Today’s Daily Cup of Joe takes a step away from the here and now of preseason hockey to look at the group of Carolina Hurricanes prospects who must be signed after the 2019-20 season when their draft rights expire or otherwise be lost to free agency.
Below is the group of players in this category with a quick assessment of each.
David Cotton
Cotton was drafted as an NCAA player, so the Hurricanes have maintained his rights for four year. His graduation year is this year, so the Hurricanes have until next August to sign him. If they do not, Cotton can become a free agent like Chase Priskie did this summer before signing with the Hurricanes. Cotton has made step-wise progress and returned as a veteran leader to the prospect camp this summer. He showed well in that week against young players and was also just named the captain for Boston College. He has NHL speed and good skating ability. That combined with steady progress in terms of his skills, makes him a near certainty to sign an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes as long as he does not instead prefer the free agent route that is now available to him.
Matt Filipe
Like Cotton, Matt Filipe was a veteran leader for prospect camp this summer. And also like Cotton, Filipe has good size and skates well enough to have NHL potential. He also possesses a good shot. I think Filipe is also a near certainty to be offered an entry-level contract. The risk again is if he instead prefers to wait until August and go the free agent route.
Luke Henman
Henman was a 2018 Canadian junior draftee which means his rights expire in only two years which is up next summer. Henman possesses decent offensive abilities but has not really been able to convert that to scoring production. He had only 46 points in 63 games in 2018-19. He is also undersized at 6 foot 0 inches tall and 152 pounds. He was one of the three players returned to their junior teams before the preseason games started. My hunch is that if the Hurricanes were leaning toward signing him that he would have stuck around to play in a preseason game just to see what he could do at this level. As such, I think Henman is a player who needs to have a big 2019-20 season play his way onto the positive side of the cut line to win a contract.
Jack LaFontaine
LaFontaine’s development path went a bit sideways when he was unable to earn/keep the crease at the University of Michigan. He was eventually pushed out when sandwiched between an older goalie who won the starting job and a younger goalie who was next in line. He did attend the prospect camp this summer which keeps him on the team’s radar, but with so many goalies already in the minor league system (Nedeljkovic, Helvig, Booth, Forsberg) and a couple more possibly on the way (Kochetkov, Kucharski, Makiniemi), I think LaFontaine is very likely on the outside looking in. His return to NCAA hockey at the University of Minnesota after a year in the British Columbia Hockey League does at least give him a better venue to try to go on a run and impress his way into consideration.
Luke Martin
Defenseman Luke Martin comes with pretty high draft pedigree as a second-rounder in 2017. Players drafted that high almost always get an entry-level contract to continue development even if they have not seen rapid progress since being drafted. Martin was not at the prospect camp this summer which makes it harder to gauge his progress. I figure Martin will be offered an entry-level contract based on draft pedigree even though his development maybe has not been the most stellar thus far.
Luke Stevens
Stevens is another NCAA product who has taken the gradual approach playing college hockey. Stevens has great NHL size and the top of the crease mentality of the old school power forwards. The issue is that he might not have the mobility between the blue lines to really make it at the NHL level. He also turns 23 this winter. My hunch is that Stevens is on the outside looking in and will need a huge senior season at Yale to play his way up into the mix and be offered an entry-level contract.
Max Zimmer
Zimmer is a 2016 draftee who will play out his college career. When drafted, he looked a bit like Filipe or Cotton as a forward with projectable NHL size and skating ability. But Zimmer’s development at the University of Wisconsin has been modest. He did take a step up with 18 points in 34 games in 2018-19, but my hunch is that he is another player who is on the outside looking in and needs huge 2019-20 season to change course and earn an entry-level contract.
If pressed to make predictions right now, I think only David Cotton, Matt Filipe and Luke Martin are offered entry-level contracts from this group of seven prospects whose rights expire next summer.
Important to note is that with young players, they are always just one strong season away from a completely different projection. In addition, as ‘prospects’ the team could also invest a contract in a player whose development is modest but whose 2-4 projection they like. So nothing is ever set in stone with this young group.
What you say you Canes fans?
1) Who has recent updates on any of these seven prospects?
2) Which of the seven do you think will ultimately be offered entry-level contracts?
3) Are you concerned that any of these players might go the route of free agency in August instead of signing a contract with the Hurricanes?
Go Canes!
I don’t have any special insights on these guys – but I think we can say good-bye to Henman after this season. He would have stayed longer if we thought he was going to sign a contract.
For names like Cotton and Felipe – I wonder how often the FA route is selected by non-elite NCAA players. I can see players like Fox and Priskie opting for that route if they don’t like their draft team because they can be selective. But Cotton and Felipe are not Fox and Priskie. It may simply be that we don’t want them rather than they are opting to not sign but that is just speculation. But I would think non-elite college players would jump at the chance to sign an ELC if/when offered.
It is just a hunch, but my thinking is that both players are returning for their senior seasons because they wanted to and that there is already an informal agreement that they will be offered/signed as soon as their college seasons are completed. I think both returning as ‘captains’ for prospect camp shows where they stand.
David Cotton was a 23 g/36 point guy (almost a point per game) last season on a bad BC team. It has been that way for a couple of years. He’ll be a hot commodity in free agency should it get that far. Of the 4 guys I mentioned, I believe that Cotton would be the most likely to go the UFA route. It will take big seasons from Filipe and Zimmer to even be considered attractive. I’d find it hard to believe if Martin didn’t up his play this season. I just think Filipe’s and Zimmer’s speed and shot go a long way for those guys.
By my count (not counting goal tenders) the Checkers currently have 14 Hurricanes prospects on the team: Bean, Sellgren (who may go back to Sweden), McKeown, Lintuniemi, Wood, and Priskie on the blueline as well as Guathier, Luostarinen, Geekie, Kuokkanen, Lorentz, Smallman, Pritchard, and Mattheos. I’m not counting McCormick and Gibbons as I believe those were depth/Checkers signings. If everything goes well at the NHL level (Necas making the team, for example, and playing well – not a guarantee), we’ll be going into next season w/9 forward slots taken (not counting RFAs or UFAs). Assuming Foegele and Wallmark get re-signed (again, not a guarantee), then there will be 1 starting forward position available and #13 forward available.
On defense, things are a little more fluid with the #6 slot remaining in question for this season, TVR and Faulk needing new contracts next season, and Dougie the year after that. I think there’s a good chance that one or more of McKeown, Forsling, and/or Fleury are gone via trade or the waiver wire.
The reason I looked at that is, where are the Checkers going to graduate to? And that also assumes that Erik Haula isn’t re-upped. Something is going to have to give. Guys like Kuokkanen, Luostarinen, Gauthier, and Geekie are going to be pushing for NHL jobs. All of this is to say, these NCAA guys are going to have very few slots to fill. On defense, again, there’s a little more opportunity, but, in truth, Martin is the only option there.
That said, I think Cotton gets offered a contract as soon as then end of his NCAA season, same for both Filipe and Zimmer (both LW, left shots). Finally, I believe we’ll offer Martin a contract, but only if his season at Michigan improves over last. There were games where he was a healthy scratch at the end of their season. I don’t put a lot of stock in that, however, as Michigan has been a sh*tshow for sometime now. He’d have been much better served to have taken a different path. Still, I think those guys are the 4 that get contracts. Of the 4 I’ll believe Cotton is the least likely to accept it. I just can’t believe he’s not going to take his talents to the UFA market. His path to Raleigh is at least 2 years away after he joins Charlotte, with his best bet replacing a continuously improving Wallmark.
If a miracle happens and those guys accept their deals and come to Charlotte, Warsofsky is going to continue to have a stacked Checkers team. I believe the organization would prefer that team to be more like last season’s group. There were veterans, but the preponderance of players were Hurricanes prospects of varying degrees. It will be an interesting 2 or 3 years.
Off Topic: https://www.tsn.ca/winnipeg-jets-d-dustin-byfuglien-believed-to-be-weighing-future-amid-leave-1.1367417
Skip towards the end of the article. There is a rumor linking Faulk to the Jets. Further, it is suggested that Winnipeg is on his ok to trade to list. This begs 2 questions. Is there any way Laine could fit under the salary cap for the Canes? If so, would he be a fit here?
Laine reminds me of Skinner. He had a great rookie year but regressed afterward. Laine rookie shooting # was unbelievable.
Like Skinner, when he isn’t scoring he doesn’t add much to the team. Of course, you need to score to win so…..
Also, would need to sign him and if it is a trade then probably Nino and a D(Fleury) goes the other way.
Laine also threw his linemates under the bus in the Finnish media. Maybe he thinks he is in the NBA and can force a move.
For a team claiming to be building around character, Laine would be a horrible addition.
Yes, I would be concerned. Everybody here is about team, not about individual. Laine was awesome when paired with Aho, so that could be a dangerous combo. But the attitude does not look good. Does that surface again when things hit some turbulence. That would cause issues, attitude and cap. I would say no.
More off topic: Names that caught my eye watching NHLtv last night. Tomas Jurco scored for the Oilers in their loss last night. Both Valentin Zykov and Nicholas Roy scored for Vegas in their win.
Zykov’s goal was fortuitous – he was pushing hard down the left side. The defender was staying with him and poked it off Zykov’s stick – straight into the goal! Talk about a greasy goal. 😀 Zykov did pick up a PP assist as well.
Roy outplayed his defender into the crease and put a great pass in the net. I have seen him pencilled in as VGK’s 4th line center but the way he moves (and with his size) he could work up that roster. Also noted – Roy is getting a lot more ice time so far in the preseason than Brown is.
Jurco’s line was dominant against the Canucks (6 points).
Meanwhile Poturalski got first line minutes with ANA last night.
It’s great to see these guys getting their chances with other organizations.
As usual, surgalt, you come up with the pithy articles and interesting angles. But I don’t see us going for Laine. I don’t see a way to shed enough salary to make room for him. I also don’t see the Jets letting him go. They are bleeding hockey players up there. Better-than-good hockey players. The fans would not stand for it.
I don’t think we are looking for any high-priced talent anyway. If we do trade Faulk, he will go for a prospect and/or some picks.
I find it fascinating that Justin and Dustin are both stepping back. In both cases, we are promised that there is nothing sinister going on. And I believe that.
In one or both cases, I believe they are dealing with injuries (post-concussion problems?) or just moving on to make room for young NHL aspirants. Both men are class acts. Each is identified as a team leader. I am sure that each knows he has a place in hockey whenever he wants it.
Here’s an interesting angle. Let’s assume the “committee” is committed to returning to and winning the ECFs this season. Next assumption. Faulks’s contract wishes, pending UFA status and depth at the position make him “dispensable” to the “committee”. Next assumption. The first round pick acquired from Toronto is no good until “spent”. Final assumption. We will lose multiple NHL depth quality defenseman and likely a quality goalie to waivers when the season begins and necessary roster moves are made. If you buy those assumptions we have Faulk, a first round pick, multiple sweeteners and a decent amount of cap space. The “committee” just needs a dancing partner to do a blockbuster deal.
I don’t get that final assumption – whether we lose McKeown (of Fleury) to waiver or CLT, that amount is less than a million. And Ned and Forsberg are going back to CLT – no big cap space coming open from them either.
I still think the only play is we move Faulk on a cap dump as a rental for picks/prospects.
While I’m not saying Laine is the right player, we should have the cap space to do a 3 year, back loaded bridge deal to sign a high profile RFA hold out and give the other team a deal they can sell their fan base.
Surgalt. Interesting angle. However, I see the future for Faulk as similar to what happened with PK Subban. Nashville sent his $9 million cap hit to NJ for two young defensemen prospects and a second round pick in 2019 (34th) and a second round pick in 2020.
People on this site want to laugh at Toronto’s 1st round pick for 2020. Toronto is so good that the pick will be 30 or 31. Well, I don’t think Toronto is that good. Also, it is said that next year’s draft will be the deepest in several years. I think Donny and Tommy will hold onto it and try to add to it.
So I see Faulk going. But for a couple of picks and a prospect or two.
Suzuki is signed. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2019/09/ryan-suzuki-signs-entry-level-contract.html The article also complements the Canes prospect pool. It also includes the presumption the Canes will continue to have to find gold in the late portions of the first round in the draft. While a bit of a back handed compliment it is another sign that the Canes are on track.
I remember that Filipe was the one who impressed me at the prospect camp. Cotton was noticeable as well. Assuming they do not go UFA, I expect both of them to get contracts. Martin, because of draft pedigree, will get a contract. The remainder are, have a great season to change the brain trusts minds, or probably done.
I would agree that if anyone was to consider UFA, it would probably be Cotton. I also believe you better be pretty good to do that, so his season will play big into if that is possible. Canes will have some slots in the future, so it would still be a desirable place to come.
Want to agree with Notopie’s assessment. He doesn’t mention Mattheos or Smallman who both play Canes-style hockey. The pipeline really is overcrowded with solid role players. I like Cotton and Filipe but unless one demonstrates skills suitable to the top two scoring lines, they don’t really add much other than helping Charlotte towards a dynasty.
What ctcaniac said. None of the guys listed in this article are serious prospects. They are potential depth players that could surprise, but they are going to have to do some serious development to get NHL attention.