and

rainbows in the NHL.

In the wake of a win in Washington on Thursday and Thomas Dundon's

introduction as the team's new owner Friday, things were looking up for

the Hurricanes, right through the first 56 minutes and change Friday.

Then Noah Hanifin made his second catastrophic late play in the past

three games to allow the Capitals to tie the score, both officials missed

an obvious lip-splitting high stick on Jordan Staal and Victor Rask lost a

faceoff in the Washington zone that allowed the Capitals to go end-to-

end and score the winner with 1.3 seconds left, a potentially season-

altering two-point swing in 3 minutes, 8 seconds and a 4-3 loss.

Instead of sending another message to the Metropolitan Division – the

Hurricanes were 4-0-1 in their previous five division games – by

sweeping this two-day set with the Capitals, they were left beaten and

bereft. The giant big-screen TV in the locker room was splattered with

unknown liquid, a visible sign of the barely hidden frustration.

“It's part of the game,” said Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner, who scored

what should have been the game-winner by turning Washington

defenseman John Carlson inside out and rifling a top-shelf shot. “You

play 82 games and this is one of 82. It was kind of a tough break, but at

the same time, we've got more games. We've got to move on.”

CAROLINA HURRICANES


That's how it goes in the NHL, especially for a team trying to bob and

weave its way into the playoffs. Even little mistakes are harshly punished,

let alone big ones. Hanifin, the team's sole All-Star, for reasons easily

explained but difficult to justify, has made two in the past four days,

single-handedly costing the Hurricanes points.

On Tuesday, Tampa Bay's tiny Tyler Johnson outmuscled Hanifin on the

rush to score the game-winner, as embarrassing a fate as any NHL

defenseman has ever suffered. Friday, with the Canes trying to protect a

3-2 lead, Hanifin threw a blind pass up the middle from behind the

Carolina net, which Brett Connolly popped instantly past Cam Ward. Off

the glass and out, kid, like the old days. (And here, Glen Wesley nods

sagely.)

There's so much good in Hanifin's game and so much “I hope my high-

school buddies never see that clip.” He's only 20, but he has played 204

NHL games. He may not be a finished product, but it's fair to expect more

than this at this point. Or less than this, if you just want to look at the self-

sabotaging mistakes.

“Yeah, you got to stay with him, you've got to teach,” Hurricanes coach

Bill Peters said. “You've to to learn from it. You've got to stay with people.

It's easy to go away. Right now, we've got the opportunity to put a game

away and we give up two in the last three (minutes) roughly. It would

have been nice to lock it down.”

But this isn't entirely on Hanifin. It never is. The Hurricanes should have

been on the power play with 32 seconds to go, with Staal's lip split open,

and even if they didn't score they would have started overtime 4-on-3

with a chance to pick up an extra point.

There's no point in complaining about NHL officiating, which is like the

weather. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, it rains on everyone

the same and it evens out in the end. In a way, it was karmic payback for

Thursday, when Rask scored the game-winner after the Capitals thought

the puck had been possessed on a delayed penalty and play should

have been blown dead.

That won't make Peters feel any better or heal Staal's split lip. This

wasn't a judgment call, or a debatable interpretation of a rule (like Justin

Faulk's questionable interference penalty on Tom Wilson; you may not

like it, but all you can do, or should do, is shrug). This was as glaring a

missed call as you'll ever see, and no excuse for either referee – Steve

Kozari and T.J. Luxmore – to miss it. Staal said he couldn't get an

explanation, either.

The last goal was a chain of errors, with Rask losing the faceoff and

Brock McGinn whiffing on a chance to clear the puck when Alexander

Ovechkin lost control, breiefly, and Ward flopping around in the crease. It

was basically a repeat of the N.C. State game in this same building

Thursday, except the Capitals finished with a four-point play for the win.

Dundon was watching from a suite, and got a nice round of applause

when he was shown on the scoreboard. (It was subtle and unannounced,

and many fans may even have missed it.) He's been living and dying with

the team for months now – he even went back to Peter Karmanos to offer

more money after walking away from the deal initially, because he was

hooked – so these emotions won't be new to him.

But they will be fresh, as they will be for the team, and they will linger.

Because if it comes down to the final days and a point or two, circle these

as two that never should have gotten away.



Caps hand Hurricanes brutal 4-3 loss

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 10:14 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes, with new owner Tom Dundon in the house

Friday, were looking for a two-game sweep of the Washington Capitals to

please the new boss.

The Caps wouldn’t let it happen, beating the Canes 4-3 on Jay Beagle’s

goal with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation. Nicklas Backstrom swiped

the puck from Canes forward Brock McGinn and found Beagle open for

the score, handing the Canes what had to be a brutal loss.

“They all feel similar to me,” Canes coach Bill Peters said. “It’s a loss, no

points.”

The Canes topped the Caps 3-1 in Washington on Thursday, the day

Dundon’s deal to buy the Hurricanes was finalized. They returned to PNC

Arena on Friday to finish the back-to-back on the day of Dundon’s

introductory press conference at the arena.

Jeff Skinner’s third-period goal gave the Canes a 3-2 lead, scoring his

14th of the season on a perfectly placed shot that beat goalie Philipp

Grubauer. Forward Lee Stempniak, playing his first game of the season,

assisted on the Skinner score.

But the Caps (28-14-3) tied it 3-3 at 16:52 of the third when Brett

Connolly scored after Canes defenseman Noah Hanifin made a sloppy

pass in the defensive zone that Connolly picked off.

Jordan Staal and Sebastian Aho each had power-play goals for the

Canes, who have a game left Sunday against the Calgary Flames before

taking their mandated five-day break.

Steal was bloodied by a high stick from the Caps’ Evgeny Kuznetsov with

32 seconds remaining in regulation, but there was no call. It would have

been a four-minute double minor that would have carried over into

overtime had the Canes not scored in regulation.

"It was a stick in the face in front of (the ref) and he chose not to call it,”

Staal said.

Staal said there was no explanation from the ref, saying, "He didn't want

to talk to me tonight."

Lars Eller had a first-period goal and Alex Ovechkin a second-period

score for the Caps, the Metropolitan Division leaders.

The Canes (20-16-8) had the fans roaring early with their first power-play

goal — and a textbook one, at that.

Steal won a faceoff, Aho got the puck low to Justin Williams and Williams

promptly found Staal in front for the score. It was Staal’s 200th career

goal, making him the fourth player from the 2006 NHL draft class to

reach that milestone.

The Canes’ second-power play goal, in the second period, was scored as

quickly as the first. Aho was open at the top of the slot and unloaded a

shot that Grubauer couldn’t track as the Canes tied the score 1-1.

No one has a bigger blast than Ovechkin and it was his second-period

goal — his 28th of the season — that gave the Caps a 2-1 lead.

Ellen was credited with the Caps’ first goal of the night after a wild

scramble in front of the Canes net that had Eller tangled up on the ice

with goalie Cam Ward.

Peters challenged the goal, claiming goaltender interference, but the

Caps won the ruling after a lengthy review.

The Canes played without defenseman Brett Pesce, who was placed

Friday on injured reserve, and forward Derek Ryan, injured in Thursday’s

CAROLINA HURRICANES


game in Washington. Elias Lindholm and Joakim Nordstrom were held

out of the game because of illness.

Returning to the lineup was Stempniak, who missed the Canes’ first 43

games with various injuries. Stempniak played on a line with center

Lucas Wallmark and Skinner and was effective.



Dundon says he couldn’t say no to a chance to own the Hurricanes

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 05:47 PM


Dundon, a Dallas billionaire, does his due diligence, sifts through the

financial data and decides on a fair offer. If it doesn’t close the deal,

that’s that.


Dundon, introduced Friday as the new majority owner and managing

partner of the Hurricanes, said he made first made an offer to Peter

Karmanos Jr. that the owner turned down. A week later, a somewhat

depressed Dundon was back with a new one.

Money is money, he said. He’s made a lot of it. But there’s an emotional

attachment involved in owning a major-league sports team, and Dundon

said he already felt that attachment to the Hurricanes.

“Never in my life had I gone back on a deal,” Dundon said. “If we didn’t

get it done it was over and I didn’t think about it again and went on to the

next one.”

But Dundon said he had been watching the team and was emotionally

invested in the team, excited when they won and miserable if they lost.

“Then it’s over and I’m done,” he said, speaking of the deal falling

through. “I can’t do what I want to do with the organization.”

A week later, Dundon reached Karmanos again, with a higher offer. He

wanted to own the hockey team.

“I called him back, groveling,” Dundon said. “That’s how we came to our

deal. So I’ve already proven I will make an irrational financial decision.”

Dundon agreed to buy 61 percent of the franchise, which was valued at

$550 million, with an option to purchase the remainder in three years.

On Friday, Dundon sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on a

dais at PNC Arena, saying he first met Bettman three months ago and

adding, “I think we’re best friends now.”

To Bettman’s right sat Karmanos, who will remain as a minority owner

and was praised by Bettman for his contributions to the sport, both in

bringing the Hurricanes to the Triangle and North Carolina and in his

long-time support of youth hockey in Detroit. That earned Karmanos an

ovation from the large crowd packed into the Arena Club.

But Friday was Dundon’s day. And he was Tom Dundon. He wore

Hurricanes athletic gear to the press conference. He wore Under Armour

sneakers.

He’s not a dress-up, coat-and-tie kind of guy. He looked as if he was

ready to head to a nearby golf course and get in a quick 18 holes.

But Dundon, 46, is about results, not appearances. His mantra appears

to be “Keep improving everything, every day, all the time” – a phrase he

used Friday in describing the culture he wants in the organization moving

forward.

Among those at the Arena Club at PNC Arena was Abel Zalcberg, one of

the Hurricanes’ investment partners.

“I think it’s going to be great for the franchise,” Zalcberg said of the

ownership change. “It’s time we get fresh blood in here. … I think the

team is definitely prepared for success for the next five, six years. I think

he has all the right traits to take this to the next level and we hope he will

do that.

“I think Tom Dundon knows what he’s doing from a business point of

view. He didn’t become a billionaire from not knowing what to do.”

Karmanos, 74, said he would have an advisory role with the team and

said one suggestion to Dundon was to double the season-ticket sales.

“That would make a huge difference because some of those crummy

crowds are a result of not having enough season tickets,” Karmanos

said.

The Canes rank 30th in NHL home attendance this season at 12,494 per

game, but Dundon said that not the fault of the fans.

“If we don’t sell more tickets it’s our fault,” he said.

Dundon, as he did in an interview Thursday, again expressed the need to

provide a better fan experience at PNC Arena. He noted at the games he

has attended, “It didn’t look like what I would want it to look like.”

As far as the team on the ice, the Canes topped the Washington Capitals

3-1 on Thursday to again move into a wild-card playoff position in the

Eastern Conference. The Canes and Caps faced off again Friday at PNC

Arena – with Dundon watching.

“He’s been like the Energizer bunny,” Canes general manager Ron

Francis said. “He’s gathered as much information as he can to sort of

help steer things and get a better understanding of how we can be better.

He’s looking at every facet of the organization and see where we can do

things that can give us an edge and make us better.”

Herald-Sun LOADED: 01.13.2018


An outdoor NHL game in Raleigh? Don’t rule it out, commissioner says

BY LUKE DECOCK

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 04:09 PM

RALEIGH

It wasn’t exactly a promise – and Gary Bettman has made, and delivered

on, actual promises to this franchise before – but the NHL commissioner

wouldn’t rule it out.

In the wake of the ownership change, from Peter Karmanos to Thomas

Dundon, could the Carolina Hurricanes host an outdoor game at Carter-

Finley Stadium?

CAROLINA HURRICANES


“Tom has already asked,” Bettman said Friday at the PNC Arena press

conference to announce the ownership transition.

And?

“An outdoor game across the street is not out of the question,” the

commissioner said.

That’s not exactly the same as when he promised the 2004 NHL Draft to

the Hurricanes back in 2001, with an All-Star Game to follow, in 2011 as

it turned out. And it’s hard to imagine Bettman answering the question

any other way. But it’s better than nothing.

Ice-making technology has advanced to the point where it’s possible to

make a playable surface under almost any conditions, so it wouldn’t have

to be below freezing like it was last weekend here. And N.C. State would

have to be a willing partner.

“We are absolutely receptive to any creative ideas that serve Raleigh,

Wake County and the state of North Carolina well,” an athletic

department spokesman said.

Nothing would jump-start the Hurricanes in this market under Dundon’s

ownership more than a Winter Classic, an event for which the Hurricanes

have not heretofore been considered as a participant, let alone a host. It

would also be a step toward restoring the Hurricanes’ status as a model

Sun Belt franchise, a distinction widely bestowed upon the team in the

wake of the beyond-all-expectations All-Star Game in 2011.

So it’s a long way from happening. But for the first time, it’s actually worth

talking about.



As Hurricanes move into a new era, their old owner is as excited as

anyone

BY LUKE DECOCK

[email protected]

January 12, 2018 04:08 PM

RALEIGH

These are new and exciting and uncertain days for the Carolina

Hurricanes, the kind of days when a midday press conference at PNC

Arena overshadows not only the massive divisional win the night before

but the rematch with the Washington Capitals to come at the arena later

that night.

If it wasn’t clear Thursday just what a brand new day this is for the

franchise when Thomas Dundon assumed control of the Hurricanes, it

was clear Friday when he sat next to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman,

with Peter Karmanos on Bettman’s other shoulder.

“Those lousy crowds are the result of not having enough season tickets,”

Karmanos said.

Moments later, without skipping a beat, Dundon laid down the new law.

“If we don’t sell more tickets, it’s not the fans’ fault. It’s our fault,” Dundon

said.

Hallelujah.

Dundon’s wardrobe alone indicated nothing is going to stay the same.

Karmanos and Bettman wore suits, per their usual. Dundon wore a

windbreaker, per his usual, and must have left his omnipresent hat in his

office. A wild ride lies ahead.

You might think, given Dundon’s determination to examine and, if

necessary, upend every aspect of the franchise – even the hockey side,

as much as Dundon thinks the team is on the right track, will be given

upgrades in analytics and medical treatment – that Karmanos might look

askance at some of this. For 24 years, this was his team, his baby, and

while it’s fair to criticize his stewardship of it at times, none of this, from

2002 to 2006 to 2009, from the draft to the All-Star Game, even that

dead-stinking-last season in 2003 that was a mesmerizing catastrophe to

watch, would have happened without him.

An orderly transition of power is the hallmark of any functioning

democracy, and you never know how the one of end era will slide into a

new one. Karmanos didn’t have the smoothest transition from

Compuware, the software company he founded, and the Hurricanes

meant as much to him – if not more than Compuware. He choked up

Friday talking about his silent partner Thomas Thewes, whose death in

2008 led Karmanos to consider selling the team in the first place. This

team was his dream for a long time, and it was time to walk away. He

knew it. That doesn’t make it easy.

But Karmanos is entering this new era with the same optimism and

anticipation as anyone else around the franchise. For the first time in

decades, at age 74, he’s a fan again. No worries about profits or loss. No

one asking where to park the pallet-jack. No memos from the NHL.

“That’s the best part,” Karmanos said, smiling broadly. “It’s been that way

for a few weeks.”

Karmanos’ new role as minority owner will be as a sort of senior adviser,

but it’s clear Dundon is going to do things his way regardless of what

Karmanos thinks, and Karmanos is fine with that. If anything, he’s as

curious as anyone to see what happens.

“One of the things I was concerned about as we did this is, we want to do

a lot of great things and we want to change a lot of things,” Dundon said.

“Pete, I talked to him a couple times about this, is it OK if we do things

differently? And he’s been the biggest cheerleader for, let’s do everything

we can with no limitations and not worry about what we did before, and I

don’t think that means we don’t appreciate what he did.”

Or, from Karmanos’ side: “I knew from the first time I talked to Tom he

was the real deal and he would be a good owner. That’s very important

to Gary, and especially to me, as far as who you turn the team over to.”

So this, as much as anything, will be a part of Karmanos’ complicated

legacy. He brought the team here. He won a Stanley Cup. There were

too many years where the franchise languished and failed to reach its

potential. And then, when the time came, he turned the keys over to

someone with a new vision, new ambition and new energy committed to

making this work in Raleigh, as we all know it can.

On his way out of the building Friday, Karmanos stopped by the sixth-

floor office that used to be his. He never used it much, and Dundon was

already in it Thursday afternoon, holding meetings and digging through

merchandise samples. Karmanos slid the plate bearing his name off the

wall and slipped it into his bag. Then he stepped outside to smoke a

cigar, and for the first time in a long time, he was just another guy outside

the arena hoping for a Hurricanes win on a Friday night.


1092802 Calgary Flames

Flames win sixth in a row with 4-2 triumph over Panthers

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Kristen Odland, Postmedia

Published on: January 12, 2018 | Last Updated: January 12, 2018 8:27

PM MST

SUNRISE, FLA. — The Calgary Flames are, officially, red hot.

Continuing a four-game road trip with a 4-2 win over the Florida

Panthers, they extended their win streak to six games and are now the

hottest team in the National Hockey League. They’d previously been tied

with the Colorado Avalanche with a five-game spree.

On a mission to gain ground in the Pacific Division standings, they now

sit only one point behind the Los Angeles Kings and have a 24-16-4

record.

They’re also a whopping 49-0-2 when leading after the second period, a

statistic which dates back to last season. They’re also 5-2-0 in the

second game of back-to-backs this season — which is impressive

considering they walloped the best team in the NHL on Thursday by

beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1.

And the most mind-blowing stat of all?

Their powerplay has scored in two straight games. Plus, Johnny

Gaudreau scored on a slap shot — finishing on a perfect, patient set-up

pass by Mikael Backlund with 3:45 remaining in the second period.

But the difference maker was Sean Monahan’s 21st goal of the season,

which came just 33 seconds after Evgenii Dadonov capitalized on a Troy

Brouwer gaffe on the penalty kill.

With the score tied 1-1 and only one minute elapsed in the middle frame,

the Flames went to work. Matthew Tkachuk pulled Calgary ahead,

tapping in a rebound off Travis Hamonic’s shot.

Then came Gaudreau’s strike on the man advantage.

Dadonov made it close with 6:57 remaining in the third period. But

despite the Panthers taking control for most of the last half of the game,

David Rittich, Calgary’s back-up who was filling in for Mike Smith on the

second half of the back-to-back, was excellent.

With 1:40 left, the 25-year-old native of Jihlava, Czech Republic, turned

aside a Vincent Trocheck shot in close and denied Aaron Ekblad coming

in for the rebound. The Panthers, who deployed an extra attacker,

continued to press when Jonathan Huberdeau drove to the net and

landed on Rittich.

In the end, Rittich stopped 41 of 43 shots to improve to 4-1-1 on the

season while Mikael Backlund potted an empty netter with 45.1 seconds

left.

Flames head coach indicated that the Flames could expect a heavy

hitting game and he was right — the rough stuff was magnified between

Jamie McGinn and TJ Brodie in the second period. Meanwhile, Nick

Bjugstad and Travis Hamonic were taking turns face-washing each other.

It continued in the third with McGinn mixing it up with Garnet Hathaway

with 8:25 remaining.

A scoreless first period was made possible due to a handful of Rittich’s

saves. On the other side, Calgary had their momentum stalled in the first

period from a (temporarily) quiet Flames powerplay.

With 20 seconds left in the first frame, Rittich tripped Jonathan

Huberdeau as he flew by his crease and forced the Flames to burn it off

to start the second. So, it was inevitable that Florida would score just 27

seconds in.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 01.13.2018


Game Day: With Tampa in the dust, Flames set sights on Panthers


Published on: January 12, 2018 | Last Updated: January 12, 2018 12:04

PM MST

The Calgary Flames are, for lack of a better term, coming in hot.

Winners of five in a row and fresh off beating the NHL’s best team on

Thursday — a 5-1 decision over the Tampa Bay Lightning — the Flames

are now facing another challenge. It’s the second half of a back-to-back,

on the road against a well-rested Florida Panthers team, with their back-

up netminder David Rittich between the pipes.

The good news is they’re 4-2-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs

this season.

“I always think there’s some residual left in the tank after a game and you

can come out and get a good start,” said Flames head coach Glen

Gulutzan. “That can usually give you the energy to carry you through. We

know this is a team that’s waiting for us. They’re going to see what

happened last night and have some jump and I think there will be some

good jump left in us tonight.”

The Flames did not skate on Friday but Rittich, Marek Hrivik and Matt

Bartkowski did. Expect to see the same lineup as Thursday — the same

lineup that has carried them to five straight wins.

Gulutzan called the Lightning the “quickest team with the most skill” the

Flames have faced this season but the Panthers play a “heavier” game.

And while the 5-1 victory was the first time the Flames had won by more

than one goal since a 6-1 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks on Dec.

17, the Flames head coach still wants his club to continue improving.

“If you take the specialty teams out of Thursday’s game, we had three

chances where we chased guys behind the net and they threw pucks out

front,” he said. “We tried to address that (Wednesday) and we addressed

that today. And our neutral zone for the first two periods wasn’t as good

as it needed to be and we could have prevented a couple of chances

from there. But there were some good things. We were good off the rush,

we made a few plays and our penalty kill was strong. The penalty shot.

We blocked shots and we played hard in the areas of the game we

needed to.”

A few notes …

Sean Monahan is just one game winning-goal away from tying Gary

Roberts for sixth all-time in franchise-history. Monahan currently has 26

while Roberts finished his career with the Flames scoring 27.

The Flames are 48-0-2 when leading after the second period over the

last two seasons … They’re 6-1 in OT this season and 24-7 since the

inception of three-on-three extra frames.

D TJ Brodie notched his 200th career point agains the Lightning … D

Dougie Hamilton needs five points to his 200 in his career.

Calgary’s top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal

Ferland have combined for 26 points during this win streak. Ferland has

four goals and four assists, Monahan has three goals and five assists

and Gaudreau has a goal and nine assists.

At 22 years-old, Aleksander Barkov is proving to be one of the brightest

stars in the National Hockey League. With 14 goals and 26 assists in 41

games, the second overall pick from the 2013 draft is on a three-game

CAROLINA HURRICANES


goal-scoring streak and was just selected to represent the Panthers at

the NHL All-Star game in Tampa. After Mike Smith faced 34 shots on

Thursday, there’s a good chance the Flames will send their back-up

netminder into battle. David Rittich has played well in his own right, with a

3-1-1 record and 2.04 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1. FANTASTIC FERLAND

Micheal Ferland’s dream season continues as the left-winger extended

his goal-scoring spree to four games on Thursday in Calgary’s 5-1 rout of

the Tampa Bay Lightning. Of course, being on a line with Johnny

Gaudreau and Sean Monahan makes it a little easier to put the puck in

the net, but Ferland has still done the work. With 19 goals and nine

assists in 42 games, the 25-year-old has eclipsed his previous career

points (25) and goal (15) totals.

2. POWERPLAY SURGE?

Since RW Kris Versteeg was sidelined with hip surgery, the Flames are

nine-for-70 on their powerplay in 21 games. Heading into Thursday’s

game, they were two-for-14 in the previous four games. That changed

with Sam Bennett’s marker on Thursday against the Lightning which was

their first man advantage strike since the Flames New Year’s Eve win

against Chicago. “Special teams was huge (against Tampa),” said

Flames captain Mark Giordano. “Our penalty was really good but the

powerplay goal was a good one too.”

3. CHEERS TO JAGR … OH, WAIT

The Florida Panthers had planned to honour No. 68 on Friday, in a

tribute of sorts to the living legend that played parts of three seasons.

The Calgary Flames visit was originally supposed to be a return to

Sunrise, Fla., for Jaromir Jagr who had inked a one-year deal with his

first Canadian club in the off-season. Instead, Jagr is recovering from a

lower-body injury and did not travel with the team — and could,

potentially, be done for good.

4. THIS N’ THAT

Calgary is riding their first five-game win streak of the season and are

undefeated in 2018 (so far) … Following Thursday’s 5-1 win over the

Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary moved into third in the Pacific Division

with a 23-16-4 record … They’re 11-5-4 on the road …. He said it: “It was

an even game at the start,” Mark Giordano said. “They had a good push

in the second period. After that, we really took over and I thought we had

a good second half of the game. You have to string together wins to get

in with the way the standings are.”

5. ABOUT THE PANTHERS

The Florida Panthers’ postponed road game against the Boston Bruins

was rescheduled for April 8 at Boston, the team’s regular season finale

… C Aleksander Barkov was named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team

… LW Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 16 goals and 27 assists

in 42 games … the Panthers are coming off a 7-4 victory over the Blues

at Scottrade Center on Tuesday.

Calgary Herald: LOADED: 01.13.2018


Game Day: Flames coach still sees room to improve after win over

Tampa Bay


January 12, 2018 12:04 PM UTC

After Mike Smith faced 34 shots on Thursday, there’s a good chance the

Flames will send their back-up netminder into battle.

The Calgary Flames are, for lack of a better term, coming in hot.

Winners of five in a row and fresh off beating the NHL’s best team on

Thursday — a 5-1 decision over the Tampa Bay Lightning — the Flames

are now facing another challenge. It’s the second half of a back-to-back,

on the road against a well-rested Florida Panthers team, with their back-

up netminder David Rittich between the pipes.

The good news is they’re 4-2-0-0 in the second game of back-to-backs

this season.

“I always think there’s some residual left in the tank after a game and you

can come out and get a good start,” said Flames head coach Glen

Gulutzan. “That can usually give you the energy to carry you through. We

know this is a team that’s waiting for us. They’re going to see what

happened last night and have some jump and I think there will be some

good jump left in us tonight.”

The Flames did not skate on Friday but Rittich, Marek Hrivik and Matt

Bartkowski did. Expect to see the same lineup as Thursday — the same

lineup that has carried them to five straight wins.

Gulutzan called the Lightning the “quickest team with the most skill” the

Flames have faced this season but the Panthers play a “heavier” game.

And while the 5-1 victory was the first time the Flames had won by more

than one goal since a 6-1 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks on Dec.

17, the Flames head coach still wants his club to continue improving.

“If you take the specialty teams out of Thursday’s game, we had three

chances where we chased guys behind the net and they threw pucks out

front,” he said. “We tried to address that (Wednesday) and we addressed

that today. And our neutral zone for the first two periods wasn’t as good

as it needed to be and we could have prevented a couple of chances

from there. But there were some good things. We were good off the rush,

we made a few plays and our penalty kill was strong. The penalty shot.

We blocked shots and we played hard in the areas of the game we

needed to.”

A few notes …

Sean Monahan is just one game winning-goal away from tying Gary

Roberts for sixth all-time in franchise-history. Monahan currently has 26

while Roberts finished his career with the Flames scoring 27.

The Flames are 48-0-2 when leading after the second period over the

last two seasons … They’re 6-1 in OT this season and 24-7 since the

inception of three-on-three extra frames.

D TJ Brodie notched his 200th career point agains the Lightning … D

Dougie Hamilton needs five points to his 200 in his career.

Calgary’s top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Micheal

Ferland have combined for 26 points during this win streak. Ferland has

four goals and four assists, Monahan has three goals and five assists

and Gaudreau has a goal and nine assists.

At 22 years-old, Aleksander Barkov is proving to be one of the brightest

stars in the National Hockey League. With 14 goals and 26 assists in 41

games, the second overall pick from the 2013 draft is on a three-game

goal-scoring streak and was just selected to represent the Panthers at

the NHL All-Star game in Tampa. After Mike Smith faced 34 shots on

Thursday, there’s a good chance the Flames will send their back-up

netminder into battle. David Rittich has played well in his own right, with a

3-1-1 record and 2.04 goals against average and .924 save percentage.

FIVE STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1. FANTASTIC FERLAND

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Micheal Ferland’s dream season continues as the left-winger extended

his goal-scoring spree to four games on Thursday in Calgary’s 5-1 rout of

the Tampa Bay Lightning. Of course, being on a line with Johnny

Gaudreau and Sean Monahan makes it a little easier to put the puck in

the net, but Ferland has still done the work. With 19 goals and nine

assists in 42 games, the 25-year-old has eclipsed his previous career

points (25) and goal (15) totals.

2. POWERPLAY SURGE?

Since RW Kris Versteeg was sidelined with hip surgery, the Flames are

nine-for-70 on their powerplay in 21 games. Heading into Thursday’s

game, they were two-for-14 in the previous four games. That changed

with Sam Bennett’s marker on Thursday against the Lightning which was

their first man advantage strike since the Flames New Year’s Eve win

against Chicago. “Special teams was huge (against Tampa),” said

Flames captain Mark Giordano. “Our penalty was really good but the

powerplay goal was a good one too.”

3. CHEERS TO JAGR … OH, WAIT

The Florida Panthers had planned to honour No. 68 on Friday, in a

tribute of sorts to the living legend that played parts of three seasons.

The Calgary Flames visit was originally supposed to be a return to

Sunrise, Fla., for Jaromir Jagr who had inked a one-year deal with his

first Canadian club in the off-season. Instead, Jagr is recovering from a

lower-body injury and did not travel with the team — and could,

potentially, be done for good.

Mark Giordano fires a shot on Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

4. THIS N’ THAT

Calgary is riding their first five-game win streak of the season and are

undefeated in 2018 (so far) … Following Thursday’s 5-1 win over the

Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary moved into third in the Pacific Division

with a 23-16-4 record … They’re 11-5-4 on the road …. He said it: “It was

an even game at the start,” Mark Giordano said. “They had a good push

in the second period. After that, we really took over and I thought we had

a good second half of the game. You have to string together wins to get

in with the way the standings are.”

5. ABOUT THE PANTHERS

The Florida Panthers’ postponed road game against the Boston Bruins

was rescheduled for April 8 at Boston, the team’s regular season finale

… C Aleksander Barkov was named to the Atlantic Division All-Star team

… LW Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 16 goals and 27 assists

in 42 games … the Panthers are coming off a 7-4 victory over the Blues

at Scottrade Center on Tuesday.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 01.13.2018


Flames stay hot with sixth straight win



SUNRISE, FLA. — The Calgary Flames are, officially, red hot.

Continuing a four-game road trip with a 4-2 win over the Florida

Panthers, they extended their win streak to six games and are now the

hottest team in the National Hockey League. They’d previously been tied

with the Colorado Avalanche with a five-game spree.

On a mission to gain ground in the Pacific Division standings, they now

sit only one point behind the Los Angeles Kings and have a 24-16-4

record.

They’re also a whopping 49-0-2 when leading after the second period, a

statistic which dates back to last season. They’re also 5-2-0 in the

second game of back-to-backs this season — which is impressive

considering they walloped the best team in the NHL on Thursday by

beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1.

And the most mind-blowing stat of all?

Their powerplay has scored in two straight games. Plus, Johnny

Gaudreau scored on a slap shot — finishing on a perfect, patient set-up

pass by Mikael Backlund with 3:45 remaining in the second period.

But the difference maker was Sean Monahan’s 21st goal of the season,

which came just 33 seconds after Evgenii Dadonov capitalized on a Troy

Brouwer gaffe on the penalty kill.

With the score tied 1-1 and only one minute elapsed in the middle frame,

the Flames went to work. Matthew Tkachuk pulled Calgary ahead,

tapping in a rebound off Travis Hamonic’s shot.

Then came Gaudreau’s strike on the man advantage.

Dadonov made it close with 6:57 remaining in the third period. But

despite the Panthers taking control for most of the last half of the game,

David Rittich, Calgary’s back-up who was filling in for Mike Smith on the

second half of the back-to-back, was excellent.

With 1:40 left, the 25-year-old native of Jihlava, Czech Republic, turned

aside a Vincent Trocheck shot in close and denied Aaron Ekblad coming

in for the rebound. The Panthers, who deployed an extra attacker,

continued to press when Jonathan Huberdeau drove to the net and

landed on Rittich.

In the end, Rittich stopped 41 of 43 shots to improve to 4-1-1 on the

season while Mikael Backlund potted an empty netter with 45.1 seconds

left.

Flames head coach indicated that the Flames could expect a heavy

hitting game and he was right — the rough stuff was magnified between

Jamie McGinn and TJ Brodie in the second period. Meanwhile, Nick

Bjugstad and Travis Hamonic were taking turns face-washing each other.

It continued in the third with McGinn mixing it up with Garnet Hathaway

with 8:25 remaining.

A scoreless first period was made possible due to a handful of Rittich’s

saves. On the other side, Calgary had their momentum stalled in the first

period from a (temporarily) quiet Flames powerplay.

With 20 seconds left in the first frame, Rittich tripped Jonathan

Huberdeau as he flew by his crease and forced the Flames to burn it off

to start the second. So, it was inevitable that Florida would score just 27

seconds in.

The Flames travel to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes for a

matinee on Sunday.



Father Ferland enjoying career year with Flames



CAROLINA HURRICANES


Brynlee Ferland is at that impressionable age where she can understand

what her dad does for a living.

But, although Micheal Ferland plays for the Calgary Flames and —

unbeknownst to her — plays with two of the biggest stars in the National

Hockey League while being a top 10 goal-scorer, the toddler is fairly

confident that every player she sees on the big screen is him.

“She watches all the games at home and points at the TV, I think, when

she sees any hockey player. She says, ‘Daddy,’” Ferland said with a

chuckle, relaxing before Friday’s game at BB&T Center.

“It’s pretty funny.”

But not as funny as when Brynlee and fiancee Kayleigh were at the

Flames skills competition at the Scotiabank Saddledome last Sunday…

“The Hitmen were getting ready to get on the ice and Brynlee was

running around, talking to all the players and saying, ‘Daddy,’” Ferland

said. “Unless she sees me in person and can see my face, she’ll know

who I am. But when she sees any other hockey player, she’s not too

sure.”

Ferland, however, will have a story to tell when Brynlee is older —

especially after this season, which has been a career campaign for the

25-year-old Swan River, Man., native.

For the majority of the last two seasons, Ferland has played on the

team’s top trio with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Gaudreau, a

four-time NHL All-Star, was sitting seventh in NHL scoring with 51 points

in 43 games before Friday’s action, while Monahan was sitting ahead of

Ferland at No. 9 in goals scored with 20.

Ferland’s 19 goals and nine assists in 42 games is, by far, his best

statistical season with the Flames.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “They’re both great players and like to create

offence off the rush. I was more used to getting pucks deep and playing a

grinding game. But I found, playing with Johnny and Monny, you’re going

to get more looks off the rush.”

And it’s exactly how he’s been finding the back of the net.

Twenty-nine seconds into Thursday’s game at Tampa Bay, Gaudreau

made a play to keep the puck in the Lightning zone and fed Monahan.

Ferland joined him to create a two-on-one to beat Tampa Bay goalie

Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The snipe, which sparked the Flames to a 5-1 win over the Lightning,

extended his goal-scoring streak to four games and gave him six goals

and four assists in his last eight games.

Not surprising, according to Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan.

“When I saw his shot a year ago, and we put him with Johnny and Monny

and saw his ability to make plays, I did tell him at the end of the year that

scoring 20-plus goals is a reality,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve seen players that

didn’t quite have some of the talent that he has score 20. I thought it was

a very real possibility for him.”

And, at one point in his development with the Flames organization, it

seemed like an unreachable feat. His history and early struggles as he

learned how to be a professional, his battle with alcoholism, has been

well-documented.

The hard work has paid off and now Gulutzan sees a sense of belief

within the player.

“If you’ve never done something and you want to and you’re getting close

to it, sometimes that can spill over,” Gulutzan said. “It can continue on.

Monny has scored 20 goals in the past five seasons … the more guys

you get with confidence and belief, your team can get going.”

The Flames were looking to extend their five-game winning streak on

Friday and have one more stop on this four-game road trip (Sunday at

Carolina). The road trip will keep Ferland away from his family for a

week.

But while Brynlee is able to watch her dad on TV (she thinks, anyway),

they’re able to stay connected through the magic of FaceTime — “Five

times a day,” he estimates.

“I just love to watch her grow,” Ferland said. “And she’s definitely

changed me a lot. If you have a tough time at the rink, you can go home

and hang out with her. I’ve realized that hockey is my job and I’ve put

that much more into it so I can take care of her.”



Dellow: After 41 games – Calgary Flames

By Tyler Dellow 19 hours ago

As the Canadian teams cross the 41-game threshold, we'll be taking a

look at how things have gone through the first 41 games. Having started

with Toronto and Winnipeg, we've wallowed in some more depressing

stories with Edmonton, Montreal and Vancouver. Before getting to

Ottawa – woof – we'll look at Calgary, the Canadian team whose season

doesn't seem certain to result in a playoff berth or a high draft pick. All

data in here is through 41 games, which excludes Calgary's wins against

Minnesota and Tampa Bay.

Record/goal difference: 21-16-4, -4

Regulation record/goal difference: 14-16-11, -7

OT: 5-1

SO: 2-3

Calgary's getting about what they deserve in regulation. Given their

regulation goal difference, you'd expect them to have 38.7 regulation

points; actual retail value, 39 points. They've managed to win an extra

bonus point or two in overtime and the shootout, so they're maybe a point

ahead of where you might expect.

So if the Flames look so average, why am I still confident they're a smart

darkhorse pick for the Stanley Cup? Let's get into it.

So four things jump out at me here. First, the team looks pretty good at 5-

on-5. Second, as we know, they've done well in overtime. Third, the

Flames have been generically bad at both 4-on-5 and 5-on-4, which adds

up. Amusingly, given that Calgary's been overshadowed by the team at

the other end of Highway 2 throughout most of their existence, Calgary's

blandly bad special teams (-6.7 goal difference relative to league average

4-on-5 and 5-on-4 combined) have been overshadowed by Edmonton's

meltdown (-15). Fourth, the team has been terrible when the opposition

has an empty net.

There is *a lot* about this year's Flames that reminds me of last year's

Nashville Predators, right down to being terrible when the opposition has

an empty net. Calgary's tied for the third most empty net goals allowed in

the NHL with four. You'd expect them to have allowed half of that.

Thought it's not something I'd worry about particularly if I was Calgary.

The special teams are a more real problem for the Flames. Neither unit

has been flat out awful, but they've both been bad enough that they're a

bit of a drag on the success the Flames can have. It's frustrating

watching bad special teams and there's a huge focus on them because

they're easy to talk about but you need to have a sense of perspective

CAROLINA HURRICANES


about them, I think. Average special teams and the Flames maybe have

another couple points in the standings. That said, given Calgary's spot in

the standings, the marginal value of those extra points could be

enormous.

Starting with 4-on-5, Calgary's seen about 72 per cent of their 4-on-5

time against a 4F1D this year. League average is 66.8 per cent, so the

Flames have kind of been cursed by the opposition choosing the more

dangerous formation a little bit. That's unfortunate, in that it's not

something Calgary really controls and some of the teams they're in a

fight for the final spots with are at the other end of the scale.

You might think that this is the sort of thing that tends to even out over

the course of the season but there was a fairly similar spread at the end

of last year. Bad luck for the Flames that they catch teams when they

aren't indulging in their fears about giving up shorthanded goals, I guess.

Good luck for Colorado, Chicago and San Jose.

Calgary's been fairly average in terms of goals when the opposition runs

a 3F2D. The Flames have allowed 5.2 GA/60 — league average is 4.9

GA/60. Their goal difference is -5.2 per 60 — not having scored a

shorthanded goal hurts them. They're close enough to league average

that an extra goal for or one fewer goal against and they'd be average.

So whatever, not a big deal. They aren't great but they aren't terrible.

The one interesting wrinkle is that the Flames are pretty good in terms of

not allowing shot attempts — their 84.0 CA/60 is eighth in the league.

They allow a pile of shots though — their 51.8 SA/60 is 24th in the NHL.

The appropriate inference to draw there is this: the Flames don't force a

lot of shots wide or block a lot of attempts. 61.7 per cent of shot attempts

against the Flames have turned into shots on net against a 3F2D. The

Flames have allowed 50 shots on goal against a 3F2D. If they'd

blocked/forced wide a league average percentage of attempts, they'd

have allowed 43.2 shots on goal.

Fine, whatever, small sample, right? Except the exact same thing is

happening against a 4F1D. Calgary's allowing 101.8 CA/60. Pretty good,

ninth in the NHL. But they're allowing 60.1 SA/60, 23rd in the NHL. 59

per cent of the shot attempts against the Flames turn into shots on goal,

which is 28th in the NHL. Calgary's allowed 150 shots against a 4F1D; if

they blocked/forced wide a league average number, they'd have allowed

138.7 shots on goal. Whether 4F1D or 3F2D, the Flames don't block or

force a lot of shots wide.

Against a 3F2D, Calgary's received a .900 save percentage, which is

very good. They've gotten less against a 4F1D, with an .860. It all adds

up to an .870, which is a little below the league average 4-on-5 save

percentage of .878. It's all pretty close to league average.

It's that inability to block shots or force shots wide that I find fascinating.

Calgary's pretty average at 4-on-5…except that they've allowed 18 more

shots on goal than the average team would have from the same amount

of shot attempts. More shots on goal means more goals, as a general

rule. Calgary's got problems with both forwards and defencemen getting

their shots through from a 3F2D and with forwards getting their shots

through in a 4F1D.

Flipping through the players who are on-ice for the PK, Mark Giordano

and Travis Hamonic seem to have had particularly rough years in terms

of opposition forwards getting their shots on net. I'm not really sure much

can be taken about the forwards from this or even that there's necessarily

a real issue — it might just be sample size noise. It's something that,

along with a slightly below league average shooting percentage, a lack of

shorthanded goals and an unfavourable distribution of opposition PP

formations, is keeping the Flames from having an average PK.

Calgary's been through a bunch of iterations of PP1 this year, as they've

tried to find something that provided consistent success, while dealing

with injuries to Kris Versteeg. Three variants of the same sort of unit

show up in Calgary's five most commonly used units.

We'll start with what I think of as the Coke Classic version of this unit.

Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and TJ Brodie are constants on all

three variants, with Micheal Ferland, Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg

also seeing time. Versteeg and Ferland appear on the good version.

So you have Brodie on the point, with Versteeg and Gaudreau on the

flanks. Monahan and Ferland are looking for garbage in front of the net.

Here's what I like about this group: they generate a ton of rebounds,

Brodie isn't shooting a lot and, unsurprisingly, given the rebounds, there

are a cluster of shots in close. Oh, and it's produced a pile of goals.

The Brouwer variant, with Brouwer replacing Ferland, is awfully similar.

In all honesty, I don't hate this version of the Flames PP1, although it

struggled to put the puck in the net. Like the Ferland version, it was

structured similarly, saw little in the way of point shots and generated a

pile of rebounds. If I was a team given the opportunity of taking these

underlying numbers from a PP unit for a season, I'd probably accept and

take my chances on the goals going in at some point.

Versteeg's injury saw Calgary try another version of this group, with

Ferland pushed out to the flanks. This turned into a thing where Ferland

was shooting from the circle. It didn't produce nearly as many rebounds

and it's probably for the best that the Flames abandoned it.

In the last five games Calgary played before Game 41, the Gaudreau unit

featured Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Mikael Backlund, Sean Monahan

and Mark Giordano. This is kind of an “all the eggs in one basket”

approach, presumably by virtue of the injuries to Michael Frolik and

Versteeg. It's been ok in the early going — it looks very similar to the

three units highlighted above, with Backlund into the Versteeg spot.

Obviously, it's a very small sample (and Calgary went o-fer on the PP in

Game 42 in Minnesota) but it doesn't look terrible. We'll see how it

unfolds. The key point for me with Calgary's power play is that we've

seen respectable underlying numbers and it's by no means cripplingly

bad. If Versteeg comes back or if the Flames acquire a right-handed

shooter to fill his spot, I would expect it to be, at the very least, average.

Which brings me to 5-on-5, which I see as the foundation of the Flames'

strength. The Flames are, quietly, one of the best Corsi% teams in the

NHL. As I pointed out above, they're in the black as far as 5-on-5 goals. If

you visualize things from a possession perspective, you see that it's fairly

broad-based success. Calgary's had, from an analyst's point of view,

delightfully stable lines. The lines/pairs referred to are, generally:

This…this is pretty good. Green is good here and red is bad, with the

numbers being the Corsi% that each combination has put up. Of note —

the third line has improved as the season's gone along. Given the

personnel changes — particularly, the introduction of Mark Jankowski —

it seems more likely that the improvement is real. The first pair is

outrageously good. Outside of the second pair struggling a bit, the

Flames are a pretty dominant looking group.

The ability of the 3M Line to excel on defensive zone faceoffs buys

everyone else more starts in the offensive zone. There's a nice synergy

there — Calgary's got, arguably, the best line in the world at starting a

shift in the defensive zone. So they can just roll them out and reap the

rewards.

The first line has been getting the benefit of a big save percentage this

year, which means that their numbers are a little inflated. Mike Smith's

made more saves than people expected and they're occurring

disproportionately when the first line is on the ice. It's not a crazy number

though and the distribution of the saves doesn't particularly concern me

— I'd expect some of the other lines to get a few more saves going

forward while the first line gets fewer.

The second line has really struggled to finish through 41 games. The

thing about that is they've got a track record of being able to score.

Where they've done it for long periods in the past, 41 games running a

little cold doesn't particularly concern me. If anything, it seems like they're

a reasonably good bet to score more as the season goes along. As I've

mentioned, the third line has really perked up with Jankowski.

The only really sour notes that I see with the Flames is that the fourth line

has been legitimately bad (and it's really expensive!) and the Hamonic

CAROLINA HURRICANES


pair. I thought it was worth checking back in on them after I wrote a piece

in mid-November expressing some concerns about the early returns from

that pair. They're still getting run over on those on-the-fly shifts — of the

194 defencemen to play at least 250 OTF shifts so far this year, Brodie's

190th and Hamonic's 183 in terms of shot attempts allowed per shift.

With the state of the fourth line, it would be nice to see Calgary go to

eleven forwards and seven defencemen, giving some of their prospect

defencemen a shot to see what they have in a 7D slot and limiting the

impact that their fourth line has on results.

Still though, it mostly seems positive for the Flames, to me. I expect the

power play to be better so long as they don't revert to running a lot

through Ferland in a shooting role. The penalty killing should be fairly

average. And even with the disappointment of the second pair so far,

they look like a pretty solid 5-on-5 team that's likely to see more pucks go

in going forward. To me, that positions them well for a run at a playoff

spot and, if they get in, they'll face a Pacific Division with no elite team.

It's all there for Calgary. They just have to take it.

The Athletic LOADED: 01.13.2018

1092831 Detroit Red Wings

Wings eager to 'make a push' in standings after bye week

Ted Kulfan

4:51 p.m. ET Jan. 12, 2018

Detroit — The Red Wings feel they can do it, although they understand

not many people are there with them.

Not many folks believe the Red Wings can mount a successful second-

half run into the playoffs — and avoid missing the playoffs for a second

consecutive season.

The Red Wings are optimistic they can.

“We’ve talked about it here the last couple weeks,” said forward Gustav

Nyquist, just after the Red Wings’ closed the first half last Sunday with a

5-2 loss against Tampa that ended a four-game win streak.

“We all think that we are better team at his point than we were last year,

although (the record) looks very similar. We’ve made strides as a team.”

Individually, more players are having better seasons. But collectively,

especially in the most important statistic — the standings, the

improvement is difficult to see.

After 41 games — the halfway mark in the NHL schedule — the Red

Wings are 17-17-7 (41 points). That’s one point better than what the Red

Wings were last season (17-18-6, 40 points).

What gives the Red Wings added confidence is a 4-1-0 homestand that

often showed the team at its best, and what can be accomplished if every

facet is working.

The loss to the Lightning was the lone disappointment in a homestand

that kept the Red Wings on the cusp of playoff contention.

“We’re doing a lot of things to be successful,” said coach Jeff Blashill,

who added he hears positive reinforcement from coaches and players

around the NHL. “We have to stay on it and understand we’ll be in lots of

(close) games and we have to find a way to win them.

“We have to keep doing it right. We need points, we need wins, but we

need to keep doing it right. Just play as complete as we can and find a

way to win.”

The Red Wings entered play Friday seven points behind Carolina for the

second and final wild-card spot — and having played two less games

than the Hurricanes.

Four teams separate the Red Wings and the Hurricanes, which adds

another substantial hurdle.

But the Red Wings feel the obstacles are manageable — they also play

23 of the 41 remaining games on the road — as long as they continue

the positive momentum from the home stand.

“We’re a few points out right now but if we keep playing the way we’ve

been lately, we’ll have a good chance,” Nyquist said.

Said forward Dylan Larkin: “We’re right there (in the standings). We’ll

have a couple of games to make up (on other teams) when we get back.

It’ll be good to come back and dial it in and make a push (for the

playoffs).”

To open the second half of the season, the Red Wings take on Pittsburgh

at 1 p.m. Saturday (FSD/97.1) to start a weekend back-to-back road trip

that follows with a game in Chicago at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (NBC/97.1).

There are probably easier ways to come out of a bye week for an NHL.

The Red Wings flew into Pittsburgh late Friday afternoon and practiced.

They'll play the early Saturday afternoon game before flying to Chicago.

The switch by the NHL to cover Sunday’s game meant a time change

from early evening to late morning Chicago time, and canceled any

hopes for a morning skate.

But the Red Wings are eager to get back to work and battle for a playoff

spot.

“You look at the overall picture, we’ve had a really good stretch,” forward

Justin Abdelkader said. “We have to come back after (the bye) and really

go at it until the All-Star break and get ourselves back into the thick of

things. We still have work to do, but we have to continue to play as well

as we did this homestand.”

Red Wings at Penguins

Faceoff: 1 p.m. Saturday, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh

TV/radio: FSD/97.1

Outlook: The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins (22-

19-3, 47 points) are outside the playoff picture…G Matt Murray (family

matter) returned to Ontario and is likely unavailable for Saturday…Both

teams are coming off a five-day break because of a “bye” week.

Detroit News LOADED: 01.13.2018


Red Wings' Jimmy Howard ready to return Saturday

January 12, 2018 at 5:57 PM

Ansar Khan

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will return to action

Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (1 p.m.,

Fox Sports Detroit), when the teams come back from their bye week.

Howard told DetroitRedWings.com after practice Friday in Pittsburgh that

he is ready to go. He missed the previous game, Sunday's 5-2 loss to the

Tampa Bay Lightning, due to a knee injury. He told reporters after

practice that the stiffness in the knee went away during the break.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Howard is 4-2-0, with a 1.65 goals-against average and .952 save

percentage, in his past six starts.

Tristan Jarry will start in goal for Pittsburgh because Matt Murray has

returned home to Ontario for personal reasons. Jarry is 7-3-2, with a 2.46

GAA, .919 save percentage and two shutouts.

The Red Wings (17-17-7) went 4-1 during a homestand prior to the

break. They visit Chicago on Sunday, in a game that was moved to 12:30

p.m. ET for NBC.

#RedWings Howard said he is ready to go tomorrow.

-- Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) January 12, 2018

Michigan Live LOADED: 01.13.2018


Ask Ansar: On Red Wings signing young talent, future captain

January 12, 2018 at 06:07 AM

Staff Writer

Cap constraints, tough negotiations ahead?

Q: It seems that all of our young forwards are up for new contracts at the

same time. Any problems getting them all signed? Will there be enough

cap space or will they need to dump salaries? Can you envision any

scenario where they might have to move (Martin) Frk or, I hope not, AA

(Andreas Athanasiou) because of money problems? – Mark

A: I don't think we'll see any stalemates that extend into the season, like

we did withAthanasiou, which was a rare case. And since Athanasiou is

arbitration eligible this summer, if he files, that will assure him of having a

contract with the Red Wings by mid-July to early-August, depending on

the hearing date. If he doesn't file, the club can file, which again would

assure that he'll be in the fold well before training camp.

Frk also is arbitration eligible. Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler

Bertuzzi are not eligible for arbitration. Perhaps negotiations will extend

into late August or even early September with Larkin or Mantha, but I

would be surprised if they're not done by camp.

Cap space isn't an issue. Mike Green and Petr Mrazek will come off the

books, creating $10 million to ink those young forwards plus backup

goalie Jared Coreau. And don't forget that whatever these players sign

for, you're only adding the raise to the cap, not the full amount (for

instance, if Athanasiou signs for $3 million a year, they'd be adding only

$1.62 million to the cap, since he's at $1.38 million currently).

Also, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in December that the cap is

projected to rise to between $78 million and $82 million, up from $75

million.

Who was best choice to represent at All-Star Game?

Q: Why (Mike) Green (as Red Wings' All-Star selection)? Maybe to boost

his trade value? I would have liked to seen (Henrik) Zetterberg get a

chance with his career winding down. Even Larkin would have been a

good pick, especially to see him in the fastest skater competition again. –

John

A: I don't think being named an All-Star will affect Green's trade value.

Anyway, the NHL's operations department assembles the roster,

consulting with clubs in some instances, after fan voting for the captains.

Larkin would have been the Red Wings' most deserving selection, but the

Atlantic Division is stacked at forward with Nikita Kucherov, Steven

Stamkos, Auston Matthews, Brad Marchand, Jack Eichel and Aleksander

Barkov.

Zetterberg has been selected a couple times before, but oddly enough,

both times he had to bow out a few days before due to an injury. He

might be a little banged up, but even if completely healthy, I think it's safe

to say he doesn't want to be there. At his age, he's much better off

resting. And three-on-three would be a further grind for him.

Possibilities for next captain, alternate

Q: I noticed last week you wondered whether this would be Zetterberg's

final season. If that's the case, they'll be naming a new captain sooner

than expected. I imagine it comes down to only two possibilities – Larkin

or (Justin) Abdelkader. Who would you project as the next captain? For

that matter, what about the (alternate captain) after (Niklas) Kronwall

retires? – J.S.

A: My guess is that Zetterberg plays one more season. After all, he has

appeared in 205 consecutive games, the team's longest current streak,

since sitting out the meaningless season finale at Carolina on April 11,

2015. I would be surprised if he plays in 2019-20, when he'll be 39 and

his salary dips to $1 million.

However, if goes on long-term injured reserve for the final two seasons

(which might be a hard sell to the NHL), he'll still be on the team,

technically, and I don't think they would name another captain. I think

they would wait to do that until Zetterberg officially retires. I think they'd

just go with three alternate captains. Larkin would surely get an 'A.' If

they need another alternate (when Kronwall retires), I could see it being

Jonathan Ericsson, if he's still around. If not, then Anthony Mantha, if

they feel he's ready for it, which they hope he will be eventually.

As for the next captain, if Zetterberg officially retires before his contract is

up, I think it will be Abdelkader. If Zetterberg officially retires in 2021, I

think Larkin will be the next captain, at the ripe old age of 25. In either

case, Larkin will be a future captain here.

Jared Coreau was hold and cold during his stint with the Red Wings in

2016-17. (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Sorting out goaltending situation

Q: It's safe to assume Petr Mrazek is done here. Couple things, is Jared

Coreau good enough to be a regular backup in the NHL season or do

they seek an upgrade through trade or free agency? And if it is Coreau,

is he Jimmy Howard's heir apparent? – Mack.

A: Coreau will be backing up next season, I believe. He has earned that

opportunity by helping the Grand Rapids Griffins win the Calder Cup

championship last season, even though he hasn't been quite as sharp

this year (2.70 goals-against average, .909 save percentage, compared

to 2.33 and .917 in the AHL last season). But some of that likely is due to

the Griffins not being as strong.

Coreau played 14 games with the Red Wings last season. His numbers

weren't good (3.46 GAA. ,887 save percentage). But it was strange

because he looked real good in some games (shutouts against the Kings

and Canadiens and a 1-0 overtime loss to the Rangers) and pulled in

others (vs. the Sharks and Bruins).

I think next season, as Howard's backup, will indicate what his future is

with the organization. Howard will be 35 when his contract expires at the

end of the 2018-19 season. If he's playing well at that point, they might

sign him to a short-term extension for a lower salary than his current $5.3

million.

1092898 Vegas Golden Knights

Injuries create opportunity for Knights defenseman Brad Hunt

CAROLINA HURRICANES


By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal

3 minutes

January 12, 2018 - 8:31 PM

A dinged-up Golden Knights defense means more playing time for Brad

Hunt.

The veteran is one of six healthy defenseman and will be in the lineup

Saturday when the first-place Knights host the struggling Edmonton

Oilers at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

“When I’m in the lineup, I’ve just got to play my game and help the team

be successful,” Hunt said Friday after the team’s late-afternoon practice

at City National Arena. “That’s what it’s all about.”

The five-day bye wasn’t enough time for defenseman Jon Merrill to heal

from his undisclosed injury, and he remains on the injured-reserve list.

Merrill did not participate in either of the Knights’ two 30-minute practices

that were conducted in front of a standing room-only crowd.

Defenseman Luca Sbisa was placed on IR on Wednesday and will miss

six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his left hand.

Hunt played in Sunday’s 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, his first

appearance since Dec. 9 at Dallas. In 18 games this season, Hunt has

seven assists.

”We’re excited to give him another opportunity again,” Knights coach

Gerard Gallant said. “He’s played well, and we always talk about depth at

the blue line, and now we’re getting tested a little bit.”

Hunt was alongside familiar partner Colin Miller at Friday’s practices and

also saw time working with the Knights’ No. 2 power-play unit.

”He’s a lot of fun to play with,” Hunt said. “He makes it easy for me. We

read off each other really well.”

“It wasn’t like Cabo Spring Break 2018 or something like that because of

the timing, but we had an unbelievable time,” forward Alex Tuch said.

“We’re a group of guys that came together and the chemistry started right

away on and off the ice. I think I have lifelong friends, honestly.

Hopefully, I’ll be playing with those guys for a really long time.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.13.2018


Golden Knights return from bye, welcome Connor McDavid, Oilers

By Steve Carp Las Vegas Review-Journal

3-4 minutes

January 12, 2018 - 8:16 PM

The Golden Knights’ first half was historic. But can they maintain their

success as they begin the second half of their inaugural NHL season?

By getting contributions from everyone, by playing a simple game and

displaying resiliency, the Knights have won 29 of their first 41 games,

have 60 points, lead the Pacific Division and have the best record in the

Western Conference.

They also know they haven’t accomplished anything entering a 7 p.m.

game Saturday against star center Connor McDavid and the Edmonton

Oilers at T-Mobile Arena.

“There’s a lot of hockey left to play,” coach Gerard Gallant said Friday

after the team returned from its bye week for two 30-minute practices at

City National Arena. “Why would we talk about the playoffs? We’re a long

way from the playoffs.”

Last season, 94 points were enough to make the Western Conference

playoffs. Using that number as a standard, the Knights would need 34

points in the next 41 games.

Nineteen of those games will be at T-Mobile Arena, where they have a

league-best 18-2-1 record. They have built enough of a cushion that they

probably could withstand a slump in the next three months.

“You don’t want to change anything,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said.

“We’ve had great chemistry here going back to training camp, and that’s

been a big part of our success.”

Forward James Neal, who was selected to the NHL All-Star Game on

Wednesday, said the team’s balance has allowed it to survive any major

lulls.

“We’ve got four lines that play similar and have been productive,” Neal

said. “If someone is struggling, the other guys pick him up.”

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Knights’ other All-Star, said the key to

maintaining the first-half success is to not worry about the future.

“I think we have the right mindset to the way we approach games,” Fleury

said. “Nobody is talking about too far down the road. We’re focusing on

the next two points and playing hard night after night.”

Recent history shows that returning from the bye week might not be a

good thing. Last season, the 30 NHL teams went a collective 10-16-4 in

their first game back off the break.

“Yeah, everyone’s aware of it,” Engelland said. “That’s why you want to

go out and play the way you’ve been playing.”

But there’s another number that should motivate the Knights on

Saturday. That’s 8-2, the score of their Nov. 14 loss to the Oilers at

Rogers Place.

“I think our guys remember that,” Gallant said. “We didn’t play well that

night. The good thing was we came back two nights later and won in

Vancouver and played a good game. I think we won five in a row.”

Defenseman Nate Schmidt said the Knights will be well aware of

McDavid, who had two goals and an assist in the first meeting.

“I didn’t do a very good job with him, and he had his way with us,”

Schmidt said. “It just makes this game that much more exciting for us,

especially given the last time we played them.

“You can’t let him into those areas where he can make those plays.

You’ve got to take away his time and space if you can.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 01.13.2018


Analysis: Can the Golden Knights continue their winning ways in second

half?

By Jesse Granger (contact)

Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 | 2 a.m.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


The Golden Knights have reached the midway point of their inaugural

season, and the first half couldn’t have been better.

Vegas has shattered nearly every expansion record through 41 games

and leads the Western Conference with an impressive record of 29-10-2.

If the Golden Knights replicate that record over the final 41 games, they

would become only the fourth team since 1997 to break the 120-point

threshold. That’s unlikely.

Here are three things that are likely to stay the same for the Golden

Knights during the second half of the season, and three that will likely

change.

Stay the same:

The Golden Knights have allowed the 10th fewest goals in the NHL at 2.7

per game, and accomplished that despite the fact that starting goalie

Marc-Andre Fleury played two fewer games than fourth-stringer Maxime

Lagace.

The injuries at the goaltender position aren’t likely to repeat. With Fleury

back after missing two months with a concussion and Malcolm Subban

playing in his relief, the Golden Knights should be able to count on solid

goaltending for the remainder of the season.

In the 16 games this season started by Lagace and Oscar Dansk, who

started the year in the American Hockey League, Vegas allowed 3.38

goals per game. In the 25 games started by Fleury and Subban, Vegas

has allowed only 2.12 goals per game.

The Golden Knights are the only team in the NHL with two goalies

ranked in the top-10 in goals against average. Fleury ranks first at 1.73

and Subban 10th at 2.38.

Not only do the Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division at the midway

point of the season, they’ve dominated their divisional foes. Vegas has

an 11-1-0 record against teams in the Pacific, which is the best inter-

division record of any team in the NHL.

They may not continue at that pace, but the Golden Knights’ speedy

lineup matches extremely well with the older, slower teams in the Pacific

like the Kings, Ducks and Sharks. Add to that the Golden Knights may

play in the worst division in hockey, and it wouldn’t be crazy for them to

win nearly every divisional matchup.

At this point it seems likely the Central Division will get both wild card

spots and the Pacific will be limited to only three playoff teams.

The Golden Knights lead the NHL with 488 takeaways, which is 56 more

than the next closest team — Carolina with 432.

Certain things in hockey (and sports in general) can be attributed to

chance. Hockey people call it puck luck. Goal scoring can come and go,

with hot streaks and cold streaks, as can goaltending to a degree, but

one thing that can remain constant is effort.

Through the first 41 games the Golden Knights have consistently

outworked their opponents, and there’s no reason it won’t continue.

That’s because the Golden Knights have one of the deepest rosters in

the league, and coach Gerard Gallant spreads the ice time more evenly

than any coach in the NHL.

That means top-line players are fresher, and can forecheck for the entire

game without worrying about conserving energy for later. Nearly every

team that’s come into T-Mobile Arena has complimented the Golden

Knights’ relentless pressure.

Likely to change:

The Golden Knights have the best home record in the NHL at 18-2-1.

Whether it’s teams coming to town focused on something other than the

hockey game, the atmosphere inside T-Mobile Arena, or the fact that

Vegas is just a really good team, it’s clear the Golden Knights have one

of the best home ice advantages in the league.

Don’t expect that to change drastically. But they can’t keep up the pace

they’re currently on. If they did, it would tie the 1975-76 Philadelphia

Flyers for the most home wins in a single season in NHL history.

Vegas will host some talented teams in the second half of the season,

starting with a struggling-but-dangerous Oilers squad on Saturday. In

their first meeting on Nov. 14 the Oilers beat the Golden Knights 8-2.

Vegas is currently second in the NHL with 3.44 goals per game, behind

only Tampa Bay.

William Karlsson is tied for fifth in the league with 22 goals. He’s on pace

to record 72 points this season, and his career-high prior to this year was

only 36. The 25-year-old has turned a corner, centering the most

productive line in hockey and playing more minutes than he ever has, but

to expect him to continue scoring at this pace is unlikely.

James Neal has already seen a curtail in goals, scoring only six in his

last 20 games after netting 12 in the first 21 of the season.

Only 17 players in the entire NHL topped 70 points last season, and the

Golden Knights have three players (Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault

and Reilly Smith) currently on pace for that.

While the Golden Knights could still finish in the top-10 in goals scored,

it’s doubtful they’ll maintain this pace.

While the production of some of the forwards is bound to slow down at

some point, the Golden Knights may get a boost from the blue line.

Miller has established himself as a clear offensive threat through the first

41 games but has struggled to put the puck in the back of the net. It’s not

a stat that’s recorded, but Miller has hit more posts than any player on

the team, many of which he had the goaltender beat on the play.

He leads all defensemen with 2:38 of power play ice time per game and

has 21 points on the season (five goals and 16 assists).

It’s no secret Miller launches missiles from the point with his slap shot. In

the 2015 AHL All-Star skills competition he had the hardest shot in the

20-year history of the event, clocking at 105.5 miles per hour.

Miller is tied for third on the Golden Knights with 93 shots on goal and a

lot more than five should find the net in the second half of the season.

LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 01.13.2018

1092917 Websites

The Athletic / Duhatschek Notebook: Pacific's flawed all-star roster, love

for Manson, what Senators need to do to keep Karlsson

By Eric Duhatschek 11 hours ago

Criticizing the NHL all-star selection process is a bit like shooting fish in a

barrel, which is why I rarely do it. But I’m making an exception for this

year’s choices because they were so egregiously random and puzzling

that it’s hard to turn a blind eye. So many choices were made, not to

recognize good play, which is what an all-star selection is supposed to be

about, but to acknowledge career achievements.

Imagine being a fan of the Vegas Golden Knights. First year in the NHL,

an unbelievable success story, mostly keyed by an expectedly strong

performance from their No. 1 line, consisting of William Karlsson between

Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. All three are deserving of all-

star slots, but three can’t legitimately make it because you have to

CAROLINA HURRICANES


shoehorn 11 names from eight teams onto a divisional all-star roster and

so someone is going to fall through the cracks. Understood.

But to not name any of the three? That made no sense. Instead, the NHL

went with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forward James Neal. Fleury

is one of the nicest people on earth, but he missed seven-and-a-half

weeks recovering from a concussion and is one of four goaltenders to

contribute to their unexpected success story. He’s made 12

appearances. He’s played fewer games than Max Lagace. He doesn’t

belong based on the year he’s had to date (which has been exceptional

in the handful of games he’s played).

As for Neal, he had a great first month but he’s streaky, which has been

the pattern throughout his career and has fallen to fifth on the team in

scoring – behind the aforementioned three and David Perron. Neal too is

a nice guy, who came back earlier than expected from off-season hand

surgery and is making a contribution to Vegas’s success. But not to the

extent Marchessault is and not to the extent Karlsson is. Those two

should be going to Tampa to represent the Golden Knights instead of

Fleury and Neal.

And it would have been an easy fix, too. Mike Smith, Calgary’s first-half

most valuable player, should be there instead of Fleury. Without Smith,

they are not in the playoff mix. So put in Smith for Fleury, Marchessault

for Neal and Karlsson for Anze Kopitar, who is having a quality bounce-

back season, but is the third most valuable player on the Los Angeles

Kings behind goaltender Jonathan Quick and defenceman Drew

Doughty. As good as the Kings have been, there is no reason why they

should get three all-star spots and six other teams from the division

should be limited to a single player each. The Kings haven’t been that

much better.

The Pacific is the most flawed divisional all-star team, but there were

other curious choices, too. In Pittsburgh, Phil Kessel should be going

ahead of Sidney Crosby. In Montreal, Brendan Gallagher should be

going ahead of Carey Price. In Ottawa, Mark Stone should be going

ahead of Erik Karlsson. In Washington, John Carlson should be going

ahead of Braden Holtby.

If the NHL ever got around to explaining how this process works, they

would likely fall back on a familiar argument – if 44 all-star roster spots

need to be apportioned among 31 teams, you’re not going to make

everybody happy. True. But you wouldn’t face nearly the backlash if you

made choices more reflective of first-half performance than name and

reputation.

As crazy as it sounds, some players do earn bonuses for being named to

an all-star team. To do the work and then miss out because your stature

in the game pales compared to Price’s or Karlsson’s or Crosby’s is to do

a disservice to everyone involved in the process – those who were

chosen and those who were overlooked.

A modest all-star proposal

A few years ago, there was a bizarre Internet campaign to get tough guy

John Scott elected to the All-Star Game as a write-in candidate. It was

silly, but it was also successful and it made the point that if you put the

vote in the hands of the fans, any nonsensical thing can happen. Social

media can be a powerful tool, especially once a gag gets going. And

once the momentum for Scott’s candidacy got started, it couldn’t be

stopped. I didn’t love the fact that someone on the fringes of an NHL

roster made it to the All-Star Game, because it meant one far more

qualified candidate was passed over.

But what I’d really like to see is someone mount a campaign on behalf of

a deserving player who flies too far under the radar to have the big wigs

at the NHL pay attention.

Right now, I’m thinking of Josh Manson, the Anaheim Ducks’

defenceman. Here’s my case for Manson. Selection-wise, Anaheim was

tricky anyway this year because most of their key players have missed

significant time with injury. Hampus Lindholm wasn’t there for the first

month. Ryan Kesler didn’t get playing until just around Christmas. Ryan

Getzlaf lost time with that facial injury; Corey Perry came back for the

final game before the bye week but he was out for about a month with an

injury as well. The NHL settled on Rickard Rakell as Anaheim’s choice

because he leads the team in goals. But anybody who’s paid attention to

the Ducks this year can tell you Rakell’s been inconsistent and picked up

the scoring pace only after Getzlaf came back. Before that, they were

looking for far more from him than what they were getting.

That leaves us with Manson, who has 21 even-strength points in 43

games this year, the same as Doughty and Tampa’s Victor Hedman, two

of the front-runners for the Norris Trophy. Manson is a plus-18, fifth best

in the league. He and Lindholm are mostly coach Randy Carlyle’s

shutdown pair, when Anaheim has its top six defencemen healthy.

Manson plays with an edge – like his old man, Dave – but he is far more

versatile. Of late, there’s been a significant uptick on the offensive side of

his game. When Anaheim made a trade to send Shea Theodore to

Vegas, it was done mostly to protect Manson, a player they desperately

didn’t want to lose.

In a year when all the big names on the Ducks weren’t really all-star

factors, this was the perfect time to give an appreciative nod to what

Manson’s accomplished this year. But of course, he’s not all that well

known, so why reward someone for being really good on both sides of

the puck, even if coaches really value that. Every team has a handful of

quiet glue guys who don’t attract a lot of notoriety but make a difference

in winning. Just before the Ducks went on their bye week, I asked Carlyle

for his assessment of Manson. Carlyle doesn’t gush. He’s too old school

for that.

Here’s what he told me: “To say that we would have thought that he was

going to provide that level of offence would be incorrect. But anytime you

have a young player that has continued to show growth, you don't want

to put him into a position to stunt that growth. Obviously, we made the

commitment on a contract to him and we believe strongly that he has

more to give – and that there's more light at the end of the tunnel for Josh

Manson.”

Well, hopefully he’s right and hopefully that one day ends up with an all-

star appearance. But I would have picked him this year – and anybody

that closely follows Anaheim’s fortunes this year would probably agree.

The trading game

Every year, one of the characteristics of the NHL trade deadline is that

about half the players that get moved have been in the rumor mill for

months, and so you’re not surprised when a Martin Hanzal or a Kevin

Shattenkirk gets moved (as they did last year). But there are always a

bunch of other trades involving names that you didn’t see on the trade

boards, the ones GMs managed to keep on the QT and make you think,

‘huh, didn’t see that coming.’

For the 2018 trading deadline, the Ottawa Senators are already facing a

great deal of scrutiny just because of how poorly their season has gone

after making it to the Stanley Cup semi-final last year. Mathematically,

reeling in a playoff spot at this point of the season would require a

miracle, driven by an Andrew Hammond-style run. It can happen –

Ottawa fans know that – but it probably won’t, which is why you’ve been

hearing the names of Mike Hoffman and Zach Smith in the trade rumors

for a while now. Ottawa is in a tight spot, salary-cap wise, going forward

because both Matt Duchene and Karlsson have contracts that expire

after next season and they’re going to have extricate themselves from

payroll limbo.

Now, Duchene earns $6 million a year, wants to stay in Ottawa, and

probably will get a raise, but not so big a raise that it’ll necessarily affect

Ottawa’s cap structure too much. I don’t see an issue getting that done.

Karlsson is a little different. He makes $6.5 million per year. I can’t see

him signing an extension for anything less than $10 million per season

and if the cap is trending up, it will probably cost closer to $12 million to

get him signed. This year’s so-so first half notwithstanding, Karlsson is

one of the most dynamic players in the game. If you believe you need a

defined, difference-making No. 1 defenceman to win in the NHL

nowadays, then you need to pull out all stops to get Karlsson signed. But

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that creates issues for general manager Pierre Dorion, who has two

contract millstones standing in his way.

One is Bobby Ryan’s seven-year, $50.75 million contract which has four

years to run after this, at an AAV of $7.25 million. The other is Dion

Phaneuf’s seven-year, $49 million deal with three years to run after this.

Neither deal represents good value, so the question becomes: Is there

any way at all to extricate themselves from one or the other deal, in order

to pave the way for a Karlsson extension?

Or to put it another way, can you creatively find a way to move out

Ryan’s money, even though he’s 30 and has all those years left at $7.25

million? Seems impossible, at first blush. Vegas wasn’t interested last

June, back when they were preparing their expansion plans. Even Ryan

understood why the Senators left him exposed in the expansion draft,

knowing the only way he would be moving is if Ottawa sweetened the pot

for Vegas in a meaningful way. It didn’t happen then. Could it happen this

summer? Maybe. If Neal and/or Perron eventually move on, that would

create some cap flexibility in Vegas and also the need for another top-six

scorer. Vegas also has three more expensive contracts coming off the

books — $5 million of Mikhail Grabovski, $4.6 of Jason Garrison and

$3.25 million of Clayton Stoner. You could probably also throw Luca

Sbisa in there, who was probably on his way out at the deadline, until he

got hurt and now won’t be back playing until March. So Vegas will have

cap space to rent and once again they’d have to be incentivized to make

a deal happen. But it doesn’t stretch the bounds of credibility to think

they’d try.

In one year, Vegas has proven that they can take disparate parts from

other teams around the league and fit them into an intelligent whole.

Ryan injured his hand again this past week, which probably precludes

any chance that he could be moved by the 2018 trade deadline. I can’t

find a home for him at his going rate, but what if Ottawa was prepared to

absorb half that contract to make it go away? Is Ryan, at $3.625 million –

again, for additional four years – worth rolling the dice on? That’s the only

way you’d get someone to take him – that and to make the acquisition

cost negligible. That, by the way, is when it gets a little more interesting.

Some teams may balk at the asking price for this year’s primary rentals –

like Evander Kane. If you don’t have the assets to give up – or simply

don’t want to give high draft choices and quality prospects – but you do

want to supplement your lineup, then the only way to do it is to ponder

the risks and rewards of the overprice. Players like Bobby Ryan. He does

have four 30-goal seasons on his resume. He was the second player

selected in the 2005 NHL entry draft — by the Ducks and just behind

Sidney Crosby. The Anaheim GM at the time was Brian Burke. Burke

was also the GM that convinced the league to amend its policies and

allow teams to keep salary back in a trade, which has made trades a little

easier to do. Calgary already owes its two top 2018 draft picks to the

Islanders in the Travis Hamonic deal, so if the Flames want to add a

proven scorer, they may need to get creative. That Ryan injury history

and that contract term make it a challenging task. But once in a while, the

names you never hear do get traded at the deadline. Ottawa would be

one step closer to signing Karlsson if they could move Ryan’s money out

in the next 12 months. The question is, can they?


1092918 Websites

The Athletic / A Canadiens fan finds the path to joy in a dying season

By Paul Campbell 12 hours ago

The TV was in the next room, too close to mine and my door never

closed right so hockey streamed in past bedtime as I pressed my face

close to watch. One sick night my father let me sit on the couch out there

with him, bleary and runny but absolutely rapt, the wide white expanse

cut so roughly and gracefully by the red streaks’ relentless pursuit, the

black smear endlessly drawing them. I had caught a fever.

Today, I watched people debating who to blame for a failed late first-

round draft pick made over seven years ago. There was no game, and

would be none for days. The team is languishing. It is raining and

somehow also desperately cold. It is dark now, dull ache in my broken

hand, the narrow slice of light streaming from my phone full of sadness.

The red is pale and dilute. I feel sick but it is nothing like the fever.

There is nothing unserious about Canadiens hockey. Even the bad jokes

and sarcastic laughs are wrung through wry smiles, hung too tightly

because they cut even the teller, closer to the bone than self-

deprecation. It’s a way of coping.

There are also numbers, and numbers to explain those numbers. 18-20-

4? -29! Yes, despite 51 percent, maybe because of 98.7? Expectations,

adjustments, regressions, abbreviations. Charts! Bring things into focus,

make them concrete, and anesthetise their emotional force.

Disinterested, rational, impartial. This is also a way of coping.

Or just scream at someone, white-hot anger so intense the phone drops

from blistered fingers scorching Marc and Claude and Max and Shea and

Carey HOW DARE YOU and Subban MOVE ON and Therrien BURN IT

ALL DOWN. This may not be coping.

Every fanbase loves to win. This fanbase hates to lose.

None of it matters though. None of the coping methods makes the losing

stop, makes the scorers snipe or the goalies save. We sit staring, utterly

helpless as the truck careens in an all-too-familiar, far-too-predictable

skid off the indifferent cliff, wincing at the inevitable fireball. It feels empty.

Maybe you turn away in disgust. Maybe you hate watch. I couldn’t blame

you. We all bear what we can however we can manage.

I think I found, or rediscovered, something better though, for me at least,

during that last game versus Tampa. It was a game in all the best senses

of the word. It was actually fun, and fast, and incredible players were

doing incredible things all night long. It was tense, and breathless, and

the outcome was in doubt from puck drop to the final shot. The

atmosphere in the building was palpable from my couch, and even cool,

sceptical Twitter was caught up in the excitement.

Everyone cared about this game, and they cared about it in a way that

had nothing to do with standings points, playoff pushes, or wildcard odds.

It was as though, for as long as it lasted, nothing else mattered. When

they won, Carey triumphantly staring down one of the world’s deadliest

shooters before dashing off to celebrate with his team, that feeling

justified everything, the whole futile, flailing drive out of playoff contention

swept aside in favour of this one exquisite outcome. I was five again, up

too late, missing my dad this time but still entirely spellbound.

At some point, a fundamental shift of meaning must have taken place for

me. Maybe this is true of most sports fans as they move from

enthusiastic children to jaded adults. The season became a long journey

to a hallowed grail, each game’s value assessed only by the progress it

helped achieve. The team’s personnel were also reduced to their

contributions to the ultimate goal, interchangeable engines with no value

beyond their output. Almost every year, by this way of thinking, is a

failure, a wasted effort, a blown opportunity at greatness.

It’s as though we collectively decided that sadness and disappointment

were the natural outcomes of a hockey season. We watch to be

miserable on the off chance that, once in a generation, perhaps, we get

to drink from that vicarious Cup of joy.

I think I was closer to being right about things when I was five. Each

game is an event that all these years of watching and learning have

given me gorgeously rich, detailed access to. Every game is a clean

fresh sheet with infinite possibilities. Amazing players will do incredible

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things that astound and delight us. The brutal beauty of the game’s

unpredictable flow will sweep over us when we least expect it. Losing

season be damned, all thoughts of it purged from memory for as long as

the game, this game, goes on. The wonder of the game we fell in love

with waits to grace us still; all we need to do is let it in.


1092919 Websites

The Athletic / Former Blue Jacket Sam Gagner ‘a little nostalgic’ on first

trip back to Columbus

Aaron Portzline 17 hours ago

Like a star-crossed summer romance, the relationship between Sam

Gagner and the Blue Jackets was only meant to last so long.

Gagner, now with the Vancouver Canucks, sat in the visitors' dressing

room in Nationwide Arena on Thursday and waxed poetic about his one

season in Columbus — the personal success he enjoyed, the career he

rekindled, the friends he made, the city he discovered.

“I'm definitely a little nostalgic coming back here, even though I had only

the one year,” Gagner said.

“I would have hoped for a little more playoff success after the season we

had, but in terms of the way the season went, the opportunity I had to

establish myself as a power-play guy … those were all really good things.

It was definitely a lot of fun.”

The Blue Jackets host the Canucks at 7 p.m. tonight, the first time

Gagner has faced his old mates since he was allowed to leave as an

unrestricted free agent last summer.

Gagner is one of the rare players who leaves an NHL club on entirely

good terms. No resentment. No bitterness. No confusion. From the start

— back in the summer of 2016 — both Gagner and the Blue Jackets

knew what they wanted out of the deal.

The Blue Jackets had question marks at center ice (sound familiar?) and

needed an infusion of skill among their hardworking forwards.

Gagner sat on the free-agent market so long that the Blue Jackets could

get him at a bargain basement price: one-year, $650,000, barely above

the NHL minimum.

From the Blue Jackets' perspective, the deal carried virtually no risk.

From Gagner's perspective, it was a chance to show the NHL he could

produce again after a frustrating season in Philadelphia, where he was in

and out of the lineup and up and down from the American Hockey

League for the first time in his career.

“I came to Columbus with a really open mind,” Gagner said. “To me, it

was all about the hockey and the hockey went really well.

“I don't think there have been many power plays that have run that hot for

that long a time like we did early last season. Our first 30 games …

looking back, that was really fun. Winning 16 games in a row … I've

never been a part of something like that. It's pretty incredible.”

Gagner finished with 18-32-50 and a plus-10 rating. He tied for fourth on

the Blue Jackets in scoring and fifth in points.

In the process, he became a luxury the Blue Jackets couldn't afford.

Gagner said the Blue Jackets' front office never closed the door on him

returning, but they wanted him to test the free-agent market before he

circled back.

The Blue Jackets had young players (Pierre-Luc Dubois, Oliver

Bjorkstrand, etc.) who needed spots in the lineup, and they had long-term

salary cap considerations.

Really, they couldn't promise Gagner much more than a similar one-year

contract, and he'd priced his way out of the league-minimum deals. On

the ice, the Jackets couldn't promise Gagner more than a fourth-line spot

with power-play duties.

“I understand the business of it; you have to understand that as a player,”

Gagner said. “The one thing I really enjoyed here is how professional

management was with me in terms of letting me know where I stood. I

have nothing but positive things to say.

“I was hoping something could work out. I would have loved to stay,

absolutely. But once I started looking … ”

In today's NHL, 50-point scorers don't last too far past the noon bell on

free-agency day. Sure enough, Gagner signed a three-year, $9.45 million

deal with the Canucks on July 1.

After spending his first seven NHL seasons in Edmonton, he's played for

four different teams over the past four seasons. The three-year term was

a magnet.

“I couldn't pass that up,” Gagner said.

Gagner bounced around the Canucks' lineup early in the season but has

since found a home as the second-line center between left winger

Thomas Vanek and right wing Brock Boeser, one of the league's top

rookies.

But it hasn't been an easy season in Vancouver. The Canucks are in a 2-

11-2 tailspin since Dec. 5, including a current five-game losing streak (0-

4-1). They own the third-fewest points in the NHL, ahead of only Arizona

and Buffalo.

“We've got some injuries and it's forcing guys to stand up and play bigger

minutes,” Gagner said. “We're fighting to find some confidence and

consistency in our game.”

Gagner played in the middle on the Blue Jackets' power play last season,

the “slot” forward in the 1-3-1 alignment. Through 46 games in 2016-17,

the Blue Jackets were lethal on the man advantage: 25.0 percent, tops in

the NHL.

After that, the power play struggled mightily through the end of the

season, and those struggles have dragged into 2017-18. The Jackets

have warmed on the power play in recent weeks, but still sit 30th in the

NHL at 13.0 percent.

“For sure they have the pieces,” Gagner said. “It's one of those things,

when the power play doesn't go well and you lose some confidence, it's

tough to get it back.

“That's what I remember about the power play (last season), we just had

so much confidence and fun, like we knew something good was going to

happen. Either we were going to score — which we did, a lot — or we

were going to have the puck for two minutes and really change or grab

the momentum of any game. That's how it's supposed to work.

“I'm sure when it matters they'll get it going. They're still finding ways to

win without it, so that's good.”

Gagner didn't get to see his former teammates on Thursday night

because the Blue Jackets were playing in Buffalo. But it was good, he

said, to be back in the city he once called home, if only for a short, sweet

time.

“I didn't know what to expect when I first got here, but I really enjoyed

everything about it,” Gagner said. “It's a great place to live. It's a great

family spot. The market here, in terms of the fan base and how

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supportive they are, and what it's like to play here … it was a lot of fun to

be part of it. I'm glad I had that chance.”

Will he have money on the board tonight?

“Maybe a little something,” Gagner smiled. “A cup of coffee.”


1092920 Websites

The Athletic / Jack Johnson has asked the Blue Jackets for a trade

Aaron Portzline 4 hours ago

Jack Johnson, citing a dramatically diminished role this season and a

desire to better position himself for free agency in the summer, has

asked the Blue Jackets to be traded, sources have confirmed to The

Athletic.

The veteran defenseman would not comment on the report when asked

by The Athletic after the Blue Jackets' 5-2 loss to Vancouver on Friday.

His agent, Pat Brisson, would not discuss the report publicly.

But sources said Johnson's request was made weeks ago in the hope

that something will be done, at the latest, by the NHL's trade deadline of

Feb. 26.

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen declined to comment when reached

by The Athletic late Friday.

It's a stunning turn of events in the relationship between Johnson and the

Blue Jackets, who acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings

nearly six years ago.

Back then, Johnson was the Blue Jackets' top defenseman, a player

relied upon for 25-plus minutes per night.

Since then, he's been jumped on the depth chart by Seth Jones, Zach

Werenski and Markus Nutivaara, and his playing time has dwindled this

season. In Thursday's loss to Buffalo, he played only 13:43.

As recently as last summer the Blue Jackets were close to signing

Johnson to a multiyear extension, The Athletic has learned. A deal was

nearly signed in August, when the club expected to trade defenseman

Ryan Murray, perhaps in a deal to land center Matt Duchene.

Also, the Jackets gave Johnson an alternate captain's “A” earlier this

season when they stripped it from Brandon Dubinsky.

It's not a case in which Johnson is unhappy in Columbus or doesn't fit in

with his teammates. If he had remaining years on his contract, sources

said, this request would not have been made.

But Johnson, who turns 31 on Saturday, is feeling enormous pressure to

sign a multiyear contract when he hits unrestricted free agency July 1.

His well-publicized bankruptcy four years ago has cut sharply into his life

savings, such that Johnson will need his next contract — and perhaps

another one after that — to set up him and his family for the years after

his career.

“He doesn't have the nest egg that most 12-year NHL veterans would

have, obviously,” the source said.

Johnson is making $5 million this season in the final year of his contract.

But, per the terms of his settlement with creditors, per reports, he's been

allowed to keep $246,000 in “spending money” both last season and this

season.

The Blue Jackets and Johnson haven't had substantive contract talks

since August, but it would be tough for them to trade Johnson, despite

his shrinking role on the blue line.

Johnson gives the Blue Jackets a much-needed physical presence on

the back end, and he's been, historically, a strong playoff performer.

With youngster Gabriel Carlsson appearing not quite ready for regular

NHL duty and Murray injured — he's been out with a back injury since

mid-December — the Blue Jackets would suddenly be thin on the blue

line if Johnson were traded for something other than a defenseman in

return.

The Blue Jackets’ message to Johnson could be this simple: play better

here to help your market value.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, who said he met with Johnson

before the game, spoke highly of Johnson after the loss to Vancouver.

“It has been an inconsistent year for Jack,” Tortorella said. “If we're going

to have any sniff at all to have extra games after the regular-season

hockey, he has to be a part of it.

“We know that. He has to be part of it. I believe he can be. I have so

much respect for him because I know he's such a great competitor. I

think he'll find his way.”


1092921 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Quick Shifts: 5 reasons Auston Matthews’ power-play time

is just fine

Luke Fox

@lukefoxjukebox

January 12, 2018, 3:34 PM

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious

and less so, and rolling four lines deep.

1. The season before the Toronto Maple Leafs won the draft lottery, the

club’s power play was as weak as green tea, the second-worst in the

league (15.4 per cent).

Since Auston Matthews pulled on a blue-and-white sweater, assistant

coach Jim Hiller — overseen, as all things Leafs, by head coach Mike

Babcock — has operated the NHL’s third-best power play (22.8 per

cent). Pretty nice jump.

Even nicer when you consider the only two teams ahead of Toronto in

this category when you combine the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons:

2017 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh and 2018 Stanley Cup favourite

Tampa Bay.

Guess which forward has averaged the most power-play time for the

Leafs in the last season and a half. Matthews, at 2:24 per night.

Matthews’ use on the man-advantage pales only when compared league-

wide to his fellow all-world snipers like Alex Ovechkin (4:08 this season),

Phil Kessel (4:05), Nikita Kucherov (3:52) and Vladimir Tarasenko (3:54).

Yet criticism of the future captain’s PP minutes percolated on Toronto’s

airwaves this week.

Not that Babcock should be beyond reproach (cough, Polak, cough), but

Matthews’ power-play time is a minor if not silly quibble to take with

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Toronto’s effective special teams (the Leafs’ 83.8 per cent penalty kill

ranks No. 1 in the East). Even if the club’s sole All-Star Game

representative might secretly desire the chance to rack up more points

with a looming contract negotiation.

Why we’re not stressing this issue:

(i.) Matthews’ 2017-18 power-play production (two goals, four assists) is

fine but unspectacular. He’s tied for second among Leafs forwards in PP

ice time but ranks seventh on the team in PP points.

(ii.) The first forward unit of James van Riemsdyk (who, at 2:21, only

averages three more seconds on the man-advantage than AM34), Tyler

Bozak, Nazem Kadri and Mitch Marner has simply yielded better results.

JVR alone is 7-5-12 on the power play.

(iii.) Matthews is easily the Leafs’ best five-on-five player, and they rightly

save his breath so he can make an impact there. At 18:36 per game,

Matthews handily tops among all Toronto forwards (51 seconds more

than linemate and PK man Zach Hyman, who ranks second).

(iv.) Whose PP time do you subtract? Not JVR’s. Nylander could make

his own case for more ice. Kadri and Bozak have endured prolonged

slumps, and you need to give them opportunities to catch fire. Marner

and Connor Brown are top-six wings playing bottom-six roles; take away

some of their PP time, and how do they feel? There’s a whole team to

worry about here, folks.

(v.) Eighty-two games plus is a long haul. What good is forward depth if

you don’t use it? Edmonton is throwing Connor McDavid over the boards

every other shift, but is that a recipe for team success? Trust me, when

playoff position is in doubt or the Leafs need a mid-April win, Babcock

knows who needs the extra ice time. Best to keep his most dangerous

weapon as fresh as possible.

2. Before flying home to Minnesota to take care of some personal

business during the bye week, van Riemsdyk had himself a game to

make Corsi lovers swoon.

The Leafs lost to Ottawa Wednesday, squandering JVR’s 18 shot

attempts in 60 minutes. The big winger’s 11 shots on net eclipsed his

previous high of nine, set way back on Oct. 27, 2011, when he was with

Philadelphia.

“We were making smart plays with the puck,” van Riemsdyk explained.

“We were playing fast, and the D made a good job of getting the puck up

to us in stride so we could make plays coming into the zone.”

JVR chuckled when we asked if he purposely faked his patented

between-the-legs shot the one time he did beat Craig Anderson that night

(watch below). Yep.

“On that play I kinda expected him to be more over toward the far post

than he was,” van Riemsdyk said. “So when I looked up and saw that he

was there, I was trying to change [my plan] last minute on the fly and

ended up shovelling it in. I got a nice break there.”

3. Since the Artemi Panarin trade, the power plays of both the Columbus

Blue Jackets (30th) and Chicago Blackhawks (26th) have each taken a

step back.

Jackets captain Nick Foligno wants his team to look at the Bread Man —

they just call him “Bread,” by the way — as a complementary piece

instead of the sole focus. And shoot!

“Sometimes you feel like you need to make a prettier pass. Instead of

shooting, you may be thinking, ‘Oh, I have to find that guy back-door.’ It

hurt us early on,” Foligno says. “We didn’t have our identity going. Now

you’re seeing one or two passes, then it’s quick shots on net, and our big

bodies are around the net to score. That has to continue.”

Foligno always admired Panarin’s work in the offensive zone but has

been blown away by the completeness of the Russian’s game and his

intelligence.

“I never realized how good he is away from the puck, how hard he

competes on pucks, and that he can generate all the time. That’s a very

hard thing to do in this league. Every time you step on the ice be a threat

to score? There’s only a select few who can do it themselves. He’s one

of those guys who can literally make something out of nothing.”

This rush-dangle-snipe in Buffalo Thursday makes us want to order

another round of Bread:

4. What the heck has made the San Jose Sharks’ penalty kill so efficient?

In the first two seasons of coach Peter DeBoer’s tenure in Northern

California, the club’s PK ranked 18th overall. At 84 per cent this season,

it’s shot up to second.

DeBoer credits assistant Dave Barr, who was hired in June and used to

run DeBoer’s kill in New Jersey. The Devils, DeBoer notes, broke a

modern-day PK record in 2011-12, the year they went to Cup final. But

when the head coach got the San Jose gig, he tried switching

philosophies and didn’t bring Barr with him.

“Just thought the game was changing. We hired Dave and we went back

to that. I think that’s made a big difference. He’s done a great job

implementing it,” DeBoer said.

“It goes to show you, sometimes you can overthink things. Everyone

says, ‘The game’s changing, the game’s changing.’ A lot of the principles

still apply. It was just a matter of us re-instituting those.”

Of course, the players must buy in to a new system. Logan Couture

believes they have. The centre says the four-man unit is running with a

more aggressive approach.

“We’ve done a good job shutting down other teams’ entries into our zone.

We have a hard stand at the blue line, and when we’re in zone, we’re

hard on pucks when backs get turned or pucks get bobbled,” Couture

says. “We force other teams to make skilled plays. We get beat once in a

while, but our PK’s done a solid job winning us some games.”

5. All-Star Game host Tampa Bay had five members invited to the mid-

season party — coach Jon Cooper, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos,

Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy — but you could make a case for

a sixth.

Second-line centre Brayden Point, 21, actually has more even-strength

points than Stamkos (32 to 28), shuts down the opposition’s top lines and

has a team-high three points on the penalty kill.

Not bad for a third-rounder who stands five-foot-10 soaking wet.

“You guys see it every night,” Stamkos says. “He’s such a smart player.

He has the skill-set, but not very often do you see a guy of his age come

in with the mental part of the game down. That’s the preparation, the way

he practises. He’s probably the most low-key guy I’ve ever met. It’s a

great attitude to have, especially as a young guy.”

Point tore it up as a late-season call-up for the injury-plagued Bolts last

spring and was a big reason they nearly rallied for a wild-card spot.

When the playoffs didn’t come, Point shone again for Cooper’s Team

Canada at the world championships.

“As a young player, that’s all you can ask for — a chance to show what

you can do. He did that,” Stamkos says.

“I knew the moment I stepped on the ice in training camp and saw him for

the first time this summer, he was going to be special this year. He had

that extra jump. He had the confidence from playing a big role down the

stretch.”

6. If Hedman’s leg injury is serious enough to remove him from the all-

star game — and let’s hope not, as this could be the year he finally gets

a Norris — his Atlantic Division replacement should be Toronto’s Morgan

Rielly.

Rielly ranks sixth among all D-men in scoring with 31 points and leads

his team in assists (26). If not Rielly, expect Hedman’s teammate, Mikhail

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Sergachev (26 points), to sub in and give the local kids another favourite

to root for.

7. It’s the final game of the regular season, your team has been out of the

playoff race forever, and — what’s this? — your coach benches you.

That’s what John Tortorella did to his best defenceman, Seth Jones,

versus Chicago halfway through the Blue Jackets’ final meaningless

game of 2015-16.

Jones was quickly a minus-2, and Torts decided his off-season might as

well start. The franchise D-man skated less than 14 minutes, half his

normal load.

“Jonesy wasn’t ready to play, and I benched him. I did that for a reason.

Not to embarrass him in the last game, a nothing game, but I wanted to

set the table with him — what’s expected of him as we start our next

year,” says Tortorella, thinking back.

“Right from then – I know he remembers – he’s just improved himself

mentally. That’s not skill; that’s mental readiness, mental toughness. He’s

grown so much, and he still has so much more to offer in his growth, so

it’s exciting for us.”

That benching was a season and a half ago. Jones’s ice time hasn’t

dipped that low since. Thrice this season he’s broken the 28-minute

barrier. He was named to his second all-star game this week and paces

all Columbus D-men with 29 points.

“I don’t look at it as growing offensively. I look at it as being a leader,”

Tortorella says.

“When Jonesy came to us after that [Ryan Johansen] deal, Jonesy just

kind of waded into games. It took him a period to get ready to play, quite

honestly. I think he has really taken a couple of huge steps in wanting to

make a difference right away. He has skating ability, he has the length of

his body, hands, he has everything that you need to be a top player, and

I think he is showing that.

“He has turned into a guy who wants to lead the way and I think that has

helped his offensive numbers.”

Jones and partner Zach Werenski each have a shot at breaking the

franchise record for blue-line scoring Jones set last season. Tortorella

has heard the calls to split up his best two young defenders, but keeps

them together because of their comfort with each other and ability to

dictate the rhythm of a game. Jones said he hopes Werenski (11 goals)

breaks his record.

Since Dec. 2, Jones has amassed 17 points in 19 games, but the

minutes-muncher downplays the remarkable run he’s enjoying.

“The year I got traded here, I had 11 points in 40 games in Nashville. I

got traded and had 20 in 40, half a point per game. It just happens.

Sometimes you get some secondary assists you shouldn’t get or you get

a couple shin pads and your shot goes in. I try to be aggressive. Things

are going well right now,” says Jones, who had to learn when to rush and

when to hang back and save his energy.

“I think I’ve gotten a lot smarter,” Jones says. “When I see an opportunity

offensively, I take it.”

8. I’m watching a hockey game at home. My wife walks in.

“What period?” she says.

“Second.”

“Second? Who watches the second? The first and third are the only

periods worth watching.”

At this point, I should note that my wife is not Guy Boucher. But we would

not blame the Ottawa Senators coach for averting his eyes during

minutes 20 to 40.

In first and third periods, the Sens’ goal differential has hovered around

even all season.

In the second? Yikes. Ottawa has been outscored by an incredible

margin of 62-35 in Period 2. The Sens’ middles have been softer than

Double Stuf Oreos.

There’s no explanation, only an admission.

“Our second periods have hurt us big-time this year,” Boucher says.

9. Love to see Connor McDavid speaking out on league issues.

Superstars should use their voice.

The first glimpse of this is when he voiced his displeasure about skipping

the Olympics this summer, and he sounded off on the oft-maligned

offside challenge this week when the Oilers got a critical goal called back

(watch below).

Interestingly, 10 months ago, Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli was a big

proponent of leaving the offside review as is.

“We think offside is working,” Chiarelli said at the GM meetings. He was

against the break-the-plane tweak.

(Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen also spoke publicly in favour of offside

video review this week.)

“It’s just changing the dynamic,” Chiarelli said at the time. “Now you have

to determine the dynamic if the leg is breaking the plane or not if it’s in

the air. So you’ve got a number of calls that were reversed because the

leg was in the air. But if you allow it, you still have to decide if it’s

breaking the plane. So there’s uncertainty on both sides.”

As a fan, I’d rather live with more goals, less delays for review, and the

odd bang-bang play that we can whine about the refs later.

10. Jake Virtanen cherishes his 2015 world junior championship medal,

so naturally he was thrilled to see Team Canada reclaim gold last Friday

with the kids’ win over Sweden. The victory also fattened the Canuck’s

pockets.

He bet teammates Loui Eriksson and Daniel Sedin $100 each that

Canada would upset their homeland.

Based on gross income, Sedin betting 100 bucks is equivalent to the

average full-time employee in British Columbia betting 70 cents.

11. Vancouver’s Erik Gudbranson is a fun guy to chat with.

When I spoke to the defenceman about the possibility of getting traded

again last weekend, he offered fun background into his being in Africa

during the Panthers-Canucks deal that never made the story.

A bunch of his buddies had toured Thailand and Australia. Gudbranson

and pal Shawn Matthias wanted something new.

“Let’s go somewhere no one else has been. Let’s do something

completely different. I love travelling. I like to find nature’s finest. We

spun the globe and ended up in South Africa,” Gudbranson said.

Which animals did he see?

“All of ’em. It’s just an incredible place. We did the great white shark

diving. We did three different safaris. We saw it all. We were five or six

feet away from a lion. We saw leopards pull an antelope up a tree. It’s

unbelievable. Elephants are just absolutely majestic. You see them on

Nat Geo Wild and they’re pretty cool, but once you see them with your

own eyes, it’s beauty at its finest,” said the bruising athlete, who admitted

to getting a little sacred once the sun went down.

“You go to these private game lodges. You’re stuck in the wilderness, so

we came around the around one day – I was with a ranger, thank God –

and there was a hyena 10 feet away from us. That was a quick [gulps]:

‘Oh. OK.’ But they walk you back. They keep you pretty safe. Just stay

inside.”

Not all hockey players have such an adventurous spirit.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


12. Brendan Shanahan was speaking at a coaches clinic in Toronto this

week and took a few questions from the audience.

The Leafs president was asked to think back to his playing days and

describe the most annoying trait a coach could have. After a moment of

thought, Shanahan said it always bugged him when a coach would yap

at opposing players from the bench. He said that former tough guys who

later became coaches never did that.

Shanahan never respected his coach “acting like Don King — setting up

a fight he wasn’t going to be in.”

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 01.13.2018

1092922 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Morgan Rielly, Leafs still living with the good and the bad

Luke Fox

@lukefoxjukebox

January 11, 2018, 12:54 AM

TORONTO – If you could condense the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent

past, frustrating present and boundless future into a single hockey player,

his name would be Morgan Rielly.

Monday night, Rielly turned the puck over to fellow 23-year-old No. 1

defenceman Seth Jones attempting a stretch pass that wouldn’t, and the

Columbus Blue Jackets tied that game on a late odd-man rush en route

to an overtime victory.

Rielly responded the best way possible Wednesday versus the Ottawa

Senators, whizzing and creating, slanting the ice toward Craig

Anderson’s net.

Skating a team-high 38 shifts, Rielly was on the ice for 34 shot attempts

and was the greatest reason the home side controlled 65 per cent of the

game’s possession. Rielly scored the tying goal on one of his six shots

on target, and made us question why — with his 31st point bumping him

ahead of all-star game invitees Jones, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and

Drew Doughty in blue-liner scoring — he didn’t get called to the Tampa

showcase.

Then, with just 3:05 remaining in a 3-3 game, Rielly’s ambition got the

better of him again. Rielly pinched on Matt Duchene. Duchene blew Ron

Hainsey’s tires slamming the brakes on a 3-on-1 rush, and Ottawa’s Tom

Pyatt drilled the 4-3 winner.

For the second straight outing, a Rielly gaffe cost Toronto standings

points and the rested Leafs lost after failing to defeat an injured opponent

who limped into Air Canada Centre on the sleepy half of a back-to-back.

“Just some miscommunication between the forward and I. It’s my fault for

going,” Rielly said, wearing the Leafs’ fifth loss in their past seven games

and final defeat before they scatter for the mandated five-day bye week.

Toronto has yet to beat a team in regulation in 2018.

“A little break might not be the worst thing. We’ll come back re-energized.

It’s important that the guys in this room take care of our bodies and come

back rested and prepared to make a long push.”

Before we get to the happy stuff, let’s dash salt in Wednesday’s Ottawa-

inflicted wound: Bobby Ryan was injured, Anderson had been yanked

less than 24 hours prior, and coach Guy Boucher revealed that Karlsson

(game-high 27:06 played), Duchene (two pretty primary assists), and

Derick Brassard were among a group of Sens who all played through the

flu.

“Two nights in a row we were in a great position to win the game and

good players for us made big mistakes that, in the end, you’d love to

have back,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “You win together and you

lose together, but there are things we’ve got to fix in order to win every

night.”

For all of the Leafs’ well-publicized firepower, their assault on the Sens

marked the first time the club scored three goals in one of January’s five

home games (we’re not counting shootouts, folks). Only twice in their

past 14 have they surpassed the three-goal barrier, something they

accomplished four times in their first five.

Through a combo of poor line changes, missed assignments, snake-

bitten shooters, and positional brain farts, Toronto has gradually slid from

first to seventh league-wide in goals per game. The details are a devil.

“Those are things we can be sharper with and things we will be sharper

with as the year goes on,” vowed James van Riemsdyk, who scored on

just one of a ridiculous 11 shots on goal (seven more JVR attempts were

blocked or veered wide).

Ottawa opened scoring with a Thomas Chabot pass that deflected off the

instep of Roman Polak’s skate. It was another defenceman error, and

one members of Leafs Nation might find gif-worthy, as the veteran has

excused himself from the bottom-pair tryout still being waged by

youngsters Andreas Borgman, Connor Carrick and Travis Dermott.

But Rielly’s mistakes are different, because the occasional flaw will give

some observers reason to step back from speaking of him in elite terms,

even during this, the 2012 first-rounder’s spectacular breakout year.

Babcock spoke tellingly Wednesday of the value of the players you draft,

how they wear an invisible team tattoo. Everyone’s a little more invested,

both ways.

We saw it in the coach’s strong defence of Rielly during his alternate

captain’s 2016-17 struggles and in the off-season effort made to hire

stay-at-home veteran Hainsey and shift Rielly to his natural left side.

“He’s just a kid. He might not have been in the league as early if the team

had been better, if that makes any sense,” Babcock said.

“The biggest difference, in my opinion, in his game is last year we never

played him in any offensive situations at all. We just told him to learn how

to play without the puck. Then we brought in a guy named Ron Hainsey

who tells him what to do every shift, sits with him on the bench every day,

and suddenly he’s not erratic in his play.

“Then he’s learned to shoot the puck, get the puck to the net on a regular

basis, and he goes when the opportunity is there and plays defence

when the opportunity is not there. He’s growing up.”

Growing up? Learning with a sprinkling of veteran guidance? Sounds a

lot like the Leafs as a whole. So does the coach’s assessment of Rielly’s

performance on this night.

“I thought he was really, really good,” Babcock said, “and he’d probably

like to have the mistake back.”


1092923 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Looking through a

fully-stocked system

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Luke Fox

@lukefoxjukebox

January 12, 2018, 12:12 PM

Led by AHL all-stars Travis Dermott and Kasperi Kapanen — c’mon,

they’re NHL-ready already! — the Toronto Marlies have shot to the top of

the North Division and boast a roster brimming with prospects who could

earn a big-league chance when some Toronto Maple Leafs veterans

move on this summer, or be dangled as trade bait.

Toss in some intriguing European pros and a pair of world junior medal

winners, and the cupboards look stocked.

Here’s a peek at a mixed bag of mid-season returns from 13 of the most

notable prospects in the Leafs system.

Kasperi Kapanen, 21, RW

Drafted: First round, 22nd overall, 2014

Season to date: 28 GP | 12 G | 8 A | 20 P | +5 (NHL and AHL)

Remember him? The most NHL-ready of wingers in the Leafs system,

Kapanen has already enjoyed a six-game, two-goal peek at the NHL this

season — matching the length and output he had during the playoffs last

spring. But when all forwards are healthy, Kapanen is still a prospect.

Along with Dermott, the Son of Sami rightly earned an AHL All-Star

Game invite and is simply biding time as he awaits that Ricoh-to-ACC

cab ride.

AHL, TORONTO MARLIES

Travis Dermott, 21, D

Drafted: Second round, 34th overall, 2015

Season to date: 26 GP | 2 G | 15 A | 17 P | +15

Upon calling up Dermott for a two-game look with the big boys this

month, Leafs coach Mike Babcock revealed that had the Marlies’ best

defenceman been born a right shot, he would’ve been an NHLer all

season long.

Morgan Rielly has called Dermott one of the best skaters in the

organization, and yet he’s fighting with Connor Carrick and Andreas

Borgman to be a fixture on the Leafs’ third pair heading into the season’s

second half.

After being used exclusively on his natural left side last season, Dermott

has played a handful of AHL games on his unnatural right to prepare him

for the NHL club’s greatest need. It’s worked OK, considering he earned

an invite to the AHL’s All-Star Game.

“Mentally, you have to prepare a bit differently because you’ll be getting

the pass from a different angle,” Dermott says. “You usually had three

lefties and three righties growing up, at least on my teams. But hockey’s

hockey, and you end up in weird positions on the ice.”

Since registering an assist in his NHL debut, Dermott has been returned

to the AHL but is champing to get up and stay up.

“I’m not intimidated by this opportunity,” he says. “The nerves are pretty

much gone. Time to go to work.”

Timothy Liljegren, 18, D

Drafted: First round, 17th overall, 2017


Honoured to just make the Swedish world junior team let alone play on

the power-play and win a silver medal, the Maple Leafs’ top pick in the

’17 draft has looked strong during his first half-season on small ice.

There’s expectation Liljegren will develop into the top-four right shot

Toronto craves, but that’ll take another year or two. Maybe more. For

now, the teenager is simply content with his decision to work on his craft

in North America as opposed to returning to the Swedish pro ranks.

“I play a minimum of 15 minutes a game for the Marlies, so that’s been

good,” Liljegren told the Toronto Star. “To really belong to one team is

something that I wanted, so it’s been good.”

Calle Rosen, 23, D

Drafted: N/A

Season to date: 34 GP | 0 G | 9 A | 9 P | -9 (NHL and AHL)

Earlier this week, Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello singled out the edgy Andreas

Borgman as the club’s pleasant surprise. Remember when Borgman and

fellow undrafted Swedish discovery Rosen were in a dogfight to stick in

the bigs?

The speedy Rosen is still adjusting to the North American style and is

settling into a steady defensive role in the AHL. The offensive upside

here appears low, and the left shot will have to hop over Dermott,

Borgman and possibly 21-year-old Marlie Andrew Nielsen to make the

cut.

Jeremy Bracco, 20, RW

Drafted: Second round, 61st overall, 2015

Season to date: 21 GP | 2 G | 7 A | 9 P | -3

Frequently healthy-scratching Bracco at the beginning of his first pro

season, Toronto has no reason to rush a skilled right winger up to a big

club that already has too many of those to squeeze into its top nine. For

both player and team, patience is the approach here. Bracco’s ice time

and production both jumped significantly in December. It took until Dec.

10 for the CHL champion to light the lamp in a Marlies uniform, but

teammate Kasperi Kapanen called it “one of the best first goals I’ve ever

seen.”

Adam Brooks, 21, C

Drafted: Fourth round, 92nd overall, 2016


As dynamic Marlies rookie forwards go, it took 130-point WHLer Brooks

even longer than Bracco to pot his first goal, but the 5-foot-10 talent has

recently seen action on the top line.

Coach Sheldon Keefe has asked for more hunger from the undersized

kid in the O-zone, but is impressed by his intelligence and positioning.

Brooks himself admits he’s had to adjust to the evaporating time and

space he enjoyed in junior.

Andreas Johnsson, 23, LW

Drafted: Seventh round, 202nd overall, 2013


A seventh-round flyer on Johnsson in 2013 is increasingly looking like it

might just pay off.

With two veteran Maple Leafs left wings on expiring contracts (Leo

Komarov, James van Riemsdyk), we wonder if Johnsson — who’s been

groomed well overseas and is now well on track for a second straight 20-

goal AHL season — could make the leap in 2018-19.

Among all Marlies, the 23-year-old ranks second to Ben Smith in both

goals and points and has been a beast on the man-advantage, with 10

power-play points.

Garret Sparks, 24, G

Drafted: Seventh round, 190th overall, 2011

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Season to date: 21 GP | 14-6-0 | 1.83 GAA | .937 SP | 2 SO

Despite a swelling number of supporters and a spectacular start to

Sparks’ season, when it came time for the Maple Leafs to recall a

goaltender, they instead opted for Calvin Pickard, who is a year older and

has 70 more NHL appearances under his belt. That shows you where

Sparks slots in the organizational depth chart: fourth. But goalies take

longer to groom. The Leafs have two in the AHL who are at least worthy

of a long look as an NHL backup, if not in Toronto then elsewhere. At a

bargain $675,000 cap hit through 2018-19, Sparks gives the Buds

options.

OHL

Eemeli Rasanen, 18, D, Kingston Frontenacs



The right-shot giant is off to an excellent start to his sophomore season in

the Ontario Hockey League, producing points and cutting down on his

defensive mistakes.

Rasanen has earned an alternate captaincy with the Frontenacs and was

selected (albeit barely) to Team Finland’s slightly disappointing world

junior squad. Heavy game, heavy shot.

Nikita Korostelev, 20, RW, Peterborough Petes



In his fifth OHL season and first one beginning in Peterborough,

Korostelev has picked up where he left off—filling nets at better than a

point-a-game, no worries. Yes, it’s another right wing in the Leafs system

who can create offence.

That Korostelev remains in junior is a testament to the forward depth of

the Marlies, but he’s no longer a teenager and it’s getting close to time

we see the Russian compete against men to find out if he can be a

legitimate pro.

KHL

Yegor Korshkov, 21, RW, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv



Due to a sluggish start, Yegor Korshkov’s numbers don’t leap off the

page, but he’s been a solid third-liner in the KHL who’s heating up lately.

After mustering just a single assist in Lokomotiv’s first 13 contests, the 6-

foot-4 two-way wing already has career highs in goals and assists this

season, his fourth as a Russian professional. Korshkov has added an

edge to his game and will easily double his career-high in penalties.

Leafs Fans: Yegor Korshkov had a goal and two assists yesterday in a 6-

5 win in a shootout.

Since Oct. 11, that's 19pts in 25gp. A 24.3%INV over that time. Roughly

a 35-45 point NHL pace. Contract expires this year. I'd expect him to

make the trip over.

SHL

Carl Grundstrom, 19, LW, Frolunda



Carl Grundstrom made noise in the AHL playoffs and in Leafs training

camp, winning over some of the diehard fans, but had to be returned to

his Swedish club this season. The hardworking, aggressive winger found

the net seven times in 18 contests for Frolunda before falling to injury.

Grundstrom underwent surgery to repair his left knee and isn’t expected

to return until later this month.

NCAA

Joseph Woll, 19, G, Boston College

Drafted: Third round, 62nd overall, 2016

Season to date: 7-6-2 | 2.90 GAA | .898 SP | 0 SO

Woll told us last summer that he was aiming to be Team USA’s starter in

the world junior tournament, and he did represent his country in the

semifinal — only to get victimized by the dangerous Swedes. After

getting pulled in the semis, the U.S. sat him in the bronze medal game.

Boston College has taken a step back in the NCAA ranks, and the

teenager has watched his save percentage plummet below the .900

threshold.


1092924 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Canucks finally get a break in win over Blue Jackets

Iain MacIntyre

@imacSportsnet

January 12, 2018, 9:46 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s only funny when you win, so one day Brendan

Gaunce will be able to laugh about it. He’ll have to because his

teammates may be chirping him for a while.

The 23-year-old forward, whose only two goals through his first 103

National Hockey League games were scored off his shin pads, finally

scored one with his stick – sort of – as the Vancouver Canucks got

bounces and goals and a desperately needed 5-2 win Friday against the

Columbus Blue Jackets.

Late in the second period of a one-goal game, Gaunce skated off the

bench and on to a beautiful, blind backpass from Thomas Vanek. Visor-

to-mask with Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Gaunce had a split-

second to pick his spot. Would he go high glove, back behind Bobrovsky,

or near-post on the goalie’s stick side? Or might he shoot five-hole, or

stickhandle around the netminder?

No, Gaunce would torque his stick so severely attempting a wrist shot

that the shaft snapped, de-powering the shot and sending the puck

skittering at half-speed towards Bobrovsky, who is Russian and, thus,

may never have been thrown a change-up in baseball.

As his stick exploded, Gaunce lost sight of the puck and figured it was

still un-propelled, somewhere down at his feet. To his surprise, he

discovered it had instead gone in the net, Bobrovsky frozen in place, to

make it 3-1 for Vancouver at 14:31 of a four-goal period that ended the

Canucks’ 0-4-1 winless streak.

“I put some pressure on my stick to whip it into the net,” Gaunce said. “I

didn’t know where it went. Luckily for me, it was kind of one of those ones

that just found a way. It caught (the goalie) off-guard and caught me off-

guard, but it counted.

And the guys will be on Gaunce.

We did not describe his goal in detail to make fun of Gaunce, who is due

a pile more kind bounces after going 95 games and 115 shots on target

CAROLINA HURRICANES


without scoring until teammate Erik Gudbranson bounced one in off his

leg three weeks ago in San Jose.

We focus on it because Gaunce’s goal perfectly encapsulated a game in

which a lot of things that went wrong for the Canucks the last five weeks

went right for them against the Blue Jackets.

Gudbranson scored his first of the season and fellow defenceman

Alexander Edler, on a carom off Columbus defenceman Markus

Nutivaara, scored his second. Jake Virtanen managed his sixth, into an

empty net, and winger Sven Baertschi scored on another great Vanek

pass for his first goal since missing a month with a broken jaw.

“We got some good bounces,” Gudbranson said. “But the good part

about the way that game went is we earned those bounces. We played

well for 200 feet. The second period we took over. Our forwards were

skating like crazy and they created a lot of room for themselves. Winning

is huge. It’s tough losing, tough on the morale.”

The win was the Canucks’ first on the road since November and came

after a two-day “reset” that followed a 3-1 loss in Washington where

Vancouver’s erratic play – both excellent and awful stretches –

epitomized its 2-11-2 descent in the standings since Dec. 5.

Green held a team meeting, then staged a back-to-basics practice in

Columbus on Thursday.

“When you’re winning, it feels like you’re not going to lose,” Green said

after the win. “And when you’re losing, it feels like you might not win

again. That’s one of the parts we talked about before the game: ‘Let’s put

one foot in front of the other. It’s a 60-minute process. If we do that we’ll

be happy and at the end of the night, we should get the results.’”

Some of the goals were lucky, but the victory was not. The Canucks did

play their steadiest game in a long time, reducing unforced errors and

opposition scoring chances. Their power play went 2-for-3 and

Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 of 29 shots and was

excellent after allowing Seth Jones’ shot from above the faceoff circle to

beat him at 4:33 of the first period.

Baertschi tied it at 1:19 of the second, Gudbranson hammered a one-

timer past Bobrovsky at 5:38 and then Gaunce scored a winner that was

so bad it was good.

He had been healthy-scratched the previous game by Green and just

wanted to contribute in some way.

“When you get scratched, it’s tough on your ego,” Gaunce said. “That

shouldn’t happen, but everyone wants to play and help the team win. I

just wanted to get back in the lineup and have a positive impact – just do

everything I could to help the team win.

“Sometimes you just have to reset and remember that you’ve scored at

other levels. It will come with confidence and time. For me, I’ve had a lot

of time this year to think about becoming a better player away from the

puck. If I do that, goals will come.”

Eventually.


1092925 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Why the Vancouver Canucks are an example of a model

rebuild

Corey Hirsch

@@CoreyHirsch

January 12, 2018, 5:44 PM

Take a good look, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks. The

Vancouver Canucks today are what you get seven years after taking a

run at a Stanley Cup.

This is the fallout, a team with aging superstars and the daunting task of

restocking the cupboard of draft picks that were traded away or spent

having to pick in the late first round year after year.

Former Canucks general manager Mike Gillis sold the farm for that

chance at a Stanley Cup and was let go for Jim Benning in 2014. Now

seven years after those 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, GM Jim Benning and

president Trevor Linden are faced with the monumental task of rebuilding

a team with two aging superstars, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and what

was an empty cupboard of prospects left by the last regime.

Ask any GM around the NHL and they will tell you that they are building

their teams based on what the last GM left them with, good or bad.

Times in Vancouver right now couldn’t be any tougher. At the time of this

article, the Canucks are in a tailspin having won only three of their last 15

games and are 3-11-2 in those games.

I, however, am optimistic and feel good about the direction this team is

going in, and the reason is Benning and Linden.

They have done a terrific job restocking this team with prospects and

character free-agent signings that have given hope for the future.

The list of positives for prospects is long.

Twenty-year-old Brock Boeser is turning into a superstar right before our

very eyes. The comparisons to what other superstar NHL players have

done in their first 50 NHL games and what Boeser has done is right on

par with Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews in their

rookie seasons. He will represent the Canucks at this year’s all-star

game and will be a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie.

Nineteen-year-old phenom, Elias Pettersson, is fifth in scoring in the

Swedish Hockey League, only five points behind the leader. He is playing

against men in the top league in the SHL having played eight less games

than some of the leaders above him.

Forward Jonathan Dahlen, who just turned 20, is tied for fourth in scoring

in the Swedish second league. Dahlen has also played in eight less

games than the leaders above him, and is only four points behind the

leader. Benning stole Dahlen in a trade with Ottawa for Alexander

Burrows.

Twenty-one-year-old fifth-round draft pick Adam Gaudette is tied for first

in overall NCAA scoring and may win the Hobey Baker Award.

Nineteen-year-old Olli Juolevi is currently tied for first in rookie-

defencemen scoring in the top professional men’s league in Finland with

14 points.

Nineteen-year-old Jonah Gadjovich just won a gold medal with Canada

at the world juniors.

Waiting for these prospects to develop can be a long, painful process for

the big club, but until they are ready, Benning and Linden believe in

acquiring character people to help bring your rookies along and teach

them how to be pros.

Have all their signings been perfect?

No, but character is something that can be passed on.

Free-agent signing Sam Gagner is seen almost every other week on

social media doing something remarkably kind for a fan or a kid. Whether

it’s giving away a stick, puck, or a dressing-room tour for a special-needs

person, his kindness and character have not gone unnoticed to his

teammates.

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Michael Del Zotto, another 2017 free-agent signing, is seen spending a

lot of his off-time playing video games with sick kids at the Ronald

McDonald House. Erik Gudbranson can be seen there as well.

There is no crystal ball, and a rebuild is not an overnight process.

Realistically, Benning’s and Linden’s thumbprint on this team won’t be

known for five to seven years. The NHL is a results-oriented business

and one can only hope Benning and Linden are not building today for the

next Canucks GM and president.

I know times are tough, but the future is bright and they both deserve to

see it.


1092926 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Lightning coach Jon Cooper: Nikita Kucherov has ‘it’ factor

Emily Sadler

@EmmySadler

January 12, 2018, 10:06 PM

Nikita Kucherov has been dazzling crowds in Tampa Bay for five

seasons now, but he’s not often in the national spotlight.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has been behind the bench for all five

of those campaigns and gets to see first-hand what Kucherov is capable

of on a daily basis. He shared some insight into the talented winger

during an appearance on Tim & Sid on Friday.

“When he gets the puck in the offensive zone and he’s cutting across the

middle, every time he winds up to shoot, I think it’s going in the net,”

Cooper said. “And you don’t think about that with a lot of guys. It’s those

kind of hold-your-breath moments like, this ‘might go in.’”

This season, it often does go in. Kucherov leads the league in goals (27

— tied with Alex Ovechkin) and points (60) and is well on pace for his

best season yet as the Lightning sit atop the NHL standings.

Kucherov earned himself an all-star nod last year with his career-best 40-

goal, 85-point campaign, and will join teammates Steven Stamkos and

Andrei Vasilevskiy and coach Cooper at this year’s festivities on home

ice on Jan. 27-28. (Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman was also

named to the squad, but he’ll sit out the event due to a lower-body

injury.)

“He’s kind of got that ‘it’ factor when it comes to putting the puck in the

net,” said Cooper, who went on to share an off-season story that explains

much of Kucherov’s scoring success:

“Tampa is an unbelievable place to play, but Tampa in July may not be

the place you’re picking as your destination point right away just because

it’s so hot and humid. He comes back in July, gets the ice at our practice

ice facility, it’s a public rink and he rents it out and goes five days a week

every single day and just worked on his game,” said Cooper.

“I actually was a little nervous for him because I thought ‘He’s going to

burn himself out here.’ I’d go down and see him and he’d just be on the

ice himself or sometimes a player or two would trickle in – Vasilevskiy

came in for a week – and all he did was work on his game and he’d bring

skill guys in,” Cooper continued. “And to see what he’s doing now,

whoever’s listening out there, those are the things you have to do and

he’s earned his way to where he is right now.”


1092927 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / 4 players who could replace Victor Hedman in the all-star

game

Josh Beneteau

@jbenny15

January 12, 2018, 7:05 PM

The Tampa Bay Lightning got a big blow to their blue line Friday when it

was announced that defenceman Victor Hedman would miss the next

three to six weeks with a lower-body injury. While the news is bad for the

Lightning, they’ve banked lots of points and should still be a favourite

come playoff time.

But the news does hurt the Atlantic Division all-stars, who will be without

one of the league’s best defenders for the 3-on-3 tournament at the end

of January.

While replacing a player who is third among all blueliners in scoring is

next to impossible, there are some good defencemen out there who

could represent the Atlantic during all-star weekend.

Morgan Rielly — Toronto Maple Leafs

Morgan Rielly is in the middle of a career year and has been so good that

experts are even suggesting he could have gone to the Olympics. With

31 points in 45 games, he’s only six points away from setting a career

high. In fact, Hedman is the only Atlantic defenceman with more points

than Rielly. Add in his smooth skating ability and great passing and the

Atlantic won’t miss a step.

Mikhail Sergachev — Tampa Bay Lightning

If the NHL wanted to please the local crowd, Mikhail Sergachev would be

a great choice. He’s only a rookie, but through his first 44 games he’s

been a huge surprise after the Lightning acquired him in an off-season

trade with Montreal. With 26 points he’s fourth among defencemen in

scoring in the Atlantic and his eight goals are tied for fourth among all D-

men.

Zdeno Chara — Boston Bruins

Who wouldn’t want to see 40-year-old Zdeno Chara blast some pucks in

the hardest shot contest one last time? With Hedman’s injury, it could

happen. Chara is obviously far from his prime, with only three goals and

11 points this season. And he probably wouldn’t be the most useful

player in a full 3-on-3 game. But it would be cool to see him in the skills

competition, especially with Shea Weber missing the fun with an injury.

Charlie McAvoy — Boston Bruins

If Chara’s unavailable, the Bruins have another defenceman ready to go.

Charlie McAvoy may not be the flashiest defenceman out there, but he’s

quickly become the most reliable blueliner in Boston. With 21 points,

including 16 assists, he’s still got a great offensive mind to go with his

reliable defence. If he doesn’t make it to this all-star game, there will be

plenty of other chances for him throughout his career.


1092928 Websites

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Sportsnet.ca / How Marc Bergevin can retool Canadiens in short order

Eric Engels

January 12, 2018, 9:12 AM

MONTREAL— This season has been a disaster for the Montreal

Canadiens, but suffering through it could prove to be the most important

step in the team’s eventual climb back to prominence.

The cupboard needs to be restocked, draft picks must be accumulated,

and falling out of contention as early as the Canadiens have enables

general manager Marc Bergevin to address some needs that have been

ignored in previous years of mostly successful hockey under his watch.

He’s not going to have a better chance to turn the Canadiens around

quickly than the one that’s currently in front of him, and if he plays his

cards right, he’ll do exactly that.

When you consider the parity of the NHL nowadays, the road to

redemption has seemingly become a lot less hard to travel than it was in

the past. Six teams that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season are

currently locking down spots. Two of them (Tampa Bay Lightning and

Winnipeg Jets) are among the league’s three best teams.

And then there’s the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who have won 29

of their first 41 games and accumulated the second-most points in the

NHL. If they can become great as quickly as they have, there’s no reason

the Canadiens — or anyone else having a tough season — can’t do the

same.

That Montreal has superstar goaltender Carey Price and franchise

defenceman Shea Weber locked into long-term deals gives them a head

start. Bergevin can retool the roster around them, promising young

defenceman Victor Mete, and young forwards Brendan Gallagher,

Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, Artturi Lehkonen and Phillip Danault.

Though the GM said this past Sunday at his press conference that he’s

not yet ready to throw in the towel on this season, there’s little doubt that

day is on the horizon. By the time the Canadiens resume play — they’re

currently idle until Saturday night —

they could be as many as 10 points out of the second wild-card position

in the Eastern Conference. They’re already 13 points behind the Toronto

Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division. It would take a miracle

for them to close the gap considerably between now and the Feb. 26

trade deadline, and this team hasn’t come close to showing it can

perform a miracle through its first 42 games.

No saviour is coming, either.

“In the perfect world, would I love to add a piece to help them? Of

course,” Bergevin said. “But to sacrifice the future and be taking a major

risk to hurt the organization for the long term? I’m not ready to do that.

And to be honest with you, the short-term solution, there’s nobody out

there that I’m aware of that’s going to come and turn this thing around.”

But there’s plenty of opportunity for Bergevin to pursue in order to get

things back on the rails before the puck drops next season.

One of the best assets Bergevin has at his disposal is $7.5 million in cap

space. Had he spent more than a million of the $8.5M the Canadiens

entered this season with, they may not be in such a precarious position in

the standings. But because he didn’t, he now has the ability to take on

more salary at the deadline than almost any other GM in the league, and

that could prove beneficial in the pursuit of picks and young players.

Doing his rivals a favour, by taking on expiring contracts, could net

Bergevin more picks and prospects — or higher quality assets — in such

deals than he would get by just selling players off his roster. The ability to

retain salary in trades offers him the same opportunity.

“I’m going to look at all our options,” Bergevin said.

Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and

fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the

country’s most beloved game.

Trading Max Pacioretty is another he simply can’t ignore.

The 29-year-old captain of the Canadiens has scored at least 30 goals in

five of his last six seasons and is on steal of a deal at $4.5 million

through 2019. As a result, he presents Bergevin with his best opportunity

to add a top centreman.

And Bergevin already has Pacioretty’s replacement on his roster.

“In an ideal world, he’s a winger,” said Bergevin of Drouin, who’s

currently playing out of position as Montreal top centre.

Bergevin also has a player (Danault) to replace veteran centre Tomas

Plekanec—should he choose to trade him.

The 35-year-old is in his final year of making $6 million, and he should

prove attractive to a contending team looking for an experienced player

who can still skate with the game’s best — and check them, too — on a

nightly basis.

Plekanec, who gets next to no power-play time, has 16 points in 42

games this season. He has the heaviest defensive responsibilities, but

he’s plus-3 on a Canadiens team that ranks 26th in the NHL in five-on-

five scoring. He’s also an excellent penalty killer. There’s no question he

has value on the trade market.

As does defenceman Jordie Benn, who carries a $1.1 million cap hit

through 2019 and has shown he can play above his paygrade.

Benn has 10 points, a plus-3 rating and has averaged 19:21 per game in

40 games this season.

Defencemen Joe Morrow and Jakub Jerabek are on expiring contracts

and might also be able to net Bergevin a couple of middling draft picks.

Every pick counts. As it stands, the Canadiens are looking at a good

position to choose from in the first round of the 2018 draft, they have

three second-round picks, a third rounder, and three fifth-round picks

(two of which are likely to become fourth-round picks thanks to conditions

agreed to in trades made with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton

Oilers earlier this year). Obtaining a few more by shedding some of the

players on the current roster will also free up significant space for a

shopping spree in unrestricted free agency this summer.

This isn’t the path Bergevin and his team set out on at the start of this

year, but it might be the one that gets them to a better place when all is

said and done.


1092929 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Looking through a

fully-stocked system

Luke Fox

@lukefoxjukebox

January 12, 2018, 12:12 PM

Led by AHL all-stars Travis Dermott and Kasperi Kapanen — c’mon,

they’re NHL-ready already! — the Toronto Marlies have shot to the top of

CAROLINA HURRICANES


the North Division and boast a roster brimming with prospects who could

earn a big-league chance when some Toronto Maple Leafs veterans

move on this summer, or be dangled as trade bait.

Toss in some intriguing European pros and a pair of world junior medal

winners, and the cupboards look stocked.

Here’s a peek at a mixed bag of mid-season returns from 13 of the most

notable prospects in the Leafs system.

Kasperi Kapanen, 21, RW

Drafted: First round, 22nd overall, 2014

Season to date: 28 GP | 12 G | 8 A | 20 P | +5 (NHL and AHL)

Remember him? The most NHL-ready of wingers in the Leafs system,

Kapanen has already enjoyed a six-game, two-goal peek at the NHL this

season — matching the length and output he had during the playoffs last

spring. But when all forwards are healthy, Kapanen is still a prospect.

Along with Dermott, the Son of Sami rightly earned an AHL All-Star

Game invite and is simply biding time as he awaits that Ricoh-to-ACC

cab ride.

AHL, TORONTO MARLIES

Travis Dermott, 21, D



Upon calling up Dermott for a two-game look with the big boys this

month, Leafs coach Mike Babcock revealed that had the Marlies’ best

defenceman been born a right shot, he would’ve been an NHLer all

season long.

Morgan Rielly has called Dermott one of the best skaters in the

organization, and yet he’s fighting with Connor Carrick and Andreas

Borgman to be a fixture on the Leafs’ third pair heading into the season’s

second half.

After being used exclusively on his natural left side last season, Dermott

has played a handful of AHL games on his unnatural right to prepare him

for the NHL club’s greatest need. It’s worked OK, considering he earned

an invite to the AHL’s All-Star Game.

“Mentally, you have to prepare a bit differently because you’ll be getting

the pass from a different angle,” Dermott says. “You usually had three

lefties and three righties growing up, at least on my teams. But hockey’s

hockey, and you end up in weird positions on the ice.”

Since registering an assist in his NHL debut, Dermott has been returned

to the AHL but is champing to get up and stay up.

“I’m not intimidated by this opportunity,” he says. “The nerves are pretty

much gone. Time to go to work.”

Timothy Liljegren, 18, D

Drafted: First round, 17th overall, 2017


Honoured to just make the Swedish world junior team let alone play on

the power-play and win a silver medal, the Maple Leafs’ top pick in the

’17 draft has looked strong during his first half-season on small ice.

There’s expectation Liljegren will develop into the top-four right shot

Toronto craves, but that’ll take another year or two. Maybe more. For

now, the teenager is simply content with his decision to work on his craft

in North America as opposed to returning to the Swedish pro ranks.

“I play a minimum of 15 minutes a game for the Marlies, so that’s been

good,” Liljegren told the Toronto Star. “To really belong to one team is

something that I wanted, so it’s been good.”

Calle Rosen, 23, D

Drafted: N/A

Season to date: 34 GP | 0 G | 9 A | 9 P | -9 (NHL and AHL)

Earlier this week, Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello singled out the edgy Andreas

Borgman as the club’s pleasant surprise. Remember when Borgman and

fellow undrafted Swedish discovery Rosen were in a dogfight to stick in

the bigs?

The speedy Rosen is still adjusting to the North American style and is

settling into a steady defensive role in the AHL. The offensive upside

here appears low, and the left shot will have to hop over Dermott,

Borgman and possibly 21-year-old Marlie Andrew Nielsen to make the

cut.

Jeremy Bracco, 20, RW



Frequently healthy-scratching Bracco at the beginning of his first pro

season, Toronto has no reason to rush a skilled right winger up to a big

club that already has too many of those to squeeze into its top nine. For

both player and team, patience is the approach here. Bracco’s ice time

and production both jumped significantly in December. It took until Dec.

10 for the CHL champion to light the lamp in a Marlies uniform, but

teammate Kasperi Kapanen called it “one of the best first goals I’ve ever

seen.”

Adam Brooks, 21, C

Drafted: Fourth round, 92nd overall, 2016


As dynamic Marlies rookie forwards go, it took 130-point WHLer Brooks

even longer than Bracco to pot his first goal, but the 5-foot-10 talent has

recently seen action on the top line.

Coach Sheldon Keefe has asked for more hunger from the undersized

kid in the O-zone, but is impressed by his intelligence and positioning.

Brooks himself admits he’s had to adjust to the evaporating time and

space he enjoyed in junior.

Andreas Johnsson, 23, LW

Drafted: Seventh round, 202nd overall, 2013


A seventh-round flyer on Johnsson in 2013 is increasingly looking like it

might just pay off.

With two veteran Maple Leafs left wings on expiring contracts (Leo

Komarov, James van Riemsdyk), we wonder if Johnsson — who’s been

groomed well overseas and is now well on track for a second straight 20-

goal AHL season — could make the leap in 2018-19.

Among all Marlies, the 23-year-old ranks second to Ben Smith in both

goals and points and has been a beast on the man-advantage, with 10

power-play points.

Garret Sparks, 24, G


Season to date: 21 GP | 14-6-0 | 1.83 GAA | .937 SP | 2 SO

Despite a swelling number of supporters and a spectacular start to

Sparks’ season, when it came time for the Maple Leafs to recall a

goaltender, they instead opted for Calvin Pickard, who is a year older and

has 70 more NHL appearances under his belt. That shows you where

Sparks slots in the organizational depth chart: fourth. But goalies take

longer to groom. The Leafs have two in the AHL who are at least worthy

of a long look as an NHL backup, if not in Toronto then elsewhere. At a

bargain $675,000 cap hit through 2018-19, Sparks gives the Buds

options.

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OHL

Eemeli Rasanen, 18, D, Kingston Frontenacs



The right-shot giant is off to an excellent start to his sophomore season in

the Ontario Hockey League, producing points and cutting down on his

defensive mistakes.

Rasanen has earned an alternate captaincy with the Frontenacs and was

selected (albeit barely) to Team Finland’s slightly disappointing world

junior squad. Heavy game, heavy shot.

Nikita Korostelev, 20, RW, Peterborough Petes



In his fifth OHL season and first one beginning in Peterborough,

Korostelev has picked up where he left off—filling nets at better than a

point-a-game, no worries. Yes, it’s another right wing in the Leafs system

who can create offence.

That Korostelev remains in junior is a testament to the forward depth of

the Marlies, but he’s no longer a teenager and it’s getting close to time

we see the Russian compete against men to find out if he can be a

legitimate pro.

KHL

Yegor Korshkov, 21, RW, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv



Due to a sluggish start, Yegor Korshkov’s numbers don’t leap off the

page, but he’s been a solid third-liner in the KHL who’s heating up lately.

After mustering just a single assist in Lokomotiv’s first 13 contests, the 6-

foot-4 two-way wing already has career highs in goals and assists this

season, his fourth as a Russian professional. Korshkov has added an

edge to his game and will easily double his career-high in penalties.

Leafs Fans: Yegor Korshkov had a goal and two assists yesterday in a 6-

5 win in a shootout.

Since Oct. 11, that's 19pts in 25gp. A 24.3%INV over that time. Roughly

a 35-45 point NHL pace. Contract expires this year. I'd expect him to

make the trip over.

— Will Scouch (@Scouching) January 4, 2018

SHL

Carl Grundstrom, 19, LW, Frolunda



Carl Grundstrom made noise in the AHL playoffs and in Leafs training

camp, winning over some of the diehard fans, but had to be returned to

his Swedish club this season. The hardworking, aggressive winger found

the net seven times in 18 contests for Frolunda before falling to injury.

Grundstrom underwent surgery to repair his left knee and isn’t expected

to return until later this month.

NCAA

Joseph Woll, 19, G, Boston College

Drafted: Third round, 62nd overall, 2016

Season to date: 7-6-2 | 2.90 GAA | .898 SP | 0 SO

Woll told us last summer that he was aiming to be Team USA’s starter in

the world junior tournament, and he did represent his country in the

semifinal — only to get victimized by the dangerous Swedes. After

getting pulled in the semis, the U.S. sat him in the bronze medal game.

Boston College has taken a step back in the NCAA ranks, and the

teenager has watched his save percentage plummet below the .900

threshold.


1092930 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / A look at Nathan MacKinnon, this year’s NHL superstar

breakout player

Dimitri Filipovic

@DimFilipovic

January 12, 2018, 1:14 PM

The Colorado Avalanche are one of 15 NHL teams currently enjoying

some time off on its league-mandated bye week.

When they finally get back to action this weekend, they won’t have to

wait long to start checking off some milestones. The next point they

secure will be their 48th of the season, matching their total from all of last

year. Their next win will be their 23rd, surpassing the pitiful sum they

were able to muster in 2016-17.

The transformation from one year to the next has been nothing short of

staggering. By essentially going from being an historical footnote for all of

the wrong reasons to a team hanging around the Western Conference

playoff picture, no team has improved by a greater margin from one

season to the next than the Avalanche.

Whenever a team improves as dramatically as this, it’s never due to just

one thing in isolation. Pretty much everything that could’ve gone wrong

for them last year did, including things that were out of their own control.

The biggest is that they were likely never as bad as their win-loss record

and goal differential would’ve indicated in the first place. From a talent

perspective, they were already fighting an uphill battle to begin with, but

the percentages – their combined save and shooting percentage (i.e.

PDO) at five-on-five was 96.94, the only instance of a team dipping

below 97 since we started keeping track of it in 2006 – were ultimately

what buried them under a mountain of losses.

The goaltending has gone from absolutely abhorrent to at least passably

average. To put the improvement into perspective, the combination of

Semyon Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier is stopping a higher percentage

of shots overall in all situations this season (90.7 per cent) than the four

goalies the team trotted out last year did at five-on-five (90.6 per cent).

The team has spiked in save percentage from 30th at five-on-five and

29th overall last season to 13th and 21st respectively this season. Part of

the reason for that is they haven’t had to dip into the AHL like last year,

when there was a 13-game stretch in which they fed poor Jeremy Smith

and Spencer Martin to the wolves.

And yet as big of a jump as they’ve made on that end, it pales in

comparison to the strides they’ve made on the other end of the ice.

Thanks to some combination of embracing the youth movement by

handing the keys to their next generation of talent, and getting more

favourable bounces as their shooting percentage rebounds, they’ve been

a top-10 offensive team by any measure. They’re eighth in goals per hour

CAROLINA HURRICANES


at five-on-five, fifth in goals per hour on the power play, and fifth in overall

goals on a per-game basis.

The main driving force behind that success has been Nathan MacKinnon,

who will have a chance to smash some personal records when the

Avalanche resumes play. The next time he registers a point, MacKinnon

will match his output for all of last season. Assuming he gets 10 more

after that, he’ll match his career high for a single season, which he set all

the way back in his 2013-14 rookie campaign when he was still just a

fresh-faced teenager.

He’s been nothing short of a revelation this season, finally ascending to

the heights many of us had been stubbornly waiting for him to reach ever

since he took the league by storm in his rookie season.

The raw talent was never in question. If you sat down someone new to

the game and allowed them to watch MacKinnon play without any

additional context, you’d have a tough time convincing them that he

wasn’t widely considered one of the best or most productive players in

the sport. Connor McDavid may be faster and Blake Wheeler may be

more powerful, but no one in the league holds a greater abundance of

both traits than MacKinnon.

After years of tantalizing us with those god-given physical tools, the on-

results have finally started to come. At five-on-five, only Nikita Kucherov

has more total points than MacKinnon, and only Jaden Schwartz and

Brad Marchand have generated more offence on a per-minute basis. In

all situations, only Kucherov and Claude Giroux have accumulated a

higher point total (but MacKinnon has been more efficient than the latter

in terms of not relying on secondary assists as much, and doing it in

fewer minutes).

People have started to take note, vaulting him into the (super-duper

premature) discussion for Hart Trophy consideration. Because of the

nature of the award, whether that buzz lasts is ultimately dependant on

the team’s ability to keep winning games, but it’s tough to argue he’s not

deserving right now. Only Jack Eichel has been responsible for a higher

percentage of his team’s total offence (by either scoring or directly

assisting on any goal scored), and he benefits in a statistic like this

because of how incomparably miserable the rest of the team around him

is.

One of the most fun subplots of the season has been watching

MacKinnon come into his own and figure out how to best maximize his

physical abilities.

Where he used to just have the one gear, he’s now figured out that he

can be even more effective if he mixes things up by occasionally easing

up on the throttle and changing speeds.

Rather than trying to jam a square peg into a round hole by skating as

hard as he can until he’s either taken himself out of a position to be

dangerous with the puck or simply run into a wall and lose possession,

he’s now processing the game at a higher level, which makes him that

much tougher to defend.

Watch how he uses his speed on the rush to push the defence back on

its heels, before wisely stopping up short and using that extra breathing

room he’s created to survey the playing field and hit a teammate on the

fly.

Here he charges through the neutral zone with a full head of steam,

similarly pushing the defence back, before flipping the puck across the

royal road for a dangerous scoring opportunity.

The Avalanche don’t score on that initial chance, but they do recover the

rebound, and because everyone is now below the hashmarks,

MacKinnon is able to tee up Patrik Nemeth for a bomb from the point.

With everyone scrambling around, Devan Dubnyk and the Wild

defenders are unable to get set in time, and the Avalanche make them

pay.

Defensively, it’s a precarious ‘you’re damned if you do, and you’re

damned if you don’t’ situation, because if you do maintain a more

aggressive gap on MacKinnon to try and prevent that type of play from

materializing, he’s still capable of planting his foot in the ground and

turning the corner on you.

Exhibit A: Jaccob Slavin is one of the best true defenders in the game. If

people around the league somehow don’t know about him yet because

he’s young, doesn’t put up points, and plays in Carolina, they will soon

enough. He’s excellent in his own zone, but part of the reason why he’s

so successful – and why the Hurricanes control the puck as much as

they do when he’s out there – is because he’s especially excellent at

defending his blue line.

Here he reaches for the puck in an attempt to prevent the entry, and

misses. MacKinnon doesn’t waste any time making him pay for it.

Exhibit B: Aaron Ekblad is a big boy. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 216 pounds.

Part of the reason why he went first overall in his draft class, and why

he’s still so highly regarded around league circles as a franchise

cornerstone on the blue line, is because he moves well with his size.

He’s the complete package.

Unfortunately, there’s only so much even he can do here as MacKinnon

a) burns him to the outside, and b) swats his attempt at a check away like

a fly before muscling the puck past James Reimer and into the net.

It surely won’t continue to be smooth sledding for the Avalanche. They’ve

been racking up a lot of these recent wins at home, and after a few more

games at Mile High coming out of the break, they’ll hit the road for a

more challenging six-game trip. Nine of their total 13 games in the month

of February will be away from home. And regardless of where they’re

playing, the underlying numbers suggest they’ve been performing above

their heads as a team anyways.

But none of that really matters. After last year’s season from hell, the

sheer fact that they’re this competitive, relevant, and entertaining has to

be welcomed with open arms. Their young players are playing well, and

providing hope for the future.

Most importantly, MacKinnon looks like he’s finally arrived as the

superstar we expected him to be coming into the league. Now that the

Avs can breath easily knowing they have a legitimate 22-year-old

cornerstone to build around, everything else is easier. Whatever happens

in the second half is just gravy.


1092931 Websites

TSN.CA / Dreger Report: Examining ‘own rentals’ and players in play

By Darren Dreger

Bob McKenzie has referenced the term “own rental” a couple of times

this week and has given me credit for coining the phrase. I like it – it’s

catchy and appropriately describes a team/player scenario in a very blunt

manner.

When you hear me or Bob say it makes the most sense for the Toronto

Maple Leafs to use James van Riemsdyk as an “own rental,” chances

are you know exactly what that means. If not, here's a quick refresher

and history lesson on how “own rental” became a part of our hockey

vocabulary.

Simply put, any pending unrestricted free agent deemed too valuable to

his team to trade based on playoff expectations, but who isn't a lock for a

contract extension and is kept past the trade deadline despite the threat

CAROLINA HURRICANES


of leaving the organization in the off-season for nothing, is an “own

rental.”

As much as I would like to take credit for this descriptive genius, the truth

is the Leafs were the first team (to my knowledge) to use the term.

Leading up to the 2013 NHL trade deadline, there was much speculation

about the future of Tyler Bozak. The Toronto centre was in the final year

of his contract and the vultures were circling. Leafs’ general manager

Dave Nonis had multiple trade offers for Bozak, but knew that if Toronto

was to make the playoffs and have any chance of advancing in the

postseason they would need their top centre to stay in the mix.

Toronto decided to gamble and kept Bozak for a playoff march that came

crashing to an end in the infamous Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in

the Eastern Conference quarter-finals. Bozak was injured and missed

Games 6 and 7 that year and the trauma that saw the Leafs squander a

4-1 third-period lead en route to a stunning 5-4 overtime defeat in the

deciding game.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joined Scott and Matt to chat about

the first half of the season for the Maple Leafs, whether he believes that

they can make the changes needed to go deep in the playoffs, and if the

team should be concerned about Nazem Kadri's struggles.

Nonetheless, the gamble paid off. Amid offers to take his game

elsewhere, Bozak shed the label of “own rental” and signed a five-year,

$21-million dollar contract extension with the Leafs on July 5, 2013.

Will history repeat itself?

Bozak, van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov are Toronto's most talked about

potential unrestricted free agents, although Dominic Moore and Roman

Polak also have expiring contracts. While some suggest Moore is or will

be available before the Feb. 26 trade deadline, most league executives

believe that, unless things take a sudden and ugly turn, Toronto is likely

to hold on to JVR, Bozak and Komarov in an effort to go as deep as the

team can in the playoffs.

So, this time, Bozak has company when it comes to being an own rental.

It will be interesting to see how Toronto reacts to the developing interest

in these three men as we creep closer to the deadline. The asking price

for Buffalo’s Evander Kane is reportedly a first-round draft pick, a

prospect and conditional pick, based on the assumption Kane signs with

the team he's traded to. If Sabres’ GM Jason Botterill lands in that return,

what might the Maple Leafs haul in for JVR?

It's believed van Riemsdyk wants six years and roughly $6 million per

year to stay in Toronto. That’s reasonable and, frankly, fits into the

category of hometown discount based on his goal production. But with

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander in need of

extensions, plus the potential of bonus payouts, cap management is

going to be an ongoing challenge for the Maple Leafs.

A day after the trade market got back up and running, TSN senior hockey

reporter Frank Seravalli reviews the latest names on top of the TSN

Hockey Trade Bait board.

So, does the organization push all-in with the intent of trying to contend

for the Stanley Cup this season, or recognize the group is still too green

and, at the very least, sell off Bozak and Komarov for picks and

prospects?

As one NHL manager pointed out, if the Leafs were to move all three at

the deadline the return might be significant enough to roll those assets

over on the draft floor in June into a top-pair defenceman or other pieces

that might advance Toronto's chances of evolving into a legit contender

next season.

The more likely scenario: the Leafs decide to sit tight and continue to

develop the team while hoping their latest dive into the “own rental” pool

pays off.

With honourable mention to the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators,

Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens continue to garner our

attention among the NHL clubs most likely to start selling sooner rather

than later. By the end of this month the standings should reveal if the

fight to save the season is over. The possibilities are endless as to what

direction these three teams might go.

Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk remain the most talked about trade

options in Montreal, but Andrew Shaw's name has surfaced as a player

of interest to a number of teams. With two Stanley Cup rings, Shaw

provides a wealth of postseason experience. His character and grit are

considered quality assets, and the fact he has 10 goals and 19 points in

42 games this season shows he can produce solid secondary scoring.

TSN Hockey insider Bob McKenzie joins The Morning Show to discuss

the value of certain Habs players that might be on the move at the

deadline.

It's the list of usual suspects in Ottawa. Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith and

Jean-Gabriel Pageau are targets of interest for teams looking to add.

Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion may get to a point where he has to unload

payroll or sees the upside of moving these guys based on the return, but

he hasn't reached that stage yet.

Oilers’ GM Peter Chiarelli is always looking. What choice does he have

given the state of this club? But unless he shifts his position in the near

future or is presented with a more significant opportunity, his class of

soon-to-be unrestricted free agents, which includes Patrick Maroon, Mark

Letestu and Mike Cammalleri, appears to be the bait he's dangling from

his roster.

The Detroit Red Wings are another team worth monitoring in the days

and weeks ahead. The Wings remain competitive even though it would

be best for the organization to flounder and sink into the mix of a top

lottery contender.

Mike Green is an obvious trade option in Detroit and there will be interest

in the veteran, right-shot defenceman. Petr Mrazek is also widely known

to be available. Based on his age, the 25-year-old goaltender might

attract interest from clubs wanting depth at the position.

Perhaps the most appealing among the options in Motown is talented

winger Tomas Tatar. Tatar scored 25 goals for the Red Wings last

season and has three more years remaining on his contract at $5.3

million per. The ask is believed to include a prospect and draft picks as

Detroit continues to retool.

With nine draft picks already in the bank, the Red Wings are aiming to

add at least another two or three through trades. The team hopes to go

into the NHL Draft in Dallas with a dozen picks or more.

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