Schneider, Letang, Bolland, Draft, McCarron, Nurse, Monahan
SCHNEIDER
-Well, that was an interesting one. With names like Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones dominating the draft floor, the New Jersey Devils pulled off a heist behind the scenes and traded the 9th overall pick for Cory Schneider. It's very possible that Cory Schneider was the best acquisition of the draft, because of his sky high potential as an elite No.1 goalie. The Devils won't have a goalie problem for a good ten years if everything goes to plan, and a year with a Martin Brodeur/Cory Schneider tandem should provide for an easy transition for Cory. Lou Lamoriello once again showed the world why he's one of the best GM's in the NHL.
-Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Mike Gillis basically gave away his No.1 goalie. Was he correct to deal Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo? Yes, but not for the little return they got back. Bo Horvat is going to be a good two-way center who could be a Canuck for years and years, but the pressure on him to succeed will be enormous in order to justify this trade. I understand Vancouver didn't want to trade within their own division, but they had an opportunity to almost fleece a rookie general manager in Craig MacTavish and instead demanded for more than their asking price, which made Edmonton back off. Even just trading for Edmonton's pick alone would have given them a slightly better return. You could argue that the LA Kings got more in their Jonathan Bernier trade, because at least Frattin can help out the Kings immediately. Mike Gillis really couldn't poach a 2nd rounder from New Jersey as well? What if Gillis just demanded for Adam Henrique? I think New Jersey would have at least had to think about that one.
-The focus will now shift onto Roberto Luongo, who has been told for an entire year that he would be getting a fresh start because he was no longer the starter. After negotiations that involved picks and players like Tyler Bozak, who would have guessed that not only would Luongo still be a Canuck on July 1, 2013, but also would be their starter again? I wonder if Roberto will request a trade. It's going to be a media distraction show around Luongo when the season starts and who knows if he wants to be coached by John Tortorella. It's possible his agent asks for a buyout as well, which would put Vancouver in the goalie market. If he really wanted to stick it to the Canucks, he'd retire and screw Vancouver with the cap hit, but he's a competitive guy and he just wants to be a No.1 goalie with a fresh start, and I don't know if that comes in Vancouver or somewhere else.
-When was the last time the Canucks, a team with a contending window that's closing, traded for the future? Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian, which has been a win for Buffalo so far.
-Vancouver actually has some great goalie prospects behind Roberto Luongo, and this trade will help those guys a lot. Eddie Lack can learn a few things from Luongo if he stays and the newly signed Joacim Eriksson has a lot of promise.
-Are David Booth and Keith Ballard amnesty buyouts coming soon? There seem to be a lot of reasons now to have a strong case to fire Mike Gillis.
-Despite all of the negatives spewed from this deal, Vancouver did steal a wonderful pick in the draft with Hunter Shinkaruk. I had him ranked as my eleventh best prospect in the draft, and they get him at pick 24.
LETANG
-The Penguins really overpaid here. His 7.25M cap hit is going to cripple the Penguins from ever being able to add enough depth on the team to win a Stanley Cup. The Penguins had enough defense prospects to live with the loss of Letang and the package they could have received in return would have been hefty you'd think. Pittsburgh is going to bank on more of a one-dimensional D-man for eight years and hope he doesn't get injured and also hope that their main stars don't get hurt, because they won't have enough depth to replace them. Pittsburgh must be thinking that the salary cap will increase enough for them to fit in a full team in the future. Don't forget, they haven't done anything with their goaltending and that's arguably part of the team's Achilles heal, although they don't plan on doing anything either. Pittsburgh, starting in 2014-15, will have 44.3M tied up in 7 players (Crosby, Malkin, Martin, Letang, Fleury, Neal, and Kunitz). Ray Shero has created some doubt in himself here.
-Note this deal isn't finalized yet, so maybe something goes in a weird direction.
-Meanwhile, Montreal started shivering as P.K. Subban's value just shot up. The Norris nominated Letang gets 7.25, so how about the winner? (Not saying they deserved those nominations for two-way play...)
BOLLAND
-Toronto picks up a two-time Stanley Cup winner and Memorial Cup winner who will help show the dressing room what it takes to become a champion. A guy who's only 27, who's hard to play against, from Ontario, only cost Toronto three picks. Bolland has heart, PK skills, faceoff credibility, grit and the ability to play important minutes for your team to protect a lead, the ideal third line center. He only has one year left on his deal, but I think Toronto will want to offer him an extension to stay longer. He didn't have as big of a role in this year's cup run (other than the golden goal), but he was instrumental in shutting down the Sedin twins in several playoff series wins against Vancouver.
-This deal is also good for Chicago. Those three picks helped the Blackhawks stock the cupboard with more young talent and also gave more cap space to help them re-sign Bryan Bickell.
-Toronto is definitely not done. They have a solid center core down the middle (Grabovski, Kadri, Bolland and McClement) but they could still use a No.1 C, which explains why they made a pitch for Vincent Lecavalier. I'd imagine they'd shop Tyler Bozak's rights before July 5 and I do believe they'll go hard for David Clarkson if he hits the open market, or Nathan Horton if Clarkson doesn't work out. In a UFA market where centers aren't plentiful, Toronto got one for a nice price and will now try and trade one for a nice little return. Toronto has cap space to keep Bozak and MacArthur, but I expect both of them will be leaving Toronto shortly. (Note, Grabovski could rebound, but they can shift him to wing and hope for the best with that situation They could buy him out, but only if they knew they could get that No.1 C). Toronto could also use some D help.
DRAFT
-Colorado made the right choice in Nathan MacKinnon, the Oilers finally selected a d-man (and a good one at that), the Flames finally got a future top six center, and many kids had their dreams come true.
-Barkov looked really confused to go 2nd to Florida, whereas Seth Jones looked pissed to go to Nashville.
-What a nice end to the draft, big props to Dean Lombardi for trading a pick to NJ so that Martin Brodeur could pick his son, Anthony Brodeur. It was a moment that put a smile on everyone's face.
MCCARRON
-Montreal really impressed me with their draft, for the second year in a row. Mike McCarron is a big, gritty winger who can crash and bang, provide toughness, and chip in goals. He's exactly what Montreal needs, and when he's ready to play in the NHL, he'll be the answer to Milan Lucic in Boston. They also grabbed Zachary Fucale, the best goalie in the draft, and they drafted four players who I'm big fans of. I had Jakob de la Rose ranked 25 on my list, and all three of Sven Andrighetto, Martin Reway and Arturri Lehkonen have top six forward potential and sick hands.
NURSE
-Edmonton grabs a guy with a great attitude and work ethic, who punishes people in the corners and plays a mean game. Darnell Nurse is exactly what the Oilers needed and is a wonderful first pick by Craig MacTavish. There are some scouts who believe that if Nurse finds his untapped offensive potential, he could rival Seth Jones as the best D-man in the draft. Nurse will be the future partner to Justin Schultz, and he adds to a wonderful defensive prospect pool in Edmonton that includes Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, David Musil, Martin Gernat, Taylor Fedun, newly signed Anton Belov, and even RFAs Alex Plante and Colten Teubert, who may or may not be qualified.
-It was a good move by Craig MacTavish to not overpay for Cory Schneider's services. Schneider is good, but it's arguable that Devan Dubnyk could be just as good if he had better defensive support in front of him than he does now. Craig MacTavish will be a busy man in the next week or two, because there are lots of holes to fill and the pressure is on to make the playoffs.
MONAHAN
-Jay Feaster had a good day today at the draft. Sean Monahan is a great player who will pay dividends for Calgary as long as they don't rush him into the league. Monahan is a future 70 point, first or second line center who will be the captain of the Calgary Flames, who is very comparable to Patrice Bergeron. A line with Monahan and Sven Baertschi will be a deadly one in the future when the rebuild starts coming together.
-I was dumbfounded when Calgary passed on the local kid, Hunter Shinkaruk, and I think it was a stupid move by Jay Feaster, but I understand that obviously the Flames scouting staff must have really liked Emile Poirier and must have known that he wasn't going to be available at pick 28. Poirier is a speedy player who can score goals, and he does have a size advantage on Shinkaruk, and that could have played a key factor. Regardless, all three of Monahan, Poirier and Klimchuk are solid offensive talents at forward.
-The Flames will have a nice amount of cap space for Friday if they want to make some moves, and I bet they will try to continue moving Mike Cammalleri, ideally for picks but like I said, they have cap room.
FALK
-This made everyone very happy, because we were thirsty for some sort of trade. Thanks Fletcher and Sather!
SMITH
-Phoenix had to pay a steep price to keep their No.1 goalie, and I don't think it's worth it. He isn't a bad goalie, but the success he has had is definitely in part to the system that Dave Tippett has implemented. Too much money at a 5.6M cap hit, but I guess the NHL won't mind paying for it...
CLUTTERBUCK/NIEDERREITER
-The Islanders win the deal looking at this today, as they receive a player who brings it every single night. If I'm any team in the Eastern Conference, I'd definitely be scared of having to face a line with the two most frequent hitters in the NHL in Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin. Ultimately, the Wild may end up winning this deal, because Nino Niederreiter has some great potential, and it should be interesting to see how well he does and where he's slotted in the lineup.
LAZAR
-The Senators took a nice safe pick in Lazar, and he'll be a great future No.2 two-way C for the Sens, or for another team if he ends up being traded. The Sens passed on Anthony Mantha, and Mantha may end up being better, but Lazar's tenacity and knack to score goals will make him a strong player in his own right.
-I think Ottawa should consider making a big splash. There are some good centers who can help Ottawa win now who are UFAs (Derek Roy, Daniel Briere, Mike Ribeiro etc.) and Bobby Ryan is the power winger the Sens desperately need for their top six. The Senators have the young assets to make a deal, and I believe they should consider it.
GAUTHIER
-A great pick with a ton of potential who can play a strong defensive game. He's big, he has speed, and I'd compare him to a poor man's Eric Lindros or Joe Thornton when he's playing his best hockey. I would have preferred Hunter Shinkaruk personally for the Leafs, but Gauthier is right up Randy Carlyle's alley.
SEKERA/MCBAIN DEAL
-Buffalo wins this trade. Jamie McBain and a 2nd round pick is a nice haul for Darcy Regier. Sekera is a very inconsistent D-man, who will have flashes of brilliance and then just absolute horror, shift by shift. I'm not sure if he's much of an upgrade, at least in terms of a 2nd rounder, over Jamie McBain.
BICKELL
-Can you say overpaid? The David Bolland trade was a good one for Chicago to get the cap space they needed, but 4M is way too high for a player who has had one good playoffs on a line with big name talent like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. I like Bickell and I like the power game he brings to the Blackhawks, so I hope he lives up to the deal, but 3M maximum would have been a lot better for Chicago.
KENNEDY
-The Sharks made a nice move by picking up Kennedy for a 2nd rounder, which gives them more depth for their third line (how annoying, Torres and Kennedy together...). This is an example of a move that Pittsburgh makes because of the impending numbers game they have created for themselves.
MORRISSEY AND FROLIK
-The Jets could have traded down to make this pick, but Morrissey has upside and he's a good prospect. I was shocked when the Jets didn't draft a forward, but they did pick up a few gems later in the draft like Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and J.C. Lipon of Canadian world junior fame. Many people compare Morrissey to a poor man's Duncan Keith, so we'll see if that's the case.
-Winnipeg certainly is a team to watch. Not a team who will mortgage their future, but a team who isn't re-signing Antropov, Wellwood or Hainsey and will be active this week. The Jets will look to some cheaper UFAs to help their forward depth, but this is the list of D-men in their system: Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey, Mark Stuart, Paul Postma, Zach Redmond. Does something have to give here? Winnipeg is dying for a centerman to play with Evander Kane, because Olli Jokinen certainly isn't it.
-Speaking of Kane, the Jets acquired Michael Frolik for mere picks, and it's a great deal for them. Frolik was on the 4th line in Chicago but he has enough skill to chip in goals and I wonder if he ends up in the Jets top six. Even if he doesn't, I really like this pick-up for their PK as well.
-Throwing it out there, I don't see a scenario where Evander Kane is traded. That's just dumb.
Thanks for reading!
-Well, that was an interesting one. With names like Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones dominating the draft floor, the New Jersey Devils pulled off a heist behind the scenes and traded the 9th overall pick for Cory Schneider. It's very possible that Cory Schneider was the best acquisition of the draft, because of his sky high potential as an elite No.1 goalie. The Devils won't have a goalie problem for a good ten years if everything goes to plan, and a year with a Martin Brodeur/Cory Schneider tandem should provide for an easy transition for Cory. Lou Lamoriello once again showed the world why he's one of the best GM's in the NHL.
-Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Mike Gillis basically gave away his No.1 goalie. Was he correct to deal Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo? Yes, but not for the little return they got back. Bo Horvat is going to be a good two-way center who could be a Canuck for years and years, but the pressure on him to succeed will be enormous in order to justify this trade. I understand Vancouver didn't want to trade within their own division, but they had an opportunity to almost fleece a rookie general manager in Craig MacTavish and instead demanded for more than their asking price, which made Edmonton back off. Even just trading for Edmonton's pick alone would have given them a slightly better return. You could argue that the LA Kings got more in their Jonathan Bernier trade, because at least Frattin can help out the Kings immediately. Mike Gillis really couldn't poach a 2nd rounder from New Jersey as well? What if Gillis just demanded for Adam Henrique? I think New Jersey would have at least had to think about that one.
-The focus will now shift onto Roberto Luongo, who has been told for an entire year that he would be getting a fresh start because he was no longer the starter. After negotiations that involved picks and players like Tyler Bozak, who would have guessed that not only would Luongo still be a Canuck on July 1, 2013, but also would be their starter again? I wonder if Roberto will request a trade. It's going to be a media distraction show around Luongo when the season starts and who knows if he wants to be coached by John Tortorella. It's possible his agent asks for a buyout as well, which would put Vancouver in the goalie market. If he really wanted to stick it to the Canucks, he'd retire and screw Vancouver with the cap hit, but he's a competitive guy and he just wants to be a No.1 goalie with a fresh start, and I don't know if that comes in Vancouver or somewhere else.
-When was the last time the Canucks, a team with a contending window that's closing, traded for the future? Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian, which has been a win for Buffalo so far.
-Vancouver actually has some great goalie prospects behind Roberto Luongo, and this trade will help those guys a lot. Eddie Lack can learn a few things from Luongo if he stays and the newly signed Joacim Eriksson has a lot of promise.
-Are David Booth and Keith Ballard amnesty buyouts coming soon? There seem to be a lot of reasons now to have a strong case to fire Mike Gillis.
-Despite all of the negatives spewed from this deal, Vancouver did steal a wonderful pick in the draft with Hunter Shinkaruk. I had him ranked as my eleventh best prospect in the draft, and they get him at pick 24.
LETANG
-The Penguins really overpaid here. His 7.25M cap hit is going to cripple the Penguins from ever being able to add enough depth on the team to win a Stanley Cup. The Penguins had enough defense prospects to live with the loss of Letang and the package they could have received in return would have been hefty you'd think. Pittsburgh is going to bank on more of a one-dimensional D-man for eight years and hope he doesn't get injured and also hope that their main stars don't get hurt, because they won't have enough depth to replace them. Pittsburgh must be thinking that the salary cap will increase enough for them to fit in a full team in the future. Don't forget, they haven't done anything with their goaltending and that's arguably part of the team's Achilles heal, although they don't plan on doing anything either. Pittsburgh, starting in 2014-15, will have 44.3M tied up in 7 players (Crosby, Malkin, Martin, Letang, Fleury, Neal, and Kunitz). Ray Shero has created some doubt in himself here.
-Note this deal isn't finalized yet, so maybe something goes in a weird direction.
-Meanwhile, Montreal started shivering as P.K. Subban's value just shot up. The Norris nominated Letang gets 7.25, so how about the winner? (Not saying they deserved those nominations for two-way play...)
BOLLAND
-Toronto picks up a two-time Stanley Cup winner and Memorial Cup winner who will help show the dressing room what it takes to become a champion. A guy who's only 27, who's hard to play against, from Ontario, only cost Toronto three picks. Bolland has heart, PK skills, faceoff credibility, grit and the ability to play important minutes for your team to protect a lead, the ideal third line center. He only has one year left on his deal, but I think Toronto will want to offer him an extension to stay longer. He didn't have as big of a role in this year's cup run (other than the golden goal), but he was instrumental in shutting down the Sedin twins in several playoff series wins against Vancouver.
-This deal is also good for Chicago. Those three picks helped the Blackhawks stock the cupboard with more young talent and also gave more cap space to help them re-sign Bryan Bickell.
-Toronto is definitely not done. They have a solid center core down the middle (Grabovski, Kadri, Bolland and McClement) but they could still use a No.1 C, which explains why they made a pitch for Vincent Lecavalier. I'd imagine they'd shop Tyler Bozak's rights before July 5 and I do believe they'll go hard for David Clarkson if he hits the open market, or Nathan Horton if Clarkson doesn't work out. In a UFA market where centers aren't plentiful, Toronto got one for a nice price and will now try and trade one for a nice little return. Toronto has cap space to keep Bozak and MacArthur, but I expect both of them will be leaving Toronto shortly. (Note, Grabovski could rebound, but they can shift him to wing and hope for the best with that situation They could buy him out, but only if they knew they could get that No.1 C). Toronto could also use some D help.
DRAFT
-Colorado made the right choice in Nathan MacKinnon, the Oilers finally selected a d-man (and a good one at that), the Flames finally got a future top six center, and many kids had their dreams come true.
-Barkov looked really confused to go 2nd to Florida, whereas Seth Jones looked pissed to go to Nashville.
-What a nice end to the draft, big props to Dean Lombardi for trading a pick to NJ so that Martin Brodeur could pick his son, Anthony Brodeur. It was a moment that put a smile on everyone's face.
MCCARRON
-Montreal really impressed me with their draft, for the second year in a row. Mike McCarron is a big, gritty winger who can crash and bang, provide toughness, and chip in goals. He's exactly what Montreal needs, and when he's ready to play in the NHL, he'll be the answer to Milan Lucic in Boston. They also grabbed Zachary Fucale, the best goalie in the draft, and they drafted four players who I'm big fans of. I had Jakob de la Rose ranked 25 on my list, and all three of Sven Andrighetto, Martin Reway and Arturri Lehkonen have top six forward potential and sick hands.
NURSE
-Edmonton grabs a guy with a great attitude and work ethic, who punishes people in the corners and plays a mean game. Darnell Nurse is exactly what the Oilers needed and is a wonderful first pick by Craig MacTavish. There are some scouts who believe that if Nurse finds his untapped offensive potential, he could rival Seth Jones as the best D-man in the draft. Nurse will be the future partner to Justin Schultz, and he adds to a wonderful defensive prospect pool in Edmonton that includes Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, David Musil, Martin Gernat, Taylor Fedun, newly signed Anton Belov, and even RFAs Alex Plante and Colten Teubert, who may or may not be qualified.
-It was a good move by Craig MacTavish to not overpay for Cory Schneider's services. Schneider is good, but it's arguable that Devan Dubnyk could be just as good if he had better defensive support in front of him than he does now. Craig MacTavish will be a busy man in the next week or two, because there are lots of holes to fill and the pressure is on to make the playoffs.
MONAHAN
-Jay Feaster had a good day today at the draft. Sean Monahan is a great player who will pay dividends for Calgary as long as they don't rush him into the league. Monahan is a future 70 point, first or second line center who will be the captain of the Calgary Flames, who is very comparable to Patrice Bergeron. A line with Monahan and Sven Baertschi will be a deadly one in the future when the rebuild starts coming together.
-I was dumbfounded when Calgary passed on the local kid, Hunter Shinkaruk, and I think it was a stupid move by Jay Feaster, but I understand that obviously the Flames scouting staff must have really liked Emile Poirier and must have known that he wasn't going to be available at pick 28. Poirier is a speedy player who can score goals, and he does have a size advantage on Shinkaruk, and that could have played a key factor. Regardless, all three of Monahan, Poirier and Klimchuk are solid offensive talents at forward.
-The Flames will have a nice amount of cap space for Friday if they want to make some moves, and I bet they will try to continue moving Mike Cammalleri, ideally for picks but like I said, they have cap room.
FALK
-This made everyone very happy, because we were thirsty for some sort of trade. Thanks Fletcher and Sather!
SMITH
-Phoenix had to pay a steep price to keep their No.1 goalie, and I don't think it's worth it. He isn't a bad goalie, but the success he has had is definitely in part to the system that Dave Tippett has implemented. Too much money at a 5.6M cap hit, but I guess the NHL won't mind paying for it...
CLUTTERBUCK/NIEDERREITER
-The Islanders win the deal looking at this today, as they receive a player who brings it every single night. If I'm any team in the Eastern Conference, I'd definitely be scared of having to face a line with the two most frequent hitters in the NHL in Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin. Ultimately, the Wild may end up winning this deal, because Nino Niederreiter has some great potential, and it should be interesting to see how well he does and where he's slotted in the lineup.
LAZAR
-The Senators took a nice safe pick in Lazar, and he'll be a great future No.2 two-way C for the Sens, or for another team if he ends up being traded. The Sens passed on Anthony Mantha, and Mantha may end up being better, but Lazar's tenacity and knack to score goals will make him a strong player in his own right.
-I think Ottawa should consider making a big splash. There are some good centers who can help Ottawa win now who are UFAs (Derek Roy, Daniel Briere, Mike Ribeiro etc.) and Bobby Ryan is the power winger the Sens desperately need for their top six. The Senators have the young assets to make a deal, and I believe they should consider it.
GAUTHIER
-A great pick with a ton of potential who can play a strong defensive game. He's big, he has speed, and I'd compare him to a poor man's Eric Lindros or Joe Thornton when he's playing his best hockey. I would have preferred Hunter Shinkaruk personally for the Leafs, but Gauthier is right up Randy Carlyle's alley.
SEKERA/MCBAIN DEAL
-Buffalo wins this trade. Jamie McBain and a 2nd round pick is a nice haul for Darcy Regier. Sekera is a very inconsistent D-man, who will have flashes of brilliance and then just absolute horror, shift by shift. I'm not sure if he's much of an upgrade, at least in terms of a 2nd rounder, over Jamie McBain.
BICKELL
-Can you say overpaid? The David Bolland trade was a good one for Chicago to get the cap space they needed, but 4M is way too high for a player who has had one good playoffs on a line with big name talent like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. I like Bickell and I like the power game he brings to the Blackhawks, so I hope he lives up to the deal, but 3M maximum would have been a lot better for Chicago.
KENNEDY
-The Sharks made a nice move by picking up Kennedy for a 2nd rounder, which gives them more depth for their third line (how annoying, Torres and Kennedy together...). This is an example of a move that Pittsburgh makes because of the impending numbers game they have created for themselves.
MORRISSEY AND FROLIK
-The Jets could have traded down to make this pick, but Morrissey has upside and he's a good prospect. I was shocked when the Jets didn't draft a forward, but they did pick up a few gems later in the draft like Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks and J.C. Lipon of Canadian world junior fame. Many people compare Morrissey to a poor man's Duncan Keith, so we'll see if that's the case.
-Winnipeg certainly is a team to watch. Not a team who will mortgage their future, but a team who isn't re-signing Antropov, Wellwood or Hainsey and will be active this week. The Jets will look to some cheaper UFAs to help their forward depth, but this is the list of D-men in their system: Dustin Byfuglien, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Jacob Trouba, Josh Morrissey, Mark Stuart, Paul Postma, Zach Redmond. Does something have to give here? Winnipeg is dying for a centerman to play with Evander Kane, because Olli Jokinen certainly isn't it.
-Speaking of Kane, the Jets acquired Michael Frolik for mere picks, and it's a great deal for them. Frolik was on the 4th line in Chicago but he has enough skill to chip in goals and I wonder if he ends up in the Jets top six. Even if he doesn't, I really like this pick-up for their PK as well.
-Throwing it out there, I don't see a scenario where Evander Kane is traded. That's just dumb.
Thanks for reading!