Roster Crunch: Arizona’s Defense Corps
With training camps well underway, there are plenty of interesting battles for roster spots throughout the league. One of the more intriguing ones is happening in Arizona as the Coyotes now find themselves with a plethora of defensemen battling for a spot on their back end. Here’s a closer look at their blueline battle.
Locks
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – He is undoubtedly their number one defenseman and will be used in all situations. He’s also on a cap friendly deal for a top rearguard coming in with an AAV of just $5.5MM for the next three years.
Alex Goligoski – New GM John Chayka wasted little time with the former Dallas Star. He acquired his negotiating rights and quickly inked him to a five year, $27.375MM contract to be another anchor for their back end.
Connor Murphy – The former first rounder has seen his ice time increase each season and he surpassed the 20 minute average last year. He also signed a long-term deal this offseason, getting an average of $3.85MM over the next six years.
Zbynek Michalek – After rejoining the Coyotes last offseason, Michalek spent most of the year in a third pairing role, one he’s likely to reprise this season. While he could potentially be deemed expendable, he carries a cap hit of $3.2MM which may be difficult to unload in the current market and it’s unlikely that they would bury his contract in the minors given their status as a low-budget team.
Luke Schenn – Chayka brought the 26 year old in on a two year deal this offseason with a decent value at $1.25MM per year. While he projects as a third pairing player, it’s unlikely he’s going to get pushed off the roster so quickly after signing with the team.
Michael Stone – Stone had a career year last season and spent a lot of time on Arizona’s top pairing. While he may not have as big of a role this year, he’s a sure fire bet to start in their top four.
That’s six blueliners that are pretty much locks to start the season with the Coyotes, leaving them one or two (at most) spots to fill from a group of six other defensemen who could conceivably make a run at one of those positions.
Atlantic Notes: Ristolainen, Kucherov, Mantha, MacArthur, Matthews
Sabres RFA defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has reported to the team despite being unsigned, notes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Both Ristolainen and his agent Mike Liut asked for the 21 year old to be allowed to skate with the team, which has been approved by GM Tim Murray.
Despite this development, it should not be construed as a sign that the two sides are close on a contract. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on Wednesday that the two sides are at least $1MM apart per season on a new deal. It does, however, remain noteworthy as it is very rare that an RFA will skate with a team despite being unsigned. Most players simply stay away until a new deal is done.
Last season, Ristolainen had a career year, scoring nine goals while adding 32 assists while playing all 82 games for the first time. He also logged an average of 25:17 per game in ice time, ranking first on the team. He is expected to once again by Buffalo’s top blueliner once a new contract is signed.
More news out of the Atlantic Division:
- Tampa Bay RFA right winger Nikita Kucherov will not report to camp without a contract like Ristolainen is, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. GM Steve Yzerman remains “very hopeful” that a deal will get done although the two sides appear to still be a ways apart on a new deal. The Lightning have roughly $5.5MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly but it will likely take more than that to get the 23 year old re-signed.
- Red Wings prospect winger Anthony Mantha was asked to put on weight this offseason and a result, he often ate seven or eight times per day, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Mantha, Detroit’s first round pick (20th overall) in 2013, completed his second pro season last year, spending most of it with their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. He did get into ten games with the Red Wings though, scoring twice while adding an assist. The 22 year old is expected to contend for a roster spot this season but his waiver exemption could potentially work against him if someone else who is waiver eligible stands out.
- Despite missing most of last season with concussion problems and suffering another concussion over the weekend, Senators left winger Clarke MacArthur has no plans to retire, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. In a statement released today, the 31 year old stated that he intends to return to the lineup at some point this season. MacArthur has four years remaining on a five year deal signed back in August of 2014 with a cap hit of $4.65MM. If he is expected to miss considerable time (which seems likely at this point), he would be eligible to be placed on Long-Term Injury Reserve.
- 2016 first overall pick Auston Matthews is expected to make his Toronto preseason debut on Friday, notes the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby. Matthews recently joined the team after suiting up for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey, where he had three points (2-1-3) in three games.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/16
There were more training camp cuts today as teams continue to pare down their rosters. Here is today’s list of players that have been cut so far and where they have been assigned to:
Anaheim Ducks (Via Team Release)
D Josh Mahura (Red Deer, WHL)
RW Deven Sideroff (Kamloops, WHL)
C Tyler Soy (Victoria, WHL)
C Sam Steel (Regina, WHL)
Arizona Coyotes (Via Team Release)
D Brandon Burlon (Tuscon, AHL)
C Mark Olver (Tuscon, AHL)
C Matia Marcantuoni (Tuscon, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (Via Team Release)
C Janne Kuokkanen (London, OHL)
C Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Seventh Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Now we move forward to the seventh pick, which was held by the Chicago Blackhawks.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
Back in 2005, Chicago selected college-bound winger Jack Skille out of the US National Development Team Program. However, he failed to live up to his draft billing with the Hawks, as he played in just 79 games with the team over four seasons before being dealt to Florida in a package that netted them Michael Frolik. Over the past several years, he has spent time with the Panthers, Blue Jackets, and Avalanche and is currently on a tryout deal with Vancouver. For his career, Skille has 75 points in 313 NHL games, which is far from good production from a top ten selection.
With the seventh pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, who should the Chicago Blackhawks select? Cast your vote below!
For Trade Rumors app users on iOS, click here to vote.
Metropolitan Notes: Fleury, Tavares, Josefson, Merrill
While the Penguins will be missing Matt Murray for the next 3-6 weeks, they are expected to give Marc-Andre Fleury the bulk of the preseason starts instead of their other prospects that could conceivably start the season as the interim backup, writes Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Pittsburgh has a quality prospect in Tristan Jarry but they may prefer to give him regular action in the AHL to start the season rather than start on the bench behind Fleury in the NHL.
If that is the case, the team may look to bring in a short-term replacement, likely off the waiver wire. Pittsburgh has just four goaltenders signed on an NHL contract and have some flexibility on the 50 contract limit so they have some room to bring another goaltender in. Alternatively, the team has Leland Irving, who played in the AHL last season and has a handful of NHL games under his belt, on a tryout in camp. If they don’t want to add someone from another organization, they could give him a two-way deal and have him start the season behind Fleury until Murray is ready to return.
More from the Metropolitan:
- In a mailbag with readers, Newsday’s Arthur Staple expects John Tavares to seek an eight year deal worth between $9.5MM and $10MM per season from the Islanders when his contract expires following 2017-18. Tavares is currently making $6MM in salary for each of the next two years with a cap hit of $5.5MM. The captain is coming off his second straight season with at least 30 goals and 70 points and led the Isles is both regular season and postseason scoring last year.
- The Devils are experimenting with position changes for center Jacob Josefson and defenseman Jon Merrill (trying him on his off-side), notes Fire & Ice’s Andrew Gross. Merrill, a natural lefty, has played both sides on the back end over his career while Josefson, who is being tried out as a right winger, isn’t as used to his new position, having exclusively been deployed as a center since joining the Devils. New Jersey has numerous options on the left side of their blueline including newcomer Kyle Quincey, who just joined the team yesterday so if Merrill can show he can play the right side, that will give the team much more flexibility moving forward.
Predators RFA Stefan Elliott Signs In The KHL
Predators restricted free agent defenseman Stefan Elliott has signed a one year deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, the Russian team announced (link in Russian). Elliott joined Nashville midway through last season as part of a three way trade also involving Arizona and Montreal.
Between the Coyotes and Predators, Elliott played in 21 NHL games last season, picking up two goals and four assists while logging an average of 14:10 per game. He also suited up in 35 AHL games for Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, where he added eight goals and 11 assists.
Prior to last year, Elliott had spent parts of four seasons in the NHL with Colorado, who drafted him in the second round (49th overall) back in 2009. For his career, he has eight goals and 16 assists in 84 NHL contests.
Having issued Elliott a qualifying offer back in June, Nashville will retain Elliott’s NHL rights throughout the season. He will once again be a restricted free agent next summer.
There are now just ten remaining restricted free agents, seven full-time NHL players plus a trio of minor league players.
2016-17 Season Preview: Ottawa Senators
As the NHL season quickly approaches, PHR is taking an in-depth look at each team. Today: the Ottawa Senators.
Last Season: 38-35-9 (85 points), 5th place in the Atlantic Division. Did not qualify for the playoffs.
Cap Space Remaining: $5.98MM via CapFriendly.
Key Newcomers: Derick Brassard (C) – trade (New York Rangers); Chris Kelly (C) – free agency (Boston)
Key Departures: Mika Zibenajad (C) – trade (New York Rangers); Alex Chiasson (RW) – trade (Calgary); Patrick Wiercioch (D) – free agency (Colorado); Chris Phillips (D) – retired
Player to Watch: Erik Karlsson – the superstar posted an astounding 82 points last season, becoming the first defenseman to crack the NHL’s top-5 scorers since Paul Coffey finished third with 138 points in 1985-86. Karlsson has been the Senators most consistent player for the last few seasons and they can’t afford to waste another season of Karlsson’s prime. Not to mention, one of the final three seasons of Karlsson’s relative bargain contract at $6.5MM. The Senators indicated that they’re going for it this year with the Zibenajad-Brassard trade. Trading a 23-year-old center for a 29-year-old one shows the Senators believe their window to win is opening now.
Key Storylines: Can the club take a big step forward under new head coach Guy Boucher? They’ll need more offence from young Curtis Lazar and the recently-injured Clarke MacArthur, though that may be unlikely after this most recent concussion. Last season’s major acquisition Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci will form a solid second pair in front of veteran starter Craig Anderson.
Which version of the Senators will we see? The 2014-15 miraculous stretch-run team or the inconsistent 2015-16 edition?
Rieder’s Agent Wants Client Traded
The Arizona Coyotes have played hardball with their restricted free agent (RFA) Tobias Rieder all off-season, and now it appears that the two sides won’t be coming to an agreement.
In an email to Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com, Rieder’s agent Darren Ferris said the young winger is “really disappointed” with the team, adding he thinks “it would be best for both parties if they just traded him.”
As Pro Hockey Rumors reported earlier today, Rieder is looking for a two-year, $5MM contract, while the Coyotes won’t budge from their two-year, $4.4MM offer. Ferris called the team’s lack of negotiation “unfortunate.”
Coyotes GM John Chayka said the team was originally interested in signing Rieder long-term, but the two sides couldn’t establish any common ground so they moved on to a bridge deal. Chayka told Morgan there isn’t a lot of “wiggle-room or creativity involved” when limited to comparables. The new GM insists Rieder will not be traded. If that’s the case and the two sides cannot come to terms, then the KHL is likely Rieder’s next option. Ferris said they have received a couple of offers from clubs in the KHL, which he will turn his attention to in the coming week.
Rieder is currently in Toronto, where he’s suiting up for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey Finals versus Canada. Coyotes head coach and executive VP of hockey operations Dave Tippett was also taking part as an assistant coach for Team North America. Morgan reports the two men had dinner together earlier in the tournament, but could not make any progress on a deal.
The 23-year-old Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season.
Flyers Notes: Schultz, Gudas, Cuts
Training camp can be dangerous. According to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, Nick Schultz will be out 4-7 days with a ‘lower body injury’ after crashing into the boards last night. Schultz is coming off back to back seasons in which he played at least 80 games, and isn’t in danger of missing any time at the beginning of the season.
Penciled into the bottom pairing for the Flyers, Schultz provides a dependable presence on the back end, but won’t provide much in terms of offense. In his entire 14-year career, his highest point total came in at 20.
- Another defenseman on the mend, Radko Gudas is set to return to game action very soon according to Jordan Hall of CSNPhilly. Gudas say’s he’s pretty close to 100 percent and has already begun shooting pucks with his ailing hand. Gudas, like Schultz, isn’t one of the marquee defenders on this team but does see almost 20 minutes a night in a shutdown role. He’ll continue to get a lot of defensive zone starts, while Michael Del Zotto and Shayne Gostisbehere provide all the offense from the back end.
- Issac also tells us that another round of cuts is coming tomorrow, after the ones earlier today. Philadelphia trimmed the roster to 49 today, and is expected to take about 15 off that number tomorrow. Eventually, the team will have some tough decisions to make about their last defense spot. Will it go to the big contract of Andrew MacDonald, or does Brandon Manning deserve a real chance? The Flyers open the season October 14th in Los Angeles.
Dennis Seidenberg Signs With New York Islanders
5:40pm: The Islanders have officially announced the deal.
12:03pm: TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting Team Europe defenseman Dennis Seidenberg will join the New York Islanders on a one-year contract after the conclusion of the World Cup. The deal, expected to come in at exactly $1MM, is a far cry from the four-year, $16MM deal he was just bought out of in June. Boston deemed him expendable after multiple sub-par seasons, and instead re-signed John-Michael Liles and Joe Morrow to fill out their blueline. 
Dreger believes there were seven teams, including the Ottawa Senators, interested in the German defenseman, however they wanted to wait until the conclusion of the World Cup to sign him. They’ve missed their chance now, as the Islanders are set to snatch him up and try to regain some of his early-career play.
Now 35, Seidenberg was once considered an excellent shutdown defender capable of contributing 20-25 points per season. A veteran of 758 career games, he’ll be joining his sixth NHL club and look to make it back to the playoffs with the Isles. After a wild series with the Florida Panthers which featured less than steller defensive play, perhaps Seidenberg can add some consistency to a back-end led by high-flying Nick Leddy.
For $1MM Seidenberg is worth the gamble – just like fellow veteran defenseman Kyle Quincey signed today. The Islanders can now surround their young back-end with a once dependable veteran who has a ton of playoff experience.