The Calgary Flames will host a press conference on July 30 when former captain Jarome Iginla will retire from the NHL, the team announced on Wednesday.
"In a sense, I grew up there,'' Iginla told George Johnson of calgaryflames.com. "I started playing for the Flames at 19 but even in minor hockey I remember traveling to Calgary for tournaments, from St. Albert, and I imagined playing in the Saddledome.
"It's been a fun adventure, for my family and I. Some great cities, great people. To be back in Alberta, though, will feel like home."
The 41-year-old was drafted 11th overall in 1995 by the Dallas Stars. But then he was traded to the Flames in a deal that sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Texas before Iginla ever stepped on the ice for the Stars.
Iginla went on to play 16 seasons with the Flames, finishing his time in Calgary as the franchise's leader in games (1,219), goals (525), points (1,095), power-play goals (161), game-winning goals (83), and more.
TORONTO - Dave Barr has a rule about video meetings: players must leave the room feeling good about themselves.
"I don’t want them feeling like they’re a piece of s---. I don’t want them going, ‘Jesus, f--- me, Dave doesn’t believe in me,’" explained Barr, the colorful San Jose Sharks assistant coach, during a presentation about post-game analysis and analytics at this past weekend's TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.
"What I want them doing is, I want them feeling good. So, I might say, ‘Look at this clip here. Where is your stick?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s in the air.’ ‘Exactly, stick on the ice, stick on the ice.’ And I’ll have another clip ready to go - (from) the game before or maybe that (same game) - and I’ll say, ‘Look at your stick here, look at what happened to the puck, look at what happens in the play. Big difference.’
"We use post-game video a lot of times to support good things. You want that."
Photo courtesy: Getty Images
The Sharks, still hunting for that elusive first Stanley Cup championship, are returning a similar lineup for the 2018-19 season. They lost the John Tavares sweepstakes, but re-signed some key forwards - Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, and Tomas Hertl - and will once again contend for the Pacific Division title.
Following his presentation, theScore caught up with Barr - a 57-year-old ex-NHL winger who's been on the coaching payroll for six teams - to talk all things Sharks.
Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
theScore: You mentioned in your presentation that you were originally a skeptic of hockey analytics. How or why were you won over?
Barr: "I think, because of all the work that we do with video, we have a pretty good idea of what’s going on by a game-by-game basis. What I think helps us - how we can use analytics - is that it covers a lot of categories and a lot of things that happen during a game. You might miss an area or two, where it says that we’re doing this very well and we’re not doing this very well. ...
"Say it’s turning pucks over off the forecheck and the other one that you were doing extremely well was breakouts. You want to understand why you’re doing the breakouts well - what you were doing, what was the reason - and why your forecheck was not very effective.
"There’s so many things to cover - especially in the NHL, when you’re playing 82 games and you’re back to back a lot and three games in four nights - so it’s hard to cover every single category. Analytics help us do our jobs better. It’s not the end-be, be-all … whatever the hell that saying is."
theScore: Be-all and end-all.
Barr: "Thank you. Insert that, please!" (laughs and points to recorder)
"(Analytics) is not everything but, at the same time, it certainly helps us. I know it has helped us this (past) year. I run the PK so I use it for penalty kill as well."
theScore: It’s a marriage, right, of video and whatever is being counted.
Barr: "That’s a perfect description."
theScore: Speaking of the penalty kill, Tierney (two-year contract) and Hertl (four-year contract) recently signed deals. You must be happy.
Barr: "They are very cerebral players, very smart players. Two of my better PKers, for sure. Offensively, they’re very good on the PK and at the same time they know where the puck’s going most of the time. Tommy’s a great worker. Chris is a very smart player - knows where to be, where not to be. We’re very fortunate to get them signed and playing for us again."
theScore: What’s the No. 1 skill required for a forward on the PK? Is it good stick work, good positioning?
Barr: "Probably positioning, coupled with stick (work). If you’ve got your stick in there, it doesn’t matter if you’re in position or not. A little bit of it is the ability to get there quickly, get from A to B quickly. If you have slower PK players, especially forwards, they can be three feet short of getting a stick on the puck and all of a sudden that shot or that pass gets through. Quickness is a big element. …
“(Joe) Pavelski is one of our best penalty killers and he’s not a fast player. But, because he knows where to go and how to get there as quick as he can get there, he’s a very effective player.”
theScore: It helps with that great hand-eye coordination. Pavelski can knock pucks out of the air easily.
Barr: “Oh, it’s incredible. He works at it, too. That’s why he can do it: He’s a talented guy who works at it.”
theScore: And he’s a good golfer.
Barr: “He came third! I was watching (the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship) on TV and he had a chance to go into extra holes. Didn’t make the putt, unfortunately.”
theScore: You brought up Justin Braun in your presentation, calling him an underrated NHLer. What is it about his game that people maybe don’t appreciate?
"Watch his body positioning.
"He worms his way into getting here on guys." (Barr reenacted Braun’s ability to maneuver around opponents and gain the inside track.)
"It’s unbelievable. You’ll have position on him, and this guy will figure out a way to get there. Unbelievable."
theScore: Have you ever asked him about that "worming" talent and where it may have originated?
"Oh, I don’t want him to be conscious of that. And he is the nicest kid. He’s a great kid."
theScore: You told a fun story about Jagr in your presentation. Do you have anything to share about Thornton, another beloved veteran?
"I can just tell you that he is one of the most fun, positive, energetic (players around). Every single day he brings energy to the dressing room. The guys love him. At the same time, he holds players accountable in a great fashion.
"He’s honest, straightforward. (He’ll tell players), ‘We need you to be better.’ He’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve got nothing but praise for him."
theScore: There’s a theory out there about Evander Kane and why he’s been such a nice fit in San Jose. Do you think the leadership group welcoming him with open arms has contributed to his success?
"For sure. I think it helped a lot that he felt really good about where he was. Within five-10 games, he was part of the team. He wasn’t the new guy; he was part of the team. He got a lot of minutes playing on the power play, the penalty kill a little bit, tons of minutes at 5-on-5. He made a difference, he scored goals, so that really helped him feel good about himself.
"At the same time, I think we have strong leadership. Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, and Pavelski, for sure. Especially Thornton and Pavelski - their resumes speak for themselves, they come to play every day in practice, they come to play every day in games.
"(Kane) is just a good kid. He’s a good kid who has a little bit of celebrity in him - if you want to call it that - but at the same time there’s nothing wrong with that. He comes to play every day. He’s a real help to our team. … He’s sharp, he gets it."
(Feature photo courtesy: The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)
The Calgary Flames and forward Mark Jankowski have settled on a two-year, $3.35 million contract, two days before the 23-year-old's scheduled arbitration hearing, the team announced on Wednesday.
Jankowski, drafted 21st overall by the Flames in 2012, reached the conclusion of his entry-level deal at the end of the 2017-18 season, his first as a regular in the NHL.
Jankowski scored 17 goals and added eight assists while averaging over 13 minutes per contest in 72 games during the 2017-18 season. With him signed, the Flames have three remaining restricted free agents to secure: Garnet Hathaway, Brett Kulak, and the recently acquired Noah Hanifin.
Lets face it - if you're not quick on the trigger in your fantasy league, it will be difficult to draft a Vezina-caliber goalie.
But even though the Bobrovskys and Vasilevskiys are sure to go early, you can still find value in later rounds. Here are five goalies who could outperform expectations and be fantasy studs in 2018-19:
Keith Kinkaid, Devils
Kinkaid is coming off a season in which he posted an absurd 26-10-3 record for New Jersey while playing in nearly half the team's games due in large part to Cory Schneider's injury woes.
The 29-year-old certainly proved that he's capable of being a No. 1, as he posted a .913 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average - both of which were better than Schneider's marks.
Kinkaid actually started the first two games of the playoffs before Schneider took over, and you can expect the latter to be on a shorter leash next season while Kinkaid could eventually retake the starting job.
Antti Raanta, Coyotes
Raanta was limited to 47 appearances last season due to various injuries, but excelled in that time, finishing second among all netminders who played at least 30 games in both save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (2.24).
Additionally, Raanta posted those stellar numbers on a struggling team, as the Coyotes finished last in the Western Conference with just 70 points despite some improvements down the stretch.
That means Raanta could be in line for a big season if he can stay healthy and sustain his strong play.
Philipp Grubauer, Avalanche
Grubauer was arguably the most coveted goaltender who was expected to be on the market this offseason before being traded to Colorado, where he subsequently signed a three-year deal.
The 26-year-old served as Braden Holtby's second-in-command in Washington over the past three years, and briefly stole the starting role last season with a series of dominant performances before watching Holtby backstop the team to the Stanley Cup.
Through his career to date, Grubauer has dressed in 101 games while going 43-31-11 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has stated that he hopes both Grubauer and Semyon Varlamov will challenge for the No. 1 spot. If he earns the job, Grubauer could see much more playing time than he's ever had, which could make him a great late pickup for your fantasy team.
Scott Darling, Hurricanes
Darling was simply terrible last season, as he posted the worst save percentage of any goalie to play at least 25 games (.888), while giving up 3.18 goals per contest.
However, some of Darling's struggles can be attributed to the quality of shots he faced. The Hurricanes actually allowed the fewest shots in the league, but 42.5 percent of the ones they allowed at five-on-five were of the high-danger variety, the fifth-highest percent in the NHL.
In 2018-19, Carolina should have a stronger blue line following the acquisitions of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes said goodbye to Cam Ward in free agency and brought in career backup Petr Mrazek, suggesting they're likely hoping to give Darling another chance to be the No. 1. And considering Darling had rocked a 2.37 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage over his career prior to his disastrous 2017-18, he could be a value pick late in drafts if he recaptures his form.
Carter Hutton, Sabres
This season will be Hutton's first big test in the NHL.
After serving as a backup to Pekka Rinne in Nashville and then to Jake Allen in St. Louis - where he stole the show when he played in 2017-18 - Hutton signed with the Buffalo Sabres, where he's expected to be the starting netminder as the team searches for stability between the pipes.
Last season, Hutton quietly paced the entire league with a .931 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average in 32 appearances. His numbers aren't expected to be as rosy in Buffalo - which finished last in the NHL in 2017-18 - but the Sabres added depth this offseason by acquiring Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, and Vladimir Sobotka, while bringing in a generational talent in No. 1 overall draft pick Rasmus Dahlin.
Hutton could be a steal late in your draft, as he's talented and will be given every chance to succeed in his first starting role.
That meant the Czech middleman could potentially return for training camp, but his status has since been pushed back to late November or early December, Stars general manager Jim Nill told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic.
A series of injuries limited Hanzal to just 38 games last season, with his final appearance coming Feb. 21 when he lasted just one period before leaving with a lower-body injury.
In signing Dano, the Jets avoid an arbitration date that was set for July 30. Winnipeg now has five restricted free agents left to re-sign, including defenseman Josh Morrissey.
A frequent healthy scratch last season, Dano was limited to just 23 appearances, in which he picked up three points.
The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Tucker Poolman to a three-year, $2.325-million deal, the team announced Tuesday.
Poolman appeared in 24 games with the Jets last season after making his NHL debut in October. He recorded one goal and one assist while averaging 12:34 of ice time.
Winnipeg selected the 25-year-old in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft.
The contract includes another potential $500,000 in performance bonuses.
"Brooks has been a valuable player and a great mentor for our young players and we are thrilled to bring him back to our organization," general manager Brian MacLellan said in a release. "We feel his leadership and competitiveness on and off the ice will be welcomed back to our group."
Orpik was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche at the draft in June along with goaltender Philipp Grubauer. Then the Avalanche bought out the final year of his five-year, $27.5-million contract.
The 37-year-old has played the last four years with the Capitals and helped the club win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history this past spring. He tallied just 10 assists in 81 games during the regular season and added a goal and five points in the playoffs.
