NHL.COM --- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski faces a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Sunday afternoon for an incident in Toronto's 6-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.It's gut check time for the NHL. This is one of these cases where the NHL needs to make an example out of Grabovski and throw the book at him. Suspend him for a game or two, that would be okay with me. Heck, why not make it hurt and suspend him for three to five games.
Grabovski received a 10-minute misconduct and a roughing minor for an incident during a scrum at the 11:30 mark of the third period. Grabovski was tangled up with Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty during the incident in question. Pacioretty was also issued a 10-minute misconduct on the play.
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| PK Subban (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Stu Hackel, Red Light Blog --- Among the most buzz-y stories this week has been the plight of Pernell Karl Subban, the Canadiens’ restricted free agent defenseman who remains unsigned. It’s worth questioning, however, if this story is worth all the buzz, although almost everything involving P.K. grabs the hockey world by the lapels and screams for attention, which is not necessarily a bad thing.Last season, Subban had seven goals and 29 assists in 81 games for the Montreal Canadians. Subban also is a restricted free agent - so unless someone like the Philadelphia Flyers signs Subban to an offer sheet - the Habs defenseman isn't going anywhere so he is pretty much stuck with the current offer they Habs have on the table.
The way this story has been reported, or at least repeated, is that the Habs have offered P.K. a two-year deal for $5.5 million that he has rejected. Subban is supposedly “unhappy” and “negotiations have hit a roadblock” according to one content provider, and he’s “very far away” from reaching an agreement, according to another. More than one blogger (OK here’s one) has called for their favorite team to extend the 23-year-old an RFA offer sheet, certain that he’d be the answer to its blueline problems. This talk of Subban becoming an offer sheet target for general managers seeking defensemen spread to the XM Satellite Radio on Friday morning, with hosts and guests very curious as to why no team has gone after him.
Had the Flyers not extended an offer sheet to Shea Weber last month, the chatter about snaring another team’s RFA would hardly be as prevalent. The experience wouldn’t be that fresh in our collective minds. But the lessons of Weber and all RFA signings — which GMs understand well — haven’t resonated much for some reason.
Here’s the thing: Teams don’t sign RFAs to offer sheets very much because they tend not to achieve the desired result. The player’s original team invariably matches the offer and, as we saw with Weber’s situation, there are only hard feelings between the clubs and maybe even some between the player and his team. The only thing RFA offer sheets accomplish under the current CBA is that another team ends up negotiating a contract for a player it ultimately doesn’t sign.
Tim Panaccio, CSNPHILLY.COM --- The two sides will meet again on Wednesday.There is some news from the UND Hockey front... Fighting Sioux senior forward Danny Kristo, is ranked 7th for the Montreal Canadiens.
NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr would not take a stance on whether the union agreed entirely with the league on revenue sharing. Still, it’s widely known the players feel the expansion of such is not only necessary, but also the only way to resolve the vast revenue gaps between the “have” and “have nots,” while limiting the salary hit the players are expected to swallow in the next CBA.
What has not been discussed yet -- but figures to be -- is whether the owners will accept a luxury tax, similar to what Fehr negotiated with Major League Baseball.
There are no less than 10 teams in the NHL that annually spend to the salary cap limit or beyond. Those are the teams that support the underlings that can’t manage a profit.
7. Danny Kristo, RW: Kristo will be returning for his senior season with the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota in 2012-13. The second-round pick in 2008 (No. 56) is coming off a junior season when he finished second on the team in scoring with 42 points in 45 games
David Schoalts, The Globe and Mail ---- Bettman said he still thinks there is time to get a new agreement before the season starts in early October. Fehr once again pointed out the players are willing to work even after the current agreement expires.I guess I am not expecting a counter proposal from the NHLPA anytime soon – the NHLPA just had 76,000 pages of financial information dumped in their laps from the NHL owners… No telling how long they will study the information to make their decision.
"All I've said is Sept. 15 is not a magic date unless someone wants to make it so," Fehr said. "There's nothing that happens on Sept. 15 if we don't have an agreement, provided nobody says we're going to go on strike or says we're going to lock the doors."
Jeff Z. Klein, Slap Shots --- Commissioner Gary Bettman emerged from a negotiating session with the N.H.L. Players’ Association on Tuesday and announced that the league had supplied 76,000 pages of audited financial documents that the union had requested.
the Michigan Daily web page.
---Here is what Pronman had to say about Danny Kristo – based on what he has said here I do believe that it’s a pretty accurate assessment.
3. Brock Nelson, Center
2010-11 Ranking: Unranked
Date of birth: 10/15/1991
Age: 20
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 192
Shoots: Left
Statistics: 42 GP, 28 G, 47 P (Univ. of North Dakota-WCHA)
Acquired: First round, 30th overall in 2010 by New York Islanders
The Good: According to many scouts, Nelson was one of the best players in college hockey this year after taking big steps forward in his development. He really grew into his frame and projects as a legit high-end physical player due to his size, strength level, and willingness to use his body. He's a smart defensive player who showed very advanced awareness in his own end. Nelson's best offensive trait is his hockey sense, as he has good vision and overall offensive instincts to combine with solid puck skills. He looks like a do-it-all forward who can play center or wing, log tough minutes, and still score at the top level.
The Bad: His skating has improved, at times flashing pro-average but more improvement in that area could help. Nelson has no glaring hole, but he also lacks any true wow-caliber tool.
Projection: He could be a good second-line center who can also check top players.
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4. Danny Kristo, Right Wing
2010-11 Ranking: 7th
Date of birth: 06/18/1990
Age: 22
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 188
Shoots: Right
Statistics: 42 GP, 19 G, 45 P (University of North Dakota-WCHA)
Acquired: Second round, 56th overall in 2008 by Montreal
The Good: Kristo rebounded from a disappointing sophomore year with a much stronger junior season, looking much more reminiscent of the player scouts saw during his U-20 years. Kristo arguably is a high-end skater, although I didn't always see that level this season, with a great stride and an effortless ability to hit a dangerous top gear. He's also a good puck-handler who on occasion shows plus ability, but this year the extra element I saw from Kristo was making a lot of above-average if not high-end passes. He's also a gritty player who works hard in the physical areas and can be effective as a penalty killer.
The Bad: Kristo's body is his major issue, as it hasn't developed as one would hope and he needs a boat load of strength to excel as a pro. He also forces bad plays still but not as much as prior years.
Projection: He could be a decent second-line winger.
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Pat Hickey, The Gazette --- [Danny] Kristo said he envisions turning pro next April after what he hopes will be a successful season at North Dakota. The school was one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament, but missed a berth in the Frozen Four when it was upset 1-0 by Minnesota in the Midwest Regional final.I guess we first need to correct a few incorrect points from the article, UND was beaten by Minnesota 5-2 in the 2012 West Regional Final and Michigan beat the UND 2-0 in the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four Semi-Final, other than that the mess is pretty good.
North Dakota did appear in the Frozen Four two years ago, but lost 1-0 to Michigan in the semifinals.
“I have some unfinished business in North Dakota,” said Kristo, who was Louis Leblanc’s linemate in the USHL. “The past three years we’ve been close, we’ve had a good team. We only lost three guys from last season, so we’re going to have a good team.”
Kristo said he takes some inspiration from former teammates who stayed at North Dakota for four years.
“Just a year ago at North Dakota, we had three seniors who decided to stay,” Kristo said. “You look at (Matt) Frattin, (Brad) Malone and (Chay) Genoway, and they all played in the NHL last season. There are different paths for everyone. It’s (a) pretty close-knit family at North Dakota and going back for one year will make me better.”
“You never know until you get there, but I think was ready,” Kristo said. “With everything that was going on in the offseason, I didn’t know if someone (with the Canadiens) was going to get fired or there was going to be a new GM but, in the end, going back to school would be the right decision.”I think that there is a message here – Kristo talked to his former team mates that stayed all four years at UND instead of signing early to play in the professional rank and he decided that it was a good idea personally if he will return to Grand Forks to play his final season for the Fighting Sioux.
Forwards
Danny Kristo may have been the player of the game, demonstrating his raw speed and soft hands, scoring once. To a certain extent, Kristo has flown under the radar with fans and media in Montreal but until help arrives in the form of the No. 3 pick at the 2012 Entry Draft, the Fighting Sioux right-winger is the Habs most-promising forward prospect. Kristo will head back to the University of North Dakota for his senior year in the Fall in pursuit of an NCAA championship.
Michael Cichy also deserves mention after today’s scrimmage. During drills, one can’t help notice that his skating isn’t very strong and there’s nagging rumblings about his conditioning. But get him into game action and Cichy shows that he has excellent vision and a nose for offense. The smallish center scored twice during the scrimmage for Team White.
Goaltenders
Aaron Dell is listed as one of The Goalie Guild’s “Dark Horses” with a 35 per cent chance of being signed to a pro deal. In camp Dell demonstrated why he had such a successful NCAA career with solid positioning. He could improve his rebound control but was willing to be a battle to make the save when caught out of position.
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| Dan's Daily Dose |
GOALTENDERSBased on all that we have heard around here during the offseason – we probably won’t be seeing Aaron Dell in a UND uniform next season. The last word that I had heard, from a pretty good source it’s about 99% that Dell isn’t coming back to UND - so I guess we shouldn't be shocked if to see Aaron Dell sign a professional contract.
Aaron Dell: My favourite of the goalies on day one. I expect him to be offered a contract, be it a two-way deal or an AHL agreement with the Bulldogs. He’s a little slow-moving, but he’s a scrambler, battling for pucks and not giving up.
FORWARDS
Former Fighting Sioux - Mike Cichy: Cichy is very small and skinny. He had to sit out a year of hockey for switching Universities, and doesn’t seem to have spent much of it in the weight room. His legs stand out as being remarkably thin (at one point I quipped that he almost looks like a kid wearing his father’s equipment), not something you want in a professional hockey player for reasons of balance, skating, and strength, so at this point, he doesn’t seem to have much of a future as a prospect.
Danny Kristo: I came away from day one thinking that Kristo looked very small. He is very quick, despite short strides (which can hamper a player). For example, despite both being undersized, his style is almost the opposite of Gallagher’s, who has longer stride but isn’t as fast, which is a testament to Kristo’s footwork. He also has good hands, though he didn’t seem particularly engaged when it was his turn to charge in on net. As such, he wasn’t remarkable. One the size issues, I felt he looked bigger on day two, so I’ll attribute my initial impression in part to his being grouped mainly with the defensemen on Wednesday, all of whom are 6’1″ or taller. Hopefully he commits fully to training with his final year in college, and adds some strength. Tended to only interact with players he was familiar with in Leblanc and MacMillan.
Mark MacMillan: I’ll call MacMillan a pet prospect of mine. He’s filling out slowly, now generously listed at 183 lbs after being drafted at 150, but he does look bigger than in the past. He’s a skilled guy with interesting offensive tools, but had some trouble with a few skating drills (he looked alright at times as well, but it’s an area for him to focus on). A longer-term project, he may be a go-to player at UND next season, so that’s perhaps the only reason to be happy that Kristo will be returning there for another season.
There was confirmation of things we already knew:
And there were a few initial impressions that we will keep our eyes on:
- Daniel Pribyl and Alexander Avtsin are magicians with the puck.
- Danny Kristo has explosive acceleration.
- Nathan Beaulieu is very smooth.
- Brendan Gallagher‘s switch goes ‘ON’ the moment his skates touch the ice.
The group of missing players included Collin Sullivan, Peter Delmas, Morgan Ellis and Dustin Walsh. They did not participate in Wednesday’s practise.
- Patrick Holland may be a better skater than advertised.
- Darren Dietz looks much more confident this year.
- Aaron Dell turned heads with his goaltending at least year’s camp but may be challenged this year by Brandon Maxwell.
- Cody Reichard looked competent in goal with a good glove hand despite his try-out status.
- If this team had a captain, it would be Jarred Tinordi, hands down. Solid leadership qualities.
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| TSN broadcaster, and former National Hockey League coach, Pierre McGuire prior to a playoff game between the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks, in Calgary. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
tsn.ca ---- Francois Gagnon of La Presse reports that NBC commentator and former NHL on TSN analyst Pierre McGuire had an interview with the Montreal Canadiens for their vacant general manager post.
While it wasn't known if the talks were done in person or over the phone or whether McGuire met with Canadiens owner/president Geoff Molson or advisor Serge Savard, sources told the paper that a meeting did take place over the last few days.
McGuire won two Stanley Cups as a scout and assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins and was also head coach of the Hartford Whalers. He also worked as a pro scout and assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators before going into radio broadcasting in 1997.
McGuire joined TSN in 1999 and was an analyst/colour commentator for 12 seasons.
John Shannon tweet,
NHL has looked at BMarchand clipping penalty on Emelin last night. Don’t expect anymore discipline from the play. He might get a phone call.
Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Right after Pat Kaleta scored into the empty net Tuesday in Montreal to ice the game, he did his arm pumping goal celebration down the slot. Max Pacioretty took exception and started talking trash as he does all game. His target this time was Paul Gaustad. Pacioretty asked him “Where’s Lucic” with Gaustad countering “Where’s Chara” in reference to the hit Chara put on Pacioretty into the glass last year that started a near riot in the city of Montreal and almost ended his career.Seriously, Pacioretty you ran your mouth to Buffalo's Gaustad and asked him where Lucic was and he smartly replied, there is no reason for the Hab's to get upset with Gaustad. I think it's fair game. Time to Habs to stop whining and start act like men.
Price described Gaustad as a “guy who likes to run his mouth” and the Buffalo player reportedly asked Pacioretty: “Where’s Chara?” That was a reference to Boston defenceman Zdeno Chara’s hit that ended Pacioretty’s season last spring. [Montreal Gazette]
