Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 17)

The Montreal Canadiens held what sounded like a very good rookie camp over the last week, but that wasn't going to stop the club from adding some veteran help at training camp.  In addition to a couple of names already mentioned in the blog, the Habs added forwards Jake Dowell and T.J. Hensick and defenseman Joe Finley to the mix.

The only one of the three to play in the NHL last season was Dowell, who only saw one regular season game with the Minnesota Wild, where he failed to register a point.  Finley played for the Islanders minor league affiliate in the AHL, while Hensick split time between the AHL and Sweden.

I don't see these tryouts making the push to the roster, since the projected roster was nearly full going into camp and the Canadiens want their youth to make that extra push.

On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced a very substantial training camp roster and on it, there were a number of new professional tryouts on it, including forward Carson McMillan, who played in one game for the Minnesota Wild last season.  The Leafs were going into training camp with a fairly full projected roster as it was already, so it is presumed that these players are vying for some minor league contracts.  There may be a spot or two available, but the Leafs did give out a number of contracts to European players, so you would have to assume that they would get the first look.

With some worse than expected news on goaltender Josh Harding, the Minnesota Wild quickly made it to the phone to work out a tryout deal with goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who agreed to come back for another look at this team.  Bryzgalov came in to the Wild crease in relief last season, after being acquired at the deadline from Edmonton.  He won 7 games for the Wild in 12 appearances and also appeared in nine playoff games.  With Harding now gone indefinitely, Bryzgalov will offer some good competition to their other goaltending prospects and possibly earn a contract.

Injury Updates (Sep 17)

Training camp for the Minnesota Wild opens on Thursday and it sounds like they will be down a goaltender, as Josh Harding reportedly suffered an ankle injury earlier in the week and is now expected to miss some significant time.  There was no timetable given for the 30-year old keeper, but the early reports are suggesting that it could be months, instead of weeks on this one.

With Darcy Kuemper still unsigned, as a restricted free agent, this leaves the Wild with only John Curry and Johan Gustafsson behind Niklas Backstrom, which may be a cause for concern.  There is talk that Ilya Bryzgalov may come back to camp on a tryout and they'll see where to go from there, but it might be a good time to start downgrading Harding's projections.

UPDATE: The Minnesota Wild did release this afternoon that Harding is out indefinitely with a fractured foot.  Again, still no timetable, but compared to an ankle injury, it might not be too bad, but we'll have to wait and see.  Even if Harding is out 6-to-8 weeks, that'll be a little while without an active goaltender, if you decided to pick him up.

It sounds like Nathan Horton isn't quite 100% yet, heading into Columbus Blue Jackets camp and I think that will hurt his overall projections.  Word is out before training camp that Horton's back problems are still lingering and he is still rehabbing, which, by the sound of things, will keep him out of the start of training camp.

If these back problems are still an issue, even after a Summer's worth of rehab and training, I would be very skeptical about what his condition would be, come the start of the regular season.  This isn't going into panic mode yet, but I have dropped his projections down a bracket at the moment, so he is down at 45 points, instead of 50.

Wings Nail Down DeKeyser

The countdown to training camp is in full swing with the number of restricted free agents leaving the market for their respective teams, as Danny DeKeyser has now signed on with the Detroit Red Wings, assuring his place in camp this week. DeKeyser signed a 2-year deal, reportedly coming in at a shade over $4.3 million in total or just under $2.2 million per season.

This was the last major RFA on the docket for the Red Wings, who have yet to announce their training camp roster, but it shouldn't be long now, with one of their big defenders now locked in for a couple of seasons.

DeKeyser did turn out to be a decent hockey pool pick up last season, ranking 75th among all defensemen in scoring with 4 goals and 23 points in 65 games and he will be expected to make a push on those numbers in 2015.

Projections for the coming season are not terribly flattering to his overall upside, as I only have him improving a little to 25 points, while the Hockey News has him coming in with 27 points.  DeKeyser wasn't exactly known as a purely offensive defenseman, rather just an overall, well-rounded player.  That should mean he'll get some points during the year, but there is no expectations to join the likes of Erik Karlsson.

The Red Wings did well with this deal, as it didn't put a big dent in their remaining cap space, according to their projected cap roster. With 22 players on said roster, the Wings are coming in at just under $65 million, which should leave them about $4 million to play with, going forward.  With that kind of space, they could become players at the trade deadline, assuming they don't have any major injuries to deal with and compensate for with their cap space.

Fringe Signings (Sep 16)

There wasn't enough points, both last year and projected this year, to garner his own headline, but Devante Smith-Pelly has re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks, getting a 2-year bridge deal, worth $1.6 million in total.  Smith-Pelly was the last major RFA for the Ducks to re-sign and they got the job done, days before training camp.  Last season, Smith-Pelly finished with 10 points in 19 games, which is not a bad scoring rate, but there isn't a great deal of faith in his projections, seeing that I only have him in at 25 points, while the Hockey News are showing 16 for the season.

I think you can make an argument for a sleeper pick designation for Smith-Pelly, assuming he can stick for the whole year, but the depth of the Ducks up front may hinder those hopes.

Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 16)

In this off-season, 34-year old forward Jason Williams signed with the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers and leading up to the 2015 season, he has been given a tryout for the big club. Williams was last seen in the NHL back in the 2012 season, when he played in eight games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, playing the majority of that season in the AHL. Since then, he was toiling in Switzerland for a couple of seasons, but appears to be ready to be back to playing in North America.  I don't think I would keep much for high expectations here, but it is good to see him back.

Williams best ranking in hockey pool scoring came way back in 2006, where he finished 111th overall, scoring 58 points in 80 games with the Red Wings.

Looking at the Arizona Coyotes' projected roster does give the impression that this team could use a little bit more functioning muscle, someone who can put in some quality bottom six minutes and impose somewhat of a physical threat on the ice, so that may have been a leading factor to why Krys Barch got an invitation to camp on Monday.  Barch, not necessarily known for his offensive prowess, 4 assists in 55 games with the Panthers last season, but he will at least get a look in Coyotes camp, starting at the end of the week.

Two rough seasons with the Dallas Stars led to Aaron Rome getting the remainder of his contract bought out in June, putting him into free agency this Summer.  There wasn't very many bites in the free agency period, obviously, but a team known historically for their defensive depth, the Red Wings, have come calling, looking for some extra depth at training camp.  With Dan DeKeyser still unsigned heading into camp, there may be a need for an extra body or two at camp.  Rome hasn't been much of a hockey pool type player, but he does afford us the look at where the Red Wings are heading into camp.

The St. Louis Blues had already announced their training camp roster in the past few days, but they made an addition on Tuesday morning, announcing that forward Paul Bissonnette will be joining the club on a tryout basis.  Bissonnette played in 39 games for the Coyotes last season, scoring 2 goals and 8 points, not making him much of a hockey pool player, but he could provide a guy like Max Lapierre, Steve Ott or Ryan Reaves with a little bit more incentive to play with more grit and fervor.  I don't think there is much room for Bissonnette on this team, but that's why they have training camp... to prove people otherwise.

Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 15)

The New Jersey Devils have been among the busiest teams in the last few weeks, getting their training camp all set up and creating quite the competition for jobs and spots on the roster. On Monday, they released their training camp roster and there was yet another major NHL invite on the list, as defenseman Mike Komisarek joined the group on paper and soon on ice.

Last season with the Hurricanes, Komisarek had 4 assists in 32 games with the club, dealing with one minor injury that cost him five games and being a healthy scratch that kept him out of the line-up for the remainder of the games lost.  The 32-year old will get another shot with Jersey, but it will be a tough slog with Tomas Kaberle and Adam Larsson competing for one spot on the blueline.

The Toronto Maple Leafs added a bit of depth to their crease for training camp, inviting 25-year old Cal Heeter to camp. Heeter saw a brief moment in net for the Philadelphia Flyers last season, but that's all that was worth mentioning.  Heeter will provide a bit more of a veteran presence in between the two likely starters with the big club and the three kids they already have in their system, possibly may even work out to a minor-league job for the coming season.

Monday afternoon saw the release of the Dallas Stars training camp roster, where defenseman Derek Meech was added on as a camp invite.  Meech was last seen in the NHL in the 2013 season, playing for the Winnipeg Jets, where he appeared in 16 games and picked up a single assist.  The 30-year old defender played in the KHL last season with Dynamo Minsk, before signing on with the Stars' AHL team midway through the season.  His numbers in the AHL were decent and are certainly worth a look in camp, but the Stars are rocking quite a bit of quality youth on the back end, so it could be an uphill battle to make the NHL again.

Gelinas Re-Signs in Jersey

On Monday, the New Jersey Devils locked up the last restricted free agent in their organization, as defenseman Eric Gelinas agreed to a 1-year deal, reportedly worth $900,000. The Devils now have everything in place and have a couple of extra spots left to fight over on the roster, which should keep training camp very interesting.

The 23-year old blueliner is an up-and-coming prospect for the Devils, who they are hoping ends up like Brian Rafalski, when his maturity sets in and he realizes his potential.  In the 2014 season, Gelinas played in 60 games, scoring 7 goals and 29 points, good enough for 56th among all defenders in scoring.  Very respectable numbers, to say the least.

For the 2015 season, I haven't quite projected him to break out just yet, as I think the team around him could use a little bit more improvement and this will only be his second full season in the NHL.  I think he can improve upon the numbers he had, but he won't be anywhere near Rafalski numbers quite yet.

Now with two spots left ont he projected roster, the Devils still have about $5 million in cap space left, which could be used on any number of different options, including a number of veterans that have been invited to their camp for a tryout. This team has some options, but no matter which way they go, they have some tough days ahead.

Byfuglien & Burns... Where Are They Listed?

In a conversation with TSN's Bob McKenzie, Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff did acknowledge the idea that head coach Paul Maurice will likely keep Dustin Byfuglien up in his forward role, hinting that he would move back to the blueline, if needed.

Last season, before the draft had started, it was important to note the position of Byfuglien or San Jose's Brent Burns, of where they were going to be placed, given the nature of the game they play.  As it so happened, both players were listed as defensemen, but as much as Byfuglien started the year as a defender, he finished the year as a forward.  Burns, on the other hand, started as a forward and finished as a forward, despite the belief he would end up on the blueline anyways.

This season, Byfuglien will be acknowledged as a forward, despite being the 4th ranked defenseman in pool scoring last season, since that is the belief of the management and coaching staff, going into the 2015 year.  Arguably, the word is that with the departure of Dan Boyle from the Shark Tank, Burns will now head back to the blueline and be a defenseman full-time.

Assumptions have been made previously and now with some proper word on each plan going forward, an informed decision will be made going into this year's draft.

In Winnipeg, the impact does somewhat shift from the forward lines to the blueline, where a job has opened up on the projected roster.  The Jets have been showcasing the talents of Brenden Kichton and Josh Morrissey in Penticton at the Young Stars Classic, so these two have a shot at making the climb, while a job may have been taken away from some of their young forwards.  Further studying at camp may be necessary there, since there are some question marks about some of the Winnipeg forwards.

As for San Jose, since Burns was considered a defenseman at the end of last year and into this year, there isn't much change in my projections.  Burns has a legitimate shot at leading the way for the Sharks back end and there are still some jobs to be had on that projected roster, heading into training camp.

So, just to recap, at the draft in a couple of weeks, Byfuglien will move to the forward spots, while Burns will remain a defenseman, even though he saw most of his year at forward in 2014.

Injury Updates (Sep 14)

There is a very small group of players that we should be looking at through these rookie camps and most 1st round picks should be thought to be in the conversation, which is why Sonny Milano, of the Columbus Blue Jackets, should get a mention in the blog today. Milano was held out of yesterday's Traverse City Prospects Tournament game after suffering a couple of facial fractures the day before, in a game against the Minnesota Wild.  Milano isn't expected to make the big club out of training camp, but this injury does put a stamp on it a little, as he is expected to be out for 6-to-8 weeks with the injury.  That is a early diagnosis and going back to junior may help him out, but it sounds like Milano will miss the big camp as well.

Another prospect having this Traverse City experience cut short is Dallas Stars forward Brett Ritchie, who reportedly suffered a finger injury against the Hurricanes on Saturday. The 2011 2nd round pick of the Stars has yet to see any NHL action in his career, but has a reasonable shot heading into camp, with a number of forward spots open in the team's projected roster.  Ritchie has a big frame and should be getting close to being physically mature for a spot, it will then be a question of whether or not his talent level is up to par.

Less Than Two Weeks Away

Whoa boy! We're now less than two weeks away and the excitement for the coming season is ramping up.

Rookie camps across the NHL are in full swing, training camps are only days away, preseason games are not long after camps open and then it will be draft day for my poolies... an exciting time, no doubt.

The promise of a brand new trophy on someone's mantel at the end of the year has created quite the buzz and this week, all the names of the previous winners on opiatedsherpa.com will be enshrined on the trophy, just egging on everyone to work really hard this year, so they can add their name for the first time or join a couple of already repeat winners.

This season, it sounds like we should easily match last year's line-up of 24 teams.  There are a few question marks from last season, to which I'm not sure will show up or not, but I have heard of some expanded interest in other spots, some people are going their best to try and recruit more people, which is awesome.

If there is an incredible amount of teams, over 30, let's say, there will be an adjustment to the number of players per position, making sure that everything does stay relatively competitive.  In this case, if there are more than 30 teams, the move will be made to have one less goaltender per team and we'll add a forward to make up the difference.  I can't honestly see this pool going over 30 teams, but it is always better to be prepared, just in case such an event takes place.

A reminder, if you're looking to join us in a couple weeks for a fun time at the pub, you would like to do a little bit of studying, let me know and I can fire off a player list to you, no problem, free of charge.  I should be charging for this, but I won't.  I can send a PDF or a working Excel file for you, completely updated to the changes from the off-season.

Another helpful hint for this year, if you have a laptop or a tablet, I would say bring it with you, the pub does have a public Wi-Fi connection we can use.  I will have a webpage that constantly updates, as the draft goes on.  That being said, I should have a screen or two displaying this page at the draft, so if you can't bring an electronic internet device to the draft, do find a good seat near one of the active screens.

Otherwise, keep up your homework, stay tuned to the blog and we'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 13)

The Buffalo Sabres announced their projected training camp roster before the weekend and there was one interesting name on the list as a camp invite, former San Jose defenseman Nick Petrecki. Petrecki, 25, was a 1st round pick of the Sharks back in 2007, but was never able to make the cut in the tank and then was sent on his merry way, not getting a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this Summer.  Over the last two seasons, Petrecki was only able to make it into one NHL game, failing to register a point, but with a sketchy looking Sabres blueline, you just never know what could happen.  This is the time where you will see whether or not it was the depth of the Sharks that kept Petrecki out of the NHL or if it was his own play that kept him from a regular spot.

By my count, the Montreal Canadiens have a couple of blueline spots up for grabs and the Habs have dipped into the free agent pool, nabbing one of their own former players, Francis Bouillon, inviting the unrestricted free agent to camp for another shot.  Bouillon is now 38 years old, but played in 57 games last season, scoring 2 goals and 6 points in that time.  The kids they have are considered to be ready to make the full time jump, but giving them an extra push with a veteran coming back to camp.  I don't see Bouillon getting a contract out of camp, unless there are injuries to their projected roster going forward.  His scoring numbers are not anything to get too excited about, but he may have an effect on camp.

The New Jersey Devils were not done inviting players to camp this week, as Friday night, it was announced that they invited 31-year old forward Jordin Tootoo to camp. He'll join Scott Gomez and Ryan Carter as camp invites up front this Fall. Last season, Tootoo was a member of the Red Wings organization, but couldn't figure into the big league roster, only playing in 11 games with the big club, registering only 1 assist.  Tootoo has never really been a hockey pool type player, but with the right system in front of him, he could definitely be a blue collar player in a team's bottom six.  The Devils are looking for a little bit more offense on their team, which may work against Tootoo in the end.

On Saturday morning, it was also announced that the New Jersey Devils had also invited veteran forward Ruslan Fedotenko to camp.  Fedotenko was last seen in the 2013 season, playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, playing in 47 of the 48-game season, scoring 4 goals and 13 points, ranking 364th overall in pool scoring.  In the 2014 season, Fedotenko went and played in the KHL, where he was nearly a point-per-game player.  If the Devils are looking for some cheap offense, Fedotenko, 35, may be an option.

Handing Out Camp Invites (Sep 12)

On Thursday, the Toronto Maple Leafs added a couple of names to their future training camp roster, as defensemen Henrik Tallinder and Brendan Mikkelson were named on a tryout basis.

The 35-year old Tallinder likely has a decent shot at making the Leafs roster, let alone the line-up, with his experience alone.  He is considered to be a fairly reliable defender, but he is aging and shouldn't be looked upon for too many points.  His last couple seasons have been pretty poor for scoring in New Jersey and Buffalo and he would be a bottom pairing defender without power play minutes, so he shouldn't be worth a look.

Mikkelson, 27, has bounced around quite a bit in his NHL career.  Last season, he was a part of the Penguins' organization, but failed to play in a game and the depth in Toronto casts some real doubt at his potential with the team this year.

Injury Updates (Sep 12)

Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson gave an update on his fractured finger on Friday, saying that he hasn't regained full motion in his middle finger on his left hand, which he had surgery to repair a torn tendon.  Ericsson missed the last 14 games of the season and the team's short stint in the playoffs after surgery, but does plan to be ready for camp, despite not quite being 100%.

Originally, I did have Ericsson projected to have somewhat of a breakout season and be completely pool worthy, but I am now having second thoughts, contemplating dropping him down a bracket, possibly down to the 20-point range, under 25 points.  With the questionable depth on the blueline, this really could have been his year, but if he isn't feeling 100%, confidence may not be very high.

There was one update on Friday about New Jersey Devils forward Ryane Clowe, who suffered a concussion in March and hasn't been cleared for any contact since the injury. Clowe is to see concussion specialists before training camp opens for the Devils in a week's time, but he has been skating in the informal practices, leading up to camp.

Last season with the Devils, Clowe scored 7 goals and 26 points in 43 games and projections have not been kind to him this Summer, as both myself and the Hockey News have him in the mid-30 point range for the year.  That would make him into more of a fringe player, assuming he doesn't find the same form that made him into a household name among poolies in San Jose.