Blackhawks Discussing Extension With Artemi Panarin
The Chicago Blackhawks and Artemi Panarin’s agent Tom Lynn have been in discussions regarding a contract extension, reports the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. The 24 year old left winger is entering the second and final year of his entry-level contract signed last offseason with an AAV of $3.5MM including bonuses (which he hit last season).
Panarin is coming off a very strong rookie campaign, posting 30 goals and 47 assists in 80 games, ranking him second on the team in scoring behind Hart Trophy (league MVP) winner Patrick Kane. He also finished tied for ninth overall in league-wide scoring which helped earn him the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.
Speaking through an interpreter, Panarin commented on talks and the thought of staying with Chicago long-term:
“I came to play on the NHL level not because of money and contracts,” Panarin said via an interpreter. “My agent will deal with the rest. As of right now, I like everything and … I’m very content.”
Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Panarin is seeking a 6-7 year contract with a cap hit between $6MM – $7MM. Last week, our Glen Miller took a look at what the market might be, offering up Filip Forsberg and Vladimir Tarasenko as potential comparable players depending on how Panarin’s sophomore season goes.
Chicago GM Stan Bowman will have to get creative with his roster to find a way to fit Panarin in on an extension. The team currently has 11 players signed for 2017-18 with a cap hit just shy of $58MM according to Cap Friendly. While the salary cap for next season won’t be set until June, based on recent years the increase won’t be that dramatic which means they will likely have to move someone out to make the money work.
Extension Candidate: Brent Burns
While the opening of the 2017 free agent period is still over nine months away, many teams will be looking to discuss new contracts with players whose contracts expire next July 1st to see if they can come to terms on an extension now.
One player that San Jose will undoubtedly be planning to try to get an extension done with is defenseman Brent Burns. Since being moved back to the blueline following the 2013-14 campaign, Burns has quickly become one of the most dominant defensemen in the NHL and he stands to become an unrestricted free agent after 2016-17.
2015-16
Last season was a banner year across the board for the 31 year old. Not only did he set career highs across the board offensively, he also logged 25:52 of action per game, the highest average in his career. Burns played in all 82 games for the second straight year, scoring 27 goals and 48 assists; his 75 points ranked second amongst all NHL blueliners. For his efforts, he was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team and finished third in Norris Trophy voting.
His strong play carried over into the postseason as he played at a point per game average while playing on the top pairing. In 24 games, he tallied seven goals and 17 assists in 25:07 of ice time per contest as the Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. His strong play earned him a spot on Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey.
Statistics
2015-16: 82 GP, 27 goals, 48 assists, 75 points, -5 rating, 53 PIMS, 353 shots on goal
Career: 797 GP, 141 goals, 282 assists, 423 points, -1 rating, 531 PIMS, 1,919 shots on goal
The Market
Blues Notes: Shattenkirk, Sobotka, Perron
While defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk remains in St. Louis, there were discussions about moving him to Edmonton in exchange for Taylor Hall in the offseason, reports Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, Shattenkirk was unwilling to sign a contract extension as part of the agreement which nixed the trade. Hall, meanwhile, was later dealt to New Jersey in exchange for blueliner Adam Larsson.
With no trade on the horizon, Shattenkirk will now be asked to fill a leadership role with the Blues after being named one of four alternate captains last month. Head coach Ken Hitchcock isn’t worried about all the rumors being any sort of distraction:
“We talked about, ‘Can he put everything behind him to become a leader? Where things go at the end of the year is out of our reach as a coaching staff. But we need to know how locked in you are … and he said he’s very locked in and wants to have a hell of a year. That’s when we put him in the leadership position.”
As a pending UFA following the season, Shattenkirk acknowledges the questions will be there throughout the season unless a trade or extension gets worked out:
“This is something that I think is going to go on all year, it’s always a story that people are going to run with. But for me, I can only control what I do on the ice and if I’m giving 100 percent out there, whatever happens, happens. I can control it to a certain point, but if something is going to go down, it’s going to go down.”
Shattenkirk is set to earn $4.25MM this season and is expected to receive a sizable raise on his next deal.
Other news out of St. Louis:
- There appears to be no immediate resolution to the Vladimir Sobotka saga with both the Blues and Avangard Omsk claiming they have a valid contract for him for this season. Jeff Gordon, also of the Post-Dispatch, opines that one way or another, the process has dragged on far enough and that an answer needs to be given shortly. GM Doug Armstrong kept enough room under the salary cap to be able to fit in his $2.725MM deal but Gordon notes that the team will likely want to make a move to take his place should Sobotka remain in the KHL.
- David Perron, who started his career in St. Louis, told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Post-Dispatch that he kept in touch with Hitchcock over the last few years and that they’d often meet for a half an hour or longer each time Perron’s teams (Edmonton, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim) came to town. Those talks likely played a role in their decision to bring Perron back on a two year, $7.5MM contract in July. Perron is expected to play a top six role for the Blues after the team lost David Backes to Boston and Troy Brouwer to Calgary in free agency.
Eric Gryba Signs PTO With Edmonton
September 21: The Oilers officially confirmed the PTO via their Twitter account.
September 20: Eric Gryba‘s time with the Edmonton Oilers isn’t up just yet. The unrestricted free agent defenseman has agreed to attend their training camp on a PTO deal, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
Gryba was acquired by the Oilers back in June of 2015 from the Senators. He played in 53 games with Edmonton last season, recording a goal and five assists with 75 penalty minutes. Gryba also logged 17:53 of ice time per night, his highest average since his rookie season. For his career, he has played in 218 games with Edmonton and Ottawa, scoring five goals while adding 30 assists and 262 PIMS.
Last month, Gryba noted that he had tryout offers from three different teams but was still hoping to get an offer from the Oilers. He earned $1.3MM in salary last season and presumably will have to take a pay cut if he earns a guaranteed deal after training camp.
Gryba may have a harder time landing a spot on their roster compared to last year. The team acquired Adam Larsson from New Jersey back in June while youngsters such as Brandon Davidson, Darnell Nurse, and Griffin Reinhart are all expected to push for bigger roles this season. What will work in Gryba’s favor is that he is a right shooting blueliner, something the Oilers are lacking beyond Larsson and veteran Mark Fayne.
[Related: Oilers Depth Chart]
Over 30 NHL veterans have already taken tryout deals and there are more expected in the days ahead. Keep track of who is trying out where with our Invite Tracker.
Islanders Sign Ryan Strome To A Two Year Deal
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.
Despite 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
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
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
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
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
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.