The Return of Trader Sam!

It's been awhile now for ol' Trader Sam as I've been sitting on the beaches of the world sipping beers and meeting ladies. 

It appears that during my absence a lot of trades have taken place in the CCHL, with one of the "new" owners going absolutely crazy in roster turnover! 

I'll attempt to talk about each of the more recent trades while I leave the beaches and enter a dry month or two as we approach the annual CCHL draft. 

(03/29/18) NEW trades VIC 1st-18 & NEW 12th-18 to DAY for Daniil Vladar, DAY 2nd-18 & DAY 1st-19...

It appears that Dayton believes that having three out of the first four picks this season is better than having a top pick next season.  While having three of the top four picks isn't bad the potential for that Dayton 1st in 19 becoming Jack Hughes is too great a risk for Sam to swallow. 

Vladar is a decent prospect but isn't outstanding and has a gigantic roadblock ahead of him for playing time at the big league level. 

Ultimately Dayton could win this trade if it doesn't become Jack Hughes and must hope the lottery gods shine upon them in order to lose the lottery next year; otherwise, there could be songs of regret playing in the Musicmen front office next April. 

(03/28/18) GEO trades A. Khudobin to DRT for DRT 6th-18...

It looks like Dartmouth solve their goaltending issues with a reasonable pick.  Georgetown could not resign Khudobin so it looks like a good trade for both teams. 

(03/27/18) FOR trades B. Saad, FOR 5th-18 & POR 1st-19 to SUD for J. Fast & FNT 1st-18...

Fort Erie is loaded up front for this season and the foreseeable future and Saad did not appear to have a shot at cracking the lineup in the 2018-19 season.  At 6.5 million bones for the year, it did not make sense to keep him. 

Sudbury will have plenty of ice time for Saad as they continue their rebuild and give up a pick earlier in the draft for a pick in 2019 when the top prospects appear to meet their needs more. 

That pick should allow Fort Erie to get the player they want in the draft so it looks like a really smart move for both general managers.  Sam likes it when trades make sense. 

(03/24/18) SIB trades J. McCabe to DRT for Libor Hajek-p... 

Siberia give up a player that won't likely impact their lineup this season for a player they hope will impact their lineup in a few seasons - at a greater level. 

This is a good mix of needing it now for Dartmouth and need it later for Siberia in which both teams help themselves.  It's a good smart deal in Sam's eyes and really, that's all that counts today. 

(03/24/18) CGY trades MIN 1st-18 & K. Shattenkirk to GIL for M.A. Fleury & J. Carlson...

Sam had to put down the beer, whiskey, and vodka for a few days when he first saw this deal. 

Calgary trades a middle of the pack first round pick and the underperforming Shattenkirk to Gillam for Marc Andre Fleury and John Carlson. 

Looking at the historical values of trades, Sam can't help but wonder if Gillam could not have gotten more for Carlson alone than he got for both in this deal. 

While Fleury was an unrestricted free agent and Calgary had a spot to sign him, the deal really hurts when Carlson was involved. 

Good deal for Calgary as they get two good players for little impact on their roster this or the next few seasons.  While Gillam gets a much needed first rounder, it still feels like a bit of a low sell given the talent involved.  Sam could be wrong based on how the pick turns out but we won't know that for a few years yet. 

(03/24/18) DRT trades K. Yandle to LAS for C. Grundstrom-p...

Dartmouth moves Yandle and his salary for a prospect to help them in the future and have then since replaced Yandle with McCabe.  While McCabe won't provide the same level of offense as Yandle, he's a lot cheaper and helps the team in their rebuild financially while playing valuable minutes. 

Miners acquire winger Brandon Saad from Fort Erie

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

Just when all appeared quiet in the Nickel City, the Sudbury Miners were back at it again on Tuesday morning with a couple of transactions.

First, the Miners announced the signing of their 2017 1^st round pick (8^th overall), Casey Mittelstadt to a 3-year entry level contract. Voted the top forward at the 2018 World Junior Championships this past year in Buffalo, Mittelstadt spent only one year at the University of Minnesota before turning pro. Mittelstadt had 11 goals and 19 assists in 34 games and was named to the Big Ten all-freshmen team this year.

The other transaction of the morning, was a little larger in stature, as the Miners pulled off a trade with Fort Erie. The deal came together early Tuesday morning and the details are this:

Sudbury trades pick #11 overall in the 2018 CCHL draft, along with right winger Jesper Fast to Fort Erie in exchange for winger Brandon Saad, a 2018 5th round pick (#107 overall) and a 2019 1st round pick (Portland).

“Brandon Saad is a really good hockey player, a really good person, and to be able to bring in a dynamic guy like him, I think is very important to our hockey team," Miners General Manager Terry James said. "He likes scoring goals, and even though he had a tough year, I am looking for a bounce back from him next season. He is too talented not to. I want him to bring the type of play he has been known for, to us.”

Having been traded for the second time this off-season, having gone from Springfield to Fort Erie and now off to Sudbury, may have caught Saad a bit off-guard to say the least.

"It was definitely pretty shocking. Not something I expected having just been dealt a couple of weeks ago. But it is very exciting. It is nice to be wanted," Saad said. "I heard this morning, and it was definitely shocking to me. I am happy to go to a place that wants me.”

“I look forward to getting adjusted as soon as possible and help do my part to help push this organization ahead. I guess it’s a good thing that I had not unpacked fully in Fort Erie" joked Saad.

It is expected that Miners coach Derek Sutton will slot Saad into one of his top two lines, putting him with some of his better skilled forwards in the hopes of jump starting their struggling offence for next season.

Georgetown GM explains recent moves

After dealing Wayne Simmonds and the 20th overall pick for the 15th overall pick and Tobias Rieder, Millers GM continued to move out the old guard, bring in some new players and acquiring draft picks and prospects. Below is a list of recent moves and the GM’s reasoning behind them as well as updates on other possible transactions.

SIB trades P. Cehlarik-M to GEO for A. Cogliano & GEO 7th-19

Cogliano is UFA after the 2019 season, and with the addition of Rieder and the ascension of Radek Faksa to the 3rd line, “Cogs” was deemed expendable. Cehlarik is projected as a good 3rd line winger who could take a turn on a scoring line and not embarrass himself. He’s not expected to be a full time contributor until the 2019-20 season.

DAY trades D. Ryan & SIB 6th to GEO for Sam Anas-p and $800K…

As mentioned above, Radek Faksa is taking over 3rd line Center duties, leaving an opening on the 4th line. Although internal candidate Zack Smith can play the pivot the team preferred to go with a player more suited to 4th line duties. Derek Ryan led Dayton in scoring this past season with 37 points but he’s being looked upon for his face-off prowess moreso than his offense.

DRT trades Z. Parise & WIS 2nd-18 to GEO for DRT 5th-18 & Casey Fitzgerald-p…

Although Parise is respected for his 2-way game, his toughness in front of the net and his leadership abilities, the real prize in this deal was the acquisition of the 37th overall pick in the 2018 draft. Parise is owed $13 million in the last year of his contract, and as of right now would not have a role above the 3rd line, if that.

Mike Hoffman?

Rumors have swirled that Mike Hoffman could be moved. To this point the club has not received an offer to their liking and are more than prepared to have him start the season on the 1st line with Brayden Schenn and Reilly Smith.

Rick Nash?

The market for Nash (and his $8 million salary) has not developed, which isn’t necesarily a surprise. The Millers are content to keep him and play him on the 3rd line and special teams until his contract expires.

Goalie?

To date the team has not been able to acquire an upgrade over James Reimer. All signs point to the team bidding for one in free agency.

UFA re-sign?

The club has opened talks with Henrik Zetterberg and the expectation is that he will re-sign for 2 years and take over 2nd line Center duties. Jeff Carter wants to test the market but both sides are keeping the lines of communication open. Mike Green was told several weeks ago he will not return.

Miners acquire Tierney and Kuemper from Gillam for picks.

 Miners acquire Tierney and Kuemper from Gillam for picks.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners and the newly relocated Gillam Sharks made a move early Thursday morning as the Sharks sent pending RFA forward Chris Tierney and goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Sudbury in exchange for a 4th round, 7th round and a 12th round pick – all in 2018.

In looking at the current roster make-up of the Miners, Tierney will slot into the #3 or #4 center role, while Kuemper will provide some goaltending insurance for both Fredrick Andersen and Jake Allen.

“We needed a little depth at center, particularly in our 3rd line/4th line center spot, and we think Tierney can fill that nicely for us.  We are happy to get another young, developing player in him.  He is ahead of the curve when it comes to defense over most players his own age.  He will be a nice asset”, stated General Manager Terry James.

Tierney was originally drafted in the 2012 CCHL Entry Draft (87th overall) by the now defunct Winnipeg Ferrets.   In 79 games this year with the Halifax Hammerheads, Tierney saw action in 79 games, contributing 9 goals and 8 assists for 17 points.   In 5 playoff games, Tierney would get on the scoresheet with a single tally.  He is seen as a young player who has a very good two-way ability and can chip in with a few goals from the bottom six.  He owns excellent hockey sense and can be an asset in all three zones, especially on the penalty kill.

In Kuemper, the Miners solidify their goaltending rotation for the next few seasons.   While the days of Kuemper developing into a starting goaltender have passed, he can provide relief for short periods of time and is an ideal back-up.  His salary is less than $2 million per year, which provides good value going forward.

The classic butterfly goaltender is an excellent puck-handler and uses his huge frame and butterfly style to full effect when filling the net.   However, at times, he needs to do a better job when challenging a shooter and can go into his butterfly a bit too quick at times.  He has also been known to get caught out of position when out to handle the puck, despite this being an asset for him.

Offseason Update for the Millers...

Offseason update for the Georgetown Millers

With the free-agency re-signing deadline about 3 weeks away the Georgetown Millers have yet to announce who is staying and who is leaving. At press time the Millers had the following UFAs that are playing in the NHL this season:

Jeff Carter
Tyler Bozak
Mike Fisher
Brian Gionta
Mike Green
Anton Khudobin
Henrik Zetterberg

Despite leading the Millers in scoring this past season and being named the team’s MVP, it’s expected the Millers will let Carter walk and attempt to re-sign him at a lesser salary once the UFA process begins due to his injury issues this NHL season. Green’s spot on the blue line has already been replaced by Jeff Petry, and Bozak is not seen as an answer to the team’s 2nd line C quandry nor would he be brought back for the 3rd line C role which is expected to be filled by Radek Faksa. Fisher and Gionta have barely played this NHL season.

That leaves Zetterberg and Khudobin as the most likely re-sign possibilities. Khudobin could share G duties with James Reimer, although neither has played to the level of a starter this NHL season. Zetterberg would seem to fit the 2nd line C spot, hopefully keeping it warm until a younger replacement is drafted, promoted or acquired.

The Millers have 5 pending RFAs, including the newly acquired Tobias Rieder.

Ben Chariot
Nick Cousins
Tobias Rieder
Brayden Schenn
Teuvo Teravainen

Schenn and Teravainen are no-brainers and expected to be extended for 3 years. Rieder is also expected to be extended, probably for 2 years. Chiarot’s odds of receiving a new contract were greatly enhanced when Michael Kempny was dealt to Dayton, but Chiarot should only expect a one year deal. Cousins is a borderline call and his fate really depends on if the Millers can move out some vets currently projected to play on the 4th line.

If the 2018-19 season began tomorrow, and assuming Zetterberg is their UFA re-sign and all 5 RFAs come back, the Millers would line-up thusly:

Forwards:
Schenn-Hoffman-Reilly Smith
Zetterberg-Teravainen-Boeser
Faksa-Nash-Pitlick
Zack Smith-Cogliano-Reider
extra Forwards - Cousins, Wilson, Hannikainen
(Brian Flynn is signed for 2 more years but has not seen any NHL time this year and is expected to eventually be released.)

Defense:
Josi-Orlov
Fowler-Pesce
Dillon-Petry
extra D - Chiarot, Sproul

Goaltenders:
Reimer
A netminder yet to be acquired
Budaj

The Millers have traditionally used UFA signings for depth purposes, preferring to not go above $1 million on contracts. It’s looking likely that the team will have to spend much more than that to cover their hole at G and they’ll look to use their typical budget signing to acquire a 4th line C.

Miners continue to deal; acquire hard-nosed winger Simmonds

Miners continue to deal; acquire hard-nosed winger Simmonds

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners and Georgetown Millers made a move early Monday morning, as the Miners sent Tobias Rieder and a 1^st round pick (15^th overall), to the Georgetown Millers in exchange for hard-nosed winger Wayne Simmonds and Georgetown’s 1st round pick in 2018 (20^th overall).

Simmonds, a restricted free agent, is expected to sign with the Miners in short order. The contract is reported to be two (2) years at an AAV of $5 million dollars. Rieder, a restricted RFA at the end of the 2017-18 CCHL season, was signed to a 2-year deal at an AAV of $2.45 million last week.

Given the youth on his roster, Sudbury General Manager Terry James was looking for some veteran guidance to help the young kids continue their development.

"It's not every day that you can acquire a player like Wayne Simmonds and what he can bring to the team," said James. "He is going to compliment the type of game that we plan on playing. He brings grit and sandpaper, to go along with versatility in being able to play in all situations. He brings along a tremendous amount of experience to fit into our lineup, and it just adds to the depth of our forwards."

Simmonds basically saw the writing on the wall at the end of year being an RFA and with the Millers going public with their desire to get younger. However, as any player will tell you, it is never easy to be traded, even if you are a seasoned veteran.

"It was extremely difficult (to leave Georgetown); the owners, the organization has been first-class to me over the time I've been here," Simmonds said. "For my family, it is going to be extremely tough to now have them move to a new country but everybody in our house is extremely excited to be a part of the Miners and where they are going. I'm ecstatic to be a part of that."

Simmonds was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 CCHL Entry Draft (106th overall) by the Dayton Musicmen. The gritty forward got into all 82 games this year with the Millers, scoring 33 goals and 22 assists for 55 points and was among the league leaders in both hits and penalty minutes. 

In the playoffs, Simmonds would chip in another 4 goals and an assist for the Millers before they were ultimately swept in the Canosa Conference Final by the Reyjkavik Puffin.

"It's not every day that you can acquire a player like Patrick Marleau and what he can bring to the team," Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "He fits right in with the type of game that we play. His skating ability is still exceptional, his versatility in being able to play in all situations, a tremendous amount of experience into the lineup. It just adds to the depth of our forwards."

Norsemen Discuss Reworked Roster....

[SAINT PAUL . Minnesota]

Still on the doorsteps of April, and a LONG time before the 2018-19 CCHL season starts in September/October, the Minnesota Norsemen are somewhat quietly (relative to some of the bigger names or rumored bigger names/picks moving in the CCHL) addressing needs and upgrading in spots with relative efficiency.

“There are some motivated teams right now, whether it be new generals putting their stamp on their team, or clubs looking to take the leap or continue building, that have made this a very active environment to be working in,” said Norsemen general manager, Blake Wendt. “With what we accomplished this last season, and seeing what we have going into next season, we are obviously in that transition into contender mode. I don’t expect the Canosa Conference to be any less of a dogfight next season as it was last season. If we want to come out on top of that pile, we have to be smart about where we update and replace our personnel. When we’ve identified an area of liability, we have so far not only plugged that hole but put a quality asset in that spot.”

Going into the 2018-19 season, Minnesota is expected to have some big point producers on their top-two lines. Phil Kessel is likely locked in on the top line at right-wing. From there, the flexibility of some players to play center or on the wings, will keep things fluid and give the head coach, Mike Yeo plenty of options with his lineup on a nightly basis.

The Norsemen are incredibly deep at center. The top line could see Eric Staal, Tyler Seguin or William Karlsson there on Opening Night. There’s also the possibility of slotting Seguin in a 2RW role and/or Karlsson in a 1-2LW role. To give the club depth down the middle if that happens, and to avoid going crazy trying to find that depth at the Free Agent Frenzy, the Norsemen went a trade route and picked up Colton Sissons from Parry Sound on Friday (with forward Tyler Motte for Hunwick and prospect forwards, Forsbacka Karlsson & Bjork). Sissons checks off so many boxes beside being a depth center. The former Kelowna Rocket captain basically locks down the third line role. Size, defensively stout and an ever-improving face-off specialist that ranks as one of the better ones in the game. The departure of Hunwick clears out an enormous amount of money remaining on his deal that was signed in the last Free Agent Frenzy. While also cleaning up some ugly contracts that Wendt has been open in admitting in hindsight, were some bad moves.

To go along with the winger options of Seguin and Karlsson, there are some giants to fill out the remainder of the top-9. Anders Lee, Charlie Coyle, Nick Bjugstad, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou will take up a lot of space on the ice. Plenty of options and different styles to give Yeo the right mix in the given situation.

The blue line is the perfect mix of cerebral, gifted skating defensemen that Wendt has been trying to piece together for years to his liking. The emergence of Charlie McAvoy will likely see him up on the top pairing with the insanely underrated, Ivan Provorov. Newly acquired Tyson Barrie will be McAvoy’s biggest competition for those 1D minutes on the right side. With him will be either be the equally shifty Nate Schmidt or the smooth-skating, smart Jonas Brodin. Rounding out the bottom pairing will see Deryk Engelland keeping the opposition honest and providing a cannon from the point.

In net will be the greatest strength of the Norsemen. Pekka Rinne is arguably one of the best, if not THE best goaltender in the game today. To think he was acquired WITH future franchise goalie, Carter Hart from Hamilton for Devan Dubnyk! He is a workhorse, but on the rare off day, there will be no drop off in his fellow countryman, Antti Raanta. In a pinch, or if injuries were to unfortunately arise, Minnesotans Alex Stalock or possibly Alex Lyon will be at the ready.

With the Free Agent Frenzy being the next major event in the CCHL, don’t expect the Minnesota Norsemen to be very active, if at all during that process. Whether it be gun shy from the aftermath of last year’s signings, or just not needing much of anything from it.

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