Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 20)

How about the rare preseason double-header in the NHL? The Nashville Predators were playing host to the Florida Panthers at the Bridgestone Arena for two games and in the early one, the visitors were making the best of the early start, winning the game, 5-3.

The Panthers were led by AHL regular Connor Brickley, who picked up a pair of goals and an assist in the win.  He's got a low-cost, minor league-esque deal, but if he can string a few of these games together, he'd be a cheap piece of the lineup for the Panthers.  The Panthers also saw multi-point games from Denis Malgin and tryout Jonathan Ang as well.

A couple of Nashville regulars got their names on the board nice and early in this preseason, as Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and an assist, while P.K. Subban had a couple of assists.  The Predators could very well be the real deal again in the 2018 season with these two already firing.

Do you want to know how to get an NHL contract from a professional tryout agreement? You go out in your first preseason game, play a ton, lead the team in scoring for the night and play it off like it's no big deal.

Cody Franson was one of four Blackhawks players to register 2 points in a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, as he tries his best to earn a contract for the coming season.  Nick Schmaltz, Tomas Jurco and prospect Graham Knott were the other three to hit the scoresheet twice, as the Blackhawks look solid early on.

Seth Jones scored the 2 goals for the Jackets, getting off to a great start to the preseason, while Carter Camper picked up a couple of assists as well.

The Boston Bruins welcomed the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night and they took advantage of a Detroit team that struggled in the off-season with their cap situation, beating them 4-2 in this one.

It wasn't a big night on the score sheet, as the Bruins were led by Austin Czarnik, who had a goal and an assist in the win, while the Red Wings had a notable player in Anthony Mantha, who also went one and one in this one.  It's a couple of young players who have a leg up on a spot, heading into camp, doing their best to keep it that way.

Anton Khudobin got the whole game in this one, making 20 saves for the victory.  Of course, he's the leader for the back-up job this year.

It was a southern Atlantic Division match-up down in Tampa tonight, with the Hurricanes and the Lightning going head-to-head.  It was the Teuvo Teravainen and Trevor Carrick show for the Hurricanes early on, both posting a pair of points on the opening two goals of the game and that was all Carolina needed in this one, as they won, 2-1.

Teravainen is a lock for this roster this season, while I do have Carrick penciled in as the seventh defenseman for this club, a 2-point game certainly helps his cause to start the preseason.

In the evening half of the double-header, the home side were able to sneak one game out as a victory for their fans, as the second group of Predators were able to post a 3-2 overtime victory over the Panthers.

The connection of Miikka Salomaki and Freddie Gaudreau were the big story for this game, as Salomaki scored a pair, including the winner, while Gaudreau assisted on both.  Both players started the preseason on the bubble for the Predators and either could go either way, staying up or going down, but with a good performance like this, it'll certainly help their cause.

Looked like it was a pretty solid shootout in the Big D on Tuesday night, as the Blues and Stars went head-to-head in a Central Division preview battle last night.  A 3-goal outburst by the Stars in the 3rd period was what led to a big 5-3 win, as Dallas is out to prove that they will be a team that will be one to be reckoned with, offensively that is.

Returning from injury last season, forward Mattias Janmark had a goal and an assist in his first action in quite some time, while defenseman Stephen Johns added a pair of assists in the win.  Janmark is going to be one of those sneaky picks this year, one that you might be able to sneak out late, but he's probably a guy you want to have a firm idea of a projection on and snap him up there.

One rookie that is really turning heads in camp and now in the preseason is Blues forward Samuel Blais, who had a goal and an assist last night.  With the long-term injury to Zach Sanford, that may have opened up a spot for Blais, who appears to be nestling himself in for a long winter.

It was sure nice of the NHL to ease the Golden Knights into the preseason, giving them two of the weaker teams from last season to get their feet wet and earn a couple of wins, as both the Canucks and Avalanche work on developing their depth.  Last night, it was the latter of the two teams that felt the wrath of the Knights, losing 4-1, and making Vegas 2-0-0 to start the preseason.

Tomas Hyka makes a return to the post, scoring a goal and an assist in this one, while Jason Garrison debuted for the club last night with a pair of assists.  Both players appear to be locks for the roster, but there are still questions about what level Garrison is going to be able to play at, especially on this team.  Will he be pool worthy by the end of the year?

The Anaheim Ducks, on paper, at least, are still one of the favourites for being there at the end of it all, still standing as the lone Western Conference team in June.  So, getting thumped 5-0 in the preseason by state rivals from San Jose shouldn't really be a concern.. it's only the preseason.  Still, the Sharks are probably not going to be slouches this year.

Backup goalie Aaron Dell got the call for the whole game for the Sharks, making 24 saves for the shutout win over a less than impressive Ducks lineup on Tuesday night.  The Sharks didn't dress a great deal of stars either, as they were led by Danny O'Regan and Barclay Goodrow up front and Tim Heed from the blueline, the only other three players with 2 points in the game.  All three are solid bubble players with NHL time under their belts already.

Noon Preseason Injury Notes (Sep 19)

A couple of key injury updates right away today, as the Senators confirmed that forward Colin White has suffered a broken wrist and his recovery time is 6-to-8 weeks, likely having him back in November, if he indeed makes the roster from camp. If you were looking to take a chance on him, while he's injured, he'll be missing at least 12 games through October and possibly some more in the first couple weeks of November and he's not even a lock for a spot.  You better give him a pass and see if he's worthy of a mid-season swap.

The same can't exactly be said about Jay Bouwmeester, who may only miss the first week of the regular season, as he has been diagnosed to have a fractured ankle and his recovery time is in the 2-to-3 weeks range.   Missing a week is stomach-able for us poolies, but he'll likely get off to a slow start, so you may still want to discount his projections by a bit.

The Blues also got some more bad news, as forward Zach Sanford is to undergo shoulder surgery right away and he's expected to miss 5-to-6 months, which wouldn't put him back in the lineup until March.  Sanford was only at 5 points in my projections and that will be a push upon his return, so he really shouldn't have been on your radar.

Morning Preseason Injury Notes (Sep 19)

The preseason isn't exactly a vacation for many players, as injuries are still going to occur with players trying to vie for jobs. Ottawa Senators youngster Colin White suffered a hand/wrist injury in last night's preseason game against the Maple Leafs, blocking a shot. There's no word on the extent of the injury, but the initial reports fear the worst.

White is certainly one of those bubble players on the Ottawa roster, a top end draft pick trying to crack the roster for a full-time gig, but if this injury is indeed significant, it might set him back another year.  The Hockey News has him pegged for 26 points, if indeed he makes the roster, but doing so was going to be tough.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 19)

The Hurricanes needed overtime to beat the hosting Sabres on Monday night, but it was only a little bit more than two minutes in before the deed was eventually done.

Derek Ryan, who finished 198th among all forwards in scoring, is certainly out to prove that he is pool worthy and made a good case for himself in his first preseason outing, scoring a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, and added an assist as well for a 3-point night.  He might get some consideration for a quick boost to his projections here this week.

On the Sabres side, forward Evan Rodrigues made a good case for one of those bubble spots this year with a couple of assists in the loss.

The new-look New Jersey Devils debuted a few new faces on Monday night, playing in their first preseason tilt against the Washington Capitals, also playing their first, and it was enough for the squad to put together a solid 4-1 win up for their home fans.

Sure, the new guys were the big story I'm sure, but preseason performers are all about those multi-point guys and the only one in this game was Devils forward Joseph Blandisi, who picked up a pair of helpers.  Blandisi appeared in 27 games for the Devils last season, picking up 3 goals and 9 points and his goal will be to try and push through the bubble for a regular job this season.

It was all Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Monday night, as they thumped their provincial rivals, 6-2, in some preseason action on Monday night.

Leading the way for the home side was Mark Stone, who looked sharp with a goal and a pair of helpers for a 3-point night, leading the way among all players.  Mike Hoffman was no slouch, potting a pair of goals, newcomer Tyler Randell had one and one, while Dion Phaneuf rounded out the Sens scoring with a pair of assists.  The Stone/Hoffman combo looked really good early and it'll be hard to argue against them this year.

The Leafs are hoping to get big results out of Morgan Rielly this year and he kicked off his preseason campaign with a pair of helpers in the loss.  Oh, don't forget about that Auston Matthews fella... he was one and one as well.

The first of two split squad games between the Flames and the Oilers was listed as played in Edmonton and it was the home side that held court at Rogers Place, beating half of their divisional rivals, 5-2, in convincing fashion.

Patrick Maroon was the top dog for the Oilers on the night, finishing with a goal and 2 assists, while Ryan Strome, Mark Letestu and Connor McDavid all figured into the scoring with 2 points a piece in the win.

On the other side, defenseman Michael Stone got a helper on each one of the Flames goals in the loss, as he tries to solidify his spot on the team's top six.

Down at the much maligned Saddledome in Calgary, the Flames tried to make a late game come back, down 5-2 early in the 3rd period, but came up just a bit short, losing 5-4 to the Oilers and getting swept through the split squad games.

Drake Caggiula scored a pair of goals for the visiting Oilers, while 1st round draft pick Kailer Yamamoto chimed in with a goal and an assist in his first NHL preseason action.  The Oilers will certainly have some tough decisions to make, in terms of their depth in the coming season.

And finally, for the Flames, Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland were the only two highlights in their home barn, each picking up a pair of assists in the loss.

Evening Training Camp Injury Notes (Sep 18)

A lower-body injury in scrimmage has St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester seeking some medical advice from doctors in the next day or so.

Bouwmeester, now 34 years old, has had a few struggles since his ironman streak was snapped a couple of years ago, having missed some games here and there over the past couple of seasons due to various ailments.  He only missed one game last season, but this isn't a great start to the 2018 campaign, if he has to seek extra advice on an injury.

I currently have Bouwmeester projected in the 20-point range, but if this injury is indeed serious, it will be high time to revisit those numbers and possibly knock it down a notch or two.

Recent Contract Extensions (Sep 18)

The Minnesota Wild have extended their captain for another couple years, signing forward Mikko Koivu to a 2-year, $11 million deal on Monday evening.  Koivu was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but the Wild have identified him as a piece of the foreseeable future and his own future is not in doubt for a while yet.

The 34-year old Finn still figured prominently with the Wild last season, scoring 18 goals and 58 points in 80 games last season.  That was good enough for 48th among all forwards in scoring and the projections from this past summer suggest that he should be good enough to repeat that performance, making him into a valuable asset for your hockey pool team.  If he's signed and comfortable, I would say to not hesitate when picking him up.

Morning Training Camp Injury Notes (Sep 18)

Reports have surfaced from the Dallas Stars beat writers that the top draft pick for the Stars this summer, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, won't be joining the team's training camp and has elected to stay in Finland, dealing with a concussion.

With this news, I have removed Heiskanen from my projections list, leaving the Stars with a more rounded seven defenders, thanks to salaries the way there were signed on and waiver exemptions as they are heading into the season.  Of course, performances can change those sorts of things, so we'll keep a close eye on that for future posts.

The Calgary Flames are engaging in a split squad set of games tonight with the Edmonton Oilers, but they will be without forward Matthew Tkachuk, as he is dealing with a minor hip problem and it looks like it's a precautionary measure to keep him out of the lineup and he'll be listed as day-to-day for right now.

The alarm bells aren't quite sounding just yet, but some hip issues have been quite problematic for players in recent years and it has certainly affected their overall production.  This is certainly something that may require some attention, when you're drafting this year, especially if Tkachuk gets held out for much longer.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 18)

The Philadelphia Flyers couldn't hold on to an early 2-0 lead at Nassau Coliseum, losing their preseason opener to the New York Islanders, 3-2 in overtime.

John Tavares got his preseason campaign off to a good start, scoring a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, leading his club by example on the score sheet.

For the Flyers, Jori Lehtera also got off to a good start with his new club, scoring a goal and an assist in the loss.  A start like that might give him a quick boost to his projections, ahead of the draft.

The preseason is all about showing off and making an impact and the Vegas Golden Knights did just that in their preseason debut, walloping the Vancouver Canucks, 9-4 on Sunday afternoon.  Yup, nine goals on the board in their preseason debut... don't expect that all year though.

Well, let's start with those Golden Knights... they played their 19-year old goaltending prospect Dylan Ferguson for the whole game and he made 29 saves for the win and by playing the whole game is the only way they get mentioned in these posts.  On the scoresheet, unsigned prospect Tyler Wong had a hat trick and an assist for a 4-point night, leading all skaters.  Forward Tomas Nosek had a goal and a pair of assists and defenseman Brad Hunt figured in with a trio of assists, both for 3 points.  Then multiple point games for Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Stefan Matteau and Tomas Hyka for the Golden Knights in the rout.

The Canucks were slouches throughout the game, but Brock Boeser wasn't... 2 goals and an assist, while Swedish newcomer Philip Holm had a goal and an assist as well in the loss.

Demers For McGinn

			2017 Season			July 1st Status
To Arizona	Pos	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Cap
Jason Demers	D	29	81	9	28	4	$3.94 mil
-----
To Florida	Pos	Age	GP	Goals	Points	Years	Cap
Jamie McGinn	F	29	72	9	17	2	$3.33 mil
Retained Salary						12.5%	$563k

A training camp deal was swung on Sunday and it saw the Florida Panthers ship defenseman Jason Demers to the desert, while the Coyotes send the underachieving forward, Jamie McGinn, to the Panthers.

The rumours of Demers being up on the market have been floating around for the better part of the summer and the move was finally done, as the Coyotes add a very respectable veteran defenseman, who carries a good bit of offensive upside to his game, as well as a general steadiness in his own end.  With the growing blueline depth in Florida, the Panthers could certainly part ways with an above-average sized contract and Demers could probably find a lot more ice-time in the desert as well.

For the Panthers, they add a little bit more grit with the power forward that is McGinn.  McGinn has been bouncing around a little bit over the last few seasons and wasn't quite the fit that the Coyotes were hoping for, when they signed him to a 3-year deal out of unrestricted free agency.  In Florida, he won't be relied upon as heavily to carry their offense, which could work in his favour for a bounce back year.

In terms of projections, this was a deal that saw two 25-point players swapping sides and in doing so, each of them may have found a quick gain of a 5-point bracket, moving to the 30-point range each.  Demers will certainly fill a gap left behind by the injured sophomore defender, Jakob Chychrun, while the hole left behind by McGinn opens up a job for one of the many Coyotes prospects vying for a job this winter as well.

Adding a regular forward to the Panthers ranks does take a job away from one of their prospects leading into the season and it should also solidify the team's top nine and depending on how they line up, McGinn's new linemates might get a little bit better too.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 17)

The Canucks and Kings got the preseason schedule started on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, just before portions of the two teams headed for China for more preseason action across the Pacific.  It was a back and forth contest, which saw an early surge from the Canucks, met by a big push past by the Kings, finished off by a late tying goal and an overtime winner from the visitors.

Just like preseason posts coming before it, this is about the multi-point players in these games, trying to push a name or two out there, finding the hot hands early.  For the Canucks, rookie forward Brock Boeser had a goal and an assist, while defenseman Troy Stecher had a couple of assists in the win.  The home side had a couple of notables in the loss, as Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist and Tanner Pearon had a pair of helpers too.

Let the games begin!

Afternoon Training Camp Injury Notes (Sep 16)

I'm not too sure if Niklas Kronwall is going to be a very productive player in the 2018 season, but if he doesn't get some back spasms taken care of this fall.  The early report is that the back spasms aren't very serious, but it will certainly limit his time on the ice.

The 36-year old only managed to play in 57 games last season, as his durability is becoming more and more of a concern, as the years go on by.  The early season projections are in the 15-point range, assuming he can stay relatively healthy, which is just outside of pool worthiness.  You might want to keep an eye on him in the year and see if he's a worthy replacement in the year.

The Ottawa Senators were pleasantly surprised by the emergence of forward Ryan Dzingel last season, but his 2018 campaign is off to a rocky start, as he's currently day-to-day with a minor groin issue, limiting his participation in training camp this weekend.

I think the Senators have a decent player in Dzingel and I expect him to be a pool player again in the coming season, assuming he can get his groin issues sorted out.  I have his current projections in the 35-point range, while the Hockey News seems to think a little less of him at 29 points.

Morning Training Camp Injury Notes (Sep 16)

Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Schlemko was held out of Saturday's training session, due to a hand injury. Schlemko is considered to be day-to-day at the moment and that's about the extent of the information at the moment.

Schlemko is considered to be pool worthy, according to my projections this year, as I have him in the 20-point bracket with the Habs, which should be enough for a late round selection.  He signed a 3-year deal with Montreal in this off-season and he should get every opportunity to feature in the offense, especially 5-on-5.