The Hlinka Gretzky Cup ended tonight with Team Canada defeating Team Sweden 4-1 to take first place and the gold medal. As impressive as a gold medal is, that alone won’t begin to tell the full story of Hlinka Gretzky’s Canadian run in 2022. For one thing, the team was undefeated throughout the tournament, and in the process they outscored their opponents by an astounding 34- 3. In addition to the dominant performance, the Canadians were able to show their dominance on home ice as the tournament was hosted in Red Deer, Alberta.
Denver Barkey of the London Knights was named Most Outstanding Player of the Gold Medal Game, while Oshawa Generals forward Callum Ritchie led the tournament in scoring. In net, Canada’s Scott Ratzlaff had the best performance ever by a Canadian goaltender in the tournament with three or more games played in terms of goals-against average and save percentage, says McKeens Hockey’s Brock Otten ( link ). Otten adds that while most of the top Canadian prospects in the 2005 class maintained their standard, Ethan Gauthier, Colby Barlow and Caden Price were able to raise their game and thus their position as prospects (link).
- Ken Boehlke of SinBin Vegas discusses Keegan Kolesar’s new three-year, $1.5 million AAV contract that he recently signed to avoid arbitration with the Vegas Golden Knights ( link ). In short, Boehlke classed the deal as a win-win for both sides, with Vegas getting a cost-controlled fourth player and Kolesar getting a guaranteed $4.5 million despite not scoring much at the NHL level. What’s remarkable, Boelke says, is that Kolesar’s lack of scoring (just seven goals in 77 games last season) can be attributed to his below-average shooting percentage of 7.4 percent, and if he can at least improve his shooting percentage to league average, could increase his target total, making him worth well beyond the $1.5 million cap hit he currently holds. Even if that’s not the case, Kolesar has proven to be a reliable grinder for the Golden Knights’ bottom six, and at $1.5 million, he’s still a good deal for the normally cap-heavy organization.
- According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post , it appears that free agent forward Nazem Kadri’s asking price hasn’t dropped, and the asking AAV still starts with at least a ‘9’ ( link ). If that is indeed the case, it could hint at why Kadri remains unsigned, with many teams spending at or relatively close to the salary cap. Several teams have cap space to sign Kadri, but if he’s also looking to go to a team with a real Stanley Cup shot, his options may be slim. Soon to be 32 years old, if Kadri can regularly repeat his breakout 87-point performance from this season, the $9 million AAV contract would be worth it for the two-way star, but otherwise it could lead to a cap issue wages, even if he is still a solid performer.
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