Follow me on twitter for the latest in NHL happenings from the draft in LA at www.twitter.com/andystrickland
Montreal deserves some kudos for really getting the ball moving on what’s expected to be an entertaining week.
Teams operating on a budget are wondering why certain organizations feel it necessary to pay 25 goal scorers $5 million a year for six years! I mean, don’t get me wrong, Plekanec is a good player but is he $5 mill good? It should be a requirement for a player to have at least one 30 goal season on their resume to earn this type of cash.
Word is Tampa Bay GM Stevie Yzerman is sticking with goaltender Mike Smith for one more season. The plan apparently is to allow Smith to have the #1 job and go out and find a backup in the $800-$1.1 range. In other words Antero Nittymaki will not be returning to the lightning.
Toronto is a realistic possibility for Alexei Ponikarovski as things didn't quite work out for him in Pittsburgh.
I would be surpised to see Brian Burke trade Tomas Kaberle to a team in the Western Conference considering his strong desire to stay in the East. Would a team in the West be willing to give up the apparent hefty price Burke is seeking for just one season? That's a lot to give up for one year.
The money Ilya Kovalchuk is looking for in New Jersey is way too high for the conservative Lou Lamoirello who is all about team. He'll pay a guy $6-$6.5 million but not $9-$10. It's never been his philosophy to put one player that above everyone else.
I’m told the Chicago Blackhawks have informed several teams that the following players are available for trade talks. These names shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, but here they are anyway in no particular order…Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Adam Burish, Patrick Sharp, and Kris Versteeg.
Personally if I were Chicago I would hang on to Byfuglien but not as a forward even with his playoff success. If this guy can maximize his potential as a D-man with his physical makeup and ability to shoot the puck he could develop into an $8 million player. I can always go out and find a big guy to stand in front of the net. I can’t always go out and find a 265 pound D-man who can skate, pass, and handle the puck. No reason he’s not good enough to be a top four guy.
Speaking of Chicago, is it possible we see a player or two a target for an offer sheet? Some in the hockey world tell me there are teams preparing to throw an offer at goaltender Antti Niemi.
If you’re a team drafting in the bottom ten are you really all that concerned with losing a first round pick if it means you’re getting a pretty good player to add to the roster? This is especially the case if you’re drafting way down near the bottom of the first round. In reality, isn’t the 28th pick the same as a second rounder?
Chicago deserves a shout out for how they treated the family of Keith Magnuson and made them a part of the Stanley Cup celebration. Following Game six the team handed Magnusen’s son Kevin his dad’s jersey and invited him to hop into the team picture on the ice. This was a first class move by the Hawks who also invited the entire Magnussen family to participate in the Stanley Cup parade. Words can’t describe how much it meant to Kevin and his family.
Look for Philadelphia to entertain the idea of signing former San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Can they sign him for more than one year is the better question?
Patrick Marleau is hoping to return to San Jose, if he doesn’t look for the LA Kings to potentially look to bring him on board. Marleau is hoping to stay in San Jose.
To no surprise the Boston Bruins are looking to move goaltender Tim Thomas but we know his contract makes things a little tough. I’m told they’re hopeful to swing a deal with San Jose that would land Thomas with the Sharks.
Niklas Persson is a 31 year old Swedish born free agent who played last season in Russia following several seasons in the Swedish Elite League. He’s interested in coming over to the NHL and many teams have expressed some level of interest including Chicago, Edmonton, Florida, and Tampa Bay.
Former NHL veteran Ladislav Nagy is also very interested in returning to the NHL.
Kansas City and the beautiful Sprint Center will not be hosting any pre-season games this fall as they have the last few years.
The Calgary Flames have not shut the door on re-signing Chris Higgins.
Pavol Demitra can probably be had this July for a pretty reasonable price with some performance bonuses included.
If Vancouver walks away from Ryan Johnson there will be a decent market for the veteran shot blocker.
A close friend of Chicago assistant coach John Torchetti tells me a deal is good as done for him to become the next Head Coach in Atlanta. But, I’m also told Bruins assistant coach Craig Ramsay remains in the mix as well. Apparently Rick Dudley wants both guys but Boston won’t allow Ramsay out of his deal to make a lateral move as an assistant in Atlanta.
Boston did a nice job of adding Nathan Horton and by the end of the week the Bruins will have added two pieces to their top six with Tyler Seguin likely joining the organization. Does this mean a Blake Wheeler or Marc Savard is on the move? With Cam Neely serving as President look for him to build a team that resembles his hard nosed, pay the price, style of hockey.
Just because some haven’t heard of Lars Eller or Ian Schultz doesn’t mean Montreal got absolutely fleeced in the deal with St. Louis. These are two pretty good hockey players the Canadiens are getting who can play the game. Looking at the list of Montreal prospects they have nobody in the organization that fits the tough, physical description of an Ian Schultz. This kid has leadership skills written all over him.
Despite what you may have heard, the Blues were interested in Halak all the way. The idea that they wanted Carey Price first is untrue.
Tampa Bay apparently was not interested in either Montreal Goaltender.
Draft Preview….Florida looking at Campbell?
First off I want to give props to ISS for their great work in preparing a terriffic draft guide. These guys do an unbelieveable job.
We all know Taylor Hall looks to be the clear cut choice at #1 overall with Tyler Seguin going second. What Florida does after that will be interesting.
I hear Florida has strong interest in American and top rated goaltender Jack Campbell who they could probably get deeper in the top 10 if they’re able to slide down
If Florida stays at #3 and passes over Brandon Gormley, Columbus will have to think real hard about taking Gormley to join his D-partner in Moncton, David Savard, who the Blue Jackets drafted last year.
This draft is being described as one that’s heavy in D-men which is the opposite of what I’m being told. Many draft insiders tell me there are many #3 and #4 style D-men but the draft lacks that true #1 guy.
Norwegian born Sondre Olden is a sleeper in some eyes heading into the weekend. He was a point per game guy in the Swedish Junior leagues and is expected to go very high in the upcoming CHL import draft. Olden also performed well in some international tournaments but as one person quickly reminded me “Be careful with B statistics”.
London Knight forward Jared Kinght (36G 21 A) is a quality offensive player who could slide down to round two or all the way into the third. Blues scout Basil McRae will be very familiar with this kid.
Who will take a chance on Russian knucklehead Kirill Kabanov who is gifted with top 5 skill and as a #1 headache. This guy has apparently burned too many bridges to return to Russia and hasn’t made too many friends in North America. He changes agents like we do socks and is hoping his performance at the combine will allow him to save face. Apparently he was coached up pretty well by his agents prior to his interviews with individual teams where he apparently said all the right things. This is after he left the Moncton Wildcats before the season had ended. Apparently his dad shares some smothering qualities Eric Lindros’s father once became famous for. Oh by the way his agents (The reputable CAA) recently dropped him as a client.
Don’t expect the St. Louis Blues to touch Kabanov as it might take a team with multiple first round picks to take a chance. At the end of the day he’s going to get taken by somebody.
Look for Washington to add a Russian or two in the draft to add to their nucleus of Russian natives. They may not take Kabanov but there are a few others worth considering.
Speaking of the Blues, four out of their last six first round picks have been defenseman. They have a need for some much needed size up front especially with the departure of Ian Schultz who went to Montreal in exchange for Jaroslav Halak.
I like a kid by the name of Austin Watson who really turned it on once he left a stacked Windsor team and was traded to Peterborough where he finished the year with 20 points in his final ten games. I don’t get the sense the Blues will go in this direction though.
Others to pay attention to include Portland Winter Hawks Center Ryan Johansen if he were to slide down to #14, Moose Jaw’s Quinton Howden, Minnesota High School stud Nick Bjugstad who has one of the hardest shots in the draft as well as an incredibly strong work ethic.
Would the Blues take a chance on the highly skilled Finnish forward Mikael Granlund who from a puck handling and play making standpoint is as good as any player in the draft. He definitely would not be considered big at 5”10 180.
Blues Clues!
The Blues have not began any real contract talks with Halak regarding his extension.
Expect the Blues to be busy at the daft as they’re expected to meet with the agents of both Carlo Colaiacovo and Mike Weaver.
Look for the Blues to be aggressive and jump out of #14 if there’s an attractive move to make
After the draft could provide a much clearer picture on what the future holds for Cam Janssen and D.J. King. Davis Payne will have a large say as to what direction they will go in. Can he play both guys 60 games? That might be tough to accomplish. Don’t completely rule out the idea of hanging on to both guys. Both King as Janssen have been qualified at a two way number of $605/$35,000. Obviously neither guy will accept this as both players will end up signing one-way contracts.
Despite all the rumors, I’m told the Blues had very little talks with Vancouver regarding goalie Cory Schneider.
I was slightly surprised the Blues gave Matt D’Agostini a one way contract but the Blues are hopeful having him in place from the beginning of the season will give him a better chance to settle in on a role.
What does this mean for Brad Winchester?
The Blues did qualify D-man Tyson Strachan at $632,500/$65,000. Strachan is an RFA with no arbitration rights but will obviously look to sign a different deal.
Fans should expect one of the three out of Alex Pietrangelo, Tyson Strachan, and Ian Cole to make the NHL roster. Doug Armstrong is a fan of utilizing the AHL to prepare players for the show.
Ian Cole by the way has started summer school classes at Notre Dame where he’ll stay and workout before returning to St. Louis in early August. He stayed with Bob Gassoff when he was recently in St. Louis working out. Gassoff is close friends with Cole’s agent.
Keep in mind both Barret Jackman and Eric Brewer have no-trade clauses in their contracts.
There have been no talks with David Perron.
The entire Blues staff is already in Los Angeles in preparation for the draft.
Former Blues forward Yan Stastny is considering taking his game to Russia next season.
Look for the Blues to grab D-man John Ramage if he's available in the third or fourth round. The kid had an exceptional year with both USA in the WJC and at the University of Wisconsin. He was draft eligible last year but wasn't selected.
I’m told Andy Murray will likely wait until his contract expires with the Blues before he returns behind the bench in some capacity.
The Blues made a nice decision in hiring Corey Hirsch as a Goaltending instructor. The Blues left no stone unturned in their research as they interviewed him four seperate times. Hirsch won a U-18 gold Medal with Blues prospect Jake Allen a few years back and has worked with some high level goaltenders. Among those include Curtis Joseph, Vesa Toskela, Steve Mason, Carey Price, Jonathan Bernier, Bill Ranford, and Sean Burke. He also spent some time in Toronto learning under the highly respected Francois Allaire.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
[email protected] 
St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
Join the Discussion:
»