The Bolts
Keep your eye out for some big milestones out of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Or, you know, read this piece and keep it bookmarked. [Raw Charge]
For all four of these players, it’s not a guarantee that they will hit the 100 goal milestone. Killorn most likely will get to that mark as long as he stays healthy. His career low in a full season is 14 goals so he should get there, but it might take until closer to the end of the season. Miller likewise should make it there as he has put up 22, 22, and 23 goals over the past three seasons and just needs 18. Palat is also in the same boat needing 15 goals. He missed time last season with injury and only scored 11 goals, but had16-goal and a 17-goal campaigns in the previous seasons.
Ryan Callahan is on the road back to recovery from shoulder surgery and has already joined a handful of players skating at the Sports Ice Forum in Brandon. Callahan is still expected to be out until November, but from the looks of it, there have been no set-backs. [NHL dot com]
“It’s good to get back on the ice,” Callahan said following Wednesday’s workout. “Shoulder felt good. Everything that I did out there – obviously no shooting yet – doing some stickhandling, working on the skating, everything went well.”
“Rehab this first 11 weeks here have gone great,” he said. “Everything feels really good. It’s where it should be at the 11-week mark. It’s right where it needs to be.”
Ryan Callahan? He’s back on the ice. 🙌
Hear from Cally and how he’s feeling after today’s workout in Brandon: pic.twitter.com/dvp77ptomX
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) August 15, 2018
Ryan Callahan had first day on ice since June shoulder surgery. Did stick-handling, no shooting yet. Rehab has gone well, he says, on track for early-November return #tblightning pic.twitter.com/C1hD8Q2jO7
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) August 15, 2018
August 15th is the day NHL teams lose the right to keep unsigned NCAA prospects exclusive to them. Every few years we get a Jimmy Vesey or Justin Schultz, a player who is considered a good NHLer, reach this point and become an unrestricted free agent. This was not one of those years, but the Lightning did end up losing a former second-round pick for nothing overnight in Johnathan MacLeod.
With two days to go, according to our data, this is the current list of drafted College players whom their respective teams must sign by August 15, or risk losing their signing rights.https://t.co/XpdrFRgPbt pic.twitter.com/QqckxzRFjG
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 13, 2018
The big, 6’2”, 200lbs defender out of the USHL and USNDP was ranked as high as 35th by McKeens scouting in his draft year and was taken 57th overall by the Lightning in 2014. From there, MacLeod joined Boston University and proceeded to slowly find himself getting less and less ice time. MacLeod has never been ranked on our Top 25 Under 25 lists, and has now officially left the system as of midnight last night. For a brief scouting report and story on how he lost his spot in the BU lineup, I would encourage you to read this piece that I will link below.
Related
Aside from winning the lottery with Brayden Point in 2014, Dominik Masin is the only prospect from that draft class with any NHL upside (Anthony DeAngelo aside because he was essentially run out of town). It’s very possible, when looking back at this draft, that all three of the Lightning’s top-60 picks will not play a game for them.
Just a day on the ice with me and some of the boys!!! >:) #NHLMascotConference pic.twitter.com/Fx1UjNg9xH
— ThunderBug (@ThunderBugTBL) August 15, 2018
The Prospects
Is it October yet?
Waiting is the hardest part.#IsItOctoberYet pic.twitter.com/9vUWANNP3y
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) August 15, 2018
The Game
ICYMI (because I did in yesterday’s QS): Ryan Ellis has signed an eight-year contract extension with the Nashville Predators for $50 million. The important dollar amount in this transaction is the AAV, which came to $6.25 million. Ellis will now be the second-highest paid defenseman on the Preds, behind PK Subban. Also, the contract isn’t scheduled to kick in until next season. Until then, Ellis will be making $2.5 million, which is also known as a steal. [ESPN]
“Ryan is a huge part of our team on and off the ice and we are happy to have his leadership remain in our locker room for the foreseeable future,” Poile said in a statement. “We have talked about wanting to keep the core of our team together, and this is another opportunity to help us do so while continuing to compete for a Stanley Cup. Ryan is entering his prime and is one of the reasons why we feel this team has a chance to win every time we step on the ice.”
The Anaheim Ducks have signed Ondrej Kase to a three-year contract extension. The 22-year-old winger will be making $2.6 million until he reaches his final year with RFA rights. Kase had 20 goals in 66 games for the Ducks last season. [Anaheim Calling]
2 seasons ago, Ducks forward Rickard Rakell held out until the week before the season began as he negotiated a new contract as an RFA coming off his first 20 goal season. There were concerns that Kase could follow the same path in holding out, but those fears were appeased with the news today.
Kase was one of the most efficient scorers at 5 on 5 last season in the NHL and was one of the Ducks best play driving forwards, essentially putting up 1st line production with 4th line minutes as illustrated by Micah Blake McCurdy’s visualization below.
