.@LAKings ⭐️ @tytoff16 in the 🏠! #TSM350 pic.twitter.com/YigIy2hUUN
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 26, 2016
After recording a career high 58 points in his fourth NHL season, Los Angeles Kings forward Tyler Toffoli is enjoying his offseason by attending his first NASCAR race at the Save Mart 350 in Sonoma.
The 24-year-old also took to Twitter to share who he is pulling for in Sunday's race - the current Sprint Cup points leader and the lone female in the Sprint Cup series.
Out in Sonoma for @NASCAR 🏁 Tune in on @FS1! I'm pulling for @KevinHarvick & @DanicaPatrick #NASCAR
— Tyler Toffoli (@tytoff16) June 26, 2016
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The NHL season is long and taxing. Especially when you make the Stanley Cup Final and play into June.
That's what San Jose Sharks defenseman and most interesting hockey player on the planet Brent Burns did, and after coming up short in the finals, he's enjoying some time off.
Burns and the family have taken to the RV:
Road trip was great! Truck stops, Grand Canyon and BBQ @Walmart How good is @DisneyZootopia! 4 days straight it's on pic.twitter.com/D61vHYBL6U
— Brent Burns (@Burnzie88) June 26, 2016
There's nothing quite like barbecuing in a Walmart parking lot, after all.
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Alexander Radulov's return to the NHL wasn't meant to be.
Reported to be seeking a two-year, $15-million contract back in North America, Radulov was unable to find any suitors and will now be returning to the KHL after signing with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche were both said to be interested in the winger, who has not played in the NHL since leaving Salavat for a brief second stint with the Nashville Predators in 2012.
Radulov played his last four seasons with CSKA Moscow, finishing among the top two in league scoring on three separate occasions.
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Though the Detroit Red Wings' interest in Steven Stamkos is now well-known, that's not the only upgrade general manager Ken Holland is looking to make this offseason.
The Red Wings are looking to acquire a defenseman via trade, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, and Holland has already had discussions regarding two of the biggest names available.
Kevin Shattenkirk was one of the Red Wings' targets, but the St. Louis Blues reportedly wanted All-Star forward Dylan Larkin in return. Shattenkirk is owed $4.25 million next season, the final year of his contract.
St. James also says Holland had discussions with the Anaheim Ducks regarding 24-year-old Cam Fowler. He will earn $4 million in each of the next two seasons.
The Red Wings have already stated they are unlikely to re-sign 30-year-old blue-liner Kyle Quincey, while Danny Dekeyser and Alexey Marchenko are both set to hit restricted free agency.
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The 2016 NHL Draft is in the books, and every club is likely leaving Buffalo believing they've improved.
In reality, though, some did better than others when it came to stocking their organizations with the right ingredients for future success.
Here's our evaluation of the teams in the Pacific Division:
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Max Jones |
| 1 | 30 | Sam Steel |
| 3 | 85 | Joshua Mahura |
| 4 | 93 | Jack Kopacka |
| 4 | 115 | Alex Dostie |
| 7 | 205 | Tyler Soy |
The Ducks landed a couple of solid forward prospects late in the first round. Jones has issues with discipline, but his offensive skills are undeniable. Steel can skate, has a high hockey IQ, and put up 70 points in 72 OHL games. The Ducks did well getting Mahura and Soy in the third and seventh rounds, respectively.
Grade: B-
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Clayton Keller |
| 1 | 16 | Jakob Chychrun |
| 3 | 68 | Cam Dineen |
| 6 | 158 | Patrick Kudla |
| 7 | 188 | Dean Stewart |
The Coyotes were one of the consensus winners of the draft, and they made the most of it despite having only five picks. They managed to get a tantalizing center and two defensemen with potential in their first three selections.
Keller was one of the most productive players in the history of the U.S. national team program, Chychrun could evolve into a top defensive prospect, and Dineen was one of the best blue-liners in the OHL.
Arizona had the cap space to take Pavel Datsyuk's contract from the Detroit Red Wings, who had to package the 16th pick to make it work. That allowed the Coyotes to move up from No. 20 and grab Chychrun.
Grade: A+
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Matthew Tkachuk |
| 2 | 54 | Tyler Parsons |
| 2 | 56 | Dillon Dube |
| 3 | 66 | Adam Fox |
| 4 | 96 | Linus Lindstrom |
| 5 | 126 | Mitchell Mattson |
| 6 | 156 | Eetu Tuulola |
| 6 | 166 | Matthew Phillips |
| 7 | 186 | Stepan Falkovsky |
The Flames were the other consensus winner, and it's an assessment that's hard to argue. They snagged a blue-chip forward in Tkachuk, who was expected by many to go in the top four.
Calgary also acquired an affordable veteran goaltender in Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues. Parsons was a bit of a reach in the second round, but the Flames were clearly focused on improving their goaltending - now and in the future.
Grade: A
Draft picks
| Round | PIck | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jesse Puljujarvi |
| 2 | 32 | Tyler Benson |
| 3 | 63 | Markus Niemelainen |
| 3 | 84 | Matthew Cairns |
| 3 | 91 | Filip Berglund |
| 5 | 123 | Dylan Wells |
| 5 | 149 | Graham McPhee |
| 6 | 153 | Aapeli Rasanen |
| 7 | 183 | Vincent Desharnais |
Puljujarvi fell into the Oilers' lap when the Columbus Blue Jackets chose Pierre-Luc Dubois at No. 3, but they still deserve credit for nabbing the phenomenal Finnish forward when they did, rather than opting for Tkachuk or another player in the four spot.
The rest of Edmonton's draft was very well done, too. Benson has simply been plagued by injuries, and he was a nice get who could have gone off the board earlier.
The Oilers have plenty of forward prospects, and addressing on the blue line was clearly a priority. Edmonton used four of its nine picks on defensemen.
Grade: A-
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 51 | Kale Clague |
| 4 | 112 | Jacob Moverare |
| 5 | 142 | Michael Eyssimont |
| 7 | 202 | Jacob Friend |
The Kings didn't have much to work with, but they did get a strong two-way defenseman in Clague late in the second round. He put up a 43-point season for Brandon in the WHL, and was a good value pick considering he was Central Scouting's eighth-highest ranked North American defenseman.
Grade: C+
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 60 | Dylan Gambrell |
| 4 | 111 | Noah Gregor |
| 5 | 150 | Manuel Wiederer |
| 6 | 180 | Mark Shoemaker |
| 7 | 210 | Joakim Blichfeld |
Like the Kings, the Sharks didn't have a first-round pick, and it's hard to make shrewd moves like the Coyotes did when most of the five picks you do have are late in their respective rounds.
Gambrell has been on scouts' radars for a long time, but his upside is limited. Gregor potted 28 goals and 73 points in 72 games for Moose Jaw in the WHL.
Grade: C
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Olli Juolevi |
| 3 | 64 | William Lockwood |
| 5 | 140 | Cole Candella |
| 6 | 154 | Jakob Stukel |
| 7 | 184 | Rodrigo Abols |
| 7 | 194 | Brett McKenzie |
Jim Benning may not be the smoothest when it comes to free agents, but he made out reasonably well at the draft table this weekend.
Juolevi was the first defenseman off the board, and rightfully so. The Canucks and their fans should be giddy about landing an elite defensive prospect, and Lockwood has the offensive skills that could make him a nice complementary winger in the future.
Vancouver should be pleased with those two selections, even if the rest of its draft class is a bit underwhelming.
Grade: B
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Having missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, the Boston Bruins are in a transitional period, trying to locate the winning formula that recently slated them as a powerhouse in the East.
General manger Don Sweeney has tweaking to do, and while he's exploring landing Steven Stamkos, he believes some of the teams' problems can be solved with current personnel - notably, forwards Jimmy Hayes and David Pastrnak - elevating their game.
"We have internal candidates that might have to step up, and David is a player like that ... Jimmy is a player like that. There's no question we're not a complete team right now," Sweeney said, according to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com. "So we'll go to work now, and that could be through free agency, or through potential trade stuff. It could also be about the excitement if somebody pops from the development side of things."
Hayes, acquired by the Bruins last offseason, contributed 29 points in 75 games, but wasn't an impact player for most of the campaign.
"I think Jimmy had a pretty start to the year, but he really tailed off when the team needed him most," Sweeney said. "He should take some serious responsibility for that. We had a pretty frank discussion about that to challenge him to take his game to another level, and be able to help out a younger player."
Hayes, 26, is locked into the Bruins books for another two seasons at a $2.3-million cap hit.
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