Take the time to read an article about Gordie Howe, if you haven't already. The stories about and admiration for Mr. Hockey really piled in yesterday, and his impact was second to none. The longevity of his impact is equally impressive.

 

And on a lighter note, a Gordie Howe hat trick has to be one of the coolest stats in all of sports.

 

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The Prospect Guide will be receiving an update tomorrow with a mock draft and additional player profiles.

I'm still working through it, and suggest you do as well.

 

***

 

Thanks for this get-off-may-lawn moment, Guy Lafleur. Wouldn't it be nice to just let dudes grow their beards in peace? Plus, Brent Burns and Joe Thornton have been in beard mode since December.

 

***

 

In a mailbag article, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times, discussed the situation the Blackhawks have found themselves in.

 

"A big reason why Bowman is so willing to part with picks and players is his faith in the Hawks’ scouting department. There always seems to be a Dennis Rasmussen or Erik Gustafsson to be found (and sometimes even an Artemi Panarin) to fill out the roster. The draft and NHL-level free agency aren’t the only way to flesh out rosters these days. Europe is a treasure trove of unmined talent. And the Hawks went treasure-hunting again this offseason by signing Czech defenseman Michal Kempny, who’s expected to contend for a roster spot right away. Top prospects such as defensemen Ville Pokka and Gustav Forsling, and forwards Tyler Motte, Ryan Hartman and possibly Nick Schmaltz (if he chooses to leave college and sign) are on the verge, too."

"Bowman’s trades didn’t pay off. But they don’t have to kneecap the entire team. Smart drafting, savvy scouting and the willingness of free agents to take less money to play in Chicago should keep the Hawks contending for the near future, no matter how ugly their cap situation is (and it’s ugly)."

Lazerus suspects Richard Panik will be back, and Panik checks out as an endgame flier. He has shown some offensive ability and should receive a prominent role. With even a half season of top-six minutes, Panik could easily flirt with 40 points.

Sure, the Blackhawks also have Teuvo Teravainen who could jump up, but having something resembling a three-line attack is likely preferred by Chicago. Additionally, Jonathan Toews taking on inferior linemates is nothing new.

And finally, Marian Hossa is in a fast decline and injury prone.

It's unlikely we see a full season of production and a run at 50 points from Panik, but for stretches, it wouldn't see surprising to see him score at that space over a 20- to 30-game span.

It's all league dependant, but Chicago doesn't have many alternatives.

 

It also looks like Andrew Shaw will not stick with the organization. Remember that discussion about overpaying middling talents, Bryan Bickell has left Chicago's hands tied. Unless Shaw plays for peanuts and handshakes, Chicago can't fit him under the cap.

After winning three Stanley Cups in six years, it would be surprising to see another team give the Blackhawks a break and return close to fair value in a deal. With that said, Shaw is likely a coveted young player.

He's a low-end fantasy option in rotisserie setups because of his ability to tip the scales across multiple categories. However, his offensive upside is extremely limited, and Shaw might never see linemates as talented as he did for stretches with Chicago, especially on the power play.

It's a case where his name value will likely outweigh his fantasy value in most circles, and it's only in deep leagues where he's viable.

 

***

 

A decision is coming on Cam Ward, and Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer suspects Ward will be re-signed.

This blew my mind. I feel like we've raked Ward over the coals lately somewhere on the site, so there is no need to dig deep into Ward's awful play.

He's been able to return a mediocre goals-against average the past two seasons with a 2.40 and 2.41 GAA, respectively. But his save percentage has sat at .910 and .909. Additionally, he's won just 55 games through 101 starts.

Only during the 2010-11 season has Ward posted a save percentage north of .920 and it was accompanied by a 2.56 GAA.

When he won the Conn Smythe, Ward had a .882 Sv% and a 3.68 GAA.

He hasn't ever been good. And the Hurricanes look primed for another step back, or at best more of the same, before moving forward. Ward only strengthens the likelihood of another awful season, too.

Stay clear.

 

***

 

This is an article about DeAndre Levy, a linebacker for the Detroit Lions, discussing the problematic manner injured players are being — and have been — treated during and while recovering from injuries.

The NHL should be keeping an eye on how these issues are dealt with because they have their own battle ahead, if they're not already in over their heads. Hopefully player safety off the ice is at the forefront going forward, too.

 

***

 

With flight back to California for Game 6, Sharks have now traveled 24,848 miles in this postseason per @ESPNStatsInfo.

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 10, 2016

By comparison, even including flight back to Pittsburgh after Game 6, the Penguins only at 14,120 miles. 9,012 of that came in SCF.

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 10, 2016

 

After reading that, it made me wonder about the impact travel could have on Western Conference teams later in the season, and in particular the California trio.

Overall, it doesn't seem to have had a big impact this season, but after doing the research to check in, it only seems fitting to share.

 

San Jose

 

Joe Thornton

Joe Pavelski

Brent Burns

Logan Couture

 

Los Angeles

Anze Kopitar

Jeff Carter

Drew Doughty

Tyler Toffoli

 

Anaheim

Ryan Getzlaf

Corey Perry

Ryan Kesler

 

So, overall, it doesn't say a lot. Some players held up, and some players showed untypical home-road splits. Above all, though, these are professionals, and too much travel isn't going to have a significant impact.

The exercise serves as a reminder to look for easy and tough stretches and make lineup adjustments accordingly, though. This is especially true in daily games, as picking on teams playing back-to-back road games or playing their sixth road game in less than two weeks usually wears a club down.

Still, savvy in-season moves can help squeeze the most juice out of your roster, and if dealing a streaky player with a tough stretch of road games ahead helps, leave no stone unturned.

Additionally, the examples above are the best players from their respective teams, and it is the secondary scorers who are more prone to production droughts. So, keep that in mind, too.

 

***

 

Filip Forsberg's going to be a high-end fantasy option for the next five years. And recently, I looked at him here.

And here is an article looking at what his next contract will likely look like with the two market-value comparables being Brandon Saad's (six years at $36 million) and Vladimir Tarasenko's (eight years at $60 million) contracts.

Forsberg wants to return to Nashville, and the Predators want him back. Expect a long-term, big-dollar deal.

 

***

 

This is a solid account of the latest happenings concerning the expansion process and details.

 

A few highlights:

• Teams have to expose at least two skaters with at least 40 games played in the previous season or 70 combined over the previous two seasons.
• Teams will be permitted to ask players with a no-movement clause to waive it to be included in the expansion draft.
• Any player traded during a set period cannot be reacquired until after Jan. 1 the following season. The time period wasn't explicitly highlights, but it would make sense that spans from after the regular season finishes up to the expansion draft.
• Players with two years of professional experience or less will be exempt from process.

 

It’s really light out there, so I dove into some of the team specifics.

Keep in mind, I took the time to go through each team's GeneralFanager page, but I didn't slave over every detail. I also likely missed a player or two, but the point was to present a next-to-perfect list of players who could be impacted by the expansion draft.

Also, I didn't crunch the numbers or dig deep into each team for who they'd likely prefer as their seventh forward. Plus, so much can change over the next year, as unrestricted free agents are essentially excluded from the following lists.

Plus, buyouts this summer will have a huge impact.

In short, this took longer than expected and is by no means a complete list, but I don't know if there is anything better out there. So be kind. I'm sleep deprived because of this endeavor, after all.

 

Here are players on non-movement and no-trade deals who could hinder a team's flexibility.

 

Anaheim: Kevin Bieksa

Boston: Matt Beleskey, Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg

Buffalo: Matt Moulson, Josh Gorges

Calgary: Matt Stajan

Chicago: Marian Hossa

Colorado: Carl Soderberg

Columbus: David Clarkson, Scott Hartnell, Fedor Tyutin

Dallas: Kari Lehtonen

Detroit: Justin Abdelkader, Mike Green, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard

Florida: David Bolland

Los Angeles: Vincent Lecavalier, Dustin Brown

Minnesota: Jason Pominville

Monteal: Jeff Petry, Alexei Emelin

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: Travis Zajac, Ryane Clowe, Andy Greene

NYR: Marc Staal, Dan Girardi

Ottawa: Clarke MacArthur, Dion Phaneuf, Marc Methot

Pittsburgh: Patric Hornqvist, Marc-Andre Fleury

St. Louis: Jay Bouwmeester

Tampa Bay: Ryan Callahan, Matthew Carle, Jason Garrison, Braydon Coburn

Toronto: Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, Nathan Horton

Winnipeg: Mark Stuart, Tobias Enstrom

 

Here are some of the potential unprotected players from each team, as of the current rosters.

 

Anaheim: Frederik Andersen, Simon Despres, Sami Vatanen

Arizona: Zbynek Michalek

Boston: Jimmy Hayes, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller

Buffalo: Cody Franson, Marcus Foligno, Johan Larsson, Mark Pysyk

Calgary: Lance Bouma

Carolina: Ryan Murphy, Brett Pesce

Chicago: Trevor van Riemsdyk

Colorado: Calvin Pickard, Nick Holden

Columbus: Matt Calvert, Alexander Wennberg, William Karlsson, David Savard

Dallas: Mattias Janmark, Antoine Roussel

Detroit: Petr Mrazek, Tomas Jurco, Teemu Pulkkinen, Andreas Athanasiou

Edmonton: Patrick Maroon

Florida: Rocco Grimaldi, Jared McCann, Jaromir Jagr

Los Angeles: Brayden McNabb, Matt Greene, Dwight King, Kyle Clifford, Nick Shore

Minnesota: Jason Zucker, Erik Haula, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Darcy Kuemper

Montreal: Nathan Beaulieu, Mike Condon

Nashville: Ryan Ellis

New Jersey: John Moore, Jon Merrill, Damon Severson, Jacob Josefson, Sergey Kalinin

NYI: Thomas Hickey, Calvin de Haan, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin

NYR: Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg, Jesper Fast, Kevin Klein, Brady Skjei, Dylan McIlrath

Ottawa: Cody Ceci, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Matt Puempel

Pittsburgh: Matt Murray, Eric Fehr, Tom Kuhnhackl, Derrick Pouliot, Brian Dumoulin, Ian Cole

St. Louis: Carl Gunnarsson

 

Quick-hit analysis

 

Buffalo – There will be some young talent left available and likely some surprising names.

 

Columbus  – Fedor Tyutin has a no-movement clause, but Columbus also has Jack Johnson, David Savard, Ryan Murray and Seth Jones. They're going to lose a very good player. But it might not be from the blue line, as one of Alexander Wennberg, Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson will also likely be left for grabs.

 

Detroit – As it stands, Danny Dekeyser and Petr Mrazek will be left unprotected if there isn't a deal. Jimmy Howard, Mike Green, Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson all have no-trade clauses.

 

Los Angeles – Everything depends on whether Vincent Lecavalier retires. It is likely he does, which would mean the Kings could protect another forward and not leave much of an asset available.

 

Minneaota – It will be an interesting situation to see who the Wild prefer between Jason Zucker and Erik Haula up front and Marco Scandella and Jonas Brodin on the blue line. Two good players will be left exposed, either way.

 

Nashville – A good defenseman will be left exposed, but wouldn't it be amazing if it was Shea Weber? What a way to shed a monster contract that is already looking to be far too steep. Whoever is deemed as the fourth defenseman becomes an interesting trade piece for the Predators.

 

NYI – The Islanders will have to choose between Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan, and both are adequate second-pairing options on the blue line.

 

NYR – There will be a solid youngster left available, as one of Kevin Hayes, Oscar Lindberg or Jesper Fast will be left exposed. And two of Kevin Klein, Brady Skjei and Dylan McIlrath will be left available with Marc Staal's no-movement clause.

 

Ottawa – I bet the Senators wish they made that Cody Ceci for Jonathan Drouin deal now!

 

Philadelphia – The Flyers could choose to leave Matt Read or Scott Laughton available, but otherwise, they appear to be in a solid spot.

 

Pittsburgh – Obviously, Marc-Andre Fleury's no-movement contract has to be dealt with. Either Pittsburgh returns him to being No. 1 and moves Matt Murray, or they risk losing Murray. Of course, Fleury could opt to approve a trade, too. Also, Letang and Maatta are going to be protected, but then, the Penguins will leave two of Derrick Pouliot, Ian Cole and Brian Dumoulin available. It would seem highly unlikely Pittsburgh doesn't address their goaltending situation.

 

San Jose – Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns are all unrestricted free agents after next season. It's too early to know what's ahead for the Sharks, as they only have three forwards, four defensemen and a goalie under contract for the 2017-18 season: Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Joel Ward are all on no-trade contracts up front, Jones is signed in goal, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic has a no-movement clause on defense. The other three defensemen under contract are Paul Martin, Justin Braun and Brandon Dillon.

 

St. Louis – David Backes and Troy Brouwer are unrestricted free agents now, and next season, Alexander Steen, Patrik Berglund, Kevin Shattenkirk and Brian Elliott will all be unrestricted free agents. There is a lot of change ahead, but there doesn't look to be much of value — outside of Carl Gunnarsson — to be plucked from St. Louis as it stands.

 

Tampa Bay – The Lightning cap issues are well known, but abiding by the no-movement clauses of those four blue liners has to be daunting for Steve Yzerman. I hit up the situation in this past ramblings.

 

Toronto – Nathan Horton's situation sure piques my interest, but since his no-movement turns into a no-trade after next season, he doesn't have to be one of the seven forwards, right? It won't matter for Toronto, it doesn't look like it, at this point, anyway. However, that was an unforeseen circumstance of acquiring him, albeit better than having David Clarkson's no-movement clause on the books. However, it could mean someone like Peter Holland was unnecessarily left available, if Holland is even in the plan moving forward.

 

Vancouver – The Canucks have seven forwards and four defensemen under contract for 2017-18, and two of the forwards are Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin in the final years of their contracts. For the 2018-19 season, Vancouver has just four players signed: Brandon Sutter, Derek Dorsett, Alexander Edler and Christopher Tanev. That is either great or pathetic, depending on perspective and ambitions.

 

Washington – The Capitals are in a great spot going forward. They have their core locked up outside of John Carlson, and don't have any valuable pieces in jeopardy of being swiped.

 

Winnipeg – The Jacob Trouba situation will have to be worked out, and as it stands, his contract demands are a little out of whack. Additionally, having Tobias Enstrom on a no-movement deals is a huge problem. Otherwise, though, Winnipeg is set up front, and with Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers and help on the way, they're in a good spot overall.

 

***

 

Enjoy Game 6, Dobberheads.