CAROLINA HURRICANESdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips062717.pdfRyan: “Good question! We can...

CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • June 27, 2017

What’s a jersey number worth? Canes players make a deal.

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

It started, simply enough, with Derek Ryan being signed to a new contract.

Ryan, a center with the Carolina Hurricanes, agreed to a one-year contract Monday with the Canes and soon tweeted “Thanks for the opportunity” along with tweetpic of his jersey – No. 33.

Before long, Scott Darling chimed in.

The goalie, acquired by the Canes two months ago from the Chicago Blackhawks, offered up this tweet: “I’ll trade you 3 dinners, 2 dog walks and 1 night of babysitting for that number #ThinkAboutIt”

Darling, you see, wore No. 33 for the Blackhawks.

Ryan, clearly in the spirit of things, quickly tweeted: “Oh this could get interesting! Make it 2 dinners, 1 whole foods gift card, and at least 2 goals allowed in every practice and we have a deal.”

That’s a high asking price. But Darling thought about it.

Scott Darling

I'll trade you 3 dinners, 2 dog walks and 1 night of babysitting for that number #ThinkAboutIt

https://twitter.com/derekallenryan/status/879376519503544320 … 2:42 PM - 26 Jun 2017

His tweet: “The best I can do is 1 dinner, 1 Whole Foods gift card and 3 goals per practice (pending league approval)

That was enough, it seems.

Ryan “Deal! #33 is yours. I'll draw up the paperwork and have my people call your people.”

As of Monday night, the Hurricanes’ roster still listed it as Derek Ryan, 33 and Scott Darling – Maybe the trade didn’t make it to Toronto in time to be official.

18h

Scott Darling The best I can do is 1 dinner, 1 Whole Foods gift card and 3 goals per practice (pending league approval) https://twitter.com/derekallenryan/status/879428019760189440 …

Derek Ryan

@SDarling_33 Deal! #33 is yours. I'll draw up the paperwork and have my people call your people. 4:15 PM - 26 Jun 2017

But the dialogue continued.

Darling: “Pleasure to do business with you! But what number are you going to wear now?”

Ryan: “Good question! We can make a dramatic reveal on Twitter once I pick one.”

Chip Alexander: 919-829-8945, @ice_chip

Canes qualifying offers to McGinn, Di Giuseppe, Chelios

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

The Carolina Hurricanes on Monday made some personnel decisions, signing forward Derek Ryan and defenseman Trevor Carrick to one-year contracts and extending qualifying offers to forwards Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe and defenseman Jake Chelios.

Forward Andrej Nestrasil, who played 19 games for the Hurricanes last season and 115 in parts of three seasons, did not receive a qualifying offer. He will become an

unrestricted free agent on July. 1, parting ways with the franchise that claimed him off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings in November 2014.

The Canes also did not extend qualifying offers to goalie Daniel Altshuller and forward Erik Karlsson, who already had announced he was returning to Sweden to play pro hockey.


The Canes’ other unrestricted free agents are forwards Jay McClement, Patrick Brown, Danny Kristo, and Brendan Woods; defensemen Matt Tennyson, Dennis Robertson and Philip Samuelsson, and goaltender Michael Leighton.

Nestrasil, McGinn, Di Giuseppe and Chelios were restricted free agents. McGinn and Di Giuseppe, as unsigned RFAs, were among the skaters on the Canes’ protected list for the NHL expansion draft last week.

Nestrasil played 55 games for the Canes in 2015-16. With center Jordan Staal and winger Joakim Nordstrom, he was part of a formidable, effective checking line before suffering a season-ending back injury in late-February 2016 against Toronto.

Nestrasil was able to attend the Canes’ preseason training camp last fall but spent most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers, the Canes’ American Hockey League affiliate.

In a March interview with the Czech news outlet Blesk, Nestrasil criticized Hurricanes management and Canes coach Bill Peters, saying neither wanted him as a player and were happy he was “on the farm team.”

Asked in April about his future with the Hurricanes, Nestrasil said, “It depends on them and what’s their plan into the future, which I feel maybe I’m not part of it. That’s fine. That’s their decision. That’s what they have to do.”

Here’s your chance to see the Canes’ 2017 draft class

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

[email protected]

The Carolina Hurricanes will have all eight members of its 2017 draft class, plus first-rounders Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier from 2016, attending the team’s prospects development camp this week, the team announced Monday.

Bean and Gauthier were at the 2016 camp and signed their three-year, entry-level contracts while at camp. Czech forward Martin Necas was the Canes’ first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft held Friday and Saturday in Chicago.

The 29-man roster for this year’s camp includes four goaltenders, eight defensemen and 17 forwards.

The camp combines off-ice training and education sessions, then on-ice sessions. The on-ice sessions Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m., and the noon prospects game on Saturday, highlighting the team’s annual Summerfest Celebration, are free and open to the public.

The Summerfest Celebration inside PNC Arena also will have an autograph session, equipment sale and a State of the Hurricanes session. The event will include more than 20 interactive inflatables and games.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

2017 DEVELOPMENT CAMP ROSTER

Skaters

24 BEAN, Jake

37 FOEGELE, Warren

41 ZIMMER Max

43 LUOSTARINEN, Eetu

44 GAUTHIER, Julien

45 GEEKIE, Morgan

47 FILIPE, Matt

48 MARTIN, Luke

51 MATTHEOS, Stelio

52 ELYNUIK, Hudson

56 NEWPOWER, Wyatt

58 ROY, Nicolas

59 KUOKKANEN, Janne

62 DE JONG, Brendan

67 STEVENS, Luke

73 COCKERILL, Garret

75 SMALLMAN, Spencer

77 RASANEN, Ville

78 LORENTZ, Steven

81 SCHILKEY, Nick

82 CARROLL, Noah

83 COTTON, David

84 HOLLOWELL, Mac

85 EDWARDH, John

88 NECAS, Martin

Goaltenders

50 HELVIG, Jeremy

60 MAKINIEMI, Eetu

70 BOOTH, Callum

80 LAFONTAINE, Jack

Canes sign Carrick to one-year, two-way contract

From staff reports

The Carolina Hurricanes on Monday agreed to terms with defenseman Trevor Carrick on a one-year, two-way contract.

The deal will pay Carrick $670,000 on the NHL level or $77,500 on the American Hockey League level in 2017-18.

Carrick, 22, scored four goals and added 12 assists in 57 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers in 2016-17.


Carrick has 20 goals and 70 assists in 203 career AHL games with the Checkers, and led the team in assists (33) during the 2015-16 season.

A fourth-round draft pick by Carolina in 2012, Carrick made his NHL debut against the Washington Capitals on March 15, 2016, and has appeared in two career NHL games.

Hurricanes’ re-sign forward Derek Ryan

30-year-old gets one-year, one-deal worth $1.45M; qualifying offers on RFAs due today

By Cory Lavalette

June 26th, 2017 10:32 am

RALEIGH — The Carolina Hurricanes kept one of their own less than a week before the opening of free agency, re-signing pending unrestricted free agent Derek Ryan to a one-year, $1.45 million contract on Monday.

Ryan had 11 goals and 18 assists in 67 games last season, establishing himself as a full-time NHLer playing in Carolina’s bottom six.

“Derek proved he belonged in the NHL last season,” Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis said in a press release. “He brings skill and versatility to our lineup and sets an example for our younger players with his character and determination off the ice.”

The 30-year-old Ryan’s long path to the NHL is well-documented. After four years in the Western Hockey League followed by four more playing Canadian university hockey, Ryan headed overseas, playing professionally in Austria for three years. He then played a season in the Swedish Hockey League, earning MVP honors after leading the league in points in 2014-15.

His dominance in the Swedish league opened the door for his return to North America, and he signed a two-way deal with the Hurricanes. He played six games with Carolina at the end of the 2015-16 season, reuniting with coach Bill Peters — his WHL coach with the Spokane Chiefs.

Ryan, undersized at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, earned an early-season call-up last year and stuck, spending time on both Carolina’s power play and penalty kill.

“He's going to get overpowered, he's going to get outmuscled, but it's never going to be for a lack of being in the right position or a lack of want or fight,” Peters said of Ryan back in December. “He's going to compete, he's going to do everything right. … He's not scared. He loves the game. He's a hockey player, that's what he does.”

Ryan’s winding path to the NHL led to him being a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson won the trophy at last week’s NHL Awards.

Qualifying offers on restricted free agents are due Monday at 5 p.m., and the Hurricanes have several players they need to make decisions on.

The first of those came to terms shortly after the announcement of the Ryan re-signing when defenseman Trevor Carrick agreed to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract would pay him $670,000 in the NHL or $77,500 in the AHL.

Carolina's other RFAs are forwards Brock McGinn, Andrej Nestrasil and Phil Di Giuseppe, AHL defenseman Jake Chelios, and goaltending prospect Daniel Altshuller.

Qualifying offers for all of Carolina’s RFAs would be one-year, two-way offers at 110 percent of their current contract. The team can also negotiate a new deal with each player outside of the qualifying offer. Players not tendered a qualifying offer and not signed to a new contract by July 1 would become unrestricted free agents and be free to sign with any team.


Hockey is a father-son journey for Hurricanes' Brind'Amour

Posted 10:36 p.m. yesterday

RALEIGH, N.C. — A father and son are enjoying a new hockey journey as they head to prospect camp this week.

Rod Brind’Amour will head to Hurricanes prospect camp on Wednesday while his son will head to Edmonton Oilers prospect camp on Sunday.

Rod Brind’Amour net quite a few goals in his 21 year NHL tenure- 452 to be precise- but there are few he recalls more vividly than his son Skyler’s first.

“Over on the old Raleigh Ice-Plex, watching him go down the ice as a little 5-year-old. A nice little wraparound and it went in. I still remember that moment,” he said.

Skyler Brind’Amour has scored quite a few goals since then, carving out his own hockey niche.

He’s even starting to pull ahead from his father in his legendary conditioning sessions, depending on who you ask.

“We do a couple workouts together, running stairs and stuff. He’s slowing down,” Skyler Brind’Amour said.

Skyler Brind’Amour said he can overtake his dad in certain exercises, including the stair run.

“That’s being generous right there. If we had to put the foot to the fire, I think we’d know he’d win that still,’ Rod Brind’Amour said.

The proud son has been there for so many of his dad’s finest hours but, during the NHL Draft this weekend, there was a role-reversal.

“We were just driving back and we heard it on the radio. Just looked at each other. It was exciting,” said Skyler Brind’Amour.

“Really, at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean your career’s even there yet. I think it’s just nice for him to know that the work he’s put in so far has been noticed,” Rod Brind’Amour said.

Hockey may be just a game, but it’s given the Brind’Amours so much more, including the latest gift made all the more special when father and son shared it together.

‘It was a really nice moment and hopefully we’ve got more to come,” Rod Brind’Amour said.

All 8 draftees part of Canes development camp roster

Posted 2:20 p.m. yesterday

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes finalized their 29-man development camp roster Monday and it includes all eight of their 2017 draft picks.

The roster, which also features previously-drafted and acquired players and select invitees, includes four goaltenders, eight defensemen and 17 forwards.

During development camp, the players will go through off-ice training and educational sessions, as well as on-ice sessions. The prospects’ 5:30 p.m. on-ice sessions on June

28 and 29, as well as the Canes Prospect Game at noon on July 1 will be open to the media and public.

On Saturday, July 1 at 10 a.m., fans can also attend the Summerfest Celebration inside PNC Arena which will feature an autograph session, equipment sale and State of the Hurricanes session hosted by Mike Maniscalco.

The Hurricanes open the season Oct. 7, against the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena.

Canes agree with Ryan, Carrick

Posted 11:02 a.m. yesterday Updated 6:40 p.m. yesterday

RALEIGH, N.C. — With the NHL Draft behind them, the Carolina Hurricanes went right to work on their roster Monday, as they agreed to terms with forward Derek Ryan and defenseman Trevor Carrick.

The 30-year-old Ryan agreed to a one-year, $1.425 million deal after recording a career high 11 goals and 18 assists last season. Four of his tallies came on the power play.

“Derek proved he belonged in the NHL last season,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis. “He brings skill and versatility to our lineup and sets an

example for our younger players with his character and determination off the ice.”

Carrick’s one-year, two-way deal will pay him $670,000 on the NHL level or $77,500 on the American Hockey League level next season.

Carrick played in 57 games with the Charlotte Checkers last year scoring four goals and chipping in 12 assists. He was selected by the Hurricanes in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft and has played two career games at the NHL level.


The Hurricanes open the season Oct. 7, against the Minnesota Wild at PNC Arena.

Canes Qualify Di Giuseppe, McGinn, Chelios

Nestrasil, Karlsson, Altshuller to become UFAs

by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com

June 26th, 2017

The Carolina Hurricanes today extended qualifying offers to forwards Phil Di Giuseppe and Brock McGinnand defenseman Jake Chelios, retaining their restricted free agent statuses.

Di Giuseppe split his second NHL season between Carolina and Charlotte. He has totaled 24 points (8g, 16a) in 77 games with the Hurricanes. McGinn played in a career-high 57 games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17 and also posted career highs in goals (7), assists (9) and points (16). Chelios inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes in April 2016. He was the only member of the Charlotte Checkers to skate in all of the team's 76 games in the 2016-17 regular season, and he tallied 32 points (4g, 28) and 54 penalty minutes.

Restricted free agent defenseman Trevor Carrick agreed to terms with the Hurricanes on a one-year, two-way contract on Monday morning.

Forwards Andrej Nestrasil and Erik Karlsson and goaltender Daniel Altshuller were not tendered qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents on Saturday, July 1.

The following players are also unrestricted free agents: forwards Bryan Bickell (who will be retiring), Patrick Brown, Danny Kristo, Jay McClement and Brendan Woods, defensemen Dennis Robertson, Philip Samuelsson and Matt Tennyson and goaltender Michael Leighton.

The Hurricanes have already inked a handful of players whose contracts were expiring, including Teuvo Teravainen, Derek Ryan and newly acquired goaltender Scott Darling.

Keep tabs on all Hurricanes movement this offseason with our player tracker and get a visual look at players under contract with the organization with our contract tracker.

Canes resign Ryan

Andrew Schnittker, Sports Editor

The Carolina Hurricanes have resigned forward Derek Ryan to a one-year deal that will pay him $1.425 million for the 2017-18 season, general manager Ron Francis announced Monday.

“Derek proved he belonged in the NHL last season,” Francis said in the team’s official release. “He brings skill and versatility to our lineup and sets an example for our younger players with his character and determination off the ice.”

Ryan posted career highs across the board last season with 11 goals, 18 assists and 29 points. The Spokane, Washington, native, who played in several leagues along his

long road to the NHL was one of the three finalists for the league’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is annually given to “a player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey.”

Ryan gives the Canes nine forwards under contract at the NHL level for next season, joining Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Staal, Lee Stempniak and Joakim Nordstrom.


Former Cane Recchi joins Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2017

Posted 7:31 p.m. yesterday Updated 35 minutes ago

By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Hockey Writer

Paul Kariya always felt as if he knew where Teemu Selanne was on the ice when they had spectacular chemistry together as teammates.

On Monday, Selanne pulled a new trick, telling Kariya where he was going: the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Before Kariya got the call that he was being inducted, Selanne delivered the news that the dynamic duo that thrilled hockey in Anaheim for several years was going to be inducted together this fall.

The longtime Ducks teammates headline the Hall of Fame's class of 2017, which includes the long-overdue additions of Mark Recchi, Dave Andreychuk and longtime Canadian university coach Clare Drake. Canadian star Danielle Goyette became the fifth women's player elected, and Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs got in as part of the builder category.

Selanne was the only player elected in his first year of eligibility after putting up 1,457 points in 1,451 games over 21 NHL seasons. The "Finnish Flash" was a 10-time All-Star, had 76 goals as a rookie with Winnipeg in 1992-93 that still stands as one of his 18 NHL records and won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.

"When I look back, I shake my head and say how lucky I was in so many different ways and so thankful that I was able to play for so many years," Selanne said.

He and Kariya played together for parts of six seasons with the Ducks, helping hockey grow in Southern California in the 1990s, and then another with Colorado. Kariya had his career cut short by concussion problems, finishing with 989 points in as many games.

"I didn't retire willingly," said Kariya, who won an Olympic gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Olympics. "I would've loved to have kept playing. If there was any way of waving a magic wand and getting the opportunity to live through my entire career, the good and the bad, I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Recchi's election in his fourth year of eligibility ended a curious omission for a player who won the Cup three times — once each with Pittsburgh (1991), Carolina (2006) and Boston (2011) — and is 12th in NHL scoring with 1,533 points. Every other retired player in the top 28 in career scoring was already in the Hall of Fame.

"You can only do so much, and you've got to let your numbers and your play dictate where it gets you," Recchi said. "It was just something where you hope it's good enough at some point."

Andreychuk had an even longer wait, finally getting the call in his ninth chance after putting up 1,338 points in 23 seasons and serving as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2004 Cup team. His 640 goals are 14th all-time.

"The years that I have waited make no difference to me," Andreychuk said. "When I started (in Buffalo) in '82, I got the privilege of watching Gilbert Perreault score 500 goals and to think that I went by him, it's mind-boggling."

Goyette won two Olympic gold medals and one silver medal for Canada and had 113 goals and 105 assists in 171 international games. Growing up in Quebec, she was asked why she played a men's sport and said, "When you love something that much, it doesn't matter what people say: You just do what you love."

Drake, who said he was humbled to learn he was in the Hall of Fame, has the most victories of any Canadian college coach during a legendary 28-year career at the University of Alberta that included six University Cup titles. Along the way Drake revolutionized puck pressure and penalty-killing techniques and influenced the likes of NHL coaches Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock and Barry Trotz.

Hitchcock said he was relieved Drake is being honored at age 88 and said of his mentor, "There's never been a person that's done more for hockey and more for coaches and more for his players than Clare." Babcock called Drake the John Wooden of Canadian hockey.

"You're a great man, you did things right, treated people right, won championships and made an impact," Babcock said. "What more can you ask?"

Jacobs has owned the Bruins since 1975 and served as chairman of the NHL Board of Governors since 2007. He said it was "a total surprise" to be elected and credited his time working at the league level for the honor.

"While our league has changed and grown over the 42-plus years Jeremy has owned the Bruins, he always has focused on further growing our game and strengthening our league," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "As chairman of our board of governors for the past decade, his priority has been to serve our fans and to make sure our league and its teams are strong."

___

Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno

___

For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey


Storm Advisory for June 27: NHL News, Rumors, Links and Daily Roundup

One member of the 2006 Stanley Cup champions is headed to the Hall of Fame. It should be two.

by Brian LeBlanc@bdleblanc Jun 27, 2017, 7:03am EDT

Reading Assignments

• First off, our condolences to John Forslund on the passing of his mother last Friday. [N&O Obituary]

• With the Canes re-signing Derek Ryan yesterday, a minor problem has come up: who gets rights to the number 33, worn by both Ryan and new addition Scott Darling last season? Fear not:

18h

Scott Darling The best I can do is 1 dinner, 1 Whole Foods gift card and 3 goals per practice (pending league approval) https://twitter.com/derekallenryan/status/879428019760189440 …

Follow

Derek Ryan @SDarling_33 Deal! #33 is yours. I'll draw up the paperwork and have my people call your people.

4:15 PM - 26 Jun 2017

• Your 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame class is a big one: Teemu Selanne, Dave Andreychuk,Mark Recchi, Paul Kariya, retired Canadian women’s team player Danielle Goyette, Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and retired University of Alberta coach Clare Drake. [NHL]

• Here’s the moment Selanne got the call from Hall chairman Lanny McDonald informing him of his selection.

• It’s only right that two players as closely identified with each other as Selanne and Kariya should go into the Hall together. [Puck Daddy]

• For Kariya, it’s a vindicating conclusion to a career full of what-ifs. [Orange County Register]

• It took long enough for Dave Andreychuk to get into the Hall. (So, uh, guys.......Rod Brind’Amour?) [Tampa Bay Times]

• The Stars had a busy day yesterday: trading for Marc Methot from Vegas, re-signing Esa Lindell, and announcing that they will buy out Antti Niemi. [Dallas Morning News]

Carolina Hurricanes issue qualifying offers to Brock McGinn, Phil Di Giuseppe, Jake Chelios

Three other players, including Andrej Nestrasil, will become unrestricted free agents.

by Brian LeBlanc@bdleblanc Jun 26, 2017, 5:27pm EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes issued qualifying offers to three players on Monday afternoon before the 5:00 deadline. Forwards Brock McGinn and Phil Di Giuseppe and defenseman Jake Chelios will remain restricted free agents when the free agent market opens around the NHL on Saturday, July 1.

Three other players were not qualified and will become unrestricted free agents. Forward Andrej Nestrasil is the most noteworthy of the three players who were not qualified, along with goaltender Daniel Altshuller and forward Erik Karlsson, who had previously announced that he would be returning to Sweden for next season.

McGinn played 57 games with the Hurricanes last season, his second partial NHL campaign. He scored seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in those 57 games. Di

Giuseppe also played in his second NHL season, tallying one goal and six assists for seven points in 36 games. Both players were second-round selections in the 2012 NHL Draft.

Chelios was an undrafted free agent and signed with the Charlotte Checkers in 2015. He parlayed that season into a one-year NHL deal last offseason, although he did not make an appearance with the Hurricanes in 2016-17. Chelios scored four goals and added 28 assists for 32 points in the Checkers’ 2016-17 season, and added one assist during the Checkers’ five-game first-round playoff loss to the Chicago Wolves.

The big name who was not qualified was Nestrasil, who had fallen out of favor with the organization after suffering a broken vertebrae at the end of the 2015-16 season. Nestrasil


has backed off of his pointed comments made to a Czech reporter in March about the Hurricanes organization, but at the highest salary of any of the Canes’ potential RFAs the team decided to part ways with the Czech winger.

Altshuller’s only NHL appearance came as an unused backup on January 3 against the Devils. He spent the rest of the season between the ECHL Florida Everblades and the

Checkers, posting a 2.88 goals against average and a .907 save percentage in the AHL. He was a third-round pick in the 2012 draft that also produced Di Giuseppe and McGinn. Karlsson’s non-tendering was a formality, as the Swedish winger had already announced that he had signed a deal with Timra of the Swedish Hockey League for next season.

Scoring Forward Eludes Hurricanes

JUNE 26TH, 2017 MARK SHIVER

The dust has settled from the NHL Expansion Draft and the 2017 Entry Draft. As the various moves become clear, the Carolina Hurricanes remain without a proven, veteran scoring forward acquisition that would hint at the last few days being a success.

Quick ‘Canes Review

Much has been said and written about the offseason so far for the Hurricanes. GM Ron Francis made it clear at the end of the season press conference that he was going to make goaltending his first priority. He has successfully checked that box by trading for and signing former Chicago Blackhawk, Scott Darling, and adding goalie coach, Mike Bales from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Francis has been taking care of this and that while waiting for the opportunity to snag a scoring forward. For example, on Monday the Hurricanes announced that they have inked forward, Derek Ryan to a one-year deal. Francis, when announcing the $1.425 million deal for the 2017-18 season said,

Derek proved he belonged in the NHL last season. He brings skill and versatility to our lineup and sets an example for our younger players with his character and determination off the ice.

Ryan had 11 goals and 18 assists last season, a nice total, but still not what will be the difference-maker in making the playoffs.

In addition to Ryan, the ‘Canes also signed Teuvo Teravainen to a two-year deal that will pay him $2.86 million each year. Teravainen, 22, is one of the young guns that is the hallmark of the Francis stable. He had 42 points in 81 games last season and has the potential to become a consistent scoring threat.

Replacing coaches in the video room and the training room are also things that Francis has taken care of in the past several weeks. Everything pointed to a big NHL Draft weekend.

Picks Made, but No Deals Done

As the draft approached, there was some anticipation that Francis might be able to parlay part of his quiver of picks into a legitimate scoring forward. He has proven in his three-year

tenure, that he is thoughtful and strategic, and it would not have been a surprise if he’d managed to strike a deal. The surprise came as the chairs were being put away in Chicago’s United Center, and there was no deal to talk about, no praise or criticism to send Francis’ way. It was the Draft and he drafted and that was it.

With the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Hurricanes drafted center Martin Necas from the Czech Republic. Clearly, a player that will be a long-term project, largely due to his 6″1′, 178 lb. frame, the 18-year-old Necas should fit nicely with the team, albeit in the future.

Carolina Hurricanes

DYK? Necas means "bad weather" in Czech. Get to know more about Martin Necas, the #Canes top 2017 draft pick → http://n.carhur.com/2t6GJDY 11:25 AM - 26 Jun 2017

Regarding the lack of trading partners, Francis was reported as saying,

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping to maybe take a few less picks. We had an awful lot of discussions in the last little bit about trying to move picks for players. They just didn’t pan out the way we hoped. At the end of the day when we couldn’t get anything done, we think we did a heck of a job drafting some good prospects.

Strangely enough, Francis was not alone as the trading activity was lackluster overall.

The next date circled on the calendar is Saturday, July 1. Free agency opens and Francis will be ready. With better than average cap space and a need to spend in order to reach the cap floor, if he is allowed to according to those with the checkbook, Francis can still add the missing piece or two that will heighten the Hurricanes’ chances of making the playoffs this coming season.


Hurricanes Re-Sign Derek Ryan

JUNE 26TH, 2017 JIM PARSONS

After posting career numbers in the NHL last season, Derek Ryan will be back with the Carolina Hurricanes. Monday he signed a one-way, one-year contract worth a reported $1.425 million.

Ryan has spent parts of two seasons with the Hurricanes. In 2015-16, he appeared in six games, posting two goals and no assists. In 2016-17, he appeared in 67 games, scoring 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points. Perhaps his crowning achievement thus far is that Ryan was also nominated for the Masterson Trophy and this summer likely would have garnered interest from some teams looking for a right-shot, depth center.

Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis said of the deal, “Derek proved he belonged in the NHL last season,” “He brings skill and versatility to our lineup and sets an example for our younger players with his character and determination off the ice.”

Carolina Hurricanes

[NEWS] #Canes Agree to Terms with @DerekAllenRyan: http://n.carhur.com/2tMg4JN Ryan set NHL career highs in goals, assists & points in 2016-17. 9:43 AM - 26 Jun 2017

Derek Ryan’s Struggle

Ryan wasn’t always certain he’d be in the NHL. Just one summer ago, Ryan was contemplating moving back to Europe to play hockey, not getting the looks in the NHL he was hoping for. In the summer of 2016, he was extremely close to making a jump to the European leagues to play.

As THW’s very own Dean Plunkett discussed back in June of 2016, Ryan was almost gone before one more shot with the Hurricanes — a shot he made good on:

Ryan and his agent, according to the Expressen report, have been in communications with a number of Swedish hockey teams, and have even received an offer from Frolunda, but the 29-year-old forward prefers to focus on the opportunities in Switzerland. “I prefer Switzerland if I’m going back to Europe. I have not played there, I have heard very good things about it and the money is a little better,” he told the newspaper.

Ryan re-signed with the Hurricane organization, got an opportunity and never looked back. He’s earned every bit of the contract extension he’s signed for the 2017-18 season.

Where Ryan Fits

The key to Ryan’s success will not be over slotting him. As a depth center on the fourth line, he’ll have an opportunity to be successful. Even in a third-line limited role, he’ll be effective, but signing Ryan likely means the Hurricanes have their bottom center depth set and will roll with other centers in a more prominent position.

Jordan Staal, Elias Lindholm, and Victor Rask all slot higher, but Ryan adds another forward who can take faceoffs (he was 55.3% in 707 attempts last season) and a locker room presence that the team clearly likes.

If there’s a knock on Ryan, it’s that he doesn’t add much in the way of size or a physical presence. That may be something the team needs to address since they only have two players on the team who ranked in the top-100 in hits in the NHL last season. Joakim Nordstrom had the most hits with 148.

In Other News

The team also came to terms with defenseman Trevor Carrick on a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Carrick $670,000 on the NHL level or $77,500 on the American Hockey League (AHL) level in 2017-18.

Carolina Hurricanes prospects in town for camp

By Peter Koutroumpis6/27/2017

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Monday the roster for the team’s 2017 development camp that will take place at PNC Arena from June 28 through July 1.

The Hurricanes Prospects Development Camp will feature all eight members of the team’s 2017 draft class, as well as other previously-drafted/acquired players and select invitees – a 29-player roster that includes four goaltenders, eight defensemen and 17 forwards.

During development camp, the players will go through off-ice training and educational sessions, as well as on-ice sessions including the Hurricanes Prospect Game that will take place at Noon on Saturday.

The Prospect Game will be part of the Hurricanes’ Summerfest Celebration that will take place inside PNC Arena starting at 10 a.m.


The Summerfest Celebration will feature an autograph session, equipment sale and State of the Hurricanes, and will include more than 20 interactive inflatables, games and experiences, free giveaways, guest speakers from the Hurricanes, appearances by Stormy and the Storm Squad,

discounted concessions, hockey games and extended hours at The Eye team store.

Parking and admission for the event is free.

TODAY’S LINKS

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article158386269.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article158314624.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article158267964.html http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article158216929.html

http://www.nsjonline.com/article/2017/06/hurricanes-re-sign-forward-derek-ryan http://www.wralsportsfan.com/hockey-is-a-father-son-journey-for-hurricanes-brind-amour-/16786893/

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/all-8-draftees-part-of-canes-development-camp-roster/16786244/ http://www.wralsportsfan.com/canes-agree-with-ryan-carrick/16785297/

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/hurricanes-qualify-di-giuseppe-mcginn-chelios/c-290166226 AP: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/former-cane-recchi-joins-hockey-hall-of-fame-class-of-2017/16786358/

https://www.canescountry.com/2017/6/27/15878968/storm-advisory-nhl-news-rumors-links-hockey-hall-of-fame-selanne-kariya-recchi-andreychuk https://www.canescountry.com/2017/6/26/15876938/carolina-hurricanes-restricted-free-agent-qualifying-offer-brock-mcginn-jake-chelios-phil-

digiuseppe http://thehockeywriters.com/scoring-forward-eludes-carolina-hurricanes/

http://thehockeywriters.com/hurricanes-re-sign-derek-ryan/ http://trianglesportsnet.com/archives/15483

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FOXSports.com / Country music star Dierks Bentley lost a Stanley Cup bet to Penguins’ Matt Murray

Pete Blackburn

Jun 26, 2017 at 11:34a ET

This year’s Stanley Cup Final had an unfortunate conclusion for the Nashville Predators and their fans, as the Penguins needed six games to repeat as champions of the NHL.

One of the many high-profile musicians spotted at Preds games throughout their playoff run was country music star Dierks Bentley, who sang the national anthem before Game 4 of the Cup Final. It turns out the series loss was a little extra bitter for Bentley, who ultimately lost a bet with Penguins goaltender Matt Murray.

Bentley performed in Pittsburgh over the weekend, and he arrived to find a gift waiting for him prior to the show. That gift? Murray’s jersey, signed with the message “it’s all your fault” — a nod to Nashville’s crowd chant that singles out the opposing team’s goalie.

.@MattMurray_30 & the @penguins had an autographed gift ready for @DierksBentley. "To Dierks: Its all your fault! � – Matt Murray" pic.twitter.com/Wm6cqXNUyv

— Y108 (@Y108Pittsburgh) June 25, 2017

Bentley not only received the jersey, but he also wore it during the show and gave credit where credit’s due.

Someone pass along to @beckhamthenewf #mattmurray! thanks for the jersey ha. bet lost, paid in full… https://t.co/6ZHPClsuac pic.twitter.com/6uq3y2zEO3

— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) June 25, 2017

This may be our favorite photo gallery ever. Thanks for being such a great sport, @DierksBentley! See more photos: https://t.co/x37z0qqdZb pic.twitter.com/QZtNsHVXor

— Y108 (@Y108Pittsburgh) June 25, 2017

Stinks for Bentley that his favorite hockey team lost, but it’s not the worst luck in the world to get a free signed jersey out of a lost bet. Plus, he’s a

country music star so he’ll always have his pickup truck, his dog and cold beer to fall back on during these hard times.

FOXSports.com LOADED: 06.27.2017

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Sportsnet.ca / NHL’s top 15 UFAs of 2017: Latest rumours, reports

Luke Fox

June 26, 2017, 5:26 PM

As hotly anticipated as the Kevin Shattenkirk Sweepstakes are for Kevin and the Shattenkirks, 2017’s NHL free agency class is shaping up to be one of the weakest in years, especially in light of Friday’s re-signing of T.J. Oshie, Patrick Eaves and Kris Russell.

Potential summer of ’17 UFA bank-breakers Jamie Benn, Victor Hedman, Brent Burns, and Brad Marchand all inked maximum-term extensions with their current clubs months before becoming eligible to test the market. Dallas and Carolina smartly got the jump on the UFA goalie class by trading for and locking up Ben Bishop and Scott Darling, well in advance of summertime.

And with big tickets like Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Carey Price also eligible to re-sign new deals on July 1, some of the upcoming “business of hockey” news will already be focused on the summer of 2018.

So, who’s left?

Well, the 2017 UFA class will still offer a compelling mix of top-four defencemen, a few goaltenders with No. 1 potential, and some wingers coming off stellar seasons.

Some of these stars will move on due to salary cap restraints, younger talent and decreased playoff hopes. Others will be retained at any cost (but, y’know, within reason) and subjected to rounds of Twitter rumours.

The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks, in particular, could lose some key veterans.

Here is a look at the NHL’s Top 15 unrestricted free agents of 2017, plus a list of the other household names whose next job is undetermined.

The negotiating window is open, and the rumours are flying.


Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.27.2017

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Sportsnet.ca / 13 NHL Draft takeaways: Rumours, trades, signings, surprises

Luke Fox

June 24, 2017, 3:13 PM

Think of the children.

But pay even more attention to the adults.

The NHL’s draft weekend is about the hopes and dreams and untapped potential of 18-year-olds. Yet increasingly — and especially in a low-tide year after the back-to-back generational tsunamis of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews — the draft is about juggling and firming up rosters of established players.

In our cap world, the NHL’s free agency market is losing some of its juice. In March, the term “trade dudline” was coined. So, alas, the draft acts as the league’s great trade (and rumour) convention. And 2017’s edition in Chicago was no exception.

Here are 13 things we took away from the year’s busiest 48 hours of NHL news.

Adding highly coveted right-shot defenceman Travis Hamonic, 26, from Garth Snow’s bold-moves New York Islanders Saturday thrusts the Flames top-four D core into the “best in the NHL” conversation. (We see you, Nashville.)

The Manitoba-born Hamonic, who has patiently awaited a trade West since 2015 for family matters, joins Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton in a fantastic top four.

Expect Mike Smith’s save percentage to go up.

Also expect Michael Stone and Dennis Wideman to hit the open market as a free agents on July 1.

With Deryk Engelland off to Vegas, Calgary’s D is getting younger, cheaper, more mobile and more top-heavy.

Snow’s original ask for Hamonic was two first-rounders. That price was too steep for suitors Calgary, Toronto, Dallas and Tampa.

The Flames gave up a first-rounder and two second-round picks to the Isles and also recouped a fourth-rounder. A high fee, no doubt, but one that may be worth it.

Waking up to see the @NHLFlames got Hamonic like pic.twitter.com/EcpT1qFkBl

— Jay D (@JaymiJobsearch) June 24, 2017

Matt Duchene will still be traded, right?

The Colorado centre is the most talented obvious trade piece left standing after a busy week of player movement.

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic told reporters he still doesn’t like the offers he’s getting for Duchene, who had a down year production-wise. The 26-year-old’s 18 goals and 23 assists were both four-year lows. His minus-34 rating was a career worst.

Sakic threatened to start the season with Duchene if offers don’t improve. The Predators, Islanders and Canadiens are a few teams said to be interested.

Not-so-bold prediction: Sakic eventually drops his price and Duchene starts 2017-18 in a fresh sweater.

Random thought: NSH lost James Neal because it protected its top 4D in expansion. Why would NSH then trade one for Matt Duchene?

— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) June 23, 2017

Blackhawks down? Host city shakes with blockbusters

There is no subtle way to trade away the guy who beat out Connor McDavid for the 2016 Calder Trophy.

By dealing away dynamic scorer Artemi Panarin to Columbus, the Blackhawks subtracted a two-time 30-goal scorer and a 25-year-old who produces nearly a point per game.

When Panarin’s two-year, $12-million bridge deal expires in 2019, GM Stan Bowman believed he wouldn’t be able to give the Bread Man his bread, man. Such is the cost of paying two forwards, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, $10.5 million a year through 2023.

The Blackhawks welcome the return of Cup winner Brandon Saad, who had great chemistry with Toews on the wing.

Wonder if acquisition of Panarin is, in any way, a sweetener for Ilya Kovalchuk, who's been discussed by #CBJ. The two were teammates in KHL

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 23, 2017

Chicago also dealt top-three defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona Friday afternoon.

When Joel Quenneville learned of the moves, he abruptly left a coaches meeting and did not stick around the United Center for draft night.

I'm hearing the friction & heat being turned up internally w @NHLBlackhawks moves today -was Quenneville consulted/approve of them ? @NHL .

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 24, 2017

Quenneville returned Saturday and spoke to the media.

“My motivation is I want to be better and I want to try to win. But I think Stan’s motivation is a longer-term look to it,” Quenneville said.

Joel Quenneville's reaction to yesterday's trades pic.twitter.com/Ml7LDNDOoz

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) June 24, 2017

Bowman, who acquired younger D-man Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin from Arizona, said he was thinking big picture and not just reacting to Chicago’s first-round sweep by the Predators.

Factor in the news that Marian Hossa will be sidelined all of next season due to an allergic reaction and some of the other departures (Scott Darling, Trevor van Riemsdyk), and Chicago appears to be trending down.

“These moves were not based just on one playoff round,” Bowman said. “It’s more about looking ahead to the future.”

The GM smartly brightened the home crowd by bringing out Toews and Patrick Kane to announce the Hawks’ first-rounder.

“Everyone’s kind of shocked,” Toews said of the trades.

“I could sit here and go on and on about Hammer and Hoss, and just the character and personality they brought to our team. What they’ve proven in the hockey world. But what matters most is what they’ve proven to their teammates.

“To see Bread Man go hurts as well. Even though there’s a language barrier there, he wanted to learn. It’s tough to see a guy like that go after only two seasons with him.”

Columbus is going for it

On the heels of the greatest season in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets will enter what should be a vicious 2017-18 Metropolitan Division race with aggression.

Not only have they added Panarin, who instantly becomes their highest-paid skater, but the Jackets paid a price to Vegas to keep their core intact and have been rumoured as a front-runner to land KHLer Ilya Kovalchuk, Panarin’s former SKA teammate.

Metro Division just added Artemi Panarin and Jordan Eberle, and after tonight, it'll have added Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier. Have mercy.

— Daniel Friedman (@DanJFriedman) June 23, 2017

Radulov is the best UFA forward standing

As per hockey’s trend, three more coveted impending free agents were locked up this weekend in advance of July 1, weakening the UFA market for forwards especially.


Washington handed T.J. Oshie a juicy eight-year, $46-million extension on the heels of a career season, highlighted by an unsustainable shooting percentage.

Heckuva player, but as with most UFA deals, the Capitals may regret the steep cap hit in the second half of Oshie’s term.

Couldn't be happier to resign with the @Capitals!! Great city, great organization and even more important great people. #GoCaps #RockTheRed

— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) June 23, 2017

The Anaheim Ducks wisely committed to UFA Patrick Eaves at a reasonable $3.15 million cap hit over three years. Eaves fit nicely on captain Ryan Getzlaf’s wing, and was treated to a fun surprise by fans Saturday morning:

My family and I are very excited to be back @AnaheimDucks! This is a nice way to wake up in the morning! #MyNeighborsRule #quackattack pic.twitter.com/gireXRazEw

— RealPatrickEaves (@Patrick_Eaves) June 24, 2017

This leaves Montreal’s Alexander Radulov as the best forward set to hit UFA status. Considering the addition of top-line winger Jonathan Drouin and the gap in negotiations, Radulov may not be returning.

Been told the highest offer made to Radulov was 3 years. @PierreVLeBrun reported he asked for 6 years at $7M.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) June 23, 2017

On the UFA back end, the Edmonton Oilers also committed four years and $16 million to defenceman Kris Russell, who would’ve had more suitors on July 1.

Andrei Markov always said he wanted to stay with the Canadien but wants a 2 year deal. #tvasports

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 24, 2017

Coyotes accelerate rebuild… to sell?

A popular theory on the dramatic goings-on with Glendale’s hockey team this week: Andrew Barroway, now the Coyotes’ sole owner, is shaping up the team to sell.

In a matter of days, Mike Smith, Shane Doan, Connor Murphy, the seventh-overall pick and Dave Tippett were all wiped away. The nagging arena issue won’t disappear.

Play-now guys like centre Derek Stepan, goaltender Antti Raanta and Hjalmarsson have been added, and there is a sense GM John Chayka and his $25.2 million in cap space will be looking to add more.

Thumbs up for this move, though:

Confirming a poorly kept secret: @BizNasty2point0 joins Heeter in Coyotes radio booth next season. Analysis & so much entertainment awaits.

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) June 24, 2017

Nico trumps Nolan

Nico Hischier rode a late surge in the mock polls all the way to a No. 1 overall selection by the New Jersey Devils, making history as Switzerland’s highest-drafted player.

Hischier is the first non–North American chosen No. 1 since Nail Yakupov in 2012.

But anyone who caught a glimpse of this photograph from Hischier’s childhood knew his fate had already been written…

Then and now. @nicohischier was destined to be a Devil. #N1CO pic.twitter.com/vD7hzgVDC3

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 24, 2017

Any Original Six team will do

The draft’s Freudian Slip Award goes to Canadiens Round 1 pick Ryan Poehling, who couldn’t be more overjoyed to be heading to Toron— uh, Montreal.

Finland, Finland, Finland!

A record six Finnish-born players were selected in Round 1: Miro Heiskanen (No. 3, Dallas), Juuso Valimaki (No. 16, Calgary), Urho Vaakanainen (No. 18, Boston), Kristian Vesalainen (No. 24, Winnipeg), Henri Jokiharju (No. 29, Chicago) and Eeli Tolvanen (No. 30, Nashville).

Breakdown of first-round selections by birthplace: Canada (11), Finland (6), United States (6), Sweden (4), Czech Republic (2), Russia (1) and Switzerland (1).

Methot won’t go anywhere in Canada… unless it’s back to Ottawa

Top-four blueliner Marc Methot, who was plucked off the Senators at the expansion draft, was offered a trade to the Canadiens and politely declined.

All of the Canadian clubs (Toronto and Edmonton are also hunting for D) save Ottawa are on Methot’s no-trade list.

In theory, Methot could be dealt back to the Senators as early as Jan. 1, but Vegas will surely hear from U.S. teams, such as Dallas, who missed out on Hamonic.

“We have a few more contracts than we need,” Vegas GM George McPhee said. “There’s lots of interest. We have to make the right decisions and create some space for the kids that we’ve drafted.”

As if losing Methot isn’t enough, Sens GM Pierre Dorion is still entertaining offers for Dion Phaneuf.

Pierre Dorion: "We'd like to keep Dion … but you have to look at all options."

Adds teams are phoning.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 24, 2017

Crosby now has one of the league’s best bodyguards

We learned that fourth-liner Ryan Reaves is worth a first-round pick.

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Reaves — one of the NHL’s most respected enforcers and “dressing room guys” — from the St. Louis Blues for the 31st pick, trading down to give Sidney Crosby some muscle and grab Oskar Sundqvist.

To the surprise of some, the Blues protected Reaves in the expansion draft. Well, the Blues — who also chased and landed Brayden Schenn from Philly — spun a fourth-liner into Klim Kostin, Central Scouting’s No. 1-ranked European skater.

Glad to have @rreaves75 on our side !! #beast Welcome to the @penguins

— Kristopher Letang (@Letang_58) June 24, 2017

Maple Leafs draft for need

After loading up on elite forwards in the past three drafts, Toronto used its 17th pick to select a right-shot defenceman, Timothy Liljegren, out of Sweden.

“When he fell that far, it was a no-brainer,” Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter said.

The Leafs then used their second pick on another right-shot D-man, Eemeli Rasanen. At six-foot-seven, Rasanen is the tallest prospect in the entire draft class.

Toronto scooped four defencemen in total and will look to trade or sign more.

“If we can set ourselves up to improve in that area, we will,” coach Mike Babock said.

“Calgary got Hamonic. As you can see, it’s expensive to get marquee D in our league. It’s better if you draft them and develop them, and then you have them coming.”

#leafs fifth round pick D Fedor Gordeev "started crying when I heard my name called." pic.twitter.com/jkhvu5MSOm

— Mike Zeisberger (@Zeisberger) June 24, 2017

One-Timers


The Flames won Best Name of the Draft when they selected D’Artagnan Joly…. The Oilers obtained the smallest talent in the draft, five-foot-seven, 148-pound Kailer Yamamoto… Avalanche second-rounder Connor Timmins has two different coloured eyes, like Max Scherzer…. Love the irony of Steve Yzerman being excited to draft Adam Foote’s son, Cal…. The Flyers went hard after Guelph Storm wing Isaac Ratcliffe, trading three picks to Arizona in order to grab him at No. 35. Ratcliffe back story tells of resiliency; the kid bounced back from being hit by a car when he was five years old…. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that the 2018 draft will likely be held in Dallas, though it’s not a done deal yet.

Dream come true to be drafted to the @NHLFlyers ! Thank you to everyone who has helped me to this point! Excited for the future!

— isaac ratcliffe (@isaacratcliffe) June 24, 2017


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Sportsnet.ca / NHL’s top 12 unrestricted free agents of 2018: A sneak peek

Luke Fox

June 7, 2017, 6:40 PM

The primary attraction of this summer’s hockey signings will be an intriguing 2017 free agent class, but it’s never too early for general managers to plan ahead (or for fans to start dreaming about which stars might become available).

July 1 is also a circled date for 2018’s free-agents-in-waiting, who have the opportunity to ink long-term extensions with their current teams for a maximum of eight years.

Last summer we saw jewels like Tampa defenceman Victor Hedman and Dallas centre Jamie Benn ink extensions almost immediately, opting for security over a bidding war.

More interesting for observers of the game, failure to sign a franchise star — like the dozen detailed below — triggers trade speculation and contract-year pressure.

Sharpen your pencils, GMs. This group brings strength up the middle. The impending UFA Class of ’18 features arguably the world’s best goaltender, three No. 1–calibre defencemen and a handful of top-six centremen.

It pains us to leave active legends such as the Sedin twins and Zdeno Chara — 2018’s oldest scheduled UFA, until Jaromir Jagr signs another one-deal pact somewhere — off this list due to age. And the fact we chose less-proven forwards over solid but aging scorers like James Neal, Mikko Koivo and Rick Nash shows the league is trending toward youth and speed.

Summer 2018 will also provide a measure of fiscal relief for some front offices, as hefty contracts to players such as Joffrey Lupul, Mikhail Grabovski, Kari Lehtonen, Antti Niemi and Ryane Clowe will come off the books.

Due to financial constraints or contending windows, some of the top 12 players listed below must be traded or let go; others should be retained at (almost) any cost.

Here is a very early peek at the NHL’s top 12 unrestricted free agents of 2018.

1. John Tavares

Age on July 1, 2018: 27

Position: Centre

2017-18 salary cap hit: $5.5 million

Bargaining chips: The best twenty-something impending unrestricted free-agent centre to come along since Steven Stamkos (and we know how calm everyone acted in 2016). Islanders’ captain, best player and the reason they snapped their playoff series-victory drought in 2016. Gold medallist at the Olympics, World Cup and World Junior Championship (twice). Twice hit the 80-point mark. Improving on defensive end, too. Did we mention the Spengler Cup gold?

What the future holds: Tavares and the Islanders have always maintained that they’d like to extend their marriage when the time comes.

Newsday‘s Arthur Staple reported in May that GM Garth Snow is likely to offer Tavares an eight-year contract worth upward of $10 million per season.

Tavares, who is recovering from surgery on his right hand and should be ready for the season, is likely encouraged by the club’s signing of Doug Weight as head coach. The two have a close relationship. But Tavares is driven to win, and the Isles failed to make the playoffs in 2017. He needs a sniper on his wing, and this franchise needs arena certainty.

“I’ve known John since he came into the league. He lived with me for a couple years. I trust him. I trust his extension of our coaching,” said Weight recently, citing Tavares’ desire for championships.

“We have to prove to him that we’re gonna be the team to do it, and I’m the coach to do it.”

Tavares says he hopes to sign extension this summer. Hasn't thought about whether he'd negotiate during season if no deal. #Isles

— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) April 10, 2017

2. Carey Price

Age on July 1, 2018: 30

Position: Goaltender


Bargaining chips: Gold medallist at the Winter Olympics, World Cup and World Junior Championship. Most important player on the Montreal Canadiens. Winner of the William M. Jennings, Vezina, Ted Lindsay and Hart trophies, as well as the Lou Marsh Award. Career .920 save percentage with 270 wins in 509 appearances.

What the future holds: Re-signing Price and surrounding his franchise goaltender with more potent offensive weapons, starting with a true No. 1 centre, puts a ton of pressure on Habs GM Marc Bergevin to build a championship team and not waste Price’s best years.

“I love playing here. I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Price reassured the club website on June 6. “Like I said, I want to stay here. I know we’ll figure out a way to make all of the pieces fit and bring a championship here.”

After getting ousted in the first round of the 2017 playoffs due to lack of scoring, Bergevin emphatically said he would not be trading Price.

“We’ll find the means to get [an extension] done,” the GM asserted. “Carey is a main piece to our team.”

“I never comment on trades, but in this case I will; [the answer is] no.” Bergevin on the possibility of trading Carey Price #gohabsgo

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 24, 2017

Henrik Lundqvist currently carries the highest cap hit for a goaltender at $8.5 million. The starting point of Price’s negotiations should be higher than that.

3. Cam Fowler

Age on July 1, 2018: 26

Position: Defence

2017-18 salary cap hit: $4 million

Bargaining chips: Selected to 2017 All-Star Game. Posted a career-high 11 goals. Led all Ducks in ice time (26:30) and all Anaheim D-men in points (nine) in the 2017 post-season despite missing the first four games with injury.

What the future holds: Fowler was showered with trade rumours last summer. So much so, he spun the uncertainty into motivation and delivered his best NHL season.

As the youngest impending UFA of 2018, Fowler will still have suitors because he doesn’t hold a no-trade clause and the Ducks are facing a financial quandary with their blue line. But the belief is Fowler has played his way into a long-term contract extension instead. Preliminary negotiations are reportedly underway already.


4. John Carlson

Age on July 1, 2018: 28

Position: Defence


Bargaining chips: World junior gold medallist. Member of Team USA. Washington Capitals‘ ice-time leader at 22:42 per game. Power-play threat. Put up between 32 and 55 points in six straight full seasons.

What the future holds: A skilled and experienced puck-moving, right-shot defenceman under the age of 30? “Yes, please,” says the entire NHL.

While Carlson has been an important fixture in Washington since getting drafted in 2008’s first round, GM Brian MacLellan has his hands full with the 2017 UFA class first. Decisions must be made this summer on Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams, Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov … with Carlson’s next contract in back of mind.

If the Ducks do lock up Fowler, does Carlson pass up a chance to become the undisputed No. 1 UFA defenceman of 2018 and create a lucrative bidding war?

5. James van Riemsdyk

Age on July 1, 2018: 29

Position: Left wing


Bargaining chips: Second-overall pick in 2007. Member of Team USA. Four-time 20-goal scorer, one-time 30-goal man. Coming off his most productive NHL season (62 points). Big body, sick mitts. Belief he can still improve.

What the future holds: Rampant speculation and rumours, as always.

The Maple Leafs’ most dangerous left wing holds a 10-team no-trade list and says he wants to remain with the team long-term, but with JVR’s next contract expected to be a biggie, Toronto may be hesitant to shell out knowing it will soon have to pony up big bucks for younger forwards Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

“I’ve loved playing here ever since I came here. How I’ve been treated is great. It’s a place I want to play for as long as I can,” van Riemsdyk said at the end of 2016-17. “Where that takes things, we’ll see what happens. I love playing here. I want to be here.”

Do the Leafs trade the underpaid JVR at some point to bolster their blue line, or do they take one more run with him as a dependable contributor in their top six and sort things out next summer?

“I don’t know what more we could’ve asked of them,” said GM Lou Lamoriello, when we asked about JVR and Tyler Bozak. “They bought into what was being asked of them. They bought into a culture, and they embraced it. They embraced the young players and have tremendous respect for their talents and worked with them.

“The veterans are here for a reason. We went through 45-some players last season, and the players who are here belong in that locker room and are part of the future.”

6. Kyle Turris

Age on July 1, 2018: 28

Position: Centre


Bargaining chips: Hit 20 goals and 55 points in every season as a Senator with a minimum 60 games played. No. 1 centre for the Eastern Conference finalists. His 27 goals topped all Sens in 2016-17. Showing maturity and improvement with age. Beloved in community.

What the future holds: In a perfect world, the underpaid Turris would love to see his salary reach the heights of teammate Bobby Ryan’s $7.25 million average annual value.

But Ottawa is known to shy away from the cap ceiling, and raises are on the horizon for a number of core players in the next three summers. Between 2017 and 2019, Mark Stone, Cody Ceci, Derick Brassard, Marc

Methot, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson could all make cases for a pay bump.

We see Turris as a great fit for a long-term extension here, but the negotiations could be interesting.

A little late,but I just wanted to thank everyone in Ottawa for the support this year.We all felt the love and fed off your energy.#SensArmy

— Kyle Turris (@kyleturris) June 2, 2017

7. Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Age on July 1, 2018: 31

Position: Defence


Bargaining chips: Olympic and World Cup gold medallist with Team Canada. One of the best all-around D-men in the world. Second to Brent Burns in Sharks’ time on ice. Makes $3.15 million less than Burns.

What the future holds: Tough decisions for GM Doug Wilson.

Not only must Wilson make calls on 2017 UFAs Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who are beloved in San Jose, but Vlasic’s next big deal will coincide with free agency of one of the best goalies in the biz (see below).

“I love it here,” Vlasic told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman earlier this year. “I’m not really a guy who wants to play for three or four teams. I like the city, I like the organization, we’re always competitive. What’s not to like? I want to play my whole career in San Jose.”

Vlasic is younger than Burns, and his stay-at-home, penalty-killing ways complement the Bearded One nicely.

8. Cam Atkinson

Age on July 1, 2018: 29

Position: Right wing


Bargaining chips: Production has increased every season. Scored a career-high 35 goals and 62 points in 2016-17. Played in 2017 All-Star Game.

What the future holds: Atkinson has delivered excellent bang for the Blue Jackets’ buck since he inked his three-year, $10.5-million contract extension in 2015. Columbus is one of the teams most under salary-cap pressure this summer, and the expiration of Atkinson’s contract coincides with that of teammates Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert, William Karlsson, Jack Johnson and Ryan Murray. Something will have to give.

9. Martin Jones

Age on July 1, 2018: 28

Position: Goaltender


Bargaining chips: In two seasons as a starter, Jones has a pair of 35-win campaigns. Career .917 save percentage. Appeared in 2016 Cup Final and 2017 All-Star Game.

What the future holds: With a .935 save percentage and a shutout in the 2017 playoffs, he can hardly be blamed for the Sharks’ early elimination.

Jones is the youngest No. 1 goalie on track to turn UFA in 2018, and GM Wilson says extending the goalie — who would like to stay long-term — is a priority.

Look at Ben Bishop’s recent six-year, $29.5-million contract with the Dallas Stars as a comparable starting point.

10. Mikael Backlund

Age on July 1, 2018: 29

Position: Centre



Bargaining chips: Coming off a career season in which he posted 22 goals, 53 points, a team-high seven game-winners, and entered the Selke conversation. A force on both special teams. Rivals Sean Monahan as the Flames’ best centre.

What the future holds: A lovely raise.

All due respect to Matt Stajan, Freddie Hamilton and Lance Bouma, but the timing of Backlund’s free agency in 2018 shouldn’t conflict with too many other big-ticket extensions. Barring a desire on the player’s part to test the market and seek the most dollars available, Calgary is a fantastic fit in terms of being able to play a prominent role on a promising young team.

We bet 2007 first-rounder Backlund re-ups with the team that drafted him well before the rumour mill gets churning.

11. Paul Stastny

Age on July 1, 2018: 32

Position: Centre


Bargaining chips: No. 1 centre on perennial playoff team. Alternate captain. The Blues’ best faceoff man at 55.7 per cent in 2016-17. Defensively responsible. A lock for 50 points if healthy.

What the future holds: Stastny hit pay dirt as one of the best UFA forwards in 2014, but there’s no way he commands another $7-million-per-year deal with a no-trade clause. That said, the Quebec native is still the best pivot on a strong team. The Blues should be able to keep the playmaker in the fold if both sides want to make a deal. A point of concern: Stastny hasn’t played 75 games in a season since 2011-12 with Colorado.

12. Evander Kane

Age on July 1, 2018: 26

Position: Left wing


Bargaining chips: The youngest UFA forward in 2018, period. In 2016-17, enjoyed his most productive season — 28 goals, 43 points — since 2011-12. Deadly shot. Common belief that he still hasn’t reached his ceiling.

What the future holds: A trade, probably.

Speculation is running rampant that Kane, whose trade value hasn’t been this high in years, has fallen out of favour with Buffalo Sabres ownership and could be moved before his contract expires. The Los Angeles Kings, Friedman reports, are one team interested, and they could use the scoring.

Kane’s next contract (and next team?) is a compelling subject because his off-ice track record isn’t the most positive and he’s already battled through several injuries, yet his skills and athleticism are top notch. We’ve seen many an NHLer mature with age, so there is potential for a steal of a deal here.

Other notable UFAs of 2018: Mikko Koivu, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, James Neal, Rick Nash, Toby Enstrom, Bryan Little, Jack Johnson, Patric Hornqvist, Craig Anderson, Tyler Bozak, Zdeno Chara, Matt Read, Dan Hamhuis, Leo Komarov, Andrew Cogliano, Jannik Hansen, Patrick Maroon, Antti Raanta, Michael Grabner, Jonathan Marchessault, Mike Green, Tomas Plekanec, Kari Lehtonen, Antti Niemi, Joffrey Lupul, Mikhail Grabovski, Ryane Clowe


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Sportsnet.ca / Stars acquire defenceman Marc Methot from Golden Knights

Sportsnet Staff

June 26, 2017, 8:17 PM

The Dallas Stars have acquired defenceman Marc Methot from the Vegas Golden Knights for a second-round draft pick in 2020 and goaltending prospect Dylan Ferguson.

Not that @OvertimeScottB needs my confirmation, but Marc Methot is a Dallas Star. Awaiting return details.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 27, 2017

Methot has spent the past five seasons with the Ottawa Senators, having spent much of his time alongside Erik Karlsson on the team’s first pairing.

The 32-year-old is not known for his offensive capabilities, having totalled 21 goals and 120 points in 579 career NHL games.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to acquire a player of Marc’s calibre,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a release. “He has proven to be a capable and steady defenceman that can play well with an offensive-minded partner, and he will add a tremendous amount of leadership and experience to our blue line.”

He’s represented Canada at the world championships twice, finishing fifth both times.

The Golden Knights selected Methot in the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21.

The Ottawa native has two years remaining on a contract that carries a $4.9-million cap hit.

meanwhile, back in #Vegas, McPhee continues to stockpile draft picks for the future. They already have 11 picks in 2019, and 9 picks in 2020 pic.twitter.com/Y59Ogo7FsI

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 27, 2017

Ferguson was drafted by Dallas in the seventh round — 194th overall — of the 2017 NHL Draft.

The 18-year-old had a 2.74 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 31 games with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.

What an interesting couple days. Thanks to @DallasStars again for the opportunity. So excited to be a apart of @GoldenKnights. #GoKnights

— Dylan Ferguson (@dferg_98) June 27, 2017

Dallas was looking to upgrade its blue line after missing the post-season a year after finishing with the best record in the Western Conference.

Nill had already bolstered the team’s netminding situation with the acquisition and subsequent signing of Ben Bishop, and Methot will join a D-corps that includes John Klingberg, Dan Hamhuis, and Esa Lindell.


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Sportsnet.ca / Hamonic, Smith join Flames in Battle of Alberta arms race

Eric Francis

June 26, 2017, 6:43 PM

Travis Hamonic was born just a few months after the Edmonton Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup.

It was the sixth time in seven years an Alberta team had hoisted the Lord Stanley’s mug.

Growing up on a farm two provinces over, in St. Malo, Man., little could he have known he’d one day be considered heavy artillery in a revamped Alberta arms race between the Oilers and the Calgary Flames.

He knows it now.

“I’m quite excited to throw myself head first into the rivalry – especially the way I play,” said the 26-year-old defenceman while being unveiled to the Calgary media Monday alongside recently acquired goalie Mike Smith.

“You’re living under a rock if you haven’t watched those games and heard about the rivalry. Seeing it on Hockey Night in Canada all the time it’s going to be special to be part of.”

Days before even acquiring Hamonic in a swap with the New York Islanders that included a first- and two second-round picks heading back to Brooklyn, Flames GM Brad Treliving was open about how the stage had been set for the Battle of Alberta Part Deux.


Just as former Flames GM Cliff Fletcher focused on doing everything he could to counter Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and the stocked shelves of his Smythe Division rivals, Treliving has identified having four strong defenceman as the key to stopping Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the surging Oil.

So he paid a king’s ransom to round out his trio of Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie with the Islanders stud who can do just about everything a coach could ask.

That coach, Glen Gulutzan, can now rest easy knowing that whether his team is playing on the road or at home, in the playoffs or regular season, he won’t get caught with a mismatch when the reigning Hart Trophy winner jumps over the boards.

“If anybody has an idea to shut him down pass it along,” chuckled Treliving of McDavid.

“You can’t be focused on one guy. That’s a good team up there and he’s as good as it gets. You have to get out of your division at some point. I still think to win in this league if you can have as deep a blue line as possible it gives you the best chance.”

Another key element to stopping the beefed up Oilers, who beat Calgary all four outings last year, is having dependable goaltending, which the Flames haven’t had since Miikka Kiprusoff retired in 2013.

While Brian Elliott’s strong finish to the regular season and Chad Johnson’s season-saving relief efforts early on allowed the Flames to improve the team’s league-worst goals-against average to 14th last season (from 30th a year earlier), they struggled mightily against Edmonton.

In four losses to the Oilers the Flames allowed 21 goals.

Enter Mr. Smith.

Throw away all the stats the 35-year-old accrued as a member of the league’s worst outfit the last handful of years, as he’s now on a playoff team with a fearsome foursome in front of him the likes of which he’s never before had the luxury of playing behind.

“Wow,” said Smith when asked what his reaction was to learning Saturday Hamonic would join the fold.

“Brad mentioned it to me after I got traded that he had some other things in the works. You never know what to believe, but he put his money where his mouth is with an unbelievable player who has played some big minutes for the Isles. I’m thrilled to get a chance to play with these guys.”

And jacked up about being part of a revitalized provincial battle clearly back on track.

“Those ’80s teams are a little before my time but everyone knows what the Battle of Alberta means to this province – it’s special to be part of that rivalry,” said Smith, an NHL all-star last year who went 10-0 at the 2015 world championships where he pitched shutouts the last three games.

“Obviously we know how special a player Connor is and hopefully we have the combination to slow him down.”

Yes, the provincial chess match has begun.

While Fletcher mined the college ranks and made several trades to try catching up to the loaded Oilers, Treliving is now mirroring that sort of effort.

After all, it doesn’t take long to realize any sort of lengthy playoff run by the Flames in the next handful of years will undoubtedly require toppling the Oilers along the way.

After several years of stockpiling draft picks, the Flames are now handing them out for key pieces who can help them win now.

Comfortable with the depth of their prospects, they are now all in.

So are the Oilers.

The skirmish of Alberta is now poised to be a bona fide battle once again.


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Sportsnet.ca / Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 free agency preview

Luke Fox

June 26, 2017, 3:44 PM

An offhand comment made mid-season by Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock — who, in our opinion, holds more front-office sway than any other NHL bench boss — stuck with us.

Babcock was explaining how Leafs draft guru Mark Hunter likes himself a good winger.

“Me? I like centres and D,” Babcock said. “So we’ll need to fix that.”

Yes, the Leafs went heavy on D at the ’17 draft and already inked Swedish prospects Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman to entry-level deals, but they’re not done shoring up a mediocre blue line.

“If we can improve our defence, that’s something we’re certainly going to do,” GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters at the draft. “It’s obvious we want to get somebody to make us better, but we’d be happy with the people we have.”

Centres and D — Toronto will be fixing to chase some in trade or free agency, and the club has the cap space to do it.

AREAS OF NEED

Top-four defenceman: In terms of both contract years and dollar values, three quarters of the Maple Leafs’ top two defence pairings appear locked in stone with speedy, talented blueliners in their mid-20s; Morgan Rielly, Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner are on the books for a minimum of two more years at $4.05 million to $5 million each. While Toronto has already pillaged the Swedish league and the draft this off-season for a right shot to complement that trio, this roster needs a proven right shot who’s ready now. Which is why the Leafs have been poking around Travis Hamonic, Chris Tanev and others in the trade market and will consider the best UFAs available here.

Fourth-line centre: Ben Smith ain’t cutting it, and Massachusetts native Brian Boyle (a nice deadline rental) is more likely to end up making more money elsewhere. Boyle said this week he’s looking at a return to Tampa as a “huge option.” A few face-off-winning, penalty-killing veteran pivots will be available this summer, and we’d be shocked if Toronto doesn’t add one.

Backup goaltender: “Right now we do not have a backup goaltender, and that’s a hole certainly we have to fill,” Lamoriello told reporters at the draft.

Marlies Antoine Bibeau and Garret Sparks (both 23-year-old RFAs) are not considered ready for regular No. 2 duty on a playoff team, and journeyman backup Curtis McElhinney (UFA) is OK but should be upgraded. The goalie carousel is not done spinning. Don’t expect Lamoriello to make the same mistake as last summer, when the GM signed Jhonas Enroth as almost a last resort a couple weeks before training camp.

POTENTIAL TARGETS

Kevin Shattenkirk: The Leafs were said to be poking around Shattenkirk as a trade-deadline rental before he moved from St. Louis to Washington. Count the Capitals, who blew their wad of dough on T.J. Oshie, out on the Shattenkirk sweepstakes. The right-shot power-play beast will demand a pretty penny, and the Rangers and Devils are the presumed front-runners, but the Leafs should at least inquire before looking at cheaper Plan B options like Cody Franson, Michael Stone, Dan Girardi, Karl Alzner or their own Matt Hunwick.

Mike Fisher: “I love playing the game, I love being around the guys,” Nashville Predators captain Fisher said after losing in the Cup Final. “At the end of the day, this is a game. It’s an important part of my life but it’s not everything. There’s other decisions and other people involved. For me it’s faith, family and then hockey.”

Fisher, 37, is contemplating retirement and tearing him away from Music City might be near-impossible, but the Preds could have cap issues when by the time they re-sign Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson, and Fisher — who grew up in nearby Peterborough, Ont. — would be the perfect depth centre in Toronto for a one-year stab at the Cup.

Other centre options: Joe Thornton, Nick Bonino, Dominic Moore, Jay McClement.


Brian Elliott: Determined to prove himself after losing the No. 1 job in Calgary to Mike Smith, Elliott is arguably the best UFA goalie out there. He’d have a much better chance at becoming a starter in Winnipeg or Philadelphia, but if he’s forced to resign himself to backup duty, the Newmarket, Ont., native would give the Leafs one of the NHL’s best tandems. Other backup options: Steve Mason, Darcy Kuemper, Chad Johnson, Mike Condon, Anders Nilsson.

RECENT FREE-AGENT ACQUISITIONS

Matt Martin, $10 million, four years in 2016: Much derided by the analytics community and fans who generally enjoy seeing forwards score goals, Martin rapidly became a valued fixture of the Maple Leafs’ fourth line despite contributing a paltry five goals and four assists over 82 games. He’s beloved by his young teammates and doesn’t know the meaning of flinch. Babcock hated seeing his team getting pushed around in 2015-16, so in steps Martin with 13 fights in 2016-17 — a five-year high for the former New York Islander. A crasher/banger/scrapper/dressing-room guy who knows his role and is respected for it.

Jhonas Enroth, $750,000, one year in 2016: A disaster. The Maple Leafs missed out on the Great Backup Goalie Rush of July 1, 2016 (though they did take a run at Chad Johnson) and ended up signing the passed-over Enroth in late August. The 5-foot-10, 171-pound Swede was exclusively given the bitter end of back-to-backs but never gained Babcock’s trust. After an .872 save percentage and zero wins in four appearances, Enroth was waived and later traded to the Ducks for a seventh-round pick. He put up nice numbers as a San Diego Gull and hopes to work his way back into the bigs.

Roman Polak, $2.25 million, one year in 2016: The ’16 Leafs rented the lovable, indestructible Czech defenceman to the Sharks for their run to the Cup final, then signed him as a UFA. Though not the fleetest of foot, Polak plays a simple, hard-nosed brand of defence that endears the 600-game vet to his coach and teammates. The third-pairing right shot says he’d love to rejoin the Leafs for 2017–18 and expects the lower-body injury he suffered in Round 1’s playoff series against the Capitals to be completely healed for puck drop. But Toronto will have a bunch of young, new bodies vying for that third pair in camp.


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Sportsnet.ca / Vancouver Canucks free agency preview

Iain MacIntyre

June 26, 2017, 4:44 PM

The Vancouver Canucks made a titanic splash in free agency a year ago, signing winger Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36-million contract, then spent the winter wet and shivering. General manager Jim Benning might have succumbed to hypothermia, but survived the Canucks’ 29th-place finish.

That first $6 million instalment bought 11 goals from Eriksson, who put a puck into his own net on a delayed penalty in his Canucks’ debut, didn’t score FOR his new team until Game 14 and had his worst season since 2007 end with a knee injury on March 5.

Other than that, Eriksson was terrific.

Actually, he did post positive possession numbers and, given his history and a career shooting percentage of 13.4 per cent (last season it was 8.3 per cent), Eriksson should bounce back. In his first of three seasons in Boston, where Benning in his previous job pushed hard for Eriksson’s acquisition, the forward also struggled to score and stay healthy.

But Eriksson was progressively better each of the next two years.

Still, it’s doubtful he’ll produce like a $6-million-a-year player for the Canucks, and even more doubtful that Benning will pledge that kind of salary to any unrestricted free agent this summer – or any other summer in the next few years.

The Canucks will be buying when free agency opens on July 1, but they’ll likely be shopping at Walmart, looking for low-cost players to bolster organizational depth and help in a couple of specific areas.

The surprising return to Russia and sacrifice of millions in future income by defenceman Nikita Tryamkin, whose departure at least helped cool the Vancouver housing market, and the expected expansion-draft loss of

Luca Sbisa has created a short-term need for another experienced blueliner.

But Benning won’t be offering to any UFA anything like $6 million in salary or six years in term. And he may not add any defencemen because the Canucks will give 2016 fifth-overall pick Olli Juolevi the chance to make the team next fall as a 19-year-old, and have already signed Swedish League free agent Philip Holm in the belief the 25-year-old may be ready for the National Hockey League.

Sure, the Canucks need an experienced goalie to share the net with Jacob Markstrom while uber-prospect Thatcher Demko develops in the American League. But that goalie could be their own starter, Ryan Miller, who becomes a UFA on July 1 and may accept for family reasons a short-term deal to stay in Vancouver.

So don’t expect any more cannonballs by Benning into the deep end of the free-agent pool.

“That’s not our objective,” he said. “We have now some young players knocking on the door looking for jobs, so we’re not going to be in on the high-end (free agents). Who knows? But we’re not looking to do that at the start.

“If these young players come to camp and earn a spot on the team, we want to make sure there’s room for them to play and keep developing. With the injuries we’ve had to our group the last couple of years, we want to add to our depth. When I say that, I mean complementary players.”

The Canucks have nearly $19.5 million in available salary-cap space, but more than half of that could be eaten up by new deals for Miller and leading scorer Bo Horvat, the restricted free agent who in his third NHL season burst through what many people thought was his offensive ceiling. Horvat could make $6-million-a-year on his next contract.

Partway through a rebuild that has seen Benning accumulate a small handful of promising young players, the Canucks also have to protect cap space long-term for guys like Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund, Troy Stecher and Brock Boeser, a 23rd overall pick from the 2015 draft who jumped straight to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota last spring and scored four times in nine games.

“We weren’t planning on losing Tryamkin,” Benning said of the 6-foot-7, 22-year-old. “That was a tough loss; I’m not going to lie. We spent a third-round pick drafting him, and it’s hard to get Russian players to sign and come over here. I thought over the course of the year he showed why we drafted him – that he could develop into a matchup, top-pair guy at some point. So for him to leave at the end of the year and sign back in Russia, it was hard. But that’s the risk you take with players from Russia. Sbisa, we knew that could happen, so we were planning for that.

“Three months ago, defence was a position from an organization standpoint we felt we had depth at. And now we’ve lost some of that depth.”

Years from now, if the Canucks don’t soon emerge from their first prolonged down-cycle since the 1990s, people will still be talking about losing Tryamkin. And getting Eriksson.

Puck-moving defenceman: The Canucks’ defence was thinned by the expansion-draft loss of Sbisa and the surprise defection back to Russia and the KHL of promising prospect Tryamkin. Fifth-overall pick Juolevi or Swedish League free agent Holm may make the Canucks next fall, but the team could still use another experienced blueliner for the next two-to-three years.

A goalie capable of 40 starts: The team is trying hard to re-sign Miller, its 37-year-old starter. But the Canucks want him on a one-year deal because backup Jacob Markstrom is ready to play more and being paid to play more (three-year, $11-million extension kicks in next season).

Minor-league depth: The Canucks were so needy for help last season, Jayson Megna and Michael Chaput spent most of the year in the NHL instead of the AHL. With winger Boeser expected to stick in the NHL after leaving college last spring, the Canucks have little to fall back on in the minors if injuries hit again.

POTENTIAL TARGETS

Ryan Miller: The goalie cost the Canucks $18 million over three years when Benning made Miller his first big free-agent signing in 2014. The American Olympian had three good, if unspectacular, seasons and remains a solid middle-tier NHL starter. The problem is he turns 37 in


July and may be able to command a deal longer than the one-year one the Canucks are offering while Markstrom gets a bigger share of the net and goalie-of-the-future Demko develops in the AHL. If the Canucks can’t get Miller, other goalies out there include Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier and Chad Johnson.

Trevor Daley: The 33-year-old never lived up to projections as an offensive defenceman, but he has experience, a couple of Stanley Cup rings and still skates well enough to retrieve pucks and move them forward in a supporting role. He may also come just cheaply enough for the Canucks, who could use a “bridge” defenceman to help them the next couple of years while younger blueliners develop.

Kenny Agostino: The Canucks need to bolster their scoring depth everywhere, including in the AHL, and Agostino is the highest-scoring minor-league UFA available. The 25-year-old playmaking winger led the AHL with 83 points in 65 games with the Chicago Wolves last season, and didn’t look entirely out of place in the NHL during seven games with the Blues. Agostino will be pricey as minor-leaguers go, but Benning has demonstrated a willingness to pay for the security of good AHL players.

RECENT FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS

Loui Eriksson, $36 million/6 years in 2016: GM Benning wanted Milan Lucic but appeared to land a golden consolation prize in free agency when he signed Eriksson after the Swede’s 30-goal season in Boston. Then the winger went 14 games before scoring as a Canuck and finished the season with just 11 goals and 24 points in 65 games. The good news – yes, there is some – is that Eriksson posted positive possession numbers and, at 32, is still young enough to help the team while the next wave develops. But that’s an awfully expensive bridge.

Jayson Megna and Michael Chaput, each $600,000/1 year in 2016: The Canucks signed these forwards for organizational depth. But injuries and roster erosion allowed them to play in Vancouver and they combined for 126 NHL games. Each scored four goals. They were sometimes ridiculed by critics for poor stats, traditional and advanced, and because their presence in the lineup was viewed as an indictment of Benning’s management. But they never cheated anyone, and the speedy Megna was quickly re-signed to another one-year, one-way deal. Chaput is an RFA.

Matt Bartkowski, $1.75 million/1 year in 2015: Bartkowski was a low-cost (relatively) gamble by Benning, who knew the player from their time in Boston and believed Bartkowski could develop into a top-four defenceman if given the chance. Bartkowski played in 80 games, but contributed just 18 points, was a minus-19 and posted a Corsi-for of just 45.9 per cent. Unwanted in the NHL at the start of this past season, he signed a minor-league contract before the Calgary Flames rescued him in February with a two-year, two-way deal.


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Sportsnet.ca / Down Goes Brown: 12 NHL teams facing high-pressure off-seasons

Sean McIndoe

June 26, 2017, 11:56 AM

We’re well into the off-season, with expansion a memory and the entry draft weekend now over. But for NHL teams, the work has barely started. We’ve still got free agency on the horizon — not to mention buyouts, qualifying offers and arbitration. And of course, the week after the draft has been known to produce a trade or two. It’s going to be a busy summer.

Some teams already have a big chunk of their off-season work done. The Stars finally dealt for a goaltender in Ben Bishop. The Flames did too, landing Mike Smith, and added Travis Hamonic over the weekend. The Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, Flyers and Rangers have all been swinging deals, and the Blackhawks’ annual salary-cap escape is well under way. The Lightning have cleared some space and resolved the long-running Jonathan Drouin drama, and the Oilers finally pulled the trigger on Jordan Eberle. Even the Penguins addressed a perceived need, although they raised a few eyebrows in doing so.

Other teams still have work to do. That’s a group that includes teams like the Blues, Jets and Bruins. The Sharks are still facing the possibility of two veteran franchise players, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, leaving

as free agents. The Wild and Ducks both need to figure out what to do with their blue lines.

Meanwhile, rebuilding teams like the Canucks and Devils are trying to stay patient, and nobody’s quite sure what lane the Red Wings think they’re in.

But while all those teams are under varying degrees of pressure to have a successful off-season, certain teams stand out as facing an especially bright spotlight. So today, let’s count down a dozen teams who have the most at stake over the next few days and weeks, just how much they have left to do, and their odds of living up to those expectations.

12. Ottawa Senators

Already done: Nothing significant, apart from losing a top-pairing defenceman in the expansion draft. Which is probably not an optimal way to start an off-season.

The job ahead: After coming within a goal of playing for the Stanley Cup, the Senators head into the off-season trying to figure out how to repeat that success, if not exceed it. Losing Marc Methot was a blow, although one softened somewhat by the imminent arrival of top prospect Thomas Chabot. But in recent days, the possibility of a Dion Phaneuf trade has taken centre stage. Maybe that’s lingering bad feelings over his expansion draft culpability, or maybe it’s just a low-budget team being smart about its spending.

Then again, maybe it’s neither, and nothing comes of the rumours. Either way, if the Senators really think they’re contenders, Pierre Dorion has some work to do on the blue line.

Pierre Dorion says he deserves an "A for effort" in attempting to make a trade today. The #sens couldn't get the right fit.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 24, 2017

Hot-seat factor: Virtually non-existent. One year into the job, Dorion has a trip to the final four and a spot as a GM of the Year finalist. He’s about as safe as they come.

Bottom line: One the one hand, last year’s playoff run bought everyone some good will in a town where patience was wearing thin. On the other, it also raised expectations, and with one more season before Erik Karlsson needs an extension, there’s pressure to take advantage of an open window. Dorion may be willing to hand himself top grades just for trying; we’ll see if Senators fans are feeling quite as generous.

11. Los Angeles Kings

Already done: They stunned much of the hockey world by firing both Darryl Sutter and Dean Lombardi, replacing them with a leadership group of coach John Stevens, GM Rob Blake and team president Luc Robitaille.

The job ahead: It’s a big one. The Kings don’t feel like a team headed for a full-scale rebuild, but this group clearly needs some changes. That’s a tricky path to weave, especially for Blake and Robitaille, two guys stepping into their respective roles for the first time. There’d been some hope that the expansion draft could somehow bail them out of an albatross contract like Dustin Brown or Marian Gaborik, but that was probably a pipe dream. Instead, the focus will be on juicing the teams’ sagging offence. In a league where goals are tough to come by, that’s a tall order.

Hot-seat factor: Blake and Robitaille just got here, so they’ll get some time to chart their course.

Bottom line: The Kings have won just one playoff game in three years, which makes them a team headed in the wrong direction. A tweak here or there isn’t going to cut it, so Blake has his work cut out for him.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs

Already done: Nothing of significance yet.

The job ahead: The Leafs are in a weird place. They’re still rebuilding in a sense, so they could stay the course and probably escape the off-season without too much criticism. But they’ve also got a unique window opening up, with lots of bad contracts coming off the books and plenty of cap room over the next two years before Auston Matthews needs a new deal. Coming off a 95-point season, there’s a good case to be made that the time to strike is right now, and the rumour mill has linked them to just about every big-name defenceman, available or otherwise.


Hot-seat factor: There’s always pressure in Toronto, but Lou Lamoriello and friends have earned some breathing room with last year’s success.

Bottom line: The Leafs have the assets, cap space and opportunity to do something big. But will they? And should they? As always when it comes to Toronto, they’ll end up being a divisive team even if they don’t do much of anything.

9. Arizona Coyotes

Already done: The Coyotes have made more headlines than any other team since the end of the Cup final. They parted ways with two longtime franchise pillars, coach Dave Tippett and captain Shane Doan. They traded Mike Smith, and added a new goalie and No. 1 centre in a deal with the Rangers. For most teams, that would be enough to call it a summer and head for the cottage. But the Coyotes aren’t most teams.

The job ahead: Get better… a lot better. The Coyotes haven’t made the playoffs in five years, and haven’t cracked 80 points in three. The system is stacked with young talent, but at some point you have to start winning. The Coyotes are starting to give off a circa-2011 Oilers vibe, and nobody wants that. Least of all an owner who just took over the team and started booting out rivals.

Hot-seat factor: John Chayka survived Andrew Barroway’s initial purge, so he appears to be on solid ground. But if the team keeps spinning its wheels, especially after Doan and Tippett were ousted, it’s not hard to see where the bullseye will land next.

Bottom line: The Rangers trade seemed to signal a change in course into, if not “win-now” mode, at least something resembling “win soon.” With two years left on Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s deal, there should be a sense of urgency in Arizona.

8. Vegas Golden Knights

Already done: They began to exist, made a dozen trades, drafted three times in the first round and have already been talking to free agents. Other than that, not much.

The job ahead: It’s massive, as you’d expect with an expansion team. George McPhee loaded up on veterans, especially defencemen, with the intention of trading a bunch. He’s already started, but there are plenty of names left on his list. Mix in free agency, and there won’t be much summer downtime in Vegas.

Hot-seat factor: None. Not to torture the Vegas metaphor, but for now at least, McPhee is playing with house money.

Bottom line: No team has more work left to do. That doesn’t necessarily translate to more pressure, but history has shown that the stakes are high for expansion teams to not stumble out of the gate.

7. Nashville Predators

Already done: Nothing yet, which is understandable given how long their season ran. They reportedly tried to work a deal with the Knights to avoid losing James Neal, but came up empty.

The job ahead: Take a team that was two wins away form a Cup and find a way to push them over the edge to a title. For the Predators, that means focusing on the forwards, especially a top centre. Matt Duchene might be a fit, and he’s been linked to Nashville in the rumour mill frequently.

Hot-seat factor: David Poile could bite the head off a live catfish on Broadway and Predators fans would give him a standing ovation, then offer to pay for his Listerine.

Bottom line: Poile swung a monster deal right around this time last year. He won’t need one quite as big this time, but finding a top-six forward (or two) won’t be easy. Given how close the Predators are right now, and how quickly windows can close in today’s NHL, failure isn’t an option.

6. Buffalo Sabres

Already done: After a disappointing season in which the Sabres stalled while other rebuilding teams zoomed past, the Sabres cleaned house by firing Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma. They replaced them with a pair of first-timers, hiring Jason Botterill as GM and Phil Housley as coach. But so far the roster hasn’t changed much, apart from a nice trade to pick up Nathan Beaulieu on the cheap.

The job ahead: There’s lots to do. The blue line was already a mess, and they could lose Cody Franson and Dmitry Kulikov to free agency. Jack

Eichel and Sam Reinhart need extensions. And there’s still a potential Evander Kane trade to get done. The good news is that the Sabres have plenty of cap space, so all options should be on the table.

Hot-seat factor: As a new GM, Botterill will be given time to make his mark. But make no mistake, patience is running out in Buffalo, and the pressure to show some progress right now is high.

Bottom line: Botterill will get a honeymoon period, but it may be a short one. Owner Terry Pegula is already burning through good will in Buffalo with the way he’s handled the NFL’s Bills, so this town needs some good news. The Sabres are reasonably well positioned to deliver it, but the spotlight will be a bright one.

5. Florida Panthers

Already done: They made a bizarre deal with the Knights that cost them two-thirds of a scoring line, hired Bob Boughner as coach, and added Chris Pronger to a front office that seems intent on undoing everything they did last summer.

The job ahead: The Panthers followed a dream 2015-16 season with a disastrous year that ranked among the league’s most disappointing. The bizarre front-office power shuffle away from, and then right back to, Dale Tallon and friends turned into a punchline. On paper, this is still a good team, but there’s a lot of work to be done to wash away the debacle of the last 12 months or so. Oh, and they still need to figure out what to do about Jaromir Jagr, their blue line, and all those goals that went to Vegas.

Hot-seat factor: After winning a year-long power struggle, Tallon is as safe as anyone in the league. At least for now.

Bottom line: After losing Reilly Smith and (especially) Jonathan Marchessault, the Panthers seem in worse shape now than they were in April. But they have a good young core, cap room to work with, and have been showing up in all sorts of off-season rumours. They’re not done making headlines.

4. New York Islanders

Already done: Plenty, including adding Eberle, moving Hamonic and aggressively dealing with the Knights at the expansion draft. The Islanders have been busier than some of those teams we listed as having most of their moves already made. And they’re not done.

Garth Snow doesn't think anything will happen in next 2 days but he's definitely more inclined to use future picks to get players for today.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 24, 2017

The job ahead: After missing the playoffs, there’s still plenty of room to improve the roster. The blueline needs some help after Hamonic’s departure, and Garth Snow has to figure out what to do with Jaroslav Halak. But the big piece is getting John Tavares re-signed.

Hot-seat factor: In theory, Snow should be in all sorts of trouble; he’s been on the job for over a decade with just one playoff series win to show for it. Then again, there’s been talk that he’s locked in for the long term and his job is safe.

Bottom line: It’s all about Tavares. Even the deals the team has already made, like bringing in former Team Canada teammate Eberle, feel like they’re about keeping the Islanders’ franchise player happy. If Snow gets a reasonable extension nailed down relatively quickly, the summer will feel like a success. If not, get ready for what could be a season-long drama.

3. Colorado Avalanche

Already done: Not much. Other than losing their cheapest (and arguably best) goaltender in the expansion draft, the Avalanche have been largely silent. That’s not going to cut it when you’re coming off what may have been the single worst season of the salary-cap era.

The job ahead: As you’d expect based on their record, there are holes all through the Avalanche roster. But the elephant in the room is the Matt Duchene trade. At the deadline, GM Joe Sakic didn’t like the offers he was getting, and decided to kick the can down the road to the off-season. That may have been the right move, but now the off-season is here. The draft came and went with little in the way of Duchene buzz, and now Sakic sounds like he’s leaving the door open to not moving him at all. That feels like posturing to drive up prices, since it’s hard to imagine Duchene being back after how the last year played out.


Hot-seat factor: Red hot, you’d have to think. Sakic is an Avalanche legend, which helps. But he already had former GMs lobbying for his job last season, and that whole Kyle Dubas thing sure didn’t seem like a team that was satisfied with its front office.

Bottom line: Sakic maneuvered himself into a scenario where he needs to hit a home run on something, with Duchene representing his best shot. To keep the baseball metaphor going, so far he’s been patient while he waits for the right pitch. But at some point, you have to take a swing at something or risk getting punched out without ever taking your bat off your shoulder.

2. Washington Capitals

Already done: They lost Nate Schmidt in the expansion draft and re-signed T.J. Oshie to a mammoth eight-year deal. Neither of those are good things.

The job ahead: Do… well, something. Of all the teams on the list, expectations for the Capitals’ goals are the least defined. The team is coming off back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy seasons, which usually would mean a giant flashing sign reading “Don’t change a thing.” But after losing in the second round to the Penguins both years, the fan base is despondent and something has to give. That’s why they absolutely must do… something.

Hot-seat factor: High. Brian MacLellan has only been on the job for three years, but the Capitals feel like a team that’s one more wasted season away from imploding.

Bottom line: Do you trade Ovechkin? Don’t be silly. Some other major piece? Maybe, but that hardly makes you better. Fire Barry Trotz? No, and surely they would have already done that by now. Stay the course? You won’t get past the Penguins that way. As we’ve covered before, the Capitals just don’t seem to have any good answers. Even if he decides to do nothing, MacLellan might have the toughest job of any NHL GM right now.

1. Montreal Canadiens

Already done: They made perhaps the biggest trade of the off-season by landing Jonathan Drouin. For most teams, that would be plenty. In Montreal, it feels like the start of a long summer.

The job ahead: Marc Bergevin has three big jobs on his plate, and maybe four. The first is to get Carey Price re-signed, preferably a few minutes after the new league year starts on July 1. The second is to re-sign Alexander Radulov, if possible, and maybe Andrei Markov, too. The third is to finally acquire a No. 1 centre. The fourth would be to find a new home for Alex Galchenyuk, and while that one isn’t necessarily a sure thing, it would seem to be Bergevin’s best option for landing that centre, especially now that he’s already played his Mikhail Sergachev card.

Hot-seat factor: Scorching. That’s par for the course in Montreal, granted, but Bergevin has had a rough year. Last summer’s P.K. Subban trade was panned at the time, at least from some corners, and the reaction didn’t get any better when Subban took the Predators to the Cup final while Montreal made a first-round exit. We also had a busy trade deadline that saw Montreal load up on size and sandpaper, only to lose in the playoffs because they couldn’t score.

Bottom line: The Drouin deal was generally well-received, but unless the plan is to move the young winger over, the hole in the middle remains. Whether it’s Duchene or someone else, Bergevin feels like a guy who needs a big win here. But as countless teams could tell you, top pivots are hard to come by. On its own, that would leave Bergevin with lots of work to do; combined with everything else he needs to get done, and a frustrated fan base that expects him to deliver, he’s staring down a long summer indeed.


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Sportsnet.ca / Why Sidney Crosby’s golden goal is Canada’s most iconic sports moment

Emily Sadler

June 26, 2017, 12:34 PM

“Iggy!”

It was the call heard ’round the hockey world, and it certainly rang out loud and clear through the television set in the common area of my school residence in Karlstad, Sweden.

I was a Canadian watching the home team from a visitors bench nine time zones and more than 7,000 kilometres away, a stew of nerves and nausea and a touch of homesickness simmering in my stomach, rising and falling with every up-ice rush, shot and save during the gold-medal matchup between Canada and the United States on the final day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

I had been doing my part for patriotism throughout those Games, laying the groundwork among my new international friends (and temporary international hockey foes) for a Canadian hockey victory in Vancouver. I had become friends with a few American classmates in the early days of my six months studying abroad, but on this night we sat at opposite ends of the room separated by Swedes, Germans, Latvians, Dutch and several others perched on couches, chairs and tables who were curious to experience this much-talked-about Canada-U.S. rivalry we’d been fuelling all week.

I can still feel the thud of dread when I recall Zach Parise’s game-tying goal with 24 seconds left, just as I can still hear the “U-S-A!” chants from my star-spangled American frenemies as they paraded out to the balcony in celebration of a 2–2 game.

The red and white heart I’d been happily wearing on my sleeve during the days leading up to this game was now wedged firmly in my throat as I silently, anxiously (and probably neurotically) awaited overtime. I pictured my fellow Canadians back home doing the same, a nation united in nausea.

The Canada Project

This post is part of The Canada Project, a representative survey of Canadians from across the country.

And then, just over seven minutes into extra time, it happened. Sidney Crosby broke into the U.S. zone, fired a shot that ricocheted off American netminder Ryan Miller and into the corner, then retrieved his own rebound before sending a quick pass up the boards to linemate Jarome Iginla.

That’s when we all heard it: “Iggy!”

Iginla was being hauled down to the ice by U.S. defenceman Ryan Suter but still managed to respond to Crosby’s urgent call with a perfect pass. A narrow gap between Miller’s pads was all that was needed for the puck to find its way to the back of the net and into its final resting place in our nation’s history.

Crosby’s arms went up and so did mine as I launched myself off my perch on the couch and into my fellow Canadians’ arms — just as I knew countless Canucks back home were doing in that very moment. Crosby struck gold, and our national game was ours once again.

Every Canadian has their own story about that game, that moment — where they were, what they felt and how they celebrated.

In a recent survey conducted as part of The Canada Project, Canadians were asked to pick our country’s most iconic sports moment. The official, crowd-sourced answer will be revealed on CityTV on Canada Day, but had I been asked I wouldn’t have had to think hard about my own.

Iconic Debate

There are many other Canadian triumphs that have united us, whether it’s on the ice (Paul Henderson’s Summit Series–clinching goal in 1972, Mario Lemieux’s game-winner against the USSR at the 1987 Canada Cup), the baseball field (Joe Carter’s blast in 1993), the track (Donovan Bailey’s record-breaking run to claim gold in the men’s 100-metre dash at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta will always be an important part of our nation’s history) or the soccer field (Christine Sinclair and Canada’s women’s team have made huge strides for the sport in our country).

But as for the most iconic moment, it has to be hockey — and it has to be Sid.

In the seven years since those Games, the golden goal has been celebrated, examined and reflected on several times over.

In the same Canada 150 survey, Canadians voted Crosby as “the best athlete of the 21st century.” Here’s the breakdown:


Of course it was Crosby. The Kid from Cole Harbour, N.S., had already etched his name in hockey history by being the youngest player to captain his team to the Stanley Cup less than a year earlier, and he would go on to win two more Stanley Cups (and counting?) with the Penguins. He’s the greatest player of the past decade — personifying what we, as Canadians, want in a hockey player and a leader, both in the NHL and on the national team — and will go down as one of the greatest ever, not far behind The Great One himself.

Canada had won Olympic gold in men’s hockey eight years prior at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games (with a little help from the Lucky Loonie, of course) and we would win it once again during the Sochi 2014 Games with Crosby wearing the C.

But the Vancouver Games were something special — they belonged to the home team, with Canadian athletes in every sport there paving the way for the men’s hockey finale on Feb. 28, including the women’s hockey team, which had won gold over Team USA just three days prior.

Canada won 27 medals during Vancouver 2010, the most in our nation’s Winter Olympic history, with Crosby’s goal earning the host country its 14th gold. That solidified Canada’s position at the top of the medal table and surpassed the previous record of 13 golds at a single Games, a record shared by the Soviet Union (1976) and Norway (2002).

Like Henderson’s miraculous Summit Series goal almost four decades earlier, Crosby’s golden goal has become an important part in our hockey history, the kind of event to earn “Where were you when…” status. The game itself is the most-watched televised event in Canadian history, with 26.5 million people in this country tuning in at some point — and none who watched came away disappointed by the finish. And that’s what makes it such an iconic Canadian moment, with the home-ice element pushing it to the highest honour.

The golden goal brought us joy, allowed us bragging rights in one of our greatest sporting rivalries, and closed the book on a magical 17 days in Vancouver. The game united Canucks in every corner of the country—and across the globe—in our anticipation and anxiety, our nerves and our nausea, and in our jovial, anthem-singing celebration that carried on for days.

We cheered then and we reminisce now, raising the moment to the rafters in our red and white hearts.


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Sportsnet.ca / Winnipeg Jets 2017 free agency preview

Rory Boylen

June 26, 2017, 11:52 AM

The Jets have done a good job building through the NHL Draft and keeping/managing the assets they have rather than looking for big-splash additions on July 1. Winnipeg has made very few unrestricted free agent acquisitions under GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, and the ones they have made were for specialized depth players.

This summer is the first where the Jets have a clear need to add to a headline position, as they’d prefer to go into next season with a more sturdy situation in goal. In the weeks leading to this point they had been suggested as potential landing spots for Marc-Andre Fleury or Petr Mrazek via trade, but given Cheveldayoff’s track record, we should instead expect a more subtle approach.

Connor Hellebuyck, 24, is still the goalie of the future in Winnipeg and 21-year-old Eric Comrie is also coming up, so the Jets don’t need a long-term fix yet. Don’t expect the team to add anyone who needs a 50-game workload or has sights set on a No. 1 job. Scott Darling was traded from Chicago to Carolina for a third-rounder and, while on the surface he’d have been a nice add for the Jets, the financial commitment that followed (four years, $4.15 million cap hit) didn’t align with Winnipeg’s needs.

Tape II Tape

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.

Aside from that, the Jets probably won’t be busy on the free agent market since they have a number of youngsters in the pipeline who will make pushes for roster spots. There will be some key RFAs coming up for

them in the next year or two (Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine, Josh Morrissey, Jacob Trouba), so Cheveldayoff needs to use the cap space he has wisely.

Goalie: Whether it’s a veteran backup with a successful track record, or someone who can split duty with Hellebuyck, the Jets can’t afford to head into 2017-18 with the Hellebuyck-Michael Hutchinson duo again. Each of the four division teams that finished ahead of them are set in goal and Dallas, who finished behind them, upgraded with Ben Bishop. It’s the most obvious area that needs improvement.

POTENTIAL TARGETS

Brian Elliott: Over the past four years Elliott has played anywhere between 31 and 49 games and is used to working in a tandem — with Jake Allen in St. Louis and Chad Johnson in Calgary. He’s been mostly reliable in that time, although when Calgary tasked him with being a No. 1 this past season he had a turbulent year, finishing with a .910 save percentage. Coming to Winnipeg in a no-doubt 1A/1B situation may be a comfortable and familiar spot for Elliott.

Ryan Miller: The 36-year-old has been a No. 1 his whole career and would need to be open to a somewhat smaller role in Winnipeg, but top jobs are drying up around the league. While Vancouver might yet bring Miller back to anchor its workload, the Jets provide a better opportunity to get into the playoffs. With a .916 and .914 save percentage the past two seasons, Miller would be a nice influence on the young Hellebuyck. He may be the most expensive and least likely to sign here, though.

Jonathan Bernier: Hasn’t been a No. 1 in a couple years so he wouldn’t have to settle for a smaller role. Bernier posted a .915 save percentage in 38 games with a strong Ducks team this past season, but was at .908 the season before in Toronto.

Mike Condon: Filled in admirably for Craig Anderson in Ottawa this season with a 2.50 GAA and .914 save percentage in 40 games. Perfect backup option, the 27-year-old shouldn’t cost too much to acquire either. Concern would be that he’s only had the one good year — is that reliable enough?

Jaroslav Halak: This one would be a trade instead of free agent signing, but if the Isles are still looking at moving the 32-year-old, who they buried in the AHL last season, Winnipeg would be a nice landing spot. Halak has one year left on his contract at $4.5 million against the cap, so he could come in for a season of split duty and the Jets would be open to go back to Hellebuyck for the No. 1 job in 2018-19 if he shows well next season.

RECENT FREE AGENT ACQUISITIONS

Mathieu Perreault, $9 million, three years signed in 2014: Originally signed as a UFA, Perreault re-upped with Winnipeg last summer and will start that four-year contract ($4.125 million cap hit) in 2017-18. One of the most versatile forwards on the team, the 29-year-old has been a consistent producer for the Jets in his three seasons, finishing with 41, 41 and 45 points.

Michael Frolik, $3.3 million, one year signed in 2014: Winnipeg acquired the third-liner in a trade ahead of the 2013-14 season and then signed him for a year on July 29, 2014. Frolik was a terrific add, finishing with a couple of 42-point seasons and was used in all situations. Some younger and cheaper options from the pipeline made Frolik expendable following 2014-15, but he’s continued being a productive contributor in Calgary.

Shawn Matthias, $4.25 million, two years signed in 2016: The big-bodied depth winger pulled in an average of 1:29 of shorthanded ice time this past season and would have played a bigger part on the unit had he not missed nearly half the season due to injury. Not much for offence, Matthias was left exposed to Vegas and will be used as deadline trade bait if the Jets are on the outside of the playoff picture again.


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TSN.CA / Leafs choose not to qualify G Bibeau

By Kristen Shilton

The Toronto Maple Leafs extended qualifying offers to four of their seven restricted free agents before Monday’s 5pm et deadline.

Forwards Connor Brown and Zach Hyman, goaltender Garret Sparks, and defenceman Justin Holl were all pending RFAs who received offers


from Toronto, while goaltender Antoine Bibeau and forwards Sergey Kalinin and Seth Griffith did not.

Brown and Hyman both played more than 60 NHL games last season, so their qualifying offers are one-way deals, while Sparks and Holl, who spent almost all of last season in the American Hockey League, can receive a two-way deal.

Hyman and Sparks are both arbitration eligible (because they signed their NHL contracts at or after the age of 20), while Brown is not. Qualifying offers extended have to be 110 per cent of a player’s base salary if he makes $660,000 or less (Sparks, Holl, Brown) and 105 per cent of a player’s base salary if it’s between $660,000 and $1 million (Hyman).

Brown skated in all 82 games for the Leafs last season as a rookie, posting 20 goals and 16 assists. Hyman also dressed for all 82 games as a rookie, playing the entire season on a line with Auston Matthews, and tallied 10 goals and 18 assists.

Sparks had an injury-riddled campaign with the Marlies that cut his season down to just 31 games, with a 2.16 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. He was recalled to the Leafs three times - in January, March and April - but did not appear in any NHL games. He played in 17 games for Toronto a season ago and received his first qualifying offer as an RFA last June.

Bibeau, a sixth-round draft choice by the Leafs in 2013, was called up by the Leafs in December to back up starter Frederik Andersen and made his NHL debut on December 11 against the Colorado Avalanche, a 3-1 Leafs loss. Bibeau made 26 saves.

When he returned to the Marlies full-time on January 8, Bibeau slipped down the depth chart in favour of Sparks. He appeared in only 16 games from his return until March 18.

During the playoffs, with Sparks injured, the Marlies turned to ECHL call-up Kasimir Kaskisuo instead of Bibeau to be their starter. The 23-year-old made one relief appearance during the Marlies’ playoff run, giving up two goals on 17 shots in 37:06.

Holl is a relatively unknown commodity - at 25 years old, he only just finished his second full season as a pro (both with the Marlies) after they plucked him out of the ECHL’s Indy Fuel on an AHL contract. After the 2015-16 season, Holl signed an entry-level deal with the Leafs and was an alternate captain for the Marlies in what ended up being a terrific season for him (eight goals, 11 assists in 72 games). With big (he’s 6-foot-2) right-shot defencemen in demand, and with Toronto trying to shore up their blue line in the short and long term, they were wise to keep Holl in the fold.

Kalinin arrived with the Leafs in a trade that sent Viktor Loov to the New Jersey Devils in February. The centre posted two goals and two assists in 19 games with Toronto.

Griffith had an up-and-down season overall that included two stops with the Leafs organization. He was claimed off waivers from the Boston Bruins on Oct. 11, skated in three games (with no points) and was then waived again on Nov. 11 only to be picked up by the Florida Panthers. Griffith appeared in 21 games with the Panthers, and was playing on their top line at one point, before they waived him again and saw him re-claimed by Toronto on January 20. He was immediately reassigned to the Marlies, where he tallied 10 goals and 34 assists in 38 games.

TSN.CA LOADED: 06.27.2017

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TSN.CA / Selanne and Kariya are together again. Forever.

By Frank Seravalli

There was no doubt the Finnish Flash would be among the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017, the only question was who would join him. Turns out, the five-year wait for Selanne’s longtime teammate and close friend is over.

Kariya was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday afternoon, joining Selanne, Dave Andreychuk, Mark Recchi, as well as Team Canada women’s star Danielle Goyette, and builders Clare Drake and Jeremy Jacobs.

Six Stanley Cups. More than 2,300 goals. Nearly 5,800 games played.

It is quite the class, headlined by Selanne’s unique chemistry with Kariya.

“It’s great that you were inducted with me, Paul, so we can fly together and you can pick up the tab for the private plane!” Selanne joked with Kariya on a conference call with reporters.

Since retiring from the NHL in 2010 as a result of multiple concussions, Kariya has distanced himself from the game. He was also robbed of a full season in 2004-05 because of the NHL lockout. Kariya has taken up surfing three to four times a week in Southern California – considering Monday a lucky day “because I didn’t get eaten by a shark” - and snowboards or skis in British Columbia in the winter.

One of the most dynamic players of his era has been spotted inside Anaheim’s Honda Center just once – and that wasn’t necessarily by choice. Selanne threatened to tie Kariya up and throw him in the trunk of his car if it meant making sure he attended Selanne’s final regular-season game with the Ducks in 2014.

“I had my best years playing with Paul,” Selanne said Monday. “The chemistry was magical.”

Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald joked Selanne earned his “Finnish Flash” nickname on Monday because he phoned Kariya to break the news before McDonald could even get to Kariya. Selanne joins Jari Kurri as just the second Finnish born player ever inducted.

After tormenting the NHL as one of the most highly skilled duos in the league from 1995 to 2000, Selanne and Kariya both decided to sign together in Colorado for a run at the Stanley Cup in 2003. That one star-crossed season together again – playing alongside fellow Hall of Famers Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake – didn’t work out quite as planned, falling short in the second round. But they will now be enshrined next to each other permanently.

“Teemu always joked I could read his mind,” Kariya said. “Off the ice it wasn’t hard, he was always watching Baywatch shows.”

Selanne, now 46, began his career in a way no rookie has ever, leading the NHL with an exhilarating 76-goal season in 1992-93 with the Winnipeg Jets. He carried that pure scoring touch throughout his 21-season career, finishing with 684 goals and 773 assists for 1,457 points in 1,451 games.

Selanne finished 11th all-time in goals. Two of his other classmates, Andreychuk (14th, 640) and Recchi (20th, 577) ended their careers inside the Top 20. He owns or is tied for 18 different NHL records.

Kariya, 42, netted 989 points in 989 games. Known for not only his skating and vision, but also his lethal backhand – perhaps one of the best backhand shots ever – he finished in the top seven in league scoring four different times.

Kariya, Anaheim’s first-ever draft pick, was passed over four times previously. Like Eric Lindros, who was inducted last year, Kariya was an outspoken critic against the NHL’s treatment and prevention of concussions, often saying the league’s rules did not allow adequate protection of players.

Kariya said Monday he is perfectly happy living a life outside of hockey, even if Selanne has tried to drag him back in. Kariya said it took him a full year of rehab for him to feel “normal” again after the concussions, but has no headaches or restrictions and lives an active lifestyle.

“I’m grateful for every second I played in the NHL,” Kariya said. “I didn’t retire willingly. If there was any way to wave a magic wand and go back and play again, even through all the ups and downs, I would do it again in a heartbeat. There are no fences to be mended. I appreciate the opportunity I was given. I haven’t been out publicly as much but that’s just me as a private person. I am still a fan of the game. I still watch, and I’m excited to see where the game goes next.”

Kariya’s induction will mean that of the 57 players who have been named a first team All-Star at least three times in league history, only John LeClair will not be a Hall of Fame honoured member. Other than LeClair, Kariya was the only one prior to Monday, considering some active players as locks (like Jaromir Jagr, Erik Karlsson, Jarome Iginla and Patrick Kane). Kariya was also the 1997 Hart Trophy runner-up who had a flair for the dramatic, scoring the magical game-tying goal in the 2002 Olympic gold-medal game against the United States, helping Team Canada to gold in Salt Lake City.


Each inductee required a minimum of 14 of 18 votes from the Selection Committee.

Andreychuk, 53, was selected in his ninth year of eligibility. He captained the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004 and has scored the most power-play goals (274) in league history. Andreychuk said his heart started racing when he saw a 416 number on his phone Monday afternoon. The first phone call he made was to his parents back in Hamilton, Ont.

“The years I have waited make no difference to me,” Andreychuk said. “When you look back at your numbers, you always think there’s a chance, but at the same time you realize that it’s out of your control.”

Recchi, 49, was selected in his fourth year of eligibility. He is one of just a few players in NHL history to win three Stanley Cups with three different teams (Penguins, Hurricanes and Bruins). The 5-foot-10 ‘Recchin Ball’ posted three 100-point campaigns over his 22 seasons and ranks fifth all-time in games played (1,652).

“No way,” Recchi said on the call he received from McDonald.

“Yes way,” McDonald responded.

Goyette, 51, is one of the most accomplished women’s players ever. She scored the only goal for Team Canada in the inaugural 1998 gold-medal game in Nagano, a tournament in which she tied for the lead in scoring with 10 points.

The St-Nazaire, Que., native, finished her international career with 113 goals and 105 assists in 171 games, capturing two Olympic gold medals, one silver, and seven gold medals on the World Championship stage. She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013 and carried the Canadian flag in the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Jacobs, 77, is one of two inductees in the builder category. Jacobs has owned the Boston Bruins since 1975. He has been one of the NHL’s most influential owners, known for driving a hard line in collective bargaining, and has served as chairman of the league’s Board of Governors since 2007.

The call to hockey’s hallowed Hall was long overdue for Drake, the 88-year-old “dean of coaching” or “Canada’s version of John Wooden.” Drake is best known for his 28-year run behind the bench of the University of Alberta, where he coached the Golden Bears to a 697-296-37 record and six University Cup championships. He remains the only coach to win a national title in both hockey and football in the same year.

Drake was instrumental in developing Hockey Canada’s national coaching certification and also coached at the Olympic, WHA and Spengler Cup tournament levels. He received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2014 and was the inspiration for many current NHL coaches, including Ken Hitchcock, Barry Trotz and Mike Babcock.

Daniel Alfredsson was among the first-year eligible players not selected on Monday. Alfredsson will join Martin Brodeur and Martin St. Louis among the headliners eligible in 2018.


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TSN.CA / A solution for the Methot/Phaneuf trade market issue

By Travis Yost

If the Ottawa Senators had it their way, Marc Methot would still be on their blueline and Dion Phaneuf would be playing for another organization.

Ever since Phaneuf decided not to waive his no-movement clause, Ottawa had to run the risk of exposing Methot in the expansion draft. As soon as they did, the Vegas Golden Knights jumped at the opportunity. Methot, of course, has little long-term future in Vegas – general manager George McPhee sees the steady veteran defender as an asset he can flip for real value, and likely has been testing the market since the minute Methot was selected.

But Vegas haven’t had any success yet. Maybe the market’s cooled on Methot. Maybe Vegas values him significantly more than most teams. Maybe Methot’s limited no-trade list – which includes every Canadian team except for Ottawa – has limited McPhee’s options. Whatever the

case may be, Vegas is now “stuck” with a player they don’t really have long-term plans for.

This peculiar scenario has forced me to consider the expansion draft rules in more detail. As far as I can tell, there are only two types of explicit guidance regarding what can happen with a player moved because of the expansion draft.

Rule #1: “To prevent a team from “hiding” a player on another, teams cannot reacquire players they trade after Jan. 1, 2017 prior to Jan. 1, 2018.”

Rule #2: “The Golden Knights are allowed to deal any player selected in the expansion draft. However, they can't return such a player to the team from which he was selected until Jan. 1, 2018.”

To me, both rules are pretty self-explanatory. Anyone traded since New Year’s Day of 2017 cannot be reacquired by the trading team in any capacity. And if the Golden Knights select a player in the expansion draft, they simply can’t trade that player back to his original team until New Year’s Day of 2018.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reached out to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly on Monday and evidently there's been a revision to the second rule or we weren't interpreting it correctly. Regardless, Daly has opined that teams actually can trade back for the assets they lost by way of the expansion draft prior to Jan. 1. So Ottawa and Vegas could conduct business directly.

Have confirmed this with Bill Daly just now: There is no blanket rule prohibiting a team from re-acquiring player lost in exp draft already

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2017

The league just has to be satisfied it wasn't pre-cooked or part of a broader transaction that is attempting to circumvent exp draft rules


The Jan. 1 rule is for players traded to other teams before the expansion draft; they can't be re-acquired prior to Jan. 1


So, for example, as it relates to Marc Methot: there is no rule prohibiting the Senators from trying to trade back for him this week...


or for Nashville to try and get James Neal back, etc....


But the simplest option to resolve the pain points for Ottawa and Vegas may be to conduct business through a third party. Vegas is not a realistic landing spot for Phaneuf – a veteran player who has a limited no-trade clause. They need to bring in a third team to deal through – to send Methot back to Ottawa, Phaneuf to another contender and to reward Vegas with additional picks/prospects.

It would create some really interesting trade scenarios. Let’s say, hypothetically, Edmonton is the third team in this trade. (I say Edmonton because we know that, as recently as last year, the Oilers were on the “yes” list for Phaneuf’s limited trade list. I could also say Montreal, another team in the market for a defender, for the same reason.) Each team would have an obvious interest in participating: Vegas would get their market for Methot, Edmonton would get a top-four defenceman (that they can’t get because of Methot’s no-trade clause), and Ottawa would both get Methot back into the system and offload Phaneuf’s contract.

The trade map could look something like this:

Embedded Image

Now, things on the right side of this equation would have to get sorted out. The Edmonton piece of what they’re sending to Vegas to get Methot would need to be “made whole” by Ottawa in the subsequent trade. Ottawa needs to figure out what it’s worth to them to not only get Methot back, but also dump Phaneuf’s contract – something they’ve been aggressively trying to do for the last couple of weeks.

None of these strike me as particularly troublesome hurdles, because teams like Edmonton and Montreal have some cap space to work in a Phaneuf deal. And, even if the third party was reasonably cap


constrained, there’s always the chance Ottawa offers to retain some salary.

This is exactly the type of trade I’d really be looking at if I were Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion, McPhee, and any other team whose window is now and sees value in adding a veteran defender like Phaneuf. It could be a win-win-win for every team involved in the trade carousel – so long as the NHL doesn’t deem it circumvention. Based on today’s feedback, it doesn’t seem like that would be the case.


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