The Hockey Writers Daily - July 8, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have the Islanders & Red Wings wooing DeBrincat, a window into the Canadiens’ potential future, Brad Treliving’s reputation, the Oilers’ Bourgault, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff:.
Islanders vs. Red Wings: The Battle for Alex DeBrincat
Alex DeBrincat is on the trade block. The star forward and restricted free agent (RFA) has struggled to reach a long-term agreement with the Ottawa Senators and it’s only a matter of time before he is moved in a blockbuster deal.
The two teams that have emerged as frontrunners to acquire DeBrincat are the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings. On the Jeff Marek Show, Marek discussed that they have the ability to acquire the star if either team can subsequently sign him to a long-term contract. The expectation is that DeBrincat will be traded and signed to an eight-year deal that costs at least $8 million per year which will force both the Islanders and Red Wings to not only put together a good package to acquire him but move around players to fit him under the salary cap.
Canadiens Miss On O’Reilly But Provide Window Into Future
The Montreal Canadiens had a quiet start to the unrestricted free agency (UFA) period. General manager (GM) Kent Hughes made some minor-league moves, re-signed his restricted free agents, and made a trade, sending Joel Edmundson (with 50 percent of his salary retained) to the Washington Capitals in exchange for some draft picks.
Even though the Canadiens have a long list of items that need to be completed over the next calendar year to advance the rebuild, including offloading contracts like Mike Hoffman’s, several Habs players requested they add Ryan O’Reilly to the fold. This helps to provide some insight into the style of management Hughes employs, but also how it shows that the players on the roster see a bright future.
Flyers News & Rumors: DeAngelo, Staal, Gauthier, Sanheim
A new aura of positivity has risen in the world of the Philadelphia Flyers. Danny Briere’s rebuild is starting to take shape, and the promise of Matvei Michkov provides hope for a desperate fan base that’s been dragged through the mud too often in recent history. The rookie general manager (GM) rounded out the NHL roster with three free agent signings while trade rumors continue to swirl around Travis Sanheim, Carter Hart, and Tony DeAngelo.
Treliving’s “Active GM” Reputation Paying Off For the Maple Leafs
If there’s one thing that every other general manager in the NHL seems to know, it’s this: Brad Treliving is one of the most active managers in the league. He’s in on every call, he’s inquiring about every player and he’s always talking to teams. Frank Seravalli once hinted he’d never seen Treliving not on the phone and former Calgary Flames GM, now analyst Craig Button noted, “He’s always exploring.”
Comparing Treliving to a dog on a bone, that inquisitive nature has paid off handsomely for the Maple Leafs so far in free agency.
Rimer’s Reactions to the Red Wings 2023 Draft Class
The 2023 NHL Draft started as everyone anticipated, with Connor Bedard being selected first overall, but then it became a little chaotic with unanticipated picks being made. By the end of Day 2, the Detroit Red Wings had walked away with 11 new additions to their prospect pool: two goaltenders, five defensemen, two centers, and two wingers.
Now that the team’s development camp is coming to a close, it’s time for me to share my thoughts on the 2023 Red Wings draft class. We got to see all of the new prospects in action for the first time and gained some insight into why they stood out to the scouting department. All that being said, here are my casually late reactions to the new additions to the organization.
Oilers’ Bourgault Trying to Overcome Same Hurdles as Yamamoto
Former Edmonton Oiler Kailer Yamamoto and current Oiler Xavier Bourgault have several similarities. Both are right-handed shots, both former 22nd overall draft picks, both were scorers in junior and projected to be top six NHL players and when they were both drafted, they were considered smaller in stature by NHL standards; although Bourgault at 6-foot and 170 pounds, was slightly bigger than the 5-foot-6 and 153-pound Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was recently traded from the Oilers — one reason was for his inability to finish in prime scoring areas, and another was due to his size — he was too easily pushed around and was exposed in the playoffs. Given that, it’s reasonable to have concerns with Bourgault as his size when he was drafted was considered in the lower percentiles.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
New York Rangers - Rangers Continue to Be Haunted by Joe Sakic
Boston Bruins - Bruins Can’t Let Swayman & Frederic Reach Arbitration Hearing
New Jersey Devils - Devils May Have Struck Gold With 4th Round Pick Cam Squires
From TSN - Report: Pens' Dubas 'remains intrigued by the idea of adding Karlsson'
From Sportsnet - ‘A dream of mine my whole life’: Max Domi reflects on Maple Leafs homecoming
From the NHL - Perry ready to mentor Bedard, young Blackhawks this season
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At 6' 170lbs Bourgault is not undersize and will not be assessed based on size. He us also a lot more than slightly bigger than Yamamoto. Bougault, like all young players, still needs to fill out, but that's about it. No is giving up on him over size, if he doesn't make it , it will be performance.