EXPECT LOTS OF WHEELING AND DEALING IN DAYS AHEAD
From the plan in Vegas to the Stars’ pick, lots of juicy angles emerged from the NHL Scouting Combine. Here’s seven things Mike Zeisberger learned at the combine, which ended this weekend in Buffalo, N.Y.
LET’S MAKE A DEAL
With NHL general managers having spent almost as much time talking trade with each other as they did interviewing draft prospects, many predicted the next four weeks could be as frenzied as we’ve ever seen in the modern day NHL in terms of transactions. The ingredients creating this perfect storm for wheeling and dealing:
A salary cap expected to increase by no more than US$2 million to US$3 million for 2017-18, with the possibility still looming it might remain flat.
A significant number of teams looking to move bloated contracts, especially with the aforementioned cap situation.
The most liberal transaction rules ever associated with an expansion draft.
The jockeying by teams to keep the incoming Vegas Golden Knights from taking certain players who don’t appear on protected lists.
An entry draft that could be as wide open as we’ve seen since 2010, with very little consensus among the experts after the first few picks.
The opening of free agency on July 1.
THREE’S COMPANY
After confirming he doesn’t expect to move up or down from the No. 6 pick, Vegas general manager George McPhee said “our research has shown there hasn’t been a lot of trading in the top 10 within the past five or six years.”
If there is a deal to be made at the top end of the draft, look no further than the third overall pick held by the Dallas Stars. Already possessing another firstround selection from the Patrick Eaves deal with the Anaheim Ducks, Stars general manager Jim Nill is open to swapping the No. 3 spot, preferably for an established defenceman.
With Vancouver GM Jim Benning kicking tires on trading up, the question becomes: Is there a match between the Canucks and Stars?
If Nill stands pat, many mock drafts have Finnish defenceman Miro Heiskanen going to Dallas. Heiskanen is considered by many scouts to be the top available blue-liner.
DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCY
Privately, general managers are frustrated at the depletion of potential blue-line help on the trade market due in part to the long-term shoulder labrum injuries of Ducks defencemen Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen, who both will be out a minimum five months.
The Ducks, Nashville Predators and, to a lesser extent, Minnesota Wild were thought to have depth on the back end that could be moved, with the Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs among those who actively want to address the position. Now, because of Anaheim’s banged-up blue-line, the Ducks are not expected to be active on that front.
COACHING CAROUSEL
With the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers still in the market for coaches, the intrigue surrounding Predators assistant coach Phil Housley continues to gain traction.
With both teams wanting to have a bench boss in place by the NHL entry draft in Chicago on June 23 and 24, they’ll have to act quickly once the Nashville-Pittsburgh Stanley Cup final is done.
The buzz in Buffalo is Housley’s ties with the Sabres dating back to his playing days in the Queen City might make it a preferred landing spot. Penguins assistant Rick Tocchet is also a strong candidate, given his relationship with new GM Jason Botterill dating back to their days together in Pittsburgh.
SUBSTANCE OVER SIZZLE
Those betting that McPhee will look to bring in splashy names to sell tickets in Sin City can guess again.
“The face of our franchise will be our logo,” McPhee said. “That’s the way we’re going to try and do things — be teamcentric. We’ll get as many good players as we can, but as we all know it’s about building the right team and the right chemistry and all those cliches, but it’s real. We don’t feel the need to go get names.”
McPhee said he could start making trades as early as Monday.
JERSEY BOYS
New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero holds the top pick, and he understands there isn’t a Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews in the 2017 draft. But in Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, Shero sees kids who can augment a core led by Taylor Hall.
As for the possibility of Ilya Kovalchuk returning to the NHL from the KHL, Shero said the next move belongs to the player and his camp. The Devils control his NHL rights until April 15, 2018, when turns 35. If Kovalchuk wants to sign with another team before that, he would need approval from all 31 NHL teams. While that possibility is far-fetched, Shero could sign Kovalchuk then trade him.
“I can’t go out calling teams because that’s a waste of my time,” Shero said. “He’s going to tell (us) where he wants to play, and in the end, if that does work out and it’s not the Devils, then I’ve got to see if that makes sense for us to do that.”
Shero also said he is not actively looking to move goalie Cory Schneider.
PUTTING THE D IN DRAFT
This was supposed to be a weak draft in terms of defence, but a number of blue-liners have worked their way up the boards of various teams including the likes of Heiskanen, Cale Maker, Henri Jokiharju, Urho Vaakanainen, Robin Salo and Juuso Valimaki.
“(There is) a lot of variety and a lot of versatility. It depends on what type of player you’re looking for,” NHL director of Central Scouting Dan Marr said.