AROUND THE LEAGUE - 25-26

[Megaterio Llamas]

Insider: Carter Hart Ruling Out Oilers, Flyers and 6 Other Teams

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/in ... r-AA1Msbhr


Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports that Carter Hart is likely going to have a deal in place with an NHL team by October 1. He won’t be able to sign it until October 15, but teams can talk to the goaltender as he eyes a return to the NHL.

Among the teams that won’t be in the mix are the Philadelphia Flyers, says Johnston.

The NHL insider writes, “His top priorities are finding a job with a clear chance to get a meaningful number of starts and playing for a team that can win.” Johnston adds, “Hart is looking for a fresh start, which effectively rules out a return to Philadelphia.”

All other Canadian cities are also reportedly not in the running. Johnston notes, “He’s also almost certainly going to land with a U.S.-based team, per league sources. ” That means the Edmonton Oilers are out, too. Understandably, Hart is likely going to try to distance himself from the backlash that will come in the Canadian market after he was part of a sexual allegations case while a member of Team Canada. The spotlight is bright in cities like Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and others. His focus will be on hockey, playing well, and trying to prove he’s capable of getting a contract beyond the short-term one he signs.

“That invalidates any notion of the Sherwood Park, Alta., native landing with his hometown Edmonton Oilers — a popular speculative home among some media and fans, but in reality not a good fit on either side of the equation.”

Hart is expected to sign a two- or three-year NHL contract. He’ll use the month from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15 to regain form, likely starting a few AHL games with Lehigh Valley before returning to the NHL in early December.

[UWSaint]

[article saying hart wants a new start, on a team with a chance to play a meaningful number of games, and can win, and not in Canada

I think Hart ought to scratch off the “winner” requirement if he wants a meaningful number of games. He’s an unknown from the performance perspective. Could end up being decent again, might show himself to not be an NHLer. Teams with a meaningful chance to win by and large have that meaningful chance because they figured out their goaltending — they have 2 goalies they are comfortable with or one that they expect to ride hard. Winners generally can’t afford experiments, while those who need miracles to be become winners have incentives to roll the dice. The exception to the general rule is Edmonton, who is a contender in spite of their current goaltending. I get why Hart doesn’t want to deal with the Canadian press every day (even if that’s a great place for him….)

[Megaterio Llamas]

I'm surprised to see Jack Roslovic and Matt Grzelcyk sitting there unsigned. They both seem to be coming off atypically productive career seasons and were undoubtedly looking to cash in. They would be handy bargain signings for someone if it works out that way.

[UWSaint]

I'm surprised to see Jack Roslovic and Matt Grzelcyk sitting there unsigned. They both seem to be coming off atypically productive career seasons and were undoubtedly looking to cash in. They would be handy bargain signings for someone if it works out that way.

It seems every year there are a couple of these guys whose productivity, either measured by stats or advanced metrics (but rarely both….) give them/their agents an understanding of their value that’s not shared in the market. They will accordingly adjust their price, but since teams filled what they needed from free agency in the initial frenzy, the demand actually decreased further.

The Canucks have been in on 3 of these players in recent history: P. Suter, Lankinen, and Sprong. The market was wrong on the first two (though man did it work out for Lankinen….), dead on with Sprong.

I think one of the things that ties together players who fall through the cracks is some kind of deficit in their games that make teams think it just won’t work. For Suter it was suspect foot speed on a modest frame — that doesn’t compute easily in the brain for guys whose main calling is defensive. For Sprong (and I suspect Roslovic), it is defense, and that their + offensive capabilities aren’t great enough for that liability — team *might* be willing to carry a player like this, but two when the second one is good offensively but not a sure thing? For Grzelyck, it is size. He’s offensively okay—but if he’s your offensive defensemen, it’s not good enough. He’s defensively okay, but most prefer an “okay” that can lay a guy out, box guys out more easily, etc. And if your team already has one undersized defenseman, you are less willing to have another.

The market isn’t always right; these bargains can work out. I don’t have interest in seeing either in Vancouver given the club’s current composition, but I think that whoever gets Grzelcyk will have a bargain and a player contributing positive minutes.

[Tciso]

I'm surprised to see Jack Roslovic and Matt Grzelcyk sitting there unsigned. They both seem to be coming off atypically productive career seasons and were undoubtedly looking to cash in. They would be handy bargain signings for someone if it works out that way.

It seems every year there are a couple of these guys whose productivity, either measured by stats or advanced metrics (but rarely both….) give them/their agents an understanding of their value that’s not shared in the market. They will accordingly adjust their price, but since teams filled what they needed from free agency in the initial frenzy, the demand actually decreased further.

The Canucks have been in on 3 of these players in recent history: P. Suter, Lankinen, and Sprong. The market was wrong on the first two (though man did it work out for Lankinen….), dead on with Sprong.

I think one of the things that ties together players who fall through the cracks is some kind of deficit in their games that make teams think it just won’t work. For Suter it was suspect foot speed on a modest frame — that doesn’t compute easily in the brain for guys whose main calling is defensive. For Sprong (and I suspect Roslovic), it is defense, and that their + offensive capabilities aren’t great enough for that liability — team *might* be willing to carry a player like this, but two when the second one is good offensively but not a sure thing? For Grzelyck, it is size. He’s offensively okay—but if he’s your offensive defensemen, it’s not good enough. He’s defensively okay, but most prefer an “okay” that can lay a guy out, box guys out more easily, etc. And if your team already has one undersized defenseman, you are less willing to have another.

The market isn’t always right; these bargains can work out. I don’t have interest in seeing either in Vancouver given the club’s current composition, but I think that whoever gets Grzelcyk will have a bargain and a player contributing positive minutes.

I see Chicago as a fit for both players. That team really needs talent in general. Sign em both to 2 year contracts, and at a minimum, use them as the whipping boys, as you teach the rest of the team to play team defence.

[Lancer]

I'm surprised to see Jack Roslovic and Matt Grzelcyk sitting there unsigned. They both seem to be coming off atypically productive career seasons and were undoubtedly looking to cash in. They would be handy bargain signings for someone if it works out that way.

It seems every year there are a couple of these guys whose productivity, either measured by stats or advanced metrics (but rarely both….) give them/their agents an understanding of their value that’s not shared in the market. They will accordingly adjust their price, but since teams filled what they needed from free agency in the initial frenzy, the demand actually decreased further.

The Canucks have been in on 3 of these players in recent history: P. Suter, Lankinen, and Sprong. The market was wrong on the first two (though man did it work out for Lankinen….), dead on with Sprong.

I think one of the things that ties together players who fall through the cracks is some kind of deficit in their games that make teams think it just won’t work. For Suter it was suspect foot speed on a modest frame — that doesn’t compute easily in the brain for guys whose main calling is defensive. For Sprong (and I suspect Roslovic), it is defense, and that their + offensive capabilities aren’t great enough for that liability — team *might* be willing to carry a player like this, but two when the second one is good offensively but not a sure thing? For Grzelyck, it is size. He’s offensively okay—but if he’s your offensive defensemen, it’s not good enough. He’s defensively okay, but most prefer an “okay” that can lay a guy out, box guys out more easily, etc. And if your team already has one undersized defenseman, you are less willing to have another.

The market isn’t always right; these bargains can work out. I don’t have interest in seeing either in Vancouver given the club’s current composition, but I think that whoever gets Grzelcyk will have a bargain and a player contributing positive minutes.

I see Chicago as a fit for both players. That team really needs talent in general. Sign em both to 2 year contracts, and at a minimum, use them as the whipping boys, as you teach the rest of the team to play team defence.

Was thinking the same the same thing myself. The club has space both cap- and roster-wise for them. Sign 1-year contracts, and bet on themselves. Chicago would also not be the worst fit for Hart, either.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Agreed with most of the above but I think Chicago wants to pin Spencer Knight's ears back and throw him a good workload.

The interesting thing with some of the younger players in the league and I'm referring to anyone 28 and younger. You are seeing a shift to a 3 to 5 year contracts. These guys don't want to miss out when the cap keeps rising (for reasons that baffle me), but also they don't want to be wedged in on a bad team for 8 years.

Mathews signed a shorter term deal. Luke Hughes is looking for 5 years. I think McDavid won't exceed 4 years and the same for Quinn if I'm being honest. What about Bedard?

[JelloPuddingPop]

J.T. Miller named 29th Captain in Ranger's history.

Wondering if Petey just drove his scooter off the Burrard St. Bridge. Someone should do a wellness check.

Have my popcorn in hand to see how the Ranger's react to a sub-par season - likely not this year, as everything is "fresh" - but guys like J.T. can only keep things bottled up for a short time, like hard coaches etc.

The NHL is always the best source of drama. You can't make this shit up!

[Megaterio Llamas]

It looks like Grzelcyk had to settle for a PTO with a rebuilding team. I'm a little surprised, given that he was coming off a 40-point season.

[Tciso]

It looks like Grzelcyk had to settle for a PTO with a rebuilding team. I'm a little surprised, given that he was coming off a 40-point season.

Sprong 2.0?

[Lancer]

J.T. Miller named 29th Captain in Ranger's history.

Wondering if Petey just drove his scooter off the Burrard St. Bridge. Someone should do a wellness check.

Have my popcorn in hand to see how the Ranger's react to a sub-par season - likely not this year, as everything is "fresh" - but guys like J.T. can only keep things bottled up for a short time, like hard coaches etc.

The NHL is always the best source of drama. You can't make this shit up!

I'm not overly surprised. It seems New York management figured they needed more "Messier" in their leadership after last season's dysfunction. Funny how that squares with them dumping Kreider, even if it was a cap-dump. Maybe Kreider was just washed-up. I wager they'll get what they asked for. Whether it's really what they wanted remains to be seen.

As for Millsy... well, he's getting his chance to show folks - Tocchet, Van management, and his former teammates not the least - whether he was right or not; whether they should have stuck with him over Petey or whoever else didn't like how Miller was with Petey and others. We'll see what vibes come from the Rangers' locker room this upcoming season - especially if they don't charge out of the gate. Which Miller will emerge then?

We'll see who has the healthier locker room by Spring.

[Meds]

It looks like Grzelcyk had to settle for a PTO with a rebuilding team. I'm a little surprised, given that he was coming off a 40-point season.

Sprong 2.0?

A 31 year old journeyman whose career high was 26 points until last season. A breakout year is unlikely to be repeated or be the new norm at his age.

[Todd Bersnoozi]

J.T. Miller named 29th Captain in Ranger's history.

I am a curious to see how this plays out. Does JT mature, become a better leader/teammate and learn from of his experiences here? Or will he rustle some feathers again and cause some dysfunction in the dressing room?

[Cornuck]

J.T. Miller named 29th Captain in Ranger's history.

I am a curious to see how this plays out. Does JT mature, become a better leader/teammate and learn from of his experiences here? Or will he rustle some feathers again and cause some dysfunction in the dressing room?

I'm thinking he's past the point of growing, and hopefully sets the team back a few years with his tantrums.

[Megaterio Llamas]

I love the way they're just ignoring what happened here as if 'well, you know, that was Vancouver.' Just lol.