Tom Wilson says he isn't letting the haters get to him.
When asked Tuesday about the six-year contract he signed worth about $5.17 million annually in late July, the Washington Capitals forward downplayed the critics.
“It doesn’t really matter to me what everybody says," Wilson told reporters, including theScore's John Matisz. "No matter what happens ... half the people are going to be happy, half the people aren’t. That’s just the way anything in life is, so I’m not going to read too much into it.”
Wilson urged those criticizing the club to wait and see how the deal plays out, adding that linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov appreciates his game.
"We’ll see in five or six years," Wilson said, according to The Athletic's Scott Wheeler. "If you ask Kuzy, he’d rather I go and get the puck so he doesn’t have to because it takes him out of the play.”
Despite his occasional suspension-worthy style of play, Wilson secured a top-line role with the Capitals alongside Kuznetsov and captain Alex Ovechkin last season, producing a career-high 14 goals and 35 points to go along with 187 penalty minutes.
Martin Brodeur has resigned as assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues, the team announced Tuesday.
"I want to thank Tom Stillman, Doug Armstrong, Chris Zimmerman, and the Blues organization for giving me the opportunity to continue my playing career and begin my career off the ice in hockey operations," Brodeur said in a statement. "I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career."
A Sunday report indicated Brodeur left his post with the Blues after his three-year contract expired. The report also linked Brodeur to a possible front-office position with his former club, the New Jersey Devils.
In place of Brodeur, the Blues have promoted Bill Armstrong (no relation to GM Doug Armstrong). The 48-year-old has served as the director of amateur scouting in St. Louis since 2010.
It would appear nothing has changed in terms of Max Pacioretty's uncertain future.
At his charity golf tournament Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens captain told reporters, including TVA's Renaud Lavoie, that no contract extension talks are happening at the moment.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson told the assembled media including TSN that the relationship between Pacioretty and the organization's brass is "fine," and both Molson and general manager Marc Bergevin said they expect Pacioretty to attend training camp.
Pacioretty is entering the final season of his current deal after reportedly nearly being traded at the draft and at the deadline in February.
In July, The Athletic's Marc Antoine Godin reported there would be no negotiations and that Bergevin intended to trade the talented 29-year-old forward as soon as possible.
Some of Arizona's most prominent sports icons will take part in a memorial service for Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday at age 81.
Arizona Cardinals wide received Larry Fitzgerald is one of several people who are scheduled to speak during Thursday's service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, according to Chris Cole of AZCentral.com. Additionally, former Diamondbacks great Luis Gonzalez and ex-Coyotes captain Shane Doan will act as McCain's pallbearers.
Both Gonzalez and Doan released statements about the Senator shortly after his death, according to Cole. Gonzalez said he's "proud to consider (McCain) a dear friend," while Doan called him "a shining example of what a modern leader should be."
Beyond his political career, McCain was well-known for his avid sports fandom, and he was a frequent spectator at home games for all of Arizona's major professional sports teams.
McCain, who ran for president in 2008, had served as Arizona's Senator since 1987.
Goaltenders around the NHL, consider this a warning.
Even after scoring a career-high 41 goals in 2017-18, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is looking for more this coming season.
"I've always said I want to score more," he told reporters at BioSteel camp on Monday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "That's what I want to do. I want to find ways to score. I think I'm a good passer and can make plays and all that, but there's definitely a knack to putting the puck in the net that I seemed to find a little bit later in the year last year and I’m hoping to carry that into this year."
McDavid certainly did find that knack in the second half of the season, and it can be at least partially attributed to a willingness to become more of a volume shooter.
Stat
1st half
2nd half
Goals
14
27
Shots
117
157
S%
12.0
17.2
If McDavid shoots at the rate he did in the second half of 2017-18 for the entire upcoming season, he'll surpass the 300-shot mark with ease. In that case, he could very well pot 50 goals. After all, he scored 16 in his injury shortened rookie year, 30 in his Hart Trophy winning 2016-17 season, and 41 last season.
For most of the first half of the season, the wings on McDavid's line were revolving doors. But towards the end of the year, he teamed up with noted playmaker Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie, and the trio found great chemistry together. The unit looks poised to open the season as the club's top line - something McDavid would certainly be open to.
"We juggled the lines a lot last year," McDavid said. "That’s just how it played out. Obviously it would be nice to be able to play with a consistent line and a group, but if that’s not how it works out again then so be it. Obviously I had a lot of fun playing with (Nugent-Hopkins) and (Rattie)."
"Troy is a skilled veteran forward with championship experience," Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. "He adds depth to our forward group and his leadership will help our developing young core take the next step this season."
The 33-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Calgary Flames and became an unrestricted free agent in early August after the team bought out the final two years of his contract.
Brouwer tallied six goals and 16 assists in 76 appearances with the Flames during the 2017-18 season.
Darnell Nurse believes his uncertain contractual status will soon be a thing of the past.
The Edmonton Oilers defenseman is coming off his entry-level deal and remains a restricted free agent, but is optimistic about signing a new pact as training camp looms.
Darnell Nurse says he has "faith" he'll be in camp with the #oilers. The RFA seems optimistic about his contract talks.
Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli shares Nurse's optimism, or at least he did in early August. "He is a player we want to get signed and we will sign," he told 630 CHED, according to Paul Gazzola of the team's website. "... There are just different leverage points and it's no accident that there is a long list of restricted free agents (in the NHL). It happens every year and Darnell is in that group."
Nurse had a breakout season in 2017-18, posting career highs of six goals and 20 assists. The 23-year-old finished second on Edmonton in ice time, seeing more than 22 minutes a night, and projects to be relied upon even more heavily this year following the devastating injury to fellow blue-liner Andrej Sekera.
"We keep a consistent dialogue but there's a little bit of a lull," Chiarelli added. "Generally, they're important players if you look at the list and the teams keep working away at it. It's not really in the limelight and you don't hear about it because it's a bit of a slower process."
One way to find effective fantasy contributors is to look at a player's advanced stats. These numbers can be prime indicators that a player is ready to either bounce back from a down year or translate under-the-radar contributions into solid fantasy production. Will what bubbled under the surface last year rise to the top in 2018-19?
Here are seven players - four forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie - whose statistical profiles project either a breakout or bounce-back season:
Vinnie Hinostroza, Coyotes: Hinostroza, who at 24 has dressed for 106 NHL games, is a sneaky-good passer looking primed for success in the desert. The former Blackhawk flashed some serious playmaking potential last season by producing 0.99 primary assists per 60 minutes of five-on-five action. For context, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek racked up first assists at a similar rate. The question is, can Hinostroza deliver in a bigger role?
Sonny Milano, Blue Jackets: Hidden gem?Of the 576 NHLers who skated for at least 500 even-strength minutes last season, only Auston Matthews was a more efficient five-on-five goal scorer than Milano. The 22-year-old scored 1.45 goals per 60 minutes while mainly playing alongside Nick Foligno and Oliver Bjorkstrand in a minor role. A bump in ice time could do wonders to Milano's counting stats.
Jaden Schwartz, Blues: Schwartz passes the eye test with flying colors, and his underlying numbers don't disappoint either. The Blues - who revamped their forward group this summer - were a 57 percent puck possession team that dominated scoring-chance (58.6%) and goal (61.8%) differentials when Schwartz was on the ice at five-on-five in 2017-18. Though he already hovers around 60 points a year, Schwartz’s true coming-out party might be upon us.
Jeff Skinner, Sabres: How poor/unlucky were the Hurricanes when three-time 30-goal scorer Skinner was on the ice last year during five-on-five play? Simply put, they couldn’t score (5.25 shooting percentage) or stop the other team from scoring (.901 save percentage). A change of scenery and a chance to play with an elite center (either Jack Eichel or Casey Mittelstadt) should help reverse Skinner's fortunes.
Defensemen
Duncan Keith, Blackhawks: Even the most cynical analysts are sympathetic towards Keith. The two-time Norris Trophy winner is coming off a season in which he flat-out couldn't beat NHL goaltenders, scoring two goals on 187 shots for a ridiculous shooting rate of 1.1 percent. The 35-year-old may be past his prime, but he remains effective as a minutes-munching defenseman, finishing 2017-18 with a 52.4 percent Corsi rating and 30 assists.
Darnell Nurse, Oilers: Nurse, one of the brightest young defenseman in the game, was between the boards for 310 high danger shot attempts during five-on-five play last season. That number tied him with Brady Skjei for sixth among regular NHL blueliners. Connor McDavid can make anybody look effective, but Nurse (six goals, 20 assists in 82 games) should see his goal/assist totals soar. Realistically, the Oilers should cash in on more goalmouth chances than they did last year.
Goalie
Carter Hutton, Sabres: Despite seeing limited action, Hutton was a reliable option for the 2017-18 Blues. He ranked first among NHL goalies (minimum 30 appearances) in quality starts percentage by boasting a save percentage on par or greater than the league average in 19 of 32 appearances. If Buffalo can provide decent support, Hutton should produce middle-of-the-road win, goals-against average, and save percentage numbers.
