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.
Team Canada, the hockey powerhouse of the world, is a perpetual bet to bring a stacked roster to the World Junior Championship time after time.
This year is no exception.
Twenty first-rounders make up a roster with 24 drafted prospects in all — including a tournament-high seven in the Top 10 — for Team Canada in the 2021 WJC.
Here’s how Canada’s roster shakes out.
Forwards
Team Canada posted a photo of its line combinations for a practice on Dec. 18, and it included the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft on Canada’s fourth line.
OK, Quinton Byfield probably won’t be a fourth-liner for the entire tournament. But it’s a testament to how deep and talented Canada’s forward group is.
It starts with Kirby Dach, who was loaned by the Chicago Blackhawks to Canada for the tournament. Dach, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, was playing on a national stage as recently as August.
Playing against Cole Caufield (USA forward and Canadiens prospect) and Vasili Podkolzin (Russia forward and Canucks prospect), as talented as they are, might just be a slight drop-off from playing against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Byfield, Dach, Dylan Cozens (Sabres first-round pick), Connor McMichael (Capitals first-round pick) and Dawson Mercer (Devils first-rounder) round out Canada’s returners up front from last year’s tournament in the Czech Republic.
Notably, Canada has really strong depth at center with players like Dach, Byfield, and Cozens highlighting the roster. It will allow guys like Peyton Krebs, a Golden Knights prospect and a former Winnipeg Ice star, and Connor Zary, a Flames first-rounder and a Kamloops Blazer, to move to the wings.
Defensemen
Canada’s options on the blueline are also strong.
Bowen Byram, the No. 4 overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft, headlines the group. The former Vancouver Giants star will likely link up with Jamie Drysdale, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, as Canada’s top pairing.
Both Byram and Drysdale are also expected to be primary fixtures on Canada’s power play.
Canada also features two shutdown defensemen from the Western Hockey League in Prince Albert’s Kaiden Guhle (No. 16 overall to Montreal in 2020) and the Brandon Wheat Kings’ Braden Schneider (No. 19 overall to the New York Rangers).
Goalies
Ironically, Canada may rely on its only undrafted player to handle its crease for the 2021 WJC.
Taylor Gauthier, who plays for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, has been in the Hockey Canada program since he was 16-years-old and tended goal for the Maple Leaf in the country’s gold medal finish at the 2018 under-18 Hlinka-Gretzky Tournament in 2018.
Devon Levi, a seventh-round pick by the Panthers in 2020 who plays for Northeastern University, and Dylan Garand, a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 2020 who plays for the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, are Canada’s other options in goal.
It’s unclear right now which one Canada will lean on in Edmonton.
This is perhaps Canada’s only weak spot on its roster, whereas other medal favorites, the United States and Russia, are well set up in the crease. USA boasts the Spencer Knight-Dustin Wolf tandem and Russia will go with super prospect Yaroslav Askarov.
Forward to Watch: Dylan Cozens
The Sabres prospect put up nine points for Canada last year as an underager and could be in line for another huge tournament. Cozens is projected to center Canada’s top line with Dach and fellow Buffalo first-round draft pick Jack Quinn. His combination of length (Cozens is 6-foot-3), speed, and shooting ability should be a spectacle.
Defensemen to Watch: Thomas Harley
The Stars prospect (No. 18 overall pick in 2019) is a highly-skilled rearguard who will be leaned upon to create offense for Canada. He spent last season with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League but played in one playoff game with the Dallas Stars during the 2020 playoffs.
Newcomer to Watch: Cole Perfetti, Forward
It’s hard for folks out west to watch the talented junior players in the east, so the WJC will be a terrific chance to get a glimpse of the Winnipeg Jets first-rounder (No. 10 overall). Perfetti, who plays for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, is a lethal player on the rush with a quick release on his shot and superb puck handling and totaled 111 points in 61 games last season.
But there is Canada assistant coach Mitch Love, who is a cult hero in Everett Silvertips lore. Dylan Holloway is also a former Silvertips draft pick but decided to play at Wisconsin instead.
Expectations
There’s no reason Canada can’t hold a “gold-or-bust” mantra heading into Edmonton.
Canada has elite top-end talent and astounding depth, two ingredients for a championship. Canada’s goaltending is something to keep an eye on, but the Canadians are the odds-on favorites in 2021.
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.
Coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish at the 2020 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic, Team USA is looking to get back in the medal picture.
With several highly-regarded forwards returning from last year’s team and the best goalie tandem in the tournament, the Americans’ outlook is promising.
Here’s how the roster breaks down.
Roster Outlook
Forwards
The United States’ forward group features plenty of high-end skill and will be the team’s engine if it were to make a deep run in 2021.
However, some of its high-profile players up front are seeking bounce-back tournaments.
In particular, University of Wisconsin teammates Cole Caufield (Canadiens first-round pick) and Alex Turcotte (Kings first-round pick) need to be more productive after quiet tournaments in 2020 — each had just two points in five games in last year’s tournament.
Caufield is a diminutive-but-gifted goal scorer, and Turcotte is regarded as a playmaking two-way center.
Of note: Nick Robertson, a Maple Leafs’ second-round pick in 2019, was expected to play a top-six role on this USA squad. While Kirby Dach was loaned by the Blackhawks to Team Canada, Robertson’s situation is slightly different because his spot on the Maple Leafs’ roster is less solidified than Dach’s. This makes NHL training camp far more important for Robertson, and since training camp conflicts with the WJC, he will not participate for USA.
Arthur Kaliyev, a Kings first-round pick, is expected to play on a line with Trevor Zegras and Turcotte on Team USA’s top line and is coming off a strong tournament in 2020 with six points (4-2-6)
Defensemen
Team USA’s defensive core isn’t its strength, but there are still some interesting options.
Cam York and Jake Sanderson figure to be the United States’ workhorse rearguards. Sanderson, a Senators prospect, is tied with Turcotte for the distinction of being Team USA’s highest-drafted player after he was taken No. 5 overall in October. Sanderson is one of the Americans’ strongest defenders and will be leaned upon heavily in the defensive zone.
Henry Thrun, a jack-of-all-trades type defensemen, is also expected to take on heavy minutes for the United States. The 6-foot-2 rearguard put up 21 points (3-18-21) in 31 games for Harvard last season.
Goalies
Everett Silvertips goalie Dustin Wolf will make his second straight Team USA appearance. (Brian Liesse photo)
Spencer Knight and Dustin Wolf are expected to carry the load for Team USA in what is an incredibly strong position for the Americans.
Knight handled the lion’s share of minutes for Team USA in 2020 and is expected to do so again. The Panthers first-round pick in 2019 (No. 13 overall) posted a .913 save percentage in four games played at last year’s tournament.
Wolf, the Everett Silvertips star netminder and a Calgary Flames prospect, will be the next man up. As many fans of the Western Hockey League are aware, Wolf is more than capable if he’s called into action. The 2019-20 Canadian Hockey League Goalie of the Year recorded a .935 save percentage for the Silvertips before the season was shut down due to COVID-19. Wolf is expected to at least see some game action during the tournament.
Forward to Watch: Trevor Zegras
If you watched Zegras in last year’s World Junior Championship, you saw his elite playmaking ability. Just watch this spin-o-rama pass that set up this goal for Team USA last year.
Zegras, an Anaheim Ducks first-round pick in 2019, led the Americans with nine points (0-9-9) in last year’s tournament and is Team USA’s best playmaking threat once again. Early projections have him playing on the wing — Zegras plays center for Boston College — just like he did last year for the Americans.
As a Ducks prospect, there’s a decent chance Kraken fans see plenty of Zegras in Pacific Division clashes over the years.
Defenseman to Watch: Cam York
The Flyers’ first-round pick in 2019 is expected to play big minutes for the Americans. The left-shot rearguard can play in any situation and should be a prominent figure on Team USA’s power play and penalty kill.
Newcomer to Watch: Matthew Boldy, Forward
The Boston College forward didn’t crack last year’s World Junior roster, but Boldy is expected to take on a top-six role for Team USA this time around. The No. 12 overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild put up eight points in his first four games this season for the Eagles.
Draft Watch: Matthew Beniers, Forward
Seattle Kraken fans should keep a keen eye on Beniers. The University of Michigan forward is projected to be a Top 10 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft— Scott Wheeler of The Athletic currently has him at No. 8 on his big board.
Beniers, who has six points (3-3-6) in eight games for the Wolverines, could center Team USA’s second line as an aggressive forechecker.
Third-string goalie Logan Stein is also draft eligible in 2021.
Local Angles
Wolf is the only real local angle on the Americans’ roster. The California native and reigning Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Year relocated with his parents to Lake Stevens, Washington after he joined the Everett Silvertips in 2017-18.
The next closest local on the roster is perhaps Sanderson, who grew up in Whitefish, Montana. If Sanderson makes the NHL, he will be the first Montana-born player to do so.
Expectations
Team USA’s overall depth isn’t where Canada’s is — it’s hard to match what the neighbors up north bring to the tournament anyway — but Team USA’s top-end talent is just as dangerous.
It might just be that Team USA goes as far as their goaltending takes them.
Knight, along with Russia goalie Yaraslov Askarov, is one of the highest regarded goalies in the tournament. USA’s best recipe for success will most likely be Knight building off last year’s experience as the American’s No. 1 option in net.
Russia and Sweden will be Team USA’s biggest threats in Group B — two teams with strong goaltending — and there’s no reason to think the Americans can’t recapture a medal in 2021 after a lackluster performance last year.
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.
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, 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 NHL’s 32nd franchise. 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.
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.
It is World Junior Week for us at the Sound Of Hockey The IIHF World Junior Championship is one of my favorite things about the holiday season, and with the NHL still a month away from starting, the WJC means a little bit more this year. I need my hockey fix while I wait for the NHL, and the world’s premiere under-20 tournament will provide just the kick I need to get me through. The hockey is outstanding and quite literally, the NHL’s future is on full display.
The tournament will feature the best players in this age group from 10 countries. Most of the players, particularly from the US and Canada, will play in the NHL someday. When the rosters get published, I pore through them to see who I should be watching from every team.
As they say, sharing is caring, so let us dig into the rosters to determine who we should be watching.
Draft Picks
There are 114 NHL-drafted players in the tournament this year with 44 of them being selected in the first round.
As expected, Canada and the US have the highest number of NHL-drafted players on their team.
It is mind boggling to see that Canada has a whopping 20 (!) first round draft picks on its roster.
Here is the detail of all the draft picks by NHL teams:
Leagues
Next let us look at what are the most common leagues in which these players are currently playing.
The bulk of the NCAA players are on the US team, but there are a few international players that are playing NCAA hockey right now.
US vs Canada
It is always fascinating how different the US and Canada teams are built.
I hope this gives you a bit more context and appreciation for the IIHF World Junior Championship that kicks off on Friday. All the games will be televised on NHL Network. Enjoy!
The NHL gave us all an early present over the weekend by announcing a Jan. 13th return to play plan to get hockey back on the ice. But that’s nearly a month away. What are we supposed to do between now and then? Thankfully, the World Junior Championship is here to fulfill your hockey needs.
Since 1977 the International Ice Hockey Federation has held the World Junior Championship during December and January. The tournament pits the best international players under 20 years old against each other for the ultimate worldwide bragging rights.
Every winter the World Juniors are must-watch in Canada and it receives intense media scrutiny. The pressure on the players and coaching staff is real. The Canadian team has responded and leads all nations with 18 gold medals, including a win last year when the tournament was held in the Czech Republic.
Here in the U.S., the World Junior Championship hasn’t taken as great a hold as it has to our friendly northern neighbors. It should.
The word ‘junior’ hurts the marketability of this tournament to American audiences. To us, ‘junior’ has come to mean inferior or lessor and brings up images of watching kids still learning how to play the game. But that is selling junior hockey and the World Junior Championship short. Don’t be fooled.
This is quality hockey and must-watch for hockey fans, no matter where you are from.
Starting Christmas Day, this year’s World Junior Championship will entertain and delight. The tournament is being played in the same Edmonton bubble in which we saw the Stanley Cup raised in September.
Here are the reasons you should be tuning in.
NHL’s Future on Display at World Junior Championship
When watching the World Juniors, you’re watching the next wave of NHL stars.
Wayne Gretzky? Yeah, he played in the tournament as a 17-year-old in 1978 – and of course had 17 points in six games. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid? Yeah, he played for Canada twice and was part of a gold medal squad in 2015.
It’s not just Canadian stars. American-born players like Patrick Kane and T.J. Oshie played for the U.S. in this tournament. Former Vancouver Canucks stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin played – on the same line of course – for Sweden.
Those names are just the tip of the iceberg and this year’s tournament is no different.
All but two of the players suiting up for the United States this year have already been drafted by NHL teams. Of those 25, nine were taken in the first round and nine more went in the second. As expected, the Canadian roster is loaded, with only one undrafted player – Prince George Cougars goalie Taylor Gauthier – while 20 others were selected in the first round.
This year’s tournament is a bit different because of Covid and we’re not talking about the bubble or testing. Because the NHL has yet to start, there are players in this tournament that might otherwise be in the NHL and not available to play.
The headliner of that group is Kirby Dach of the Chicago Blackhawks. Dach, 19, played full time in the NHL last season but is still eligible for the World Juniors. Chicago gave him permission to play and Dach was named captain of Team Canada last week.
Quinton Byfield is on Team Canada with Dach after being drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Kings in October. He most likely would be in the beginning stages of his rookie year in the NHL and not available. The same is true for Ottawa Senators pick Tim Stutzle, who was the third pick in the draft. Stutzle will compete for the German team, something he did during last year’s tournament as well.
International Rivalries Come to Life at the World Junior Championship
Russia and Canada have dominated the tournament since its inception. The two countries have combined for the most medals and Russia – then known as the Soviet Union – won the first four golds. The two nations have long been hockey rivals and have provided memorable moments in the World Juniors, including last year’s gold medal game.
Most of those Canadian-Russian moments have been about exciting hockey but they also got together for the most infamous moment in the tournament’s history. Things got out of hand in 1987 with an all-out brawl that is simply known now as the ‘Punch up in Piestany’.
The United States won its first gold in 2004. Led by Zach Parise, the Americans beat the Canadians in Helsinki to win the tournament and birth an intense rivalry.
As American hockey has grown, its World Junior clubs have improved. The U.S. has won three golds since 2004 and has given the Canadians fits. Games between the two nations have become the highlight of the tournament.
One of the most memorable moments came in a 2007 semifinal game that was decided by shootout and featured names like Carey Price, Kane, and Jonathan Toews.
The Canadians came out on top in 2007 but the roles were reversed in another star-studded shootout, this time for the gold, in 2017.
Northwest Connections at the World Junior Championship
Fans of the local WHL’s U.S.Division clubs will have some rooting interest this year.
Goalie Dustin Wolf of the Everett Silvertips will be with the United States team for the second straight season. He’ll be platooned with Florida Panthers prospect Spencer Knight to give the Americans a goalie tandem that’s as good as it gets at this level.
Everett Silvertips goalie Dustin Wolf is back with Team USA at the World Junior Championships. (Brian Liesse photo)
Simon Kubicek of the Seattle Thunderbirds will be making his second straight appearance with the Czech team, and he’s joined by goalie Lukas Parik of the Spokane Chiefs and the Silvertips’ Michal Gut.
Defenseman Kasper Puutio is playing for Finland and gives the Silvertips a third representative at this year’s World Juniors. Portland Winterhawks forward Simon Knak is skating for Team Switzerland.
Seattle Kraken Interest
Most of the players in the tournament have already been drafted, but there are some 2021 NHL Draft eligibles that Seattle Kraken scouts will be watching.
Most prominent of those is Michigan freshman Matthew Beniers who will be playing with the United States. Depending on what online scouting service you subscribe to, Beniers is being projected as a potential top-ten pick. The Kraken will be selecting somewhere in the top six.
If you’d like to learn the names of future Pacific Division rivals, there will be plenty to watch.
Byfield leads the way for nine Kings’ prospects appearing in the tournament. He’ll be with the Canadians while Alex Turcotte should be one of the key players for the Americans. Both players could be appearing at Climate Pledge Arena with Los Angeles next season.
The Anaheim Ducks have six prospects playing this month, including an NHL-best four with the United States. That list is topped by former first-round pick Trevor Zegras, another player we could be watching against the Kraken next fall.
The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship gets under way Christmas Day with a big United States-Russia match-up and can be seen on the NHL Network. To see the full schedule for the tournament, which concludes with a Gold Medal game on January 5th, check here.
Circle this date: July 21st. This is when the NHL will conduct the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. Obviously, that will be a momentous day for the hockey world and particularly for Seattle fans. But with the league’s Return to Play plan for the NHL 2020-21 season now coming into focus, some other key dates surrounding the Expansion Draft have also been identified.
If you want more information on the NHL’s Return to Play plan, check out this article on NHL.com. For the rest of this post, we will focus on the key dates and activities that impact the Seattle Kraken in the 2020-21 NHL Season and beyond.
NHL Trade Deadline – 4/12/21
The trade deadline is a little bit of a mirage for Kraken fans. Trades can and will still happen leading up to the Expansion Draft, but the trade deadline is when the majority of moves will most likely be made. Rosters will be 95% locked after the trade deadline, so Kraken fans should have a pretty solid understanding of which players will be available in their mock drafts at that point.
Expansion Draft Window – 7/17/21 – 7/21/21
July 17th is when the 30 NHL teams that are participating in the Expansion Draft will submit their protected players list to the NHL. If everything runs similarly to the Vegas Expansion Draft, the league will quickly publish the list of protected players for each team.
This date will also trigger the ability for the Seattle Kraken to contact unprotected pending unrestricted free agents. During this time, the Kraken will be seeking assurances from UFA’s of interest to learn if they will actually sign with Seattle upon selection in the Expansion Draft. In a way, it serves as an exclusive negotiating window for the Kraken. For more information on the Expansion Draft rules, check out the this post from a couple months back.
The Seattle Kraken will need to submit their Expansion picks to the league by 10AM on 7/21. The details of that day are still to be determined, but we imagine after a validation of the picks and compliance with the rules, the team should be announced in the early evening.
Here is a breakdown of what will be a wild two weeks for Ron Francis and the team.
Block your calendars for the last two weeks of July because we should see about 40 players added to the franchise around that time. If you want a taste for what to expect, check out this post we did on the anatomy of the Vegas Expansion Draft.
NHL Hockey is unofficially… officially… returning! The decision early in the week by the NHL to suddenly begin negotiating in public about a portion of its return-to-play plan for this season felt a bit ominous. We’ve seen from the lockouts of yesteryear that public negotiating by either side usually means bad things are coming. The league had started indicating that the COVID-related restrictions imposed by provincial governments could make it impossible for Canadian teams to play their games in their home arenas.
This would, of course, derail the widely publicized plan of having an all-Canadian division.
Thankfully, that all-Canadian division was not the lynchpin to getting a deal done after all, because the NHL and NHLPA announced in an obnoxiously late Friday night news dump that they have a tentative plan in place to begin the season on January 13th. All indications are that regardless of if Canadian teams are allowed to play in their own cities – or if they have to play in American cities – there will be a 56-game season.
Tentative agreement between #NHL and #NHLPA (which requires approval) calls for training camps to open on Jan. 3 and regular season on Jan. 13.
The 7 teams who did not make 24-team playoff can open camp on Dec. 30.
All dates subject to change. Scheduling not finalized.
Friend of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, Scott Burnside, has the full breakdown of the plan in The Athletic, but here are the highlights:
56-game regular season with no exhibition games
Playoffs will be top four teams in each division with each division producing a Conference Finals participant
Rosters will be expanded to 23 players
Each team will also have a “taxi squad” of 4-6 players
There will be schedule flexibility like in the NFL, in case games need to be postponed due to positive tests
Here is the latest divisional alignment plan, which still assumes that the NHL will be able to work out the all-Canadian division.
BOSTON
CAROLINA
ANAHEIM
CALGARY
BUFFALO
COLUMBUS
ARIZONA
EDMONTON
NEW JERSEY
DALLAS
COLORADO
OTTAWA
ISLANDERS
DETROIT
LOS ANGELES
MONTREAL
RANGERS
CHICAGO
MINNESOTA
TORONTO
PHILADELPHIA
FLORIDA
SAN JOSE
VANCOUVER
PITTSBURGH
NASHVILLE
ST. LOUIS
WINNIPEG
WASHINGTON
TAMPA BAY
VEGAS
Obviously, if the all-Canadian division doesn’t come to fruition, then the above will be fully re-worked, and the Canadian teams will have to find American cities to temporarily call home.
Steen Hangs ‘Em Up
Alex Steen is hanging up the skates after a successful 15-year NHL career. The big winger played 1,018 games in his career, and notched 622 career points. Steen started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005 and was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2008, where he played out the next 12 seasons, lifting the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Steen cited a back injury as his reason to retire, and more specifically, he apparently has some degenerative herniated discs that sound absolutely miserable.
As part of his announcement, Steen told stlouisblues.com, “This has been an emotional process. But as I look back on my years in hockey, I would like to thank our organization, our city, our fans, and my teammates as I am so proud of all the teams I was a part of.”
Steen has one year left on his contract, and apparently the Blues will still be charged against the cap.
If Steen's contract was insured St. Louis could claim up to 80% of his salary back after the 30th game.
To our knowledge, Steen did not finish the season on IR as a result of this same injury. Therefore even if insured, the club is responsible to pay him for the first 30 games. https://t.co/bqEK3ZpboB
Oh, and he just had a baby! What a week for Steen!
Congratulations client Alexander Steen on retiring after awesome career. He’s finally giving his body a well deserved break after 15yrs #NHL 1,109 games paying the price hoisting the #StanleyCup…oh yeah and a baby boy last night. Now go change a diaper! pic.twitter.com/Bl7DLGgUrj
Speaking of health issues forcing players out of the NHL, Henrik Lundqvist announced that he will not be playing for Washington this season, as we were expecting.
Lundqvist apparently is dealing with a heart condition that would make it unsafe for him to participate.
While there is no indication in the statement that Lundqvist is planning to retire, he is now 38 years old, will not have a contract next season, and is dealing with a serious issue here. If this is the last we see of the dreamy Swede as an NHL player, it will be very sad to see it end this way.
King Henrik has had an incredible run. In his 15-year career, Lundqvist, who holds a career regular season record of 459-310-96, became synonymous with the New York Rangers and has been the perfect ambassador for the sport. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2012 and led the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, but has never lifted hockey’s greatest prize.
There was hope that in a back-up or secondary role with Washington, he may get one last kick at the can.
While it certainly isn’t the main takeaway here, one has to wonder who will platoon in Washington’s goal crease this season with 23-year-old Ilya Samsonov. Veteran free agents left out there include Jimmy Howard (36), Cory Schneider (34), Ryan Miller (40), and Craig Anderson (39).
Speaking of Free Agents
The Minnesota Wild signed Andrew Hammond, AKA The Hamburglar, to a one-year, two-way deal. The signing comes after a revelation that Wild back-up, Alex Stalock, is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
Never forget Hammond’s time with the Senators.
Oh, and speaking of the Senators, former Senator Anthony Duclair finally signed a one-year steal of a deal for the Florida Panthers, worth just $1.7 million. That seems like a pretty great rate and a no-risk deal for a speedy winger that broke out for 23 goals and 17 assists in 66 games for Ottawa last season.
It is curious why Duclair, skilled and still just 25 years old, continues to get bounced around the league. Florida will be his sixth NHL team.
Advanced stats do offer some explanation…
Anthony Duclair (1×1.7m with Florida) brings a little offence although his finishing has returned to earth a little. The defensive weaknesses are …. severe. pic.twitter.com/HQSAlCzTkh
Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund, Sami Vatanen, Carl Soderberg, and many others remain unsigned.
WJC – The “C” Stands for “Concerns”
Teams have arrived in Edmonton for the World Junior Championship, though they haven’t gotten there without some challenges.
Two planes were sent to Europe to bring six teams and their luggage. The planes were simply not large enough to carry everyone and their things, and still allow for social distancing. After a long delay to the teams’ journeys, cargo planes were eventually chartered to bring their belongings separately.
Now in the so-called bubble, positive COVID tests have been returned for eight of Germany’s players and two of Sweden’s staff members. Remember, Sweden lost several players from its roster at the last minute before traveling, as well as its head coach, due to positive tests.
Sweden also shared a too-small plane with Russia and Finland on the way to Canada, which adds to the concern around the positive tests.
Hopefully these are the last positive tests we see, and that everyone recovers quickly.
Here is the full statement from the IIHF's Event Executive Committee, which suggests Germany's COVID-positive players could potentially return after completing a mandatory quarantine period due to everyone already being isolated. pic.twitter.com/PmAMGAM2Oz
It’s also unclear at this time if the IIHF plans to resurrect the penalty music from last year’s WJC in Czech Republic. We remain optimistic that every time a player commits an infraction at this year’s tournament, he will again be subjected to the embarrassment of hearing this tune as he enters the box.
Around the Boards
There’s also been a lot of uncertainty around college hockey this season, including when Big Ten teams would even play in the second half. Well, those schedules have finally been released. Play resumes January 3rd and concludes with the Big Ten Tournament March 18-20.
We don’t yet know what the format will be for the NCAA Tournament, or even how the NCAA will choose its participants, especially considering that many Division I teams have still only played a handful of games. Nonetheless, here are the latest rankings, per USCHO.com.
Finally, the WHL announced that it is further delaying the start of its season, though a date has not been confirmed. The league said in its statement that “The Board of Governors will meet in January to consider potential start dates.”
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.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are trending in the wrong direction as we head toward the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
After winning consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins had a second-round exit in 2018, a first-round defeat in 2019, and last year were ousted by Montreal in the qualifying round. General manager Jim Rutherford has a veteran club, but will he have to expose any key players to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft?
Not likely. But, Seattle will still have an opportunity to find a depth player.
Rutherford made two moves that will make his life easier in the Expansion Draft. He sent Patric Hornqvist and his high salary to Florida while also solving his goalie controversy by trading Matt Murray to Ottawa.
The pickings are going to be slim for Ron Francis and the Kraken as the Penguins will have relatively easy decisions to make on who to protect and at the same time won’t have to lose an up-and-coming prospect.
With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the top of its roster, Pittsburgh will be competitive in the upcoming season. With older stars, the shortened season could even work in the Penguins’ favor.
Assumptions
The Penguins are $1.3 million under the cap. If Rutherford wanted to create some cap space, he has players that would be attractive. The problem is those players, like Jason Zucker or Kasperi Kapanen, were recent additions to the team and are expected to be a big part of the Penguins attack.
Since it’s unlikely Rutherford would quickly flip those players, we will assume the roster is set.
Penguins Protected List
It shouldn’t take Rutherford too long to figure how his list is going to look. That’s not to say he won’t have to choose among a couple of productive players. The Penguins’ two superstars, Crosby and Malkin, both have no-movement clauses on their contracts and need to be protected – which would be a no-brainer even without the clauses.
Forwards
Pittsburgh most likely will protect seven forwards with three defensemen and a goalie. The first six forwards to protect are easy to predict.
There will be a decision on who forward number seven should be, however.
Brandon Tanev is the favorite to be the seventh guy saved from Seattle. Last season was the 28-year-old’s first in Pittsburgh and he was a solid forward. He averaged just under 15 minutes of ice time and chipped in with 11 goals. He has a non-prohibitive $3.5 million per year contract that runs through 2025.
Another candidate for protection is Jared McCann. He’s four years younger than Tanev, cheaper, and scored 14 goals last season. He could play his way into the conversation with a strong campaign in 2021.
For this exercise we will project Tanev to end up with the protected slot, leaving McCann exposed to Seattle.
Sidney Crosby (NMC)
Evgeni Malkin (NMC)
Jake Guentzel
Jason Zucker
Bryan Rust
Kasperi Kapanen
Brandon Tanev
Defense
The Penguins’ most promising young defenseman is John Marino. The rookie recorded 26 points and would be attractive to Seattle. The problem? He’s not eligible for the Expansion Draft so the Kraken will have to look elsewhere.
Kris Letang is the automatic protect on the blue line (NMC) and the Penguins again have some clear-cut choices for the other two. Brian Dumoulin, 29, and Marcus Pettersson, 24, should also be easy to protect for Rutherford.
That would leave veteran Mike Matheson exposed. Matheson, 26, was acquired from Florida in the Hornqvist trade this offseason. He’s played just under 300 NHL games and is a serviceable blue liner. Matheson is signed through 2026 at $4.875 million per year, and the Penguins should feel confident that the Kraken would steer clear at that price. Exposing him would allow them to protect younger defensemen.
Kris Letang (NMC)
Brian Dumoulin
Marcus Pettersson
Goalie
If not for the Murray trade, goalie would have been an issue at the Expansion Draft for the Penguins. Jarry will now take over as the clear-cut number one guy and again, an easy choice to protect for Rutherford.
That would leave 29-year-old Casey DeSmith exposed.
Tristan Jarry
Pittsburgh Penguins Expansion Draft Targets
Forwards
Jared McCann
Teddy Blueger
Brandon Tanev (If exposed)
Defense
Mike Matheson
Chad Ruhwedal
Goalie
Casey DeSmith
Thoughts
Seattle’s best bets are to look up front with the Penguins. Tanev is a quality player and could be a top-six forward for the Kraken. Getting exposed would mean he turned in a poor season or that he was outplayed by McCann or a guy like Blueger. That might be worthy of a second look.
McCann is a hard-working forward with some offensive skill. Most likely would project to be a bottom-six guy but has some experience and could improve with a larger role. Blueger, 26, is a former second-round pick who has had productive AHL seasons. Last year he spent 69 games with Pittsburgh in the NHL and reached career highs with nine goals and 22 points.
If the Kraken desire an experienced defenseman who will help them reach the cap floor, Matheson could be the pick here.
Side Deal Scenarios
The only sensible side deal target would be Matheson. He has yet to lace them up for Pittsburgh but is signed to a long-term deal. If Rutherford is desperate to free up his $4.8 million in cap space, he could be on the market.
It seems like a stretch to think that the Pittsburgh Penguins would be willing to give up a young prospect in exchange for Francis taking Matheson off their books in the Expansion Draft. But the Kraken might be able to pick up a draft pick for him. Matheson is not a terrible defenseman. He has some offensive punch and could contribute. He has a modified no-trade clause in his contract so trading him down the line would be tougher but not impossible.
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