The dog days of summer are upon us.
So let us feast on the scraps of hearsay, speculation and scuttlebutt making the rounds over the NHL hot stove the past few days.
Our latest roundup features notes on Phil Kessel’s relationship with Mark Recchi, changes to Carey Price and Jimmy Howard’s expected workload, a discussion on Claude Giroux’s need for a rebound, the latest on Vegas, plus a compelling case for a Coyotes relocation.
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Recchi embracing role as the new Kessel whisperer
Hall of Famer Mark Recchi recently told Sportsnet’s Starting Lineup that, as newly appointed assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he “absolutely will” have a big role in the productivity of (rumoured trade bait) Phil Kessel.
“I’ve actually been around the past couple years and spent a lot of time with Phil, especially his first year [as a Penguin],” said Recchi. “I’d spend time with Phil because we had that opportunity to play together in Boston and had a good relationship there.
“We get along great. He’s a great guy. He’s a fun guy. He’s a heck of a player, he has a great hockey mind, and I look forward to working with him.”
Recchi said that former Penguins assistant Rick Tocchet built a great relationship with Kessel from scratch, and both benefited from that. Recchi fully plans to take over the Kessel portfolio in light of Tocchet’s departure this summer to guide the Arizona Coyotes.
“There’s going to be ups and downs,” Recchi conceded. “We’re going to have some fun together, and there’s going to be times where it’s not so much fun, but we’ll get through it as a team.”
What’s the deal with Claude Giroux?
The captain of the Philadelphia Flyers makes $8.275 million a year. He is only 29 but he’s coming off his least productive season since 2009-10. Giroux didn’t miss a game this past season yet scored just 14 goals and 58 points, low totals by his standards, sparking some mild trade rumours.
The CSNPhilly.com reporters analyze Giroux’s situation in depth here.
“He’s a stud. The reason why Claude Giroux doesn’t get success is because he lets everything get into his mind, and he looks for other things to blame it on,” said NBC analyst Jeremy Roenick.
Could a Rockets ownership change open up hockey landscape in Houston?
With Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander on the way out, the possibility of a second tenant (a professional hockey team, perhaps?) entering Toyota Center should only increase.
Writer John Royal of the Houston Press floats the idea of the Arizona Coyotes turning to Texas to solve its relentless arena woes.
[blockquote]No ownership groups in Houston attempted to lure the NHL, which some hockey observers took as a sign of a lack of interest from the city. But that overlooks the matter that the only party in Houston in a position to bid on a team and also able to offer up an arena was Les Alexander, and Alexander had no interest in doing so. He also made clear over the years that he had no interest in sharing Toyota Center with another tenant — thus the AHL Aeros departed for Iowa despite solid fan support.[/blockquote]
It’s important to note that this is purely speculation. Alexander still controls the lease on the Toyota Center, and the NHL and AHL are not talking about franchise expansion or relocation. However, the NHL would eventually like to even up the alignment in its conferences at 16 teams apiece.
Steve Patterson, the Coyotes’ brand new CEO, is a former athletic director at the University of Texas and served (with his father) as a general manager of the Rockets. He was a key figure in bringing the Aeros to Houston in the 1990s.
When the Aeros were unable to reach terms with Toyota Center for a new lease after the 2012-13 AHL season, they relocated to Des Moines for 2013-14.
“Houston could support another AHL team, and it could definitely support an NHL team,” Royal wrote in 2015.
[blockquote]The Wild was happy with Houston as a home for the Aeros. Attendance was good, the fans were passionate, and players and staff liked playing in Houston. The proximity of two major airports allowed the Wild to easily call up players and get them to any location needed. The league liked having a team in Houston for these same reasons. And Toyota Center was built with housing a hockey team in mind, which would make it easy to accommodate an NHL team.[/blockquote]
Vegas in no rush to trade defencemen
“We’re at a manageable number right now,” GM George McPhee told the Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re pretty close to where we want to be, and we’re comfortable with the roster we have.”
Once the Knights settle a deal with RFA Nate Schmidt via arbitration or sooner, they’ll have 11 NHL defencemen under contract for 2017-18. That’s a lot.
Only two Vegas D-men, Griffin Reinhart and Brad Hunt, are signed beyond 2018, so rental candidates abound.
Schmidt’s agent, Matt Keator, told the outlet that contract talks with McPhee have been positive.
“We’ll do our best to reach a deal [beforehand],” McPhee said of Schmidt, the subject of trade interest from competing teams. “But we’re comfortable with the arbitration process because it gets the deal done.”
Howard will be Detroit’s Number 1?
Neither trades nor the expansion draft have provided any clarity for the Detroit Red Wings’ crowded crease.
As prized prospect Jared Coreau waits offstage, it appears Detroit will try to give veteran Jimmy Howard more starts than Petr Mrazek. A year ago at this time, it appeared Mrazek was trending up and Howard was taking a step back in the organizational depth chart.
We believe Mrazek (unprotected in the expansion draft) could still be traded this summer or within the season if/when another team finds itself in need of goaltending help.
“We’re very comfortable with Jared as a third. I have no problem with him being the backup goalie, either,” Red Wings goaltending coach Jeff Salajko told the Detroit Free Press.
“If we can keep Jimmy Howard healthy to play 50-55 games, I was comfortable with Jared in a role like that. But we obviously have Petr back – Vegas didn’t have interest in him, so I’m hoping he comes in with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.”
Trading Mrazek could help free the salary cap space necessary to re-sign speedy restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou or consider UFA Thomas Vanek, with whom the club is maintaining contact.
Montreal plans to lighten Price’s load
Over the past seven seasons, as long as he’s been healthy and the NHL hasn’t suffered a lockout, Carey Price has played a minimum of 59 games and as many as 72.
Montreal goaltending coach Stephane Waite told the club website that the days of starting the same netminder 65 to 70 times are done.
Waite preached the importance of backup Al Montoya this coming season. Montoya made just 19 appearances in 2016-17, but it appears the Habs want that number to rise.
“We’re not afraid to put Al in goal against any team in the league,” said Waite. “That’s why a good backup can start 20, 22… even 24 games a year, and give your No. 1 goalie a break while still helping you make the playoffs.
“We don’t look at who he’ll be playing; we just look at the schedule that we make at the beginning of the season. Our priority is to give Carey the right days off at the right times.”
One more trade on deck for Senators, Coyotes?
Arizona’s John Chayka has already made waves in the trade market this off-season, but he might have another bullet in the chamber.
“I’m still trying to get one more thing done,” the GM told Arizona Sports. “We’ll see.”
Chayka offered no comment on unsigned RFA forward Anthony Duclair, whose poor production this past season resulted in trade rumours.
Senators GM Pierre Dorion — who scooped up UFA Johnny Oduya on a bonus-laden, one-year deal Monday — was asked last week about the chances of making a trade before summer’s end.
“We’re not done shopping,” Dorion said, “but we’re in the checkout line.”
