Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
After the Devils made the long-awaited choice of Luke Hughes at #4, GM Tom Fitzgerald had to wait another three hours to make his second first-round selection at #29. Despite all the speculation of a possible trade up or trade back (both later confirmed by the GM as possibilities), the Devils chose instead to stay pat and pick winger Chase Stillman, son of former NHL player Cory, brother of a Blackhawks player and grandson of another former NHL player. Like the Hughes brothers, family bloodlines pretty much give you a guarantee of a rink rat who is a hard worker, and the Devils certainly got two kids who fit that description last night.
Whether Stillman was a reach is a matter of opinion, since most of the so-called experts had him more in the mid-2nd round range. Of course we have no second-rounder this year due to the Nikita Gusev trade. If there’s one draft I could care less about consensus ranks though, it’s this one. It’s not Stillman’s fault he couldn’t goose his draft ranking in the OHL this year (they suspended play) and had to go to the Danish league. He certainly seems to have the skillset to be a solid middle six player and power forward, which we don’t have enough of at either the NHL or prospect levels right now. Say this for Fitz, he’s prioritizing size and physicality in a way previous GM Ray Shero didn’t, and I’m all for this. It’s not like he’s automatically bouncing every ‘small, skill player’ out of the system, he just recognizes you need guys to complement each other in any orchestra…sorry couldn’t help but using a Lou Lamoriello saying there.
Fitz is a lot more Lou-like than Shero was, which probably makes a certain segment of our fanbase uneasy. I never really thought the problem with Lou was as much Lou in the later years, as it was the scouting and development. Of course Lou was ultimately responsible for keeping David Conte on in a lifetime role even after it became obvious the Devils’ drafting had fallen behind the times post-lockout, as well as keeping up the win-now pretense for far too long. Not to mention ownership skimping on things like scouts and draft infrastructure didn’t help on that end either. At least that shouldn’t be an issue under current owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Hopefully neither will the drafting and development under long-time scouting director Paul Castron and the new player development manager Meghan Duggan.
Getting back to the Stillman pick, the cynics are calling it a reach with no upside. First of all this is a weak draft to begin with, how many guys with so-called upside do you really think are gonna slip without a good reason? Second of all, we as fans never seem to learn that NHL teams’ internal draft lists are vastly different than the consensus rankings from pundits once you get past the 10-20 range. Fans think they know better than GM’s, sometimes that’s even true (as with the oft-cited Matt Barzal drop a few years ago in the first round) though usually the GM becomes a fan in short order when that’s the case anyway.
As much as I was aghast at the Shakir Mukhamadullin pick last year, this is the point in the draft – and beyond – where GM’s get paid to prove their worth. A trained monkey could have mocked Luke to the Devils at #4 but it’s a little harder to say anything with certainty after the first several picks – which weren’t even that certain in terms of order. Fitz deserves the chance to see if his plan will work. Nobody bats an eye anymore when Steve Yzerman makes an ‘off-board’ pick because his track record shows a lot of them have panned out over the years. Hopefully we’ll be able to say that someday about Fitz. If I have a criticism of the pick it’s because of the PTSD I still have over Lou and Conte picking guys like Stefan Matteau and John Quenneville (both from hockey families) with late first-rounders in the last decade. This is a new scouting and player development department to be sure, but the similarities of the Stillman pick to those initially made me cringe. Ideally, he’ll turn into a far better NHL player than either of those two.
As far as the rest of the draft, without a second rounder the Devils will have to wait a while to pick again at #68, barring a trade up or in. There’s some possible scuttlebutt about the Devils potentially using a day two pick to trade for the UFA rights of a pending FA. The first name on any wishlist is Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton. Maybe Fitz will differ from both Shero and Lou in this case and pay the best FA on the market. God knows any defensive help we can get is still welcome and I’m tired of sitting on cap space when you can just dump any contract to Arizona for a second-rounder or two anyway. Hamilton in particular can be a difference maker that changes our trajectory, probably not quite a Zdeno Chara to Boston type impact but ideally the next best thing. If you improve the defense appreciably and the young forwards mature, then you can sell me on a turnaround sooner rather than later.
Going away from the draft for a second, the NHL schedule also came out in the last few days with the NHL doing the right thing and giving Seattle geographical rival Vancouver for its first-ever home game. Ironically my first thought when the Devils’ schedule came out was that the pressure was now on for the team to get a good start with their first five games being at home and most of them winnable games.
#NJDevils will open the season at home Oct. 15 against Chicago. Devils open with 5 straight home games — Chicago, Seattle (!), Washington, Buffalo and Calgary.
Apparently there is a catch though, as this schedule contains an Olympic break which as of now still isn’t signed, sealed and delivered. Supposedly there’s a backup schedule under lock and key in case the Olympic negotiations fall through. So guess I can’t write in pen that my return to the Prudential Center will be the Chicago home opener just yet. We have fourteen back-to-backs with this listed schedule which doesn’t seem terrible considering the built-in Olympic break. Having only three games against the Flyers and Capitals is weird but when you have to schedule games against 31 other teams, sacrifices have to be made I suppose. It will be nice to see a variety of opponents again after the division-only season of 2021 culminating in a 2022 division matchup for the Cup (Tampa-Montreal).
Ever since the draft lottery, this night seemed inevitable for Devils fans. It all looked just too perfect to screw up with the highly touted brother of our young franchise center sitting there for us at #4, being rated in the sweet spot where the Devils didn’t have to reach or move up for him. Not to mention playing a position where we need young, controllable talent the most. It was so predictable I didn’t even watch it live, I kinda did need a nap anyway after a couple of days of light sleep this week gave me a headache and despite the mid 80’s weather, the humidity wore me out a little more today too. Still had a headache after my nap so I took some Advil and now have the draft on since we still have an upcoming pick to deal with, or just deal away.
Don’t confuse predictable for boring or meaningless though. Especially if you see Jack Hughes’s reaction in that video above to our drafting of Luke, I’m sure most people watching or paying attention to the draft have seen it in some form or other tonight as a gif. Devil fans know all too well how much family bonds can mean, and I don’t mean the token gift pick of Marty’s kid in 2014. I’m more referring to the Scott Niedermayer defection from New Jersey to Anaheim, which was arguably set in stone the minute we beat the Ducks, and brother Rob in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals with the Cup tally becoming Scott 3 and Rob 0. We know how that story ended, happily for the Niedermayers in 2009 with a dual Nieds Cup win.
I’ve also read internet whining about how you can’t base everything on family, well obviously but the beauty of this pick is you didn’t have to. Luke was a top five rated prospect with the family pedigree of already having two brothers in the NHL, we already had a top five pick. And heck, how can you not get a chuckle at Luke wearing Jack’s jersey during his interviews? Pretty much the only thing that could have ruined the dream scenario was someone trading up in front to snag him since it seemed like Seattle and Anaheim were leaning forward, and indeed both wound up picking forwards. Vancouver (with the other Hughes brother on its roster) seemed like the main threat of that with the #9 pick, until they traded it in one of the handful of jaw-dropping deals across the league today. Clearly it was a sellers’ market on D, which makes our trade for Ryan Graves last week seem even better from a value standpoint.
Seeing the prices for D around the league make the Luke Hughes pick even more important, hopefully he and Ty Smith can be for the D what we’re hoping Jack and Nico Hischier can be up front, our pillars to build around. It was nice to see fans at the arena celebrating the pick, though from a draft standpoint nothing will top the ‘I think you’re gonna want to hear this’ trade for Cory Schneider at Draft Day in Newark for an in-person thrill. Even if the reality of the trade didn’t live up to that initial hope and expectation, for various reasons. I thought of going too but didn’t really want to spend $10 (the donation fee/price) to see the predictable pick a half hour into the draft, then wait for some kid I’ve never heard of to be drafted at #29, assuming we even keep the pick. Kevin Weekes – who’s still plugged into us – posted this cryptic Tweet at the start of the draft with speculation flying that the Sharks want to move into the first round.
A possible trade out or down? At least I don’t have to wait too much longer to find out, we’re four picks away from #29 now, the side benefit of my nap earlier – at least I wasn’t watching the draft for three hours just to wait on this. I’ll probably have a separate blog on what we do at #29 tomorrow morning, as well as team schedule thoughts. I do kind of feel bad for whoever we draft if we do keep the pick, cause this kid’s gonna be totally overshadowed by the Hughes hype train. This kind of reminds me of the year in the early 2000’s (when the Devils were still playing at CAA/Izod) when we had to wait to see who the Devils picked toward the end of the first round at a draft party, then they traded down to make us wait even longer and people were scrambling to the phones – the landline variety – to find out who we drafted at the end of the round. This was pre-Twitter and instantaneous news. What a novelty!
So, how’s your Friday going? On what’s a beautiful summer day minus any humidity here in Staten Island, it’s already a busy one for the Rangers. We knew the writing was on the wall following what Chris Drury said regarding Pavel Buchnevich. He was just traded to the Blues for Sammy Blais and a 2022 second round pick.
🚨#TradeCentre ALERT🚨: #NYR trade F Pavel Buchnevich to the #StLBlues for F Sammy Blais and a 2nd-rd pick…
The reaction as you can imagine isn’t positive. Most of us grew to like Buchnevich, who grew up the past year. He certainly became a fan favorite with his infectious personality, going by Captain Happy. Not only did former coach David Quinn get the 26-year old Russian to change his game, but got Buchnevich to buy into playing a more physical style. He had teammates’ backs and killed penalties effectively. His best season was ’21 when he posted 20 goals with 28 assists for a total of 48 points in 54 games. That included three shorthanded goals and a career high plus-12 rating. Thirty-six of his 48 points came at even strength. The 48 being a career best despite a shortened season.
There’s no doubt he’ll be missed in the Big Apple. But for the Blueshirts, who are desperately trying to upgrade the center position behind Mika Zibanejad, it became a numbers game. As TSN insider Darren Dreger put it, the move gives them more flexibility. Had they opted to keep Buchnevich, he would’ve cost around $5.5 million on average per year. The cap situation moving forward isn’t good. So, they had to shed salary. Especially if they’re considering trading for Jack Eichel or acquiring another center which would spell the end for Ryan Strome. He’s due $4.5 million for ’21-22 before turning unrestricted. Like Buchnevich, his name has been floated around. We’ll see what direction Drury takes. He’s not done.
As for Blais, he plays the tough straight ahead style the Rangers prefer. He’s not going to blow you away in the goal department. However, his size and physicality are strengths. At only $1.5 million for the next season with restricted status next summer, Blais brings more grit and championship experience to the table. With the Rangers signing Barclay Goodrow yesterday for a six-year contract that’ll pay him an average cap hit of $3.64 million through 2027, you can slot Blais in on the new checking line. The question is who fills it out. It’s pretty obvious what Drury is doing. Unlike the previous regime, he’s addressing the lack of team toughness. The lack of grit and grind explains why the Rangers were so easy to beat for the Islanders. For the naysayers, who hate these moves, here’s a friendly reminder.
Islanders 13. Rangers 1.
That’s what predicated this drastic change to the organization and roster. If you think they could’ve gone with the same roster, you haven’t been paying attention. Or didn’t watch the Stanley Cup where it was again the Bolts’ secondary scoring that helped earn them a repeat. They’re gonna miss Goodrow, Yanni Gourde (taken by the Kraken) and likely Blake Coleman, who’ll probably moves on due to the salary he will command. Lightning friend Dan Wheeler told me he was bummed about losing Gourde to Seattle. He also told me how much he thinks of what Goodrow brought to his team in the two years they won. It’s not about goals and points. But about the overlooked intangibles he’ll bring. Board battles. Hits. Face-offs. Penalty kill. Experience. Goodrow understands what it takes. That’s important. So does Blais.
With the NHL Draft on tap for this weekend with the first round on ESPN2 later and Rounds 2 through 7 on NHL Network tomorrow, it promises to get even crazier. Maybe not as insane as the Flyers overpaying for Rasmus Ristolainen. Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams is laughing all the way to the bank. Would you really have paid a first round pick (13th overall), a 2023 second round pick and defenseman Robert Hagg for Ristolainen? Yikes. At least the Ryan Ellis trade made sense. It only cost Phillipe Myers and Nolan Patrick, who I still think could become a good player after Nashville rerouted him to Vegas for Cody Glass.
The Rangers have the number 16 pick for now. It could get moved if the right deal comes along. There was also talk that backup Alex Georgiev was available, but the asking price is high. They want a first round pick. That’s not happening. Not after the Hurricanes mysteriously moved Alex Nedeljkovic to the Red Wings for Jonathan Bernier and a ’21 third round pick. I don’t get it. Does a Petr Mrazek (assuming he re-signs) and Bernier tandem really give Carolina the goaltending they need? They didn’t want to pay Nedeljkovic. Is prioritizing Dougie Hamilton that important? They also must pay Andrei Svechnikov.
There was an Expansion Draft on Wednesday night. The Seattle Kraken were introduced to a lively crowd by the harbor. It was a nice backdrop for ESPN to broadcast from. While the selections of Dominic Moore and Kevin Weekes were excellent, the curious choice of Chris Fowler didn’t impress hockey fans. He is a college football and tennis guy. So, the mistake he made with Carolina by calling them Panthers wasn’t that surprising. At least the Hurricanes and Panthers had fun with it. Fowler did unintentionally roast the Maple Leafs, Sabres and Devils. But the material in front of him was easy. Joking about how many days it’s been since the last Leafs Cup was funny. Maybe not to Toronto fans. But they haven’t won since 1967. Yikes.
As for who the Kraken took, I’ll highlight the good picks. You have Gourde from the Lightning. Jordan Eberle from the Islanders, who continue to be rumored to make some impact move to upgrade their roster. I’m not buying the Gabriel Landeskog rumors. The guy thinks he’s worth between 8 to 9 million. The Isles must re-sign Adam Pelech, Ilya Sorokin and keep Casey Cizikas. Vladimir Tarasenko is a more realistic candidate to trade for if the Panthers don’t get him.
What did I like about the boring Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft? It was due to the fact teams were unwilling to overpay GM Ron Francis like we saw with Vegas. They learned their lesson. So, only one side deal was made with Seattle moving Tyler Pitlick to Calgary for a Kraken fourth round pick in 2022. Francis mostly focused on defense, goaltending and secondary scoring. Among the highlights were taking former Flames captain Mark Giordano, ex-Oiler Adam Larsson, who they signed for $16 million over four years. They also took Jamie Oleksiak and inked him for five years at an AAV of $4.6 million. Carson Soucy was a good get from the Wild. The question is will they reroute Vince Dunn to say Montreal, who needs a defenseman with Shea Weber out for next season. Seattle boasts plenty of defensive depth thanks to grabbing Jeremy Lauzon, Haydn and Cale Fleury, William Borgen along with Kurtis MacDermid and Dennis Cholowski.
I like the goalies. They went with Chris Driedger, who is signed at $3.5 million AAV through 2024. The former Panther should be the number one with former Cap Vitek Vanecek backing up. A solid tandem. Joey Daccord is the third stringer.
Among the notables up front also include Brandon Tanev, Joonas Donskoi, Jared McCann, Mason Appleton, Calle Jarnkrok and former Ranger Colin Blackwell. Nathan Bastian was the pick from the Devils. What you have are a lot of hardworking gritty forwards with the championship experience of Gourde leading the way. It’s not bad. Sure. It doesn’t seem like they’ll score much. But Seattle has almost $30 million in cap space. That’ll include re-signing restricted free agents and dipping into free agency beginning on July 28. We don’t know if Francis has any other trades coming. They’ve been linked to Strome. We’ll see if that’s true.
Given that there’s some great prospects in line for the 2023 Draft including Connor Bedard, it sounds like they’re planning ahead. Don’t forget Shane Wright and Matthew Savoie will be available next year. If they land either Wright or Bedard over the next two years, they’ll be set up well. That’s not a bad way to go. Not everyone lucks into a good roster like the Golden Knights.
It’s hard to believe. I covered everything in Lightning fashion. I want to wish the best of luck to Buchnevich and Brendan Smith, who won’t be returning. I have so much respect for Smith. He played the game honestly and was a great team guy. Nobody will ever forget his contributions. He took on Wilson in that insane rematch following what that loon did to Panarin. Line Brawl Part 2 was one that had to happen. The Rangers answered the bell. Something new coach Gerard Gallant mentioned during his introduction. You know it’s not over. Not with Blais added to the roster. Especially with the opening game against those Caps.
I’ll get to the schedule in another post. Let’s enjoy the NHL Draft. I expect Sam Reinhart to be gone by either tonight or tomorrow. Eichel by Monday. You know Buffalo wants to wrap this up. The Wild are in on Eichel. I’ll predict he goes to the Kings. So much for my prediction of Buchnevich, a first round pick and prospect for Reinhart. Oh well.
One more Buuuuuuuuccccchhhh! До свидания Павел Бучневич!
Adam Fox was the Rangers’ best player in 2021. The Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner who won the Norris is now in line for a big contract extension following the Stars rewarding Miro Heiskanen with a long-term contract that has implications for some of the best young defensemen.
This past weekend, amongst all the activity came a significant move that will impact the Rangers very soon. In signing restricted free agent Miro Heiskanen to a brand new eight-year contract worth a reported $67.6 million on Sunday, the Stars set the market for top defensemen Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox.
MIROOOOOOOO! 🙌
We have signed Miro Heiskanen to an 8-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season
With an average cap hit that comes out just below $8.5 million per year, Heiskanen will be handsomely paid in Dallas. Playing in a state with no income tax, he will get more of that money unlike Fox, who can turn restricted next summer. The big difference being he plays in ridiculously heavily taxed New York State. Given that the Rangers’ Steven McDonald Award Winner won the Norris Trophy by beating out Makar, who also is in line for a hefty raise this summer, Fox stands to make a ton when his entry level contract expires.
If Heiskanen can get $8.45 million AAV through 2029, just imagine what Makar and Fox will receive. Both are better players than the talented smooth skating Stars’ defenseman who was instrumental in helping them reach the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Heiskanen is no doubt an elite player who should improve. However, compared to both Fox and Makar, his offensive numbers are a cut beneath.
Imagine what Makar will get from the Avalanche, who are still hoping Gabriel Landeskog comes off his crazy contract demands north of $8 million in a flat cap. It doesn’t sound promising. Colorado already saved money by dealing Ryan Graves to the Devils and are prepared to possibly lose Erik Johnson. The number for Makar could be between nine and ten million. That also figures to be what Fox will wind up with. Quinn Hughes should come in a little lower in Vancouver. But his offensive skill is immense. Ditto for Makar, who should be the ’21-22 favorite to win the Norris.
With Rangers’ Team President and GM Chris Drury focused on getting Barclay Goodrow signed over the next week before he can test the market, he’ll eventually have to tackle the Foxy proposition. One of the first things he did was wisely re-sign Ryan Lindgren to a three-year deal worth $9 million. Getting Fox’s partner signed was a must. Why wait another year on Fox, who if he duplicates his ’21 success, could command even more money? After he takes care of the situations involving Pavel Buchnevich, Igor Shesterkin and Filip Chytil, Drury should see if he can try to extend Fox before October. That way that isn’t a concern moving forward. The best part is his next contract won’t go on the books until ’22-23.
When they released the protect list yesterday, Libor Hajek was included for the Rangers. He’s a restricted free agent. Having finally taken a step forward by establishing himself as a regular who can play third pair on the blue line, the forgotten part of the Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller trade may or may not be part of the roster moving forward. Due to the arrival of Nils Lundkvist along with Zac Jones, who made a nice first impression, Hajek might be the odd man out. Currently, the Blueshirts have four locks. They are Fox, Lindgren, Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller. Then the question is will Drury add a veteran defenseman similar to Brendan Smith, who might not be back. They still need some experience. Whether it’s a Niklas Hjalmarsson, Michael Del Zotto, or even <gulp> Alec Martinez, one more experienced player is needed to lend support to the defense. Unless they keep Hajek, who proved capable on the third pair, why rush Lundkvist or Jones? They might not be fully ready.
I’ve seen a few differing opinions on Goodrow. From the uneducated who continue to overlook the need for a gritty, physical forward to supply what the Rangers lacked. To the educated who noticed what an effective player Goodrow was in helping the Lightning win back-to-back Cups. The third line of Yanni Gourde, Blake Coleman and Goodrow was tough for opponents to play against. So was the fourth line that featured Tyler Johnson, Ross Colton and Pat Maroon. Having the right combo of skill and grit matters.
Just putting this out here for the naysayers. Islanders 13 Rangers 1. We still have yet to locate Artemi Panarin or Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers’ two best forwards. Even Fox struggled against the Isles. As did Ryan Strome and Buchnevich. That’s where the grit comes in. Why do you think the Identity Line that featured Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck were so effective? Hint: It’s not about skill. But a word that rhymes with it.
The latest on Carey Price isn’t good. Apparently, the Canadiens’ best player has an injury that’ll likely lead to off-season surgery that could keep him sidelined the first eight weeks or even possibly longer. That’s why it was at his suggestion to Montreal GM Marc Bergevin that he would waive his No-Movement Clause by signing a waiver so the Habs could make the franchise netminder available for the Expansion Draft on Wednesday. Price wanted Bergevin to keep insurance policy Jake Allen, who proved to be a good pickup this past year. A player who would’ve drawn interest from the Kraken, instead he will stay in Montreal.
Of note on the Carey Price situation: He's owed an $11M signing bonus in September — a big upfront payout if #seakraken claim him.
Price also only waived his NMC for expansion purposes. So he can't be claimed and flipped in a subsequent trade without his consent.
It’s also worth noting that Price is due an $11 million signing bonus. That’s in addition to the remaining five years of his contract that pays an average cap hit of $10.5 million through 2026. Price turns 34 on August 16. More astonishing is that he performed so well in the postseason despite knee and hip issues. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, he will see a doctor in New York this week.
Told that Carey Price is scheduled to see a doc in New York this week regarding a knee issue which could potentially lead to surgery. The hope is that it’s not too serious.
Given the nature of the Price situation, it’s highly unlikely the Kraken will select him. It sounds far too risky. They are evaluating everything in preparation for Wednesday. A better suggestion is selecting Wild goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who isn’t protected despite being the heir apparent to Cam Talbot. My guess is Minnesota will try work out a deal to prevent Seattle from grabbing him. Kahkonen has good upside. I doubt the Wild want to lose him.
Finally, this is who Carey Price is. What a great person.
Laura McKay, was dying of cancer when she promised her son she’d help him meet his idol, Montreal Canadiens goalie, Carey Price.
McKay died last November, but her promise came true last week in this heartfelt moment. 💕
In a move that felt like a home run, the Rangers acquired the exclusive negotiating rights to center Barclay Goodrow before Saturday’s 3 PM freeze. They parted with a ’22 seventh round pick to the Lightning, who knew they were going to lose Goodrow in free agency.
Now, GM Chris Drury has over a week to get Goodrow signed. A gritty player who played on the Bolts’ key third line that played a pivotal role in their repeat, the 28-year old Toronto native is the kind of hard-nosed checking forward the Rangers have lacked. He’s a good team guy who does the little things well such as blocking shots and winning board battles.
While he won’t blow anyone away from a skill standpoint, the hardworking Goodrow is a solid player who will hustle his tail off to make plays like the huge one he made to set up a last second Blake Coleman goal to put the Lightning up on the Canadiens in Game Two of the Stanley Cup. A good penalty killer who likes to throw his weight around, Goodrow would be a good addition to a roster that can use more edge to it. Now, it’s up to Drury to get him signed. Hopefully, it isn’t more than five years. Even that might be pushing it. It’ll be interesting to see how much they’re willing to pay him.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired forward Barclay Goodrow from Tampa Bay in exchange for a 7th-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and have acquired a 4th-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and defenseman Nick DeSimone from Vegas in exchange for Brett Howden.
In a surprising move Drury was able to pull off, he dealt Brett Howden to Vegas in exchange for a 2022 fourth round pick and defenseman Nick DeSimone. You knew a domino was likely to fall after Drury got both Howden and Julien Gauthier signed for a year. The question was who. The Rangers aren’t expected to keep DeSimone. It really was about getting a fourth round pick for Howden, who despite being an honest player who gave a consistent effort, never became the player the organization believed he could become.
Still only 23, it’s a chance for Howden to do better on an established team that’s been a contender since they entered the league. Of course, there were great expectations placed on the former Lightning ’16 first round pick after he came over with defenseman Libor Hajek in a blockbuster trade that saw Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller go the other way. At the time, the sell off also netted Vladislav Namestnikov along with an ’18 first round pick that became Nils Lundkvist, and a ’19 conditional second that saw them select Karl Henriksson. While McDonagh has gone on to win back-to-back Cups, the Rangers are hoping Lundkvist can help turn the trade around. He recently signed a three-year entry level contract. He’s expected to battle Zac Jones for a spot on the defense.
In regards to Howden, he never was the same following his surprising offensive start during a decent rookie year in ’18-19 that saw him produce six goals and 17 assists for a still career high 23 points. Although he improved slightly to nine goals in ’19-20, Howden was never more than a checking pivot who doubled as an effective penalty killer. The work ethic was unquestioned. It’s just that he never could find the back of the net with regularity. In ’20-21, he had a goal and six assists in 42 games. For his three-year Ranger career, Howden totaled 49 points (16-33-49) in 178 games.
Going to Vegas should be good for him. They play an aggressive physical style which should benefit Howden. They’re a four line team. It’ll be interesting to see how he does under coach Peter DeBoer. He’ll likely be in that checking role. Best of luck to him.
There were other trades yesterday. None bigger than the Flyers sending Phillipe Myers and former second pick Nolan Patrick to the Predators in exchange for right defenseman Ryan Ellis. A move that should aid their blue line. Ellis is 30 and signed through 2027. He is a good skating defenseman who can contribute offensively and defensively. As for Patrick, he was sent to Vegas in exchange for Cody Glass by Nashville. I would’ve kept Patrick, who if he ever can overcome the health issues, could develop into a power forward. The Golden Knights would seem to be a good fit. They have an opening at center to be filled. Might Patrick center Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty? It will all depend on his health. He’s still quite young. It’s an interesting three-team trade.
Other players moving included Jared McCann to the Maple Leafs from the Penguins for Filip Hallander and a ’22 seventh round pick. McCann wasn’t going to be protected. So, he became expendable. The Leafs get a good secondary scorer…. Jason Dickinson moved from the Stars to Canucks for a ’21 third round pick…. The Sharks acquired goalie Adin Hill and a ’22 seventh round pick from the Coyotes for Josef Korenar and a ’22 second round pick. Guess they think Hill can be the answer to their goalie issues thanks to Martin Jones.
The Islanders made two smart moves to clear room on their salary cap. First, they sent defenseman Nick Leddy to the Red Wings for forward Richard Panik and a ’21 second round pick. Aside from saving money on the remainder of the Leddy contract, they even got Detroit to retain half of Panik’s remaining salary. It really is mystifying why Steve Yzerman would do that. But adding the experienced Leddy will aid his team’s back end. Leddy can still play top four minutes and power play. He was a good player for the Islanders. They could miss him. Basically, GM Lou Lamoriello created enough room to get Adam Pelech, Ilya Sorokin and Casey Cizikas signed. There’s also talk they will have enough maneuverability to add a scoring wing after getting the dumping ground known as Arizona to take the Andrew Ladd contract with a ’21 second round pick, ’22 conditional second and ’23 conditional third. The stipulation is simple. If Ladd plays a single game next season, Arizona receives the second round pick in ’22. That’s the Coyotes in a nutshell. Always bailing out desperate teams. Marian Hossa? The Isles also re-signed Andy Greene for one year, $1 million. So, the veteran returns for another year on Long Island.
With the teams finally revealing their keeper lists earlier this morning, the Rangers decided to protect Kevin Rooney over Colin Blackwell and Gauthier. The only thing I can think of is they value Rooney due to his ability to play center and kill penalties. He was a solid addition by Jeff Gorton the previous year. Rooney can stick on a fourth line. The question is did they acquire Goodrow to play on that checking line or fill a void at third line center due to Filip Chytil. Chytil hasn’t proven he’s a center in his three years. He doesn’t win face-offs and struggles defensively. He looks more like a wing. Given the glut at forward the Rangers have, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Drury move the restricted free agent in a deal if the right one is there to be had.
I thought they would keep either Blackwell or Gauthier over Rooney. But it appears the Rangers have placed more of a value on gritty forwards who can play center. Goodrow wasn’t protected due to his free agent status. He shouldn’t be taken. It’ll be either Blackwell or possibly Gauthier, who has ties to Seattle GM Ron Francis. It was Francis that took Gauthier in the first round a few years ago in Carolina. Whoever they lose, I’m okay with. I know whoever stays can fill a role on the checking line. So, I view it as a win win.
In terms of big names who have been made available to the Seattle Kraken this Wednesday, both Carey Price and Gabriel Landeskog were left unprotected. Price has an $11 million signing bonus that must be paid up front if Seattle decides to take him. That could be interesting. Price had a great postseason carrying the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 28 years. His contract is Pricey. If the Kraken select him, they can’t trade him to any other team. Some in the Canadian media have speculated that maybe Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has something worked out with Francis to get Price back and save some money. We’ll see.
As for Landeskog, he’s unrestricted. So, it’s no surprise the Avalanche left him unprotected. He wasn’t close to re-signing with the asking price not what Colorado was hoping for. It would have to be a team with a lot of cap space for Landeskog to get the $8 million he thinks he’s worth. In a flat cap world, I think $7.5 is more than fair. But where? Some of these Isles’ junkies actually believe they can get both Landeskog and trade for Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5 million AAV through ’23). How? If anything, they can probably add Tarasenko depending on the Blues’ asking price.
St. Louis will be busy. They could be trading Vince Dunn. A restricted free agent, the 24-year old left defenseman could be a good addition for another team. Given the sad state with Shea Weber, who looks like he will have to retire due to all the injuries he played with, I wouldn’t be shocked if Bergevin called the Blues up and tried to acquire Dunn, who won’t cost as much as say unrestricted free agent Dougie Hamilton. It was reported a few months ago that the Habs had interest in soon to be bought out former Blueshirt Tony DeAngelo. The question with him is is there a team willing to give him another opportunity. He won’t cost as much. We know he’s a very capable offensive skating defenseman who can contribute at both even strength and power play. Given how bad the Habs power play is, it could be possible. But he’d have to be on his best behavior.
Of course, the unreliable bloggers are still trying to smear his name because they have nothing better to do. It’s embarrassing that our fan base have such fraudulent people who think they’re important. They should be sued for libel. As for DeAngelo, I hope he learned a valuable lesson. Even if I think what happened with Alex Georgiev was overblown because skirmishes do happen between teammates, he can’t be that guy if he wants another chance in the NHL. We don’t really know if he’ll get it.
The Lightning didn’t protect Ondrej Palat. He’s the kind of winning player teams love to have. Would Seattle pick him? Or might Julien BriseBois work out a deal involving draft picks so Palat isn’t grabbed? It’s going to be quite interesting as we get closer to Wednesday.
Jaro Halak also wasn’t kept by the Bruins. That isn’t surprising. It was time for Boston to move on. With Jeremy Swayman in the fold, the question becomes will the Bruins bring back Tuukka Rask. He only wants to play for Boston. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to bring the well respected veteran back in a teacher/student role. They also would like to re-sign Taylor Hall and David Krejci.
Came across a rumor involving Ryan Strome to Ottawa. Of course, some fans immediately were excited and proposed Drake Batherson and a late pick. As much as I like Batherson, he isn’t a center. The Rangers aren’t weak at the wing. You trade Strome, the center slot is weakened unless you replace him with say Sam Reinhart. Personally, I’d go into ’21-22 with both Mika Zibanejad and Strome as the 1-2 punch at center. Whatever happens happens.
That’s going to do it for this blog. To follow me, it’s @Dflex2123 on Twitter. See you around.
It’s been more than two months since the Devils season ended and approximately four since their last meaningful game of 2021, waiting for the playoffs to end has felt like just another interminable delay in a year and a half full of them as a hockey fan. However with expansion protection lists due in less than two hours and a trading freeze currently underway, the offseason finally feels like it’s beginning in earnest. Things are starting to happen fast and furious now with the expansion draft itself, the NHL schedule release and the NHL Draft all in the next week and then the beginning of free agency after that.
For the Devils, their first big move of this offseason took place two nights ago when they traded prospect Mikhail Maltsev and a 2nd-round pick (previously an Islanders pick) for defenseman Ryan Graves from Colorado. I was uptown with friends when a buddy texted me about the deal, thankfully he filled me in on who Graves was since I had literally never heard his name before, and had no time to really look anything up. While the value of plus/minus in a player is debatable – personally I think it’s still somewhat valuable, but only in comparing players on the same team – what’s not debatable is that Graves has the highest plus/minus of any player in the NHL since the start of the 2019-20 season. Tom Fitzgerald admitted after the trade that Graves had been a target of his since shortly after taking over the GM job last January. Why not, given Graves is still just 26 and signed through next season? Graves seems like a fine add to me given he was good enough to play a top four role for a contending team, and provides sorely-needed size, physicality and defensive aptitude on our blueline.
Presumably Graves will now be one of the players the Devils will protect on their expansion list, which will likely consist of seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie. At least nine of those positions seem to be set assuming the Devils protect Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen up front, Mackenzie Blackwood in goal and Graves with Damon Severson on the blueline. As with most teams it’ll be the last spot(s) that are the most debateable.
Up front do the Devils protect Andreas Johnsson, coming off a poor year (though for some reason he’s a target to bounce back in the analytics community) with two seasons to go on a quasi-expensive deal or use their last slot on one of their young guns on the fourth line – center Mike McLeod or banging winger Nathan Bastian? McLeod seems marginally more valuable than his young gun counterpart Bastian given his position and chipping in a few more goals, plus his higher draft position probably still gives him more value. Just ask the Flyers, who just traded Nolan Patrick (former #2 overall) in a great deal for Ryan Ellis from Nashville. While not fully tipping his hand on a protection list, the GM actually compared McLeod to himself the other day, admitting he – Fitzgerald – was a first-rounder that didn’t live up to his draft position and had to find another way to carve out a long-term career in the league as a role player. I would probably protect McLeod over Bastian and Johnsson but it’s not a no-brainer considering the GM also acquired Johnsson last year and presumably won’t want to give up on him after one disjointed year.
On the blueline the choice for protection seemed cut and dry until the Graves trade. Now instead of protecting both PK Subban and Jonas Siegenthaler, the Devils will likely expose one to the expansion draft. On talent it’s a no-brainer choice, even with Subban’s meh tenure as a Devil he’s still a clear top four defenseman who’s one of our few vet leaders. Of course the fact Subban’s only signed through this season for $9 million has to factor in too, while again Sigenthaler is a player this GM acquired and just gave a two-year extension to. While I wasn’t impressed with his brief audition last year, it was a tough spot for the young Swiss defenseman after being benched in Washington for much of the season, then getting COVID shortly after coming here to play with a new team and new system, only getting in eight total games in NJ. I get the argument for rolling the dice and exposing Subban but it’s not going to help nearly as much in the short-term just trading off Subban for Graves if the Kraken decide to take him as a face of the new franchise/vet leader. It’s not as if the Devils need the cap space either, they’re not gonna come close to the celing this offseason and Subban’s contract is expiring after that.
My prediction is I’ll be annoyed when Johnsson and Siegenthaler are the last ones protected, and have a mixed reaction when McLeod winds up being taken. Obviously McLeod’s only a fourth-line center at most barring some huge later-career breakout but currently we don’t even have a third-line center, so we’ll probably need to fill those holes in the back six on free agency if that’s the way it plays out. If Subban winds up getting taken that’s a whole new kettle of fish though a big trade or FA signing could alleviate that. With the lists due at 5 PM you would think word would leak out tonight though the actual lists don’t have to be made public until tomorrow morning.
It’s the quiet before the storm. In anticipation of next Wednesday’s Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft on July 21, teams are preparing for a hectic off-season. Each of the 31 teams will lose an unprotected player off their roster to Seattle. The 32nd NHL team will submit their picks at 10 AM next Wednesday. It’ll be revealed at 8 PM on ESPN2.
In less than 48 hours, protection lists are due at 5 PM on Saturday. The transaction freeze goes into effect at 3 PM. Right now, moves are being made in preparation. That includes the re-signing of free agents and buyouts of select players. Trades can also be made.
While there’s been little activity, business will pick up leading up to the weekend. Especially with teams needing to be ready with their protection lists along with who’s available. It helps that certain players are exempt due to their status on an entry level contract.
The Rangers have some decisions to make. Will it be Brett Howden, Julien Gauthier or Colin Blackwell with Kevin Rooney likely available? Anthony Bitetto and Keith Kinkaid will be eligible due to having one more year on their deals. Rooney is also very cheap. A solid fourth line center and penalty killer, he only is due $750,000. That makes him a good candidate to get selected. Who would you keep between Blackwell, Gauthier and Howden? Only Gauthier is a restricted free agent while Blackwell and Howden are under contract. We’ll see what Chris Drury decides.
In team news, the Rangers officially hired Mike Kelly and Gord Murphy as assistant coaches on Gerard Gallant’s staff. They’re still looking to hire one more assistant. Kelly has been with Gallant before In Vegas and Florida. Murphy was an associate head coach in Hartford while briefly filling a role when COVID hit David Quinn and his coaching staff. He’s been an NHL assistant before with the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Flyers.
This is nothing earth shattering. It is just an NHL team filling out their coaching personnel. Who replaces David Oliver? We’ll see. At least goalie coach Benoit Allaire remains with the organization. He’s been instrumental to the goaltending tree that once included Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot, Antti Raanta and currently Igor Shesterkin and Alex Georgiev.
Heck. Even Steve Valiquette benefitted from Allaire’s expertise. Even if his NHL career lasted only 46 games. Thirty-nine came as a Ranger including his best season in ’07-08 when he won five games while posting a 2.19 GAA, .916 save percentage and two shutouts. Now he still references that NHL career during telecasts on MSG Network. You can’t help but chuckle.
The biggest news items so far are the Wild buyouts of twins Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. There’s no reason to rehash it. See Hasan’s piece on the best friends who got those ridiculous 13-year contracts in the summer of 2012. I know all too well how he felt towards Parise for leaving New Jersey following a run to the Stanley Cup Final. Of course, Parise has been linked to the Islanders, who nearly traded for him last year. Given his previous relationship with current Islanders Team President and GM Lou Lamoriello, it would be no surprise if the veteran American signs with the Isles. Their cap situation isn’t great. We’ll see.
In another important news item, Keith Yandle was bought out by the Panthers. After threatening to not play him before the abbreviated 56-game season, coach Joel Quenneville wound up dressing the well respected Yandle for all 56 to continue his consecutive games played streak. A remarkable streak that began on Mar. 26, 2009 continued through the conclusion of the regular season on May 10, 2021. Yandle has played in 922 consecutive games to place second behind NHL record holder Doug Jarvis. His record streak of 964 could be in jeopardy if Yandle finds a team who will play him regularly in ’21-22.
Unfortunately, the 34-year old Yandle fell off in his 15th season. His 27 points (3-24-27) over 56 games were down from the 45 he put up in 69 contests the previous year. One of the best offensive defensemen, Yandle remains effective on the power play where 18 of his 27 points came in his fifth season with the Panthers. Prior to signing with Florida long-term for an average cap hit of $6.35 million, he was a Ranger for over a year. He did well in ’14-15 during the playoffs by producing two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 19 games.
The #FlaPanthers bought out the final 2 years of Keith Yandle's $6.35M Cap Hit Contract, which provides:
After they opted to trade his rights following a disappointing first round exit in 2016, Yandle signed through 2023 with the Cats. With two years remaining and strong indications that they wanted to go in a different direction, they bought out the final two years. The payout is divided over four years:
’21-22 $2,341,667
’22-23 $5,391,667
’23-24 $1,241,667
’24-25 $1,241,667
In related news, Anthony Duclair re-signed with the Panthers for three years, $9 million. It looks like the well traveled former Blueshirt has found a home. Ironically, he was the top prospect they parted with when they acquired Yandle as a two-year rental. Go figure. Duclair had since played for the Coyotes, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets and Senators before landing in Sunrise. Good for him.
In news that must’ve just broke, the Devils have acquired defenseman Ryan Graves from the Avalanche in exchange for forward Mikhail Maltsev and a 2021 second round pick. A solid physical left defenseman who the Rangers never gave a thought to, Graves has turned himself into a good NHL player. Due to a glut in their roster, Colorado wasn’t keeping him. The Devils took advantage to add a quality defenseman, who’ll probably replace Ryan Murray, who can become unrestricted later this month.
Graves, 26, is signed through 2023 at a reasonable AAV of $3.167 million. He can deliver big hits and contribute some offense from the blue line due to his heavy shot. It looks like a decent move by Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald. He did part with a decent player in Maltsev and the number 61 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. I’m sure Hasan will have more about it.
After trading for Graves, the #NJDevils have $31.5M Cap Space with 17 players (9F/6D/2G) on Projected Roster.
It was just over nine years ago – on the fourth of July to be exact – when the Minnesota Wild made a dual signing that sent shockwaves through the NHL, giving big-name free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter matching 13 year, $98 million contracts, which was supposed to mark their first step toward being a true contender. Of course this was before the most recent CBA where contract lengths got capped at eight years and before the format of contracts themselves got adjusted due to a myriad of artificially long deals that made a mockery of the salary cap. Relitigating the fact that the Devils were the only team punished for ‘violating the spirit of the CBA’ on the Ilya Kovalchuk deal is another debate for another blog.
Of course it was nine days after the fourth of July this year, after the shocking dual buyout of Parise and Suter’s contracts in Minnesota where I was reminded of that fateful day in the summer of 2012 that changed the Devils forever. For all the talk about how we were fortunate in avoiding Parise’s contract (more on that in the next paragraph), the on-ice facts are undeniable. New Jersey made the playoffs every year of Parise’s Devils career aside from 2010-11 where he was limited to thirteen games due to injury, and has only made the postseason one time since he left. Obviously plenty of other factors contributed to the franchise’s downfall, but the exodus of star wingers Parise and Kovalchuk in a twelve-month period certainly sped up the franchise’s inevitable decline at the very least.
While it does get tiring hearing that the Devils dodged a bullet not having to sign Parise to that deal, there is some obvious truth to it as evidenced by the fact the Wild saw fit to buy out both him and his bff Suter with four years left on each of their deals and a whopper of a dead cap hit 2-3 years down the road. Parise and Suter were the most infamous buddy package deal in NHL history since Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne’s ill-fated team up on the Colorado Avalanche in the early 2000’s, so it’s oddly fitting they both get their walking papers together. After their obvious (and unpunished) public tampering in the summer of 2012, my heart does not bleed one drop for the cap issues the Wild are going to have based on these buyouts.
–Because both have no-moves, they essentially will get emails from team to waive waivers and become free agents –Wild decided rather than buying out 1, they'd buy out both for $10.33M in cap relief this year and $2.33M in cap relief next. $15+ cap charges in Years 3-4
Even at best, avoiding his deal was a bit of a pyrrhic victory for us though. Sure, it saved us cap space and allowed us to fully bottom out despite the efforts of then-GM Lou Lamoriello to keep the leaky ship afloat. Really if today proved anything though, it’s that nobody benefitted from the events of July 4, 2012 – at least on the ice. Parise and Suter made bank and Zach at least did get to be close to home in his dad’s final years but on the ice, it was a loss for all involved. Obviously our team still hasn’t fully recovered. All Minnesota got for splurging on two deals of a combined 26 years and nearly $200 million was a few first and second-round exits, and no real deep playoff run in their nine years for the Wild. Parise could have had a golden legacy as a Devil who was drafted, developed, became the captain and had a long, distinguished career in one spot – or mostly in one spot at least. Think Patrik Elias, only not quite as productive but with a longer stay as captain and more of a connection to the local fans as an American star.
Splitting his career between New Jersey and Minnesota with only one deep playoff run in a fourteen-year career – and that came as he was on his way out in NJ – leaves Parise’s overall legacy as muddled, although I’m sure he’ll probably hook on with a contender (cough Islanders cough) for a potential last gasp at a Cup. Right this moment though, it’s not too much of a stretch to say Zach is arguably more well remembered for his game-tying goal in the 2010 gold medal game at the Olympics than anything he accomplished as an NHL player, despite a largely distinguished career with nearly 400 goals and almost 800 points.
Despite my anger at Zach at the time for being the captain and ditching us in a disingenuous way right when we had a deep playoff run, I’ve more or less forgiven him. Maybe it’s just the vindictive part of me glad he never found the team success after leaving that so many other ex-Devils have as of late, and now pitying him toward the end of his career after he’s spent much of it in obscurity. Or maybe it’s just the realization it was a good thing he got to spend his dad’s final years near home, though I’m still not sure if it was a known fact he was sick at the time Zach left or if that occurred later. However, I am sure I’ll go back to rolling my eyes at him if (when?) he reunites with Lou in Long Island though. Cap issues and potential angst aside – and as Lou once famously said, ‘don’t worry about my cap’ – it makes too much sense for it not to happen. Parise goes to the team his dad played for, with his former long-time GM and a chance to compete.
That’s next month’s issue though, this blog is more just a reflection on arguably the darkest offseason day in Devils history. Darker than Kovalchuk skipping the country (especially since we dodged a potential long-term contract issue there too), or Bobby Holik and Scott Gomez – among others – prancing across town to take the Rangers money. At least the Devils won a Cup the year after Holik left, though Gomez’s departure definitely led to some short-term pain the next year when the Rangers punked us out of the playoffs. And at least Gomez was long gone by the time we next met our rivals in the postseason again, during the spring of 2012. Ironically both came back to the Devils late in their careers, and after more acrimonious departures than Zach had here. Just more proof that Lou’s all but certain to make a pitch to Parise about going to Long Island.
I don’t even conceive of the possibility of Zach coming back here enough to care one way or another, why would he return here when we’re still a rebuilding team? Especially if he can go play with fellow Devils buddy Travis Zajac (assuming Lou re-ups him too). Either way, hopefully the Devils will start winning again soon so we can stop looking back at the past and have new players and more spring hockey to embrace.
The Tampa Bay Lightning pose for a team photo after repeating as Stanley Cup Champions. The most dominant team this century. Photo by Derek Felix courtesy NBC Sports
It’s already been three days since the Stanley Cup wrapped up. Indeed, Lightning struck twice with the dominant Bolts blanking the Canadiens 1-0 in Game Five to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions at home in front of a near capacity crowd. They got to celebrate this time in front of their fans and it was great to see.
After how the Habs were able to stay alive by winning Game Four on a Josh Anderson overtime winner over four minutes in from Cole Caufield to take it 3-2 at a raucous Bell Centre, the Lightning were intent on finishing them off. They didn’t want to go back to Montreal. Who could blame them. You never want to give a live underdog a chance to believe anything is possible. They made certain there would be no new team joining the 1942 Maple Leafs to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to win the Cup.
How did they do it? In similar fashion to how they responded against the Islanders in the only elimination game they faced in the 2021 NHL Playoffs. In that Game Seven, the relentless Lightning pressed the action and dominated the Islanders in puck possession and shots. The only goal came from Yanni Gourde shorthanded early in the second period on a perfect line change. The Bolts continued to swarm Semyon Varlamov and hardly faced much pressure in their end. It resulted in a fourth consecutive series clinching shutout for Andrei Vasilevskiy, who again won after losing a playoff game.
That theme repeated itself when Vasilevskiy only had to make 22 saves for his fifth shutout in a series clincher dating back to last year. A ridiculous statistic that’ll be hard to match. It shows just how potent the champion Lightning are. They went back-to-back for a big reason. The resilience of the players following losses showed true character. When you can finish off opponents by blanketing them to pitch 1-0 shutouts, it says a lot about what kind of team you are. One for the record books. This time, it was rookie Ross Colton who scored the game’s only goal by tipping in a David Savard feed past Carey Price. Ryan McDonagh set it up. He was dominant throughout the series and had such a good postseason that he finished fourth for the Conn Smythe that went to Vasilevskiy. The Bolts’ most valuable player. Without him, they’re not champs.
The unique aspect that made Tampa so good is that it wasn’t only about the skill guys. We know how great Nikita Kucherov was in leading in playoff scoring with 32 points (8-24-32). Ditto for center Brayden Point, who remained clutch like last year by pacing all scorers with 14 goals including nine straight games with a goal to just miss matching Reggie Leach’s playoff record. Vasilevskiy was locked in and proved he’s the best goalie in the sport. At just 26, he’s already won two Cups and a Vezina. Though to hear Kucherov tell it in a bizarre interview courtesy of Bud Light, Vasilevskiy was the better than the Vegas guy (Marc-Andre Fleury) and the guy in Winnipeg (Connor Hellebuyck). He wasn’t lying there. However, that’s voted on by general managers. It’s the second part of his interview while intoxicated that created fireworks.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has shutouts in the last five #TBLightning series-clinching games. Incredible.
An engaging personality, Kucherov did a lot of celebrating while on the ice, even raising his arms up to his ears as if he were Hulk Hogan. It was obvious he was enjoying himself. So too was Pat Maroon, who must be the good luck charm. He’s now won three Cups in a row, becoming the first player to do it since the Islanders in ’83. Maroon was so pumped, he circled around the ice near the boards and took selfies with joyous fans. It was classic.
Back to Kucherov. With his shirt off in the postgame interview at the table, he went after Montreal fans. He said that he really didn’t want to go back to Montreal. Then he referred to how their fans acted after they won a game. He didn’t hold back saying last series against Vegas was their Stanley Cup. This was priceless. Here you had a star player being brutally honest. Something we rarely see in hockey. This didn’t sit well with the passionate Canadiens’ fans, who went after Kucherov for his remarks. Here’s the thing. Not every fan overreacted to their team’s win. He was referencing fans who crossed the line outside. At the same time, let’s not forget this was their team’s first Stanley Cup appearance in 28 years. You have many new fans who never experienced the Montreal success that includes an NHL record 23 Stanley Cups. The good fans who got excited by the Game Four win don’t deserve that label. But Kucherov was drunk. It just came out.
Nikita Kucherov not holding back in his post-game. Legendary press conference. pic.twitter.com/6hA9KvpgPE
The Habs playoff run began during one of the toughest seasons of my life. Each round they won made each day a little bit easier, a welcome distraction. I am so proud and thankful for this team for being a part of my healing journey. The future is bright #GoHabsGo
Personally, I don’t see the big deal over what he said. It wasn’t what you’d get if Kucherov were sober. He had a little too much fun, even cursing while pondering how many questions he had to answer. I loved what he said about Vasilevskiy. It’s the truth. Anyone who thinks he’s not the Bolts’ most important player is lost. He started every playoff game the past two years to join Ken Dryden, who’s the last to do it. Imagine if Curtis McElhinney had to start a game. He’s the luckiest backup ever. But he got to skate the Cup as did many younger Lightning prospects who they included in the celebration. That kind of memorable experience will be something they won’t forget. With a few Bolts on the way out, that’ll serve as motivation.
Even funnier is that Kucherov signed with Bud Light to drink their beer out of the Stanley Cup. I’m not kidding. Twitter can be a bit chaotic, but occasionally you find the humor in it. I doubt anyone up North will be drinking Bud Light. They’re still riled up over Kucherov. However, look at the bright side. He’s now Public Enemy number one. A new rivalry exists. Games between the Habs and Bolts when they return to the same division will be intense. It’ll be worth watching. Will there be any carryover? It should be interesting.
Hockey fans: “We want players to show more personality in their interviews!”
Regarding the Canadiens, who played well in two of the five games, they have nothing to be ashamed of. Sure. The loss hurts. Whenever you get that far and lose, it isn’t easy to take. They made a great run and should be proud of what they accomplished. Many of us had them dead and buried when they fell behind 3-1 to the Maple Leafs. But they showed a lot of heart coming back to pull it out and again break Toronto hearts. Then swept Winnipeg. Who had the Habs over the Golden Knights? They stifled Mark Stone and held Max Pacioretty to one goal while getting outstanding goaltending from Price to win in six. Artturi Lehkonen played the overtime hero to win Game Six as Bell Centre celebrated along with so many fans going crazy outside. It was a great moment.
No matter what you think about how the Stanley Cup Final turned out, the Lightning still had to earn it by playing their very best game. They say the fourth game (or in this case the 16th) is the hardest to get. They proved they could win any type of game. Whether it be high scoring and unpredictable like the tough challenge they got from the Panthers in the first round, or coming from behind to stun the Hurricanes in a pivotal Game Four before closing the door, these Bolts expertly coached by Jon Cooper never cracked. They could’ve against the resilient Islanders after blowing Game Six and losing on a bad Blake Coleman turnover in overtime. That’s not who they were. They had tremendous character and short memories. The championship pedigree showed up. That’s why they joined the Penguins (’16 and ’17) as the only teams to go back-to-back this century. In my view, they’re the best champion since the powerful Red Wings repeated in ’97 and ’98. The biggest difference is they didn’t lose a single game against the Flyers or Capitals. But Tampa went 8-2 versus Dallas and Montreal.
I also want to single out Cooper’s game management. Without key cog Alex Killorn, he made a wise decision by sticking Colton on the second line and moving Tyler Johnson back to the fourth line. Every move he made worked. Ironic how Johnson did in the Habs earlier in the series when moved up and then it was Colton getting the Cup clincher by getting position on Joel Edmundson to steer in Savard’s feed. The role players excelled. Coleman redeemed himself by scoring clutch goals including the backbreaking game-winner with under two seconds left in the second period of Game Two. Barclay Goodrow assisted on it and also played his checking role well. He will leave as will Coleman due to the Lightning cap situation. Both will get paid. They’re each gritty players who help winners become successful. Johnson will also wind up elsewhere due to his $5 million price tag. He definitely is capable of playing a bigger role elsewhere. Savard will also depart for greener pastures.
Ryan McDonagh is interviewed by NBC reporter Pierre McGuire after winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup. The former Ranger captain made a huge difference throughout the 2021 Playoffs. Photo by Derek Felix
It was nice to hear Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher single out the performance of McDonagh. They praised the consistent defensive work from the former Ranger captain. He truly was at his best paired with underrated physical D Erik Cernak. They were a shutdown tandem, who provided superb work at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. McDonagh also made some good pinches to create offense like he did in NYC. How about that pass to set up a goal in Game Four. He also made the key block and long outlet that led directly to the Gourde shorthanded goal that finished off the Isles. Mac Truck was in beast mode all playoffs. He finished with eight assists and a playoff best plus-18. Good for him winning two Cups. He must think he died and gone to Heaven. From the ridiculous criticism that he wasn’t a good leader as a Ranger, he got moved to a better team where he could play behind Victor Hedman on the second pair. That meant not having to worry about running the power play or carrying the burden like he did on Broadway. McDonagh should send Jeff Gorton a postcard.
You can’t leave out the tremendous leadership from captain Steven Stamkos. Last year was tough for him. He was hurt almost the entire postseason, but had a memorable Stanley Cup moment by scoring a great goal off the rush with a rocket in his only game against the Stars. This time, he was able to participate by finishing with 18 points (8-10-18) while playing on the second line with Cirelli and Killorn before he missed the final four games due to a broken fibula. Astonishingly, he hoped to return and play after getting metal rod inserted during surgery last week. An injury that’ll take three to four weeks for him to do normal things. It didn’t stop him from being on the ice for the celebration and skating the Cup. What a warrior.
Ondrej Palat is often overlooked on this team. A good two-way player who complements Point and Kucherov well, he remains a key part of the consecutive championships. A gritty forward who always battles hard to keep plays alive on the back check, the speedy Palat makes things happen. He can play both power play and penalty kill and is an underrated passer. He doesn’t get the ink of his linemates, but is a steady influence. He was sixth in team scoring with 13 points (5-8-13) and a plus-eight. He was a factor producing a goal and three assists in the Final. As much as Point and Kucherov are discussed for where they were selected, Palat went in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Can you say steal?
Credit the Lightning scouting staff for doing an outstanding job finding such superb players. Imagine passing on Kucherov, who wound up going in the second round of the 2011 Draft number 58. He has a Hart Trophy and led the postseason in scoring during consecutive Stanley Cup championships. This is a special player who’s totaled 547 points in 515 games and put up 127 points in 113 playoff games. He reminded us why he’s in the conversation as one of the game’s best players. Point was stolen in the third round in the 2014 Draft 79th overall. His career numbers in the playoffs are over a point-per-game with an impressive 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 total points in 67 games. A complete first line pivot, who plays a 200-foot game. His regular season marks are proof. He has 310 points (139-171-310) with a plus-75 rating in 351 games. Only 25, he’ll continue to get better.
When the Lightning can count on virtually everyone to contribute including Jan Ruuta (who didn’t work out in Chicago), who paired up with the towering force in Hedman (2-16-18), it says everything. They’re the best T-E-A-M. Even Luke Schenn stepped in for Cernak against the Islanders and Mathieu Joseph filled in admirably on the fourth line when Killorn went down. Cooper moved Colton up and Joseph played with Johnson and the charismatic Maroon. Everyone was part of it.
The Lightning will hold a boat parade on Monday in Tampa. They’ve done it before. It’s definitely unique. But probably cool. Especially cruising with the Cup around the ocean. A bit different from most championship celebrations that include long parade routes. As Cooper noted in an on ice interview, he knows they won’t be the same team next time. But noted how extremely focused they were on winning the Cup for a second consecutive time. He wouldn’t allow anyone to think about it or what lied ahead. The right mentality. A coach with a law degree who got involved coaching high school hockey, he went from being a lawyer to a successful coach who’s won at every level. It’s a pretty good story.
It’s hard to believe there’s no more hockey for another three months. It was a strange feeling with there not being a game on Friday night. However, with the first buyout window here, there certainly will be a flurry of activity in what promises to be an interesting off-season that includes the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft prior to the NHL Draft. There’s sure to be a lot of focus on who GM Ron Francis selects from each team along with trades like we saw Vegas make to their advantage. Each team have tough decisions coming up on who they’ll protect. Then, you have the Draft, free agency and potential trades with Vladimir Tarasenko requesting out of St. Louis. Where will he wind up?
For the Rangers, they’ll have their own decisions to make on who to protect. With the team re-signing Brett Howden to a one-year dehuial worth $885,000. With him signed for a year, will he be left unprotected? You have to think Kevin Rooney and either Howden, Julien Gauthier or Colin Blackwell are the candidates. Personally, I’d like to keep Gauthier due to his combination of size, speed and strength. I believe a coach like Gerard Gallant can get more out of him. If not, then maybe they decide it’s worth retaining Blackwell, who proved he could score goals and win battles while being moved around the lineup.
There is the upcoming restricted free agency of key scorer Pavel Buchnevich. They can decide to keep him past next summer when he could become unrestricted. He’s got some good years ahead. Would a contract around $5.25 million on average over say four to five years get it done? It all depends what’s in new Team President and GM Chris Drury’s plans. What if Matthew Tkachuk really becomes available? With the Rangers lacking that kind of physical forward who can score and drive opponents nuts, they’d have to consider it. But who would be in such a deal? I’m not going to speculate. If Tkachuk switches teams, he’ll help someone.
What about locking up Norris winner Adam Fox? A year away from restricted status, they can extend him this summer which means a long-term contract wouldn’t kick in until ’22-23. It would be wise to get it done now. Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil and Libor Hajek are also RFA’s. So is Gauthier. Do they re-sign him for a similar year like Howden to make him more attractive for Seattle? It’s all about being calculated.
What about Brendan Smith? He was the consummate teammate. A good locker room leader who brought a strong work ethic and did a solid job. Does he want to stay? If not, who could fill that role? It can’t just fall on kids Zac Jones and Nils Lundkvist. They need a veteran defenseman who can play occasionally or perhaps more if Jones and Lundkvist aren’t ready. Nothing should be assumed.
The lack of grit is an area Drury has spoken about addressing. He noticed the physicality during the postseason. It’s that tenacious style that helps teams be successful. Circle Barclay Goodrow as a free agent checking pivot who might be a good fit. The sheer hustle, grit and determination he plays with makes him a coveted player around the league. Casey Cizikas is similar, but his loyalty is with the Islanders. I have to believe he’ll find a way to stay. They don’t have a great cap situation. There’s also Joel Armia, who has the size and speed to make a difference if he isn’t brought back by Montreal. He can score the garbage goals and is a valuable checking forward who’s a strong penalty killer. We can further examine who’s available at a later date.
There’s plenty of time to see what develops. We know the buyout is coming for Tony DeAngelo. A skilled offensive defenseman who will not make anywhere close to what he did this past year. I believe in second chances. I also think John Davidson and Jeff Gorton did him wrong due to David Quinn. Sometimes, stuff happens in the heat of the moment. Players do get into scuffles sometimes. It was unfortunate how it ended after his blowup with Alex Georgiev. A likable backup goalie who should remain in the Big Apple to play behind Shesterkin. I hope he apologized to Georgiev. He never stopped throwing support to his former teammates including congratulating Fox on his Norris win via Instagram. You wonder what’s going to be with DeAngelo, who proved in ’19-20 he could be a big contributor at five-on-five and on the power play. Will a team give him an opportunity to prove himself? There can’t be anymore issues.
These are all stories to follow in the coming weeks. Now that I’ve set it up, it’s time to kick back and make a smoothie while enjoying the end of Wimbledon and tomorrow’s men’s final between Matteo Berrettini and heavy favorite Novak Djokovic along with the big European Championship between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium. Go Italy!
It is with tremendous sadness that we send our heartfelt condolences to the family of Matiss Kivlenieks. The Columbus Blue Jackets goalie was taken tragically on the Fourth of July. He was just 24. RIP Kivi (1996-2021)
Tragedy struck the hockey community on Independence Day. It was revealed yesterday that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks tragically passed away late Sunday night due to a horrible accident involving fireworks in Novi, Michigan. He was only 24.
According to several reports, Kivlenieks was struck while in a hot tub during a Fourth of July party. In addition to chest drama, he suffered internal injuries that led to his tragic death. With more details about the horrible accident, Novi Police Department Lt. Jason Meier indicated that from his investigation, it looked like they lighted a nine shot mortar box. The issue was the box tipped over causing the last two mortars to fire in the direction of Kivlenieks. Kivlenieks tried to scramble out of harms way, but the last shot hit him in the chest.
A two-year NHL pro, Kivlenieks was struck by a fireworks mortar blast that caused chest drama. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The sad tragedy happened while he was at coach Manny Legace’s house celebrating the former NHL goalie’s daughter’s wedding.
It’s an awful way to go. What should’ve been a happy time had by all turned into a sad tragedy. Kivlenieks’ close friend and teammate Elvis Merzlikins also attended the celebration. Both are from Riga, Latvia. It was heartbreaking for Merzlikins, who paid tribute to his friend following the tragedy.
“My little brother, what to say, I really loved you, you were the little brother for me that I took care of,” he expressed on his Instagram that included a photo of the two from that night. “I really love you, I’ll miss you, we had our last basketball game in the pool and we enjoyed before you left me right after.
“We love you and fly high baby, fly high! You saved your last puck! ❤️ You will be our guardian angel R.I.P #80❤️🕯“
It really is an emotional tribute from Merzlikins, who referred to Kivlenieks as Kivi, which was his nickname. Teammates and former teammates paid tribute to Kivlenieks. The NHL showed tremendous support on Twitter. It is gut wrenching to think that a life can be lost in such a haunting way. It was a freak accident. It makes one wonder why. Sometimes, life isn’t fair. It’s a reminder how precious life is.
And thank you to everyone in the hockey world for your support today. We love you, Kivi. pic.twitter.com/LjYiMUBjJH
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 6, 2021
The hockey community always is very strong and close knit when it comes to such tragedies. During last night’s Game Four at Bell Centre prior to puck drop, the Canadiens and Lightning held a moment of silence for Kivlenieks. It sure was emotional. Then, they went out and played a great game won by the Habs on a Josh Anderson goal in overtime to keep his team’s Stanley Cup hopes alive.
"If you knew Matiss, you couldn't help but love the guy, as that ever-present smile always made the day seem a little bit brighter.”
Remembering Matiss Kivlenieks and the joy he brought us all, as told by @JacketsInsider.
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 6, 2021
Stick taps go out to the family of Matiss Kivlenieks along with all the friends and fans he had. It’s hard to believe it was a year and a half ago that I was at MSG with my family to see the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets. It was on the night of Jan. 19, 2020 that Kivlenieks made his NHL debut in net for Columbus. He was giving Merzlikins a rare night off due to Joonas Korpisalo being out for an extended period. What a memorable night that was for him.
It wasn’t hard to remember that his first game came against the Rangers. What I recall most is how well Kivlenieks played. He made 31 saves on 32 shots to backstop the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 win at The Garden. A hard fought game that was won by teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand with 27 seconds left in regulation. He made a lot of good stops to give his team a chance at the come from behind win. So, it was well deserved.
This is the type of guy that Kivi was! An amazing young goalie, and even better person that did everything he could with a smile and never, ever took a second for granted. Thanks for helping us all with that great attitude and smile everyday! Gone too soon my friend, we miss you! https://t.co/qvaHpbeW6x
Seeing all the beautiful tributes to Matiss only further cements what kind of person he was! What a tragic loss for all of us who knew him and I am thinking and praying for his family. Heaven gained a darn good goalie and better person… Just, way too soon. RIP Kivi! 🙏😢❤️ https://t.co/k2XWVXmfYE
It’s just hard to believe he’s gone 18 months later. In ’20-21, Kivlenieks didn’t play in many games for Columbus due to the goalie situation. He was third behind the tandem of Merzlikins and Korpisalo. After spending much of the season on the Taxi Squad, he started consecutive games against the Red Wings on 5/7 and 5/8. After losing the first one, he won the second start making 33 saves on 37 shots. It was his second career NHL win. As it turned out, he won the first and last start of a career cut short by an unfortunate tragedy.
It’s really a shame. With Columbus expected to move on from either Merzlikins or Korpisalo, next season was going to be Kivlenieks’ chance as a backup. There is nothing else to say. It hurts just thinking about it. Our hearts go out to Matiss Kivlenieks’ family and inner circle. Rest easy. Fly high in the sky. You lived your dream.
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