Alexandar Georgiev

Hearing dates set for the 4 Rangers players who filed for salary arbitration

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The next step for the New York Rangers battle against the salary cap was announced on Tuesday with the announcement of dates for salary arbitration hearings.

With four Blueshirts filing for arbitration, Anthony DeAngelo, Alexandar Georgiev, Ryan Strome, and Brendan Lemieux, Jeff Gorton will look to sign all of these players before the hearings are conducted.

Salary arbitration hearings will be held from Oct. 20 through Nov. 8. A player can sign a contract with his current team any time before an arbitrator’s ruling. More times than not a player and the respected team will settle on a  new deal prior to the hearings. Last year, 40 players filled for arbitration with only six going to an arbitration hearing.

The Ranger’s biggest contract concern has to be Strome’s impending deal. Strome just completed a two-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers that netted him $6.2 million.  He is looking for at least a four or five-year deal probably in the neighborhood of $5- million per year. At the conclusion of his next contract signed, Strome will be an unrestricted Free Agent, so a one year deal would not be optimal for Gorton and the club.

The Rangers are in a tight salary cap situation because of two reasons. The club has to pay out approximately $13 million in buyout money this season.  Dan Girardi ($1.1 million), Ryan Spooner ($300,000), Kevin Shattenkirk ($6.083 million), and Henrik Lundqvist ($5.5 million) will all have their buyout payments held against the salary cap.

 Signing bonuses

The second factor to understand is signing bonuses. NHL teams are allowed a 7.5 % “performance bonus cushion” that is not held against the team’s salary cap.

 

Any bonuses that exceed the cushion are held against the team’s cap. The Rangers added to that factor on Monday when they agreed to terms with Alexis Lafreniere.   The Blueshirts now have a projected cap space of $18,804,367 which includes a $2.85 million performance bonus.

As things stand after that announcement, Gorton’s club will have a $3.95 million penalty added to their cap hit. This would leave almost $19 million in projected cap space before the team has signed any of their four RFA’s.

Arbitration dates announced

The NHLPA announced its arbitration dates for each player on Tuesday evening. Gorton and John Davidson are now on the clock to get these players signed before each player’s hearing.

DeAngelo – Oct. 20
Georgiev – Oct. 31
Strome – Nov. 5
Lemieux – Nov. 6

For the most part, the Rangers and their players who have filed for arbitration have been able to avoid going to an actual hearing with both sides agreeing on deals. The most recent time any Blueshirts went through with the hearing process was Sean Avery and Nikolai Zherdev in 2007.

A player cannot walk away from an arbitrated decision, but the Rangers can can walk away from any award of more than $4.538 million should they decide not to accept the arbitration award. The player would become an unrestricted free agent immediately.

The salary cap crunch the Rangers find themselves in right now, along with many teams in the NHL, could see them going through the hearing process this year.

I cannot see the team letting a player just leave, so an unwarranted decision against the team could leverage the club to make a trade to help resolve their cap problems.

Rangers’ Alexandar Georgiev pays homage to the King and the Warrior

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New York Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev wrote a nice tribute to Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal on Thursday following a hectic week that saw the two long time players no longer with the hockey team.

Staal was traded to Detroit last week and Lundqvist was bought out by the club on Wednesday.

In his comments via his Instagram account, Georgiev said of the Lundqvist,  “What an absolute honor it has been being Hank’s goalie partner! Seeing that drive and competitiveness every day pushes everyone to be better. ”

With regards to Staal, Georgiev wrote, “Staalsy was a Warrior for us doing everything to help the team win!”

The pictures he chooses to post included one of him and Lundqvist in their home blue jersey’s, another of when they battled against one another when Georgiev paid for Team Russia and Hank for Team Sweden.  The third was a phot of Georgiev and Staal embracing after a win.

The Rangers backup last season appeared in 34 games last season winning 17 games. He is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.  There have been no reports of negotiations at this point, but the sides should start some sought of communication once the free agency period begins on Oct. 8.

New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist no closer to a decision on future

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New York Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist

The future of New York Rangers franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist continues to be unclear as every day passes. He has not been seen or heard from since the team returned from Toronto after their three-game series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The only statement that has circulated regarding the 15-year veteran was made by the team’s general manager Jeff Gorton when he told NHL.com  that the club “would not be going with three goalies” whenever the 2020-2021 season begins.

Following a  conversation with team president John Davidson, Hank and his family headed back to his home in Sweden.

The team has three options available to them;

  • Work out a trade with Henrik. He has a no-trade clause in his contract so he would have to agree on any trade transaction the team would like to make.
  • The club could buy out his contract.
  • Lundqvist could retire at the end of this season.

Possible Trade Destinations

Should Henrik want to continue his career and the Rangers decide to keep Alexandar Georgiev to back up rookie Igor Shesterkin, there are a few places Hank could consider.

Boston- The Boston Bruins goalie situation turned upside down during the playoffs when starter Tukka Rask decided to leave his team and opt-out of the NHL Playoff bubble during their series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Jaroslav Halak played the rest of the series, but the goaltending issue remains a top priority in Beantown. Henrik could contend to be the starter on a one year deal with a team that has the Stanley Cup in their sights next season.

Calgary– The Flames lived and died with the success of former Rangers goalie Cam Talbot. His inconsistency in this year’s playoff displayed the inefficiencies in goal. Lundqvist could battle for the number one spot in Alberta.

Some other notable destinations could be Arizona, Las Vegas, Los Angelos Toronto, Washington, and Chicago.

The Buyout

The buyout period starts on either Sept. 25 or on the first day of the Stanley Cup final (whichever is later) and runs through either Oct. 8 or six days after the Cup clincher (whichever is later). Buying out the final year of Lundqvist’s contract would save the team $3 million under the cap for ’20-21, and add $1.5 million of dead money to the cap in ’21-22 per CapFriendly.com. The Rangers already have close to  $7.495 million in dead space into the 2020-21 offseason.

Retirement a long shot

The least possible option would be retirement. Henrik and his 459 victories rank sixth in NHL history and the Rangers would save most of his $8.5 million salary-cap hit if he decided to walk away from the club and the NHL. It is believed the entire $8.5 million would be wiped off the books.

Henrik would be leaving a lot of money on the table. There were some rumblings that Hank would play with his brother Joel in Sweden for Frolunda, but since he will be returning to New York to send his two children back to school, that option is pretty much eliminated.

Hank still believes he can play, and would most likely want to see what if any other options are available to him should the Rangers decide to go with the duo of Shestrekin and Georgiev.

Whenever a star player reaches the point when he and his team are no longer on the same page, things never seem to end well.  John Davison told Newsday’s Colin Stephenson last month,

“We will continue having our discussions to figure out what avenues we’re going to take as we move forward. We’ll handle things the right way and just move forward with this.’’

 

Fans can only hope that if this is indeed the end of Hanks’s tenure with New York, it ends with the same dignity and respect he has shown the organization and the great fans in Rangerstown.

 

NHL Salary Cap Hinders the New York Rangers Off-season Decisions

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New York Rangers

The off-season for the New York Rangers will consist of some easy choices and some very hard choices that will be impacted by the NHL salary cap. The easy choice came when the Rangers won the second phase of the draft lottery and won the first pick, which means they will either select young sensation Alexis Lafreniere or trade the pick if some team comes in with a trade offer that they cannot refuse.  The second issue is the effect the salary cap has on the rest of their off-season decisions.

The New York Rangers will not keep three goalies

“We won’t go into next year with three goalies,” General Manager Jeff Gorton said recently.

One of the issues in this decision is the flat cap that the NHL has next year. The Rangers were already going to have issues with the cap. Under the recently reached agreement,  the salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million next season.

Since the Rangers have said that they will not keep three goalies, either Henrik Lundqvist or Alexandar Georgiev will have to be moved from the roster.

One option is to trade Georgiev and keep Lundqvist as Igor Shesterkin’s backup for the final year of his contract, allowing the King to finish out his contract, retire as a Ranger will all of the pomp and circumstance that he deserves. The issue with that is the Rangers are not going to let Georgiev go for less than what they think he is worth, which probably means a first-round pick. This is not likely to happen, so the next move is to find an amicable way to part with Lundqvist.

Ranger’s President John Davidson said that should happen.  “The Rangers are really going to have to and want to do the right thing with,” Davidson said last week “for a “future Hall of Famer.”

That means that the Rangers could trade him, which is unlikely. The most realistic option is to buy out Lundqvist, which comes with a cap hit of $5.5 million worth of dead space for ’20-21, a savings of $3 million, and a dead-space hit of $1.5 million in ’21-22.

There have been some rumors that Lundqvist might go back to Sweden and play with Frolunda, which also has his brother on their team. However, Frolunda has denied those rumors.

The New York Rangers also have a decision concerning other players

The current list of free agents includes Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Tony DeAngelo, and Georgiev, who are restricted, and Jesper Fast who is un-restricted. The decision to let Fast go might be easier if they draft Lafreniere, who should nicely slide into Fast’s line spot. The other ones must either be signed or traded or just let walk to another team.

In order to free up cap space, there will have to be buyouts, most likely of Brendan Smith and/or Marc Staal, and hope that the young defenseman in the system can step up and replace them.

It will be a busy off-season as the Rangers try to get over the quick and unexpected play-off exit and trying to keep the foundation of young talented players that can help the Blueshirts compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future.

 

 

The New York Rangers Might Be Wise to Keep All Three Goalies Next Season

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When the New York Rangers were eliminated in the Stanley Cup playoffs, many thought that this was the last time we would see Henrik Lundqvist in a Rangers uniform. Conventional wisdom dictates that the Rangers would not keep three goaltenders on the active roster when the 2020-21 season commences.

However, we all know that we live in a time where conventional wisdom does not always apply.

That was evident when Igor Shesterkin was deemed “unfit to play” for the first two games of the playoffs, which allowed Henrik Lundqvist to start and play fairly well. While it was not the Lundqvist we had seen in the past or had hoped to see, either he or Shesterkin were the major factors in the Blueshirts exit in three games.

You will be hearing the words “unfit to play” quite a bit in the coming months, thanks to COVID-19. The NHL already allows teams to be cryptic about what that term means. Nowadays, it could mean an injury or a positive test for coronavirus, something that many were wondering what it meant for Shesterkin until it was later revealed he had a groin injury.

If you think the pesky coronavirus is going to go away soon, you are mistaken. While hopes of a vaccine reaching people in the next couple of months are possible, it is unlikely that it will make everything go away by the time the NHL hopes to start their next season around Dec. 1. That season may or may not be or start in a bubble.

This is why there are whispers that the NHL might rework their roster rules next year, allowing for more flexibility to help teams deal with the added concern of COVID-19. It seems to be working for the MLB and allowing players to back-and-forth to Hartford might be enough to give Alexandar Georgiev enough work to keep him sharp in case he is needed, or if Lundqvist decides to retire at the end of next season, join the expected Shesterkin-Georgiev tandem for 2021-22.

The Rangers would be wise to keep the King around. His leadership for such a talented young team would be of immense value. His teammates know it as well. “Consummate professional,” Chris Kreider said of Lundqvist after the Rangers were eliminated. “Unbelievable human being. Unbelievable competitor. The kind guy you want to be in the trenches with. Wants to win more than anyone I’ve ever met. I mean, it’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure to get to know him as a person and as a teammate. To play with him as long as I have and to see how he goes about his business on a daily basis, I have the utmost respect for Hank as a person and as a player.

The monkey wrench in all of this is the King’s contract, which will carry an $8.5 million salary-cap hit.

The second issue is, does Lundqvist really want to stay in New York and be a back-up?

Being the classy individual he is, Lundqvist does not generally air his laundry out in public, so we have no way of knowing what his feelings on this subject are. There had been some speculation that he may want to go back to Sweden and play with his brother Joel, on the Frolunda team where he started his wonderful career.

But we have a post-COVID wrinkle in the NHL timetable for buyouts. Under normal circumstances, an NHL player would be bought out and then have time to decide whether to sign in Europe. Not anymore. The NHL buyout period will be held after the Swedish Hockey League season begins.

Lundqvist could retire, but he would give up over $5 million dollars owed to him.

There are many things that could happen between now, the buyout period, and the targeted start of the season, as well as possible tweaks in roster rules. That is why the New York Rangers would be wise to at least give consideration to keeping three goaltenders, and allow one of New York’s marquee sports figures the exit he deserves.

 

Hockey is Almost Back as the New York Rangers Prepare to Play the Islanders in an Exhibition Game

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The New York Rangers have arrived at their bubble in Toronto.

The NHL announced that they have had zero positive tests out of 4,256 given.

It looks like we will see summer hockey starting on Wednesday when the Rangers face their cross-town rival Islanders. Puck drop is set for 7 pm, with the game being televised on the MSG Network. This game will not only give us a taste of what we can expect from the Blueshirts after a four-month layoff but also what the game experience will be like without fans in the stands.

How will the New York Rangers treat this Exhibition Game?

This game will probably look more like a regular-season game than most of your typical exhibitions. With only one game to play before the playoffs, coaches and players will need to use this game to get back, as closely as possible, to how they were playing for the pause.

The players are mentally more than ready. In Sunday’s media availability, Marc Staal said: “Now that the day is here, everyone’s pretty excited. The energy around the room was giddy and guys were excited to get here. I think everyone’s itching to play competitive hockey again.”

Head coach David Quinn summed it up in one little sentence: “We are here to win.”

That mindset will start with Wednesday’s game.

Just in case you need to get caught up, here are the expected lines for tonight’s game and possibly going into the playoffs.

Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
Artemi Panarin-Ryan Strome-Jesper Fast
Phil Di Giuseppe-Filip Chytil-Kaapo Kakko
Brett Howden-Greg McKegg-Julien Gauthier
Brendan Smith-Jacob Trouba
Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox
Marc Staal-Tony DeAngelo

Power play 1:
Zibanejad, Panarin, Kreider, Strome, DeAngelo.
Power play 2:
Buchnevich, Kakko, Chytil, Fox, Trouba

PK forwards:
Zibanejad-Fast
Howden-Strome
Di Giuseppe-McKegg

PK defensemen:
Lindgren-Staal
Smith-Trouba.

Igor Shesterkin is expected to make the start, but many are thinking that Henrik Lundqvist may see some time in net. On the other hand, the Rangers will probably get to see Seymon Varlamov for the entire game. The NHL will allow and Forward and Defenseman for this game, but only two goaltenders.

On Monday, the Rangers practiced at the Ford Performance Centre, a four-rink complex where the Maple Leafs and Marlie’s train, as they start experiencing what life will be like in their bubble facilities.

 

 

 

Shesterkin Appears to be the Leader to Start in Net for the New York Rangers

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At the beginning of the summer camp, New York Rangers head coach David Quinn said that all three goaltenders would be evaluated as to who would start when the Blueshirts take on the Carolina Hurricanes when play resumes on Aug 1. After about a week into camp, it appears that one of the goaltenders has separated himself from the pack.

Shesterkin is the likely starting goalie for the New York Rangers

Recently, reports out of camp indicate that Igor Shesterkin will likely be the number one goalie when the season resumes.

The other piece of good news is that it is not like the other two goalies, Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev, lost the job.

Lundqvist played an entire scrimmage Sunday, winning 5-3 against a team that used Shesterkin and Georgiev, as all three have been solid since the Rangers resumed practices.

It is more than likely a case where Shesterkin has picked up where he left off when the season was paused, with himself as the number one goalie, Lundqvist as the backup, and Georgiev the odd man out.

However, nothing has been set in stone yet. Quinn has indicated that he will use Monday’s off-day to re-assess the situation. “I’ve liked what I’ve seen from all of them at some point in time. It’s a battle,” Quinn said. “I think we’re going to probably have a conversation here. After a week now that we’ve [been] practicing, I think it’s a good time to kind of reassess where we’re at and take it from there.”

During his interview, Shesterkin had nothing but praise for the other two goalies competing for the job. Obviously, watching Henrik, you see the work ethic,” Shesterkin said. “It’s an unbelievable crazy work ethic, and I tried to reach that level of watching him and [Georgiev], who also has an unbelievable work ethic every day. I’m learning things every day, I’m looking at details, but I’m not going to tell you what I learned.”

Shesterkin is fully healthy and has been working out with a trainer while he and his wife were staying in Florida during the quarantine period. The Shesterkin’s had a very good reason why they did not return home to Russian during the pause. We remained in the U.S.,” Shesterkin said. “We had problems with registering our dog for the flight (to Russia). We didn’t want to check the dog into the luggage compartment so we had to stick around and ended up spending that time in Miami and we were very happy that we made that decision.”

This also allowed Shesterkin some time to skate with other NHL players, including Alex Ovechkin, something that Shesterkin said was “a very positive, great experience.”

The only remaining roadblock to having Shesterkin start in the net is that Lundqvist has a solid track record against the Hurricanes, posting stats of 24-4-0, 1.73, .947 during a stretch in which the Rangers have won 31 of 37 meetings. This is in addition to his 128 career playoff games, compared to zero by the other two goalies.

Even if Shesterkin wins the job, he may be on a short leash.

Regardless, if Shesterkin is named the starter, will benefit him and the Rangers for years to come by gaining this first bit of playoff experience.

 

 

 

New York Rangers, NHL focused on having players return to home cities

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The New York Rangers have seen players such as Igor Shesterkin, Pavel Buchnevich, and other player’s return to New York with the NHL focusing on testing and getting ready for training camp to begin.

Friday evening prior to the NHL draft Lottery, Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about the importance of players returning to their home cities, getting tested for COVID-19, and the excitement of beginning the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“At the peak, I think we had 17 percent of our players outside of North America, and 56 percent of our players weren’t in the markets in which their teams play,” Commissioner Bettman told NBC Sports Network prior to the First Phase of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery. “But the goal is [to] get everybody back, get everybody tested, make sure the right protocols are in place because health and safety is paramount. And then hopefully as a group we can hold off COVID-19, get everybody together in the hub cities and then finish the season with a great tournament,” as was reported by Tom Gulitti of NHL.Com.

 

For clubs like the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev have been overseas since the pandemic shut down the NHL on Mar. 12. Phase 2 began on June 8 with players entering facilities for voluntary workouts needing to take mandatory testing for COVID-19.

The NHL and the NHLPA have been working closely to establish a health protocol for the league to proceed with training camp and for when the Playoffs begin. Training camps can open provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an agreement on the resumption of play.

The NHL announced on June 19 that more than 200 players had multiple tests and 11 tested positive for COVID-19. Any player who tested positive went into self-isolation and followed the Centers for Disease Control and Health Canada protocols.

An announcement of which hub cities will host the qualifying rounds and the start of the playoffs could be made in the next few days. The Eastern Conference will have 12 teams along with 12 teams from the Western Conference. Las Vegas, Toronto, and Edmonton are among the rumored locations.

The league has confirmed that if a player or a small number of players should test positive during the playoffs these players would self-isolate with the games continuing. The big fear comes if an entire team or teams should have an outbreak of the coronavirus during the playoffs.

Would the league suspend the tournament until the outbreak is under control or would they be forced to outright cancel the season and not be able to award the Stanley Cup? Bettman is hoping that they can finish the year without too many health distractions.

The New York Rangers have not reported any positive COVID-19 cases with just a small amount of players attending the voluntary workouts at their Tarrytown, NY location.

New York Rangers 2020 Playoffs: Who Starts in Goal?

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When the New York Rangers return to action and face the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs, head coach David Quinn will have an interesting decision. With three capable goaltenders on the roster, he will have to choose one to start the series at their designated hub city. It will not quite be such an easy decision after the NHL has taken a long break due to the coronavirus pandemic. With players scattered across the globe in isolation, Quinn cannot be sure what will be returning to him when training camp resumes.

Ranger’s president John Davidson acknowledged this on Thursday during a video press conference. “I know that we’ll have the three guys here, [Georgiev], Shesterkin and Hank, and I think all three are excited,” Davidson said. “I know Hank has been skating. This is going to be a coach’s decision. That’s who it’s up to. The coaches make decisions. I think they’re going to watch and see how camp goes. This is going to be a battle.”

While acknowledging that the decision is going to be made during the resumed training camps, there is a case to be made for each of them heading into the resumption of play.

Henrik Lundqvist

It doesn’t matter that Lundqvist hardly played the final weeks of the season before the league was shut down. This could be about the experience, and the King has plenty of that.

He also has a solid track record against Carolina during the last two seasons. In 2018-19, he was 2-1 with a .964 save pct. and 1.34 GAA, while this season he went 3-0 with a .947 save pct. and 2.33 GAA. vs. the Canes.

As noted earlier, Lundqvist has actually been on ice while home in Sweden, skating with his brother. It is not known, but also not likely that Shesterkin or Georgiev has been on ice. This may give him a bit of an advantage heading into camp.

His effort on Nov. 7 against the Hurricanes was one that stands out, as he recorded 45 saves in a 4-2 win at PNC Arena.

“Without question, that one game down in Raleigh, he actually stole the game,” Davidson said. “He was outstanding. It was the best game I saw him play all season long.”

Lundqvist deserves and will get the chance to show that he should be the starting goaltender against Carolina.

Igor Shesterkin

Shesterkin was anointed the number one goalie by Quinn back in February, something that was well-deserved. Since being recalled from Hartford in January, he has compiled a record of 10-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and .932 save percentage in 12 starts.

Shesterkin also has some playoff and international experience to help him. While playing Juniors in Russia, he had a 12–7 record in 19 playoff games, along with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage, along with four shutouts to help MHK Spartak win the league championship. Shesterkin also represented Russia and was one of the best goaltenders at the 2018 World Championships in Denmark. He finished with two victories, both shutouts, and a 1.46 goals-against average with a .942 save percentage.

The 24-year-old has faced the Hurricanes once this year, recording 27 saves in a 5-2 win at PNC Arena on Feb. 21.

Alexandar Georgiev

It is likely that the only way Georgiev gets the start is if he completely outplays the other two during training camp.

It is not like Georgiev has been poor this year, as he has gone 17-14-2 with a 3.04 GAA and .910 save percentage, but has also not faced Carolina this season.

Georgiev does have international experience, helping Russia win the silver medal at the 2016 World Juniors, and then helping the Russians take the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.

“We’ve got three guys going in and I like our depth in that position,” Davidson said. “I can hardly wait, so whenever the puck drops for training camp, just to watch. There’s going to be a lot of subsets, a lot of small stories that are going to turn into big stories. Who is going to go and be the starting goaltender? If it’s a best-of-5 series, that’s not a long series and you want to get off to a good start. The coaches are going to have to make that decision.”

It is actually a nice decision to have, coming off an unwanted, long break in the season.

 

 

The New York Ranger’s Add a Wall to Their Outstanding Netminding Core

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New York Rangers, Alexandar Georgiev

The New York Rangers signed one of their top goaltending prospects, Tyler Wall, to an entry-level contract. His contract begins at the start of the 2020-21 season. The Rangers selected him in the sixth round, 174th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Wall will join two other young goaltenders, Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev, to mind the nets for years to come after Henrik Lundqvist decides to hang up his skates.

Wall appeared in 32 games with UMass Lowell this season, posting an 18-8-6 record, along with a 2.10 GAA, a .931 SV%, and two shutouts. The 6-3, 214-pounder appeared in 103 collegiate career games over four seasons (2016-17 – 2019-20) with UMass Lowell, posting a 58-34-10 record, along with a 2.28 GAA, a .918 SV%, and nine shutouts.

Wall was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team this season. Wall appeared/started in 32 of UMass Lowell’s 34 games in 2019-20, and he earned all of the team’s wins during the season. He also served as an alternate captain in 2019-20, becoming the first UMass Lowell goaltender to wear either a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on his jersey since Dwayne Roloson in 1993-94. Wall also helped UMass Lowell win the Hockey East Championship in 2016-17, and he was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team. He posted a 2.10 GAA or better in three of his four collegiate seasons.

The twenty-two-year-old is not just another pretty face tending nets as his major at UMass-Lowell was Mechanical Engineering.

Wall’s 58 career wins with UMass Lowell are the most by a goaltender since the school began playing in Division 1, and he broke Dwayne Roloson’s record of 51 wins during the 2019-20 season. He allowed two goals or fewer in 22 of his 32 appearances this season, including one goal or fewer in eight different appearances. Wall was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on six different occasions this season.

As far as his future as a Blueshirt, dobberprospects.com believes that Wall will compete with Adam Huska for the starting job in Hartford of the AHL. Should that position be granted to the more experienced of the two, Wall could see his professional career begin in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners. In either case, a consistent opportunity to play is the most critical aspect of his development. He is likely due for two or more years in the minor leagues before an NHL opportunity comes knocking.