“They’ll probably have a pretty good home record.”
This quote was reiterated by just about every player during media availability at the 2016 NHL Awards. What could they be referring to? Well, with the reality that Las Vegas is a very likely place to be getting a hockey team, the topic of the potential expansion was the hottest thing to discuss.
We’re one day out from a press conference with Gary Bettman – the National Hockey League commissioner – and everyone is still waiting for confirmation of whether or not Las Vegas is getting a hockey team.
“It’s exciting. To have a professional sports team in Vegas is something that seems to become more of a reality; hockey, football or whatever it may be. It would be an exciting place to come and play. I think with expansion in the first place, it’s obviously good for the league,” said the Chicago Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane. “Players get more jobs and you get more players in the league. At the same time, I think Vegas would be a great venue. They’ll probably have a pretty good home record.”
While many players could see great potential in the league expansion, many are skeptical of the potential distractions. Any young hockey player looks at Las Vegas as a place to get away to, not necessarily to come for business purposes.
“We’re coming in here to do a job, and at that time it’s going to be to win a hockey game,” says Dallas Stars Captain Jamie Benn about the expansion.
Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler put it best, stating that, “you can get yourself in trouble in all 50 states. For me, we’re professionals and we get ourselves ready to play and perform.”
San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns agrees with Kesler’s sentiments, adding that, “it is what it is, you’re playing in great cities all over the place.”
Overall, the opinions regarding the prospective expansion to the National Hockey League are very positive. The concerns of the players seem insignificant when considering the likelihood of the expansion happening.
“This is going to be a great town to have a hockey team in. It’s going to be an exciting place to come and I’m sure it’s going to do great,” said Jamie Benn.
When you think of outstanding players in the National Hockey League, what typically comes to mind is a player who goes out and scores 40+ goals in a season. The past few years, though, this traditional definition has transformed into something much more broad and Braden Holtby is one of the reasons why.
Holtby’s phenomenal year included (but is definitely not limited to) tying Marty Brodeur’s single-season record of 48 wins, but in 12 less games. He finished out the season 48-9-7 with a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage. You could definitely say that he was a huge asset when it came to the Capitals winning the Presidents Trophy and finishing the season with 120 points (56 W, 18 L).
Even his fellow nominees are highly impressed with the exceptional year that he had.
“It was pretty impressive what he did and to have such a great year, he definitely deserves to be up for this award,” said Jamie Benn about the season that Holtby had.
Braden Holtby is an all around ‘good guy’. His humble side is really starting to show, as he is hesitant to embrace the reality of his candidacy.
“It’s kind of weird to me because I keep forgetting that I’m nominated for it, because I don’t really think I should be there when you look at all of the outstanding players,” said Holtby about his Vezina nomination.
Braden Holtby is in Las Vegas for a reason, though. Through his humble protests, it is hard to fight the fact that Holtby is an exceptional player that deserves all of the recognition that he has come to received so far.
Hockey fans rejoice! Yesterday the home opener schedule was released and today the teams schedules are up for the upcoming season (only 97 more days until the pre-season, but, who is counting???).
While there are many question marks about who exactly will be on the 2016-2017 New Jersey Devils roster (hopefully to be sorted out if by the NHL Draft this Friday & Saturday or around the July 1st Free Agency shuffle), you can see by the schedule here that it should at least make for some interesting match-ups.
Some items of note:
The pre-season is the usual kind against the Isles (2x), the Rangers (2x), the Flyers (2x) but one game will be the Devils and Canadiens in the Bell Centre on Mon Sept 26th, and the Devils v Panthers on Sat Oct 8 at Tate Rink in West Point with the Panthers as the home team
The Devils/Isles pre-season game in the Barclays Center will be the 4th such pre-season match-up in Brooklyn, even though this will be officially the 2nd season that the Isles will call the Barclays their home.
Devils home opener is Tuesday Oct 18th against the Ducks at 7 PM EST.
All Friday Night Home Games now will have 7:30 PM start times.
There are 17 back-to-back games (with 4 separate back-to-backs in Jan)
The first Rangers/Devils games will be played in MSG in the middle of December and the first home game will be all the way at the end of Feb (Sat Feb 25) which is a lot like it was last season.
The “St. Paddy” Day game will be a home game on March 17th against the Penguins (last year it was against the Wild, but is usually against the Penguins).
The last Devils home game of the season will be against the Isles on Sat. Aug 8 at 6 PM
The last Devils game of the season will be the last regular game in Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena
Also on this Thursday a player who should still be on the team come October, Adam Henrique (@AdamHenrique) will be doing a AMA with RedditHockey at 6 PM
The Sabres will have exclusive rights to try and negoiate a contract with the former Predator draft pick. If the two sides can’t reach an agreement by August 15 then Vesey will become an unstricted free agent and can sign with any NHL team.
Vesey just finished up his final season at Harvard where he had 46 points in 33 games played. He also won the 2016 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player. If he decides to test the waters during free agency then he will be a highly covented prospect because of his skill set. He is 6’2″, 201 pounds so he has some size and he can put the puck in the net. In 128 career games with Harvard, he had 80 goals, 64 assists, 144 points and 66 penalty minutes.
Buffalo also signed forward Nicolas Deslauriers to a two-year contract extension. Deslauriers was due to become a restricted free agent on July 1. The two-year contract is worth a total of $1.55 million and has a cap hit of $775,000 per season.
In 70 games last season, Deslauriers had six goals, six assists, 12 points, was a -14, and average 10:20 of ice time per game. The six goals were a career high. He added a game-winning goal, 30 blocks, and 72 shots on goal. In 169 games with the Sabres, hw has 12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points, 518 hits and has averaged 11:22 of ice time per game.
Deslauriers is a typical fourth line energy guy that plays a physical game. He isn’t afraid to throw his weight around so the opposing team needs to be aware of when he is on the ice. He can shoot the puck and puts the team first. He is a physical and versitale winger, who can change the game with a hit.
It looks as though the Toronto Maple Leafs have found the number one goaltender of the future.
The Leafs traded the 30th pick overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and a second round pick in the 2017 Entry Draft to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the 26-year-old, Frederik Andersen.
Andersen and John Gibson won the William M. Jennings Trophy last season with the Ducks for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL. Andersen played in 43 games total and started 37 of them. He was 22-9-7 with a .919 save percentage, a 2.30 goals against average and three shutouts. In five postseason games, he was 3-2 with a .947 save percentage, a 1.41 goals against average and one shutout. In 125 career games, Andersen is 77-26-12 with a .918 save percentage, 2.33 goals against average and six shutouts. In 28 playoff games, he is 17-9-0 with a .916 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average and two shutouts.
He became the fastest goalie to reach the 26-win mark (26-5-0) in NHL history during the 2014-15 season. He also tied the league record for the fastest to 50 wins (50-13-5), which was originally set by Montreal’s Bill Durnan (50-9-9) in 1944. He made the 2014-15 All Rookie Team after going 20-5-0 with a 2.29 goals against average, .923 save percentage in 28 appearances. Andersen was originally drafted by the Ducks in the third round of the 2012 Draft.
The 26-year-old does have great size and can cover a lot of net. He has the ability to stop pucks and recover well. Andersen can make the highlight reel save and the easy saves, but he made more than his share of highlight reel saves while with the Ducks. He is a little inconsistent from game to game and he will get injured.
Andersen was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, but the Leafs signed him to a five-year, $25 million contract. The cap hit will be $5 million per season.
The biggest question is can Andersen be a full time goaltender in the NHL. His career high in games played in 54 and that was during the 2014-15 season. In his three seasons with Anaheim, he was splitting the duties and never had the pressure of being the number one goaltender on his shoulders. The Ducks’ defense was better than what the Maple Leafs will put out on the ice, and is he going to be able to make that transition from Anaheim to Toronto, where he’ll be under a microscope for every little play he makes or doesn’t make.
The Maple Leafs and Lou Lamoriello are putting a lot of faith in a young, unproven goaltender.
NHL ANNOUNCES HOME OPENERS FOR 2016-17 REGULAR SEASON
NEW YORK (June 20, 2016) – The National Hockey League announced today
the home openers for all 30 clubs for the 2016-17 regular season. The
League’s complete 1,230-game schedule will be released tomorrow – Tuesday,
June 21 – at 1 p.m. ET.
FULL LIST OF HOME OPENERS, 2016-17 SEASON
Anaheim Ducks: Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. Vancouver
Arizona Coyotes: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Philadelphia
Boston Bruins: Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. New Jersey
Buffalo Sabres: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Montreal
Calgary Flames: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Edmonton
Carolina Hurricanes: Friday, Oct. 28 vs. NY Rangers
Chicago Blackhawks: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. St. Louis
Colorado Avalanche: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Dallas
Columbus Blue Jackets: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Boston
Dallas Stars: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Anaheim
Detroit Red Wings: Monday, Oct. 17 vs. Ottawa
Edmonton Oilers: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Calgary
Florida Panthers: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. New Jersey
Los Angeles Kings: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Philadelphia
Minnesota Wild: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Winnipeg
Montreal Canadiens: Tuesday, Oct. 18 vs. Pittsburgh
Nashville Predators: Friday, Oct. 14 vs. Chicago
New Jersey Devils: Tuesday, Oct. 18 vs. Anaheim
New York Islanders: Sunday, Oct. 16 vs. Anaheim
New York Rangers: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. NY Islanders
Ottawa Senators: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Toronto
Philadelphia Flyers: Thursday, Oct. 20 vs. Anaheim
Pittsburgh Penguins: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Washington
San Jose Sharks: Wednesday, Oct. 12 vs. Los Angeles
St. Louis Blues: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Minnesota
Tampa Bay Lightning: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Detroit
Toronto Maple Leafs: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Boston
Vancouver Canucks: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. Calgary
Washington Capitals: Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. NY Islanders
Winnipeg Jets: Thursday, Oct. 13 vs. Carolina
GLENDALE, ARIZONA — The Arizona Coyotes announced today that the Club’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate will be called the Tucson Roadrunners. The team’s name and logo were revealed by Coyotes’ President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc at an open house event at the Tucson Convention Center.
“We are very proud to name our AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners,” said LeBlanc. “The Tucson Roadrunners will build on the great traditions of hockey in Arizona dating back to 1967. Roadrunners was the overwhelming fan favorite during our ‘Name the Team’ contest, and we thank the thousands of fans who helped us select a great name that creates a strong connection to the City of Tucson, reflects our state pride, and extends the reach of the Coyotes brand.”
The Tucson Roadrunners’ primary logo features design elements that convey a new brand personality for the AHL team while maintaining a connection with the highly regarded Arizona Coyotes logo. The Roadrunners logo features a fierce bird that is ready for game action, wearing a hockey uniform, skates and carrying a hockey stick. The hockey sweater on the roadrunner includes the flag of Arizona (in Coyotes colors) which is also used by the Coyotes as a shoulder patch on the team’s jerseys. The roadrunner’s head, tail, gloves and striping on his jersey, pants and socks are all copper in reference to Arizona’s nickname “Copper State,” which celebrates the fabulous mineral wealth in Tucson and Arizona. While today the Tucson Mountains are largely protected within the confines of the Saguaro National Park and the Tucson Mountain Park, they once were mined extensively for copper, gold, silver, lead and other metallic elements. The Coyotes colors of Brick Red, Desert Sand and black embody the logo, along with copper, and reflect the symmetry between the Coyotes and the Roadrunners teams. The Coyotes’ Creative Services department designed the logo.
The Roadrunners name has a rich tradition in the state of Arizona. In 1967, the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League (WHL) became Arizona’s first professional sports team. They played hockey at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The Roadrunners were the WHL champions in both 1973 and 1974. When the WHL disbanded in 1974, the Roadrunners became a part of the World Hockey Association (WHA), and subsequently the Pacific Hockey League (PHL) until 1979. Ten years later, in 1989, the Roadrunners were back as part of the International Hockey League (IHL) and remained in the Valley until 1997. The Roadrunners returned to Phoenix in 2005 as a member of the ECHL until 2009.
The team selected the name following a two week “Name the Team” contest. Nearly 5,000 fans participated in the campaign. Paul Sheldon was randomly chosen as the winner of the contest and has won two (2) season tickets to the Tucson Roadrunners 2016-17 AHL regular season, a Tucson Roadrunners team jersey, and a 12-person suite to a 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes regular season home game.
The Coyotes also announced today that the team will hold a Red and White intra-squad game on Sunday, October 9 at 1:00 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center. All of the Coyotes NHL players will play in the game along with the team’s AHL players from the Roadrunners. Admission to the game is free but the Coyotes are requesting that all fans donate $5 upon entry into the TCC. All funds collected will be donated to the University of Arizona Wildcats hockey program.
The Tucson Roadrunners will begin the 2016-17 AHL season in October. The AHL’s regular season schedule will be released in August. For ticket information regarding the Roadrunners, please visitwww.arizonacoyotes.com/ahlor call 866-415-4695. Fans can also email ticket representatives atahlhockey@arizonacoyotes.com.
About the Roadrunner:
The roadrunner is a long-legged bird from the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The roadrunner walks around rapidly, running down its prey. It feeds mainly on small animals including insects, spiders (including black widows), tarantulas, scorpions, mice, small birds and especially lizards and snakes. Venomous serpents, including rattlesnakes, are readily consumed. The roadrunner kills prey by holding the victim in its bill and slamming it repeatedly against the ground. Although capable of limited flight, it spends most of its time on the ground, and can run at speeds of up to 20 mph. Some Pueblo Indian Tribes believed the roadrunner provided protection against evil spirits.
In 82 games played last season, Goligoski had five goals, 32 assists, 37 points and was a plus 21. He averaged 23:50 of ice time per game and added a game-winning goal. In 13 postseason games, he had four goals, three assists, seven points, was a minus six and averaged 23:14 of ice time per game. In his six seasons with the Stars, the defenseman played 385 games, scored 32 goals, had 155 assists, and 187 points. He averaged 23:41 of ice time per game while wearing a Stars uniform.
Golisgoski is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Coyotes will have nine days of exclusive negotiating rights to try and convice the defenseman to sign with them. NHL teams can start negotiating with free agents from June 25-30 before the players officially hit the open market on July 1.
If Arizona can manage to sign the defenseman, he will bring a veteran presence to the blue line. He can also log a ton of minutes and has the potential to be on the top defensive pair for the Coyotes. Goligoski can play the point on one of the power play units and he can kill penalties. He had five power play points for the Stars last season including one goal and four assists. The defenseman even added a shorthanded assist last season.
Golisgoski is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman, who can jump into the play in the offensive zone. He has decent hockey sense and can be physical when needed. He has his moments of making the bad turnover, but what NHL defenseman doesn’t? Goligoski can add the element of moving the puck effectively and effeciently out of the defensive zone, which is lacking on the blueline for the Coyotes.
In 10 NHL seasons, he has played 562 games, scored 55 goals, has 222 assists, 277 total points, is a +68, and has averaged 22:37 of ice time per game.
The St. Louis Blues have named Mike Yeo an Associate Coach, and Rick Wilson was named an Assistant Coach for the 2016-17 season.
Yeo will be taking over the head coaching duties to begin the 2017-18 season and his four year contract will run through the 2019-20 season. Ken Hitchcock, the Blues current Head Coach, said that next year would be his last coaching behind a NHL bench.
Yeo, 42, spent most of the five previous seasons with the Minnesota Wild. He was relieved of his duties on February 14, 2016, after the Wild went on an 0-6-2 stretch. Yeo compiled a 173-134-44 regular season record while with Minnesota, which included a record of 48-28-8 in the 2014-15 season, which is the second best record in Wild franchise history. Yeo helped the Wild to three Stanley Cup Playoff appearances including back-to-back second round appearances in 2014 and 2015. In 28 playoff games, he has a record of 11-17.
Prior to the Wild head coaching job, he was the Head Coach of the AHL Houston Aeros. He led the Aeros to the 2011 Calder Cup Final. He spent 10 seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, including four as an assistant coach, and won the Stanley Cup in 2009. In his first six seasons with the Penguins, he was an Assistant Coach for the Penguins AHL Affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Blues also named Rick Wilson as an Assistant Coach for the upcoming season. Wilson was the Assistant Coach for the Wild for the past five seasons. He was an Assistant Coach to Hitchcock for the Dallas Stars when the team won the Stanley Cup in 1999. He played 239 games as a defenseman in the NHL.
Ray Bennett will be back for his 10th season as an Assistant Coach and Jim Corsi will return for his third seaosn as the goalie coach.
Pavelski hasn’t even registered a point in the four games played in the series. He only has nine shots on goal and five of them came in a Game 4 loss. It hasn’t helped that the Sharks have had to play from behind in every game and so they aren’t drawing a lot of penalties on the Penguins. The lack of time on the man advantage is just one reason why Pavelski hasn’t been able to produce points in the series. Pittsburgh is controlling the possession game almost from the start and when a player has to defend then it’s hard to get anything going offensively.
The Penguins have done a really good job of playing in the offensive zone and making the top guys on the Sharks defend. They’ve also done a good job of blocking shots and letting Matt Murray see the play in front of him. Pittsburgh’s defense is taking away any time and space that Pavelski would normally have to create a play or get a shot off. Pavelski’s line has had some shifts where they’ve done a nice job of winning board battles and cycling the puck, but nothing has come of it because of the strong defense of the Penguins.
Pavelski has had some scoring chances in the series even with the lack of shots on net. He either hasn’t been able to get the shot off in time because of a nice play by the Penguins defense or he misses the net high and wide. He’s going to have to find a way to put up the numbers he did in the previous rounds or his team will be eliminated in Game 5.
In five games against the Los Angeles Kings in round one of the postseason, he had five goals and one assist for six points, which included two power play goals and a game-winning goal to help the Sharks advance to the second round. In the second round, they faced the Nashville Predators, where in seven games, Pavelski had four goals, three assists, seven points, two power play goals and two game-winning goals. He averaged a point per game in this series.
In the Western Conference Final against the St. Louis Blues, Pavelski had four goals, five assists, nine points, one power play goal and one game-winning goal. He averaged 1.29 points per game in the Western Conference Final. In 22 games played this postseason, the forward has 13 goals, nine assists, 22 points, five power play goals and four game-winning goals.
If the Sharks want to live another day and force a Game 6, then Pavelski is somehow going to have to find his game and the back of the net.
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