Denver Barkey of the London Knights was named the most outstanding player of the gold medal game, while Oshawa Generals forward Calum 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 goals-against average and save percentage, says Brock Otten of McKeens Hockey ( link ). Otten adds that while most of Canada’s top prospects in the 2005 class maintained their standard, Ethan Gauthier, Colby Barlow and Caden Price were able to raise their game and thus their status as a prospect ( link ).
Ken Boehlke of SinBin Vegas discusses Keegan Kolesar’s new three-year, $1.5 million AAV contract he recently signed to avoid arbitration with the Vegas Golden Knights ( link ). In short, Boehlke classifies the contract as a win-win for both sides, with Vegas getting a cost-controlled fourth line and Kolesar getting a guaranteed $4.5MM despite not scoring much at the NHL level. What’s notable Boehlke says is that Kolesar’s lack of scoring (just seven goals in 77 games last season) could be related to his below-average 7.4 percent shooting percentage, and if he can at least improve his league average shooting percentage, could increase his goal total, making him worth a bit more than the $1.5MM he currently has. Even if not, Kolesar has proven to be a reliable grinder for the Golden Knights’ bottom six, and at $1.5M he still represents a good value deal for the typically cap-less organization. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post , it appears free agent forward Nazem Kadri’s asking price hasn’t dropped, and his asking AAV still starts with at least a “9” ( link ). If that is indeed the case, it may provide a hint as to why Kadri remains unsigned, with many teams having spent up to or relatively close to the salary cap. Several teams have room to sign Kadri, but if he also wants to go to a team with a real chance at a Stanley Cup, his options may be slim. Soon to be 32, if Kadri can regularly repeat his 87-point performance from this season, a $9MM AAV contract would be worth it for the two-way star, but otherwise could end up a salary cap issue. even if he is still a good performer.
