A trade & sign transaction today has observers wondering just how high some of the contracts might climb when free agency opens on Sunday, as defenseman Dennis Wideman, set to become a UFA, instead signs for 5 years and over $26 million with the Calgary Flames today...
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The CHL Import Draft took place this morning, and two of the Jackets' recent NHL draft choices had their rights claimed. Goaltender and second round pick Oscar Dansk was tabbed third overall by the OHL's Erie Otters, while fellow goaltender and third round pick Joonas Korpisalo was taken two spots later by the WHL's Prince George Cougars.
A refresher: the CHL Import Draft isn't really a draft. I mean, ok, it is a draft I suppose. The worst teams have the better picks, there is a draft order...but that's about where the similarities end. The CHL has a mandate that their clubs can carry a maximum of two import players on their roster, and the import draft is how these players are acquired. What makes this less of a draft is the fact that behind the scenes, junior clubs tend to do their own recruiting of import players, working out agreements with the players prior to the draft. When the draft comes along, the results tend to be funny- usually the first overall pick is a very good player. You then have some guys you've never heard of before, but then, wouldn't you know it! The best players available start getting picked sporadically, by the big market clubs like London, Windsor, and Quebec. It's because these teams have more eyes on them. More to offer on and off the ice. The cities are larger.
Sometimes however, General Managers of the smaller market teams pull off a block, like Erie may have done today with Dansk. It was rumored at the NHL Draft that London had its sights firmly on him, they even traded up a few spots previouslyt to 9th, in an effort to improve their draft position. Knowing that London wanted Dansk, Erie's GM, picking third and coming off a horrific season, instead grabbed the Swedish goalie. There's a chance he may have done this with the intent on drafting him and then trading him to London at an inflated price. It's greasy, but on the level.
That's just the conspiracy theorist in me, I don't really buy that scenario.
As I said, Erie was terrible last year. By finishing as the worst team in the OHL, they earned the top pick in the OHL Priority selection- their version of an entry draft. With the top pick they drafted one of the very few players who have earned Exceptional Player Status, allowing them to be drafted at 15 rather than 16 in Connor McDavid, a highly skilled centerman. With McDavid and some other young players already on the roster, not to mention third round NHL pick Adam Pelech, the Otters are on an upward trajectory. A young star between the pipes in Dansk will go that much further to taking Erie out of the OHL's basement. The Otters will be a team to watch over the next couple of years, and providing he isn't traded (or refuses to report, a nasty bit of business that I need not doscuss at the moment) Dansk will be a part of a young, exciting program in Erie, geographically not that far from Columbus, as it happens.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Korpisalo. He was taken by the Prince George Cougars, a Northern British Columbia team that finished near the bottom of the WHL standings last season. It's a small market, but if they can convince (if they haven't already) Korpisalo to report, he will be a huge piece in their rebuilding effort. They picked up two young forwards in the top ten of the WHL Bantam draft, and combined with 2012 first oveall pick Alex Forsberg the Cougars are a team on the rise.
With these goaltenders making the jump to the CHL, the Jackets' prizes between the pipes are in very good hands.
Back in April, Chuck Schwartz of our Wisconsin Badgers site, Bucky's Fifth Quarter, told us all about Justin Schultz, he made it clear that Schultz is an elite prospect. An elite prospect that used a loophole in the CBA to become a free agent before he ever played a professional game. An elite prospect that will forever have that tag looming over him.
Every team in the NHL wants this kid, despite the fact that he has shown nothing on a professional level. Once a prospect gets the tag "elite," however, GMs start to drool, fans start to swoon, and egos get big. That elite prospect becomes a circus act. Schultz is now an elite prospect three ring circus.
And as of last night, an elite prospect no one likes anymore.
It wasn't easy to find a hockey fan or member of the media, outside of Anaheim, that would begrudge Schultz his desire to go to free agency. After all, the CBA allows it, and if he feels he can get more money and find a better fit for himself, so be it. The loophole is stupid, it is beyond ridiculous, and it is exactly why people hate lawyers, but it is a reality. The NHL and NHLPA both agreed to the clause, and they are now both reaping the rewards.
What people, including myself, don't understand, is the pure piss poor attitude coming from the Schultz camp. First you shaft Anaheim. Great. Enjoy that for the rest of your career. Then it is reported that you "prefer Canada." Also fine, but remember that US teams outnumber Canadian teams more than 3-to-1. Why you would want that on your resume is questionable.
However, when it gets reported that you can't even be bothered to grant a meeting to an NHL GM... you've lost the last bit of respect the hockey world has for you. As reported by Aaron Portzline, Columbus Blue Jackets beat writer (via Twitter):
#CBJ officially out of contention for D Justin Schultz. Not a shocker. Expressed interest w agent, but not granted face-to-face meeting.
Someone needs to get through this kid's agent and let him know that casting a perceived disdain for 2/3 of the league, plus outright disrespecting GMs is not the way to build a presence in the league. At this point, Schultz is going to be hated in 29 cities in the NHL. One team will love him, and he better hope that they love him enough to keep him around forever, because no one else is going to want him.
Unless, of course, he turns into the next Niklas Lidstrom, but that has much better odds of not happening than happening. You see teams clamoring to sign Blake Wheeler? Maybe Schultz is a better prospect than Wheeler. Maybe he's not. The odds say he's not, so why not hedge your bet and entertain the offers from everyone who is interested? Why burn the bridges?
Justin Schultz has gone from an elite prospect that everyone wants on their team, to an elite prospects that fans see has a prima donna. Hopefully GMs and those in power across the NHL have the capacity to look past being told that they aren't even good enough to have a conversation with.
I wouldn't be. Enjoy your moment, kid. It's likely the last one you'll get.
Please note that as of this writing the Minnesota Wild had not been informed by His Highness that they were out of the running. Even if he winds up with the Wild (he won't), the opinions expressed would not change. The kid had as much as anyone to prove before he left college, and with the act he and his agent have put on, he only added to his list of things to prove.
Nikitin came to the Jackets from St. Louis in a trade for Kris Russell during this past season, and had by far the best stretch of hockey in his career playing mostly with countryman Fedor Tyutin. Nikitin had seven goals and 25 assists in 54 games with Columbus after the trade. The 26-year-old Nikitin solidifies the Jackets' blue line corps going into the 2012-2013 season.
In 48 career games prior to the trade, he had just one goal and eight assists. His offense became a pleasant surprise for Columbus. Even more than that, his scoring was timely, as three of his seven goals were game-winners.
Considered a big-body, stay-at-home type, Nikitin's flash of offense was definitely a bonus for Columbus as an otherwise horrible season wore on.
Nikitin will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract.
Yesterday afternoon Jason Gregor tweeted the rather interesting fact that nine of the 11 men who have coached the Oilers got their first chance to be a NHL head coach with the Oilers; only Quinn and Renney and been coaches elsewhere before coming to Edmonton. That's not something I'd ever thought of but given the frequency with which the Oilers have promoted assistant coaches to the position of head coach it made complete sense. Then I got to wondering where the other 29 NHL teams found their head coaches. You'll find the answer after the jump.
For those who might not immediately know these are the 11 men who have coached the Oilers in the NHL: Glen Sather, Bryan Watson, John Muckler, Ted Green, George Burnett, Ron Low, Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Pat Quinn, Tom Renney, and now Ralph Krueger. Eight of those 11 were an Oilers assistant coach immediately prior to taking the reins as the head coach. The exceptions are Sather who had coached the Oilers in the WHA the season before and came with the team when they joined the NHL, Burnett was the coach of the Oilers AHL affiliate in Cape Breton, and Pat Quinn was actually out of hockey before getting the Oilers heading coaching gig.
For those counting, only once in 34 seasons have the Oilers gone outside of the organization to find a new head coach. That isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, after all a lot of businesses prefer to to promote from within because you're hiring someone who is already familiar with your organization, but it certainly doesn't seem consistent with what the rest of the NHL has been doing recently. The following table provides a summary of the what the 29 other NHL head coaches were doing before getting their current coaching job:
Assistant with
the team
Head Coach of
AHL affiliate
Other
1
5
23
Compared to the Oilers who seem to have a policy of promoting their assistant coaches only one other team in the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets, hired their current coach the same way; in fact more than 75% of current coaches came from outside the organization. Of course there is no magic formula for hiring the right coach and I can't say for sure that going outside the organization will result in a better hire for a team than promoting an assistant coach.
None of this makes the decision to hire Krueger good or bad. But it does leave me questioning the process that the Oilers to reach that decision. The Oilers took their time but don't seem to have interviewed many other candidates. Was Krueger really the right guy or was an organizational preference to promote from within in play here? I really hope the biggest plus under Krueger's name wasn't the best option out of him, Steve Smith, and Kelly Buchberger.
The Quick and Rask contracts are interesting if you're watching the goalie market, as they could help set the market for both Cory Schneider and Carey Price.
It's Friday again, and time for our last countdown entry of the week. If you want to know how the list was put together, or have questions why certain players seem too low or too high, click here.
Yesterday, we reviewed Finnish goaltender Jani Hurme (4-11-6, 2.88, .907), Canadian defenseman Greg Hawgood (33 games, two goals, 14 assists), and Canadian right winger David Nemirovsky (91 games, 16 goals, 22 assists). In today's recap, we'll look into a Minnesotan defenseman and two centers, one from Saskatchewan, and the other from the Czech Republic.
Pitlick was a 6' defenseman from Minneapolis. He was chosen in the ninth round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, with the 180th overall pick. He would elect to instead attend the University of Minnesota, playing four years of collegiate hockey with the Golden Gophers. He graduated with the Class of 1990 after having scored 11 goals and 29 assists in 144 games. After graduation, he signed a free agent contract to play with for the Philadelphia Flyers organization.
After graduation, Pitlick reported to the AHL Hershey Bears, with whom he appeared exclusively over the next four seasons of minor league hockey. In 179 games, he ended up with 15 goals, 38 assists and 251 PIM. The Flyers never called him up, and Pitlick signed on to play for the Ottawa Senators prior to the 1994-95 season.
Pitlick opened the season as part of the Prince Edward Island Senators, scoring eight goals and 19 assists in 61 games. Near the end of February, he finally made his first NHL appearance, at the age of 27. He played in the Senators last 15 games of the season, finishing with a minus-5 rating and one assist while going scoreless in 11 shots on goal.
Pitlick spent parts of five seasons with the Senators, racking up 11 goals on 178 shots, along with 25 assists and 200 PIM. During the 1999 offseason, he signed on to appear with the Panthers.
1999-00 would see Pitlick appear in 62 contests, along with four additional playoff matches (all losses to the New Jersey Devils). He scored a game winner in his fourth game with Florida, in a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Over the course of the season, he posted an ATOI of 16:33, mostly on the Cats third pairing. He ended up scoring three goals on 26 shots with five assists, 44 PIM, and a plus-7 rating.
In 2000-01, Pitlick appeared in 68 games, scoring one goal on 24 shots along with two assists. He played an average of 13:35 per game, finishing with a minus-5 rating and 42 PIM. In 2001-02, he spent a great portion of the season in the pressbox, appearing in only 35 games for the Panthers as their number seven defenseman. He managed one goal on 15 shots with an assist and a minus-14 rating. He retired following the season.
Pitlick's nephew, Tyler Pitlick, is currently playing with the Oklahoma City Barons in the AHL.
All-Time Statline: Three seasons, 165 games, five goals, eight assists, 13 points, minus-12 rating, 98 PIM, 3.0 APS
Kreps was a 6' center from Litomerice in the Czech Republic. He was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft with the 38th overall pick. In three seasons with the OHL Brampton Battalion, he racked up 57 goals and 93 assists in 178 games, adding 10 goals and 13 assists in 23 playoff contests.
Kreps made his professional debut in 2004-05, during the lockout. He stayed in practice by splitting the season between the ECHL Texas Wildcatters (12 games, five goals, six assists) and the AHL San Antonio Rampage (58 games, five goals, six assists). He would spend most of the next two seasons on the AHL Rochester American's roster, collecting 27 goals and 40 assists in 111 contests. He earned the first of three 2006-07 callups in January, ultimately appearing in 14 games for the Panthers. He scored his first NHL goal in a 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 6. In total, he scored just that goal on 20 shots, adding an assist in 11:13 per match.
2007-08 would see Kreps spend the entire season with Florida, averaging 12:59 TOI in 76 games. He scored eight times on 99 shots, adding 17 helpers and a rating of plus-10 as the Panthers finished nine points out of the playoffs.
In 2008-09, Kreps appeared in 66 games with the Cats, scoring four goals on 77 shots while averaging 13:58 TOI. He chipped in with 15 assists and finished the season at plus-2.
Kreps again played in 76 games for the Panthers in 2009-10, playing 12:42 per night. He took 83 shots on goal, potting five of them with nine assists and a minus-7 rating. He played 2010-11 with Karpat in Finland, totalling 14 goals and 15 assists in 55 games. 2011-12 would see Kreps play in the KHL with Astana Barys, scoring nine times with 20 helpers in 52 contests.
Sillinger was a 5'10" center from Regina, Saskatchewan. He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft with the 11th overall pick. In three seasons with the WHL Regina Pats, he totalled 128 goals and 175 assists in 209 games. He would also play in 15 playoff contests with the Pats, scoring 14 goals and 12 assists.
Sillinger is the very definition of the term, "journeyman." He holds the NHL record for playing with different teams, with 12. Before joining the Panthers, he spent time with the Detroit Red Wings (129 games, 10 goals, 45 assists), the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (77 games, 15 goals, 26 assists), the Vancouver Canucks (138 games, 28 goals, 32 assists), the Philadelphia Flyers (52 games, 11 goals, 14 assists) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (121 games, 27 goals, 27 assists). The Bolts sent him to the Panthers on March 14, 2000 for Ryan Johnson and Dwayne Hay.
Sillinger appeared in 13 games with the Panthers to close out the 1999-00 season. He scored six points in his first four games as a Panther, including three assists in a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on March 18 and two goals in a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers on March 21. He ended up scoring four goals on 20 shots, along with four assists in 19:33 ATOI. He would add three goals in four postseason matches against the Devils fully half of Florida's scoring total.
In 2000-01, Sillinger scored 13 goals on 100 shots along with 21 helpers and a minus-12 rating while averaging 18:52 TOI. He dished out three helpers on February 24 in a 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders. The Panthers sent him to the Ottawa Senators for future considerations on March 13.
After playing with the Senators (13 games, three goals, four assists), Sillinger would go on to play with the Columbus Blue Jackets (155 games, 38 goals, 48 assists), the Phoenix Coyotes (60 games, eight goals, six assists), the St. Louis Blues (64 games, 27 goals, 24 assists), the Nashville Predators (31 games, 10 goals, 12 assists), and the New York Islanders (141 games, 42 goals, 45 assists). He is the current Director of Player Development for the Edmonton Oilers (that's 13 teams if you want to count it).
Thanks for reading today's entry in the canon of Florida Panther's hockey. Make sure you leave comments below, and check back for Monday's article, in which we profile a Canadian goaltender and two defensemen, one from Minnesota and the other from North Vancouver.
With free agency just around the corner on Sunday afternoon, it's worth taking a look at the market to see if there might be some help for the Blue Jackets.
While the team is obviously counting on a Rick Nash trade to help restock the roster up front, there are some interesting options on the market who may be able to help out in Columbus - and best of all, hopefully without requiring Scott Howson to break the bank.
One of the team's biggest needs is for guys to fill out the forward lines with some additional experience. While players like Derek MacKenzie, Ryan Russell, and Colton Gillies were able to move into increased checking line roles at the end of the season, and the club carries several potential "wild cards" in Ryan Johansen, Tomas Kubalik, Michael Chaput, and Boone Jenner who could potentially play in different roles, an injection of proven NHL experience - especially if it comes with a decent scoring touch and some defensive ability - would be a good improvement.
Age: 27 Current Team: San Jose Sharks 2011-2012 salary: $1,000,000 ($950,000 cap hit)
Part of the trade that sent Winnink and T.J. Galliardi to San Jose from Colorado in exchange for Jamie McGinn and Mike Connolly, Winnik came out of the University of New Hampshire to the Phoenix Coyotes for the 2007-2008 season, where he delivered 11 goals and 15 assists in 79 games, but didn't match that production until landing in Colorado in 2010-2011.
Last season, Winnick had 8 goals and 15 assists split between the Avalanche and Sharks, plus one assist during San Jose's brief playoff run. More importantly, he also had a 3.9 relative corsi - the fifth best among San Jose forwards. He's an excellent third / fourth line defensive forward who is comfortable at every forward position and fairly solid on faceoffs as well.
Winnik would be a great addition to the third or fourth line, and could easily team with Derek Dorsett and Derek MacKenzie to shine on the PK.
He's due somewhat of a raise, but ~1.5 million likely gets it done.
Age: 38 Current Team: Chicago Blackhawks 2011-2012 Salary / Cap Hit: 2,000,000
Brunette could easily be a winger in the style of Vinny Prospal last season - a veteran, experienced winger who has a history of excellent production and solid character in the room. Even though his goal production has been sliding over the last few seasons, he still contributed 12 goals and 15 assists last season and another goal in Chicago's first round series loss.
Offering him a similar 1 year, 2 million deal to his current contract could well get him interested, but it wouldn't shock me if the Blackhawks also look to extend him as well.
Age: 29 Current Team: Winnipeg Jets 2011-2012 Salary / Cap Hit: $700,000
Feel free to make all the fat jokes you like - Wellwood has been laboring hard to get rid of his old reputation. After going from the Vancouver Canucks to the KHL, then back to San Jose, and finally landing in the 'Peg, Wellwood has been improving his scoring over the last several seasons, hitting a career high 18 goals and 29 assists last season despite missing several games due to injury at the end of the season. One of the best faceoff men on the Jets, he only took four PIMs all season and finished with a positive +/- despite heavy minutes at even strength and a great deal of PK work.
Wellwood has certainly earned a raise, and he's a player who has done great work to redeem his career after being written off several times. That kind of character could be a big boost in Columbus, and he'd instantly become an excellent third line option with potential to step up into the top six when needed. I wouldn't be shocked to see him entertaining offers from several clubs, but the way to win this deal is term. Wellwood's spent so much time bouncing around teams and leagues that a 2-3 year one way deal would likely be very attractive.
Age: 31 Current team: Ottawa Senators 2011-2012 Salary / Cap Hit: $700,000
A guy that Columbus fans are familiar with from his time as captain of the Syracuse Crunch, the Big Z has made a name for himself beyond his pugilistic skills. Spending time in Tampa Bay, Long Island, and Ottawa as a defensive zone specialist and faceoff man, Konopka won almost 60% of his faceoffs in 55 games. Not exactly a scoring threat, he still would provide a great deal of grit and defensive capability in the bottom six, plus continue to work as an off ice leader and mentor for some of the younger players.
Age: 29 Current Team: Calgary Flames 2011-2012 Salary: $2,300,000 ($1,900,000 cap hit)
"Streaky" is a good word to describe this journeyman forward. Stempniak earned a 3 year, $2,500,000 contract after a 50 point season in 2006-2007, but never quite hit the same level again. He seemed on the verge of regaining his touch in Phoenix two years ago with a 19 goal, 19 assist season, but his production dipped back down to 28 points when he was traded up north, though in fairness he did miss almost a quarter of the season due to injury.
More of a power play weapon and offensive forward than a checking line player, Stempniak could help to boost the club's offensive punch in the wake of a Nash deal, especially if the club is hesitant about putting Cam Atkinson or Ryan Johansen on the top line.
Another player who made his bones in the NHL with his fists, Prust had one 13 goal / 16 assist season in New York, but his production dipped this season, scoring just 5 goals and 12 assists in the regular season, and only two points in the playoffs.
Prust doesn't have exceptional foot speed, but he has exceptional defensive instincts and was a major part of the Rangers' PK. Regarded as a major character guy in the locker room, he fits the mold of the guys Scott Howson and Craig Patrick have been trying to bring in to help build a new culture in Nationwide Arena.
Prust has stated that he'd like to remain in New York, but the Rangers appear content to let him go on July 1st. A 2-3 year, ~1-1.1 million dollar deal would be a reasonable raise...and might just make Jared Boll into a tradeable asset.
At one point, Mueller was one of the most promising young players on the Phoenix Coyotes, but several injuries, including a nasty concussion, have left him adrift heading into free agency.
Colorado's concern about bringing him back is understandable - Mueller missed half the season after a concussion suffered in early October - but his natural talent is undeniable, and if he's done the right kind of rehab work over this offseason, he might be willing to take an inexpensive deal for the chance to show he can make it in the NHL.
The goaltending in the Columbus organization was given a huge facelift over the past week or so, but the results of said facelift are in some cases years away from being revealed. Shortly before the NHL Entry Draft, Columbus sent three draft picks (all acquired via previous trades) to Philadelphia for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Last season, Bobrovsky's second in the league, was near-identical statistically to Steve Mason's season. Not good. Rewind one season prior however, and the rookie version of Bobrovsky was fantastic. The hope is that Bob and Mason, two talented goaltenders, can push each other for playing time. Nobody will be handed anything, with the competition deciding who gets the cage every game.
Additionally, Columbus took two great young European goaltenders with their second and third round picks at the draft. Both will likely make the trip overseas to play Canadian junior, and in a few years will challenge for roster spots with the Jackets.
Until that point however, the organization has some holes to fill. They have a goalie in Europe developing (Anton Forsberg) and another in college, struggling for playing time (Martin Ouellette) but the only other goaltender in the pro ranks is Allen York, who is penciled in as half of the tandem in Springfield next season.
York will need a partner, ideally a guy who can push for time in the NHL if/when injuries occur. The organization also needs a goalie to step in if one of the Springfield guys goes down to injury, or gets called up.
Let's take a look at some of the options for these two spots.
Cedrick Desjardins Age: 26 2011/2012: Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) NHL Salary: $650,000 AHL Salary: $150,.000
Was a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization, playing parts of four seasons with Montreal's AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs after signing as an undrafted free agent. He was traded to the Tampa Bay organization, appearing in two games for the big club, and last year he was in Colorado's system, playing primarily for their AHL club in Lake Erie after signing a one year deal.
Last season he was one of the top goaltenders in the AHL, putting up a record of 16-11-3-5, with a goals against average of 2.11 with a 0.932 save percentage. He also recorded three shutouts and played in the AHL All Star game.
He fits the mold perfectly- a veteran AHL goaltender who can step into the NHL if necessary. A bit more NHL experience would be ideal, but given his CV I believe he'd be the perfect partner for York with the Falcons. A slight bump in pay would get this deal done, but I'm sure a lot of teams are interested in adding Desjardins to the organziation.
Jeff Zatkoff Age: 25 2011/2012: Manchester Monarchs (AHL) NHL Salary: $577,500 AHL Salary: $60,000
Has been a long-time member of the LA Kings organization, spending the past three seasons in the AHL after splitting time in his rookie pro season bouncing between the AHL and ECHL. He's established himself as a very good goaltender at the AHL level, joining Desjardins as an AHL All Star last season. He has Ohio ties as well, as he was a member of Miami from 2005 to 2007.
With Jonathan Quick locked up long term, Kings backup Jonathan Bernier is likely to be traded. It's unknown at this point if the Kings want Zatkoff to step in and be Quick's understudy, but given his UFA status Zatkoff has the freedom to shop himself around, and Columbus may be a situation he likes, given their less than certain situation between the pipes. A higher AHL salary could be the enticement required for the Jackets to lock him up.
Justin Peters Age: 25 2011/2012: Charlotte Checkers (AHL) NHL Salary: $550,000 AHL Salary: $105,000
Like Zatkoff, Peters is a young goaltender in a situation where he is stuck behind a very good goalie at the NHL level. Cam Ward is Carolina's go-to guy between the pipes, and Brian Boucher is signed for one more year as the 'Cane's backup. Peters has the talent to push for a backup job, as evident by his appearance in seven NHL games last season.
His stats in the AHL didn't match those of Zatkoff or Desjardins, but that has more to do with the teams they were playing on. Peters needs a change of scenery, and would look very good in Union Blue as the organization's number three. Like Zatkoff, a bump in AHL salary could be the ticket to bringing him on board.
Coleman's rights are held by the Colorado Avalanche until July 1st, but that's only because they signed him to a tryout deal last season when they had serious goaltending health issues throughout the organization. He is generally considered to be the best goaltender in the ECHL, but his run with the Monsters last season showed that he has the ability to succeed in the AHL as well.
If he's willing to come to a similar situation in Columbus, he could fight for playing time with the Falcons, or be the main man with the Jackets' new ECHL affiliate- the Evansville Icemen. For what it's worth, he was a teammate of Marc Methot with the London Knights of the OHL.
Foligno, 24, was a first round pick of the Senators in the 2006 NHL Entry draft, making his breakthrough to the NHL in the 2007-2008 season. He's been regarded as a hard working and versatile forward who can play up and down in the lineup as needed.
Last season, he had a career high 47 point season (15G, 32A) in 82 games, plus four points (1G, 3A) in the playoffs. He could easily start the season on the Jackets' second line, and could very wellget a chance to move up depending on what happens with Rick Nash.
With the trade of Methot, the Jackets will save ~1.8 million in salary, and a hole has been opened in the defense for Ryan Murray. It looks like the plan is to put him into the NHL as quickly as possible. EDIT: It has been pointed out that Foligno is an RFA, so perhaps not saving so much as that....we'll have to see what happens on that score.
All things considered, it's not a bad move - but who will be getting the tough defensive minutes that Methot previously managed?
Here's a take on Foligno from Scott Davey of The 6th Sens:
Nick's had some growing pains since coming into the league. As afirst-round pick I think he's always aspired to be a top-six guy,whereas management and the various coaching staffs haven't always agreed. I think this past year is the first he's finally figured outwhat he does well...and doesn't do well.
Early in his career he seemed to believe he could beat guys 1-on-1 anddangle through the defence - it was rarely successful. He definitelymatured last year and was generally just making smarter decisions on the ice. The main thing he figured out was puck management, how toprotect the puck when to pass it/when not to pass it. He's not a guyyou should expect to be a big goal-scorer, I think with more minutes and some luck he could be a 20 goal guy. I just think right now hispassing instincts are better than his goal-scoring ones. I'd say hisskating is average, although he can get going pretty quick in astraight ahead line, sometimes he surprises with his agility, butthat' s a rare occasion. His physical game is always something peoplein Ottawa have seen as wanting as he is capable of throwing big hits. Again I think this year he silenced those people and played with more"jam", taking on all comers.
He spent a lot of this past year on the third line, and was regularlya guy carrying the puck up the ice - driving play if you will. He canplay center as well so that's probably where that skill came from. Since he wasn't regularly in the top-six you might have to take hisoffensive numbers with a grain of salt as the qualcomp he faced wasn'tgreat. Still I think with the right line-mates he could play in the top-six and contribute.
He's not a great power-play option and usually found himself on thesecond-unit as a playmaker on the half-wall. Maybe he can make itwork with better players, but I personally don't see it. He wasn't aregular option on the PK last year, not that I think he couldn't playif ask - his defensive positioning and awareness is usually prettygood, he's more than capable of winning board battles.
Basically he's a well-rounded solid player, but he doesn't really doanything great.
All things considered, I think that Foligno will be a good fit for Columbus, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him operating in a very similar role as R.J. Umberger.
The Ottawa Senators have continued to rework their defensive corps for the upcoming season by trading forward Nick Foligno to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Marc Methot.
Foligno set a career high with 47 points last year, but had struggled with inconsistency throughout his career with the team. Despite looking good on the second line with center Kyle Turris and deity Daniel Alfredsson, Foligno also saw significant time on the fourth line. He was expected to face a challenge for the spot by forward Jakob Silfverberg, who had an outstanding season in the SEL, leading his team to the championship as captain and taking home both the regular season and playoffs MVP awards.
Methot is a large defensive defenseman, and should start the season as Erik Karlsson's new partner.
Has outstanding size and defensive acumen. An underrated fellow, he shows great commitment to playing a sound, stay-at-home game, rarely making mistakes in his own end. Displays leadership qualities.
Flaws
Lacks the offensive ability to put up points on a consistent basis in the NHL. Doesn't use his large frame enough to intimidate the opposition.
Just as you'd expect from them, Paul Holmgren and the Philadelphia Flyers have made giant contract offers to the two biggest names on the free agent market. Devils forward Zach Parise and Predators defenseman Ryan Suter have fielded offers all day long, and each received a hefty one from the Flyers according to multiple reports.
CSN's Tim Panaccio reports that the offers to both players were 12 years in length and worth at least $80 million. On the low end, that would work out to a salary cap hit of $6.6 million per season. Yiiiiiiikes.
On the flip side, it looks as though attempts to acquire Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets via trade are going down in flames according to a report from TSN. We know that Columbus general manager Scott Howson wants a king's ransom -- excuse the L.A. pun -- for Nash, and that likely includes Sean Couturier or Brayden Schenn in return. But pushing all of that aside, it's become apparent that Philadelphia isn't on Nash's list of suitable destinations.
He has a list of teams to which he'd accept a trade, and thankfully the Flyers are not one of them. He's a great player, but his contract is long and expensive and the price to acquire him seems far too high. It's a blessing in disguise that he doesn't want to come here.
As for a big free agent signing? Well, we'll have to just wait and see whether or not these guys accept the Flyers offers, and until that happens, the phones are probably going to stay pretty quiet.
Well, some of the questions about how the Jackets would handle Marc Methot's defensive minutes have been answered. The Jackets have agreed to a one year, two million dollar deal with veteran D Adrian Aucoin, who is expected to fill out the bottom pairing as a mentor for Ryan Murray and John Moore.
Regarded as a savvy, big minutes defender, Aucoin should provide a good shutdown option for Todd Richards and the Blue Jackets, and will hopefully be a good voice in the room - think of him as the defensive equivalent of Vinny Prospal. He knows the right way to play, he's got a great work ethic, and he'll join the new voices in the room in helping to rebuild the culture of the team from the ground up.
At 38, Aucoin may be reaching the end of his road, but he does bring a great set of tools and would easily fit on the penalty kill. He also possesses a booming slap shot that could potentially fit into the power play depending on how the Jackets need to set the lineup.
At this point we can expect the lineup to look like this:
In one of those "Who, wait, what??" moves, the Jackets have signed Left Wing Jonathan Audy-Marchessault to a three year entry level deal.
At 21, "JAM" went undrafted and was signed by the AHL's Connecticut Whale after an all star career career in the QMJHL where he was a point per game player for Patrick Roy's Quebec Ramparts. Scoring 24 goals and 40 assists in 76 games in his first professional season, Audy-Marchessant was tied for 13th in power play assists for the AHL and lead his club in assists, while coming in second in goals and overall scoring. Many expected him to be signed to an NHL deal by the New York Rangers, making this move a bit of a steal.
On the one hand, Audy-Marchessault would make sense as a first line winger for the Falcons, but I wouldn't be shocked if he pushes players like Cam Atkinson and the recently acquired Nick Foligno for ice time as well. He might be considered a bit small for the NHL game (5' 9", 163 lb), but there's a lot to be said for speed, skill, and wicked scoring ability.
Exact terms of the contract have not been released, but this feels like a great "low cost, high potential" move from the Blue Jackets' front office.
With no movement to this point on the Rick Nash front, some fans are beginning to get impatient despite some excellent moves today by Scott Howson to improve the Blue Jackets' defense and scoring depth.
The problem is that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter remain unsigned. Until one or both of them move, teams that might be high on Nash (particularly the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes) will be waiting to see where each of the high profile free agents go.
Even if they aren't certain about signing them (New York, for example, appears to have been out of the Parise sweepstakes), they want to see who DOES land them - particularly if one or both should go to a team within their division. Should that happen, it's a classic game of one upsmanship. "You got that guy? Well, check out what WE'RE bringing to the table!"
If, as expected, both Parise and Suter make decisions on Monday, I would expect Nash to likely move within hours. Once that happens, expect to see Scott Howson take stock of his roster and then make any other moves he feels necessary to round it out before training camp.
After months of the Rick Nash saga dragging on and on, Aaron Portzline offered perhaps the darkest twist yet.
The Red Wings making a play for the Columbus captain? Could there be a greater insult to the fanbase than seeing the player who embodied their club going to their most hated rival?
It would seem it is a real possibility.
At this point, Portzline suggests the Wings are a distant third in the race compared to the Rangers and Sharks, but Red Wings GM Ken Holland has apparently made inquiries.
While it's tempting to suggest swapping for Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg, it's far more likely that the Wings would propose a package to land the power forward.
What, then, would Scott Howson want?
An interesting possibility comes from the Red Wings goaltending situation. With Detroit agreeing to terms earlier today with former Maple Leaf Jonas Gustavsson, they have started to develop a bit of a logjam in net between "The Monster", Jimmy Howard, Joey MacDonald, and prospect Petr Mrazek.
Scott Howson had some interest in Gustvasson as a free agent, so he might be an interesting carrot to dangle, but an even more fascinating possibility would be Howard.
If Detroit believes that Gustavsson can shine as a #1 in their system, why not propose a deal that sends Howard to Columbus, particularly since he has just one season left on his current contract? Even better, perhaps propose flipping Steve Mason as part of the package, leaving Columbus with Bob and Jimmy as the tandem? It would go a long way towards fixing one of the team's greatest historical weaknesses.
If Columbus was looking for prospects, I would expect them to look at promising forwards Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, or perhaps to ask for Valtteri Filppula as a proven NHL forward who also would help to balance out the cap hit.
Of course, that type of package still might not erase the mental anguish of Columbus fans, but it might be enough to at least feel that Nash went for what amounted to a solid hockey trade.
That said, Mr. Howson, would you mind saving us all a lot of anguish and just send Nash ANYWHERE else?
As we continue to watch the Rick Nash Trade Watch drag on, I reached out to fellow SBNation blogger Peter Raaymakers over at Silver Seven to get his thoughts on one of the newest Blue Jackets.
Here's what he had to say:
Nick Foligno is a bold, brash player, but he's one fans will probably develop an affinity for thanks to his community involvement and outgoing personality--not to mention his offensive effectiveness, defensive awareness, and general pestiness. (If you can't tell, I'm a fan of Foligno.) Still, not all is peachy with the former first-round pick. One thing that has long frustrated Sens fans about Foligno is the obvious level of talent he has while with the puck, but his inability to regularly convert that talent into regular, reliable offensive production. I can't count the number of times I've seen Foligno break into the zone and down the wing, or impressively controlling the puck while in the offensive zone corners, until he breaks away from his check and... does nothing with it. Foligno's got good moves, but he can't seem to finish them; he can control the puck, but he seems to have a much harder time breaking away and bringing it to the front of the net or the slot.
Still, Foligno's improvement has been steady and obvious since he began his pro career. He's never broken 20 goals, but he's been a good complementary player on the second line, and looked even better as a leader on the third line. He seems to be a "tweener" stuck between the second and third line, but he's only 24 years old so there's still plenty of time for him to mature into a good top-six forward. Personally, I think he's got what it takes to get there, but he's got to prove it to some doubters that do exist out there.
The more I hear about this guy, the more I like this deal. He's clearly got some talent, he's young, he's hungry, and he might be right on the verge of breaking through. Here's hoping that it works as well on the ice as it does on paper.
Looking for a bit more light reading? Check these profilepieces out.
It's Day 3 of the NHL free agent period, and still the two biggest fish remain available. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are still unsigned, but the Canes appear to be out of the running for both. What's the hold up? Is Parise trying to get more bonus money out of New Jersey? Is Suter waiting to see if Nashville can make it happen with Parise before returning to the Predators? One thing is for sure, we are all ready for the dominoes to start falling.
In Hurricanes related news it appears as if JR is still going hard at Rick Nash. Aaron Portzline (@aportzline) who covers the Blue Jackets has confirmed that JR and the Canes continue to make a big push for Rick Nash. Nothing seems to be eminent on that front yet as all teams remain in the #PariseWatch.
Stop by and join the conversation. Who signs today? Does Semin finally find a new team? Has Winnipeg gone crazy by offering Olli Jokinen a 2 year $9M deal? Sacrebleu! what were the Montreal Canadiens thinking in the Carey Price extension?
With the trade this weekend that sent Nick Foligno to hell the Columbus Blue Jackets for steady blueliner Marc Methot, many fans are asking what the new line up will look like.
Of course training camp is still months away (writing that makes me want to cry) so these things will not be decided for some time, but the fact is, the top two lines look like this:
There are many internal candidates for those X positions, that much is certain, and chemistry will likely decide who plays in those spots. The summer, however, is for speculation, so I will now provide a list of candidates likely to get there chance to fill those spots.
Colin Greening: Colin had himself a solid, if unspectacular rookie season last year. At times he looked like a big bodied scoring forward with good instincts and a good shot, at other times it was hard to notice him out there. Consistency is the biggest issue for young players, so if Colin can play consistently at the relatively high level he is capable of, he stands a chance to grab one of those spots.
Peter Regin: Ah, remember a couple years ago when people were pencilling Regin in for a top line left wing spot and 25 goals after his solid play against the Penguins in the playoffs? After two dismal/injury riddled seasons, its now or never for Regin to prove he can be a player at the NHL level. His two-way, smooth skating game is suited for MacLean, so I expect him to try out the second line spot.
Guillaume Latendresse: Essentially brought in as a replacement for Foligno, albeit on a cheaper, shorter contract, Latendresse will have something to prove this season. He has much better offensive instincts than Foligno and put up 25 goals in just 55 games when he initially joined the wild after his trade from MTL a few seasons ago. If he can stay healthy and comes to camp in shape, I expect he will find a nice home in the top 6.
A converted right winger/centre: Mika Zibanejad, Jakob Silfverberg and Mark Stone will be big stories in training camp but they all play the wrong side; the right one. Sure Michalek can move to the left side, or the young kids could adapt, but as of right now, they aren't ideal for the left wing spots.
Shane Prince or Mike Hoffman: Ok, hear me out. No seriously, stop running away. These two players probably will not make the team in the fall, but I wouldn't be so shocked to see them put on a good show in camp. They both posses fantastic speed that would fit right in on the second line, and they both are great with the puck. Hoffman led Bingo in points last year, and he may again, but my money is on Prince having a strong camp. Might not be strong enough to beat out the above competition, but I think it will be strong.
What do you think?
Links after the jump.
Sens Links
The first of two absolutely top notch analysis articles found right here on this site, Darren (who really should write more because this is awesome) looks at whether the moves made by Bryan Murray on July 1 made the team better or worse compared to last year. [SSS]
Look I feel like I can brag for the blog when I didn't write it, so here is another home-run this time by (who else?) Mark Parisi, analyzing the moves in what should be a considered a bridge year to future success. A must read. [SSS]
Further to my last point before the jump, an article on the official Sens site about Shane Prince and his future with the club after signing his ELC. [Sens]
I can't believe the way this guy writes, but here is Brennan talking about whether the Sens have improved. When talking about Methot or Kuba he says "well, I know I will like Methot better. At least he hits guys.". He also pines after the lose of Carkner and Konopka --SHOCKING. [Sun]
Scanlan talks about the Sens philosophy of developing their own assets so that they need not overpay for someone else's on July 1 to fill a hole. [Scanlan]
Scanlan article starts by discussing the Mika Zibanejad game winner in the 3 on 3 tournament that his team won, with Shane Prince, Corey Cowick, Jordan Fransoo and Darren Kramer. [SensExtra]
Two more free agency recaps and thoughts from two of my favourite blogs to link- [WTYKY] and [6thSens]
The 6th Sens had a great feature where they asked a Columbus Blogger 5 simple questions about new Sens D-man Marc Methot. [6thSens]
The player shipped out for Methot, Nick Foligno, was shocked to find himself traded out of town. Thanks for all you did in the community here Nick, and best of luck in Columbus. [SensExtra]
Update: The Sens have signed former 12th overall pick Hugh Jessiman to a one-year, two-way deal. Should provide some good depth for Binghamton this season. [Senators]
Update: Rob Klinkhammer has left the organization, signing a two-way deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. [Coyotes]
It's been more than awhile since we last convened the Blue Jackets Roundtable (Podcast edition!), and for that we offer our apologies. But, with everything that's happened this week, it seemed as good a time as any to dust off our Skype connections and lay down some funk.
So, we won't spend too much time on the Rick Nash saga, instead preferring to look forward. So, enjoy some chatter about The New Guys, the defensemen, the goalies, and our general feelings as we round the corner and head (hopefully, CBA people!) into training camp.
So, here you have it: Episode V, at long last. Click the streaming player below to listen:
DISCLAIMER: Five episodes in, and it's still a work in progress. I figured out how to not make it seem like I'm talking over the guys, and that's good. I also took some great pains to eliminate background noise. I think we're getting closer and closer to "good" with these, but there are still some things to work out. Progress!
If you're having trouble with the streaming player above, you can click here to download it (warning: it's a big file, ~26 MB). Enjoy!
