The Hockey Offseason Thread

Team Canada and Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach underwent successful surgery in Chicago to repair a right wrist fracture he sustained at the World Junior Championships.
Team physician Dr. Michael Terry expects Kirby to return to hockey-related activities in approximately 4-5 months.

Statement from Chicago Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews
"This offseason, I've been experiencing symptoms that have left me feeling drained and lethargic. I am working with doctors so I can better understand my condition.
Until I can get my health back to a place where I feel I can perform at an elite level and help my team, I will not be joining the Blackhawks for training camp. I do not have a timetable for when I will rejoin the team. I am extremely disappointed, but it wouldn't be fair to myself or my teammates to attempt to play in my current condition
I am grateful for the continuous support from and ongoing communication with the Blackhawks organization. Stan Bowman, Rocky Wirtz, Danny Wirtz, Jeremy Colliton and my teammates have been nothing but understanding of my situation, and I appreciate them standing by me.
To Blackhawks fans, I will continue to do whatever I can to get back on the ice and return to play the game I love for the team I love. I will not be making any further comment at this time and ask everyone to please respect my privacy as I focus on my health and recovery."

from TSN,

The unrestricted free agent market heated back up over the past week with details for the 2020-21 season set, leaving just 23 names remaining from the initial Top 100 board compiled by TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli ahead of Oct. 9.

Mike Hoffman continues to sit at No. 1 on the board, though the 30-year-old winger will attend training camp with the St. Louis Blues on a professional tryout agreement. A run on forwards over the past week saw six of the top 10 remaining UFAs come off the board with Erik Haula and Mikael Granlund signing with the Nashville Predators, Corey Perry joining the Montreal Canadiens, Andreas Athanasiou reaching a deal with the Los Angeles Kings, Carl Soderberg signing with the Chicago Blackhawks and Ilya Kovalchuk returning to the KHL.

Defencemen Sami Vatanen now ranks second on the remaining UFAs list, followed by veteran Zdeno Chara and blueliner Travis Hamonic. Chara's agent said last week that while his client had received no shortage of interest, a return to the Bruins is his priority.

"I’ve had 20-plus teams reach out to me, but his focus right now is to talk to Boston," Matt Keator told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun. "He still has the option to retire. But he seems very interested in playing if it’s the right fit.’’

Jimmy Howard and Craig Anderson remain as the only two goaltenders on the list, though Anderson will attend training camp with the Washington Capitals after Henrik Lundqvist announced he will not be able to play this season.

from the Washington Capitals,

The Washington Capitals have agreed to terms with defenseman Zdeno Chara to a one-year, $795,000 contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

“We are extremely pleased to have Zdeno join the Capitals organization,” said MacLellan. “We feel his experience and leadership will strengthen our blueline and our team.”

Coyotes sign Derrick Brassard.

I don’t know, I could see them taking a step back even before Chara left. Krug left and they didn’t replace him. After McAvoy and Carlo they don’t have much on defense. Forwards aren’t anything special after the top line and who knows where Rask is on this season, he opted out of the playoffs after all.

The New York Islanders have re-signed forward Matt Martin, defenceman Andy Greene and signed goaltender Cory Schneider.

Boston has said they made him an offer a month ago. This looks personal.

When the NHL on NBC broadcast schedule was released last week, one game stood out as an oddity: Colorado at Vegas on Feb. 20. It is the network’s lone Saturday telecast before April 17.



The next day, there’s a Philadelphia-Boston matchup that’s also a bit strange. For the Bruins, it's their only game in six days; for the Flyers it's their only one in five. In the travel-friendly East Division, that’s unusual.



There is a logical explanation.



According to multiple sources, the NHL is beginning its Mystery, Alaska experiment, with four teams as part of a unique two-game, two-day “Outdoor Weekend” showcase at Lake Tahoe. Edgewood Tahoe Resort, home of the popular celebrity golf tournament, is hosting these games, which will be played around the 16th, 17th and 18th holes.



It sounds dynamite, and I’m curious to see it. (Although, it feels wrong that Joe Pavelski will not be playing. He finished third at the 2018 golf event.)



The NHL, searching for something different in a season where fan involvement will be extremely limited, scouted several locations for a scenic event. Right after the Edmonton bubble, there was a trip to Lake Louise, AB — but signage limits on government property nixed that. Another option was Park City, Utah.



Fans will not be in attendance, with the number of people limited to about 400 — basically the teams’ travelling parties and whoever is needed to work. It will give television different opportunities to broadcast the games, such as drone cameras.



It is, at this point, a one-year project, but if it works, the NHL may consider making off-beat, “natural wilderness,” picturesque locations a regular occurrence. Whatever the case, this has a chance to be a special look in a challenging season.


this is the approximate location.

from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News,

Erik Karlsson described what his daily routine will be like once the San Jose Sharks’ training camp in Arizona gets fully underway.

Karlsson will get up, and like everyone else on the Sharks’ roster, go for his daily COVID-19 test and have breakfast at the team hotel. The Sharks will then get changed into their hockey gear at the hotel and be driven to the nearby rink before they begin practice. After practice, they’ll come back their hotel and shower in their own rooms.

“After that, I haven’t really figured that out yet because it’s only 12:45 (p.m.) here,” Karlsson said. “So we’ll see what the rest of the day gives us.”

The next two weeks will no doubt be an adjustment for just about everybody, as the Sharks prepare to start camp at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, hundreds of miles away from Solar4America Ice in San Jose.

continued

All the turnovers were taken by Burns...

We have signed Tristen Robins to a standard, entry-level contract!






SAN JOSE, CA - San Jose Sharks (@sanjosesharks) General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has signed center Tristen Robins (@tristenrobins1) to a standard, entry-level contract. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.



"Tristen came off an impressive performance at the end of last season, scoring 16 points in the final nine games," said Wilson. "His game has improved since he made the move to center, and his puck possession, pursuit and skating ability fit in our system of how we want to play moving forward. We are excited to have him a part of our organization."



Robins, 19, recorded 73 points (33 goals, 40 assists) with a plus-16 rating in 62 games for the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. Robins recorded over half of his point total after the Christmas break, scoring 51 points (23 goals, 28 assists) in 31 games and finished with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in the last 13 games before the season was halted. He set career highs in all offensive categories including goals, assists, points, plus/minus, power-play goals (10), shots on goal (233), and game-winning goals (4).



Robins finished tied for 11th in the league in goals and led the team in goals and points and finished third in assists. He was also third in scoring among 2020 WHL draft-eligible players, behind Seth Jarvis (13th overall) and Connor Zary (24th overall), who were both taken in the first round.



In his WHL career, the center has scored 99 points (42 goals, 57 assists) in 134 contests. In 2018-19, Robins was one of seven rookies to appear in 68 contests



Prior to his WHL career, Robins played for Rink Hockey Academy Prep in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. Over two seasons, he registered 67 points (25 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games.



In the 2020 NHL Draft, Robins was the first drafted player in San Jose Sharks history to hail from Great Britain. His father, Trevor, was a goaltender who signed as an undrafted free agent with San Jose in 1993. He spent parts of two seasons with the team's International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate Kansas City Blades.



The five-foot-ten, 176-pound native of London, Great Britain was selected by San Jose in the 2020 NHL Draft (second round, 56th overall).

Probably had his nuts removed so they could staple his inguinal canal closed. That’s bound to leave him with a bit of a limp. But it’s ok, he wasn’t using those things to the benefit of his game anyway.

The San Jose Sharks definitely expected a better result from their 2019-20 season, but for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was the health concerns of dynamic offensive defenseman Erik Karlsson, the Sharks fell short of expectations.

The Sharks are entering the 2020-21 season with increased optimism, knowing that Karlsson will be at 100% for the first time with the organization, something that Karlsson himself is feeling great about, knowing that there's nothing lingering from an injury-plagued 2019-20 season.

"I do feel good now. I don't think that it should be anything that's going to be lingering. Like everybody, you evolve, and you get older and you learn new things about yourself and what works and what doesn't," Karlsson said in an interview with The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

"... I'm in the same boat as a lot of the other guys and I think that where I've been throughout this quarantine has been a good setup for me, to be able to work out and skate on a regular basis and have everything I need to be as prepared as I think that I could be."

The former two-time Norris Trophy winner has exceeded the 70-point mark four times in his remarkable career, and would likely have done so in each of his last three season, if not for injury. At just 30 years old, Karlsson still has plenty of quality hockey left in the tank - and the Sharks are hoping he can help propel them back into the playoff picture this season.

Karlsson has 7 years remaining on an 8-year, $92M deal, which he signed with the Sharks ahead of last season. In 56 games last season, Karlsson registered 6 goals and 34 assists for 40 points in a pandemic-shortened year.