Sport-scan daily brief

Comment: The Stars made several deals over the course of the year with an eye on overloading their cache of blueline prospects, so there's a chance they may be eyeing a forward with this pick. But new GM Jim Nill advocates a best possible athlete philosophy, so it's hard to imagine Dallas passing on a high-skill, two-way defender who Nill might be able to plug into the lineup as soon as next season. Ristolainen has some Shea Weber in his game. "The size, the skating, the edge, it's all there," a scout said. And he can eat the minutes. He was a stalwart for a bad Turku team last year, averaging more than 25 minutes a game and serving as the team's top blueliner while playing against men. "He's a beast," wrote another. Like Weber, he excels in transition. He can move the puck smartly, join the rush and create chances with his passing or a heavy blast from the point. Add that he's a right-hand shot, an element in short supply in this organization, and he seems like the right fit.

Hockey Prospectus' Corey Pronman

Pick: Darnell Nurse, D

Comment: Dallas' pick is hard to pin down. I cannot see them in on Andre Burakowsky or Anthony Mantha. Domi, Wennberg, and Ryan Pulock could be options at this spot, with Zadorov and Lazar as outside-shot options. Even with good defense prospects in their system, Dallas could still take a defenseman here, and Nurse fits the best-player-available mold. He also fits the two-way type of player that Dallas tends to look for, plus he exhibits the great hockey sense Stars executive Jim Nill valued in Detroit.

Sports Net's Sam Cosentino

Pick: Bo Horvath, C

Comment: The “Ox” as he’s known in London, has the most complete game of anyone in the draft. Having learned from Corey Perry and Drew Doughty in the lockout, Horvat added net-front presence to his already vast arsenal this past season. He’s always improving in the faceoff circle, he’s a big boned guy whose frame should stand up to the rigors of the NHL and he’ll be able to play second and third line minutes while giving you all you need in the special teams department. When he gets to the show, he’ll likely start as a third line guy and with some NHL seasoning will figure out how to produce enough to make him a mainstay as a second line centre for years to come.

Defending Big D's Huw Wales

Pick: Elias Lindholm, C

Comment: The Stars are very happy to take this talented Swede with the 10th pick. It helps their centre depth a lot.

NHL.com's Adam Kimelman

Pick: Bo Horvat, C

Comment: A big scorer also highly regarded for his two-way game. He might be the best faceoff man in this year's draft class.

USA Today's Kyle Woodlief

Pick: Ryan Hartman, RW

Comment: This hard-rock competitor seems like just the type of player Jim Nill will want to bring in to put his imprint on this organization.

NHL.com's Steven Hoffner

Pick: Elias Lindholm, C

Comment: New GM Jim Nill would be pleased if Lindholm is available at this spot. He needs to get bigger, but has the makings of another Nicklas Backstrom.

NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale

Pick: Rasmus Ristolainen, D

Comment: The Stars need a defenseman who can contribute offensively and strike some fear in the opposition when they enter the zone -- enter the 6-4, 207-pound Ristolainen. The right-handed shot is a solid skater, effective at both ends of the ice and is a prototype two-way defender with All-Star potential.

ESPN's Grant Sonier

Pick: Rasmus Ristolainen, D

Comment: New GM Jim Nill is in Texas by way of Detroit, where he clearly knows the value of elite D-men. This scouting staff has a very strong presence in Finland, and Ristolainen would be an attractive building block for a franchise that lacks depth on the blue line. He would fit in nicely with prospect Jamie Oleksiak, forming two towers on defense. Ristolainen's ability to play a transition game, while making opposing players pay a price, will help get this once-elite franchise back on track.

CBS Sports' Chris Peters

Pick: Hunter Shinkaruk, C/LW

Comment: Another team that could use a dose of skill in its prospect system, Shinkaruk is the most skilled remaining player on the board. Once considered a potential top-five pick, Shinkaruk has been sliding. He still has some tremendous skills and a nose for the net. He needs a little work yet and could get a bit stronger, but Shinkaruk's offensive upside is immense.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.30.2013

682990 Dallas Stars

Stars have meeting with free agent center Vincent Lecavalier in New York

By Mike Heika / Reporter

mheika@dallasnews.com

7:58 pm on June 29, 2013 | Permalink

The Stars were among several teams to meet with free agent center Vincent Lecavalier Saturday at the NHL draft. The draft is taking place Sunday in Newark, N.J., but Lecavalier met suitors in New York.

Among the Stars’ party were new general manager Jim Nill, new head coach Lindy Ruff, owner Tom Gaglardi and president Jim Lites.

“We made it clear to him that we’re interested in him, that we think he would be a good fit on our team, and that we believe he can help us get to where we want to go,’’ said Nill. “I think what’s most important is we shared our vision of where we think this team can be.’’

The Stars have a need for immediate help at center and could address it in several ways, including taking a center high in the draft Sunday (they pick 10th overall, but might try to move up if they can get center Sean Monahan or center Elias Lindholm). They also could fill that need by signing Lecavalier.

The first overall pick in 1998, Lecavalier has a ton of talent. He is big (6-4, 218) and skilled. He has played 1,037 NHL games, but at 33 should still have plenty of time left. He has seen his game slip in recent years, but last season contributed 32 points (10G, 22A) in 39 games.

Lecavalier, a left-handed shot, is a career 48 percent faceoff winner, but has been a solid 50-percent guy in recent seasons. Last season, he won 54.4 percent of his draws.

So why did Tampa Bay buy him out? Lecavalier had a cap hit of $7.7 million remaining on his contract for the next seven seasons. The Lightning simply couldn’t make that work with the salary cap coming down from $70.2 million to $64.3 million. They will pay Lecavalier $32.67 million over the next 14 years just to get out of the remainder of his deal.

That’s important, as teams know Lecavalier comes into the negotiation with that ace card. He can pick a team because it’s a good fit and not just because it can offer the most money.

The question is what does he want? He’s from Quebec, but some speculate that he doesn’t want to play in the bright lights of Canada. He has been a part of some great offensive teams in Tampa Bay (winning the Stanley Cup in 2004), so does he want a team that plays an open style? He is close friends with Brad Richards, so might be want to rejoin him in New York (could the Rangers even make that contract work)? Would he go to Vancouver to reunite with coach John Tortorella? Would he want to stay on the East Coast or is he open to trying something new?

Those are things Lecavalier will have to decide in the next week. He can interview with teams now and even make visits, but he can’t sign with a new team until free agency begins July 5.

Lecavalier is an interesting player who is seen as a bit of project, because his game has slowed down in recent years. Would a fresh start get him going? Is he worth a big contract or can a team convince him to take a short-term deal and keep his options open?

It’s going to make for a very intriguing few days.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.30.2013

682991 Dallas Stars

Dallas Stars meet with free agent Vincent Lecavalier, make interest 'clear'

MIKE HEIKA

Staff writer

Published: 29 June 2013 05:52 PM

Updated: 29 June 2013 09:09 PM

The Stars were among several teams to meet with free agent center Vincent Lecavalier Saturday at the NHL draft. The draft is taking place Sunday in Newark, N.J., but Lecavalier met suitors in New York.

Among the Stars' party were new general manager Jim Nill, new head coach Lindy Ruff, owner Tom Gaglardi and president Jim Lites.

"We made it clear to him that we're interested in him, that we think he would be a good fit on our team, and that we believe he can help us get to where we want to go,'' said Nill. "I think what's most important is we shared our vision of where we think this team can be.''

The Stars have a need for immediate help at center and could address it in several ways, including taking a center high in the draft Sunday (they pick 10th overall, but might try to move up if they can get center Sean Monahan or center Elias Lindholm). They also could fill that need by signing Lecavalier.

The first overall pick in 1998, Lecavalier has a ton of talent. He is big (6-4, 218) and skilled. He has played 1,037 NHL games, but at 33 should still have plenty of time left. He has seen his game slip in recent years, but last season contributed 32 points (10G, 22A) in 39 games.

Lecavalier, a left-handed shot, is a career 48 percent faceoff winner, but has been a solid 50-percent guy in recent seasons. Last season, he won 54.4 percent of his draws.

So why did Tampa Bay buy him out? Lecavalier had a cap hit of $7.7 million remaining on his contract for the next seven seasons. The Lightning simply couldn't make that work with the salary cap coming down from $70.2 million to $64.3 million. They will pay Lecavalier $32.67 million over the next 14 years just to get out of the remainder of his deal.

That's important, as teams know Lecavalier comes into the negotiation with that ace card. He can pick a team because it's a good fit and not just because it can offer the most money.

The question is what does he want? He's from Quebec, but some speculate that he doesn't want to play in the bright lights of Canada. He has been a part of some great offensive teams in Tampa Bay (winning the Stanley Cup in 2004), so does he want a team that plays an open style? He is close friends with Brad Richards, so might be want to rejoin him in New York (could the Rangers even make that contract work)? Would he go to Vancouver to reunite with coach John Tortorella? Would he want to stay on the East Coast or is he open to trying something new?

Those are things Lecavalier will have to decide in the next week. He can interview with teams now and even make visits, but he can't sign with a new team until free agency begins July 5.

Lecavalier is an interesting player who is seen as a bit of project, because his game has slowed down in recent years. Would a fresh start get him going? Is he worth a big contract or can a team convince him to take a short-term deal and keep his options open?

It's going to make for a very intriguing few days.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.30.2013

682992 Detroit Red Wings

Helene St. James: Sizing up the NHL draft with Detroit Red Wings' Joe McDonnell

June 30, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

NHL draft facts

When: 3 p.m. today. Seven rounds.

Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.

TV: NBC Sports Network (3-8 p.m.) then NHL Network.

Top picks: 1. Colorado, 2. Florida, 3. Tampa Bay, 4. Nashville, 5. Carolina.

Wings’ picks: One in each round — Nos. 18, 48, 79, 109, 139, 169, 199.

After serving as Jim Nill’s right-hand man, Joe McDonnell is ready to look to his left, see general manager Ken Holland and know where the buck stops.

When Nill departed this spring as assistant general manager for the head GM job in Dallas, it didn’t take long for Holland to determine there was no better man to take over running the Wings’ draft this afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., than McDonnell, the team’s director of amateur scouting.

“The people who are here are a big part of the success we’ve had,” Holland said. “It didn’t make sense to me to bring in someone new.”

I caught up with McDonnell earlier this week and got him to open up about the Wings’ thoughts going into the draft, what it’ll be like to be in charge, and his stance on foreign relations.

You’ve had a lot of experience with drafts, but what will it be like now that you’re the “buck stops here” guy, with final say? “The only difference will be I’ll look to left and see Ken instead of Jim. But I’ve worked real close with Jim the last 18 years, we always were on the same page about picks. So really, not a big change, I think, except in the past he would have final say.”

This is the first year the Wings have had a first-round pick since 2010. Are they becoming a more precious resource? “I think they’re very precious, but you can’t take the Stanley Cups we’ve won since 1997 away from us. Getting quality players back in return for draft picks enabled us to win those Stanley Cups. ... First- and second-rounders are all very, very important since the salary cap. You have to draft well to keep a team competitive. Years ago, every summer there were really good free agents available. That pile of players seems to be shrinking every year. It’s ultra important now that you build from within and rely on scouting and developing players.”

It is a gamble, though, isn’t it? “It’s a huge gamble, for sure. That’s why you do your background work, try to narrow the probability of making a mistake. You try to be right. It’s not an easy thing to do. You don’t know what’s in their head, what they’re thinking. Do they have the heart and desire to want to get better? You try to do a bunch of background work and watch them play. And then you hope and pray that they turn out and keep you competitive.”

Pop quiz: A Swede, a Russian, an American and a Canadian are all available, and you like them all equally. Default goes to Sweden? “Hah. We’d take the kid who’s from Detroit.”

It seems like you’re deepest in the minors at defense, is that correct? “Yes, very. We’ve got Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet, Gleason Fournier. We got Alexei Marchenko, from Russia. Mattias Backman looks like he’s got real good potential for the NHL in the future. There are a lot of guys back there who look really good for the future. You’re always looking for d-men. You’d always love to have one more, but we think we’re pretty well set up there. It’ll take the kids some time to learn the game in Grand Rapids, but we like what we’ve got.”

Size isn’t everything in a player, but it does matter? “To an extent. It’s just the way the game has evolved. You see it in the scrums along the boards, with the bigger guys who go into the corners. You can’t just have a big guy, though, you need a big guy with skill. That’s what we’ve got in someone like Riley Sheahan, for example.

You are the Detroit Red Wings. You can’t leave a draft without at least one undersized, allegedly soft Euro, right? “Years ago, yes. Now, since they’ve changed the draft rules where Europeans are on par with North American players, and you can’t just keep them overseas for years and years, that’s changed.”

Other than possibly missing out on the first North Korean NHLer, are all teams scouting all over the globe? “Oh yeah, everyone has scouts in every location. For the high-end players, nobody has a scoop on anybody. The best you can hope for is that with the lower-end players, maybe some teams don’t look at some guys as closely as you do. So maybe you get somebody that way. But pretty much every region is covered.”

Jim Nill knows your secrets. But hasn’t everyone done due diligence at least through the first few rounds on every possible player? “Yeah, it’s really no big deal. Everybody sees the same thing. Some teams like one guy more than others. Jim doesn’t have any of our secrets, or any secrets from us.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.30.2013

682993 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings to meet with Vincent Lecavalier on Sunday, give Jakub Kindl 4-year deal

9:57 PM, June 29, 2013 |

By Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

NEW YORK — The Detroit Red Wings got one bit of business done before engaging in draft weekend, locking up defenseman Jakub Kindl through his prime.

Sunday, they’ll meet with free agent center Vincent Lecavalier.

A busy weekend figures to segue into a busy week ahead, as Sunday’s draft leads into the start of unrestricted free agency, with teams able to sign players Friday. The Wings are in talks with two of their unrestricted free agents, Damien Brunner and Daniel Cleary, and while they would like to trade the rights for Valtteri Filppula, Filppula wants to hit the open market, so at best Filppula’s rights may yield a conditional pick.

The Wings are in the market for a second-line center, and Lecavalier makes an intriguing possibility. The Wings like Lecavalier’s size and hands, but have concerns about his pace, and probably will lean against giving him anything more than a two-year offer. Lecavalier, 34, has said he wants a long-term deal.

Kindl was one of the team’s four restricted free agents. Rewarding him for a transformative season, the Wings re-signed him for four years at an average salary cap hit of $2.4 million.

“He’s 26 years of age,” general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press. “We felt he established himself as regular NHL defenseman; (he) can play on second power play. He’s physically stronger, he competes harder.

“He’s become an everyday player for us, the last 35 games of this season. It’s hard to find defensemen. We drafted him. It’s probably taken a little bit longer than he would have liked and we would have liked for him to get to this point, but this year there was an opportunity, and he’s come into his own. We look for him to keep growing.”

Kindl had four goals among 13 points in 41 games this past season, rebounding from an early stretch of injuries to become a dependable defenseman. He has good size at 6-feet-3, 216 pounds, and can play both special teams.

Defenseman Brendan Smith and forwards Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Andersson all have received qualifying offers and will all be re-signed at some point.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.30.2013

682994 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings plan to meet with free agent Vince Lecavalier on Sunday

Ted Kulfan

The Detroit News

June 29, 2013 at 1:00 am

Detroit — The Red Wings will have plenty of company in pursuit of Vince Lecavalier.

General manager Ken Holland is expected to meet with Lecavalier on Sunday morning, a day after the free-agent center met with numerous interested teams in Newark, N.J., site of the NHL entry draft.

Montreal, Toronto, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Anaheim and Dallas — and there may have been others — reportedly met with Lecavalier on Saturday, with Detroit and Calgary, according to TSN, still scheduled to meet with him.

Tampa Bay bought out Lecavalier, 33, on Thursday, making the him the most popular unrestricted free agent on the market.

The Red Wings have serious interest, but the number of teams involved could drive the salary past what the Red Wings are comfortable with.

Lecavalier played in 39 games last season, scoring 32 points (10 goalsists).

At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Lecavalier — a former No. 1 overall draft pick — has the size and offensive ability (12 consecutive 20 goal seasons before this last season) the Red Wings would covet, especially with the expected free-agent defection of Valtteri Filppula.

Lecavalier has 383 goals and 491 assists in 1,037 career regular season games, as well as 746 penalty minutes.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130629/SPORTS0103/306300015#ixzz2XgclxcI7

Detroit News LOADED: 06.30.2013

682995 Detroit Red Wings

Nathan MacKinnon could go No. 1 to Avalanche; Wings draft 18th

Dan Gelston

Associated Press

The Colorado Avalanche own the top pick in the NHL draft and a whole lot of options.

Nathan MacKinnon and Seth Jones. Jonathan Drouin and Aleksander Barkov. They are the top candidates to go first Sunday at the Prudential Center.

Colorado won the draft lottery and has flirted with the idea of picking a puck-moving defenseman in Jones. But it appears the Avalanche are leaning toward choosing a forward, perhaps the 17-year-old MacKinnon.

MacKinnon, a 6-foot, 182-pound center, is a solid two-way presence with strong hands and stick-handling and skating skills. He is considered a natural scorer and a very good puck distributor.

Of course, Colorado could also decide to trade the pick to the Florida Panthers, who are slated to pick second, or to the Tampa Bay Lightning at No. 3, or even farther down to another club that is looking to make a splash and shoot to the top.

There is plenty of talent available, and this draft pool already has been touted as the best in a decade. This year’s prospects have been favorably compared to the last blockbuster draft in 2003.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Eric Staal, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards highlighted that first round 10 years ago. Patrice Bergeron and Shea Weber went in the second round, and future All-Stars and Stanley Cup champions dotted the list of a loaded draft.

Fast forward to now and there is a new group of prospects vying to become as well known and decorated as some of today’s stars.

MacKinnon, Jones, Drouin, and Barkov are likely to be taken in the top four.

Given the track record of defensemen at No. 1, the Avalanche could play it safe and nab an elite forward instead.

“As far as MacKinnon, I could tell you he’s a heck of a player. Jones is a heck of a player,” Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. “It’s the same thing with Drouin. They’re all premier players in the future for the NHL.”

Fair or not to Jones, teams are skittish about taking a defenseman first. The last defenseman selected No. 1 was Erik Johnson by St. Louis in 2006. Johnson, who now plays for Colorado, had only four points in 31 games this season and has never lived up to his top billing.

Only 12 defensemen have gone No. 1, and Denis Potvin (1973, New York Islanders) is the only one to make the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Avalanche could make it 13 after winning the draft lottery for the first time.

Jones has deep roots with the Avalanche, dating to the early part of last decade when his father, former NBA forward Popeye Jones, struck up a friendship with Joe Sakic and Roy when they all played in Colorado.

Sakic now is the Avalanche’s executive vice president of hockey operations, and Roy is the club’s new coach.

Jones, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman, could become the first American picked No. 1 since Chicago’s Patrick Kane in 2007 and the seventh overall. In a sport in which the majority percentage of players are white, it is that slice of history he would make as the first black selected No. 1 — topping Evander Kane, who was picked fourth in 2009.

“Seth could be that poster child for USA hockey,” Popeye Jones said.

It would make for a unique cultural twist if an American was picked No. 1 in the NHL days after Anthony Bennett of Canada was selected first by Cleveland in the NBA draft.

“We still have a high amount of interest in him,” Rick Pracey, Colorado’s director of amateur scouting, said of Jones.

Jones enters the draft as the top-ranked player on the NHL Central Scouting’s final list of North American skaters.

Even as praise is heaped on him, Jones knows scouts believe he has only scratched the surface of his potential.

“They’d like to see the shot improve a little bit, be a little more physical, those kinds of things,” Pracey said.

The Avalanche, however, appear to have narrowed their focus on MacKinnon.

“He’s a player that has been front and center all year, and he continues to be so,” Pracey said. “He is a player that has withstood the pressures of a draft year, withstood the pressures of high expectations and the comparable that he’s been held accountable to, not only this year but the past couple of years.”