The Vancouver Canucks don't plan to rush 2016 first-round pick Olli Juolevi.
President of hockey operations Trevor Linden joined TSN 1040 on Tuesday and admitted that while he likes what he sees from the young defenseman, he might not join the big club next season.
"His ability to process the game and make the right play is impressive," Linden said, according to Ben Kuzma of TSN 1040. "Our plan for him is London."
While Juolevi might have to endure another season of junior, Linden says he expects to sign the 18-year-old to an entry-level contract in the coming weeks.
Juolevi amassed nine goals and 42 points in 57 regular season games, to go along with 14 playoff points in 18 postseason games during his first taste of North American Hockey with the London Knights last year. He also added seven points in four games en route to the Knights' Memorial Cup win.
Moore joins the club as a college free agent, after going undrafted while playing the last three seasons at the University of Denver.
The 21-year-old has shown offensive prowess in his three years with the Pioneers, having amassed a combined total of 47 goals and 120 points in 121 games.
"It's nice to get this done and just to know that I'll be around for awhile," DeKeyser said, according to Bill Roose of DetroitRedWings.com. "For me and my fiancee - she's also from Michigan - it's just a good spot for us to be in with family all around the state and that kind of thing. It's a big event coming up for us, so it's really cool how this has worked out before the wedding, to get that done and be comfortable and not have to worry about it.
"I don't want to go anywhere else and I was pretty happy that we were able to work with Kenny (Holland) and get a deal done. So I'm just excited about it."
Under his new contract, DeKeyser will make more than twice his previous annual average of $2.187 million, even despite an 11-point drop-off in production last season, which he attributes to one glaring reason.
"This year my point total was down, I had 20 points, but led the D in goals, I had eight goals so I thought that was a pretty good accomplishment," DeKeyser said. "I didn't have any power-play time this past year so sometimes it's hard to pick up those extra points when you're not playing on the power play. Whether I'm on that or not it doesn't matter, I'm just going to do my role, five-on-five and penalty kill, and if I do get a chance on the power play I'm comfortable playing that as well. I don't know if I'll get to 40 or 45 points without playing the power play, but it's a possibility, that's for sure."
DeKeyser did hit a career-high eight goals this season, but is one year removed from his career high in points, when he hit 31 in 80 games.
Despite finishing in the bottom three of the NHL standings the last three seasons, Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot feels that the club is still on the verge of something great.
The team has added Milan Lucic and Jesse Puljujarvi up front and despite dealing Taylor Hall, have added Adam Larsson, and with the possibility of more moves to come on the back end, Talbot feels the Oilers are trending in the right direction.
"I don’t think we’re that far off from making the playoffs, to be honest with you," Talbot told Sportsnet.ca. "I think one more piece [on defense] and we’ve got all the talent up front we've always had and added more talent via free agency and the draft. When you shore up the back end, which is what Peter's trying to do, as long as I do my part, I think we could definitely battle for a playoff spot this year and next year and go from there."
The Oilers finished last season with the 26th-ranked offense, converting an average of just 2.43 goals per game, meanwhile their defense fared even worse giving up a 27th-ranked 2.95 goals against per game.
Of course the odds will be stacked against the Oilers to make such a 180 and jump into the postseason, but Talbot feels the Hall trade is evidence of an overall positive trend that will make the club better immediately and moving forward.
"It’s tough to give away a guy like Taylor, but the return for a good defenseman is high this summer," said Talbot. "You have to give up something to get someone good, and I think we did that. I’m not sure Peter’s done yet, so we'll see what other pieces he can put in place here to point us in the right direction."
The Oilers have not made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season when they lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Sergey Zborovskiy, a third-round pick from last summer, to his three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Zborovskiy returned to the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League last season, his second in North America, and chipped in with eight goals and 25 points.
The 6-foot-4 defender is eligible for one more season at the major junior level.
theScore is ranking all 30 NHL jerseys. We're counting down by six each day this week.
24. Winnipeg Jets
The team's original design since rejoining the league, the Jets jersey features a great creative concept with lots of little details that pay homage to the Canadian Air Force.
However, let's be honest, a third jersey concept reminiscent of the earlier iteration of the Jets would be a fantastic addition to the club's wardrobe.
23. Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche should be praised for having gone nearly their entire 20-year history without making any drastic changes.
Their burgundy and blue remain an original color scheme not seen anywhere else in the league. A little more white, and removing the gray line in the socks - which doesn't really appear anywhere else - could provide a bit more pop.
22. Tampa Bay Lightning
If you don't like the Lightning's uniform, you better get used to it as the club has played 207 games over the past two seasons with no signs of slowing down.
Their regular sweaters are simple and appealing. As for their alternate "Bolts" jersey, we'll just forget those exist.
21. New Jersey Devils
The Devils design is simple with a color scheme that's clean and sharp.
Perhaps a new take on the "NJ" logo is warranted, though, to provide a fresh look to a jersey that's remained largely untouched for years.
20. Washington Capitals
After going through a complete overhaul to a teal and white jersey and then solid black from 1995-2007, the Washington Capitals returned to their roots in 2007 for a modern remake of their original red, white, and blue threads with which they entered the league.
While their current jerseys are sharp, giving the eagle on the shoulders a more prominent role on the chest could be an interesting take.
19. Florida Panthers
Given the heights the young and talented Panthers are beginning to hit, the organization made the decision to re-brand.
The team has turned away from its original logo, electing instead for a re-designed Panther shield and adding a solid line through the center of the jersey.
Not too shabby, though a "Spacey in Space" concept would also have been a great decision.
The defender was scheduled to attend a meeting with a salary arbitrator.
Manning scored a goal and seven points last season, his first exclusively at the NHL level since turning professional in 2011-12.
His signing presents another hurdle for Ivan Provorov, Samuel Morin, and the exciting group of defensive prospects the Flyers have assembled in recent drafts.
Rundblad and the Blackhawks mutually agreed to terminate his contract and he'll no longer impact the club's payroll, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.
He was placed on waivers July 1, and the Blackhawks were expected to buy out the final year of his contract, valued at a shade over $1 million.
Chicago aided its starving defense this summer with the addition of Brian Campbell, who sprung for a return to the franchise on a reduced salary.
DeKeyser will earn $5 million on an annual basis through 2021-22, and will have modified no-trade protection included in the deal, according to multiple reports.
He'll also apparently earn a small portion of his salary in signing bonuses.
It's a massive and perhaps hurried investment in the fourth-year pro, who took on an increased role under Jeff Blashill but also saw his overall production decline. DeKeyser scored eight goals and 20 points, and his step up in competition was reflected in his underlying numbers.
The Red Wings have a current cap estimate beyond the defined ceiling, and still have starting netminder Petr Mrazek scheduled for an arbitration hearing.
General manager Ken Holland has allocated significant dollar and term to free agent Frans Nielsen, bottom-six forward Darren Helm, and now DeKeyser before addressing the situation in goal.
Updates on Evander Kane and the Red Wings could be forced to shed salary. Details in your NHL rumor mill. UPDATES ON EVANDER KANE NBC SPORTS: Jason Brough cites TSN 1040 Vancouver’s Matt Sekeres saying he’s been hearing the Buffalo Sabres could be more willing to trade troubled left wing Evander Kane if they […]
