The Senators signed the left winger to a one-year contract extension worth $900,000 on Wednesday.
He was a pending unrestricted free agent who chipped in six goals and two assists in 35 games with Ottawa after being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues in late January.
The 27-year-old was chosen 10th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2009.
The Vegas Golden Knights have one of their veteran players to thank for coining a moniker that's stuck with them on their unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final.
James Neal told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that he came up with the "Golden Misfits" nickname during training camp in September, when he created it as the label for a group chat with his teammates.
“Who do you think came up with it? Come on," Neal said to LeBrun in a story published Wednesday. "It was just a casual joke to get us going at first, to start the year off."
Neal quipped that he should have trademarked it, given how many T-shirts bearing the sobriquet are being sold during the Golden Knights' storybook run.
William Karlsson first revealed that the players were calling themselves the "Golden Misfits" in early May during Vegas' second-round series against the San Jose Sharks.
On Wednesday, The Athletic's Sean Shapiro reported the Stars were close to a deal with Nelson, and The Athletic's Craig Custance took it one step further shortly thereafter.
This is happening. Nelson leaving Grand Rapids to join Dallas. I'd expect Ben Simon to get a look in GR as Nelson's replacement but Red Wings in early stages there. https://t.co/A4Dyefn779
Nelson had been behind the Grand Rapids Griffins' bench as head coach since the summer of 2015, and he's in his second stint with the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate after serving as an assistant in 2002-03.
He took over the Oilers as interim coach after Dallas Eakins was fired in December 2014, but was replaced by Todd McLellan at the end of that season.
Nelson had frequently been in the mix for NHL jobs in recent years, most notably landing an interview with the Arizona Coyotes before they hired Rick Tocchet last summer.
Daniel Alfredsson is inadvertently stirring the pot in Ottawa after making an eyebrow-raising comment over the weekend.
The former Senators captain and executive indirectly criticized team owner Eugene Melnyk while talking to Susan Sherring - a former Postmedia reporter and columnist - at Mayor Jim Watson's campaign kickoff event Sunday.
“(Watson and I have) talked a lot, we’ve talked about the future of the Senators and of its ownership and we agree,” Alfredsson told Sherring, as she wrote on her blog shortly after the event. “We hope we get a new owner."
After making the comment, Alfredsson claimed it was off the record, according to Sherring. However, standard journalistic protocol dictates that must be agreed upon before an interview begins. Otherwise, whatever is said is fair game.
Watson wouldn't say whether he shared the same sentiment, but did reveal Alfredsson told him he didn't know he was talking to a reporter. His claim comes despite Sherring interviewing the former player several times, and despite Alfredsson asking the former reporter to keep the comments off the record.
Alfredsson was the Senators senior advisor of hockey operations for nearly two years, beginning in the fall of 2015 and ending in the summer of 2017.
He's the club's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points, and ranks second on the franchise's all-time games played list.
The group looking to bring an NHL team to Seattle will have to wait a little longer to get the rubber stamp.
It's long been thought conditional approval for an expansion franchise in the Emerald City could come at the Board of Governors meetings next month. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says that plan has changed.
Back in March, as Tim Leiweke's Oak View Group (along with investors David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer) celebrated a successful ticket drive, both Leiweke and Bruckheimer mentioned the June meetings as the next hurdle to clear. However, Bettman told the AP this week the league is going to take its time.
“What we have said to the people - David Bonderman’s (Oak View Group) - is we’re on your timetable," Bettman said, adding that the NHL still has plenty of work to do on the matter.
"We have to finish doing our due diligence and our homework. We need to have the timetable understanding as to when the building’s going to get done. We can move as fast or as slowly as you want. There’s no rush."
Bettman said OVG has some work to do as well, including overseeing the redevelopment of Seattle's KeyArena.
“We’re in the middle of the process. They’re doing their homework, and they’re proceeding on two fronts because they’ve got to renovate a building and they’ve got to pursue the team and they’re doing both very nicely. They’re working with the city, they hired (CEO of the prospective team) Tod Leiweke."
Seattle fans responded in full force on March 1, putting down 10,000 deposits in the first 12 minutes of the ownership group's ticket drive.
If the NHL grants the city an expansion club, it would likely begin play in the 2020-21 season.
With the Stanley Cup Final now on the horizon, theScore's Josh Gold-Smith put together the third installment of the NHL Playoff Power Rankings. (Rankings 5-16 are unchanged from the previous edition.)
1. Vegas Golden Knights
Honestly, what else can we say about the best story in the NHL at this point?
Doubters keep expecting them to regress, but the expansion darlings continue to prove they belong among the NHL's elite clubs this spring, and they've been the most impressive team in these playoffs.
The Golden Knights made quick work of a deep, talented Winnipeg Jets squad, dispatching them in five games, and Vegas is now 12-3 in this postseason.
The second-best story of the playoffs has undoubtedly been the Capitals exorcising their postseason demons, with Alex Ovechkin reaching the championship round for the first time in his 13-year NHL career.
Washington reeled off consecutive shutouts of the Tampa Bay Lightning as they forced Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final and then won that in convincing fashion Wednesday night.
Ovechkin looked like a man on a mission as he scored the opening goal of Game 7 a mere 62 seconds in.
The Lightning had the Capitals on the ropes, taking a 3-2 series lead in the conference final before losing Games 6 and 7.
Tampa Bay's offense evaporated in those final two contests, and while the Capitals' goaltending and defense certainly deserve credit for that, the Lightning's most dynamic scorers didn't produce when they needed to most.
They should certainly hold their heads high after a solid season, but the Lightning had the Capitals where they wanted them and couldn't finish the job.
Don't blame Andrei Vasilevskiy, though. The Tampa Bay netminder - who won't turn 24 until late July - was stellar in the series, posting a .932 save percentage over the final five games. The Lightning's core should remain largely intact, so they should be one of the league's best teams once again next season.
4. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets had visions of the Cup dancing in their heads after a terrific regular season, and they looked to be on course to fulfilling that as their playoff run progressed. Then they ran into the upstart Golden Knights.
That series was closer than it appeared, but Winnipeg had no answer for Vegas' relentlessness.
Mark Scheifele tallied three times in the series but was held off the scoresheet in Games 4 and 5, managing only a single shot on goal in the latter, and Connor Hellebuyck wasn't terrible but was simply outplayed by Fleury.
Patrik Laine was neutralized, too, but the Jets will be back, and the futures of both the franchise and its brightest young star remain bright.
The Vegas Golden Knights probably aren't thinking too much about the future beyond the looming Stanley Cup Final. But boy, are they ever set up for it.
With the expansion darlings sitting a mere four wins from completing what was previously unthinkable, it's worth exploring how ideal their situation is this summer, and potentially also in the years ahead.
Yes, that's right: The Golden Knights could win the Cup and then improve dramatically this offseason, becoming a powerhouse that consistently contends for titles.
There are several reasons why Vegas is well-positioned to get significantly better going forward, ensuring their magical run isn't an anomaly.
All that cap space
Golden Knights general manager George McPhee will have some big items on his to-do list this summer. However, he still has enough money to re-sign key contributors while possibly adding a superstar or two.
A franchise entering its second season often has salary cap flexibility. Vegas has even more than usual, with a whopping projected $24.8 million to spend.
Here's one eyebrow-raising but fairly plausible offseason blueprint:
Illustration of Vegas' cap space this summer: They could theoretically add Bobby Ryan + E. Karlsson in a futures trade; cash out for Tavares; extend W. Karlsson long-term;... all while staying under the cap **and** not trading out a single contract. pic.twitter.com/6NU3XsKd2E
Will the Erik Karlsson trade that nearly happened at the deadline come to fruition in the offseason? Would John Tavares leave the New York Islanders for the Golden Knights?
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said he's not going to trade his franchise defenseman during the draft. But a deal before or after the draft wouldn't be shocking because the Golden Knights reportedly made the"hardest push" for Karlsson back in February.
As the hypothetical scenario above shows, Vegas could take on both Karlsson's expiring deal and Bobby Ryan's unsavory contract (the latter being a likely condition of the trade), while still having enough wiggle room to make another major splash.
Tavares hasn't tipped his hand about whether he plans to sign elsewhere on July 1. But if he does, the Golden Knights would have a shot at landing him, especially if they get Karlsson in the fold beforehand.
The minor detail of Karlsson's long-term future would also need to be addressed, and there's been no indication Tavares will ditch the Islanders. Still, this Karlsson-Tavares scenario illustrates just how much room the Golden Knights will have to maneuver under the cap, and there are plenty of other free agents and stars on expiring deals they could target, too.
Meanwhile, retaining their own key contributors shouldn't be an issue. William Karlsson will need to be rewarded for his breakout 43-goal, 78-point campaign, and he should get an extension in the $5 million to $7 million range annually. Shea Theodore and Colin Miller are pending restricted free agents, but McPhee won't have to break the bank to bring them back.
James Neal and David Perron are pending UFAs. They're useful forwards, but Vegas could let one or both walk if it means upgrading with comparable or better players.
Draft picks aplenty
Cap room isn't the only weapon the Golden Knights will wield.
They don't hold first- or third-round picks in next month's draft. But Vegas has stockpiled two second-round picks and three third-round selections in 2019, plus three more second-round choices in 2020, in addition to their two future first-rounders.
Here's a look at their full array of upcoming draft choices:
2018 Round
Number of Picks
1
0
2
1
3
0
4
2
5
2
6
2
7
0
2019 Round
Number of Picks
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
1
5
2
6
1
7
1
2020 Round
Number of Picks
1
1
2
3
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
Those picks could help facilitate a Karlsson trade or a move approaching that magnitude. They give McPhee some extra chips to bring to the table as he looks to further bolster the roster.
A team this new having a surplus of draft picks isn't surprising. But having so much success this fast is stunning, and now the Golden Knights can look to ship some of these future selections to a rebuilding club while acquiring established talent that can help them immediately.
More than just Sin City appeal
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Las Vegas was already an intriguing free-agent destination because of everything the city has to offer. Now, it's arguably the league's most attractive landing spot thanks to the Golden Knights' unexpected run to the final.
The Golden Knights have already proven to pending free agents they're a legitimate threat to claim hockey's ultimate prize. Every talented piece they add is only going to help convince players who might be on the fence.
Given what a tremendous story Vegas' run has been, who wouldn't want to join this team and build on this season, no matter how it ends?
The Golden Knights have a lot of factors in their favor, and they're in a position to get even better on paper next season. If they take advantage of their circumstances they could become championship contenders for years to come.
(Salary and draft pick information courtesy: CapFriendly)
The Rangers fired former head coach Alain Vigneault on the final Saturday night of the NHL's regular season after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10.
Mark Hunter insists he hasn't discussed the possibility of joining the Islanders with Lou Lamoriello, the former Toronto Maple Leafs GM who was named New York's president of hockey operations Tuesday.
“Isn’t it quick how people want to (make those connections?)” Hunter said with a chuckle to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan on Tuesday night. “There is nothing to that. I have not talked to Lou. Lou has a million things going on right now. He has bigger fish.”
Hunter called the Leafs GM position "a job you dream of" and expressed disappointment with not being tabbed as the next one, but said he understood team president Brendan Shanahan's decision to promote Kyle Dubas.
“No, I don’t get bitter,” Hunter said. “People make decisions and Shanny had his reasons. (I) feel good about what has happened with the team, where we have gone and where we can go. Sure, it’s disappointing. But we all make decisions and move ahead and don’t look back.”
He has a non-compete agreement that will prevent other teams from hiring him until July 15.
Dubas was named Toronto's GM earlier this month, following Lamoriello's departure in late April.
Hunter parted ways with the Leafs on Tuesday morning, in a revelation that came about an hour before Lamoriello was officially appointed to his new role.
The former assistant GM served in Toronto's front office for about three-and-a-half years, beginning as director of player personnel in the fall of 2014 and becoming co-interim GM along with Dubas when Dave Nonis was fired in April 2015.
Lou Lamoriello clearly wasn't interested in revealing whether he did, in fact, speak to John Tavares before officially taking on his new role.
"When it comes to talking with players ... I will never comment about it," the New York Islanders president of hockey operations told reporters on a conference call Tuesday, according to MSG's Shannon Hogan. "(I) never have in the past and (I) won’t (now).”
He did have some praise to heap on the captain, though.
Lou Lamoriello: “Everyone in the National Hockey League knows about John Tavares. He’s one of the elite players, a gentleman both on and off the ice. He’s a quality individual as well as a quality player. I don’t know any better way of describing him.”
In that same report, Staple confirmed with two sources that Lamoriello met with Tavares last week, "clearly in anticipation of assuming control of the Islanders."
The Islanders superstar is a pending unrestricted free agent who will be the most sought-after player in the class if he hits July 1 without a new contract.
Lamoriello departed the Leafs at the end of April after three seasons with Toronto, in a move that preceded Kyle Dubas' promotion to the GM position. Lamoriello's son, Chris, is the Islanders' assistant GM.
