Also: Prospect or rookie camp begins
Around the NHL, things are starting to warm up as teams prepare for prospect camps (the Islanders’ begins today, not that they’re promoting it much) and then real training camp next week. Another sign that fall is near? The PTO — Professional Tryout — names are flowing.
It’s funny, back in the day, preseason PTO’s were a go-to move for Garth Snow and a little bit for his mentor-in-secrecy Lou Lamoriello, but so far there’s been no noise on that front with the Islanders. A consequence, perhaps, of them having lots of contracts already — even before they inevitably invite Cal Clutterbuck or Matt Martin back on such a conditional basis. (I kid…maybe?)
Islanders Not-News
- Behold, prospect/rookie camp is here. Not that we have many exciting participants. [THN]
- UPDATE: Here’s the prospect camp roster, with 12 forwards, 8 defensemen and 3 goalies. Maxim Tsyplakov is among them, not exactly a “prospect” but orienting himself to these shores. [Isles]
- The only opinion I GAF about less than “Hey Look At Me!” BizNasty is probably his sugar-vodka-schilling partner-in-bloviation Bahston-Edmuhnton-Whitney. But whatever, the self-promoting loud guy is now an Isles believer. [THN]
- Predicting the Metro: The Isles are in the bubble, of course. [Sportsnet]
- Each NHL team’s most interesting prospect heading into camp: The Isles’ is Isaiah George, supposedly. “George isn’t a prospect who is going to land on a lot of highlight reels, but he’s an excellent skater who can make a decent first pass….it wouldn’t surprise me if he could be a call-up option.” [Athletic]
- The Isles are one of “eight teams” at risk of “getting stuck in the mushy middle,” but honestly they’re more at risk of dropping below that in the next few years. [Athletic]
Elsewhere
- So, on the PTO front: The Leafs have Max Pacioretty (once a nemesis Hab) on a PTO with an implicit promise of a contract once they handle their cap crunch. (Gee, maybe that Ryan Reaves contract was a bad idea?) [TSN | NHL]
- Turns out two of the Hurricanes’ contract extensions include some deferred salary/bonuses that slightly reduce their cap hits. The NHL approved the deals, but with reservations about this approach. [Sportsnet]
- On that note, Jim Daly says NHL GMs also would like something to change with using LTIR to go way over the cap come playoff time, though no one really knows how to do that. [Sportsnet]
- They’re not about to try to address the difference in income taxes from one state/province to the next, however. And Canada weeps. [Sportsnet]
- “Respected veteran” James van Riemsdyk is expected to get a PTO…somewhere. [TSN]
- Kailer Yamamoto, once an Oilers prospect, will get a PTO from the Kraken. [TSN]
- Jim Daley is super impressed by how quickly Utah HC has gotten up to speed. [NHL]
- Devils fans are all up in arms (no pun intended) after some video appeared to show him in a sling. This is why you shouldn’t ever watch college football, or whatever that was. [Twitter]
- The Flames are no longer pretending to try to contend, so there’s less pressure felt as they enter camp. [TSN]
- But Jonathan Huberdeau has a new workout routine, and he’s confident that will reverse his alarming decline. [NHL]
- Jim Rutherford is philosophical about the fact both his goalies are injured. [Sportsnet]