It's Labor Day. Tampa Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 20016. THe NHL will open training camps for player medical exams on September 17.
What is Bolts GM Steve Yzerman waiting for?
He does want to sign his captain to an eight year, $84 million contract extension.
Doesn't he?
The inimitable Elliotte Friedman writes that last week, while discussing the serious blood clot issue that has sidelined Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for up to three months, Lightning GM Stevie Y. told The Tampa Tribune’s Erik Erlendsson there was nothing to comment on at this time regarding a Stamkos contract extension.
Stamkos is expected to be in the $10.5M AAV range for eight seasons. That's an exclusive club where only Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews live right now.
Friedman notes that it’s difficult to determine where things stand right now because none of the principals are talking, including Yzerman, agent Don Meehan or Stamkos himself.
But according to a couple of sources, there are other things at play.
The first is role.
I recall talk of friction between Stamkos and Jon Cooper during the 2015 postseason. Nothing ever came of it however, there were rumblings of a rift in the making between the head coach and the superstar center.
Stamkos has always played center. It's his natural position on the ice. Can he play wing? Yes, he can, however, he prefers to play the pivot. Stamkos at center creates a top-six shmozzle with Val Filppula and Tyler Johnson.
Stamkos is not the type of player to complain about his position on the ice nor his playing time. However, I could see him telling Jon Cooper "Hey, me playing center gives us the best chance of winning a Stanley Cup". All due respect to Filppula and Johnson. They are nice players , however, they are not in the same world class echelon as Steven Stamkos.
I always say that you have to pick your fights in life very carefully. Bolts head coach Jon Cooper would be wise to move Filppula or Johnson to the wall. But, it's not that easy because he has several difference makers playing center ice. The challenge is that there only so many minutes to go around.
Don't shake your money maker, Jon.
I suspect that Stamkos is digging in his skate edges and that he is telling Cooper that he wants no part of playing one third of the ice as a winger. He wants to free wheel and roam the entire 200 by 85. I can't say that I blame him.
I can see why Cooper was bullish on playing Filppula and Johnson at center in the 2015 playoffs. They are solid advanced stats performers and they excel at the possession game.
Stamkos was a 51% faceoff man in 26 playoff games. There were times in key junctures of playoff games that Cooper would pull Stamkos of the ice and replace him with Johnson. Johnson was the beneficiary of extra ice time during the playoffs because of his solid performances in all three zones. Stamkos' loo was Johnson's gain. Cooper leaned on Johnson for 18:30 TOI. He scored 13 goals and added 10 assists in 26 playoff games. Stamkos skated 18:33 TOI and created 7 goals and 11 assists in 26 games played. Filppula scored 4 goals and added 10 assists in 26 playoff games played. He average 19:13 TOI. Filppula was a 51.8% faceoff man and Johnson was a 49.7% faceoff man. Brian Boyle won 48.8% of his draws.
Eight different men played center for the Bolts in the 2015 postseason and Killorn led all of them with 20:10 TOI. He potted 9 goals and added 9 assists. He was a lowly 18.2% faceoff man.
Filppula Alex Killorn Stamkos Johnson Cedric Pacquette Brian Boyle Vladislav Namestnikov Jonathon Marchessault
Friedman:
"It sounds like the Lightning would prefer Stamkos to play on the wing to ease that issue. From what I’ve been told, the discussions were professional, but both organization and player remain searching for common ground".
The second issue how the Lightning view their immediate future. In the nxt few months. Yzerman and his lieutenants must determine long-term plans for Ben Bishop, Victor Hedman, Johnson, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Stamkos. Who stays? Who gies?
Who knows?
Yzerman said on the record multiple times during the Stanley Cup Playoffs that signing Stamkos was his top priority this summer.
Summer's over, Stevie.
Friedman has heard trade chatter surrounding Stamkos. Guess what> Sabres GM Tim Murray's name was smack dab in the middle of those trade rumors.
It’s crazy to think the future wouldn’t include Stamkos, since the moment they traded Martin St. Louis, the Lightning couldn’t move fast enough to take down the former captain’s mural outside the arena and replace it with the new leader.However, approximately two weeks ago, a rumour made the rounds that there were trade talks involving Stamkos before the draft. (His no-move clause kicked-in days later.) The best intel I could gather is that it didn’t get close. Some sources indicate teams called Yzerman to ask. Others say the Lightning wanted to check the market in case they eventually had to do something. A few suspected Buffalo, because Sabres GM Tim Murray is unafraid to take bold steps. (Via text, Murray declined to answer and another source claimed it never really went anywhere.) The info is out there, but it’s very hard to pin down.
Murray may have "put a ghost man on first base" by reaching out to Yzerman. You know, to express his interest in the player in the event that Stamkos contract extension fails in Tampa which would mean Yzerman would have to trade his captain away for assets like he had with Marty St. Louis. Its worth noting that Stamkos is represented by Newport Sports and Entertainment out of Toronto. The same agency that reps newly minted Sabres Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, and David Legwand.
Stamkos to Toronto makes for zesty and robust talk radio chatter, however, I can't see the former Sarnia Sting sniper playing at the ACC 41 nights a year for the next 6-7 years.
Again, no one is commenting, so it’s hard to say if anything’s changed. There’s nothing indicating the captain wants to be traded, and no one from the organization is bashing Stamkos behind his back. He has a lot of control with unrestricted free agency 10 months away.Stamkos could sign tomorrow and make all of this irrelevant. But Yzerman, with both Tampa and Team Canada, shows no fear of making hard decisions if he feels it’s right for his team.
More to come....
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The NHL AND NHLPA will host a 2016 WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY media event on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. ET . The event will be staged at Air Canada Centre in tropical Toronto where the weather is currently sunny, humid and near 90 degrees.
NHL Commish Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr will be on han d to present updates and to answer questions about the 2016 WORLD CUP OF Hockey.
NHL players who are expected to attend the press event:
Zdeno Chara-Boston Bruins (Czech Republic) Sidney Crosby-Pittsburgh Penguins (Canada) Anze Kopitar-Los Angeles Kings (Slovenia) Henrik Lundqvist-New York Rangers (Sweden) Ryan McDonagh-New York Rangers (USA) Evgeni Malkin-Pittsburgh Penguins (Russia) David Pastrnak-Boston Bruins (Czech Republic) Tuukka Rask-Boston Bruins (Finland) Brandon Saad-Columbus Blue Jackets (USA) Steven Stamkos-Tampa Bay Lightning (Canada) James van Riemsdyk-Toronto Maple Leafs. (USA)
What is the 2016 WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY?
It's an eight-team International competition featuring the best hockey players in the world et for September 2016 in Toronto
Tournament Format Features:
Two Groups Competing in Round-Robin Preliminary Round, Followed by Two Semi-Final Games and a Best-Of-Three Final
The World Cup of Hockey will return in September 2016 in Toronto, Canada when eight teams, comprised of the world’s best hockey players, compete for a best-on-best international hockey championship, the National Hockey League (NHL®) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA). The World Cup of Hockey is a joint effort of the NHLPA and the NHL, in cooperation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It is expected that more than 150 of the best players in the NHL will participate in this tournament in what should be the biggest celebration of the game.
The eight teams will be divided into two Groups of four, and each will compete in three tournament games within their assigned Group in a round-robin format. The top two finishers in each Group will advance to a single game semi-final against a team from the other Group. Winners of the semi-final games will advance to a best-of-three final round. All tournament games (round-robin, semi-final and final) will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto from September 17 - October 1, 2016.
“We are thrilled to partner with the NHLPA in planning and producing what we expect will be the world’s best international hockey tournament,… NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement earlier this year.
“The 2016 World Cup of Hockey will highlight not only our global reach, but also the skill and passion of the world’s best athletes. We would like to thank our international partners – the IIHF and their members – for their cooperation in helping to make this event a reality.…
“We expect the 2016 World Cup of Hockey to be the most competitive tournament of its kind, with the world's top players and best athletes,… said Don Fehr, NHLPA Executive Director. “We look forward to working with the NHL, and the IIHF and its Federations on this extraordinary event. We expect that this is the initial step in a series of events that will elevate our game over the next few years, including a World Cup in 2020.…
The eight teams participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will include:
Team Canada Team USA Team Czech Republic Team Finland Team Russia Team Sweden Team Europe Team North American Youngstars
Team Europe will be comprised of a pan-European roster of players from birth countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden – in short, all of the other European countries who are developing world class hockey players in ever-increasing numbers. Countries such as Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and Lithuania (among others) will all be eligible for representation on Team Europe.
The players for Team North American Youngstars will be selected from a pool of the best young hockey players from Canada and the United States. Those players age 23 and under will be available for selection exclusively by Team North American Youngstars. It is not outside of the realm of possibility that we could see Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid competing for the Youngstars team.
All eight teams in the World Cup Of Hockey will be comprised of 23 players, including 20 skaters and three goalies. Each National Association has the right to select its own team and must announce at least 16 members of its roster, including at least two goalies, no later than March 1, 2016, with the balance of each team’s roster to be announced no later than June 1, 2016. To select the rosters of Team Europe and Team North American Youngstars, the NHL and NHLPA will jointly name each of the management teams.
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey is scheduled to be played on NHL-sized rinks (200 by 85) using NHL rules and officiated by NHL officials. Other competition matters, such as the anti-doping policy governing the tournament, the framework and procedure for supplementary discipline, the medical protocols, media and broadcasting policies and access, etc., will be the responsibility of the NHL and NHLPA in consultation with third parties, including the IIHF, where appropriate.
It is anticipated that the initial portion of training camp for each team participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will begin Sunday, September 4. The training camps will be conducted in the location of each team’s choosing, with each team being permitted to host at least one exhibition game at a site of its choice. During the final days of preparation leading up to the opening of the tournament, the teams will be brought together in a more central North American location for a final pre-tournament exhibition game.
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Since when did Brandon Saad, Ryan McDonagh, and JVR become the faces of USA Hockey?
They are nice supporting actors to be sure, but they are not the best leading man that Team USA has to offer.
Doesn't Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks hold that esteemed honor right now?
T.J. Oshie may want to weigh in on this debate as well.
Kane has been instrumental in the recent success of Team USA at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympics games where the Americans finished with the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Kane has also won three Stanley Cups in the past five years for the Hawks.
So, why won't Kane be representing Team USA and the Chicago Blackhawks in Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon?
Tim Graham of the Buffalo News reported Monday that Kane was not invited to attend the NHL’s annual preseason media blitz and commercial shoot Tuesday and Wednesday in Toronto. The annual NHL media junket features the top 40 veteran players who gather to star in television promotional commercials and interstitials that will be aired on the NHL Network, NBCSN, TSN, and Sportsnet during the 2015-16 season.
In Toronto for the @nhl/@nhlpa Player Media Tour where @rjosi90 will be making the rounds starting tomorrow morning. pic.twitter.com/PlKftgfkE9
— KWilsonPreds (@KWilsonPreds) September 7, 2015
The NHL and NHLPA will be holding their 2016 World Cup Of Hockey presser on Wednesday. Kane's name is not on the invitee list either.
The News, citing multiple sources, reported Friday that the rape investigation was nearing an end and that the case would be presented to a grand jury this week.The NHL did not respond to a request for comment on the decision not to invite Kane.
Kane has not been charged with a crime.
Patrick Kane won't be involved in NHL's television promos this season http://t.co/rcQukrQz5b
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) September 8, 2015