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Islanders Sign Ryan Strome To A Two Year Deal

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The New York Islanders announced that they have re-signed restricted free agent center Ryan Strome to a two year deal. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that the contract is worth a total of $5MM.  Cap Friendly adds that Strome will earn $2MM in 2016-17 and $3MM in 2017-18, meaning his qualifying offer in the 2018 offseason will be $3MM.

Strome, the fifth overall pick of the Isles in 2011, is coming off a down year where he recorded just 28 points (8-20-28) in 71 games, down considerably from a 50 point campaign in 2014-15. As a result, it’s not surprising to see the bridge deal get done to see how he fares over the next couple of years before the team decides whether or not to commit to him on a long-term deal.

Mar 25, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18) during the third period at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Islanders 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsDespite his struggles last season, Strome is still expected to be a top six forward and could push offseason acquisition P.A. Parenteau for time on their top line, a vacancy that was created by the departure of Kyle Okposo to Buffalo at the beginning of free agency.

[Related: Islanders Depth Chart]

The team imposed deadline to have all players signed by training camp has come into play in the past as former NHL winger Sean Bergenheim didn’t sign by the start of camp back in 2006 and wound up spending that season in the RSL and SEL instead.

With the contract, the Isles now have their full roster under contract including 14 forwards on one way deals.  They have a little more than $1.1MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly although their projected roster has 25 players, two more than the maximum.  At any rate, they’ve left themselves some wiggle room heading into the season.

With this deal done and the signing of Valeri Nichushkin in the KHL now official, there are just 12 remaining restricted free agents.  Among those, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau is the most prominent player without a deal for the upcoming season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stars RFA Nichushkin Signs In Russia

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Sept. 20: CSKA Moscow has officially announced the signing (link in Russian).  The Stars will retain his NHL rights.

Sept. 19: According to R-Sport correspondent Simon Galkevich, Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin is about to sign a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL (link in Russian).

Galkevich tweeted CSKA acquired Nichushkin’s KHL rights from Dinamo for free. Igor Eronko, a writer for the Russian website Sport-Express, cited a source saying Nichushkin hopes to return to Dallas “someday”, but doesn’t want to play for Stars coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff’s contract expires in two years, coinciding with the end of Nichushkin’s KHL contract.

Back in March, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reported Nichushkin was frustrated with Ruff, quoting a Sport-Express article where Nichushkin compared Ruff’s lack of trust in him to “beating [my] forehead against the wall”.

Stars GM Jim Nill had previously stated that he didn’t expect Nichushkin to consider the KHL. The Stars drafted Nichushkin 10th overall back in the 2013 Entry Draft. He’s scored 23 goals and 64 points in 166 games since then, missing all but eight games of his sophomore season with a hip issue.

Nichushkin is one of several RFAs currently without an NHL contract, as discussed during PHR’s series on remaining RFAs.

Snapshots: USA-Canada, Abdelkader

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John Tortorella has found himself and his team in a challenging situation following their 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday. Though critiqued by many for their roster selection, few expected a shutout loss to Team Europe. But that’s exactly what happened, putting the Americans in an absolute must win against arch-rival Canada. Stephen Whyno writes that while the game has to result in an American victory for any sort of hope, it’s just another game for the Canadians. Tortorella called the Tuesday’s contest its “championship game,” and had this to say regarding the potential elimination game:

“Playing there, against them, everybody wants us knocked out,” Tortorella said Monday. “I can’t wait and I think our players can’t wait for this game to start. It’s going to be a blast.”

Team Canada bench boss Mike Babcock on the other hand, takes the approach that every important game in the tournament is the next one, and while Canada fended off the Czech Republic with ease, they certainly won’t be overlooking a desperate American squad. Whyno reports that Canada isn’t concerned with eliminating the US for extra motivation. Instead, it’s a business as usual approach for the team that has been dubbed by many as having few to little weaknesses.

In other hockey news:

  • Justin Abdelkader will be placed on a line with Patrick Kane in the tilt against Canada writes Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski and it could be another in a line of head scratching Tortorella moves. Tortorella claims that anyone questioning his “thinking” is simply reporters “overthinking” it. Further, he writes that Abdelkader, based on his play, has earned more ice time. Wyshynski argues that Abdelkader is generally considered to be a third or fourth line player, but Abdelkader makes this point:

“I’ve played with some good players in Detroit and it’s similar to him. You want the puck on his stick. But you can’t just think you’re going to throw pucks all the time at him. It’s the right opportunities. I think we’re a better team when Patrick Kane has the puck on his stick, that’s for sure.”

Abdelkader also points out that he’ll play “wherever” Tortorella puts him. Wyshynski also points out that this is an old hat strategy by Torts: those who play hard will play more and those who don’t will sit. While that strategy seems subjective, and many would argue that it is, if it works, then Tortorella looks like a genius. If not, then it’ll add to the litany of missteps Team USA has made through the World Cup experience.

Aaron Ekblad Out With Injury

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Team North America—and Florida Panthers—defenseman Aaron Ekblad will not play in tonight’s World Cup game against Team Russia because of an upper body injury. Ekblad led all players in ice time with over 23 minutes played in the team’s 4-1 win over Finland on Sunday. George Richards of the Miami Herald reports Ekblad has suffered a mild concussion.

The young defenseman will be replaced by unsigned RFA Jacob Trouba. Trouba has yet to come to terms with the Winnipeg Jets, and a strong performance replacing Ekblad could go a long way in his contract negotiations. Trouba had a bit of a production setback last season, scoring 6G and 15A  in 81 games, but he remains a top-flight defensive prospect for the Jets.

Ekblad just signed a eight-year extension worth $7.5MM a year, so the Panthers have the right to be concerned about his health.  Panthers GM Tom Rowe told Richards that he doesn’t expect the defenseman to play again in the tournament.  Ekblad scored 15g and 21A in 78 games last season and is looking to build off that success as he progresses in his development. This injury highlights why NHL GMs worry about international competitions as they impose risk upon the league’s top players outside of scheduled NHL games.

Snapshots: Nichushkin, Strome, Sabres

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News and notes around the NHL this evening:

  • Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said that losing Valeri Nichushkin to the KHL is “not the end of the world.” The unsigned RFA is rumored to be close to signing a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow instead of remaining with the Dallas Stars. Nill reasons that Nichushkin is still young and will continue to develop in the KHL—and return to the organization a better player. Nishushkin scored 9G and 20A in 79 games for the Stars, and was considered a promising prospect on the backend.
  • Unsigned RFA Ryan Strome approaches the New York Islanders self-imposed deadline to sign a contract before the season starts. As Larry Brooks reports, the Isles have maintained the previous ownership’s policy of not negotiating during training camp. The Canadian forward scored 8G and 20A in 71 games for the Isles last season, and an additional 1G and 3A in 8 playoff games. The Isles have just over $3.6MM in cap space—more than enough to sign a player of Strome’s calibre to a short-term bridge deal.
  • The Buffalo Sabres officially announced that they have changed their arena name from the First Niagara Center to the KeyBank Center. KeyBank’s parent company KeyCorp recently bought First Niagara, and with it came the arena’s naming rights. Both are mid-size banks with a concentrated upstate New York presence. The name change will take effect this season. The name change is also the team’s fourth in twenty years, after being called the Marine Midland Arena, HSBC Arena, and most recently the First Niagara Center.

Snapshots: Faksa, Canucks, Oilers, Orlov

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The Dallas Stars may not be big fans of the World Cup of Hockey at the moment.  Tyler Seguin suffered a hairline fracture in his foot in a pre-tournament game for Team Canada and now another center is banged up as Radek Faksa of the Czech Republic squad did not suit up for their game against Team Europe this afternoon due to an upper body issue.  GM Jim Nill clarified the injury, calling it concussion-like symptoms, Mark Stepneski of the Stars team site reports.

Faksa suffered the injury in their 6-0 loss to Team Canada on Saturday.  No timetable has been set for a possible return but he will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

The 22 year old projects to be a bigger contributor for the Stars this season after getting into 45 games with the team last year as well as 13 postseason contests.  Last week, we profiled him as one of the more compelling pending RFA cases heading into the year.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Canucks are hoping to break camp with eight defensemen on their roster, GM Jim Benning noted on TSN 1040 in Vancouver. The team has five blueliners on one-way deals plus two others in Andrey Pedan plus Alex Biega on two-way pacts but must clear waivers.  Nikita Tryamkin is waiver exempt but has a clause in his contract that allows him to return to Russia if he’s sent down.  2016 first round pick Olli Juolevi is expected to make a push for a roster spot as well, which should create an interesting battle to watch during the preseason.  Benning also confirmed that Ryan Miller is entering camp as their #1 goalie despite a strong performance from Jacob Markstrom last season.  Markstrom is currently at the World Cup with Team Sweden.
  • The Oilers announced five tryouts heading into their training camp. Notably among the invites are LW Ryan Hamilton, who last played with Edmonton in 2014-15 and RW Ryan Vesce, who has played in the KHL since 2010 but has 19 games of NHL experience with San Jose.
  • Speaking with Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, agent Mark Gandler noted that there is nothing new when it comes to discussions for Washington RFA defenseman Dmitry Orlov. He also wouldn’t rule out him signing in the KHL, saying that all options are open.  Gandler, who also represents Dallas RFA Valeri Nichushkin, declined to comment on the report that he is nearing a two year deal in Russia.

Detroit Notes: Vanek, Howard, Ouellet, Kronwall

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In an interview with Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, Red Wings forward Thomas Vanek acknowledged that Minnesota (where he spent the last two seasons) “just wasn’t a good fit”.

Vanek joined Detroit in July on a one year, $2.6MM deal after he was bought out by the Wild the month before.  Last season with Minnesota, Vanek put up respectable second line numbers with 18 goals and 23 assists in 74 games.  However, given that they were paying him $6.5MM last season (both salary and cap hit), the Wild were expecting much better bang for their buck in the form of top line production and opted to pay him $5MM over the next two years to not play for them.

Despite his tenure in Minnesota not ending on the best of terms, Vanek doesn’t regret signing with them two summers ago:

“It’s always easy to look back and I say I should have done this or that. I knew going into it that it wasn’t going to be easy but I didn’t care. I wanted the challenge. I wanted to see if it could work. It’s a place that’s close to my heart. The only championship I’ve ever was in my college days there and to win another one there would have been awesome. It just didn’t work out.”

Vanek is hopeful that a return to the Eastern Conference (where he spent the first nine years of his career with the Sabres, Islanders, and Canadiens) will help him.  He is expected to battle for a middle six spot with the Red Wings so the pressure to perform like a top line player won’t be there now as it has been for most of his career.

[Related: Red Wings Depth Chart]

Also out of Detroit:

  • Goaltender Jimmy Howard is “definitely not disappointed” to be back with the Red Wings this season, despite losing his starting job to Petr Mrazek, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The team looked into trading him in the offseason but obviously weren’t able to find a suitable trade.  One element that likely complicates matters is Howard’s contract, which has three years with a cap hit just shy of $5.3MM remaining.  That’s a steep price tag for someone that has been relegated to a #2 role so instead, Howard will look push Mrazek for playing time to start the season.
  • After spending the bulk of the last three seasons in the minors (going back and forth to the NHL and back 17 times over that span), defenseman Xavier Ouellet is heading into training camp with a firm grip on a roster spot, St. James wrote in a separate column. Detroit’s second round pick (48th overall) in 2011, Ouellet no longer has waiver exemption and would likely be claimed if they tried to send him down which gives him a sense of security he has yet to have since joining the team.  However, with just 30 games of NHL experience (and just five last season), Ouellet will still have some work to do if he wants to become a regular in the lineup and not just a seventh blueliner.
  • Defenseman Niklas Kronwall is aiming to be ready to start the regular season but isn’t sure how much action he’ll be able to get in the preseason, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Kronwall withdrew from the World Cup late last month citing lingering knee problems.  He led all Detroit players in ice time per game in 2015-16, logging 22 minutes of action per night and will once again be counted on to play major minutes this season.

West Notes: Rakell, Nakladal, Fischer, Vegas

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Ducks center Rickard Rakell underwent surgery late last week to fix issues that arose from his appendectomy back in March, writes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.  The problem first presented itself following Sweden’s first World Cup of Hockey pre-tournament game and he was hospitalized shortly thereafter with his agent noting he was unable to eat at that time.

Rakell has been advised that he will have to rest up for a couple of weeks before he can resume training to get ready for the upcoming season.  On top of that, he still finds himself without a contract as one of 14 remaining restricted free agents.  At this point, a bridge deal is looking more and more likely.  Rakell had 20 goals and 23 assists in 72 games last season and is expected to be a top six forward when he is cleared to return to action and has a contract in hand.

More from the West:

  • Unrestricted free agent defenseman Jakub Nakladal is seeking a one-way contract to remain in North America, reports Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun. Nakladal played in 27 games with Calgary last season, his first in the NHL.  The 28 year old noted that he would like to return to the Flames but they are hesitant to give him a one-way deal at this point.  Nakladal is currently playing for the Czech Republic at the World Cup and is hoping a strong performance could help him land a guaranteed deal, whether it’s with Calgary or somewhere else.
  • While most North American-based junior aged prospects have only two options where they can play in a season (the NHL or junior hockey), Coyotes prospect Christian Fischer is one of the few who has a third option, notes the Arizona Republic’s Sarah McLellan. As Fischer was drafted out of the US Development program and not the Canadian Hockey League back in 2015, Arizona has the ability to assign him to their AHL affiliate in Tucson.  After a 40 goal, 90 point season with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires (which ranked him in the top ten in goals and points league wide), there is a good chance that the Coyotes will opt to have him play against tougher competition in the AHL instead of repeating the junior circuit, assuming he doesn’t crack Arizona’s opening roster.
  • The expansion Las Vegas team that will begin play in 2017-18 has sold out their season tickets with 16,000, the team announced.  As a result, only single game tickets will be available in their inaugural season.

Canucks Sign Jack Skille To PTO

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The Vancouver Canucks have added some more depth in advance of training camp, announcing that they have signed free agent right winger Jack Skille to a pro tryout contract.

Skille played in 74 games with Colorado last season, scoring six goals and added eight assists while averaging just 8:50 of ice time per contests.  The former first round pick of the Blackhawks (7th overall) in 2005, Skille has yet to make his mark in the NHL and has bounced around in recent years, playing for three different teams since the last lockout.  In his career, he has 38 goals and 37 assists in 313 career games over nine NHL seasons.

Skille will join a pair of other veteran tryouts in James Sheppard and Tuomo Ruutu vying for a spot on Vancouver’s roster.

[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]

It’s likely to be a busy week in terms of invites to training camp.  Tomas Fleischmann also signed a tryout earlier today with Minnesota.  Keep track of who is trying out where with our Invite Tracker.

Snapshots: Russell, Sproul, Fleischmann, Team USA

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TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie appeared on TSN 1260 on Monday morning, and commented on Kris Russell as an option for Edmonton’s “hole on defense”. On the weekend, TSN 1260 host Dustin Nielson tweeted that the Oilers had reached out to Russell and that he expected the two sides to exchange numbers sometime this week.

McKenzie believes Russell would “probably” be a “decent fit” for the Oilers, especially if it’s on a short-term contract. He brought up the abundance of “third-pairing guys” the Oilers have, and wondered who would play with Andrej Sekera on the second pair.

McKenzie also suggested he could see why Russell would have interest in a short-term contract with Edmonton, with an opportunity to possibly play some top-four minutes before becoming a free agent next summer after team’s lose defensemen to Las Vegas in the expansion draft.

However, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal opined that he doesn’t see Russell as being better than any of the Oilers current top four of Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Sekera, or Brandon Davidson. While McKenzie labelled the latter as a “third-pairing” defender, Davidson did impress last season, working his way into the Oilers’ top four. Staples said he’s “not sure of Russell, but I’m sure those four can all play the game.”

McKenzie said Russell is still talking with as many as eight teams, including the Oilers’ provincial rivals the Calgary Flames. Russell spent three seasons in Calgary before being traded at last year’s trade deadline. McKenzie expects Russell to sign a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $4-5MM.

  • Meanwhile, Ansar Khan tweeted a photo of Red Wings RFA defenseman Ryan Sproul skating with teammates at Joe Louis Arena. Khan noted that he expects Sproul to sign a one-year deal this week. Sproul is coming off his entry-level contract, where he went pointless in one NHL game and put up 93 points in 213 AHL games.
  • Michael Russo, of the Minnesota Star Tribune, confirmed Elliotte Friedman’s speculation regarding UFA Tomas Fleischmann with Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Fleischmann will be attending camp in Minnesota on a PTO. He has previously played for Wild coach Bruce Boudreau when the pair were in Washington.
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli was among those questioning Team USA’s new lines, asking if coach John Tortorella was “trolling the media” with the line of Justin Abdelkader, Derek Stepan, and Patrick Kane. The States face a must-win game versus northern rivals Canada tomorrow night.

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