In the NHL, we typically call July “cottage season.” After the free agency frenzy of July 1, players and executives get lost for a few weeks, retreating to summer homes and vacation spots across the world (though if it’s in Canada, that home is almost always called a cottage).
Nothing is typical about 2021. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup on July 7. The buyout window opened on July 8. Protection lists for the Seattle Krakenexpansion draft were due over the weekend. On Wednesday, we’ll have the expansion draft, and the entry draft is Friday and Saturday. Then on July 28, free agency begins.
“Craziest three-week stretch I remember in my time in the league,” one front office executive told me last week. He has nearly two decades of experience.
I worked the phones over the past few days to get some buzz on what to expect this coming week, and beyond.
Kraken honing in on a netminder?
The Kraken will need at least two goalies, and it seems they have settled on one: Chris Driedger of the Florida Panthers. In fact, word is Driedger should be signing a multi-year deal after being the selection from the Panthers; I’ve heard it’s in the three-year range.
There are some great, young, budget-conscious options for Seattle to choose if Driedger is goalie 1A. I texted an NHL goalie coach on Sunday to find out whom he would choose as the backup to Driedger. His answer: Kaapo Kahkonen of the Minnesota Wild or Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals.
Let’s make a deal
The Kraken haven’t tipped their hand much, but behind the scenes they have been playing hardball the last few weeks from what I’ve heard. If a team wanted assurance that one of their unprotected players wouldn’t be selected, Seattle’s initial asking price was a first-round pick as compensation, at minimum. I do believe some side deals were made.
The Kraken are also expected to flip some of their expansion picks immediately after being selected — just as the Vegas Golden Knights did — so expect them to stay busy.
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Former Golden Knights general manager George McPhee discusses how other NHL teams might handle the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft.
Who’s heading to Seattle?
I canvassed one veteran player, one prominent agent, one assistant coach and one front office executive on Sunday after the protection lists came out, and asked: Who are the most obvious pickups for the Kraken? The two most common answers were Yanni Gourde (Lightning) and Max Domi (Blue Jackets).
Domi is coming off a rough season and had shoulder surgery in June, which should sideline him until at least November. But he’s a former 70-point score on an expiring deal — making him a good player to flip at the trade deadline.
As for Gourde? The Lightning left the Kraken plenty of valuable players, thanks to their cap crunch, but Gourde is a gritty, do-everything center around whom a team can build a line.
“Both those guys are on good deals,” the player said. “De Haan has been rumored to the Kraken for a while. Dillon played junior hockey in Seattle [the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds], so I bet they’ll want some guys with local connections.”
Top of the draft coming into focus
Owen Power is the presumed No. 1 pick of Friday’s draft, and it would be surprising if the Buffalo Sabres didn’t select the 6-foot-6 defenseman.
“I’d be just as stunned if Matty Beniers doesn’t go to Seattle [at No. 2],” one scout told me last week.
When I talked to the Massachusetts-born Beniers last week, he told me he idolized Patrice Bergeron and models his game after him. “Watching him pretty much my whole life, that’s a guy I’ve always admired,” Beniers said. “So I’ve tried to make myself into that type of player, a responsible two-way player with skills to make plays, but also has a really strong hockey IQ.”
Beniers is often noted for his high motor, too. The scout told me he thought Beniers would go No. 2 because of his talent, but also because it will be harder for Seattle to find centers later in the draft.
How high will Klimovich go?
A sleeper pick in this year’s draft: Danila Klimovich, from Belarus, who could sneak into the first round. Like Yegor Sharangovich (No. 141 overall to the Devils in 2018) Klimovich burst onto the scene late, in part because of lower exposure being from Belarus.
Klimovich didn’t have a chance to play in North America until this year’s IIHF under-18 world championships in Texas — and what an impression he made.
“At the same time the U.S. and Finland were playing, every GM cleared the nice rink in Dallas and went to the s—ty one where the Belarusians were playing,” one person who attended the tournament said. “Because Klimovich was so good, they had to see him for themselves.”
The center scored six goals in five games that tournament.
Wait, Ovi is on the available list?
In leaving pending unrestricted free agent Alex Ovechkin off their protection list, the Capitals were able to protect an additional forward, which ended up being Daniel Sprong.
Ovechkin’s unprotected status is only a formality. Most people in the league believe there’s a handshake deal or at least a framework of a new deal in place between the Caps and their captain, which should be announced after the expansion draft.
Hughes family reunion
In May, I was told: “If Luke Hughes is there for them, the Devils or the Canucks will have a hard time not taking him.”
Then the draft lottery happened. The Canucks, who have 21-year-old Quinn Hughes, got the ninth pick. The Devils, with 20-year-old Jack Hughes, pick at No. 4.
It’s tough to imagine Luke Hughes falling to No. 9 at this point. Most people I’ve talked to think New Jersey will end up selecting the youngest Hughes brother. If the Devils don’t go Hughes, the other player they seem to be hot on is Swedish defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
A goalie in the top 10?
There are teams in the top 10 of the draft thinking about selecting goalie Jesper Wallstedt. I was impressed by Wallstedt’s maturity when I spoke to him on the phone last week. He grew up idolizing Henrik Lundqvist, and even went to Lundqvist’s goalie camps as a kid.
Drafting a goalie in the first round hasn’t seemed so risky or rare the last three years. Florida feels great about selecting Spencer Knight at No. 13 in 2019, and Nashville selected Yaroslav Askarov at No. 11 last year, who was viewed as an exceptional talent.
Wallstedt isn’t the only goalie projected to be taken in the first round this year; Sebastian Cossa is the other. I also loved talking to him, and enjoyed learning that he played football for five years as a center and a linebacker. Rarely do you see a football/hockey crossover athlete.
There are some teams that view Cossa ahead of Wallstedt, so it will be intriguing to see where both end up.
Chicago looking for goaltending
Even though they picked a goalie in the second round last year (Drew Commesso) it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Blackhawks draft another goalie, this time in the first round.
I also was told the Blackhawks could be active in free agency for a goalie; there are plenty of veteran options available.
I hear that they are also in the market for a veteran goalie (just like last year, when they signed Corey Crawford, who retired before suiting up in a game for them).
The Anaheim Ducks left Henrique unprotected, after trying to trade the forward last year to no avail. If he is not selected, it sounds like the Ducks will still try to move him this year, but may have to retain some of his $5.85 million salary.
It’s hard to get a sense of when a Seth Jones trade may go down, as Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t afraid to do the bold move — like hold onto a player who doesn’t want to re-sign, on an expiring contract, to begin the season.
The expectation, however, is that Jones will be moved at some point — though his situation isn’t as untenable as Jack Eichel‘s is in Buffalo or Vladimir Tarasenko‘s is in St. Louis. In both Eichel’s and Tarasenko’s cases, it seems the loss of trust between player and club seem irrevocable.
What to make of the Isles’ decisions
When the protection lists came out and I saw Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle both available from the Islanders, my first instinct was that GM Lou Lamoriello cut a side deal with Kraken GM Ron Francis. That might be the case, but it was pointed out to me that a theme of the Islanders protection list is cost-cutting, which falls in line with their recent moves shedding the contracts of Andrew Ladd and Nick Leddy.
The Islanders are often the toughest team on which to get information, as Lamoriello runs a tight ship. But we know that getting a new deal for restricted free agents Anthony Beauvillier and (especially) Adam Pelech are priorities for the Islanders. It appears re-signing UFA Casey Cizikas is also high on Lamoriello’s to-do list.
Should Seattle select Bailey or Eberle, the door for Kyle Palmieri to re-sign will be opened, or the recently bought-out Zach Parise to slot in.
New York also needs to replace Nick Leddy, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Isles in on the Ryan Suter courtship.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
