Nichols' Notes
/Related: Nichols' Notes (June 19)
Related: Trade Watch: Jason Spezza Edition
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What will the Canucks do with the No. 6 overall pick in Friday's draft? The Vancouver Sun's Elliott Pap takes a look at some possibilities.
“I think a big part of this is going to be predicated on what happens, or doesn’t happen, with Ryan Kesler,” said TSN's Craig Button. “I think it is going to be a factor in what type of player they take. If they trade Kesler, do they get a younger centre back?”
Button continued.
“Jim Benning is very open-minded. He likes skill and he’s never been fussy about if you’re big, or if you’re small, but I don’t know how you can’t look at what’s happening in the Pacific Division. If bigger players are available, how could you take a smaller player?”
Brian Costello of The Hockey News offers his thoughts on potential targets for the Canucks with the No. 6 selection in the article as well.
If you can't get enough draft talk, The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson has another look at high-end prospects Aaron Ekblad, Leon Draisaitl, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart. Comments come from NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, Edmonton Oilers chief scout Stu MacGregor, former Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger, and Al MacInnis. Yes, that one. A recent quote from Brian Burke is used as well.
Journal writer Jim Matheson has a Q&A with Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish.
On if he feels the Florida Panthers will trade that No. 1 overall pick that Dale Tallon has openly been shopping:
"I’m not so sure. They definitely will if they get what they want. The rumour is the guy they want isn’t in the top four."
On if Sam Gagner has asked for a trade:
"No. Sam’s of really good character. He’s coming off a disappointing season from our perspective and his perspective, but I’m certainly not discounting the effect of the slash to the face and the broken jaw at the start. He missed training camp and a month of the season. He came back quickly. We were in such a poor state that he really felt the need to come back and turn things around. He had a hard time recovering from it, which is understandable. We fully expect he’ll have a bounce-back year. Players normally do. He had such a good lockout year."
MacTavish also mentions the Oilers did try for Antti Raanta before he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, he suggests Darnell Nurse will "be very close" this year and has a number of comments on prospects and players in the organization.
John Thornton, the agent for San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton, told TVA Sports' Louis-André Larivière on Sunday that despite all of the reported interested in his client from around the NHL "San Jose is the only team on his list."
The agent also hinted at what he's recently said, that Joe Thornton - who holds a full no-movement clause in his contract - would consider leaving if he felt the fans of San Jose didn't want him there.
The Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford indicates St. Louis Blues UFAs Steve Ott, Brenden Morrow, Derek Roy, and Carlo Colaiacovo are expected to hit the market without a deal - although that doesn't necessarily mean any of them wouldn't be signed after July 1. It was already announced Ryan Miller would not be signed.
No deals are imminent for RFAs Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka or Jaden Schwartz. On the RFA front specifically, GM Doug Armstrong is holding off for the moment.
“I want to make sure we have the ability to make player acquisitions at the draft," said Armstrong. "Our payroll has consistently climbed due to the success of our team. Right now we have enough dollars to make it, (but) we’re going to sign all of our restricted free agents. So that pushes you to an area where you want to make sure if you’re going to get into the free-agent pool, you have the cap space and dollar space to do that.”
There are Armstrong quotes in the article on a number of those players mentioned.
AZCentral.com's Sarah McLellan examines the expected increase in the budget of the (may as well start writing it now) Arizona Coyotes and how that will impact roster decisions going forward.
Interesting observation from head coach Dave Tippett on the consequences a losing atmosphere can have on the home front.
"I didn't realize until after my kids left how much my emotions ruled the house up and down," Tippett said. "Both wrote essays in college how much the emotion of winning and losing affected our household, playing and coaching, and when you lost a game, they just hoped you played again soon so we could get out of this mood."
The Inquirer's Sam Carchidi takes a look at how Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall wants to improve the team's draft pipeline.
"My philosophy is to draft the best player," Hextall said. "Typically with these kids, you're looking three, four, five, six years down the road before they're going to make a big impact. Your team changes so much between now and then that to sit and say ‘we need this position or that position’ is irrelevant.”
With all of the trade buzz going on these days, this video gem from before the trade deadline is worth revisiting: How to be an NHL Hockey Insider. Pure awesomeness.
"It's the Internet. You don't need a source. You're an INSIDER!"
If you love a good Brian Burke quote, this offering from The Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery is loaded with them. Gold. They were from a Wednesday charity event supporting Facing Off against LGBTQ bullying and the last half of the article has some quality, from-the-heart thoughts from the exec in that realm.
On the New York Rangers vs. the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final: "The fact is, they weren’t big or ugly enough. That’s my view from watching it. It was like gladiators against civilians.”
Burke reflects on his time with the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks and expands on his well-known thoughts related to the size of a team. The delineation, which is often under-noted when referencing Burke's views on this topic, is that he does value stars and skill in addition to beef.
Burke underscores the importance of the draft in a hard cap sports world and believes anticipated movement in the first round of the coming draft means "we're in for a circus right until the draft starts."
He also notes this of his Calgary Flames, with the No. 4 overall pick: "If we sit there with our thumb up our ass, we’ll get a good player."
Several good notes from Columbus Dispatch writer Aaron Portzline's Sunday morning draft-related article.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen is waiting on the Anaheim Ducks to inform him whether or not they'll defer a conditional second round pick - which can be used by the Ducks this year or next year - to Columbus.
“I’ve been trying to poke Bob Murray, but he won’t tell me,” Kekalainen said.
The pick was acquired in the Marian Gaborik trade, but was originally Toronto's. The Leafs dealt it to Anaheim, who traded it to Los Angeles (along with the condition), who then passed it along to Columbus. Murray has until just before the start of the draft to let Kekalainen know the status of the pick.
Also from that article was a note that the Blue Jackets, who own the 16th overall pick, didn't fly any in any prospects for private interviews.
“When you’re in the middle of the first round, trying to target four or five players who are going to be there is tough,” Kekalainen said. “Plus … we think we know who is going to be there at our spot. But we’d rather not give the rest of the league an idea of what we’re thinking.”
The Tampa Tribune's Erik Erlendsson reports the Lightning will NOT be qualifying Anders Lindback, which means he'll become an unrestricted free agent. GM Steve Yzerman says Lindback remains a possibility for the team's back-up job during free agency.
Newsday's Arthur Staple reports the New York Islanders are looking to trade their No. 5 overall pick in next weekend's draft to find a first line left winger to play with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo or a top-pairing defenseman.
Staple also indicates sources tell him Garth Snow called Griffin Reinhart last week to assure him that despite rumours to the contrary, Snow will NOT be trading Reinhart.
In describing how the Rangers' extra cap space earned following the buyout of Brad Richards is likely to mostly be used on keeping the team's own roster intact, rather than bringing in a new high-end free agent, The New York Post's Larry Brooks also indicates that it sounds like the Rangers have allotted around $4 million per season for three or four years to keep Anton Stralman. The team is also expected to pass on qualifying Justin Falk.
Brooks also lays out the case that the only way the team would get in on someone like Paul Stastny, Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, or Eric Staal would be if management believed the Rangers could win the Cup with Derick Brassard as its second line center... and there has been no indication of any lack in faith of their own pivot.
Excellent article from The Star Tribune's Michael Russo on the prism through which Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold views his GM, Chuck Fletcher, looking at both successes (of which there have been many) and failures (like Cam Barker, for which Fletcher takes full responsibility).
Here's just a taste of the article, with Leipold reflecting on initially hiring Fletcher.
Fletcher’s outward appearance is what Leipold calls “Ivy League conservative.” But in 2009, what Leipold kept hearing from Ray Shero, the former Pittsburgh Penguins GM who strongly recommended his right-hand man, is that Fletcher had a great sense of humor and was aggressive.
That first interview, it was clear to Leipold that Fletcher “thought outside the box and was incredibly prepared.” But Leipold didn’t see that personality come out until a second interview over dinner.
“You could see a different side of him, and I was sold,” Leipold said. “Now, I never saw this maverick guy that would do the big trades. But clearly he’s not afraid to pull the trigger, and I love that in him. He listens to input from his great staff, and when he’s ready to do it, he goes, ‘Let’s do it.’ He’s got guts.”
Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis shares with Chip Alexander of The News & Observer that as he looks ahead to the summer and next season, “I don’t foresee a major makeover. We’ve got some pretty good pieces in place. I know it’s frustrating we haven’t made the playoffs in five years. We finished just outside by 10 points, which is one win a month over the course of the season.
“We may do some things but we feel we have a pretty good group here that can compete and win, so there’s no real need at this point to make a major overhaul, in my eyes.”
The article has Francis' thoughts on compliance buyouts, potential trades, qualifying RFAs and their own UFAs.
The Calgary Flames' web site interviews GM Brad Treliving, with a focus on the upcoming NHL draft. He's also asked about high-end prospect Johnny Gaudreau.
“You look at Johnny and what he’s been able to do at the collegiate level coming into the world championships and had what I thought was a tremendous tournament. But again, this is a guy who has never been through an NHL training camp, has played one NHL game at the end of the season. So again, we want to let him be 20. There’s a process to being an NHL player and again, we want to set expectations accordingly. This is a young player that’s got to go through some steps and go through a training camp and all of those things that go along with it.
“It’s an exciting time. When you can have young players like that, who we think can have upside to be real good players for our organization going forward it’s exciting. But I also want to caution everybody these are young people and let’s let them grow and mature accordingly.”
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has more details on the situation between the Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers concerning UFA Nikita Nikitin.
It was sometime Thursday that GM Jarmo Kekalainen gave the Oilers a 48-hour window to negotiate with Nikitin's camp. The Blue Jackets will get a fifth round pick if the Oilers sign the defenseman, but it won't cost the Oilers anything if no agreement is reached.
Another important note: NHL sources told Portzline that multiple teams have asked about Nikitin, and this window with the Oilers doesn't preclude the Blue Jackets from giving another team permission to speak with his camp.
Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail caught up with Flames GM Brad Treliving, who talks about his first few months on the job and gives some thoughts on the upcoming draft.
In terms of what's ahead in the coming weeks with free agency, the draft and trades?
“If you’re asking, ‘Could this be a wow summer in the NHL?’ I think the answer is yes,” said Treliving. “I don’t remember a spring as volatile as this one – where you have a bunch of new guys like me, trying to figure out what’s going on internally in their organizations.
“The system now, when you talk about a cap going up to where it’s being speculated being at, it lends itself to being a busy, active summer.”
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, via Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith, categorizes his talks with Ryan Callahan's camp as "really good discussions."
"We still have some time," Yzerman said. "We'd really like to keep Ryan in the organization, and we're going to continue to work. I'd like to get a deal done before he reaches free agency."
Yzerman also discusses the back-up goaltending situation and has more on the Lightning's RFAs.
The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran looks ahead to the next few weeks of intense NHL action, with trades, free agency and the draft dominating the landscape. Quite a bit of speculation on a number of those topics around the league in the article.
On the topic of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane's pending contract extensions with the Chicago Blackhawks, which can be signed as early as July 1, McGran writes "Both are expected to sign for $12 million a season — smashing through the $9.54-million cap hit record established by Alex Ovechkin. If they do, the Hawks would still in theory leave money on the table. The max either could sign for — 20 per cent of the cap — would be about $14 million."
In Bruce Garrioch's latest offering on the crowded centre market slowing down the Ottawa Senators in the effort to move Jason Spezza, Garrioch indicates Ryan Kesler only wants to go to the Pittsburgh Penguins or Chicago Blackhawks.
If you missed it earlier, incidentally, the Vancouver Canucks have not yet given up hope of keeping Kesler. Scroll down and see the Trevor Linden interview.
Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi had a forthright chat with Mike Richards, following which the team decided to NOT exercise its right to buy the forward out from his contract. The Times' Lisa Dillman has the story with some great quotes from Lombardi.
"The biggest thing in the meeting with Michael - the important thing - is that he realized he’s going to have to make some adjustments in his offseason training," Lombardi said on Friday in an interview with The Times.
"He’s 29. In his prime. So it’s not as though the dropoff should be related to age. But players need to realize when you start getting 27, 28 -- you can’t train, can’t prepare like you use to when you were 22 or 23."
Sportsnet.ca's Luke Fox chatted with Curtis Joseph. The former NHLer shared his thoughts on what the Toronto Maple Leafs should do with RFA James Reimer, seeing peers like Brendan Shanahan and Trevor Linden become high-ranking team execs, the Vancouver Canucks' handling of Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider, and how Jason Spezza or Joe Thornton might fare with the St. Louis Blues.
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray was on Hockey Night in Canada radio on Thursday. He gave an update on his health, thoughts of how close retirement will be, whether or not he'd want to stay involved in hockey after his career, how things went down in Edmonton at the end, and more.
Via Pierre LeBrun's Friday Rumblings blog:
Paul Stastny's agent, Matt Keator: "Paul has been open about the fact he wants to stay in Denver," Keator said Friday. "We will keep talking with Joe throughout the process and give them every chance to retain Paul. We will meet next week and see where things go."
The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly intrigued on the Joe Thornton front, but LeBrun says other than a very preliminary discussion, there hasn't been much done there.
LeBrun also notes the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues have talked to the Vancouver Canucks about Ryan Kesler and Ottawa Senators on Jason Spezza, and that the price is set too high on each centre.
Vancouver Canucks exec Trevor Linden joined Team 1040 Friday morning. On Ryan Kesler, here's what Linden offered...
On if there's a timeline:
"Well, for us there's not a timeline. Obviously I have a good relationship with Ryan. I played with him and I think very highly of him as a player and what he brings, so... I've been in constant communication with Ryan and we're working through some things."
What can you tell us about a deal? We're hearing Pittsburgh, we're hearing Anaheim. All of that's out there. What can you tell us?
"I can't tell you a lot Dave. Obviously we're working with Ryan. Obviously to make a situation work for both sides and that involves many options. So other than that, I don't want to get too far down that path. I think it's detrimental to the process and to Ryan and to what we're talking about.
What is the priority in terms of what you get back? Is it draft picks, prospects, current players?
"Obviously we've talked at length internally, but we haven't completely resigned ourselves that's the path we're going to go down. With Jim being there, obviously he has a real vision of what he wants and, you know, Jim likes Ryan as a player - so we're not totally at the point where we're down one path or another. We're still looking at all options."