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To Retire Or Not To Retire (Part One)

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That is the question, especially for a handful of well-known veterans whose successful careers currently have an indefinite future. The NHL is getting younger and faster, and even the best veterans are being pushed out of the league earlier than ever. Meanwhile though, players like Jaromir Jagr, Shane Doan, and Zdeno Chara are still making a big difference for their teams well past their “prime” years. No one wants to retire while they still believe that they have gas in the tank and can help a team throughout the 82-game season, whether that be a contender in need of depth or a rebuild in need of leadership. The question is not totally on the player either; is there even a market for their services? The following players have had long, storied careers in the NHL, but as the summer continues to dwindle, they must decide whether they’re willing to keep playing, regardless of the team or contract, or if they’re ready to hang up the skates.

Dan Boyle: 40 years old, 24 pts in 2015-16

Boyle has had quite the career. A veteran of over one thousand NHL games, Boyle is a two-time All-Star and a Stanley Cup Champion and was once a perennial Norris candidate. He has been one of the best power play quarterbacks of the last two decades, and helped to usher in the age of the small, possession defenseman being a dominant force in the NHL.  He was a force to be reckoned with during long stints in both Tampa Bay and San Jose. However, at 40 years old, gone are the days where Boyle can still fly around the ice and play top pair minutes. The past two years with the New York Rangers have been less than spectacular, and his average time on ice in 2015-16 was the lowest that it’s been since his days with the Florida Panthers in the late ’90s. The Rangers are not open to a return for Boyle, and in a market where players like Kris Russell, James Wisniewski, and Luke Schenn still remain available in mid-July, it seems unlikely that Boyle would find a suitor, especially one willing to pay him anywhere near his $4.5MM cap hit in New York. Verdict: Retire.

Patrik Elias: 40 years old, 8 pts in 2015-16

It’s always a great story when a player is able to play out his entire career with one team. Whether he retires or not, that will be the case for Patrik Elias and the New Jersey Devils. Elias made his NHL debut with the Devils all the way back in 1995, and twenty years later he is still the heart and soul of the team. The legendary fan favorite helped to lead New Jersey to Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003 and the team has clung to him ever since. With 1025 points in 1240 career games, the four-time All-Star has certainly made the most of his career. He is currently in the top ten among active players in goals, assists, points, plus/minus and nearly every other category. His versatility and ability to play in all situations helped the Devils franchise through all of the ups and downs of the past twenty years. The team now appears poised to be back on the upswing after some recent struggles, but a 40-year-old Elias isn’t going to be the piece that puts them over the top as a playoff team. Injuries kept him to just 16 games last season, as the wear and tear of twenty seasons finally caught up with him. Though Elias is just a few years removed from 53 points in 2013-14, and the Devils may use that to justify one more year with the face of the franchise, it seems like now is the time to call it quits. A position within the Devils organization seems almost like a guarantee, so it’s not as if his hockey career is over. The legend of Patrik Elias will continue. Verdict: Retire.

Scott Gomez: 36 years old, 9 pts in 2015-16

Elias’ teammate on those 2000 and 2003 Stanley Cup-winning Devils teams was a young Scott Gomez. The 1999-00 Calder Trophy winner helped to form the Devils dynasty, but his career took a different path than Elias’ did. Gomez left New Jersey in 2007 to sign a seven-year, $51.5MM contract across town with the New York Rangers. Two years in, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal that brought the Rangers current captain Ryan McDonagh. Gomez played three years in Montreal before being bought out in 2012 and since has signed a one-year deal with a new team each year (SJ, FLA, NJ, STL). It’s not exactly the Elias route of sticking with one team, but it has worked for Gomez. His numbers are not what they were in the mid-2000’s, but he has provided a reliable veteran presence on every team, and even put up 34 points in 58 games in his return season to New Jersey in 2014-15. While Gomez has long lost the pedigree he once had, his services seem to be in demand by some team each and every year, and the short one-year deals and limited number of games have kept him from the usual rigors of playing hockey past 35. Gomez may not be a difference maker, but as long as there are teams out there that find you useful, like potentially the Ottawa Senators, who signed Gomez for a short 13-game span at the tail end of last season, then stay available. Verdict: Keep playing.

Brad Richards: 36 years old, 28 pts in 2015-16

Another veteran center who has bounced around since his early days as the face of a franchise is Brad Richards. The 2004 Conn Smythe winner, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to its first ever Stanley Cup championship, has had a very successful and consistent career. Richards had at least 60 points in every full season for the first 11 seasons of his storied career, many of which were spent alongside Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Dan Boyle in Tampa. He was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2008, and then famously signed a nine-year $60MM contract with the New York Rangers in 2011 (which only lasted three years before he was bought out). He has spent the past two years as a productive veteran acquisition, helping the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2014-15 and helping the Detroit Red Wings extent their postseason streak in 2015-16. However, the numbers have noticeably tailed off since Richards left Dallas, and at 35 years old, this past season in Detroit was the worst of his career. It may seem like Richards could fall into that Scott Gomez role of being a perennial veteran addition to a needy team, but the fact that both the Blackhawks and Red Wings jumped on Richards on July 1st the past two years, and he still sits unsigned, make it seem more likely that perhaps Richards is done. He also doesn’t come cheap like Gomez, and the money might not be there this year for a contender to hand out $2-3MM to a 36-year-old coming off a down year. He has certainly cashed in on an excellent career though, and there would likely be no regrets if he called it quits now. Verdict: Retire.

Lightning Re-Sign Alex Killorn

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1:02 pm: The Lightning have officially announced the signing.  The contract contains a full no-trade clause in years two, three, and four plus a modified no-trade clause in the final three years, according to Cap Friendly.

11:26 am: Elliotte Friedman reports this morning that the Tampa Bay Lightning and restricted free agent Alex Killorn have come to terms on a seven-year deal worth about $31MM. Killorn had filed for arbitration earlier this month, but the two sides appear to have reached a mutual agreement. The 26-year-old joins Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy as core players that the Lightning have extended this off-season. The Lightning still have to find the cap space to re-sign fellow RFAs Vladislav Nemestnikov (who also filed for arbitration), Nikita Kucherov, and Nikita Nesterov. As of now, it appears that the Killorn deal has left them $8.53MM to do so.

Killorn, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2007 Draft, is Canadian, but took an unusual path to becoming an NHL prospect. Instead of playing junior hockey in Canada, Killorn instead played prep school hockey for Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He then took his talents to Harvard University, where he played for four years. Killorn jumped right into the NHL out of college, splitting his first pro season in 2012-13 between the Lightning and their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, who he helped lead to the Calder Cup finals. He became a full-time NHLer the next season, and has cemented himself as part of a strong young core that has led the Lightning to back-to-back deep playoff runs the past two seasons.

Some may be surprised by the seven-year term for a player about to turn 27 who has averaged about 40 points a season in the NHL, but with all of the players that the Lighting have to re-sign this summer and next summer, the longer term allows the team to keep the cap hit down. Also, Erik Erlendsson adds that Killorn’s contract does carry a no-movement clause, but it does not kick in until after the 2016-17 season, allowing the Lightning to keep Killorn exposed to the Expansion Draft next summer if they so choose. However, Killorn has proved to be a valued member of the Lightning, and management seems content to keep his toughness and hockey sense in Tampa Bay for another seven years.

Matej Stransky Re-Signs, Simon Stransky Still A Mystery

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The Dallas Stars have re-signed restricted free agent Matej Stransky to a one-year, two-way deal, as reported by General Fanager. While his may not be a name that many are familiar with yet, it soon could be. The 23-year-old Czech winger was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, after his first season with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, and then scored 166 points in 142 games over his next two seasons with the team. Stransky turned pro in 2013-14, playing for Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, and has gotten better each year. In 2015-16, his 23 goals were second on the team, as Stransky helped to lead the Stars to a playoff berth.

In 2016-17, Stransky could finally have the chance to crack the NHL lineup, and the Stars would have a bargain on their hands with his $575K dollar contract. Roster Resource shows that there is definitely room for Stransky to find a spot on the Dallas roster over the course of the season, as right wing is not particularly deep in the organization. Behind Patrick Sharp (who can play either wing), there is only Ales Hemsky as a surefire top nine right wing. Stransky would have to compete with another young forward in Brett Ritchie and grinder veterans Patrick Eaves and newly signed Adam Cracknell. Stransky is not a checking line guy by any means, but if a spot opens up on the right side of  the Stars’ top three lines, he has the skating ability and offensive skill to fit in well with a dynamic Dallas offense.

Many expected that the Stransky name would be more well known this year, even if Matej doesn’t make the jump to the NHL level. His younger brother, Simon Stransky, was expected to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft this past June. In fact, many hockey pundits believed that he was a top 100 player and would be a mid-round selection. However, 211 names were called and none of them were Simon Stransky. He was considered the biggest surprise of the Draft as far as undrafted players. Stransky, who was a first round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2014 CHL Import Draft, was a point-per-game player this past season in the WHL, and also played for the Czech Republic World Junior team and was invited to the CHL Top Prospects game. He is considered an elite play maker and offensive threat. While his defensive game is far from complete, in an NHL where speed and possession dominate, he seems to fit the mold. Not only was Stransky not drafted, but as of now he has also not been invited to any NHL team’s development camp, unlike fellow surprise passed-up prospect Zach Sawchenko who impressed at Nashville Predators camp. Clearly something is holding NHL teams back from committing to the younger Stransky, but with his brother Matej likely on his way to an NHL role, maybe Simon will garner some more attention and find a pro home sooner or later.

Viktor Tikhonov Headed To KHL

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The return trip to the NHL was not a long one for Viktor Tikhonov. The 2008 first round pick of the Coyotes had come back from a four year hiatus in the KHL to sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to play alongside fellow countryman and new addition Artemi Panerin, but was put on waivers after just 11 games in a Blackhawks jersey, and ended up back with the team that drafted him in Arizona. An NHL market did not develop for the 28-year-old who had only six points in 50 games split between two teams, and so he is headed back to Russia. Tikhonov will re-join SKA St. Petersburg, where he played from 2011-2015, the team announced.

While Tikhonov, the grandson of the legendary Russian player and coach of the same name, was born in the USSR, he was raised in the United States. His father, Vasily, was also a coach and the family spent time in California and Kentucky during Tikhonov’s childhood. His American upbringing has not translated to any dedication to playing in North America however. Tikhonov returned to Russia to play hockey at the age of 17, and played for three years before being drafted by the Coyotes in 2008. He made his NHL debut the next season, but failed to meet expectations, scoring only 16 points in 61 games. After starting the 2009 season with the Coyote’s AHL affiliate at the time, the San Antonio Rampage, Tikhonov was loaned to Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL, a team he had previously played for. Tikhonov spent the remainder of the season with Cherepovets, but returned stateside to fight for an NHL spot in 2010. Instead, he spent the entire 2010-11 season with the Rampage and left North America permanently, signing with SKA. Many were surprised by his return to the NHL last year, and his performance showed that this surprise was warranted, as Tikhonov again failed to make a difference at the NHL level. He’ll now return to the KHL, where he has 130 points in 207 games, as compared to just 22 points in 111 career NHL games.

Tikhonov is the 20th player to have left the NHL for the KHL this off-season. SKA St. Petersburg in particular has loaded up, bringing back Tikhonov to go along with the additions of the great Pavel Datsyuk, Bruins prospect Alexander Khokhlachev, and failed NHL experiment Sergei Plotnikov to a roster that already included the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk and Russian stars Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev. However, even if Tikhonov thrives on a loaded SKA team, it seems unlikely that he’ll try his hand at coming back overseas after his one-year deal expires. His NHL playing days appear to be over.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Have Signed… No One

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It’s 7:00pm on July 16th. NHL Free Agency is a whopping 368 hours old. Yet the Columbus Blue Jackets have not signed a single player this off-season with pro experience. In fact, other than trading for Scott Harrington and drafting Pierre-Luc Dubois with the 3rd overall pick, the Blue Jackets have not added anyone who could even have an impact on the 2016-17 season.

They’ve lost players, though. Rene Bourque is the only Columbus unrestricted free agent who has yet to sign elsewhere, as Fedor Tyutin, Jared Boll, Justin Falk and others have all found new homes. Don’t forget about promising winger Kerby Rychel too, who was the outgoing player in the Harrington trade. So what is the plan for a team that finished the 2015-16 season with 76 points, good enough for fourth worst in the league and 13 points behind their 2014-15 mark and has only made subtractions thus far? Columbus has shown that they are not a team that is afraid to make a big deal, trading for both Brandon Saad and Seth Jones in the past year or so, but the deafening silence thus far this summer means that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is either confident in what he has or no longer ready to be that “up and coming team” that the Blue Jackets have been pegged as since their unlikely 93 point season two years ago.

Roster Resource shows that the Blue Jackets are a team that is very young and not very deep. There is a solid young core formed by Saad, Jones, Ryan Murray, and Boone Jenner and joined by reliable mainstays like captain Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, and Jack Johnson, but the rest of the roster isn’t exactly full of household names. The team has high hopes for the aforementioned Dubois, who many considered to be a reach at #3 though, as well as young roster players like Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand and high-upside prospects like 2015 first rounder Zach Werenski and Sonny Milano. However, a Calder Cup championship for their AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, seems unlikely to be enough to get this team back to the NHL postseason.

Another factor contributing to the Blue Jackets quiet off-season is their inability to spend the money necessary to get the impact free agents. After re-signing Jones to a six-year deal worth $5.4MM per year, Columbus is projected to be between four and five million dollars short of the NHL salary cap limit. How is it possible that a team that certainly seems to be in a rebuild is also spending more than the Washington Capitals or Dallas Stars? David Clarkson and Scott Hartnell combining to take up $10MM in cap space doesn’t help, and the team seems almost eager to deal either one. Some also doubt that the $7.425M given to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is quite worth it at this point, as his numbers have gotten progressively worse each year since his breakout campaign in 2012-13.

Columbus is not that far from being back to a playoff-caliber team. Goaltending is deep and talented for the Blue Jackets and there are young difference-makers on offense and defense. The team could choose to scoop up free agent stragglers like Kris Russell or Jiri Hudler and try their hand at a unlikely return to the postseason, or even take a chance on some young castoffs like Brandon Pirri, Sam Gagner, or Luke Schenn, but their inaction to this point seems like an indication that they are headed in another direction. Instead, the Blue Jackets seem poised to rebuild around a growing group of high-ceiling homegrown players, even if that means a couple more season of bottom five finishes. It’s not a wild off-season for Columbus, but it is a bright future, and if management thinks that no additions are needed this season or for their rebuilding plans, then Blue Jackets fans will just have to sit tight and wait for Opening Night.

 

Coyotes Re-Sign Gaudet and Fournier

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Arizona has signed restricted free agents Tyler Gaudet and Stefan Fournier to one-year, two-way contracts reports Sarah McLellan of AZCentral. As the team struggles with RFA negotiations with disgruntled winger Tobias Rieder and arbitration-bound defenseman Michael Stone, the team has gotten two of their lesser known young players signed on for another year.

Gaudet got his first real taste of NHL action last season, playing in 14 games with the Coyotes after just a two-game stint in 2014-15. Gaudet played only energy line minutes, about 10 minutes a game, but scored three points and impressed with his two-way play. He seems likely to battle for a full-time spot this season and get a long look from new GM John Chayka and the Coyotes coaching staff as they evaluate a very young roster. Guadet will make approximately $875K at the NHL level.

Fournier, the former captain of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, will likely see most of his ice time during the inaugural season of the newly minted Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL. A point-per-game player in juniors, Fournier’s game has not translated as well to the pros, as he has bounced around the AHL and ECHL the past few seasons. Despite scoring just four points in 32 games with Arizona’s AHL affiliate last season, they saw enough in him to bring him back. He’ll have to do better than that from a production perspective though if he wants to earn his $633K NHL salary.

Free Agent Profile: Jhonas Enroth

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Jhonas Enroth represents the best of the remaining scraps of a once-deep free agent pool of goalies this off-season. But is there any market remaining for his talents? The once highly-touted Sabres prospect is now 28 years old, but is still capable of being a reliable contributor. Last season, Enroth posted a 2.17 goals against average and .922 save percentage in 16 appearances in relief of Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles. Both of those statistics, the lifeblood of goalie evaluation, put Enroth above the average set by the rest of his peers in free agency. Despite his efforts, Enroth still lacks a team while Anton Khudobin, Carter Hutton, Jonas Gustavsson, Al Montoya and others are happily signed.

At this point in the summer, and given the lack of open positions across the league, Enroth has to start to wonder whether he will have a job in North America when the NHL season kicks off in less than three months. It’s not unheard of for a known commodity, fully capable of playing at the NHL level, to head overseas simply because of a lack of opportunity or contract offers that pale in comparison to European possibilities. This is especially true for European players, such as the Swedish-born Enroth. However, for a talent such as Enroth’s to leave the NHL at this point in his career seems to be a waste and a missed opportunity for one of the thirty NHL squads.

While Enroth certainly did not live up to the lofty expectations set for him in Buffalo, the last few seasons have pointed towards a player that is peaking as a high-end backup in his prime years. After four years of struggling to be “the guy” in Buffalo, Enroth was finally given the reins as the starter with the Sabres to begin the 2014-15 season. Not long after, having made just 37 appearances, he was traded to the Dallas Stars. As the backup in Dallas, Enroth had a then career-high 2.38 GAA. While his numbers overall for the season were only mediocre, his performance in the low-pressure backup role after a change of scenery seemed to show promise. The Kings took a chance on him last summer, signing him to one-year, $1.25MM contract, and it paid off as Enroth was solid as the backup to one of the best in the game, and Los Angeles never had to worry about goal tending between Quick and the occassional Enroth appearance. However, the Kings decided not to move forward with Enroth as their backup, signing displaced former Penguin Jeff Zatkoff and acquiring prospect Jack Campbell, to go along with veteran Peter Budaj as backup options. This decision likely was a function of LA’s tight cap space and the salary demands of Enroth. So now the question becomes will someone take the same chance on Enroth as the Kings did, or will another good European goalie head back overseas?

Potential Suitors

The presence (or lack thereof) of suitors is the bigger issue at hand than the talent of Jhonas Enroth. As compared to the likes of Joni Ortio, Ben Scrivens, or Anders Lindback, Enroth is the clear choice as the best available unrestricted free agent goalie. So who might bite? The leading candidate is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have already made a goalie splash this summer with the trade for Anaheim’s Frederik Andersen. However, they turned around traded Jonathan Bernier to the Ducks and now find themselves without a reliable backup. It has been rumored that the Leafs would prefer to make a trade for a top-end backup, and could also use the young Garrett Sparks as their primary backup as well, but they could also replace the departed former King, Bernier, with another former King, Enroth, and be no worse for wear.

The defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks could also be a destination. They traded for James Reimer at the deadline to spell their upstart number one, Martin Jones, but watched him head to Florida on July 1st. They have no internal options with ample NHL experience, and are still dealing with a starter that has only one full season as the go-to goalie under his belt. The Sharks watched Martin Jones play back up for the rival Kings first hand and went out and got him. They could do the same with Enroth.

Finally, never count out the Chicago Blackhawks. If there is a value signing to be made, the Blackhawks are always in the mix. They do have Scott Darling on a very affordable sub-$600K contract, but after a stellar rookie season, his number dipped last year and Chicago could upgrade with Enroth if the price is right. Teams can always come out of the woodwork to add a goalie as well, and Enroth may present value that can’t be passed up to the right team.

One goalie-needy team that can likely be counted out: the Buffalo Sabres. With just Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson under contract, the Sabres aren’t swimming in goalie depth and talent, but it seems unlikely that the two sides would be looking into a reunion.

Expected Contract

Enroth was the last man in when we made our Top 50 Free Agents list and predictions, and his can still prove to be correct, as he we thought he would be a good fit for the Sharks at $1.4MM on a one-year deal. Given how close the Sharks were to winning the Stanley Cup last year, it seems unlikely that they would go into the season with their current goalie depth. However, when you’re this deep into the season, you have to wonder what could be holding up a contract between the two. San Jose may be taking their time to go through options or Enroth may be pricing himself out after a strong season. Either way, the two would be a good fit, as would Enroth in Toronto and a cheap, one-year deal seems likely. The NHL would benefit from keeping a good talent in goal like Enroth in North America, so it will continue to be a waiting game to see which team makes that happen.

Blackhawks President John McDonough Discusses His Team

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2015-16 was shaping up to another big year for the Blackhawks.  Not only were they coming off a Stanley Cup victory, they also added a core player in Artemi Panarin on a cheap entry-level contract.  On top of that, they added Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise, and Tomas Fleischmann in advance of the trade deadline in the hopes of making another deep postseason run.  Unfortunately for Chicago, they were ousted in the first round by St. Louis, ending their year on a sour note.

David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune sat down with team President John McDonough to discuss the year that was and Chicago’s offseason moves thus far.  Here are some of the highlights:

On trading Andrew Shaw to Montreal in a draft day deal:

“That was a tough one for a lot of reasons. He’s a wonderful young man.  He had an organic grittiness that really struck a nerve with Chicagoans, maybe more than any athlete I’ve been associated with. He represented what people wanted this franchise to embody.”

On head coach Joel Quenneville and how long he may stick around:

“I have never had a conversation with anybody about Joel’s successor. He has four years left on his contract, is an energetic 58 and a very, very powerful figure. Joel has the same thing as Shaw — that relatable characteristic people are drawn to.”

On general manager Stan Bowman:

“I’m really proud of Stan because he’s not afraid to make the tough decisions. Stan is a prolific listener. He’s very thorough and he gets a lot of information from a lot of people…  You better have a plan in case you need to change the plan. And Stan had to look at things differently. He couldn’t be more committed or engaged. He’s understated, subdued, measured. I have to check his pulse from time to time.”

On Patrick Kane’s decision to stay in Chicago for the offseason to training instead of going home to Buffalo:

“That was completely his choice. I care for him deeply. We’ve been through a lot together. I want him to succeed and not just on the ice. He’s in such a good place right now. He looks great, looks clear and healthy. I think he has good relationships and is on a good path.”

Chicago has close to a full roster under contract and has inked all of their restricted free agents.  They have just shy of $2.4MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly, enough money left that they could make a run at one more free agent forward to shore up their depth.  Here is a look at their projected depth chart, courtesy of Roster Resource.

Minor Transactions: 7/16/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions:

  • The Kings announced the re-signing of center Andrew Crescenzi to a one year, two-way contract.  John Hoven reports the deal will pay him $600K at the NHL level and $75K in the AHL.  Crescenzi spent last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, a minor league affiliate of the Kings, scoring five goals and 16 assists in 67 games.  He was the last remaining restricted free agent for Los Angeles to sign.
  • Defenseman Steve McCarthy has retired and will join Columbus as an AHL assistant coach, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. McCarthy played in 302 career NHL games with Chicago, Vancouver, and Atlanta, picking up 55 points and 168 penalty minutes.  In that same article, Portzline notes that the Jackets also re-signed AHL head coach Jared Bednar to a two year contract extension.
  • New Jersey has signed their AHL head coach Rick Kowalsky to a two year contract, the team announced.  The 44 year old won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award last season which is given to the AHL’s Most Outstanding Coach.  Kowalsky has coached the Albany Devils since 2010-11.

Central Notes: Nichushkin, Wild, Redden

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Dallas GM Jim Nill met with the media on Friday following the Jamie Benn extension.  While most of the talk naturally was focused on the new contract, Nill was also asked about current restricted free agent Valeri Nichushkin and the status of their contract talks.  Nill didn’t provide much of an update other than to say both sides are going through the process but had this to say when asked if he was concerned that Nichushkin could look for a deal in the KHL instead; quote courtesy of Mike Heika of the Dallas News:

“No, I don’t think so. Val’s over here training and I don’t think there’s that issue. Val wants to be in the NHL and he wants to have a good year this year, so I don’t think that’s possible.”

Nichushkin struggled in his second full NHL season after missing most of 2014-15 with a hip injury.  The 2013 first round pick had nine goals and 20 assists with the Stars last season while averaging 13:56 per game.  He was less of a factor in the postseason, collecting just a single assist in ten games.  He received a qualifying offer of $874K last month but that offer expired on Friday.

Other news and notes from the Central Division:

  • Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher spoke with Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune and provided a small update on their free agent situation as well as several top prospects at their development camp. On the free agent side, Fletcher noted that assistant GM Brent Flahr is handling talks with RFA defenseman Mathew Dumba and that he doesn’t anticipate any problems getting a deal done.  Fletcher also acknowledged that the team is still talking with some of the free agents left on the market but that they’re in no hurry to add anyone right now.  Russo notes that Matt Cullen has some interest in signing with the Wild.  The 39 year old spent three seasons with Minnesota from 2010-11 to 2012-13.
  • Former NHL defenseman Wade Redden is beginning his post-hockey career as the assistant director of player development for Nashville. As Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press writes, there’s already a connection to his playing days in one of the players he’s mentoring.  Rem Pitlick was a third round pick of the Predators in last month’s draft and is the son of former NHL’er Lance Pitlick, Redden’s roommate and blueline partner in the mid-to-late 1990’s.

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