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Archives for June 2016

Anaheim Ducks Nate Thompson Out With Long-term Injury

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Anaheim Ducks manager Bob Murray announced Tuesday that Nate Thompson tore his achilles while working out during the off-season. He is expected to miss most of next season, and a return before the trade deadline looks unlikely.

This is Thompson’s second major injury in two seasons. Thompson missed the first 26 games last season with a torn labrum. He scored 3G and 6P during the rest of the season and potted 2G in the Ducks’ first round loss to the Nashville Predators. He was used mainly as a grinding fourth-line forward.

Buyout Candidates: Bickell, Bolland, Cowen

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With the buyout window opening Wednesday evening, there is speculation as to which players will most likely see their contracts bought out. Luke Fox from Sportnet put together a list of players  who might find themselves a victim of buyer’s remorse. Here are a few:

  • Bryan Bickell: After having the playoff performance of a lifetime during the Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Stanley Cup run, Bickell’s contract has been a thorn in the side of the Hawks constant cap worries. Signed to a 4-year, $16MM deal in 2013, the return on investment has been null for the Blackhawks. Some will point to bench boss Joel Quenneville as one of the reasons Bickell never found sustained success after his magical year. Scott Powers wrote in the Chicago Sun Times back in January that Bickell was resigned to his fate, and that it was ultimately up to the Chicago brass as to how they solved the problem. Bickell was shuttled back and forth to AHL affiliate Rockford, and barely saw ice time even when he was up in Chicago. As Fox points out, with only a year left and $4MM owed, if Bickell isn’t traded, he’s most likely to be bought out.
  • Dave Bolland: Another former Blackhawk, Bolland has been injury plagued and unable to produce like he did when he was in Chicago. Back in December, the Hockey News  speculated that Bolland would be an excellent candidate to be removed from the books with 3 years still left on his deal. However, the average hit on the Cap should Florida choose to do this would be $1.833MM per year through the 2021-2022 season. While the Panthers have historically taken on large contracts to remain above the salary cap floor (Brian Campbell comes to mind immediately), this would be a steep price for six seasons of a nearly $2MM hit. One other caveat: Fox reports that Bolland failed a recent physical, which would disqualify his contract from being bought out per CBA rules.
  •  Jared Cowen: The Maple Leafs are in the midst of an epic purge, and already dealt most of the bad contracts from the previous regime. Cowen’s was acquired in the Dion Phaneuf trade, and as Fox notes, general manager Lou Lamoriello already indicated that Cowen would be bought out. TSN (as well as mentioned in Fox’s article) also writes that the Leafs would get a credit for buying the contract out. Mark this one down as a guarantee.

Snapshots: Las Vegas, Johansson, Ladd, Okposo

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The hockey world was abuzz with the confirmation that Las Vegas will in fact be the benefactor of expansion, making it the first of the big four sports in the city.  According to Associated Press writer Greg Beacham,  the fact that the team is bid out by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment lends credence to the thought that the nickname will in fact be the Black Knights. Beacham also points out that despite the financial woes seen in Arizona, the NHL is confident that hockey can flourish in the southwest.

Other news around hockey:

  • Marcus Johansson and the Washington Capitals appear ready to battle over money reports Chuck Gormley at CSN Mid Atlantic.  Johansson had another stellar season for the Capitals, registering 46 points in the regular season and adding 7 more in the playoffs. But Gormley writes that it might not be enough for Capitals GM Brian MacLellan, who believes a hometown discount won’t happen. Gormley also points out that Johansson is a valuable commodity, playing both wings and center for head coach Barry Trotz. Johansson isn’t the only one up for a contract, as defenseman Dmitry Orlov, and forwards Tom Wilson, and Michael Latta headline the restricted free agents the Capitals must re-sign.
  • ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun  penned that unrestricted free agent forward Andrew Ladd is most likely moving on from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 30-year-old winger was dealt to the Blackhawks in February but knew the Hawks had salary cap restrictions. While Ladd provided a spike in production, scoring 8 goals and 12 points in his return to Chicago, the Blackhawks were bounced by the Blues in 7 games in the first round of the playoffs. Ladd notched a goal and an assist in the seven games. LeBrun writes that Ladd is looking to join a contender, and is also considering his family’s wishes on where he goes next.
  • LeBrun also reported that New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo is all but headed to free agency. The 28-year-old winger was a major contributor with 64 points (22-42) and will be a hot commodity once the window opens for free agents. LeBrun points out that Okposo’s age and scoring acumen are the main reasons teams will chase after him in July.

Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals

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The 2015-2016 Washington Capitals were a pick by many to win the Stanley Cup after breezing through the regular season and capturing the President’s Trophy as the top point getter in league. But once again facing the now champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals found history repeating itself and lost to their rival in six games.

Cap Space: $12,788,204 (via CapFriendly)

Key UFAs: Winger Jason Chimera still registered 20 goals and 40 points in a full 82 games. It was the first time Chimera registered 20 goals in a season since the 2011-2012 campaign. Though he was quieter in the playoffs, Chimera was valuable as a third line wing and also spent time on the second power play unit. A return to Washington isn’t out of the question, but according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, Chimera is keeping his options open after one of the best seasons of his career.

Other UFAs: F Mike Richards, D Mike Weber.

Key RFAs: D Dmitry Orlov and F Marcus Johansson. Orlov notched 8 goals and 21 assists and played all 82 games, averaging 16:02 on the ice. His playoff numbers were dismal, but he was one of many Capitals who failed to produce in the postseason.  Johansson not only produced in the regular season with 46 points (17-29), but he also registered 7 points in 12 playoff games. The Capitals and Johansson have a history of negotiations and after an arbitrator ruled in favor of Johansson last year, it will be interesting to see how the Capitals value Johansson during negotiations.

Other RFAs: F Tom Wilson, F Michael Latta.

Minor NHL Transactions: 6/14/16

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Keeping track of Tuesday’s minor signings:

  • Chicago has re-signed G Mac Carruth to a one year contract, reports CSN’s Tracey Myers.   Carruth split 2015-16 between Chicago’s minor league affiliates Rockford (AHL) and Indy (ECHL).  He posted a 6-5-2 record with a 2.30 GAA and a .926 SV% in 17 AHL games while adding a 12-10-3 record with a 2.43 GAA and a .918 SV% in 25 ECHL contests.  Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have signed pending RFA defenceman Brian Lashoff to a one year, two-way contract worth $650,000 according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Lashoff spent last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, scoring 16 points in 74 games.
  • Defenceman Chris Summers has re-signed with the New York Rangers, also according to Lavoie. Summers played 74 games with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, scoring 11 points. He appeared in 3 games with the Rangers where he was held off the scoresheet, with 4 PIM and a -2 rating. He was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at the 2015 trade deadline in the Keith Yandle trade. Lavoie reported the one year, two-way extension to be worth $600,00 at the NHL level.

Las Vegas To Be Added As An Expansion Team

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The NHL is reportedly set to announce that Las Vegas will be added as an expansion team according to Greg Beacham of the Associated Press.  It’s expected that the decision will be made official following the NHL’s Board of Governors Meeting on June 22nd.

Las Vegas has long been thought of as a likely expansion candidate.  Prospective owner Bill Foley spearheaded a season ticket deposit campaign last year, collecting over 13,200 deposits in advance of submitted their expansion application in July.

Also aiding in their application was the recent completion of the T-Mobile Arena, a $350MM facility completed earlier this year.  Las Vegas is also the largest US market without a major professional sports franchise and it is believed that the NHL was intrigued by the idea of being the first league in that market.

The expected expansion fee is believed to be $500MM and the earliest a team would start would be the 2017-18 campaign.  More information on that will likely be available following the Board of Governors meeting next week.

Information has already leaked about the rules for the expansion draft.  Our Gavin Lee broke down the eligibility rules last weekend.

Quebec, the other prospective franchise that participated in the expansion application process, is not expected to be awarded a franchise at this time.  However, as they have an NHL-ready arena in the Videotron Centre, they will certainly come up in terms of future expansion or relocation discussion.

Snapshots: Predators, Smid, Coaching Updates, Gillis

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Nashville GM David Poile provided updates on some of his players in an interview with Brooks Bratton on the team’s website on Monday.

On pending restricted free agents Filip Forsberg and Calle Jarnkrok:

“We’ve had a couple of conversations with each of their agents, but as I always say, this is a process.  I don’t look for these to be getting done tomorrow, but we’re moving ahead.”

He also noted that he is attempting to trade Eric Nystrom and that he wouldn’t rule out buying out the final year of his contract if he can’t find a trade partner.  Nystrom is set to earn $3MM in salary with a $2.5MM cap hit for 2016-17.  A buyout would trigger a $500,000 cap hit in 2016-17 and a $1MM charge in 2017-18.

Poile added that he will begin to send qualifying offers to his restricted free agents starting next week.  Aside from Forsberg and Jarnkrok, the Preds have seven other RFA’s between their NHL and AHL teams.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Ladislav Smid’s future remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a season-ending neck injury sustained back in February, writes Darren Haynes on his From 80 Feet Above blog. His neck issues stem back to his first neck surgery six years ago.  The continuing issues will prevent him from being a candidate for a buyout as the CBA does not permit injured players to be bought out.
  • Tampa Bay assistant coach Rick Bowness has agreed to a multi-year extension with the Lightning, the team announced. He was reportedly a contender for the Anaheim coaching job which instead went to Randy Carlyle.
  • The Blue Jackets have offered former St. Louis assistant coach Brad Shaw a contract to join them in a similar role according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
  • ESPN’s John Buccigross reports that Kevin Dineen is “getting a late look” for Calgary’s head coaching job. He also adds that Glen Gulutzan and Todd Reirden are other finalists.
  • Former Vancouver GM and player agent Mike Gillis has accepted a job on the board of directors for Swiss club Geneve-Servette HC, the team announced. Gillis’ Assistant GM in Vancouver, Lorne Henning, is also joining him in this new role.

Capology 101: Buyouts

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The annual NHL buyout period is almost upon us, and here at Pro Hockey Rumors we are going to give you a quick crash course in NHL contract buyouts so that you can make sense of the incoming news.

What is a buyout? Buyouts allow teams to prematurely terminate a player’s contract. The team is still responsible for paying a portion of the player’s salary, but over a longer term and lesser cap hit. If a player is bought out before he turns 26, the team owes him 1/3rd of his salary over twice the remaining contract length. If the player is 26 and older, he is entitled to 2/3rds of his salary over twice the remaining contract length. The player immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any other team.

Why would a team buy out a player? Players are bought out mainly because their performance does not correlate to their salary. In other words, they are paid too much and provide too little. Sometimes it’s an aging vet with a inflated contract, and other times its a well-paid goalie usurped by an up-and-coming rookie. In every event, a team buys out a player to save salary cap space.

What are the salary cap implications? Even though a player’s contract is bought out, the team still carries a cap hit. The cap hit is calculated in two phases: original contract years phase and extra buyout years phase.

In phase one, the cap hit for the year is equal to the difference between the salary initially owed and the salary paid by the buyout, and subtracted from the original SPC’s AAV:

Cap Hit = SPC AAV – (Original Salary Owed – Salary Paid in Buyout)

This equation is used to determine the cap hit in each year of the contract had it not been terminated.

In phase two, the cap hit is equal to the buyout amount the player is paid that year:

Cap Hit = Buyout Salary

Finally, if a player has a no-movement clause (NMC), the team has to first give the player an option to be placed on unconditional waivers.

When can teams buy out players? The official buyout period begins on the later of (a) June 15th, or (b) 48 hours after the end of the Stanley Cup Finals, and ends on June 30th at 5:00pm EST. Teams can buy out as many players as it likes during this time. This year it begins on June 15th.

Teams may also buy out a player outside the buyout period if they meet the following requirements:

  1. the team has more than one salary arbitration hearing in a given year;
  2. the player was on the team’s reserve list at the trade deadline; and
  3. the player’s average salary is $2,750,000* or higher.

If a team meets these three requirements they can buy out up to three contracts outside the regular buyout period.

* in 2013 dollars. This number increases at the same percentage rate of annual increase as the average league salary  

Free Agent Focus: Tampa Bay Lightning

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The 2015-2016 Tampa Bay Lightning lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final. Their performance followed up a Finals appearance last year where they lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning’s record implies that no drastic moves are necessary, but with star forward Steven Stamkos still unsigned, the team risks losing arguably their best player to free agency.

Cap Space: $18,849,999 (according to CapFriendly)

Key UFAs: F Steven Stamkos. Stamkos is coming off a 36G and 64P season but missed all but one playoff game due to blood clots. While he hasn’t posted more than a point-per-game since 2013-2014, Stamkos remains one of the most dominant young forwards in the game. That being said, the Lightning were within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals without him, so they could seemingly let him walk without suffering much setback.

Other UFAs: D Mattias Ohlund, F Mike Blunden, F Jonathan Marchessault, D Matt Taormina.

Key RFAs: F Alex Killorn and F Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov scored 30G and 66P this year while adding another 19P in the playoffs. He is set for a significant raise after finishing off his entry level contract. Killorn potted 14G and 40P in the regular season before posting 13P in the playoffs. He is coming off of a deal worth $2.55MM AAV and is also looking for a raise. The Lightning will have to decide whether to offer both players bridge contracts or lock them into long-term deals. They will also have to be wary of next year’s RFAs Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Andrei Vasilevskiy seeking significant raises.

Other RFAs: F J.T. Brown, F Vladislav Namestnikov, F Nikita Nesterov.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks fell just a bit short of winning their first ever Stanley Cup title as they lost the championship series in six games to Pittsburgh.  It was still their most successful postseason in their 25 year franchise history as they made it to the final for the first time.

With less than three weeks until the beginning of free agency, GM Doug Wilson will have to put together his offseason plan in a hurry.  One area that won’t need to be looked at is the coaching staff as Wilson confirmed today that all coaches would return next season.  Here is a closer look at their free agent outlook.

Key Restricted Free Agent: W Tomas Hertl – Hertl had the best year of his NHL career in 2015-16, picking up 21 goals and 25 assists in 81 regular season games while adding six goals and five helpers in 20 postseason contests before missing most of the Stanley Cup Final with a right knee injury (that will not require surgery).  He is coming off his entry-level contract which saw him earn $925,000 per year plus another potential $425,000 per season in bonuses.  Wilson will have to decide whether or not to lock Hertl up long-term or to pursue a short-term bridge contract instead.

Other NHL RFA’s: D Dylan DeMelo, W Matt Nieto

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: The Sharks acquired D Roman Polak and G James Reimer in separate deals from Toronto in the days leading up to the trade deadline.  Polak played a regular role down the stretch and in the postseason, bringing some physicality and shot blocking to the table on the third pairing.  Reimer, meanwhile, provided more reliable insurance in goal behind starter Martin Jones and gave them someone capable of taking over should Jones get hurt or struggle.  San Jose has already added youngster Mantis Armalis this offseason but may still prefer a veteran behind the 26 year old Jones.

Other NHL UFA’s: C Nick Spaling, D Matt Tennyson, W Dainius Zubrus

Cap Space: Just over $10.5 million, according to Cap Friendly (estimates based on the 2015-16 salary cap).  San Jose must add at least three more forwards and one more goaltender to meet the NHL’s roster minimums.

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