carolina hurricanesdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips091617.pdf · 2017-09-16 · frame has...

CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • Sept. 16, 2017

Here’s something the Hurricanes have that they’ve never had before By Luke DeCock [email protected] September 15, 2017 2:36 PM The inescapable, franchise-history-making reality of Scott Darling is that he is a very large man. And not merely tall, either. He is all of the 6-foot-6 at which he is listed, but he is broad as well, burly but not husky, making him an imposing figure in a way a basketball player of the same height is not. In that respect, his size makes him the epitome of the modern NHL goalie, yet another avatar of a trend that started taking hold when Patrick Roy first flopped down into the butterfly stance and has slowly taken over the league. It’s a trend the Hurricanes were among the last to adopt, but it’s here now in the outsized visage of Darling, even if his quiet and self-effacing personality ends up being the yin to that yang. So Darling’s first official practice in a Carolina uniform on Friday represented something bigger than a changing of the guard in goal, although it certainly did that. When it comes to size in net, the Hurricanes have caught up with the rest of the league. Being on the short side was once seen as an advantage for a goalie, nimbleness and flexibility being prized over bulk – especially at a time when big goalies were often gawky and prone to toppling over. With the ubiquity of the butterfly, where goalies use their leg pads horizontally to block the surface of the ice and their body to block the upper half of the net, size suddenly offered a tremendous advantage: bigger pads and more surface area. And as the NHL has worked to shrink the Michelin Man goalie gear that plagued the league during its pre-lockout Dead Puck Era, a bigger frame has gained even more currency. You can’t coach speed and you can’t coach size. Of the 30 starting goalies in the NHL last season, a full third were listed at 6-4 or taller, and that doesn’t include 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop, who lost the starting job in Tampa Bay and was traded. The Hurricanes’ Cam Ward, at 6-1, was in a five-way tie for smallest – a group that also includes Henrik Lundqvist, perhaps the last great goalie of what was once considered moderate stature. Even in an era when small skaters get more opportunity than ever – Edmonton took 5-foot-7 Kailer Yamamoto in the first round of the draft in June – small goalies have become extinct. The days when someone like Arturs Irbe, a 5-foot-8 tangle of sinew and fast-twitch muscle, could claim an NHL

net are over, no matter how acrobatic. Over the past four seasons, only one Vezina Trophy finalist has been shorter than 6-2. Over the previous four, there were four, including Tim Thomas, who won the Vezina twice at 5-foot-11. There’s a long list of great goalies at that height or shorter in hockey history, but these days, they would have to be truly exceptional just to get drafted, maybe even to get a look from a college or junior team. Hurricanes broadcaster Tripp Tracy was drafted out of Harvard at 5-foot-10. Today? “No way,” Tracy said Friday. To this point in Hurricanes history, size in net has been the exception rather than the rule, and not just Ward and Irbe. Sean Burke was a giant in his era, but at 6-4 he’s merely above average by today’s standards, as Eddie Lack was. Darling has two inches on both of them. Kevin Weekes was considered to be reasonably tall in the prime of his career, but at 6-2 he’d be in the bottom third of the NHL now. There’s evidence that, leaguewide, the wave maybe starting to crest. Ten years ago, NHL teams wouldn’t consider using a decent draft pick on a goalie under 6-foot-4 and raw height was the craze. Even the Hurricanes, who haven’t had a ton of size in net at the NHL level, have drafted only one goalie shorter than 6-foot-3 since 2008. The trend was all that direction until the past few drafts, when NHL teams have appeared more willing to look at the wider pool of goalies closer to 6 feet, if not under. It has become clear that while some height is necessary to do the job in the modern game, an excess of it may not be necessary. As those players start to filter through to the NHL, the average height may even decline an inch or two. Still, even if the the trend toward the truly gargantuan appears to be abating, there’s no question 6 feet is where the bar is set, higher than it ever has been. The goalies of the future may not be Darling’s size, but they’re all going to be as big or bigger than Ward, here and elsewhere.

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Five takeaways from the first on-ice workouts at Hurricanes camp By Chip Alexander [email protected] September 15, 2017 3:19 PM Thoughts and observations after the Carolina Hurricanes held the first on-ice workouts of training camp on Friday at PNC Arena: ▪ Canes coach Bill Peters, who constantly stays on the move in practices, says to never read too much into the lines in practice. But … On day one of camp, Jordan Staal was at center with Sebastian Aho and Elias Lindholm, and Victor Rask with Teuvo Teravainen and Justin Williams. Derek Ryan centered Jeff Skinner and Lee Stempniak and one version of the fourth line had Marcus Kruger with Brock McGinn and Joakim Nordstrom. “We’ll start moving guys around,” Peters said after the two practices. Just an idea but Skinner, who had a career-high 37 goals last season, and Williams might be an interesting pair of wingers for Rask, yes? ▪ Martin Necas was good at the Traverse City (Mich.) prospects tournament and good again Friday at PNC Arena in his first team practice. The Czech center, the Canes’ first-round draft pick this year, is quick on his skates, quick with his release and a heady player. Necas has four options: make the Canes roster, go to the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, play junior hockey for Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League or return to the Czech Republic for another season in its top professional league. In talking to Canes general manager Ron Francis, the most likely outcome is still Necas going back home this season. ▪ Another young center the Canes like a lot is Nicolas Roy, who will miss some camp time with a concussion. Francis said Roy, who suffered the injury after taking a hard hit at Traverse City, is going through the concession protocol and is out indefinitely. Tough break for Roy. ▪ They’re keeping a seat open in the Canes locker room at PNC Arena for a new team captain. It’s where Rod Brind’Amour once sat when he wore the “C” – his photo is above the stall – and then Eric Staal.

The Canes went without a captain last season. It’s easy to think either Williams or Jordan Staal will have the “C” this season and inherit the center seat in the room, but that will be sorted out in camp. ▪ It’s an impressive group of forward depth the Canes have assembled: Necas, Roy, Julien Gauthier, Janne Kuokkanen, Aleksi Saarela, Valentin Zykov, Josh Jooris … the list is pretty long. Mike Vellucci, the new Checkers coach, won’t go lacking

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Energy, Hype Surround First Day of Canes Training Camp 20th training camp in team history began Friday by Michael Smith @MSmithCanes / CarolinaHurricanes.com September 15, 2017 With the 20th Anniversary logo serving as a focal point at center ice, the 20th training camp in Carolina Hurricanes' history began on-ice Friday morning, and there was a palpable level of energy and hype surrounding the club. One reason for the liveliness is the birth of a new hockey season, a tradition that never ages and never wanes in excitement. The other reason is the critically successful offseason the Canes had and the new faces that joined the team on the ice today. The potential is promising, and day one of camp marks the first step taken toward the Canes' goal of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Here are some headlines from the first day of Hurricanes training camp. Getting Back On the Ice The clock on the lower ring of the PNC Arena videoboard read 8:47 a.m. when head coach Bill Peters gathered Team Dineen at center ice for the first drill of the new season. From there, it was 90 minutes - split by a short intermission and flood of the ice - of elevated pace and visual instruction. Rinse and repeat for Team Kron afterward. A successful first day complete. "Just the overall pace [was good], and I thought the execution was real good, too. I enjoyed today," head coach Bill Peters said. "I think we got a lot done, and I thought the guys put in a good effort." "It was good pace out there, and everyone worked hard," forward Justin Williams said. "That's what you expect." "It was real good. It thought the pace was real high-tempo. Clearly guys are excited to get the camp going. A lot of preparation to get to this point," goaltender Cam Ward said. "We're excited with the group that we have in the locker room. We're really confident in the guys here to have a successful year." This - the first day of camp, getting back on the ice with a defined purpose and interacting in the room with teammates and coaches - is what everyone was working towards during the long summer months.

"It's time time. Today flew by," Peters said. "When you don't have any players in to coach, those days get a little longer." "There's a lot of excitement in the room between the guys and the staff," goaltender Scott Darling said. "This is what we've been waiting for. We've been waiting to get going. It was a lot of fun today." New Faces in New Places Today marked the on-ice debut for a number of new Hurricanes' faces, including Darling, forward Marcus Kruger and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, among others. "No matter what, you want to come in and put your best foot forward. It's important to come in day in and day out, no matter what the schedule may be, you want to be working hard and doing what the coaches ask of you," van Riemsdyk said. "You don't want to take anything for granted. You want to be a hard worker and show them you're a guy who can be relied on." "There are a lot of new faces and a lot of young faces, as well, who look like they've worked hard this summer to take another step," forward Jordan Staal said. "It's a good mish mash of guys. Hopefully we can jell together quickly and have a great season." There was also a new-old face in a new-old place - Williams, signed as a free agent on July 1, made his return to the Canes' dressing room. "It doesn't seem like yesterday, but it doesn't seem that far away," he said. "It's been a few years since I've been back here. … A little bit has changed, and a little bit is the same." "He does have a lot of gray hair and some serious flow," Ward joked. "He's got a lot of energy like when I first saw him here in his first stint as a Hurricane. It's great to see him back." Even for Williams, a veteran of 1,080 career regular-season games, day one of training camp is special, especially when you're rejoining a team. "I don't think it matters how many training camps you've been to, you're always a little jittery on the first day getting to

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know the coaches and players. It's all a feeling out process for me, even though it's my second time around." "You know what he's all about. I don't think there are any surprises there," Peters said of Williams. "I think he's real excited about getting started and playing some games." "It's great to see a familiar face, a guy who has a great past here. One of the best Hurricanes to put on the jersey is coming back. He's Mr. Game 7 for a reason: he comes up big in big games and big moments. I think it's good to add a veteran, a guy like that, to the room," Ward said. "Willy has a great personality to come in and lead by example." Preseason Begins Monday It's somewhat hard to believe, but the Hurricanes' seven-game preseason slate begins on Monday with a stretch of three games in three nights. Game action, especially this early in training camp, is the ideal teaching tool for the Canes' young stable of players. "Just give them enough to be dangerous for the first two, three games and then we'll go from there. Everyone is in the same boat," Peters said. "It's quick, but guys want to play. Guys are in great shape and keep themselves in great shape in the modern era. They'd rather play." The Hurricanes will likely ice a few different looks early next week. As far as today was concerned, Peters cautioned against reading too much into line combinations. So don't get too attached to combinations like Aho-Staal-Lindholm or Teravainen-Rask-Williams or Skinner-Ryan-Stempniak, all of which were seen today. But, that doesn't mean they won't at least get a trial run in the exhibition season. "I just put them together just based on last year to get day one and two under the belt," he said. "We're going to give it two days of continuity and then start moving guys around." I Got a Feeling Earlier this week, I talked with Hurricanes Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Francis, who agreed that expectations are higher this year than they have been in some time. "I would say that's a fair assessment," he said. "We look at some of the things we did in the summer, and we think that makes us a better hockey team. We look at the fact that some of our young kids are going to have another year of maturation under their belt, and we're hoping for them to take another step forward, which makes us better. The leadership that became a part of our locker room - not just from a player perspective but from an off-ice, in-the-locker-room perspective - makes us better. "We feel we have a chance to get in the playoffs and do some damage, but I'm sure there are a lot of other GMs

around the league thinking the same way," Francis continued. "There's no guarantees and it's not easy, so we'll see how the season plays out, but we certainly like our chances." The sentiment in the room today was very similar. "All you have to do is look at the changes we made this summer. Kudos to the organization for the moves they made. It's created a buzz and excitement among the guys already here," Ward said. "You look at our drafted guys and guys turning pro this year, we've got a lot of skill and a lot of youth. It's an exciting time to be a Hurricane. Guys are happy to be here." "Just reading the guys' comments … they know where we're at and where we are on the curve," Peters said. "We're definitely a better team on paper, but there's a lot of work to do between here and game one and here and game 82." "I know that we have a good enough team to make the playoffs this year, and that's our goal," Darling said. "Anything less isn't going to be acceptable. That's what we're shooting for."


Koutroumpis: Traveling the Eye of the Storm with the Carolina Hurricanes September 15, 2017

Peter Koutroumpis

RALEIGH, N.C. – I’m in.

I’m buying into riding along with the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the Redvolution through the 2017-2018 season.

I’m looking ahead to a historic finish.

This year’s edition of the Carolina Hurricanes, whatever form it eventually evolves into, must end an eight-year streak of missing the NHL playoffs.

There’s just too much hype, excitement, and giddiness surrounding a retooled and rebuilt roster that holds much more potential and promise to accomplish the feat more so than in recent years.

My normal take, and I’m working very hard to see past this, is that the Hurricanes are still a few more moves, pieces, players away – more specifically, a proven 30-goal scorer short of making that final push.

However, and this is a big however, I am going to take a very selfish and greedy stance on my outlook for this team this season.

They will make the playoffs.

They will do so because I, nor any other local media member covering this team, has had the privilege of covering playoff hockey here since 2009.

I want to cover a team that makes it past the 82-game threshold and is one of the 16 still left standing, ready to create postseason moments and plays that I can document for readers and fans, or anyone from 15 non-playoff markets who stumble upon them online.

I’ve tired of seeing results that turn out relatively the same.

Though not done intentionally, it’s turned my coverage of each home game I attend to a canned prep of a predictable result – a one-goal win following a dramatic comeback in the third period, or a loss after falling short in trying to stage that miraculous finish.

The players are working hard, and questioning head coach Bill Peters whether that is the case or not, is not a line of inquiry that I’ll follow.

Nope, I won’t do it and haven’t since a stern dressing down by him late in the 2015-2016 season during a pregame scrum before a matinee game against the Islanders, and following a tough loss to the Penguins.

It was a tense and stressful time, as the trade deadline was approaching – just before Eric Staal was dealt to the Rangers.

I’ll never doubt the effort of a team led by the man possessing The Hammer, particularly when he’s under pressure.

He knows how to put the pieces of a roster together and put them to work.

But back then, he also knew that the inconsistency of young up-and-coming players would inhibit the finish that this team needed.

That brief, yet impactful tirade showed me that he cares.

As this team hits the ice to begin training camp on Friday, I’m ‘all in’ believing that Captain Bill will get the ship on course and go full steam ahead towards the postseason.

And there I’ll be, life-preserver on and all, ready to sail.

If anything, it will be a more exhilarating ride to take than it has been for the past eight years, bobbing up and down in a lifeboat caught in choppy water, wondering if anyone will ever come by and rescue me.

Today I’ve fired the flare gun.

I’m finally going to make it to that 2018 NHL playoffs port-of-call, and it’s going to be on the good ship Carolina Hurricanes.

All aboard!

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Williams, ‘Canes open training camp with sense of optimism RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Justin Williams zipped up and down the ice with the Carolina Hurricanes – just like old times.

For the player known as ”Mr. Game 7,” mark down Practice 1 as a success.

Williams went through his first practice with his new teammates – and his old club – Friday when the Hurricanes opened training camp with a sense of optimism that they’re on the cusp of ending the NHL’s longest active playoff drought.

”I don’t think it matters how many training camps you’ve been through,” Williams said. ”You’re always a little jittery on the first one. Getting to know the coaches, getting to know the players. It’s all a feeling-out process for me, even though it’s my second time around.”

Williams provided perhaps the biggest moment in franchise history in 2006 with an empty-net goal against Edmonton in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to seal the first title in club history.

”It doesn’t seem like yesterday,” Williams said, ”but it doesn’t seem that far away.”

The Hurricanes haven’t done much after that, with their long postseason appearance since then coming in 2009.

Williams certainly has.

Since he was traded to Los Angeles during the 2008-09 season, he won the Cup twice with the Kings, was selected as playoff MVP in 2014, went 7-1 in Game 7s to earn his nickname and had 100 points combined the past two years with Washington.

”It’s great to see a familiar face, a guy who has a great past here – one of the best Hurricanes to put on the jersey is coming back,” said goalie Cam Ward, the only remaining teammate of Williams’ from that ’06 team.

”He’s `Mr. Game 7′ for a reason,” Ward added. ”He comes up big in big games and big moments and I think it’s good to add a guy like that, a veteran, inside our locker room, too. We’re a young team and can tend to be a little bit quiet. Willie’s got a great personality to come in and lead by example.”

The 35-year-old signed a two-year, $9 million deal with Carolina on the first day of free agency.

”That’s why I signed here – I love what they’re doing here,” Williams said.

His signing was a key part of a busy offseason for the Hurricanes, who traded for goalie Scott Darling and signed him to a four-year contract and awarded long-term deals to a pair of young defensemen.

”All you have to do is look at the changes we made this summer,” Ward said. ”Kudos to the organization for the moves that they made, and it’s created a buzz, it’s created an excitement among the guys that are here. … We’ve got a lot of skill and a lot of youth. It’s an exciting time to be a Hurricane.”


Carolina Hurricanes begin training camp By Bridget Condon Friday, September 15, 2017 05:48PM RALEIGH (WTVD) – On Friday, the Hurricanes officially began training camp practice on the ice at PNC Arena. The Canes have an old but new face back on the ice this season, Justin Williams. Williams was a key factor in Carolina's Stanley Cup in 2006. After Friday's practice, Williams reflected on being back on

the ice at PNC and back in the locker room. "It doesn't seem like yesterday but it doesn't seem that far away," he said. Cam Ward discussed his competition with Scott Darling for the starting goaltender position. Ward said he and Darling will lean on and push each other to put Carolina in the best possible position come game one. Coach Bill Peters said he liked the energy his team showed on day one. He said he is glad to finally be on the ice and see the team come together.


Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp Day 1 Report: Time to Get To Work Welcome to Bill Peters’ Boot Camp, where you’d better have the basics down or you’re already behind.

by Brian LeBlanc@bdleblanc Sep 15, 2017, 4:56pm EDT

The tone for the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2017 training camp was set as soon as the schedule came out.

Physicals start at 7 a.m. First practice: 8:45 a.m. Be up early, and get to work.

That’s exactly what the Hurricanes did as their 2017-18 season got underway Friday morning at PNC Arena. A spirited Bill Peters, whose whistle only left his mouth when he was giving instruction for the next three-plus hours, ran the Canes through several passing and decision-making drills, emphasizing over and over again the need to think correctly.

This defenseman needs to be here. This wing needs to be there. Do it again, until it’s right.

“It makes you ready and aware to bring your best,” said Jordan Staal, entering his sixth camp with Carolina.

“The expectation is definitely raised,” said Brett Pesce. “Everyone believes in each other, and everyone has another year under their belts. We expect to be that much better.”

Both practice groups spent the first 45-minute session on breakout drills and puck control exercises. There was very little in the way of the basics, and in some ways it resembled a midseason practice more than the first day of camp. Peters clearly left his players with work to do over the summer, and wasted no time jumping right into camp, a clear contrast to last season when his duties at the World Cup of Hockey prevented him from being present at the start of camp.

Following that session, the team cleared the ice to allow for resurfacing, and returned for 30 more minutes of work. Instead of the intrasquad scrimmages of years past, this time Peters had his players go through 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 drills. Long a weak point for the Hurricanes, the coaching staff seems to be setting the tone early that every point is valuable and reduced-man even strength situations will be a focus this season.

But the players didn’t seem to mind. In fact, Scott Darling and his compatriots on Team Dineen, Jeremy Helvig and Jeremy Smith, were on the ice well before the start of the first session, taking shots from new goaltending coach Mike Bales twenty minutes before their teammates joined them.

Darling said that there was an undercurrent of excitement leading into the first day of camp.

“There’s been a lot of excitement in the room, between the guys and the staff and everyone,” the Canes’ new netminder said. “It’s been what we’ve been waiting for. We’ve been waiting to get going. It was a lot of fun today.”

Unlike in past camps, when the NHL roster may not have been as clear-cut entering camp, this time around it seems that the pecking order is fairly set already. Instead of having lockers down hallways and into workout spaces, this season the Canes’ locker room is occupied solely by those players who are likely to take the ice on October 7 against the Wild. Everyone else - those likely ticketed for the minors - is in the visitor’s locker room on the other side of the ice.

But three empty spaces remain in the main locker room. Two are along the right wall, between Derek Ryan and the seven defensemen. And one is dead center, awaiting the appointment of the Canes’ next captain.

Who will occupy that stall remains an open question.

“I haven’t heard anything,” said Staal, the brother of the last man to wear the C. “It definitely would be an amazing opportunity. We’ll see how it happens.”

But whoever it is, he will lead a team of players expecting to make the jump to a playoff contender. Justin Williams said it at media day last week, and Darling reiterated it again on Friday morning.

“We have a good enough team to make the playoffs this year. That’s our goal. Anything less isn’t going to be acceptable, so that’s what we’re shooting for.”

The teams will next take the ice - again, early - tomorrow morning, and get to sleep in a bit on Sunday before the Caniac Carnival, with the first session starting at 10:30. If you missed any of the Team Dineen session that we streamed on Facebook Live, they’re linked below and available on our Facebook page.

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TODAY’S LINKS http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article173539066.html

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/canes-now/article173553911.html https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/energy-hype-surround-first-day-hurricanes-training-camp/c-291088654

https://trianglesportsnet.com/triangle-sports-network/koutroumpis-traveling-eye-storm-carolina-hurricanes/ http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/story/williams-canes-open-training-camp-with-sense-of-optimism-091517

http://abc11.com/sports/carolina-hurricanes-begin-training-camp/2420814/ https://www.canescountry.com/2017/9/15/16316502/carolina-hurricanes-2017-training-camp-nhl-bill-peters-rod-brind-amour-scott-darling-jordan-

staal

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NBCSports.com / Ducks hope to get Kesler, Lindholm, Vatanen back before end of 2017

James O'Brien

Sep 15, 2017, 4:15 PM EDT

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While it didn’t result in a Stanley Cup, the Anaheim Ducks were mostly successful in 2016-17, ending their run in the Western Conference Final.

Pushing that deep into the playoffs sometimes come at a price, and it seems like the Ducks will limp* into at least the first few months of 2017-18. Injuries accrued – possibly during that run – could make things difficult early on.

With Ducks training camp beginning, Ducks GM Bob Murray provided the OC Register’s Eric Stephens and Kyle Shohara of the team website with an unofficial timeline for when key players Ryan Kesler, Hampus Lindholm, and Sami Vatanen may return from their respective ailments.

Kesler by Christmas?

From Murray’s comments, a late-December return might be a little optimistic for Kesler’s recovery from hip surgery.

“As of right now, there is no timeline whatsoever,” Murray said. “He couldn’t skate [during the second half of the season]. No push-off on his right leg. He has to rebuild his glutes and quads. That’s what we’re in the process of doing right now. I’m hopeful to have him back before Christmas, but that’s all I’m going to say right now. You know how Kes is. He’s pushing it pretty good.”

Early November for Vatanen, Lindholm?

Both young blueliners are healing up from shoulder surgeries. Vatanen was a piece Murray pulled strings to keep during the expansion draft, while Lindholm is quietly building his resume as one of the best-kept secrets among quality NHL defensemen.

Murray also hopes to have Vatanen and Lindholm ready to go by start of November.

— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) September 15, 2017

***

This all makes you wonder about the Ducks possibly suffering from some growing pains in 2017-18, but Murray seems to take a pretty sober approach.

Add GMBM: "This first-place stuff, it's happened. It's good. Good for them. But just make the playoffs." Most important to be healthy then.


* – Yes, the urge was there to use “waddle.”

NBCSports.com / LOADED: 09.16.2017

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Sportsnet.ca / Calgary arena deal appears further from reality than ever

Calgary Flames president and CEO Ken King meets with the media to address the ongoing stadium saga in Calgary.

Eric Francis

September 15, 2017, 5:19 PM

It didn’t take long for Ken King to demonstrate just how frosty things are between the City of Calgary and his hockey organization.

At a press conference to dismantle the city’s earlier unveiling of its proposal to help build a new NHL arena mere metres from the Saddledome, the Flames president’s opening remarks involved taking a shot at the mayor’s presser.

"I think we’re supposed to flank ourselves with people," he joked, playfully summoning staffers to stand alongside him as the mayor did.

"I think we should probably think about taking the sharp objects out of the sandbox so neither they, or we, hurt ourselves."

Two things have become abundantly clear since the Flames announced they’d no longer seek an arena as a response to Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s disingenuous campaign platform, which included building said rink.

1. These guys don’t like or trust each other.

2. This deal is further away from becoming a reality than it ever was.

Mere hours after Nenshi unveiled the city’s proposal to "pay" one third of the $555-million price tag on a Victoria Park facility, King stepped forward to dismiss the notion they’re offering up a single dime.

"Their proposal not only has us paying for everything, but more when you consider incremental taxes," said King, reiterating the $185 million from

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/canes-now/article173553911.html

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/energy-hype-surround-first-day-hurricanes-training-camp/c-291088654

https://trianglesportsnet.com/triangle-sports-network/koutroumpis-traveling-eye-storm-carolina-hurricanes/

http://www.foxsports.com/nhl/story/williams-canes-open-training-camp-with-sense-of-optimism-091517

http://abc11.com/sports/carolina-hurricanes-begin-training-camp/2420814/


the Flames owners and the $185 in ticket surcharges both stem from Flames revenues.

"Taxes, rent or lease. He wants their third recouped through one of those. Whatever form they want in payback comes from Flames revenue as well. So it’s all Flames revenue and if we thought that model could work we would have saved everybody a lot of time. They want to loan us a bunch of money and have it paid back. If that’s the definition of public benefit say so."

The city’s breakdown of their $185 million includes $25 million for restoration and then demolition of the Saddledome, $30 million for the land they’ll acquire in a swap with Stampede Park and $130 million in cash, to be recouped via the roughly $5 million the Flames would pay in taxes as owners of the building.

The Flames would rather lease and operate the city-owned building as they currently do.

"If we did this deal it would be worse than what we have now," King said. "We’re better off to stay here."

So they will. Indefinitely.

The city added it was open to discussing the amount and the form of the payback.

"If it is better for Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) to pay rent on a building owned by the city, or agree to revenue sharing, or provide an equity stake in the team, all of these things are open for discussion."

Giving Nenshi a seat at the team’s ownership meetings sure doesn’t sound like a real option, although it’d make for one hell of a reality show.

With a stated goal to ensure all information on the situation is crystal clear, King said his club would release its proposal next week. He reminded a packed Saddledome media lounge the club’s original vision was the Calgary NEXT arena/football stadium/field house on the west side of downtown.

"It was attacked and ridiculed — it was dismissed as a $1.8-billion boondoggle," said King, who disagreed vehemently on the price tag.

"The city was determined it would kill their Victoria Park concept."

It’s just a sampling of the shots being fired in either direction on a fight that has no end in sight, especially since Nenshi is a heavy favourite to be re-elected next month for a third term.

Can they get to a middle ground?

"I don’t think so," said King, adding there was absolutely nothing in the city’s proposal he could agree on.

"I don’t know where it’s going to end but it’s not going to end with the city proposal you saw this morning.

"This isn’t a money grab — if it was we’d be long gone.

There are lots of other places to make a lot of money in sports other than here."

Nenshi said the city would bear roughly $200 million in indirect costs for infrastructure and public transit expansion to the area near the rink.

King called that "unadulterately gratuitous."

"These are not incremental costs. If we don’t go ahead the only thing that will be different is the absence of our funding. They’re going to build an underpass, a Green line and extend 17th Ave. either way."

King also got a bit of a chuckle over the mayor’s suggestion the absence of new rink wouldn’t get in the way should the mayor decide to proceed with a 2026 Olympic bid.

After all, said the mayor, the premier event of the Games could be held in Edmonton’s Rogers Place or rinks across the country.

Brilliant, progressive thinking.

Never one to back down from a good fight, hockey fans await Nenshi’s response in this increasingly vitriolic situation.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 09.16.2017

1074096 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Calgary says it’ll pay one-third of $555-million arena for Flames

Staff Writer

September 15, 2017, 11:37 AM

CALGARY — The Calgary Flames and their city are taking their negotiations public on a new NHL arena projected to cost $555 million.

The city proposed paying a one-third share of $185 million, with Calgary Sports and Entertainment paying another third and the remaining third paid for via a surcharge on tickets sold to events in the new building.

The Flames would get all revenues from the new arena, but the city wants CSEC to pay property tax on it.

"You’ll notice that even in this model CSEC gets 100 per cent of the revenues and profits from the arena," Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Friday morning at City Hall.

"There is profit here. Our argument is the city needs to somehow share in the upside if we’re going to share in the cost."

Flames president Ken King contends the city’s proposal amounts to the team paying the entire cost, or more, because the team considers a ticket surcharge revenue that belongs to them and because they’d pay property tax.

"Their proposal has us not only paying for everything, but more when you consider incremental taxes," King said at a news conference at the 34-year-old Scotiabank Saddledome.

"They want a win-win. We think us paying 120 per cent of the project isn’t exactly that.

"If we actually did this deal, it would be worse than what we have now. We’ve be better off to stay here."

He said the Flames would make financial details of their offer, and a blueprint for the building, public next week.

King announced Tuesday, on behalf of Flames owners Murray Edwards, Alvin Libin, Clayton Riddell, Allan Markin and Jeff McCaig, they were halting "spectacularly unproductive" talks with the city on a new arena.

Nenshi, who is running for a third term in the Oct. 16 civic election, had said a day earlier that the arena was part of a vision for a revitalized arts and entertainment district on the downtown’s east side.

"Of course it’s an election issue," King said.

"It became an election issue because it was indicated that on Monday morning we were an integral part of a vision that included an arena that had little to no chance of coming to fruition based on what they just showed you."

The Victoria Park proposal to build an arena just north of the Saddledome came after the $890-million CalgaryNext project pitched by the Flames two years ago.

That concept included a hockey arena, football stadium and fieldhouse on the west side of downtown.

CSEC also owns the Canadian Football League’s Stampeders, the Western Hockey League’s Hitmen and the National Lacrosse League’s Roughnecks.

Flames owners offered $200 million of their money and proposed a $250-million loan be repaid through a ticket surcharge.


City council declared CalgaryNext would cost $1.8 billion when the cost of remediating creosote-soaked soil was included.

The city’s most recent offer made public Friday said they would make a $130-million contribution that would not come from property tax, would donate the land worth $30 million and would pay $25 million for the demolition of the Saddledome.

Nenshi added the city would also pay indirect costs of over approximately $200 million to expand infrastructure and public transit to Victoria Park.

King countered those are costs the city would incur whether there is an arena there or not.

How much property tax the Flames would pay on a new building is up for negotiation.

"The Municipal Government Act actually has an exemption that the city can set its own rate for professional sports facilities," Nenshi explained.

"I would say in the range of $5 million a year would be reasonable, but that is something we were very much debating."

King reiterated the Flames are not moving to another city any time soon, while simultaneously pointing out they could.

"We want to ensure the public knows that the five men and their families who helped build this city, who employ tens of thousands of people, have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropy, and in spite of no good financial sense, have and will strive to keep professional and amateur sports as a beneficial and valuable part of our culture," he said.

"This is no money-grab. If it was, we’d be long gone. There’s lots of places to make a lot of money in sports other than here."


1074097 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / How the Flames arena deal turned ugly and where it’s headed

Eric Francis

September 13, 2017, 12:45 PM

Three days before the players hit the ice, Calgary Flames ownership hit back at a mayor who tried to disingenuously use the arena as part of his re-election campaign.

Fed up with mayor Naheed Nenshi’s disinterest in trying to solve an arena problem that could ultimately send the Flames packing, team president Ken King announced Tuesday the club would no longer play along with Nenshi’s façade.

"We had an owners meeting today and have determined that we’re no longer going to pursue a new facility," said King, flanked by Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly who flew in for a hastily called owners meeting to provide answers to questions about their options.

"We’ve been meeting for months and they’ve been spectacularly unproductive and that’s unfortunate."

The owners met after Nenshi kick-started his re-election campaign with a video outlining his vision for the east village and Victoria Park area, which is next to the 34-year-old Saddledome.

In the video, with former Stampeders running back Jon Cornish, Nenshi says his vision includes a new arena as part of a "cultural and entertainment district."

Curious as to whether the mayor was eager to re-start talks that ended abruptly on July 31, King called Nenshi’s chief of staff only to learn "their message is, ‘It’s not going to work.’"

King felt it was time to set the record straight, refusing to be a pawn in the mayor’s political posturing.

"I may have misled our city because I’ve been optimistic all along, believing our position was fair and it should work, but it’s not," added King Tuesday.

"There’s a different view of what’s fair. And what the participation should be. It doesn’t look like we’re going to get there and I think it’s time we stopped pretending and were a little more direct and honest about it with our city about that fact."

It’s a jarring response from a frustrated Flames group that had offered to pay $200 million of the arena’s cost as part of their CalgaryNext building in the west end of downtown. They were willing to make a similar contribution for the city’s east side counter proposal.

Not enough, said the city, prompting the Flames to end the ruse that things were moving along behind closed doors.

Clearly, Nenshi and King don’t see eye to eye in any shape or form. Their clash of egos has been a major part of the narrative as Calgarians watch the wheels spin throughout two years of failed negotiations.

So, for now, it’s a dead issue.

So say the Flames, who insist they will simply continue to operate out of the NHL’s oldest building (outside of the renovated Madison Square Garden), "as long as they can."

Missing out on 34 concerts that went to Edmonton’s shiny new arena in the last year, the Saddledome simply doesn’t generate the revenue today’s modern buildings can, putting the Flames at a competitive disadvantage with, say, Edmonton.

"Apparently we can’t beat (Edmonton) on the building front but maybe we can beat them on the ice," quipped King.

"We’re not running for any office so it’s not an election issue for us."

They’re choosing, in a very dramatic way, to try changing things up as nothing was going to progress until well after the Oct. 16 election, if ever.

Unfortunately for die-hard Flames fans, Nenshi is essentially a slam dunk to serve a third term, seemingly leaving the Flames in an arena bind moving forward.

Nenshi seemed to be open to the outside possibility of contributing some public dollars to an NHL facility, but reiterated in his re-election video that he was willing to share some of the risk only if the benefit to Calgarians was significant.

Right or wrong, Nenshi is armed with the belief the majority of Calgarians are against spending money on such a project. The naysayers are certainly louder than the arena supporters, of which there are many.

So, sticking his neck out for a sports team isn’t high on a list of his priorities, clearly.

Those who point out the Edmonton arena took a decade of brutal negotiating and threats need to be reminded of a major difference in the Calgary situation: Edmonton had a mayor firmly behind finding a way to broker an arena deal. And he could justify it easily because it was to be built in a derelict part of the downtown core that desperately needed revitalization.

Mission accomplished, as it was some of the best money the city has ever spent.

That’s not the case in Calgary at all, as the new rink would be located hundreds of metres away from the current arena.

Few people in Calgary really believe the Flames would ever leave town, which is the implied threat in all this. However, with Nenshi in charge and this battle of bravado looming, the question is how they proceed productively from here.

Bettman added fuel to the political fire by urging Calgarians to "make your voice heard if you think the city is moving in the wrong direction.”

Indeed, this is likely the largest election issue out there, prompting fans to wonder who they should back.


King steadfastly refused to throw his support behind any candidates.

Bettman and the Flames weren’t interested in discussing the obvious possibility of relocating to Quebec City or Seattle, where a plan was proposed Tuesday to expedite the remodeling of KeyArena in time to host a team in three years.

Those sort of threats turned many in Edmonton off as they ring hollow during public/private arena negotiations.

The implied threat is getting a mixed reaction here too, where the issue is as divisive as this city has seen in decades.

While the team will run itself, no one actually believes it’s "business as usual" for the Flames owners, as part of their tack now will now have to include due diligence on options elsewhere.

As successful businessmen they’d be foolish not to, especially now that they’ve called out the mayor.

Caught off guard by the team’s stance late Tuesday, Nenshi refused comment until Wednesday when he’ll discuss the situation with council and address the media afterwards.

It will be fascinating to see how he responds.


1074098 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Training camp roundup: First look at Marleau, Staal fights for role

Rory Boylen


NHL training camps continued on Friday, with the rest of the teams opening officially and others taking to the ice for the first time.

Here’s a running recap of news and notes from the second day back from summer.

NEW YORK RANGERS

The Rangers start camp with a few battles for roster spots, namely up front where they’ll figure out who the top two centres are between Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and potentially J.T. Miller, who could move to the middle from the wing.

But as the team gets a little younger, there’s another battle brewing on the blue line. Anthony DeAngelo, 21, who came from Arizona in the Derek Stepan-Antti Raanta trade will make a push and including him, there are eight players who spent time in the NHL last season in the organization. Marc Staal, 30, is a minimal point-producer and no friend of analytics, leading to some question where he fits in. At one time he and Dan Girardi were leaders of the defence — Girardi is now gone and Staal is fighting for role and ice time.

AV: "I like Marc Staal, I believe in Marc Staal, but at the end of the day he's fighting for a spot, and he knows it."

— Steve Zipay (@stevezipay) September 14, 2017

Marc Staal reax to AV comments about fighting for ice time: “It’s his opinion, this is my 11th season, I’m not naïve. I don’t take (more).."


Staal: "anything for granted. I come into camp with that mindset every year. You’ve got to earn your minutes. It doesn’t change my …"


Staal: "…mindset moving forward. I’ve been a Ranger for a long time and I plan on being a Ranger for a lot more years."


Staal has four years left on his contract that pays $5.7 million against the cap.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Penguins fans can breath a sigh of relief with the news that Kris Letang, officially, has been declared healthy and ready to go.

Rutherford on Letang: "He's probably healthier than he's ever been." #Pens

— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) September 15, 2017

It’s amazing the Penguins were able to win their second Cup in a row as Letang sat out with a neck injury. When he’s healthy, Letang has the potential to be a top-five blueliner in the league and he’s just been dropped back into a championship lineup.

Attention everyone: Kris Letang and Team Three are on the ice. pic.twitter.com/dYr14MvJyA

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 15, 2017

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Patrick Marleau had skated with some of his new Maple Leafs teammates before Friday at informal pre-camp events, but on Friday things got real. The now-38-year-old birthday boy was in Niagara with all the Leafs for the team’s first on-ice session and he was getting rave reviews.

Joe Thornton says he texted Patrick Marleau today to wish him a happy birthday #SJSharks

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) September 15, 2017

Jake Gardiner is known for his strong skating, and even he commented on how quick the old fella was.

We also got a first look at Marleau on a line combination, although we expect this will change before the season opener.

Patrick Marleau begins his first #leafs training camp on a line with Frederick Gauthier and Leo Komarov.

Long way from opening night.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 15, 2017

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Much has been made about the Washington Capitals’ terrible summer, in which they lost Justin Williams, Karl Alzner, Marcus Johansson and maybe even their Stanley Cup window. Well, maybe that last point is a little premature. The Caps may have some cap constraints and real concern about their depth, but Alex Ovechkin got right to the point and still believes in his team.

A correction on this quote. He actually said, "We're not going to be suck this year." Which is so much better. https://t.co/P85oBNJdoa

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) September 15, 2017

Then again, Ovechkin comes into 2017-18 with questions surrounding his own play. Less than half (16) of his 33 goals came at 5-on-5 and that’s not a good thing for a 31-year-old goal scorer. Ovechkin is still too young and earns too much ($9.538 million cap hit) to be only a power play specialist. His commitment to defence has always been a criticism, but a comment made today about winning the Stanley Cup maybe inspires some optimism that he’ll dedicate himself to some improvement there.

Ovechkin: "Goals is not my goal right now. The goal: I want to win a Stanley Cup, and that's my priority."

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) September 15, 2017

But of course, when you’re paying him what the Capitals are you probably want him to reclaim some of that even strength punch and get up to 50 goals again.

Tape II Tape


Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game.

Listen Now | Subscribe | Boylen on Twitter | Dixon on Twitter

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The NHL’s newest team is still putting some final touches on the outfit.

The name of the City National Arena is finally going up. pic.twitter.com/5HEUWPn5PK

— Steve Carp (@stevecarprj) September 15, 2017

On Friday, the Golden Knights had their first on-ice session and if you were skeptical about how this desert market would buy into hockey…well this still may not convince you. But it’s worth pointing out how packed the arena was for a first look at practice.

Not. One. Empty. Seat. pic.twitter.com/x6FK7Vu6Zp

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 15, 2017

COLORADO AVALANCHE

On Thursday, we learned that the disgruntled Matt Duchene did indeed report to the Avalanche training camp. He spoke very briefly to the media about being there to honour his contract and out of respect for the fans and his teammates, but didn’t take any questions. He didn’t seem too happy about the whole thing.

This is not a hostage photo. This is Matt Duchene as an Av pic.twitter.com/47YTosCg0y

— Adrian Dater (@adater) September 14, 2017

On Friday, Duchene and his teammates took to the ice for the first time.

Some Duchene video pic.twitter.com/6Moa8GyEME

— Adrian Dater (@adater) September 15, 2017

After that was over everyone was hoping to hear a little more from Duchene, or be able to ask him about the ongoing situation and trade speculation. But when he left the ice he reportedly got changed in a different room and didn’t make himself available.

Doesn't appear Matt Duchene will talk to media today. He came off ice and undressed elsewhere #Avs pic.twitter.com/8W4jyrKm7W

— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) September 15, 2017

There was some good news from Colorado’s camp though, as the team finally came to terms with RFA defenceman Nikita Zadorov. It was strange a team lacking credible NHL depth on the blue line battled so long with a 22-year-old they got in the disastrous Ryan O’Reilly trade. There was a chance he would head to the KHL and be able to play in the Olympics, but Joe Sakic was able to avoid that messy ending.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Breaking news: Carey Price has new pads!

New gear for Carey Price. pic.twitter.com/Ukh6t3QvNp

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) September 15, 2017

The Habs took the ice for the first time Friday and although we may not have seen much in the way of lines or pairings that will stick into the regular season, Claude Julien did put 19-year-old Victor Mete in the plum spot with Shea Weber. Mete, a fourth-rounder in 2016, won’t make the team out of camp, but it was a nice little introduction for him and, potentially, a preview for a couple years down the road.

"You want to try a player in a place you think he can play in when he does get a chance,"–Julien, in French, on trying Mete with Weber.


ANAHEIM DUCKS

The Anaheim Ducks figure to be a playoff team once again, but if they do miss out we will probably look back on the start of the season as the reason why. It’s a tough uphill battle for any team missing half of its top

four on defence and it’s No. 2 centre, the exact situation the Ducks find themselves in.

On Friday we got injury updates on Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Ryan Kesler. All will miss the start of the season. The good news is that it seems at least Vatanen could return earlier than expected, the bad news is that there is no timetable for Kesler’s comeback.

Murray also hopes to have Vatanen and Lindholm ready to go by start of November.


Ducks GM Bob Murray said he hopes Ryan Kesler will be back by Christmas but has no official timeline on return. Had hip surgery June 8.


“As of right now, there is no timeline whatsoever,” GM Bob Murray said of Kesler’s injury. “He couldn’t skate [during the second half of the season]. No push-off on his right leg. He has to rebuild his glutes and quads. That’s what we’re in the process of doing right now. I’m hopeful to have him back before Christmas, but that’s all I’m going to say right now. You know how Kes is. He’s pushing it pretty good.”

In his place, 24-year-old Rickard Rakell will move to centre. He broke out with 33 goals and 51 points in 71 games last season and could take another big step as the No. 2 behind Ryan Getzlaf.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

After getting swept in the first round last season, the Hawks are trying to get back up into that elite category and perhaps trade another Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

So, as GM Stan Bowman is known to do, he overturned parts of the roster in the summer and this time he brought back some players who previously found success with the team. Brandon Saad will take on the biggest roles of those players, and will head right back to Jonathan Toews’ wing.

Keith skating with Murphy in the second scrimmage. Saad-Toews-Panik is already basically etched in stone. "They were a force," Kane said.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 15, 2017

That’s a situation anybody would be happy to walk into.

Joel Quenneville on Brandon Saad being back: "He’s had a pretty big smile on his face every time I bumped into him." #Blackhawks


Patrick Sharp also returns and figures to fit in more as a depth player as he tries to bounce back from an 18-point season. The 35-year-old is a veteran leader on the team — and perhaps the only guy who can keep Toews and Patrick Kane in check in the room.

Patrick Sharp joked the young guys have too much respect for Toews and Kane, his favorite guys to chirp. "We need to whip them into shape." pic.twitter.com/WrHv0NIrBj


Jonathan Toews on Patrick Sharp: "He doesn't seem to be aging at all." #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/8Fthkdqm48

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) September 15, 2017


1074099 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Connor Brown’s deal may be sign of things to come for Leafs

Chris Johnston



NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – In an alternate universe, Connor Brown might have been doing something else this weekend.

It certainly isn’t difficult to conjure up the circumstances that would have kept him away from here. Training camp opened in Boston this week without David Pastrnak present – he was a late arrival after having contract negotiations go down to the wire – while Andreas Athanasiou (Detroit) and Josh Anderson (Columbus) still haven’t reported to their respective teams.

Until recently, Brown was in the same situation as those young forwards – a restricted free agent waiting to sign his second NHL deal.

He happily removed any potential for drama with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Aug. 26 by agreeing to a $6.3-million, three-year extension that came in a shade below market value.

"I knew that I wasn’t going to drag it on into camp or anything like that," Brown said Friday after a scrimmage at Gale Centre. "I think it was good to get it done when we got it done. I just didn’t want to be a distraction in any way.

"I’m real excited to be a part of this team, which I think (has) a really good core, and I’m excited to be a part of it for three years."

Every player brings his own set of circumstances and priorities to a negotiation. In Brown’s case, he’s literally living out a childhood dream by playing in the city where he grew up for the team he’s always supported.

Still, he had a credible case to push for more money after a 20-goal, 36-point rookie campaign.

Consider that the Dallas Stars gave Radek Faksa $100,000 more annually on a three-year contract this summer after his 12-goal, 33-point year.

The key takeaway here is that Brown wanted to get something done well in advance of camp because he’s highly motivated to make things work. He senses a great opportunity with the Leafs and knows there’ll only be so much money and cap space to go around in the years ahead.

"Absolutely, that’s a big part (of it)," said Brown. "I really believe in what we’re doing here. I believe in the guys in the room and everything that management and the coaching staff have put together. I think we’re a good solid team.

"It’s a lot of fun to be a part of this."

When it comes time to negotiate pricier and more complicated contracts with some of his teammates, you can expect management to accentuate that last point as much as possible.

In fact, the Brown case offers a hint at how they might make the situation tenable.

As soon as next summer, the Leafs will attempt to define an internal salary structure that dictates a player’s value as much as the outside market. Once you get Auston Matthews slotted in at the top, you can move along to William Nylander, Mitchell Marner and so on.

A salary cap leaves each team managing a zero-sum situation, where money allocated to one player can’t go to another. There’s no guarantee everyone will buy in to the idea, but you’ve got a better chance with a team as close-knit as the Leafs that appears to be on the verge of something special.

As a bonus, team president Brendan Shanahan has lived it. He won three Stanley Cups over nine seasons in Detroit and took a little less to help keep that team under budget in the pre-salary cap era.

"That’s because I was in a winning environment that I enjoyed coming to work every day," Shanahan said this week on Prime Time Sports. "And so rather than work on hypotheticals (with the Leafs) we try to control what we can control, which is we want this to be the kind of place that – similar to like I just said – where I was in an organization at one point in my life where players knew that they could get more if they went to unrestricted free agency and knocked on all 30 doors, but instead we want to create an environment here in Toronto where players want to stay and they want to grow up together and have an era of hockey together."

In Brown, they have a 23-year-old who understood the appeal of that intrinsically.

Had he chosen to try and earn every last possible dollar, he might have missed the start of an important training camp. Withholding your services is about the only way to create leverage coming out of an entry-level deal.

Instead, he’ll be skating alongside teammates here on Saturday and Sunday, looking to catch Mike Babcock’s eye and earn a spot on one of the top three forward lines.

"Everyone’s gunning for jobs, you want to be in that top-nine," said Brown. "All you can do is control the controllables. You know, force their hand and play as good as you can."


1074100 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / New Canadien Karl Alzner looks for chemistry with Jeff Petry

Eric Engels


Brossard, QUEBEC — When Karl Alzner signed a five-year, $23.1 million contract to play with the Montreal Canadiens we immediately penciled him into a defence pairing with Jeff Petry.

We figured it would make for the smoothest transition for Alzner, who skated regularly alongside John Carlson over the last number of years with the Washington Capitals. Carlson and Petry are both agile, right-handed puck-movers who have the ability to drive the offence and benefit from having a defensive anchor as a partner to cover them.

And in fairness, it’s worth mentioning that part of the reason we had Alzner matched up with Petry on the first day of July was because we assumed it was a formality that Andrei Markov would return to play alongside Shea Weber on the Canadiens’ first pairing. It wasn’t much of a leap to assume the marquee free-agent wasn’t signed to a big-money contract to play on the team’s bottom pair.

But even when Markov spurned Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin’s final offer in order to return to Russia after spending the last 16 seasons in the NHL, placing Alzner with Petry still felt like a likely combination.

Jeff Petry and Karl Alzner are a part of the first group on the ice in Brossard. Would think they're getting a look together to start.


Canadiens coach Claude Julien clearly saw the logic in it, putting both players together for the opening practice of the team’s training camp on Friday.

“There’s no doubt there’s something there we want to see, and it could be a good fit,” said Julien. “There’s one of them that’s extremely proud about his defensive game and he feels it’s his strength, and that’s Karl. He defends well, he’s always played against top lines and does a great job there. Not to say he can’t have some offence, but the other guy is a guy who likes to skate the puck up the ice, likes to support the attack, and sometimes those make good combinations.

“We’re not trying to hide anything by saying we think it could be a good match because we hope it can be. But for me, after one day, it’s too early to start making some commitments or promises. We’re going to really check it out closely and see what comes out of it.”

For what it’s worth, both players believe something good will come out of it. They also both acknowledged on Friday that an essential part of making that happen will be forming chemistry early.


You have to think sharing a few on-ice sessions, as Petry admitted he and Alzner did in the lead up to training camp, helped accelerate that process. They’ve already learned a bit about each other and feel they can borrow from one another, too.

“He’s a calming influence back there,” said Petry. “He communicates well, plays the rushes well. There’s parts of his game I’d like to learn from.”

Petry will have ample time to pick Alzner’s brain both on and off the ice, as the two will be seated side-by-side in the Canadiens’ dressing room this season.

Alzner’s looking forward to getting to know his new partner better and admitted he thought things might play out this way for the two of them out of the gate.

“I would’ve thought there was a chance [of playing together] for sure,” he said. “You always want to come in and say, ‘I’m going to play with the best guys.’ That’s the best thing for you.

“But I really don’t know how it’s going to break down. The season could go on and we might have to mix things up and split everybody up. So it just really depends. But I had my eye on playing with him mainly from what I heard from other people. But I didn’t really know for sure if the styles would match up in the coaches’ eyes. He was one of the guys I had a feeling about.”

Whether it’s with Petry or with someone else, one of the things Alzner would like to do is show he has better offensive instincts than most would give him credit for. He’s never had more than 21 points in any of his nine previous NHL seasons, but he believes he can produce if given the opportunity.

“I think after a while in one spot you don’t get stuck in a mould, but that’s what’s really expected of you; to day-in, day-out do this specific thing,” he said of becoming known as a defensive defenceman. “It’s nice that I can maybe deviate from that a little bit, in a good way, hopefully.”


1074101 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Motivated Flames not shying away from heightened expectations

The Calgary Flames have set the bar high after making several key acquisitions in the off-season, Irfaan Gaffar explains.

Eric Francis

September 15, 2017, 12:44 PM

The Calgary Flames’ stated goal is quite simple: do something the organization has done just once in the last quarter century by finishing with over 100 points.

Given the team’s second-half surge, its off-season acquisitions, it’s youthful core and its unparalleled blue line, reaching Glen Gulutzan’s coveted century mark shouldn’t be that tall a task.

After all, nine teams managed to do it last year.

However, when you realize the organization’s only such season in the last 25 years was a 104-point effort by Miikka Kiprusoff’s 2005-06 edition, it’s clear the Flames aren’t just trying to make the playoffs – they’re taking aim at some franchise history of sorts.

"This organization is really on the upswing and expectations should be higher than the past," said Gulutzan, who said last month his team would be aiming to break 100.

"It’s based on reality if you asked me. We expect to be a playoff team. We were one last year and it wasn’t a fluke. Last year we went from 77 to

94 points. You’re not going to go up 17 again. Can we go up six? I think it’s realistic. I think these expectations, contrary to years past, are real."

In the last few years management has worked hard at trying to manage expectations as the city got jacked about a young team that shocked the hockey world with a playoff berth and first-round upset three years back.

It gave the club a swagger it probably didn’t earn, resulting in missed playoffs two years ago and a four-game exit against Anaheim in the first round last year.

That sweep, and a couple key additions in the off-season, should fuel a much better start this season for a team no longer worried about outside noise.

This team is poised to be a contender.

They opened camp Friday completely healthy, they know what’s expected of them, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are both in camp (as opposed to last year) and the lads seem motivated by last year’s exit.

In other words, no excuses.

After years of stockpiling draft picks, GM Brad Treliving swapped a bunch to acquire Travis Hamonic, giving the team a top-four that makes Mike Smith the envy of most netminders in the league.

Can the quartet of Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Hamonic help the 35-year-old acquisition from Arizona shine enough to allow the club to live up to the hype?

Well, one thing he doesn’t have to worry about is the players struggling to adjust to a new coach’s system. They did that last year and once they figured it out the 5-10-1 Flames surged to the fifth-best record from mid-November on.

Mikael Backlund emerged as a Selke Trophy candidate and was arguably team MVP on a line with Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk that was the team’s best all year.

Micheal Ferland settled into a top-line mainstay with Gaudreau and Monahan later in the season, giving the team two potent units.

What makes this training camp so different for the Calgary Flames is that this club now has stocked cupboards which have players like first-rounder and AHL standout Mark Jankowski pushing Sam Bennett for third-line centre duties.

Hotshot Union College star Spencer Foo could bump down Kris Versteeg or Troy Brouwer, and any number of first- and second-round defensive hotshots could jump into the sixth spot on the depth chart behind Michael Stone.

After years of being bereft of depth, this club is brimming with prospects to bolster an already formidable lineup.

"I’ve never felt better about the team we have here and the opportunity," said Backlund, citing the World Cup, holdouts, injuries and a new system that plagued the team early last year.

"The stability that we have in our room now is what we’re really excited about," added Brouwer.

"Having the coaches in place, the familiarity, knowing what is expected of us, the lines will be similar up front and we have a great addition at the back. We have high expectations of ourselves."

As they should.

"We think we made good moves and everything we did will help the team, but we’re coming with the attitude, ‘We’re not going to win it on paper," said assistant GM Craig Conroy, who has seen plenty of Flames teams fall short of expectations.

"There was a swagger coming into last year but I don’t feel it this year. Hey, we got swept. That really pissed them off. They were disappointed and it made them more focused this summer. They want to prove themselves."

They can start by reaching Gulutzan’s goal.


"I think if we get 100 points and have a goal differential more than plus-8 (like last year), you can call us a contender," said the coach.

"You don’t want to label yourself. We’ve got to go out and do it. It’s up to us."


1074102 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Barry Trotz counting on Capitals’ youth to replace departing vets

Daniel Nugent-Bowman

September 15, 2017, 11:23 AM

Take a glance at the Washington Capitals‘ depth chart and it looks thinner than when they last took the ice.

But that doesn’t mean expectations are any different for the perennial NHL frontrunners.

“I actually like our team,” head coach Barry Trotz said. “With some of the departures, we’re not quite as deep in some areas. But I know we’re a really good hockey team.”

The Capitals open training camp on Friday and some familiar faces won’t be there.

Gone are defencemen Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk, plus winger Justin Williams, causalities to free agency due to salary cap issues. Financial considerations also forced the Caps to deal centre Marcus Johansson, their fourth-leading scorer, to New Jersey. Promising blueliner Nate Schmidt was lost in the expansion draft to Vegas.

The only additions to replace them were fringe NHL forwards Devante Smith-Pelly and Tyler Graovac.

But Trotz believes the dropoff in output will be minimal thanks to internal improvement. He points to forwards Andre Burakovsky and Tom Wilson as players who will take on bigger roles.

“They’re two younger guys that have developed quite nicely,” Trotz said.

The Capitals are a little more than $4 million below the team salary threshold. However, they only have 10 forwards and five defencemen on one-way contracts. So, it appears they’ll have look from within the organization to fill out their roster.

Up front, Trotz believes the time is now for Chandler Stephenson to make the team. He said it will probably require Stephenson to shift to the wing from centre where Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jay Beagle will take up most of the minutes. The 23-year-old has played 13 games with the Capitals over the past two seasons.

The coach is also counting on big things from 2014 first-rounder Jakub Vrana, who suited up in his first 21 NHL games last season and recorded three goals and six points.

“He’s going to get an opportunity to play in a top-nine role for sure, but he’s going to get a good look in the top six as well,” Trotz said.

On defence, John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov and Brooks Orpik are the returning veterans.

Trotz said prospects Connor Hobbs, Christian Djoos, Jonas Siegenthaler, Madison Bowey, and 19-year-old Lucas Johansen – the team’s 2016 first-rounder and younger brother of Nashville Predators’ Ryan Johansen – will get long looks.

“There are about five or six guys who are going to be in a battle for a couple spots on the backend,” Trotz said.

“We’ve got some tough holes to fill,” Trotz added. “But I think because we’ve been an older team for the last two years, some of those young

guys have spent a little more time in the minors playing big minutes in key situation. They’re ready for this now. I’m looking forward to putting them on the team and them making the team.”

For several reasons, it’s an important season for Trotz and the Capitals.

For one, he’s entering his fourth season in Washington, and hasn’t made it past the second round. The last two playoff losses have come at the expense of the Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

“When you have the best teams in our division, it’s sometimes hard to get out of your division. Pittsburgh’s been a thorn in the Washington Capitals’ side for a dozen years now,” Trotz said.

“We’ve done a lot of good things. But we’ve been judged the last few years to win a Stanley Cup – not necessarily three years ago, but the last two for sure.”

It also happens to be the last year of his contract with the team.

“What we’ve done here says volumes about what I’m able to do or my staff’s able to do,” Trotz said. “I’m not concerned at all. At the end of this season, we’ll talk – or we won’t talk. That’s the way it goes.”

The Capitals have won the Presidents’ Trophy in each of the last two seasons. That hasn’t translated into playoff success. (Only the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks and 2008 Detroit Red Wings have won the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season in the salary cap era.)

Given the roster turnover, Trotz acknowledges the Capitals may be an under-the-radar team to capture a third-straight regular season title. It’s not essential, he said, because winning a Presidents’ Trophy doesn’t necessary make a team the favourite heading into the post-season.

But that doesn’t mean they’re not going to try – roster turnover and all.

“One thing I provide ourselves in is that we play every night to try to win the hockey game. We take a lot of pride in that,” Trotz said. “That’s why we’ve won two Presidents’ Trophies. We want winning to be ingrained.”


1074103 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / 2017-18 NHL Team Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

David Singh

September 15, 2017, 9:59 AM

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Co. have a chance to do something this season that hasn’t been seen in hockey for three decades. It’s an achievement that even the fabled Edmonton Oilers dynasties of the 1980s couldn’t accomplish.

That is, hoist three straight Stanley Cups.

The last team to accomplish the rare feat was the New York Islanders, who won four consecutive Cups from 1980 to 1983.

The 411 on the Penguins

Head coach: Mike Sullivan

GM: Jim Rutherford

2016-17 record: 50-21-11

2016-17 result: Second place in Metropolitan, won Stanley Cup

Key departures: Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Kunitz, Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Ron Hainsey, Trevor Daley, Mark Streit

Key acquisitions: Antti Niemi, Matt Hunwick, Ryan Reaves

2017-18 cap: $71,720,000 ($3,280,000 cap space)


Armed with an impressive core, an offence that led the NHL in scoring and a young goaltender who profiles as one of the best in the game, Pittsburgh’s chance for a three-peat is very much a real thing.

UP-AND-COMING PLAYER TO WATCH

Expect winger Jake Guentzel to take a giant step forward this campaign. The rookie potted 16 goals and 33 points in 40 regular-season contests last season, mostly playing alongside Crosby. Then, the 22-year-old Guentzel raised his game in the playoffs, leading the league with 13 goals.

Now we get a chance to see what the third-round, 77th overall pick from the 2013 NHL Draft can produce over a full season in a top-six role for the Penguins. Even if he’s not Crosby’s linemate, Guentzel has the speed, hockey IQ and, most importantly, hard shot that can help him become an impact player.

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL 2017-18 WOULD LOOK LIKE

Pittsburgh lost significant depth pieces over the summer, most notably Marc-Andre Fleury, Nick Bonino and Chris Kunitz. A successful season would mean additions Antti Niemi, Matt Hunwick and Ryan Reaves have fused seamlessly with the existing core.

This team knows what a title defence looks like, so a Cup hangover seems unlikely. However, players who’ve been with the club over the past two seasons have played a wealth of minutes during that span, so head coach Mike Sullivan must ensure Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel, among others, don’t break down.

This table shows the most playoff games played in the NHL over the past two seasons:

BIGGEST REMAINING QUESTION

The health of Kris Letang is a major question. The high-scoring defenceman was limited to just 41 regular-season contests last season and missed all of the playoffs after neck surgery. The Penguins did manage to capture the championship in spite of that, but doing so again, especially with a defence corps that largely turned over in the off-season, might be a lot to ask without Letang. The good news is he was declared healthy and ready for camp and the Pens hope he can play the entire season.

Also worth monitoring: How goaltender Matt Murray holds up in his first full season. Sure, he dominated during the Penguins’ previous two Cup runs, but he’s only played a combined 62 regular-season NHL games over the past two campaigns. With Fleury gone, the 23-year-old Murray will likely be expected to match that number this season.


1074104 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / 10 players under pressure to prove their worth this season

The Calgary Flames have set the bar high after making several key acquisitions in the off-season, Irfaan Gaffar explains.

Sonny Sachdeva

September 15, 2017, 11:15 AM

As training camps officially open around the league, so too begins the slowly building pressure for many NHLers to earn their place, prove they should remain, or beef up their next contract.

For a number of players, the stakes are as high this season as they’ll ever be, with 2017-18 serving as a much-needed shot at redemption for some, and a chance to secure a better future for others.

That being the case, let’s look at the top 10 players in need of a big showing this season:

1. Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames

Sam Bennett‘s agent entered the off-season in a supremely difficult position. How do you negotiate a new deal for a young star – the highest draft pick in his club’s history – fresh off a mediocre sophomore season, on a team overflowing with young talent and Stanley Cup hopes? The result was a bridge deal of two years at $1.95 million per season.

It came on the heels of Leon Draisaitl, picked one spot above Bennett in the 2014 draft, earning a hefty $68-million extension. Obviously there’s plenty of contextual factors affecting that discrepancy, but still, the gap is significant. Now with two years to prove he’s as promising as Calgary’s other youngsters – Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Matthew Tkachuk – it’s time for Bennett to show the Flames what his ceiling is.

2. Rick Nash, New York Rangers

Once considered one of the most talented offensive contributors in the game, Rick Nash‘s stock has fallen over the years. Despite posting the best goal-scoring season of his career just a few years ago (42 tallies in 2014-15), Nash has seen his name pop up in trade rumours over the course of his time in New York. Entering a contract year set to potentially end with unrestricted free agency, it’s up to Nash to show the rest of the league that he’s still at the top of his game, and deserves to be paid as such.

3. Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres

Evander Kane‘s NHL career has been a tumultuous one, to say the least. While the Vancouver native has certainly had his ups and downs, he managed to right the ship somewhat with a strong 2016-17 effort, posting 28 goals and 43 points in just 70 games. Those totals were Kane’s highest since his career-best 2011-12 campaign, the only in which he’s reached 30 goals. Entering the final year of his current deal, Kane is playing for a new contract in 2017-18. The central issue? Last season marked the first time in his career that he was healthy and productive enough to post 20 or more goals in back-to-back years. If he gets sidetracked once again, his next contract will likely take a hit.

4. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

Speaking of the previously mentioned Draisaitl, that weighty new deal doesn’t come without increased expectations. He impressed with a dominant 77-point effort in 2016-17, but still some aren’t completely sold on the young forward. First some argued he enjoyed a ‘Taylor Hall bump’ and in 2016-17 that transitioned into the ‘Connor McDavid bump.’ Exactly how much Draisaitl’s linemates are owed for his production is unclear, but the stakes regarding that discussion are now much higher. It was all well and good when Draisaitl was earning a rookie paycheque. Now with his cap hit just a few short steps from Sidney Crosby’s, the onus is on Draisaitl to silence his doubters and live up to his price tag.

5. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights

Though he was for a time considered one of the game’s top pure snipers, James Neal has now been handed off by three separate NHL clubs. Those weren’t teams looking to offload talent for rebuilding purposes either, but rather, teams in need of quality scoring who didn’t see Neal as a talent they could keep on the roser. This time around, he’ll enter the season as his club’s unequivocal top offensive threat. If he can prove he’s able to carry the mail, and perhaps even take on a clear leadership role, Neal can rewrite the narrative surrounding his NHL tenure thus far.

6. Kyle Turris, Ottawa Senators

Centreman Kyle Turris has transitioned from an underrated prospect in the desert to a bona fide top-line pivot in Ottawa, and the time has come for him to cash in on that transformation. Entrenched as the Senators’ No. 1 centre, Turris is owed a hefty raise on his current $3.5 million-per-year price tag and he’ll get it soon enough as unrestricted free agency hits after this season. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said he plans to talk with Turris’ agent before the season begins, so perhaps the situation will wrap up quickly. Don’t forget, Turris is no stranger to getting his due, as he showed during the lengthy holdout that led to his trade to Ottawa. If negotiations last through the season, Turris has to prove he’s worthy of an elite scorer’s contract.

7. Mike Smith, Calgary Flames


For all that’s been going on outside the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames’ on-ice future seems secure and full of promise. Progressing well in both ends of the rink, the Flames look poised to continue rising in 2017-18, with the addition of defender Travis Hamonic leading some to wonder if Calgary can become one of the best in the west. The X-factor is goaltender Mike Smith, who takes over the No. 1 job from fellow veteran Brian Elliott. Smith has been a top-tier netminder in this league, but he enters 2017-18 35 years old, behind a defensive corps he’s never played with. As Calgary continues to push for a step forward, the pressure will be on Smith to not be a weak link on a strong squad.

8. Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks

Fresh off a career-best 52-point campaign, Bo Horvat has taken the reins on the Vancouver Canucks’ future. The 22-year-old managed to finish last season as the first non-Sedin to lead the Canucks in scoring in over a decade, and he earned a hefty $33-million contract for his efforts. Though Daniel and Henrik Sedin look to be staying in the mix for the near future, it’s clear to all that the club is slowly becoming Horvat’s team. Before that can truly happen, the young pivot must show the Vancouver faithful that he has the consistency to be the team’s leader when the post-Sedins era arrives.

9. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

After all the fireworks, David Pastrnak remains a Boston Bruin. The standout Czech winger finally reached an agreement with his club on Thursday, signing a six-year deal paying him $6.67 million per season. Now the real work begins. While Pastrnak posted a dominant 2016-17 stat line (34 goals, 70 points), he’s yet to prove he can be a consistent threat in the big leagues. Doing it once is impressive, doing it again, after everyone’s adjusted and studied your tendencies, is the true path to superstardom. He’s now the third-highest paid forward on the Bruins roster, and earning more than Brad Marchand, who’s also only just entering the first year of his new extension. After everything that went down, Pastrnak has to prove he was worth the fuss.

10. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

Of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ three standout rookies, William Nylander‘s contract situation is undoubtedly the most intriguing. Auston Matthews is going to get his top-of-the-line deal, and the way Mitch Marner is trending, he’ll be in line for a big-ticket contract as well. But Nylander is a different beast. His place in the lineup seems slightly more tenuous and, more importantly, the timing of his new deal doesn’t line up. While Matthews and Marner will head into restricted free agency together just like past star duos, Nylander is entering the final year of his contract this season. It’s on him to hit that next level and, in doing so, show the Leafs brass just how high his ceiling is.


1074105 Websites

TSN.CA / Birthday boy Marleau adjusts to new environment

Mark Masters

After two decades in San Jose, Patrick Marleau practised with a new team on Friday as the Maple Leafs held their first practices of training camp at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls.

"Definitely paying a little more attention to things put up on the (white) board, you know, doing two and three looks, asking a lot of questions to see what they expect in certain situations," he said after his first on-ice session with the Leafs. Biggest adjustment so far? "Probably just turning the brain off and playing and not overthinking system-wise," he said.

Despite turning 38 on Friday, Marleau can still jet up and down the ice, which has caught some of his new teammates off guard. "Even skating with him last week, I couldn't believe how fast he still is," said defenceman Jake Gardiner, no slouch in the skating department himself. "It's crazy. And it's sneaky fast, too. All the sudden he'll just be flying up

the ice and there he goes. It's good to add more speed to our team and a veteran presence."

Marleau's talent and pedigree make him a good fit up and down the lineup, so where will he slot in on a stacked forward depth chart?

Marner happy to be reunited with linemates

Mitch Marner spoke about his excitement in reuniting with his linemates, what he thinks Patrick Marleau will bring to the team, how happy he was with the return of Roman Polak and more.

Babcock sticking with old lines for now

* A couple lines that finished last season together started training camp together as Auston Matthews skated with William Nylander and Zach Hyman while Tyler Bozak centred James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner. Meanwhile, Marleau skated on left wing with Frederik "The Goat" Gauthier and Leo Komarov.

Nazem Kadri, who slotted in beside Komarov most of last season, missed the practice with a minor upper-body injury. On Thursday, the centre was asked if he had thought about the prospect of playing with Marleau. "After the signing, yeah, that's the first thing I thought about," Kadri admitted with a chuckle. "Just watching him in the (informal) summer skates he's a very responsible type of forward. He can play that offensive or defensive role, so he'll fit with anyone he plays with."

What does Marleau think of Kadri? "He's really talented. His compete level's high and that's something you can't really teach. It's something that has to come from within and a lot of highly-skilled players around the league really have that."

As for head coach Mike Babcock, he didn't really want to get too much into line combinations after one practice.

"We'll work it out over time," the coach noted.

Marleau focused on adjusting to new team, not line combinations

At the first Maple Leafs practice there were some familiar line combinations and it looked like Nazem Kadri will get the first crack at playing with off-season signing Patrick Marleau. But the 38-year-old insisted he's worried about adjusting to his new team and not who he plays with. Mark Masters has more.

Zaitsev doesn’t skate (minor injuries)

* Nikita Zaitsev also missed Friday's practice with what Babcock termed a "middle" body injury. He could be out a couple more days, but the coach said it's not a serious issue.

Hard-nosed Polak proves his toughness again

* Invited to camp on a pro tryout, Roman Polak joined the Leafs after flying in from Europe on Thursday. He skated on Friday, but told Babcock he preferred not to take part in the scrimmage. What's the burly defenceman looking to prove at this camp? "That I'm healthy and I'm going to be ready for the start of the season," he said. "That's the biggest issue probably."

Polak calls the broken fibula, suffered in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals last spring, the most painful injury of his career. He was asked what went through his mind when he got hurt. "Lots of pain was going through my mind ... I still watch the video once in a while." Really? "Yeah, yeah, sometimes I do, you know, when I feel sad and I want to feel more sad (laughs). It's what I do."

While Polak takes a bit of a low profile in the media, he has become a popular figure in the dressing room. "Everyone who saw him today had a big smile on their face and so did he," said Marner. "He was a big part of our team last year not just in the room, but on the ice as a guy other teams hated playing against so it's great having him back."

That hard-nosed approach endeared Polak to his teammates and coach Babcock. "I tipped a shot right in his face one time," Bozak recalled when asked for his favourite Polak toughness moment. "I felt really bad, but he said, 'Don't worry about it. It's fine.' He was cut terrible and I still get nervous that he's a little mad at me, but I think we're OK."

Well, Roman? "He's right. I'm still mad at him," Polak said with a straight face before breaking into a grin. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."


Komarov uses humour to deflect from contract question

* Komarov and van Riemsdyk are among the high-profile Leafs entering the final year of their current contracts. On Friday, the soft-spoken Finn was asked if he feels any more urgency to play well, because of the situation. "I mean, it's Toronto so there's a lot of talk about that, but I just want to play and we'll see how long it's going to take me (to get a new deal)." After a couple moments of silence from reporters, Komarov smiled and added, "Good answer, right?"

While Komarov used humour to deflect, van Riemsdyk was all business when asked about his situation on Thursday. "This is the first time in my career that I've gone through something like this," the left winger admitted before turning the focus back to the group. "We got a bigger goal here as a team and all the individual stuff kind of takes a backseat to that."

Notable lines/pairings on Friday

Forward Lines:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Marleau-Gauthier-Komarov

Martin-Aaltonen-Brown

Soshnikov-Moore-Kapanen

Fehr-Smith-Leivo

Rychel-Greening-Bracco

D pairings:

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Rosen

Borgman-Carrick

Dermott-Liljegren

Valiev-Rasanen

Marincin-Nielsen

TSN.CA LOADED: 09.16.2017

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TSN.CA / Class is in session for Maple Leafs

Kristen Shilton

NIAGARA FALLS, ON. — It was hockey’s version of the first day of school Friday, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were already test-driving some new looks for the season ahead.

The 73 players invited to this training camp, one of the largest preseason rosters in the league, were separated into three groups that practised and scrimmaged over four hours. After months away from anything that resembles game speed, players use that initial day on the schedule to get their legs under them and begin digesting the systems various coaches are beginning to impart.

It’s a process that will take Toronto all the way up to their Oct. 4th season opener. Friday offered a first glimpse at what the 2017-18 Leafs could eventually morph into, from new line combinations to the players fighting their way back from injury – or just to stay in the NHL.

Nazem Kadri sat out Friday’s sessions due to what head coach Mike Babcock deemed “an upper-body [injury]… it’s nothing,” so Miro Aaltonen, who signed with the team in March, slotted in to centre Connor

Brown and Matt Martin, while Patrick Marleau skated to the left of Frederik Gauthier and Leo Komarov.

Where Babcock didn’t defer from last season, though, was with his two most potent lines, centred by Auston Matthews and Tyler Bozak. Matthews remained between Zach Hyman and William Nylander, and Bozak continued on with James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner.

To this point, through summer skates and into training camp, Matthews and Marleau have never shared a sheet of ice for any extended time and Bozak has mostly remained with his same linemates. But that’s not necessarily revealing of Marleau’s future. While curiosity is rampant over where the 38-year-old winger lands in the lineup, it won’t be revealed overnight.

“It’s basically about getting [Marleau] in here and getting him going and not worrying about [who he plays with] too much,” Babcock said. “We have all of September to get that figured out.”

The Leafs have too many forwards in their midst; that’s been obvious for months. At Thursday’s Media Day, Babcock noted that the right players always end up on the team, they just don’t always end up there right away, a potentially telling statement about players like Nikita Soshnikov and Kasperi Kapanen who are NHL-ready but able to return to the AHL without waivers, and thus could be victims of a numbers game. And they might not be the only ones.

“I think we’re just going to figure it out,” Babcock surmised of his forward group. “[Brown] played real good for us last year, today we had him with Aaltonen. I thought Matthews’ line was really good for us in the playoffs last year. Bozak’s group had a good year, so we’ll see. Naz had a big jump in his game last year. Those 10 guys are in the mix that I just talked about with Komarov [and Marleau]. We only have nine spots for the 10 of them, that’s the problem, but that’s a good thing to have.”

Brown and Komarov both said they’re embracing the challenge of winning a top-nine spot again, with Brown saying it’s up to each individual to “force their hand by playing as good as you can.” Komarov’s versatility is also an advantage for him in a crowded field – he’s comfortable on left or right wing, where he was utilized on Friday.

Gauthier is on his way back

When Frederik Gauthier took a late hit and went sliding into the boards with a sickening thud during an AHL playoff game on May 6th, it didn’t take long to see that the injury was bad. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound centre had to be assisted off the ice by two trainers, his wooziness apparent from 50 feet away. Gauthier’s left hamstring had detached from his leg, and it took a summer of physical therapy and rehab to get back to where he is now – a full participant at training camp.

“At first you’re frustrated because you didn’t want it to happen, it ruins your summer a little bit and your off-season and how you work out,” Gauthier said of the injury on Friday. “But after a couple weeks it’s just like, you do what you have to do. I feel great; they tell me everything is fine. Today I did a full practice, which was nice, felt good out there.”

Gauthier, 22, had been working closely the last few weeks with the Leafs development and coaching staff while he waited for the all-clear to scrimmage and eventually practise at a high pace. The original timetable for his recovery had been set at six months, placing a return somewhere around November, but Babcock is at least hoping that window opens a little sooner.

“The Goat’s (Gauthier) got to be ready. Let’s get going,” Babcock said with a smile. “That’s why we have therapy people, so I don’t have to make those decisions.”

After losing so much of his summer to the rehab process, Gauthier is now focused on his conditioning, continuing to get stronger and being in the best shape possible. With the signing of Aaltonen last winter and Dominic Moore in July, Gauthier faces steep competition for centre spots, and despite a 21-game stint for the Leafs last season, nothing will be guaranteed to him when he’s ready to play.

“I feel like every year they bring in new guys, new guys are drafted, so it’s always a hard competition for whatever spot you’re fighting for,” he reasoned. “There’s a ton of guys here fighting for a few spots so it’ll be an intense camp.”


Polak proving himself all over again

Like Gauthier, Roman Polak is also fighting his way back from an injury sustained in the playoffs. His injury came in Game 2 of Toronto’s first-round series against the Washington Capitals, a gruesome broken fibula that halted not only the defenceman's postseason plans but severely impacted his options as an unrestricted free agent. After he rehabbed throughout the summer, Polak and his agent reached out to the Leafs about getting an opportunity in their camp on a professional tryout contract, which they were happy to offer.

“Roman worked hard all summer to get prepared. [He] earned that [PTO] over playing hard for us the last two years,” Babcock said. “We’ll see where that takes us. You do good things for us, you work hard for us, we’ll bend over backwards for you.”

Polak opted to just participate in drills and not scrimmage with the other groups on Friday, but Babcock said they’d see how ice time would be allotted to him – and everyone else – over the rest of the weekend and into the eight preseason games ahead.

The 31-year-old said he’s experiencing no limitations right now in terms of what he can do, but wants to be smart about getting back into game shape.

"I knew I was going to recover, it was just a matter of the time,” he said. “Now it's all about practising. I’m thankful for the opportunity that Lou [Lamoriello] gave me and all the coaching staff and I’m just glad to be here and will take it step by step."

The biggest thing Polak has to prove now? “That I’m healthy, and will be ready for the start of the season.”

Barring injury, the Leafs have their top-four defencemen picked out, and a fierce competition going for however many spots remain on a 23-man roster. Word of Polak performing well in camp and the preseason for the Leafs would spread around the league, though, and potentially open doors elsewhere. Injuries for Toronto could even make Polak a valuable asset to keep around – if he hasn’t lost a step.

Marincin in need of a confidence boost

Arguably one of the most polarizing figures on the Leafs’ roster, Martin Marincin is fast approaching a crossroads in his NHL career.

With nearly four seasons of NHL experience to his credit, Marincin has never been able to solidify himself as a reliable defender the Leafs can count on. Babcock gave him a number of chances last season to do that and Marincin never found any sustainable success, and was eventually scratched in favour of other blueliners.

Now 25 years old, this is when Marincin should be coming into his own as a player, but difficulties he may have sustaining any confidence that he builds up is still holding his game back.

“Marty’s, I think, an elite defender, can really skate, can pass the puck, does a lot of things, but has never really grabbed hold of it yet,” Babcock said. “What happens in the league is if you don’t eventually grab hold of it, you’re not in the league anymore. That’s a tough spot. You can have to decide to feel good about yourself. I can’t do it; [players] have to find their way. We can give them all the opportunities. Marty is in a situation now with [Calle] Rosen here, with [Andreas] Borgman here, [Connor] Carrick here, he’s battling for a job, he knows it. He’s knows the position he’s in and he’s got to have a good training camp.”

Marincin skated over the summer on a pairing with Rosen but with Nikita Zaitsev missing the first day of training camp with a “middle” body issue (it’s not serious and he’ll return in a day or two), Marincin spent Friday with prospect Andrew Nielsen.


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TSN.CA / Birthday boy Marleau adjusts to new environment

Mark Masters

After two decades in San Jose, Patrick Marleau practised with a new team on Friday as the Maple Leafs held their first practices of training camp at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls.

"Definitely paying a little more attention to things put up on the (white) board, you know, doing two and three looks, asking a lot of questions to see what they expect in certain situations," he said after his first on-ice session with the Leafs. Biggest adjustment so far? "Probably just turning the brain off and playing and not overthinking system-wise," he said.

Despite turning 38 on Friday, Marleau can still jet up and down the ice, which has caught some of his new teammates off guard. "Even skating with him last week, I couldn't believe how fast he still is," said defenceman Jake Gardiner, no slouch in the skating department himself. "It's crazy. And it's sneaky fast, too. All the sudden he'll just be flying up the ice and there he goes. It's good to add more speed to our team and a veteran presence."

Marleau's talent and pedigree make him a good fit up and down the lineup, so where will he slot in on a stacked forward depth chart?

Marner happy to be reunited with linemates

Mitch Marner spoke about his excitement in reuniting with his linemates, what he thinks Patrick Marleau will bring to the team, how happy he was with the return of Roman Polak and more.

Babcock sticking with old lines for now

* A couple lines that finished last season together started training camp together as Auston Matthews skated with William Nylander and Zach Hyman while Tyler Bozak centred James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner. Meanwhile, Marleau skated on left wing with Frederik "The Goat" Gauthier and Leo Komarov.

Nazem Kadri, who slotted in beside Komarov most of last season, missed the practice with a minor upper-body injury. On Thursday, the centre was asked if he had thought about the prospect of playing with Marleau. "After the signing, yeah, that's the first thing I thought about," Kadri admitted with a chuckle. "Just watching him in the (informal) summer skates he's a very responsible type of forward. He can play that offensive or defensive role, so he'll fit with anyone he plays with."

What does Marleau think of Kadri? "He's really talented. His compete level's high and that's something you can't really teach. It's something that has to come from within and a lot of highly-skilled players around the league really have that."

As for head coach Mike Babcock, he didn't really want to get too much into line combinations after one practice.

"We'll work it out over time," the coach noted.

Marleau focused on adjusting to new team, not line combinations

At the first Maple Leafs practice there were some familiar line combinations and it looked like Nazem Kadri will get the first crack at playing with off-season signing Patrick Marleau. But the 38-year-old insisted he's worried about adjusting to his new team and not who he plays with. Mark Masters has more.

Zaitsev doesn’t skate (minor injuries)

* Nikita Zaitsev also missed Friday's practice with what Babcock termed a "middle" body injury. He could be out a couple more days, but the coach said it's not a serious issue.

Hard-nosed Polak proves his toughness again

* Invited to camp on a pro tryout, Roman Polak joined the Leafs after flying in from Europe on Thursday. He skated on Friday, but told Babcock he preferred not to take part in the scrimmage. What's the burly defenceman looking to prove at this camp? "That I'm healthy and I'm going to be ready for the start of the season," he said. "That's the biggest issue probably."

Polak calls the broken fibula, suffered in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals last spring, the most painful injury of his career. He was asked


what went through his mind when he got hurt. "Lots of pain was going through my mind ... I still watch the video once in a while." Really? "Yeah, yeah, sometimes I do, you know, when I feel sad and I want to feel more sad (laughs). It's what I do."

While Polak takes a bit of a low profile in the media, he has become a popular figure in the dressing room. "Everyone who saw him today had a big smile on their face and so did he," said Marner. "He was a big part of our team last year not just in the room, but on the ice as a guy other teams hated playing against so it's great having him back."

That hard-nosed approach endeared Polak to his teammates and coach Babcock. "I tipped a shot right in his face one time," Bozak recalled when asked for his favourite Polak toughness moment. "I felt really bad, but he said, 'Don't worry about it. It's fine.' He was cut terrible and I still get nervous that he's a little mad at me, but I think we're OK."

Well, Roman? "He's right. I'm still mad at him," Polak said with a straight face before breaking into a grin. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Komarov uses humour to deflect from contract question

* Komarov and van Riemsdyk are among the high-profile Leafs entering the final year of their current contracts. On Friday, the soft-spoken Finn was asked if he feels any more urgency to play well, because of the situation. "I mean, it's Toronto so there's a lot of talk about that, but I just want to play and we'll see how long it's going to take me (to get a new deal)." After a couple moments of silence from reporters, Komarov smiled and added, "Good answer, right?"

While Komarov used humour to deflect, van Riemsdyk was all business when asked about his situation on Thursday. "This is the first time in my career that I've gone through something like this," the left winger admitted before turning the focus back to the group. "We got a bigger goal here as a team and all the individual stuff kind of takes a backseat to that."

Notable lines/pairings on Friday

Forward Lines:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Marleau-Gauthier-Komarov

Martin-Aaltonen-Brown

Soshnikov-Moore-Kapanen

Fehr-Smith-Leivo

Rychel-Greening-Bracco

D pairings:

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Rosen

Borgman-Carrick

Dermott-Liljegren

Valiev-Rasanen

Marincin-Nielsen


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TSN.CA / Burning camp questions for each Canadian franchise

Frank Seravalli

Friday marks a long-awaited rite of passage for every hockey season: the official start of on-ice practices at NHL training camps.

No more bike riding, endurance testing or talking about how you’re definitely in the best shape of your life. It’s time to put on your gear and play, from now until mid-June if your team is so worthy.

With that, here are the biggest questions facing each of Canada’s teams to open camp:

MONTREAL: Will Jonathan Drouin prove he’s a No. 1 centre?

It’s a question Drouin has endured so many times since that June 15 trade from Tampa Bay.

“I feel like [Alex] Galchenyuk,” Drouin said last week, referring to his teammate, whom general manager Marc Bergevin said this week will not be getting another crack at centre any time soon.

Drouin, 22, has exclusively played right wing as a pro, but he was previously a centre – the last time four years ago with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. Drouin said he spent his summer gearing up for the shot at centre the Habs promised would come in training camp.

There's No Place Like Home

There might be no other player in the NHL that changed teams in the off-season that will face more pressure than Jonathan Drouin. Will he be the next strong link in the chain of home-grown talent? Michael Farber has more.

“I’ve watched video of [Patrice] Bergeron, [Ryan] O’Reilly, all those guys that win key draws and a lot of draws in the league,” Drouin said. “Centre is definitely a little bit harder. Some guys are specialists; faceoffs are their job – that’s what they get paid for. Taking draws, you’ve got to know who you’re playing against, you’ve got to study. It’s definitely different than being a winger and just standing there.”

For the Canadiens, it won’t just be about Drouin’s ability on draws, but also his overall attention to detail defensively. That defensive awareness and responsibility is what held Galchenyuk back in the eyes of Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien.

If Drouin can successfully make the switch, the payoff for the Habs would be huge, with Philip Danault and Tomas Plekanec more properly positioned further down the middle of the depth chart. Drouin centred Max Pacioretty and Ales Hemsky on Friday to start camp.

Drouin said it “doesn’t really matter where I’m slotted,” whether it’s centre or right wing, but his preference is centre.

“I like it,” Drouin said. “You definitely see the ice way more, way better [at centre]. If you’re a winger, you only have a couple options [to pass] - the centre, but not likely the far winger. If you’re a centre, you’re always moving, always in motion. For a guy that plays a fast game, high-tempo, I like that.”

OTTAWA: How long will Erik Karlsson be out? Can Bobby Ryan pick up where he left off in the playoffs?

There really is only one question in Ottawa, with No. 65 being the engine that makes the Sens go. Karlsson, 27, underwent surgery in June to repair torn tendons in his left foot. He pushed the Senators to double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final with fractures in his foot.

There is no timetable for Karlsson to return; he was originally given a four-month timetable, but a return for opening night against Washington seems unlikely.

“It’s going to be a while,” Karlsson said when asked about his return last week at the NHL’s player media tour.

He hasn’t started skating, but if he is back on the ice for part of training camp it would be a good indication his rehabilitation is moving in the right direction. Karlsson missing even a month would put a big dent in Ottawa’s season in a ridiculously tight Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

Chabot focusing on proving himself at Sens camp


Thomas Chabot talks about how is approaching Senators training camp and believes that the experience he gained at last season camp and the year in junior will benefit him greatly this year.

While no one will be able to temporarily replace a four-time Norris Trophy finalist and his 71 points from a season ago, all eyes will be on prospect Thomas Chabot to see whether he can make the jump to the NHL.

Chabot, 20, had a strong showing for the Senators at last week’s rookie tournament. He was the rock who carried Team Canada to a silver medal last January at the World Junior Championship, and was named most valuable player for the tournament. He tied for the team lead with 10 points in seven games.

The tenacious Chabot, who also helped the Saint John Sea Dogs to the Memorial Cup last May, will have to jump over players like Chris Wideman and Fredrik Claesson – and need to play meaningful minutes to stick around beyond Karlsson’s return.

Up front, the Senators will be curious to see how Ryan responds after a tremendous playoff run. Ryan, 30, netted 15 points in 19 postseason contests – including three game-winning goals – after collecting just 25 in 62 regular-season games last season.

TORONTO: Who will be left standing among the glut of forwards? Which centre will Patrick Marleau end up with?

No matter which way you slice it, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an overload of wingers. It breaks down to 12 players fighting for eight coveted slots.

On the left side, there is Patrick Marleau, James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov, Zach Hyman, Matt Martin, Josh Leivo and maybe even Kerby Rychel. On the right side, there is Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen and Nikita Soshnikov.

Leafs impressed with Marleau in first official practice

After their first official team practice, the Maple Leafs were impressed by not only the play of Patrick Marleau, but also his deceiving speed.

Of that group, only Kapanen, Soshnikov and Rychel remain waiver exempt, meaning that they wouldn’t need to clear waivers to be sent back to the AHL Marlies. That might make them the easiest decisions, but coach Mike Babcock seemed confident the Leafs will get it right.

“The right people always end up on the team,” Babcock said Thursday. “Sometimes they don’t end up on the team right away.”

Even among those who do make the cut, there may be some uncomfortable decisions to make on the depth chart. Komarov, for instance, could begin the season in a fourth-line role - which helps highlight the overall strength of the forward corps. This is a problem the Leafs of the past decade would have loved to have.

Eyes will also be fixed on where Marleau starts. Friday marked not only Marleau’s 38th birthday, but also his first NHL practice in any sweater other than the Sharks. He was skating with Frederick Gauthier and Komarov in Niagara Falls, but Babcock said Thursday he told Marleau he had not decided which centre to pair him with: Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri or Tyler Bozak. Kadri may be the best bet.

WINNIPEG: Can Kyle Connor steal a job?

For years, Jets fans not-so-patiently held their breath about Mark Scheifele, wondering when (or if) the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 draft would become an impact NHL player. They watched as other players, particularly a few selected below Scheifele, made an immediate dent in the league.

There hasn’t been nearly the same consternation or worry about 2015 No. 17 overall pick Kyle Connor. He broke camp with the Jets last year, played 20 games, and was sent back to the AHL’s Moose with five points and a quarter season of NHL pay in his pocket.

But it was this season – his third after being drafted – where Scheifele completed the jump to the NHL. He played 63 games in 2013-14 and collected 34 points. It has been a steady progression since then: 34, 49, 61, then a career-best 82 points last year, good for seventh in the league.

Scheifele: 'We have to make the playoffs this year'

Excited for the start of camp, the Jets have confidence that they should be able to make a playoff push following their late season surge, and addition of new faces in key positions.

Connor, now 20, seems poised to make the same jump. The big question is whether Connor can bump a veteran like Mathieu Perreault out of the second-line left wing slot to earn significant minutes. If so, some see Connor as a Calder Trophy candidate – something Scheifele wasn’t in 2013-14.

Connor netted 25 goals and 19 assists for 44 points in 52 games with the Moose last year. He will look to make some noise alongside another top-end prospect in Jack Roslovic, who collected 48 points in 65 games with the Moose.

EDMONTON: Will Todd McLellan keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines? Who will take the minutes of the injured Andrej Sekera? Is Jesse Puljujarvi ready to make the jump?

For McLellan and the Oilers, there is almost no wrong answer: Split up McDavid and Draisaitl to create a hard-to-match, two-pronged attack? Or put the $168- million combo on the same line to terrorize the rest of the Western Conference?

Last season, McLellan tried his best to keep McDavid and Draisaitl separated, but it didn’t always work. They were, after all, the highest-scoring tandem in the NHL with a combined 59 goals and 118 assists. It’s hard to argue against success.

“I just kept coming back to them,” McLellan said then.

McLellan will try his best again this season – at least to start. He confirmed this week that McDavid and Draisaitl will begin camp on separate lines. We’ll see how long that lasts.

A lot depends on how the Oilers shape up on right wing, with McLellan calling it the team’s “wild card” position. If Ryan Strome can play alongside McDavid, and Jesse Puljujarvi is ready to make the jump, and Anton Slepyshev can pull his weight, then keeping Draisaitl and McDavid separate leaves McLellan with the ultimate trump card to play.

The Oilers will also look to see which defenceman fills the void created by Sekera’s absence. Sekera will be out “quite a ways into the season,” McLellan said, and being without him into 2018 isn’t out of the question. Sekera underwent knee surgery on May 18 and his timeline was six-to-nine months.

That would seemingly mean a big opportunity for Darnell Nurse to grab a potential role in the top four. Newcomer Yohann Auvitu is a decent shot to break camp with the Oilers next month, but team brass is interested to see the steps taken by Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear.

CALGARY: Will the blueline deliver on the hype? Is Spencer Foo a shoo-in for the opening-night roster?

Few teams had a bigger summer than the Calgary Flames, with GM Brad Treliving assembling what many believe is the best top-to-bottom defence corps in hockey. The Flames traded for Travis Hamonic and re-signed Michael Stone, throwing those two in the mix with Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton.

The hype machine has been churning, but the big question everyone wants to know is how it all comes together. Coach Glen Gulutzan will have to play amateur chemist, attempting to find the best fits, with a few drastically different playing styles.

Depth spots up for grabs at Flames camp

Flames training camp is shaping up to feature lots of competition for depth positions. Jermain Franklin has more on which spots are up for grabs and who will be pushing to make the roster.

“You can’t just look at it on paper and say it’s going to happen,” captain Mark Giordano told reporters Thursday.

An early best guess is that Giordano will be paired with Hamilton, Hamonic will skate alongside Brodie, and Stone will play with whoever slots onto that third pair among Brett Kulak, Matt Bartkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon.


The hope is that those three pairs will provide ample support for newcomers Mike Smith and Eddie Lack in net, after Treliving totally revamped the position that was easily the Flames’ biggest need.

With that accomplished, maybe, just maybe, goaltending will no longer be Calgary’s looming question mark.

Plenty of focus will also be on prized free agent catch Spencer Foo, who bypassed his hometown Oilers to sign with the archrival Flames. Foo, 23, netted 62 points in 38 games with Union College last year and also received offers from Vegas and Detroit, among others.

VANCOUVER: Will Brock Boeser establish himself as likely Calder Trophy candidate? Will Jake Virtanen work his way back into the mix under Travis Green?

With the rebuilding Canucks inking veterans Thomas Vanek, Sam Gagner, Alex Burmistrov, Michael Del Zotto and Patrick Wiercioch to contracts over the summer, there doesn’t appear to be much of an opportunity for prospects to step up and win jobs.

One player who seemingly has one locked down is Brock Boeser, who has become an early favourite for the Calder Trophy. Boeser, 20, was the one bright spot in an otherwise abysmal end to last season when he collected four goals in his first nine NHL games after turning pro from the University of North Dakota.

Horvat, Boeser looking to build off late-season success

Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser built some chemistry late last season when Boeser arrived from the NCAA. On Thursday, the two young Canucks forwards spoke about building on that chemistry this season if they're lucky enough to play together again.

Considering the playmaking ability inside Vancouver’s top two lines, it isn’t a stretch to imagine Boeser making a splash as one of the NHL’s top rookies this season, even on a team many expect won’t be competing for a playoff spot.

What the Canucks don’t want to do is rush Boeser, if by chance he shows in training camp that he isn’t ready. That’s what happened with Virtanen, the big-bodied sixth overall pick in 2014 who stepped into the NHL in 2015 as a 19-year-old. He played 55 games that rookie season, but lasted just 10 with the Canucks last year before finishing out the year with new Canucks coach Travis Green in Utica.

Virtanen says he wants to become an impact player again and Green might just be the coach to pull that out of him. Training camp will offer a pretty good indication as to whether it’s time to pull the plug on the Virtanen experiment.


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TSN.CA / Drouin leads list of 10 under pressure this season

Frank Seravalli

During one of his first public adventures in downtown Montreal after his June 15 trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning, one fan told Jonathan Drouin he would net “at least 80” points this season.

Drouin signed a T-shirt for another and that guy “pretty much started crying,” he said.

Then, on a routine trip to the grocery store, the bar was raised by other Habs fans to hit 50 goals. And that was only June.

“Take it easy, maybe,” Drouin said, laughing and reveling in it all.

Welcome home, Jo.

Who said there’s pressure being Montréal’s most electrifying Québécois scoring threat since Stéphane Richer? Or first true French-speaking star forward since Vincent Damphousse or Pierre Turgeon left town?

“The passion in this city for hockey, I believe I’m going to thrive on that,” Drouin said last week at the NHL’s player media tour in New York. “It doesn’t matter what day of year it is, if it’s Christmas or the summer, you talk about the Habs there. They talk hockey 24/7. Some guys might not be into it. I like that stuff.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me to be a Québécois and play there. Living there all my life, I thought I knew the passion of Montreal Canadiens fans, but playing for the Habs, it’s just hard to explain. I fell in love with the trade; I’m already in love with the city.”

Julien confident Drouin can handle a role up the middle

Claude Julien says Jonathan Drouin's history at centre and his ability to adapt will make him a great candidate to play up the middle this year. He also believes their preseason games will give the new Habs plenty of opportunity to gel with everyone.

Despite lofty expectations, the outgoing Drouin is confident he won’t let Montreal down because, well, he has already bet on himself in the NHL and won.

When you walk away from your team to hold out for seven weeks in the middle of the 2015-16 season because you’re unhappy with your role, opportunity and ice time, you had better be prepared to deliver when (or if) you return. Drouin did. That is a unique weight few 22-year-olds have carried.

“At the end of the day, I wouldn’t have gone home if I didn’t think I could play and be an impact player in this league,” Drouin said. “The situation in Tampa obviously got a little heated. Being 19, [I] maybe could’ve been more patient and took time to make decisions, but I made my decision and stuck with it. But I think today, with the way it ended up and where I ended up in Montreal, I wouldn’t change one thing that happened.”

Drouin said he is “happy to move away from all that stuff that happened in Tampa, even though last year was good.” He is “happy to start somewhere new,” happier that it is Montreal, where his junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon said he will become a star.

“It’s going to be a lot of pressure, but he can handle it,” MacKinnon said. “Our Memorial Cup-winning game, he had five assists in the final. When the pressure mounted, he showed up. He didn't like playing against the bad teams. He liked playing the good teams. That’s when he played his best.”

Drouin settling in to the Montreal limelight

Jonathan Drouin admits he has been overwhelmed by the welcoming from Canadiens' fans and says its been a bit of an adjustment. He also discusses his offseason training with Max Pacioretty and the possibility of moving to centre.

MacKinnon, who was picked two slots ahead of Drouin at No. 1 in 2013, said he told Drouin he’s one of the most skilled players in the NHL right now.

“I’ve kind of felt bad for him the way things have gone, up and down, playing in the AHL, the trade,” MacKinnon said. “He’s handled it well. I think it’s his coming out party. He’s very confident in himself. He’s going to do really well there.”

Drouin’s inevitable ups and downs will undoubtedly be examined under a more intense Montreal microscope than his new Anglo teammates, but has seemingly signed the waiver with full understanding. Drouin said he is “speechless” to be home, hoping the shine never wares off.

“Every day I wake up, we’re one day closer,” Drouin said. “Just stepping on that ice, hearing the Coldplay Fix You song in the Bell Centre, it’s going to be awesome. It’s cool being on the [visiting] side, so I can’t imagine what it’s like being with the Habs.”

With that, here are 10 NHLers facing the most pressure to perform this season:

1. JONATHAN DROUIN, Canadiens


The Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que., native grew up 90 minutes away from the Bell Centre but played his midget hockey on the island of Montreal. He is pegged as the Canadiens’ first true Québécois scoring threat since Stephane Richer and first true French-speaking star since Vincent Damphousse or Pierre Turgeon.

2. MIKE SMITH, Flames; STEVE MASON, Jets; BEN BISHOP, Stars

These three Western Conference teams are all wagering playoff-calibre rosters on newcomers in net. Change was necessary: the Flames (25th), Stars (26th) and Jets (27th) all averaged a bottom-five finish in save percentage over the last two seasons.

3. STEVEN STAMKOS, Lightning

Last October’s trendy Stanley Cup pick missed the playoffs, in no small part because Stamkos missed the final 65 games of the season after undergoing right knee surgery. One of the NHL’s best pure goal scorers has only played 18 of the Lightning’s last 99 games, including playoffs, also missing time due to a blood clot. He’ll have a little more heat on him to score with Drouin’s 53 points from last season now in Montreal.

4. PAUL MAURICE AND KEVIN CHEVELDAYOFF, Jets

Winnipeg’s coach and general manager each inked multi-year contract extensions last week, but that does not relieve the pressure of playoff-run-or-bust expectations in Manitoba. The Jets have the talent to compete. The honeymoon stage is over. The Jets have as many playoff wins in six seasons as the Thrashers franchise (zero) and that needs to change sooner rather than later.

Have off-season changes made the Jets a playoff team?

Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff sits down with Bob McKenzie to discuss the team's outlook for the upcoming season, whether he believes they're a playoff team and what changes they've made that make them a better team heading into the upcoming season.

5. CLAUDE GIROUX, Flyers

Four years ago, Philadelphia’s captain was a Hart Trophy finalist, referred to by then-coach Peter Laviolette as the “best player in the world.” His production has steadily dipped from 86 points to 73, to 67 and then 58 last season – barely inside the Top 50 in league scoring. The Flyers are counting on the NHL’s 11th-highest paid player to bounce back in a big way.

6. RYAN JOHANSEN, Predators

Only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl signed bigger money deals than Johansen this summer. His $64-million extension will make him one of just 19 players league-wide with an $8 million or larger cap hit. That’s serious cake for a player whose goal totals have consistently slid from 33 to 26 to 14 and 14 in four straight seasons – and whose team went to the Stanley Cup Final without him last spring.

7. BARRY TROTZ, Capitals

Trotz doesn’t begin the year on the hot seat – not that it’s a big worry, he wouldn’t be out of work long – but the pressure for the Caps to finally break through will last until they reach the Eastern Conference Final with Alex Ovechkin. Trotz, who has a staggering 156-63-27 record in Washington, said he is comfortably coaching in the final year of his contract, which is rather rare in today’s NHL.

8. RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS, Oilers

If McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain on separate lines, a lot of the heat will be off Nugent-Hopkins to produce offensively as a third-line centre. But Nugent-Hopkins knows he needs to earn his $6 million cap hit if he wants to stick with the Oilers long enough to win a Stanley Cup, because Edmonton can't afford him at that cap hit without the corresponding production.

9. DOUG ARMSTRONG, Blues

Armstrong’s Blues have averaged 107 points each over the last four seasons, but have just three playoff series wins to show for it. Armstrong’s future in St. Louis is not guaranteed, as he does not have a contract beyond this season. The Blues will have someone other than Ken Hitchcock run training camp for the first time since 2011, with Mike Yeo set to take over for his first full season.

10. MARC BERGEVIN, Canadiens

Pressure is part of the job description in Montreal. But Bergevin is coming off a season where the star player the Canadiens couldn’t win with (P.K. Subban) helped his team to the Stanley Cup Final and Montreal’s own fatal flaw (lack of scoring) reared its ugly head in a surprising first-round loss. Bergevin’s seat is a little toasty with the Habs going the wrong direction in their last three playoff runs with a healthy Carey Price: Conference final (2014), second round (2015), first round (2017).


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USA TODAY / As NHL gets faster, players adjust offseason training to keep up

Kevin Allen

4:30 p.m. ET Sept. 15, 2017

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is 40 and yet his goalie Tuukka Rask swears he has improved his skating over the past couple of seasons.

Anaheim Ducks star Ryan Getzlaf insists he’s a more efficient skater and has a better understanding what he needs to do to “keep up.”

New Jersey Devils right wing Taylor Hall, already considered one of the NHL’s fastest players, spent the summer working to improve his skating.

“I moved to Toronto in an effort to get on the ice earlier than I usually do,” Hall told USA TODAY Sports. “I started in June, so I got a two-month head start.”

Increasingly, intense offseason work habits are central to players’ efforts to deal with the reality that the NHL is gaining speed by the minute.

“It’s a 12-month job now,” Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon said.

Rask joked that he thinks Chara has a competition going with Jaromir Jagr, 45, about who is going to play longer.

Rask finds it "amazing" that Chara can improve as a skater at his age. "It just goes to show you what his work ethic is," Rask said. "He's always the hardest-working guy no matter where he is."

Hall says he has improved his by working on power skating this summer.

“In a straight line, there’s not too many guys faster than me in the league,” Hall said. “But I wanted to be better crossing over, coming out of turns more powerfully. I think I did that. If you can get that one percent edge, why not?”

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skated with prospects before they headed to a rookie tournament this summer and he was struck that all of them were exceptional skaters.

“It’s one thing to be able to make plays,” Crosby said. “But if you can’t get the separation, or create time, to make the play you won’t get many opportunities. And you can see the league getting faster.”

The game has always been fast, says Getzlaf, but the difference today are the tricks players can perform at top speed.

"There used to be a lot of guys who could fly down the wing and shoot the puck,” Getzlaf said. “Now the same guys are spinning around in circles when they are doing that.”

Getzlaf joked that the first step to improving your skating is “admitting” you need to do it.

St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko also worked on his skating this summer because “if you can’t skate it’s hard to play right now.” But he


incorporates other training objectives into his skating drills to make it less monotonous.

“Skating drills are boring,” Tarasenko said. “If you don’t put a shot at the end of a skating drill, you can’t believe how boring it is when you go across the blue line, red lines, turns.”

Players of all ages are trying pick up speed. Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel, 20, spent much of his summer working on his skating and shooting.

“I wanted to get faster, more explosive, in smaller areas,” Eichel said, noting that he also worked on a quicker release on his shot.

It isn’t just about speed. Players are trying to improve at every aspect of the game. Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle employs a skating coach, a shooting coach and orders many of his meals from a company that prepares them according to his nutritional needs.

“If you sit back all summer you will be left behind,” Coyle said.

This is not the days of old when pro athletes would add a few pounds in the offseason. Today, athletes only gain in the offseason if they are trying to add more muscle mass.

Coyle said players are becoming too fast and big for the size of the rink.

“They are going to have to make the ice bigger down the road,” Coyle said.

USA TODAY LOADED: 09.16.2017

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USA TODAY / Penguins' Sidney Crosby supports Ryan Reaves acquisition: He'll create 'extra space'

Kevin Allen

8:47 a.m. ET Sept. 15, 2017

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is appreciative of general manager Jim Rutherford’s decision to acquire rugged Ryan Reaves to provide on-ice protection for him and his teammates.

“When you get a player like that who is that tough it creates some room for guys,” Crosby told USA TODAY Sports.

At the NHL draft, the Penguins paid a heavy price – a first-round pick (No. 31 in 2017) and prospect Oskar Sundqvist to the St. Louis Blues – to acquire Reaves (and No. 51 pick in 2017) primarily because they believe opponents are targeting Crosby for extra physical abuse.

Penguins pay steep price for tough guy Ryan Reaves

Six things learned on road trip with Sidney Crosby: Loves podcasts; no E-ZPass?

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Reaves is a physical force. Although he only recorded six fighting majors last season, according to hockeyfights.com, he always serves as a deterrent to opponents abusing his teammates. He totaled 104 penalty minutes in 2016-17, and has 695 in 419 regular-season games.

“Early on, I was used to having a guy on your team like that,” Crosby said. “Every team had a tough guy. I grew up used to that. But for a period of time, it hasn’t been the case.”

The Penguins feel as if their top players, particularly Crosby, are being subjected to an escalating amount of extra-curricular abuse. However, it's not like it prevented them from winning a second consecutive Stanley Cup or Crosby from claiming back-to-back Conn Smythe trophies as playoff MVP.

The Penguins were willing to give up a first-rounder to land Reaves because they view him as a tough guy who can do more than protect players. He scored seven goals last season, and coach Mike Sullivan said Reaves’ skating ability will allow him to play regularly in his lineup.

He is not an old school-style tough guy who will play three or four shifts per game. In 80 games last season, Reaves averaged 8:53 per game, the most ice time of his career.

“For us, it will be nice to have this element, and not only just for me” Crosby said. “There will be a lot of guys who are going to feel that extra space.”

Reaves, a popular player with teammates, was playing 11-12 minutes for the Blues by the end of the regular season. In the playoffs, his minutes dipped below 10 in some games.

USA TODAY LOADED: 09.16.2017

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