Boil up some soup

 

 

Souper Man has re signed. Break out the Campbells soup/

Fewer than 24 hours before Wednesday’s scheduled arbitration case, restricted free agent Ilya Mikheyev and the Toronto Maple Leafs  found common ground — although it did mean a last-minute financial concession on the player’s part.

The Russian winger and the club agreed to a two-year contract worth an average annual value of $1.645 million that will see Mikheyev skate in blue and white through the 2021-22 season and walk him directly to unrestricted free agency at age 27.

“Ilya decided to step off a little bit from an already agreed number to help the team fit under the cap,” Mikheyev’s agent, Dan Milstein, told Sportsnet after tweeting news of the signing Tuesday night.

“For Ilya, it was less about the money, but more about the role in the organization. He wishes to win the Stanley Cup. It's been a lifelong dream.”

Mikheyev’s two-year pact carries a $1.1 million salary in 2020-21 and $2.19 million in 2021-22.

 According to Milstein, the sides had initially agreed to a cap hit higher than $1.645 million.

The agent was on the phone explaining the bridge deal’s terms to Mikheyev when the Maple Leafs quickly called back requesting the forward take slightly less so they could be cap compliant for 2021’s opening night.

The Leafs and Mikheyev discussed the sophomore’s position in a winger-loaded roster “extensively” during the negotiations, which had been ongoing for weeks.

“We know what they have going. We know what the goals are. Toronto and both camps communicated very clearly,” Milstein said. “We feel very comfortable about the next season, and Ilya is very excited about the next season as well.”

The 26-year-old Mikheyev — fast a fan favourite — appeared in only 39 games as a rookie with the Maple Leafs in 2019-20, scoring eight goals and adding 15 assists.

Returning for post-season action after suffering a gruesome wrist injury in late December, Mikheyev failed to register a point during the club’s five-game playoff qualification series versus Columbus.

“He would’ve liked to help the team get past Columbus, but overall this was a good first-year experience for him,” Milstein said. “He’s adjusted. He’s adapted. And I expect him to have a better season next year.”

The Russian elected to file for salary arbitration to buy time, and a deadline, for his first North American negotiation.

Mikheyev filed for one year at $2.7 million; the Leafs requested two years at $1 million.

 

But, Milstein maintains, the strongest efforts on both sides were focused on a two-year pact that would provide Mikheyev and his family a little more certainty in uncertain times and give the Leafs smart value through his RFA years.

 

 

The player affectionately known as “Mickey” to his teammates and “Souperman” to fans stayed up to the wee hours in Russia, where he’s training, in order to finalize the paperwork.

 “The first season didn’t go as well as planned, due to the injury, but it was never a question of whether he was coming back or not,” Milstein said. “He stayed up through the night, and we took care of business.”

 Milstein has a tight working relationship with general manager Kyle Dubas and the Maple Leafs.

The agent is quick to note that 12 of his players have been welcomed into the Toronto system over the past three years, including winger Egor Korshkov (currently on loan to Yaroslav Lokomotiv of the KHL), 2020 first-round pick Rodion Amirov, and recent import Alexnader Barbanov

 

“While we were negotiating (Mikheyev’s contract) and perhaps disagreeing a little bit, I had to stop and talk to (the Leafs) about another player,” Milstein said.

“We try to have good relationships with everybody, but a client comes first.”

Barabanov, 26, will join Mikheyev in trying to secure ice time from coach Sheldon Keefe in a competitive forward group that has added Wayne Simmonds, Joe Thornton, Jimmy Vesey, Joey Anderson and Travis Boyd since free agency opened.

Barabanov flew to Toronto in early September and is preparing for his first North American campaign on this side of the pond.

Make no mistake: Like Mikheyev before him, Barabanov has his sights in the NHL, not the AHL.

“I feel good about his prospects. He's a world-class player,” Milstein said. “I'm not a coach. I'm not going to make any predictions. But I feel good about it. You can quote me on that. I feel good about it. Barabanov is an Olympic champion.

“He is a phenomenal player, and I expect him to do well here in North America.”

With Mikheyev signed, the Maple Leafs only need to reach agreements with RFAs Travis Dermott and Anderson.

 I am partial to Clam Chowder myself.  Bring on Souperman, he make us proud.

Leafs future European Imports

With the OHL and AHL currently shut down, hockey fans – and the Toronto Maple Leafs – have to go overseas for their hockey fix.

While most Leafs players and prospects are currently not playing, there are two players who are:Egor Korshgov, a second round pick from 2016 who has played one NHL game so far,  and  Mikko Lehtonen who the Leafs signed as a free-agent last summer.  Let’s take a look at how each player is doing so far in the KHL.

 

Egor Korshkov – KHL – Lokomotiv

Due to the NHL season not starting until January 1st at the earliest, Korshkov is making the most out of the delay, by playing over in the KHL. The 24-year-old native of Novosibirsk, Russia is currently playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

So far, this season he has recorded six goals and six assists for 12 points in 15 games. Being able to play right now should be beneficial to Korshkov when the Toronto Maple Leafs  training camp starts. The 6’4, 181 Lbs right-winger will try to land a spot in the NHL, although with the recent depth the Leafs added, he is a long shot to make the team.

Korshkov will have plenty of competition in training camp as the Maple Leafs have a lot of players vying for roles in the lineup. he will have to hope that by playing right now and being in game shape when camp starts, gives him the edge.

 

 

Mikko Lehtonen – KHL – Jokerit

Lehtonen was a highly coveted free agent defenseman from the KHL when he chose to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to becoming a free agent, Lehtonen had a very good season with Jokerit in the KHL where he was named defenseman of the year. He recorded 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points in 60 games.

The thought is that he will be able to challenge for lineup spot on the Maple Leafs blue line. He can play both the left and right side effectively, which will come in handy if and when injuries arise.

Just like Korshkov, Lehtonen is using the NHL season delay to get playing time in the KHL to start this season. So far this season he has six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 12 games. He is hoping that by playing meaningful hockey right now, he will have an advantage when the Toronto Maple Leafs open up training camp.

I have watched Korshkov play with the Marlies and I like his game. I would love to see him make it on to the Maple Leafs this season. As for Lehtonen, I don’t know if he will be in the top four, but he should for sure make the team. whether that is as the 5th, 6th or 7th defenseman remains to be seen for now.

 Now we wait for the Commissionier to formally announce the beginning of the new season.

Thornton comes home

 

 

Joe Thornton was probably sound asleep under the Swiss Alps, resting up to open up his 24th professional hockey season, when the CN Tower alit in teal.

The colour long associated with the heart and soul of the San Jose Sharks— all their hopes and disappointments, fun times and funky beards — reflected across his brand-new NHL stomping ground, the one closest to his boyhood house in St. Thomas, Ont.

A Jumbo homecoming signalling Jumbo expectations. And it only required a minimum-wage salary. One year, $700,000 (free of 35-plus performance bonuses), and one more shot at the Stanley Cup dream Thornton has been hunting down for 41 years, 106 days and counting.

His ardent pursuers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have been chasing the thing for 53 years, 164 days and counting.

Their mutual but separate quest, painfully futile for so long, will unite in 2020-21.

The NHL’s active leader in assists (1,089) and points (1,509) signed on to join the NHL’s active leader in heartbreak and hype.

Whether this whole thing ends in a parade or in shambles, who knows?

Either way, it’s a helluva story. And one singed with historical symmetry.

On Sept. 17, 1997, the same day Thornton registered his first-ever point in an NHL uniform (during a Bruins pre-season game), Auston Matthews was born.

Then there’s this: Thornton just happens to be the last active player to have scored a goal at Maple Leaf Gardens.

 Financially, the Thornton contract is a small swing, on par with the organization’s Travis Boyd and Denis Malgin signings. (Fun fact: Calle Rosen can strut Ford Performance Centre this season knowing his paycheques are larger than that of a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.)

Emotionally, it’s a big deal — and one long in the works.

The Maple Leafs first pitched a UFA Thornton to sign alongside close friend Patrick Marleau back in the summer of 2017, with Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello pushing the upside of guiding their young, hyper-talented core.

Loyal Thornton instead stuck around San Jose until it became plain the Cup would no longer be within reach if he stayed put.

So, when Thornton expressed disappointment after being left untraded to a contender at the 2019 deadline, pulling him out of teal was worth another attempt.

GM Kyle Dubas called a week ago, when free agency opened last Friday. Coach Sheldon Keefe, too. Then the players encouraged one of hockey’s all-time most beloved characters and deftest passers to join the cause. Jake Muzzin. John Tavares. Matthews. Maybe more.

Thornton mulled it over. He texted back and forth with Marleau.

And when he decided to jump the Sharks, he called his longtime teammates — Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, probably more — and explained his decision. All class.

“Somebody that inspires everybody around him,” Dan Rusanowsky, San Jose’s play-by-play voice on KFOX 98.5 FM told Sportsnet 590 The Fan Friday.

“He’s going to help the Maple Leafs quite a lot, and he’ll be at the best when it matters the most.”

 

“He loves bringing everybody together,” Marleau told Good Show Friday.

“He does keep himself in great shape, and I think one thing that's always a constant in his game is the size and reach, the way he can protect pucks and obviously his vision, and none of that has changed over his career.”

What has changed with Thornton is what changes with everyone who lives as long and tries as hard.

He has slowed down, considerably.

Which is to be expected after 1,636 regular-season NHL games and another 179 playoff contests; 73 games and counting in the Swiss League with HC Davos because he never takes a lockout or a pandemic to vacation; plus dozens more representing Team Canada on the national stage.

Thornton’s 2019-20 stat line — seven goals, 31 points, minus-19 rating, 49.4-per cent faceoff wins in 70 games — provides ammo to those who believe this could be last-legs Jaromir Jagr in Calgary all over again (one goal, six assists, 22 games, flight to Kladno).

If Zdeno Chara, currently undecided, doesn't play, Thornton will become the oldest guy in the NHL.

But the Thornton-to-Leafs signing isn’t so much about him swiping a few more draws or popping a few more apples on the second power-play unit than Alexander Kerfoot.

 

It’s about character and culture. A room that needed shaking up, lightening up, perhaps smartening up.

And Dubas’s aggressive approach to crib from the Tampa Bay Lightning blueprint and surround his superstars with the right attitude on the fringes. Experienced yet hungry.

Guys who know what it takes to win playoff rounds 1, 2 and 3 — and how it feels to lose Round 4.

We remember Keefe revealing something very telling about the Maple Leafs’ dynamic amidst the roller-coaster 2019-20 when the coach was asked about Jason Spezza, and it had nothing to do with on-ice action.

“He’s been a great voice in the locker room and on the bench. You know, we don’t have a lot of guys that are overly vocal on the bench and talk a lot,” Keefe said. “He’s got a great rapport with the referees and linesmen. Those things make a difference for a young team like ours.”

Like Spezza, Wayne Simmonds and Zach Bogosian before him, Thornton is coming here to calm the nerves, steel the fragile, and read the room.

Leadership without letters.

“I like helping out the younger guys. I was born to play hockey, and I’ll play as long as I can, as long as I’m healthy,” Thornton told My Channel this week between tune-up sessions with HC Davos.

“I just love playing hockey. I really do. I have a passion for the sport.”

Joe Thornton has come home,

 

Where's Hockey ?

 

 

So here we are in mid-October and nobody’s playing hockey.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Joe Thornton is voting with his feet and is off to skate with Davos in the Swiss league. It’s really here in North America where the days of fall seem pretty empty without the beginning of a new hockey season. No NHL. Major junior hockey is shut down. U Sports hockey isn’t happening.

The Greater Toronto Hockey League, the largest minor hockey operation on the planet, is dormant. Some girls’ hockey teams are practising, but plans to play in four-on-four bubbles have been put on hold. My Friday morning game with the Lorne Park crew has been cancelled for the year.

Everything seems a little backward. The leaves are falling, hockey is on the shelf, there’s no Grey Cup on the horizon, but yet The Masters is coming up in four weeks.

 

When it comes to the world of hockey, the optimism of seeing the bubbled Stanley Cup playoffs succeed is now subsiding, and the understanding is setting in that the entire industry is staggering under the unrelenting pressure of Covid 19. 

 The honest-to-Bill-Gadsby belief that the good ol’ NHL could conquer all because hockey is wonderful has now run headlong into reality. It’s like a giant cosmic payback for taking the game from the great outdoors where it was born and moving it almost entirely indoors. You know. Where the virus is most comfortable.

Interestingly, some of the strongest indicators about the fearful way in which the NHL is imagining its future emanated from Las Vegas over the past week. The Golden Knights signed the top free agent on the market, defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, to a seven-year contract worth $8.8 million (U.S.) per season.

 In normal times, this would have been a healthy sign for the league. Teams pursuing talent. Stars getting paid. An indication business was good.

But because of the flat salary cap created by the coronavirus, the Knights had to dump two good veterans. Pietrangelo was one of a very limited group of players who did particularly well in free agency. He was probably the only player to truly hit a home run.

 

 By comparison, this year has been mostly a free-agent fizzle. Jakob Markstrom and Kevin Shattenkirk did fairly well, as did Torey Krug. Players like T.J. Brodie and Tyler Toffoli got new deals, but for pretty much the same money. Significant names like Braden Holtby, Henrik Lundqvist, Corey Crawford and Justin Schultz took sizable pay cuts.

Tyson Barrie, a $5.5-million player two years ago, is now on a one-year contract at $3.75 million. Bobby Ryan has gone from being a $7-million player in Ottawa to a $1-million player in Detroit. Kyle Turris was making $6 million per in Nashville; now he’s making $1.65 million in Edmonton. Many well-known players don’t have new contracts at all.

Compare that with the previous free agency “frenzy” in July, 2019. Players like Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene hit the jackpot, all with seven-year contracts. Mats Zuccarello and Tyler Myers, neither an all-star, both got $30 million over five years.

This is not normal for the NHL. This isn’t the market. This is something else.

The other news out of Vegas, meanwhile, was an honest assessment by owner Bill Foley on the immediate future of the league. This was particularly useful since we rarely hear from actual owners these days other than Eugene Melnyk.

While NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been talking confidently of starting up again Jan. 1, Foley says he can’t see it happening before February. Even then, Foley says, it would have to be a reduced schedule that must be finished by the end of June, playoffs and all, because rightsholder NBC has the Summer Olympics in July. Foley said NHL owners are “very nervous” about the future.

 

The Leafs add some new buds

 

 

Though many people thought that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be inactive in free agency due to salary cap pressures, the exact opposite has proven to be true.

On Friday the Leafs signed top pairing defenseman T.J Brodie, as well as veteran Wayne Simmonds to replace Kyle Clifford on the fourth line.  On Saturday the Leafs sent Andreas Johnsson to the New Jersey Devils in order to clear salary to help pay for Brodie.  In return for Andersen the Leafs got a decent prospect in Joey Anderson.

 Also on the Saturday the Leafs signed depth options Zach Bogosian and Travis Boyd. As if that wasn’t enough, the Leafs signed UFA Jimmy Vesey on Sunday.

Drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft by Nashville, Vesey never ended up signing with them and became a free agent after four years at Harvard.  He signed with the Rangers, where he played three years.

Last year he went to Buffalo and now the Leafs have signed him.  He’s a big winger who consistently put up either 16 or 17 goals in each of his first three NHL seasons, until this last year when he scored nine in the shortened season.

 Vesey doesn’t seem to have very good on-ice stats, but he has always played on lousy teams.  The Toronto Maple Leafs must see something in him, and the depth scoring is always an asset.

For 900 K you can’t really go wrong.

 As you can see from the chart, Vesey can score but can’t really defend.  No big deal, as a fourth line winger, you usually don’t get both.  The Leafs can now put Vesey into a mix that includes Robertson, Barabanov, Engvall, Spezza, Simmonds, Anderson,  Boyd, Agostino, Korshkev, Petan, Hallander, Malgin and Brooks and maybe a few rookies for ice time this year.

That is excellant depth  as it is 13 players, all of whom are more than likely perfectly fine on any 4th line in the NHL, competing for five jobs.  In reality, those five jobs will most likely go to Robertson, Barabanov, Engvall, Spezza and Simmonds, but the other guys will serve important functions as injury replacements and job competition.

 

 

The NHL is likely going to play some for of insanely condensed schedule next season and all these players will come in handy.  The important thing is that he Leafs are set to have one player in the bottom half of their forward group making over $1.5 million.

To have the kind of depth they do – 13 NHL players for five spots – at the price they’ve paid for it is exactly why they had the confidence to spend most of their money on a core group of elite players.  If you look around the NHL, you’ll see that most teams don’t have anywhere near this kind of depth or skill in their bottom six, and they are almost all paying more for it.

The draft should have held in Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just over a week after the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup, the first major step of the offseason came to an end with the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday. The New York Rangers won the NHL Draft Lottery earlier this summer and used the pick to select Quebec Major Junior Hockey League star Alexis Lafreniere.

 

Lafreniere has spent the last three seasons starring for Rimouski Océanic. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 QMJHL Draft and burst onto the scene with 42 goals in 60 games. To put that into perspective, Lafreniere had the highest number of goals in a rookie season since Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby scored 54 for Rimouski Oceanic in 2004. In his three seasons in the QMJHL, Lafreniere has accumulated 297 points (114 goals & 183 assists) and blossomed into one of the most dangerous young players in the world.

 

Many believe that Lafreniere is a generational talent that will become one of the NHL's biggest stars sooner rather than later. The Rangers will look to pair Lafreniere with a nucleus that already includes the likes of Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad.

 

Rounding out the top five was Quinton Byfield, who became the highest drafted black player in NHL history when the Los Angeles Kings selected him No. 2 overall, German international Tim Stutzle, who got drafted by the Senators, Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings) and top American prospect Jake Sanderson (Senators).

 

 

Here are the complete results of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft

Round 1

 

1. New York Rangers: Alexis Lafrenière, LW 
2. Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield, C
3. Ottawa Senators (from Sharks): Tim Stutzle, LW
4. Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond, LW
5. Ottawa Senators: Jake Sanderson, D
6. Anaheim Ducks: Jamie Drysdale, D
7. New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz, RW
8. Buffalo Sabres: Jack Quinn, RW
9. Minnesota Wild: Marco Rossi, C
10. Winnipeg Jets: Cole Perfetti, C
11. Nashville Predators: Yaroslav Askarov, G
12. Florida Panthers: Anton Lundell, C
13. Carolina Hurricanes (from Leafs): Seth Jarvis, C
14. Edmonton Oilers: Dylan Holloway, C
15. Toronto Maple Leafs (from Penguins): Rodion Amirov, LW
16. Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle, D
17. Chicago Blackhawks: Lukas Reichel, LW
18. New Jersey Devils (from Coyotes): Dawson Mercer, C
19. New York Rangers (from Flames): Braden Schneider, D
20. New Jersey Devils (from Lightning via Canucks): Shakir Mukhamadullin, D
21. Columbus Blue Jackets: Yegor Chinakhov, RW
22. Washington Capitals (from Flames via Rangers via Hurricanes): Hendrix Lapierre, C
23. Philadelphia Flyers: Tyson Foerster, RW
24. Calgary Flames (from Capitals): Connor Zary, C
25. Colorado Avalanche: Justin Barron, D
26. St. Louis Blues: Jake Neighbours, LW
27. Anaheim Ducks (from Bruins): Jacob Perreault, RW
28. Ottawa Senators (from Islanders): Ridly Greig, C
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Brendan Brisson, C
30. Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque, C
31. San Jose Sharks (from Lightning): Ozzy Wiesblatt, RW

 So many non OHL players were taken, you would think that they they all have the virus, no, they just could have the virus. 

I am not Don Cherry, not even Brian Burke, but you'd think more GM's would have stopped and thought about the talent right under their noses.