|
Kevin’s Weekly Notebook: A look around the NHL |
|
|
|
|
|
Independent draft analyst Kyle Woodlief thinks there's logic behind the New Jersey Devils' announced willingness to deal the No. 2 pick.
"I think they should (trade it) if they can stay in the top 10," the chief scout and publisher of Red Line Report said Thursday. "I personally feel there's hardly any difference in talent level among the forwards I have ranked at Numbers 2-7. Of course, if Montreal doesn't take Wright, then they should stay at No. 2 and take Wright."
If the Devils don't move the pick, Woodlief believes they will take big forward Juraj Slafkovsky at No. 2. He's a Slovak who plays in the Finnish League.
"What Jersey needs most is size and goal scoring on the wings, which is exactly what Slafkovsky offers," Woodlief said. (Logan) Cooley is another facilitator, ala (Jack) Hughes and Nico Hischier. "
In Woodlief's draft guide, he pegs Slafkovsky as being a lesser version of Mikko Rantanen.
. "I don’t think he’s got quite the passion, intensity level or hockey sense that Rantanen has, but in all other respects, he’s quite similar," Woodlief said. "He’s just a huge tank who can’t be moved off the puck, has a wicked shot off the wing, a scorer’s touch, and skates quite well for a big man
It's been suggested that Slafkovsky might be ready to play this season in the NHL. That's based on the fact he scored seven goals at the Olympics and looked good at the World Championships.
"Based on the fact that he couldn’t score playing against men in the Finnish Liiga, I don’t think he should be pushed into service right away in the NHL. If he is, I don’t think it will go well, and it could hurt his confidence. In general, I think it’s a bad idea to rush 18 year-olds into the NHL." Woodlief said.
Slafkovsky scored five goals for TPS Turku this season.
"I think the best course of action is to bring him over and put him in the AHL for a year," Woodlief said. "Let him get his feet wet there, and potentially have some success while acclimating to the smaller North American ice surfaced and culture over here. Despite his 7 goals in the Olympics, I don’t think he’s mentally prepared for what the NHL has to offer"
The Notebook:
2. Gary Bettman turns 70 today and retirement still isn’t on his horizon. The late David Stern was 71 when he retired as the NBA commissioner in 2014. Stern was NBA commissioner for 30 years. On Feb. 1, Bettman will celebrate 30 years as commissioner.
3. This third run at a Stanley Cup has been a challenging gauntlet run for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have faced the Toronto Maple Leafs (115 points), Florida Panthers (122) and New York Rangers (110). If the Lightning win this series, and they trail 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, they might face the Colorado Avalanche (119 points)
4. The Colorado Avalanche are averaging 4.64 goals per game in this postseason and the Edmonton Oilers are at 4.46 per game. If they stay at those levels, they would be the two highest-scoring NHL playoff teams over the past 34 years.
5. Exactly 50 years ago, on June 2, 1972, the new Atlanta NHL franchise announced its name would be the “Flames.” The team held a fan-naming contest and a man named Mickey Goodman was credited with the winning submission. The “Flames” referenced General Sherman’s march to the sea campaign during the Civil War. Much of Georgia was left ablaze by the campaign. The Flames moved to Calgary in 1980.
6. NHL experience will always be a major factor in the coach hiring process. But it’s good for the sport when a thinking-outside-the-box hire, such as Martin St. Louis, pays off. His only previous NHL coaching experience was as a special teams consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19.
7. In a similar vein, it has been reported that the Dallas Stars are interested in talking to Windsor Spitfires coach Marc Savard about their vacancy. He was an NHL player, but doesn’t have any NHL coaching experience.
8, Boston Hockey Now is reporting David Pastrnak is actively trying to persuade fellow Czech player David Krejci to return to the Bruins next season. With Patrice Bergeron considering retirement, Krejci’s return seems is a priority objective.
9. Keep an eye on the Tyler Bertuzzi contract negotiations this summer. If there is any doubt that the Detroit Red Wings won’t be able to get him re-signed, GM Steve Yzerman might consider trading him. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. His value, coming off a 30-goal season, will never be higher.
10. New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox registered 20 postseason points in his first 18 playoff games. Al MacInnis (17 games) is the only defenseman in NHL history to have gotten to 20 faster.
11. The Buffalo Sabres have three first-round draft picks this season (No. 9, 16 and 28). This will be the first time they have had three picks since 1983. In that year, they took Tom Barrasso at No. 5. Normand Lacombe at No. 10 and Adam Creighton at No. 11. They also had three in 1982 when they drafted Phil Housley (No. 5), Paul Cyr (No. 9) and Dave Andreychuk (No. 16). Scotty Bowman was the general manager in 1982 and 1983. Today’s Sabres hope they do as well in the draft as Bowman did in those two years.
12. All of the attention is focused on the NHL coaching searches, but don’t forget about the Sharks GM search. One of the interesting names I’ve heard is Kevin Weekes. Smart, well-connected hockey broadcaster.
13. If Tampa Bay Lightning associate coach Derek Lalonde lands a head coaching job this summer – maybe in Detroit – would former Detroit coach Jeff Blashill end up as an assistant working for his friend Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay?
14. Forty-four years years ago today, on June 2, 1978, the late Fred Shero signed a five-year contract averaging $250,000 to be general manager and coach of the New York Rangers. Shero had left the Flyers with a year remaining on his contract. The Rangers ended up giving the Flyers a first-round draft pick as compensation. Without the pick going to the Flyers, the Rangers would have been punished for tampering. Today, Fred Shero’s son, Ray, is presumed to be a candidate for the GM job in San Jose.
15 What do Darcy Kuemper critics say about him? He can’t stay healthy. Kuemper will be sidelined tonight when his Colorado Avalanche play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2.
16. Jordan Staal, 33, whose contract with the Carolina Hurricanes expires next summer, says he doesn’t want to negotiate a contract extension this summer. He just wants to let his contract run its course. That doesn’t mean he wants to test the free agent market. "No, I'm a Carolina Hurricane, that's where my mind is at right now," he said. "I don't think extending this summer is going to change any of that."
17. If center Vincent Trocheck tests the free agent marketplace, the Detroit Red Wings will probably be among the interested teams.
18. Connor McDavid’s +18 playoff plus-minus is +9 better than anyone else on his Edmonton Team. The closest league competitor is Colorado’s Cale Makar at +10.
,
19. Faceoffs are supposed to be important, especially in the playoffs. That’s what we are taught. But none of the teams still alive in the playoffs – Edmonton Oilers (47.7%), Colorado Avalanche (49.2%), New York Rangers (42.6%) and Tampa Bay Lightning (44.9%) – have a faceoff percentage over 50%. The Rangers and Lightning are the worst two faceoff teams in these playoffs.
20. Former Minnesota North Stars player Lou Nanne turned 81 today. He’s a true Mr. Hockey in Minnesota. He played at the University of Minnesota (1961-63) and then played for the North Stars from 1968-78 and then was the team’s general manager from 1978 until 1988. As GM, he once offered all of his draft picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the No. 1 pick the year Mario Lemieux was available.
Blogger •HHOF Writer's column on the NHL • 
Join the Discussion:
»