The NHL draft and free-agent frenzy may be in the rear-view mirror, but the rumors surrounding a potential Erik Karlsson trade appear to be heating up.
On Monday, it was reported that the Ottawa Senators had given permission to interested clubs to discuss a potential contract extension with Karlsson. Signs certainly point to a potential departure from Ottawa, but if former Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson has his way, Karlsson will stick around.
"I think it's a difficult situation for everybody," Alfredsson said, according to TSN's Brent Wallace. "No question he is a generational talent and the best player to ever wear the Senators jersey. Then we'll see what happens. I know for me personally I hope he stays."
As for if Alfredsson thinks Karlsson will be moved, he has no idea.
"To be honest I don't know what to think at this moment," Alfredsson said. "You know, what could happen? I heard at the deadline it was close. I heard after that it was close. I'm sure he'll call me if something happens."
Karlsson - who's set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer - is coming off a tough season with the Senators that saw the club finish with the second-worst record in the league, involved off-ice drama surrounding his family and former Senator Mike Hoffman, and seemingly featured never-ending rumors regarding the stability of the franchise in Ottawa with regards to owner Eugene Melnyk.
Still, the two-time Norris Trophy winner managed 62 points in 71 games and remains one of the elite defensemen in the NHL.
Hunter, an assistant coach at the 2017 and 2018 World Junior Championships, has been promoted to head coach of Team Canada's world junior squad, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.
The former NHL player (Flames, Nordiques, Canucks, Sharks) and NHL coach (Capitals, Sharks, Maple Leafs) will be tasked with leading Canada to glory in a tournament that's becoming increasingly difficult to handicap. This year's event, hosted by Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, runs from late December to early January.
Joining Hunter on the 2019 world junior coaching staff are Marc-André Dumont, Jim Hulton, and Brent Kisio. Hunter and his assistants are all head coaches in the Canadian Hockey League - Hunter in Moose Jaw, Dumont in Cape Breton, Hulton in Charlottetown, and Kisio in Lethbridge.
"To be in a position to have familiarity in our coaching staff with Tim Hunter gives us the opportunity to again compete for a gold medal," Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of national teams, said in a statement. "All three assistant coaches have also had prior experience working within our Program of Excellence at various levels. Their experience and knowledge will help our players succeed in this prestigious international tournament."
The Canadians won the gold medal in Buffalo in 2018, settled for silver in Montreal/Toronto in 2017, and failed to medal in 2016. Over the past 10 world junior tournaments, Canada has won three golds, three silvers, and one bronze.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded winger Matt Martin to the New York Islanders in exchange for goaltender prospect Eamon McAdam, the teams announced Tuesday.
After taking all of last season to rehab an ACL injury, St. Louis Blues forward Robby Fabbri has finally received medical clearance, the team announced Tuesday.
"He's doing very well," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement. "He is up in Toronto working very hard and time is going to tell on this one. It's very difficult, you feel for Robby. He was projecting to be such a good player and then these two injuries kept him out a year and a half."
Fabbri missed the entire 2017-18 campaign after he aggravated his surgically repaired left knee in training camp. The injury had sidelined him for the final 30 games of the previous season and the subsequent playoffs.
"We want to make sure we're not putting him in a position to fail when he comes (to training camp)," Armstrong added. "He'll come back in and be hoping for the best, but expecting a little bit of readjustment. But health-wise, he's doing good."
Across two seasons with the Blues, Fabbri's notched 29 goals and 37 assists in 123 games. He was drafted 21st overall in 2014.
The news of Fabbri's return follows a steady stream of offseason additions by St. Louis, including forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Tyler Bozak, and David Perron.
The Humboldt Broncos have named former NHL player Nathan Oystrick as their new head coach, the club announced Tuesday.
Oystrick takes over for Darcy Haugan, who was killed in the bus crash that took the lives of 16 members in the Broncos organization. Haugan was later the first-ever recipient of the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award at the NHL Awards in June.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to be the Humboldt Broncos head coach, and look forward to joining this tremendous community and leading this historic organization, all the while never forgetting the circumstances which have brought me here," Oystrick said.
Oystrick was drafted in the seventh round by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2002, and played 65 games in the NHL. The native of Regina, Saskatchewan, was previously an assistant coach with the ECHL's Atlanta Gladiators.
The Boston Bruins have re-signed forward Sean Kuraly to a three-year deal averaging $1.275 million, the team announced Tuesday.
In two seasons with the Bruins, the 25-year-old center has been a dependable fourth-line player while recording 15 points in 83 regular-season games. In the 2017-2018 campaign, Kuraly appeared in all 12 of Boston's playoff games, tallying two goals and two assists.
The 6-foot-2 and 213-pound forward was acquired by the Bruins in 2016 in a trade that sent goaltender Martin Jones to San Jose for Kuraly and a first-round pick.
The Bruins also announced the signing of forward Anton Blidh to a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL cap hit of $650,000. The winger played 71 AHL games with Providence last year, netting 26 points.
Blidh was the Bruins' 180th overall pick in 2013. He's appeared in 20 games for Boston, scoring his first NHL goal in December 2016 against the Islanders.
There's no indication of how Karlsson reacted to the offer, but a report from Larry Brooks of the New York Post on Monday revealed the Senators have given clubs across the league permission to negotiate an extension with the two-time Norris Trophy winner.
Karlsson's current contract is set to expire after the 2018-19 season, and he could've been joined in a star-studded class of unrestricted free agents by Drew Doughty, arguably the only blue-liner held in the same regard. However, the Los Angeles Kings stalwart agreed to terms on an eight-year deal worth a reported $11 million annually, which would make him the NHL's highest-paid defenseman.
In November, Doughty said he and Karlsson would discuss what kind of money they'd be looking for in an extension.
With the big names off this summer's free-agency board, Karlsson's future is the offseason's top story, and his potential departure from Ottawa after nine seasons with the club would significantly alter the team's trajectory.
The report comes a day after Brooks revealed that Martin is in demand on the trade market.
A move to New York would mark a homecoming of sorts for Martin, who spent seven seasons with the rival Islanders prior to signing with the Maple Leafs in 2016.
He's under contract for two more seasons at a $2.5-million cap hit. However, he's owed just $750,000 in salary this season after a lucrative signing bonus was paid out July 1.
Deals on the first day of the NHL free-agency period came fast and furious Sunday, and although most of the big signings were players re-upping with their current clubs, a small handful of guys are poised to see their fantasy value increase exponentially in new settings.
Whether it's because of increased roles or improved quality of teammates, here are the three free-agent signings whose fantasy value is set to skyrocket.
Carter Hutton
Before you start button-mashing and spewing vitriol across all theScore's social media accounts, we are well aware that Hutton is set to hold down the blue paint for the Buffalo Sabres, one of the more inconsistent teams in the NHL in recent years.
However, Hutton is going from a backup who sees 20-30 starts a year to being the de facto No .1 playing in 50-60, so his value as a starter compared to as a backup is obviously much more significant. He also proved last season with the St. Louis Blues that he is more than capable of putting up starter-type numbers.
Carter Hutton of the @StLouisBlues improved to 15-5-1 in 25 appearances this season (1.70 GAA, .944 SV%, 3 SO) and leads the League in goals-against average and save percentage among goaltenders to appear in at least 20 games. #NHLStatspic.twitter.com/DPFSkbPmsm
Hutton temporarily stole the crease away from starter Jake Allen midway through the season, but ended up ceding the net back to him for the rest of the campaign. Hutton still managed an excellent overall record of 17-7-3, as well as a stellar 2.09 goals-against average, and a sensational .931 save percentage.
There really is no sugarcoating how awful the Sabres have been over the last decade, and it's not exactly looking like they are ready to turn things around just yet. Buffalo allowed the third most goals-against per game last season, averaging 3.39 per contest, so Hutton will obviously have his work cut out for him.
Regardless, there are only 31 starting netminders in the league, so Hutton should be a relatively hot commodity come draft time. He may not have a save percentage north of .930 next season, but his value as a legitimate No. 1 is undeniable.
James van Riemsdyk
Though JVR notched a career high in goals last season with 36, with his move to the offensively potent Philadelphia Flyers, his value is set to increase in a big way.
Sure, Van Riemsdyk is coming from a Toronto Maple Leafs squad that also boasted a potent offensive attack, finishing the year tied for the third-most goals in the league (270). But Van Riemsdyk averaged only 14:54 of ice time (his lowest such mark since his sophomore season), a number that should significantly increase in the City of Brotherly Love.
His increased role and minutes will obviously drive up his overall fantasy value, but Van Riemsdyk's stock may really skyrocket on the power play, where he will have the opportunity to play with proven offensive studs Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Sean Couturier, not to mention former No. 2 overall draft pick Nolan Patrick and budding star Travis Konecny.
Last season's 36-goal performance is obviously not easy to replicate, but given the experienced group he's about to slot into, coupled with his potential to eat a lot more minutes, Van Riemsdyk is a fantasy target whose value is primed for takeoff.
John Tavares
Parade plans in Toronto might have been in full swing for the last 24 hours, but a more realistic plan would be to have a seriously keen eye on Tavares at the top of your draft. Tavares will be injected into a top-six Maple Leafs forward group that already boasts some of the best young talent in the game in Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. Add Tavares, and Toronto has a potentially lethal mix of offensive weapons.
Johnny T is coming off the second-most productive offensive campaign of his career, registering 37 goals and 47 assists across a full 82-game slate with a New York Islanders squad that finished in the top 10 in league scoring. And while the Islanders might have some nice pieces in Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal and criminally underrated forwards Josh Bailey and Anders Lee, Tavares is joining a power play that features some of the best offensive youngsters in the NHL, so a 90-point season really isn't much of a stretch.
Stanley Cup qualification, on the other hand, is probably a reach for a Leafs club still missing a piece or two on the back end, but that won't hold Tavares back from being an absolute beast when it comes to fantasy value.
