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World Cup Notes: Grubauer, Kopitar, Caps

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With the news hitting yesterday that Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will miss 3-4 weeks with an injured shoulder, thus taking him out of the running for the upcoming World Cup, Team Europe has announced his replacement today. Philipp Grubauer will join the squad as the third goaltender, suiting up behind Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss. Grubauer, a Washington Capitals product, played in 22 NHL games last season and put up a 2.32 GAA with a .918 SV%.

The 24-year old has performed well for his native Germany in international competition before, including three recent Olympic qualifying matches. Grubauer led his team with a 0.67 GAA in the three matches and helped Germany lock up a spot for 2018.

  • Recently named Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar is getting used to having a letter sewn into his sweater, as Team Europe named him captain today for the tournament. Kopitar is the most talented player on the roster, and represented his home country of Slovenia remarkably over the years. He also recently led his team to a qualifying spot at the next Olympics, scoring five points in the three games.
  • With the Capitals sending both of their goaltenders to the World Cup (Braden Holtby will be suiting up for Team Canada), Mike Vogel reports that the team will bring in Drew MacIntyre to fill a spot in their training camp. MacIntyre split last season between the Charlotte Checkers and Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, his 14th professional season. The 33-year old has six games of NHL experience, playing for the Canucks, Sabres and Maple Leafs.

Snapshots: World Cup Camps Update, Daly

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Tyler Seguin and Jonathan Drouin are both feeling it Tuesday morning, with Seguin missing Team Canada’s practice due to an unspecified illness and Drouin possibly hurting his arm after being hit into an open bench door by Team North America teammate Jacob Trouba.

To replace Seguin, who Canadian officials told to stay at the hotel, Steven Stamkos is now on right wing with center Jonathan Toews and center-turned-left-winger Logan Couture, bumping Corey Perry up from extra forward to the third line right wing with John Tavares on left wing and Ryan Getzlaf at center.

Over at Team North America, Drouin is sticking it out and staying on the ice. Toronto Maple Leafs’ first overall pick Auston Matthews moved out of the extra forward slot to the third line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nathan MacKinnon. Red Wings sophomore Dylan Larkin is also taking rushes with Nugent-Hopkins and MacKinnon.

Mark Spector tweeted out the North American first unit PP, and it should compete with its Canadian counterpart for most dangerous in the tournament. The under-23 team will roll out Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Mark Scheifele, Brandon Saad, and Aaron Ekblad; Team Canada has Sidney Crosby, Getzlaf, Stamkos, Tavares, and Drew Doughty.

Elsewhere in the hockey world:

  • NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly appeared on Sirius XM NHL on Tuesday morning, where he expressed satisfaction with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Daly talked about the potential premature end to the agreement in 2020, when both the league and Players Association have the right to opt out. Despite some talk about how bonus laden contracts (designed to ensure players would be payed during a potential lockout) could actually lead to a lockout. Daly says there is “general satisfaction” with how the current system works. With the qualifier that it’s still early, the deputy commissioner doesn’t see “any storm clouds on the horizen – at least yet”.

Behind The Scenes Of The Busiest Day Of The Summer

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The Oilers decided Taylor Hall would be the one to go shortly before the NHL draft, according a great new article by Elliotte Friedman about those crazy 23 minutes on June 29.

A couple of members of the Oilers told Friedman that they believed the team wanted to make it easier for Connor McDavid to become the guy in the dressing room, calling Hall a “dominant personality”.

Ultimately, while avoiding putting down Hall, Friedman’s sources seem to suggest the Oilers made the trade for reasons other than hockey, similar to the last time Peter Chiarelli traded a top-two pick from 2010. It makes you wonder what we don’t know, because making a trade to remove Hall’s big locker room presence, only to replace him with Milan Lucic’s even bigger presence, doesn’t make a lot of sense at face value.

Meanwhile, Chiarelli told Friedman that he knew he would be parting with a significant player because “everyone knew we were looking for a defenseman”.

The trade talks between Edmonton and New Jersey picked up steam two days before the trade was finalized. The two teams had been talking since the trade deadline, initially regarding Eric Gelinas who was later traded to Colorado. According to Friedman, “at some point, Adam Larsson became central to the conversation, but no deal was ever close until the very end.”

Chiarelli asked for more than just Larsson, but Devils GM Ray Shero said they couldn’t add anyone else for cap reasons. Which seems odd, because the Devils are still hovering around the cap floor.

As suggested previously, there were other trades looked at by the Oilers leading up to the draft. Friedman suggests Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Faulk, Tyson Barrie, and Matt Dumba were all explored, but Chiarelli insists they “weren’t close on anything”. Edmonton was also kicking around a three-way trade with Columbus and Calgary, with the Oilers moving down to 6th overall to select Matthew Tkachuk or Mikhail Sergachev. Ultimately, the Oilers realized that Jesse Puljujärvi would fall to them and that would give them some flexibility to trade a winger.

As far as his post-trade phone call with Hall, Chiarelli refused to share details of the “private” conversation, but would say “there was a lot of dead air.”

Moving to the P.K. Subban blockbuster, Friedman said rumours about Subban being moved intensified in February after Canadiens coach Michel Therrien singled out Subban for a give-away that lead to a game-winning goal versus the Avalanche. Despite GM Marc Bergevin’s best effort to put a damper on media speculation around the draft, talk was running wild at the time, even drawing Canucks GM Jim Benning in, resulting in a tampering fine. Vancouver had an advantage of a high pick in play, but once it became clear that Pierre-Luc Dubois would not make it past Columbus, they were out. Colorado was unable to accept Subban’s $9MM salary, and apparently so was Edmonton. Chiarelli was unwilling to add the $9MM price tag to whatever McDavid will be making in two years.

Then Nashville offered Shea Weber. The older Weber was not what the Canadiens had been asking for – previously it had been Subban’s peers or packages of younger players. The enormity of the deal was not lost on the two teams, with one front office member saying “I think both teams had moments where they couldn’t believe what they were considering.”

Predators GM David Poile said the trade was tough, considering the major community presence of Weber. Poile said he wants to have a sit-down with Weber in the near future to tell him “how much he meant to us. It’s important he recognizes that. When a player hears he’s been traded, he doesn’t hear anything else you have to say.”

As far as the Steven Stamkos signing, Friedman revealed that the Lightning were close to moving him last summer before his no-trade clause kicked in, similar to Subban this summer. However, the front runners were the Buffalo Sabres who were unwilling to move the 2nd overall pick that would become Jack Eichel and talks died down.

Stamkos met with the Maple Leafs but decided that he didn’t want to leave, and ultimately agreed to the number proposed by GM Steve Yzerman back in the spring. Like Hall, Subban, and Weber have said post-trade, moving on is hard to take. As Friedman put it, “no doubt those same thoughts entered Stamkos’ mind too”.

Interestingly, Friedman spoke with nearly all involved in the day: Chiarelli, Poile, Hall, Subban, Yzerman, and Stamkos. Only Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin declined to speak, with one of his fellow GMs suggesting if Bergevin could have his way, “he’d never talk discuss this trade again”.

Snapshots: Rieder’s Contract Talks, Senyshyn, World Cup Captaincies

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While a contract doesn’t appear to be imminent, contract talks continue between the Arizona Coyotes and RFA winger Tobias Rieder.  Speaking with AZCentral’s Sarah McLellan, GM John Chayka had the following to say about their discussions:

“We continue to discuss things and made a series of very fair offers – different ways, shapes and forms. Nothing yet that’s in agreement yet with his camp. We like the player a lot. We think he’s a very good player. He adds a lot of value to our team and impact, and we hope and expect him to be at camp and be a part of our group.”

Rieder is coming off a strong sophomore NHL season, setting career bests in goals (14), assists (23), points (37), and ice time (17:08 per game) and projects as a top six forward for the Coyotes this season if a deal can be reached.

Last month, Arizona Sports columnist Craig Morgan reported that the team had submitted a two year offer between $2MM and $2.3MM per year and a three year offer that would be closer to $2.5MM annually.  Meanwhile, Rieder’s agent Darren Ferris was seeking $2.75MM per season on two or three year contracts or $3MM on a four year pact.  It’s also believed that Rieder has at least two KHL offers on the table if they can’t come to terms on a new deal.

Rieder will be suiting up for Team Europe at the upcoming World Cup and will be insured to play by the league and Players’ Association since he isn’t under contract.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Boston prospect Zach Senyshyn underwent a successful appendectomy on Monday, the team announced. Senyshyn, a 2015 first round pick (15th overall), has been ruled out of rookie camp while his readiness for the opening of their main training camp is unknown.  He recorded 45 goals in just 66 OHL games last season and could conceivably make a push to open the year with the big club if he has a strong preseason.  As a junior-aged player, he could suit up in nine or fewer NHL games without burning the first year of his entry-level contract.
  • With pre-tournament games set to begin this week, World Cup teams are finalizing their leadership cores. Team Sweden named Henrik Sedin as their new captain, replacing Henrik Zetterberg.  In speaking with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Sedin called it an honor but wouldn’t go as far as calling it a dream come true as he never envisioned himself wearing the ‘C’ for the Tre Kronor.  Despite getting the nod, Sedin anticipates the team will be captained more by committee than by himself.  Henrik is one of three members of the Swedish squad who also won Olympic gold ten years ago in Italy; the others are his brother Daniel and Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
  • Team Finland announced that they have appointed Tampa Bay center Valtteri Filppula and Florida left wing/center Jussi Jokinen as alternate captains. Minnesota’s Mikko Koivu was named team captain two weeks ago.

Islanders Could Leave Barclays Center After 2017-18

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While the New York Islanders are set to begin their second year of a 25 year lease with the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a window to renegotiate or opt-out of their agreement opens up following the completion of the 2016-17 season, writes Jim Baumbach of Newsday.

Back in July, it was reported that new owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin (who took over as majority owners from Charles Wang on July 1st) were in discussions about a possible relocation to Queens, NY near Citi Field and also Belmont Park.  While Ledecky noted earlier this week that Barclays would be their home “for years to come”, he wouldn’t confirm that ‘years to come’ meant staying past the opt out date.

As Baumbach reports, the new Islander ownership group and representatives from Barclays have until January 1st, 2018 to renegotiate the current deal once the window opens up following the conclusion of this season.  If no agreement is reached, both sides have until the end of that month to formally opt out of the arrangement but only if ‘good faith discussions’ have been held.  This means that the team could in theory leave Barclays as early as the end of the 2017-18 season or the year after that.  Should the Barclays group choose to opt out, that would potentially leave the team without a home past 2018-19 although the two sides could renegotiate a smaller deal after that.

When asked for comment, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly noted that there has been no indication that their stay in Brooklyn is temporary.

The provision of good faith discussions is an intriguing one as it would be highly difficult for the new Islanders owners to have an agreement to move to or build a new arena and still engage in good faith talks with the Barclays representatives.  On top of that, the amount of work that would need to be done for a potential new arena elsewhere in New York is substantial and time consuming making the window for the team to have a backup plan in place to move to if they exercise the opt out a very limited one.

Last season highlighted the good and the bad of the current deal.  While the Islanders received $53.5MM from Barclays – more than they were making at Nassau Coliseum – their attendance was third lowest in the NHL at just 13,626 fans per game.  On top of that, when the arena was built, it wasn’t designed with hockey in mind which resulted in some obstructed view and odd angle seating which has come under criticism.

Moving forward, the $53.5MM fee increases by 1.5% per year although Barclays receives the ticket and concession revenues (among others) to offset that amount.  As a result, the current arrangement limits Ledecky and Malkin’s growth potential which gives them another reason to consider other options within the state.

On the one hand, the earliest that the opt out could occur is still a fair ways away at 16 months.  On the other, given the amount of work that would have to happen on a potential new arena in New York for them to be able to move after year three or four of this deal, that doesn’t really leave a whole lot of time in the grand scheme of things.  This undoubtedly won’t be the last we hear of this matter in the weeks and months ahead as Ledecky and Malkin continue to investigate their options.

Potential 2016-17 Impact Rookies: Theodore, Strome, Dvorak, Shinkaruk

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The Pacific Division has its fair share of intriguing prospects, placing five players among the first 14 names on Corey Pronman’s list of top 120 prospects compiled recently for ESPN.com (Insider required). The Coyotes lead the way overall with nine prospects making the cut. Today we profile four talented young players in the division who should have a chance to contribute to their teams this season.

Shea Theodore (Anaheim) – The Ducks already boast a strong complement of defenders with Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen leading the way. But with the NHL moving more to a speed and skill game there is always room for a smooth two-way blue liner who knows how to move the puck and that’s exactly what Theodore is.

Theodore was drafted in the first round by the Ducks in the 2013 draft out of the WHL. In 258 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Theodore scored 58 goals and 212 points and won the Bill Hunter award as the league’s top defenseman in 2014-15. After turning pro, Theodore would appear in 63 AHL contests over parts of three seasons, culminating in an impressive 2015-16 showing with the San Diego Gulls where he tallied 37 points in 50 games as a 20-year-old. He would also chip in eight points in 19 regular season games with the Ducks in his first taste of NHL action.

There have been rumors much of the summer that the Ducks could look to move one of their defensemen – Cam Fowler specifically has been linked to several trade rumors – in an effort to acquire a scoring-line LW. If Anaheim should succeed in those purported efforts, Theodore’s path to a regular NHL job becomes much clearer.

Dylan Strome (Arizona) – The third overall choice in the 2015 entry draft, Strome is one of the game’s top prospects after tearing up the OHL the last two seasons. Strome combined to tally 82 goals and 240 points in just 124 games for the Erie Otters. That averages out to nearly two points per game over the last two campaigns. He also led the OHL in scoring with 129 points during the 2014-15 campaign.

The 6-foot-3, 185 pound pivot has drawn comparisons from scouts to a young Ryan Getzlaf in terms of his frame and strong skating stride. Of course there are no guarantees Strome will ever impact the game the way that Getzlaf has but it does speak to the youngster’s high skill level and potential ceiling.

The Coyotes spent the summer remaking their roster into one they hope can compete for a playoff spot in 2016-17, though they didn’t add any centers from outside the organization. The top returning pivot is Martin Hanzal, who is a fine two-way player and scored a career-best 41 points in 2015-16. But he hasn’t played a full schedule of games since 2009-10 and is best suited as a #2 or even a #3 center for a contending team. Consequently, the Coyotes are likely to give Strome every opportunity to win a job centering one of the team’s top two lines. That would put him in position to share the ice at times with Anthony Duclair and Max Domi, which should ease his transition to the NHL.

Christian Dvorak (Arizona) – Dvorak, is yet another talented young forward who could force his way onto the Coyotes roster. The Coyotes used their second-round selection in the 2014 draft on Dvorak after a mediocre debut campaign with London of the OHL where he scored just 14 points in 33 games. But Dvorak took his game to another level the next two seasons, combining to score 93 goals and 230 points over that time. He would augment that performance with an impressive 35-point output in 18 games during the 2015-16 postseason and added another seven goals and 12 points in four Memorial Cup games for the Knights.

Assuming the Coyotes can get RFA Tobias Rieder re-signed, he would join free agent addition Jamie McGinn, Duclair and Domi as top-six wingers. A good performance in camp could earn Dvorak a job on the third or fourth line since Arizona’s depth up front is somewhat shallow, though it wouldn’t hurt his development to get some seasoning in the AHL first.

Hunter Shinkaruk (Calgary) – Shinkaruk, who was originally drafted in the first round by Vancouver, was acquired by Calgary in exchange for center Markus Granlund during the 2015-16 season. He made his debut this past season with the Canucks and appeared in another seven games after his trade to the Flames, with whom he scored his first two NHL goals. Shinkaruk also suited up for 62 AHL contests, tallying 27 goals and 51 points between Utica and Stockton.

The Flames have terrific young forward talent already on their NHL roster. Johnny Goudreau and Sean Monahan have already established themselves as two of the best young players in the game and could soon be joined by Sam Bennett. Free agent addition Troy Brouwer brings needed size and experience to the club’s top-six. Center Mikael Backlund, coming off a career-high 47-point campaign, and Michael Frolik, 32 points in 64 games, add more offensive punch. But there is room on the LW for a skilled player to join the Flames’ top-six and Shinkaruk may get the first crack to fill that role.

(All depth charts courtesy of Roster Resource)

Versteeg’s Deal With SC Bern Hits Snag

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In an unexpected twist, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that due to complications regarding insurance, Kris Versteeg is returning to North America and will again be available as a free agent. Dreger followed up on his original tweet suggesting that  hip surgery four years ago may have “prevented full coverage in Switzerland,” though the player is currently healthy. Versteeg had previously agreed to a one-year pact with SC Bern in the NLA league roughly six weeks ago. Now it appears his job search will have to continue.

Versteeg began the 2015-16 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes where he netted 33 points in 63 contests before a trade deadline move sent the veteran forward west to Los Angeles in exchange for prospect Valentin Zykov and a fifth-round choice in the 2016 draft. He would tally four goals and five points for the Kings down the stretch before contributing a goal and an assist during the team’s first-round playoff loss to San Jose.

The nine-year NHL vet has won two cups with Chicago – 2009-10 and 2014-15 – and has appeared in games for six different clubs during his career. Versteeg has scored 131 goals and 313 points in 550 NHL contests.

It isn’t clear if the issues that have apparently derailed his deal with HC Bern – at least temporarily – are insurmountable or if the two sides will have an opportunity to work things out. However, if he can’t come to a resolution with the Swiss club, Versteeg would then immediately become the top free agent forward available for teams on the lookout for scoring depth. Versteeg has never recorded less than 0.4 points-per-game in a full season in the NHL and is versatile enough to contribute anywhere up-and-down a team’s lineup.

 

Snapshots: Canucks, Avalanche, Nielsen, Donskoi

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Many pundits feel the Vancouver Canucks are a team lacking direction. On the one hand, they introduced some much-needed youth to their aging core last season with young forwards Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann given their first extended NHL looks and joining second-year pro Bo Horvat as possible future building blocks. On the other hand, Vancouver failed to advance their rebuild by dealing expiring assets at the trade deadline for draft picks and/or prospects. Trading Dan Hamhuis and/or Radim Vrbata would have netted the Canucks multiple futures to further the team’s roster reconstruction.

Instead, the Canucks surprised many this spring by parting with the aforementioned McCann as part of a package to acquire veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson in what was clearly a move designed to help the team win now. The free agent addition of winger Loui Eriksson also signals that Vancouver is not committed to a rebuild and will rather try to slowly integrate younger players onto the roster while at the same time attempting to remain in the mix for a playoff spot.

It’s with this mentality that GM Jim Benning continues his search for an impact offensive LW, as Ben Kuzma of The Province writes. Daniel Sedin remains the team’s top port side winger and the team expects young Sven Baertschi – currently listed as the team’s #2 LW – to improve upon his 15-goal output in 2015-16. Beyond those two the Canucks have a few wingers who can line up on either side of center – including Eriksson – but don’t have enough depth to switch a player to the left without creating another hole on the right side.

Kuzma lists several candidates who could fill the role of impact LW, both internal and external. The most interesting might be Anton Rodin, the team’s second-round pick in 2009 and whom the Canucks signed to a one-year deal worth just $950K. Rodin enjoyed an excellent 2015-16 campaign, netting 16 goals and 37 points in 33 contests with Brynas IF of the Swedish Elite League while capturing the league’s MVP award.

As for possibilities currently outside the Canucks organization, Kuzma lists Evander Kane as a potential trade option – a notion we’ve reported on in the past –  though he also brings up the off-ice issues surrounding Buffalo’s talented winger and suggests that might limit Vancouver’s interest. Kuzma also opines that the cost to acquire an established player like Kane would likely start with one of Chris Tanev or Horvat, and that’s simply a price the Canucks are unwilling to pay.

Surprisingly, Kuzma writes that the Canucks didn’t view Jiri Hudler as a short-term answer even though the Czech winger is just two seasons removed from a 76-point campaign and ultimately signed a one-year pact with Dallas worth $2MM. Hudler would have been a perfectly reasonable buy-low add for the Canucks. He’s capable of producing at a rate more than acceptable for a top-six forward and would have been a potentially valuable asset to possess at the 2017 deadline with contending teams always looking to augment their scoring depth.

Elsewhere in the NHL on this Labor Day:

  • At his introductory news conference last week, new Colorado head coach Jared Bednar confirmed he would be keeping all three assistant coaches – Tim Army, Dave Farrish and Nolan Pratt – from the previous regime, according to Terry Frei of the Denver Post. It’s not much of a surprise given the late hiring of Bednar meant that many coaches he may have considered for positions were already committed elsewhere. Additionally, Pratt worked under Bednar as an assistant with Lake Erie in 2015-16 so there was already a comfort level between the two coaches. After talking with each of his assistants, Bednar is satisfied he has the right mix of experience and knowledge among his staff.
  • An unheralded free agent signing by the Sharks in May of 2015, Joonas Donskoi would end up playing a key role for the Western Conference champions in 2015-16, scoring 11 goals and 36 points in 76 regular season games. He would ramp up his performance in the playoffs tallying six goals and 12 points in 24 contests. Now that Donskoi has established himself as an NHL regular, the expectations have been raised going into year two of his career, as Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area writes. After establishing solid chemistry with C Logan Couture, both down the stretch of the regular campaign and in the postseason, Donskoi is again likely to slot in on the right side of the skilled pivot. If he takes advantage of his opportunity to play with Couture, it’s conceivable Donskoi could approach 50 points in a full season.
  • After losing superstar center Pavel Datsyuk, who chose to return home to Russia to be closer to his family, the Detroit Red Wings were left with a gaping hole down the middle of their lineup. They attempted to address that loss in part by signing solid two-way pivot Frans Nielsen to a lucrative six-year, $31.5MM free agent deal this summer. While he won’t be expected to replace Datsyuk’s offense, he will be counted on to play a responsible game and appear in all situations for the Wings, says Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Nielsen has only ever tallied 20 goals or 50 points on two occasions but is known as an excellent playmaker and someone who should help improve both the Wings PP and PK units. He is also an elite shootout performer who might be worth an extra few standings points a year to Detroit in that area alone.

Frederik Andersen Out 3-4 Weeks

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering an upper body injury in an Olympic Qualifying game with Denmark. Andersen’s expected recovery time still puts him in line to start the season with the Leafs.

Andersen suffered the injury after being barrelled into by his own teammate during Denmark’s 3-0 loss to Slovenia in an Olympic Qualifying match. He then flew to Toronto to be examined by team doctors. Andersen was slated to play for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey this fall, and is instead replaced by Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

The Maple Leafs acquired Andersen as an unsigned RFA from Anaheim for a 2016 1st and 2017 2nd round draft pick. They then signed the Danish goaltender to a five-year, $25MM contract. Andersen was expected to start for the Leafs this season, and with opening night not until October 12, he has ample time to recover. Speculating on the injury’s severity, however, should not be based on the proposed recovery time as many players in the last few days have announced injuries that take them out of the World Cup. Players (and teams) are exercising caution when it comes to injuries, and may not want to aggravate an injury for a pre-season tournament.

Top Ten 2017 UFAs (Part 2)

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With 2016’s free agency frenzy all but over, it’s high time to start looking at next year’s free agent crop. True, some of the following may sign extensions over the course of the year, but others may want to take advantage of the period before July 1st where players can talk with other teams. Another variable in the mix is the expansion draft, and teams may want to hold off of on signing players until after the draft to maximize protection slots. Here are the second five of our top-ten 2017 UFAs:

Patrick Marleau

Long-time San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau is entering his 18th season this year, and like teammate Joe Thornton, it is unclear whether the former Sharks captain will retire at its end. Unlike Thornton, however, Marleau’s numbers dropped, though he still managed 25G and 23A in 82 games—and an additional 5G and 8A in 24 playoff games.

He may not be the offensive powerhouse he once was, but Marleau still has a lot to offer. His previous contract was $6.66MM a year for three years but Marleau will most likely take a small pay cut to returns. With Brent Burns and Joe Thornton also needing new deals, however Marleau may be the odd man out in San Jose.

Karl Alzner

Karl Alzner sits as a top-three defenseman potentially available this summer, and like another potential UFA Kevin Shattenkirk, Alzner’s value is obscured by playing with other very good defenseman. The Washington Capitals have an embarrasment of riches on the blueline with John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov (unsigned RFA), and Brooks Orpik. Alzner held his own, though, and put up 4G and 17A in 82 games while playing over 21 minutes a night.

Alzner’s last contract was for four years at $2.8MM a year. He’ll likely get a significant raise despite his low production because of his age and defensive prowess. He may have to take a hometown discount, however, if he wants to remain with the Caps—a team poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.

Brian Elliott

Brian Elliott posted excellent numbers last year—a 2.06GAA and a league leading .930SV%—and yet he was shipped off to Calgary to make way for the younger Jake Allen. Elliott has dodged criticism his entire career that his numbers belied his true talent, but he has consistently performed in both Ottawa and St. Louis.

Now that Elliott is the clear starter in Calgary, he has an opportunity to silence his doubters and earn a large pay raise in the offseason. Elliott is in his last year of a three-year, $2.5MM AAV contract, and a strong performance this season should net him a significant raise. If Calgary is prudent they will lock Elliott up midseason if he is performing well.

Alex Steen

Alex Steen put up above-average career numbers last season, scoring 17G and 35A in 67 games for the Blues, and an additional 4G and 6A in 20 playoff games. He may not produce like a top line forward but his two-way skills are invaluable in today’s NHL. Steen is a dependable and responsible playmaker that consistently performs.

Steen enters the final year of a three-year $5.8MM AAV contract with the St. Louis Blues and will probably take a small pay cut to stay with the team. St. Louis has enough cap room next year to re-sign both Steen and Shattenkirk, and there’s no glaring reason why the Blues would part ways with their alternate captain.

Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller may be in the twilight of his career, but the 36 year-old goaltender still has enough to offer teams looking for a one or two year stopgap veteran goaltender. Miller put up a 2.70GAA and a .916SV% in 51 games for the Vancouver Canucks—numbers similar to his dominant years in Buffalo. The Canucks will probably reduce Miller’s playing time this season to make way for future starter Jacob Markstrom, which may hamper his negotiating position come summertime.

Miller, Bishop, and Elliot represent the cream of the free agent goaltending crop next summer, so Miller should find some suitors looking for a starter or 1B goaltender. He will probably take a pay cut from his current three-year, $6MM a year contract as he will be 37 at the start of next season.

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