That probably wasn’t the start the Americans wanted in the World Junior Championship. The first WJC game for Team USA against Russia on Christmas Day ended 5-3 with the Red Machine getting the better of the play for most of the evening.
USA was sloppy with its puck management, committing dangerous turnovers it its own end and at both blue lines, and that really was the ultimate difference in the game.
If you’re rooting for the Stars and Stripes in this tournament, though, there was some silver lining. After falling behind 4-1 in the second period, Team USA did fight back to make it a one-goal game before conceding an empty net goal in the closing minutes.
So, there’s some fight in the Americans. Even in a game with careless puck play and as high as a three-goal deficit against a talented team with the world’s best under-20 goalie, there was still a chance for victory late in the game. And that is something upon which to hang your red, white, and blue hat.
Despite the disappointing American performance, it was ridiculously fun to drink a few glasses of Christmas cheer and watch elite-level hockey. Here are the three things we learned from USA’s opening loss to Russia.
Thing 1: America’s Got Talent
Montreal Canadiens’ draft pick, Cole Caufield, got minimal playing time in the opening period Friday. Why? We have no idea.
The Wisconsin Badger was dangerous every time he touched the puck and looked faster and more shifty than anybody else when he was in control. The problem was that he didn’t get that many looks, and when he did, it was too frequently on the perimeter and trying to create opportunities for himself.
Caufield loves finding a quiet spot on the ice away from the puck and then quickly striking when a teammate finds him through a seam. That didn’t happen Friday.
Trevor Zegras (ANA) also showed why he’s considered one of USA’s top offensive threats with a late power play rocket off the post and in.
Meanwhile, Matt Boldy (MIN) was strong everywhere on the ice and Cam York (PHL) had USA’s first goal and added an assist.
There are kinks to work out for Team USA if it wants to have a chance in this WJC, and Russia exposed that. But there is real talent here, and despite the loss, there’s no reason to think USA can’t end up on the podium on January 5th.
Thing 2: Goaltending Controversy?
While Russia’s Yaroslav Askarov (NSH) has earned top billing for goalies in this tournament – and showed why on Friday with some remarkably athletic saves – Spencer Knight is one of the other netminders that has received plenty of hype and praise, including from yours truly.
Yaroslav Askarov’s legs move quicker than Ginsu knives
It probably wouldn’t have looked that bad for the Florida Panthers’ first-round draft pick, if it weren’t for his puck play outside of the crease. And frankly, Knight made a good pass on one of the his two gaffs before defenseman Jake Sanderson (OTT) turned the puck over and hung Knight out to dry.
This one was pretty bad, though, and this goal – Russia’s fourth – landed Knight on USA’s bench.
In all, Knight was credited with just four saves on eight shots Friday. Oofda.
In came Everett Silvertip and friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, Dustin Wolf (CGY). The 2019-2020 CHL Goalie of the Year came on in relief and looked solid, stopping all eleven shots he faced, including two Russian breakaways.
Knight has long been considered the de facto starter for USA, but the team would have had a better chance to win if Wolf had played the whole game.
One has to wonder now if Wolf will get more chances to start as we get deeper in the tournament. He has already been named the starter for Saturday’s contest with Austria.
Dustin Wolf (CGY) will start for Team USA tonight. #WorldJuniors
While USA head coach, Nate Leaman, has maintained all along that he plans to use both Knight and Wolf in the WJC, the preliminary round games are absolutely auditions for the quarterfinals and beyond.
Thing 3: Execution Wins Games
Execution was the achilles heel for Team USA against Russia, and that has to improve as we move along in the WJC. Turnovers in bad spots on the ice ultimately did them in against a more opportunistic and more crisp Red Machine.
A sequence four minutes into the second period summed up the contest pretty well. Bobby Brink (PHL) found himself with the puck on his stick in the slot and a gaping net in front of him, with Askarov nowhere to be found.
But Brink shanked a snap shot wide of the net. A goal there would have given USA a 2-1 lead.
Just seconds later, Maxim Groshev (TBL) hit Zakhar Bardakov with a glorious stretch pass that Bardakov promptly deposited behind Knight.
The US goes right back to work at 6:30PM Pacific on Saturday against a lesser opponent in Austria. Perhaps that will be a chance for the Americans to ramp up the execution that escaped them on Friday.
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
Wow, big-time episode this week on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast! The guys welcome Lamont Buford, VP of Live Entertainment and Game Presentation for the Seattle Kraken, and his interview is worth the price of admission.
With Lamont Buford, the guys discuss his rise from “Puck Head” with the AHL’s Hershey Bears to where he is today, planning the in-game fan experience for the Seattle Kraken. He also humors John, Andy, and Darren with some mascot and goal song discussion and shares his opinions on some tried-and-true game presentation gimmicks. Andy also pitches to Lamont that he believes *this* should be the team mascot.
Apparently this is Sigmund the Sea Monster. Andy says he’s cool.
Also on this episode, the guys consider the huge news from earlier in the week that the NHL is officially returning to play on January 13th and what that means for Seattle.
Plus, a WHL Update, Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
With Lisa, the guys discuss the Kings’ plans for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, their deep prospect pool, and how long the team might stink. Great interview.
Also in this episode, John, Andy, and Darren discuss some of the travel woes that have been experienced by teams trying to get into the World Junior Championship bubble and consider some of the rosters that have been released.
Segments this week include a controversial Goalie Gear Corner, You Don’t See That Every Day, and Weekly One-Timers. Also, Let’s Get Quizzical makes its triumphant return from a long hiatus.
During the 2017 Expansion Draft, it was slim pickings for the Vegas Golden Knights when it came to the Edmonton Oilers’ player pool, but thankfully for the Seattle Kraken, there’s a little bit more meat on the bone this time around.
The Oilers, with Hart Trophy winners Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, have always boasted a top-heavy roster. But there’s more depth now than there was is 2017, with a few intriguing young players and some possible reclamation projects the Seattle Kraken can choose from in the 2021 Expansion Draft.
Assumptions
We’ll assume the Oilers will re-sign 27-year-old forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season.
Top prospects Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg, and Raphael Lavoie are all exempt because they haven’t accrued more than two professional seasons. Same with the Oilers’ recent first-round pick, Dylan Holloway.
Joakim Nygard, 27, and Gaetan Haas, 28, are also exempt.
Protected List
Forwards
Connor McDavid (Lock)
Leon Draisaitl (Lock)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Lock, if re-signed)
Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen
Darnell Nurse
Oscar Klefbom
Ethan Bear
Caleb Jones
Goaltender
Mikko Koskinen
We project the Oilers to go the eight-skater route when it comes to their protection list for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. This will allow them to keep promising young defensemen Ethan Bear, 23, and Caleb Jones, 23 away from Seattle.
The wildcard in this group is Oscar Klefbom, who could miss the 2021-22 campaign due to chronic issues with his shoulder. Klefbom, 27, is a productive player when healthy, but he may be put on long-term injured reserve. If that’s the case, Edmonton may not be compelled to protect him.
It’s a situation to closely monitor for Kraken fans. If Klefbom is left off Edmonton’s protected list, 28-year-old blueliner Adam Larsson or 29-year-old Tyson Barrie could take his place if either has a bounce-back season in 2021-22. Both are unrestricted free agents after the season. The Oilers could also protect seven forwards instead and just protecting Bear, Jones, and Nurse.
For now, Yamamoto, 22, holds the inside track for claiming the fourth and final protection spot at forward. However, Jesse Puljujarvi, Zack Kassian, or even Dominik Kahun could claim it with a stellar 2021-22 campaign.
Expansion Draft Candidates
Forward
Jesse Puljujarvi
Dominik Kahun
Zack Kassian
Kyle Turris
Tyler Benson
Kassian is a trendy choice to be the pick from the Oilers in the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft, but we at Sound Of Hockey frankly don’t understand the infatuation.
Yes, he is relatively big — Kassian is listed at 6-foot-3, 211 pounds — he’s developed a reputation as one of the NHL’s best tough guys, and he posted decent advanced metrics last season. But Kassian’s career-best 34-point season in 2019-20 came while playing 76 percent of his 5-on-5 minutes with Connor McDavid. Advanced metrics unsurprisingly indicate Kassian’s impact decreases significantly when he’s not playing with McDavid. Kassian, who is signed through 2024 with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.2 million, also is notorious for taking a great number of penalties.
If Seattle is looking for someone with top-six forward experience, Kassian may be the obvious choice. But there’s no guarantee he’ll be a top-six caliber player without Connor McDavid.
Puljujarvi, 22, is the splashiest choice for the Kraken because, quite simply, young players taken early in the NHL Draft aren’t usually available in an Expansion Draft. The Finnish winger, who was taken No. 4 overall by Edmonton in the 2016 NHL Draft, is 6-foot-4 and skilled but failed to make an impact early in his NHL career. What’s more, he spent the entire last season with Karpat in Liiga, Finland’s top league, after his relationship with the team soured and he publicly wanted to be traded out of Edmonton.
If Seattle is disenchanted with Puljujarvi, either Kahun, 25, or Benson, 22, would be the next best options.
Kahun is already with his fourth NHL franchise, but the German National Team forward has put up over 30 points in each of his two NHL seasons. The 25-year-old is a free agent in 2021-22.
Benson, a former member of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, has proven to be a capable playmaker. The Edmonton native finished with 51 assists last year for the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors, but he’s struggled with finishing at the NHL level. Benson is the Oilers’ seventh-ranked prospect, according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman.
Turris’ best years are behind him, but he’s a decent option if Seattle is seeking a veteran on an affordable contract; Turris signed a two-year deal with Edmonton with an AAV of $1.6 million this offseason.
Defensemen
Adam Larsson
Tyson Barrie
William Lagesson
Larsson and Barrie are known for being lightning rods for teasing on the internet — Larsson because he was the other player in the infamous one-for-one Taylor Hall trade to New Jersey and Barrie because of his underwhelming tour with Toronto last season. But they are both worth mentioning because they’ve been highly productive players in the past.
Lagesson, 24, has not yet fully broken into the NHL, nor has he been overly productive in the AHL, but the Swedish rearguard would be the best option if Seattle is seeking a young defenseman.
Goaltender
Stuart Skinner
Everett Silvertips fans will remember Skinner for tending goal for the Swift Current Broncos in their 2017 WHL Championship series. Skinner, 22, had some prospect pedigree after being selected by Edmonton in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, but his stock fell after inconsistent play in his first two professional seasons.
If Skinner puts together a stellar 2021-22 season, he could land on the Kraken’s radar as a goalie prospect to gamble on. But for now, his situation is too blurry.
Potential Side Deals for Seattle Kraken
Perhaps the Oilers will dangle a prospect or a draft pick to coerce Seattle into taking expensive veteran forward James Neal. Neal, 33, and his $5.75 AAV contract expires in 2023. Edmonton, which has the 26th-ranked farm system in the NHL, may not have the firepower to make that happen or may not have the need to dump salary in general — the Oilers have plenty of projected cap space available in 2021-22.
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and former Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
Previous Sound Of Hockey Expansion Draft Team Previews
For a team – and a fanbase – that fancies itself as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t exactly gushing with the sort of quality depth that will excite the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
At least not yet anyway.
Toronto’s core four of highly talented and highly paid forwards – Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander – eat up 49.7 percent of its 2020-2021 salary cap space, leaving the rest to be spread creatively among the remaining 19 roster players. Defensemen Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly, and T.J. Brodie and goaltender Frederik Andersen bite off another $20.625 million, causing Leafs Nation and management a lot of wishful thinking and finger-crossing over the rest of the roster.
Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has kept kicking the salary cap can down the road to the point where he’s skating a thin line in this COVID-19 flat cap market. This means it will be interesting to see how Kraken GM – and one-time Maple Leaf – Ron Francis can exploit this in the Seattle Expansion Draft.
Toronto didn’t make it past the play-in round in 2020 and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs three years before that. In the upcoming abbreviated season the Leafs will escape the brutally tough Atlantic Division for the intriguing and perhaps equally competitive, pandemic-created Canadian Division.
Under the superheated local and national spotlight of living up to Toronto’s Cup contender status, any short-sighted moves in 2021 will only give the Kraken better options when they evaluate the Maple Leafs’ list of exposed players.
Assumptions
In addition to his core four, Dubas has filled out his roster with many pending unrestricted free agents up front. As a result, this shrewdly gives him some salary cap flexibility while not presenting great forward options for the Kraken Expansion Draft.
However, Dubas has painted himself into a corner a little. He will have to re-sign one or two of those pending UFAs or acquire another forward or two to meet the NHL’s Expansion Draft requirements of exposing at least “two forwards who are a) under contract in 2021-22 and b) played at least 40 NHL games the prior season or played in at least 70 NHL games in the prior two seasons.”
After the seven forwards identified below for protection, only Joey Anderson, Denis Malgin and Adam Brooks are signed beyond this season. None of them appear likely to play 40 games this season. And only Malgin, who played 44 last season, has a reasonable shot at reaching the 70-game, two-season mark. Anderson played 18 NHL games and Brooks played seven last season.
It’s pretty safe to assume the Leafs will make some trades before the midseason deadline, so any new forwards with term left on their contracts could be exposed or push some current players off the preliminary list below. We’ve compiled a protection list with the seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie scenario. But if the Leafs can’t lock up more forwards by draft time, they’ll have to go with the eight skaters and one goalie option that allows them to protect four defensemen.
Offseason Wildcards
Toronto is over the cap limit by more than $1 million as of Dec. 13, 2020, so it has some juggling to do before the season starts. Don’t expect that maneuvering to result in the addition of a significant player, however.
Maple Leafs Protected List
Forwards
Auston Matthews (Lock)
Mitch Marner (Lock)
John Tavares (Lock, NMC)
William Nylander (Lock)
Zach Hyman (Lock)
Alex Kerfoot
Pierre Engvall
Kerfoot and Engvall are on the bubble and could be exposed if Toronto obtains quality players worth protecting or other Leafs surpass them on the depth chart. Kerfoot will have a year and $3.5 million remaining on his contract next offseason. They might take a chance by leaving him exposed and protect someone else.
Defense
Morgan Rielly (Lock)
Jake Muzzin (Lock)
T.J. Brodie
Toronto just signed Brodie to a four-year, $20 million free agent contract, so he’s as good as a lock if he lives up to earning that salary. Otherwise the Leafs could leave him exposed in favor of protecting another defenseman, such as Justin Holl or Travis Dermott. And if the Leafs lose Brodie, it will at least free up some cap space.
Goaltender
Frederik Andersen (UFA)
Andersen, Toronto’s No. 1 goalie, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. As a result, the Leafs will have a big decision on who will be their top netminder in 2021-22. Do they re-sign Andersen or use the $5 million in cap space to find a replacement via trade or free agency?
The pressure is on Andersen, 31, to have a strong contract year after an inconsistent postseason and the worst regular season numbers of his seven years in the NHL. He’s better than his 2.85 GAA and .909 save percentage showed, but his regular season 5-on-5 save percentage fell to .914 after seasons of .927, .924 and .928. We’re guessing Toronto will re-sign the big Dane and protect him.
Kraken Expansion Draft Players
Forwards
Joey Anderson
Adam Brooks
Denis Malgin
Jimmy Vesey (UFA)
Wayne Simmonds (UFA)
Anderson, Brooks and Malgin are depth players who will be fighting for roster spots this season. Whomever doesn’t make the cut will end up in the purgatory of an expanded roster taxi squad or dealing with whatever happens with the AHL Toronto Marlies’ schedule.
Anderson, 22, Brooks, 24, and Malgin, 23, have all performed well in the minors, so they’re at pivotal career moments to prove themselves. Only Malgin has spent more time recently in the NHL than the AHL. The native of Switzerland will also be the sharpest when training camp starts after being on loan to Swiss club Lausanne HC where he has notched eight goals and 12 points in 12 games this season.
Vesey and Simmonds were signed this past offseason to low-cost free agent contracts and are listed here in case they re-sign before the draft.
Simmonds is 32 and slowing down since he was a 50- to 60-point man in his peak years. But he always seems to be in trade rumors and was dealt before the past two deadlines. He could be a tough, grinding veteran option who might later be trade bait if the Kraken aren’t in playoff contention in Year 1.
Vesey, 27, is out to prove he can live up to the hype he had when he left Harvard. And the Kraken will be watching how he plays with his head ablaze.
If the aforementioned eligibility crunch drops Engvall, 24, onto the unprotected list, the 6-5 and 214-pound Swede would be an attractive option for the Kraken. He has speed, size and ability to play special teams that could see him blossom with increased opportunities.
Defense
Travis Dermott
Justin Holl
Zach Bogosian (UFA)
Here’s where the Kraken have some decent choices. Holl, 28, has been entrusted with more ice time and shut-down duties, but Dermott, 23, is more mobile and has better offensive potential.
Travis Dermott and Justin Holl had a night to remember during a 2018 game against the Islanders. Both scored their first NHL goals with their dads in the stands. #LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/j4IV6ZO3NU
Fresh off helping the Tampa Bay Lightning win a Stanley Cup, Bogosian showed he still has more left in the tank. The 30-year-old could be an option if the Leafs re-sign him and feel the need to work a side deal with the Kraken.
Goalie
Jack Campbell
Campbell, the 11th overall pick in the 2010 entry draft, will have a reasonable $1.65 million and one year left on his contract before the Kraken Expansion Draft. This season’s compressed schedule should give Campbell more games to show whether he can push to be a No. 1 goalie.
Side Deal Scenarios
Dubas might want to steer Francis away from Holl and/or Dermott if they have good seasons and become important parts of the Leafs blue line in the team’s long and arduous chase for their first Stanley Cup since 1967.
If that plays out, Francis could turn his attention to one of those pending UFA veterans such as Simmonds, Vesey or Bogosian. To make this happen, the Leafs still have their first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth 2021 entry draft picks. Remember, Toronto traded its 2020 first-round pick to rid itself of former Seattle Thunderbird Patrick Marleau’s contract.
Other Notes
At least the options for the Kraken appear better than 2017 when the Vegas Golden Knights were building their inaugural lineup. Vegas did as well as could be hoped with what the rebuilding Leafs, having just made the playoffs for the first time in four years, left unprotected.
After a strong AHL season, forward Brendan Leipsic was a bottom-six energy guy who has since bounced from the Golden Knights to the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals before he texted himself out of the league earlier this year.
Previous Sound of Hockey Expansion Draft team previews
Jim Wilkie is a longtime Northwest journalist, former NHL editor and NHL Insider writer for ESPN.com, a onetime GSHL All-Star, and SJHA hockey dad. Follow him on Twitter @jimwilkie.
It appears that the NHL season will start on January 13th with 56 games, or at least that’s the latest plan. It still needs to be voted on by the NHL Board of Governors, but it appears very close to being fully baked.
Realignment
Due to the ongoing border restrictions between the US and Canada, the NHL will need to realign for the 2020-21 season. How the divisions might end up looking has not been settled with the exception of the all-Canadian division. Here is a look at the latest reported alignment for this shortened campaign:
This can and has changed multiple times over the last week, and until we see it come from the NHL, we would recommend taking this alignment plan with a grain of salt.
Apparently, there was a proposal to kick the Flyers out of the league this year.
The stated objective of the NHL is to play all the games in teams’ home rinks. That is all well and good until you realize that some locations would not be allowed to even practice in their hometown due to local restrictions, let alone play games. It is a stark reminder of who is really driving the bus here.
The NHL and the impacted NHL teams will need to figure out a solution on a case-by-case basis. It remains highly possible that teams might have training camps and home games in other teams’ facilities to start the season until case counts decrease and restrictions ease.
Additionally, the league is talking about scheduling options to limit travel and exposure. One proposal is to have a potential series format. This would work like baseball where a team plays the same opponent for 3 games over 5 days in the same facility.
There are still a lot of questions around playoff format, fans, and schedule. We should anticipate hearing a lot more on the plans over the next seven days.
World Junior Championship
Team Canada has announced its roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship.
Sadly, friends of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, Gage Goncalves (Everett Silvertips) and Seth Jarvis (Portland Winterhawks) were among the final cuts from the squad.
Remember, Team Canada had to pause its selection camp and have everyone quarantine for 14 days in a Red Deer, Alberta hotel due to positive Covid-19 tests in November. So, after going through all that, the last-second exclusions from the team have to be extra painful for everyone that didn’t make the final roster.
Former NHLers Ray Ferraro and Martin Biron had some words of encouragement for those that didn’t make it.
To add to this Marty-I had 50 goals at Christmas and never got invited to camp. Keep plowing ahead guys-respect the struggle to keep following your dreams, and climb over this bump in the road https://t.co/q15wENt8GK
Team Sweden had a rash of positive tests amongst players and staff, and actually had to replace its head coach, Tomas Monten. Sweden has now named Joel Ronnmark as its last-second head coach.
Team Russia did release its final roster on its website.
Ducks Fly Together!
Disney announced a Mighty Ducks reboot featuring Emilio Estevez himself as Gordon Bombay. And you know something? It… doesn’t… look… bad… ?
Stand Down, Internet
The internet responded in a predictably rational manner when John Shannon announced to the world via Twitter that the NHL was planning to privately purchase Covid vaccines as part of its season plan.
Source confirms that the NHL is planning the private purchase of a COVID vaccine for all constituents involved in the potential upcoming season.
He then waited 90 MINUTES (!!) to send a follow-up tweet, which surely was seen by a small fraction of the people who freaked out over the initial tweet.
For clarification…
The NHL is interested in securing vaccine when and if it’s available for private purchase.
Is it at this point? — no.
The league also is adamant they would not jump the line to do so.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks announced that it would opt out of hockey and basketball this season, following the University of Alaska Anchorage in making the difficult call. Alaska Anchorage’s decision effectively ended that program, as the school planned to fold hockey due to economic issues after this season. There are fundraising efforts underway to save Seawolves hockey, but as of now, it appears we’ve seen the last of that team. Meanwhile, there doesn’t appear to be any plan to fold the Alaska Fairbanks program permanently, though there is a lot of uncertainty as to what will happen moving forward.
It would appear that UAF head coach Erik Largen does not agree with the decision to opt out.
This means that the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) will be down to eight teams when it starts play in January.
This will be the last season for the WCHA as well. You may recall, UAA and UAF, along with the University of Alabama Huntsville, have been essentially voted off the WCHA island. The seven other schools will form a re-booted version of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in 2021-22, adding St. Thomas University to the mix for that school’s first Division I season.
