Flames Still Working On Johnny Gaudreau Deal
As he announced a new contract for Sean Monahan, Flames GM Brad Treliving took some time to discuss negotiations with another one of his restricted free agents. Johnny Gaudreau, the league’s sixth highest scorer last year, has said that he won’t negotiate during the World Cup. The tournament starts on September 4th, but Treliving doesn’t sound worried.
Treliving discussed the “uniqueness” of having two young players up for extensions at the same time. Gaudreau turned 23 last week, and Monahan turns 22 on October 12th, the first day of the NHL season. There have been somewhat similar situations, like Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, then-Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, and Anaheim’s Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. There were cap complications involved in all of those deals, and Carter and Richards didn’t end up finishing their contracts in Philadelphia. Still, teams have been able to get it done before. With players of Gaudreau and Monahan’s caliber, teams end up doing what they have to in order to make cap space when needed.
Gaudreau led the Flames in scoring last season with 78 points, and finished second in 2015 with 64. The Boston College alumnus won the 2014 Hobey Baker Award for the top player in U.S. men’s college hockey. Gaudreau will represent Team North America in September’s World Cup of Hockey.
Rangers Sign Jimmy Vesey
5:22pm: ESPN’s Joe McDonald reports that it’s a two-year, entry level contract. This would mean the base value is $925K, and that the total value with bonuses could be as high as $2.85MM.
5:06pm: The Rangers have confirmed the signing via Twitter.
4:56pm: TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting via Twitter that free agent forward Jimmy Vesey has signed with the New York Rangers. Vesey, 23, had been recruited heavily by NHL teams. Teams reported to have expressed interest included the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Flyers, and Penguins. Reported finalists for Vesey included the Blackhawks, Islanders, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Devils, and Bruins. The Sabres had previously owned his rights, owing to a draft-day trade with the Nashville Predataors. Those rights expired this week, and Vesey became a free agent.
This brings to an end the off-season’s longest drama. Vesey originally became a subject of speculation when reports suggested he had planned to hold out until free agency rather than sign with the Predators, who drafted him. Many early reports named the Maple Leafs, who employ his father, and drafted his brother, or his hometown Bruins as likely favorites. In the end, the New York Rangers, spoken about little throughout this process, come away the winners.
Vesey, a left winger, had 24 goals and 46 points in 33 games for Harvard this year. In 2015, he put up even stronger numbers, scoring 32 goals and 58 points in 37 games for the Crimson. It is widely assumed he will play in the NHL right away.
Contract terms have not yet been released, but it is widely believed to be the maximum contract given to this kind of rookie. That would make it a two-year contract.
Central Notes: Shattenkirk, Blackhawks, Spezza
The day so far has belonged to Jimmy Vesey, as we wait for his final decision on where to start his NHL career. The Blackhawks and Rangers are said to be the front-runners, and some reporters are getting a little anxious about the timing. It’s unlikely that, despite tons of tweets today, anyone leaving their phone or computer will hurry Vesey’s signing. With that in mind, take some time to find out what’s being talked about in the Central Division, besides Chicago’s free agent pursuit.
- James O’Brien at ProHockeyTalk writes about Kevin Shattenkirk today. O’Brien believes that trading Shattenkirk would be a mistake for the Blues, and that the team would be better off trying to re-sign him. His analytically based argument suggests that Shattenkirk should really be one of the untouchables on the Blues, and certainly prioritized over the older Alex Steen. The article is interesting, though may ignore what we don’t know for sure. This assumes Shattenkirk is willing to re-sign in St. Louis, and there have been reports to the contrary.
- Scott Powers over at The Athletic has a rundown of the Chicago Blackhawks defensive depth. You can never have too many defensemen, and Chicago’s group is certainly impressive. Earlier, he discussed the players who are more certain to get regular playing time. A team will always feel comfortable being led by Duncan Keith, and they’ve done well enough with their current group to win three Stanley Cups this decade. Adding Brian Campbell to go along with their NHL and minor league defensive depth should go a long way.
- Mike Heika has a profile of Stars forward Jason Spezza, and expects big things from him this year. Spezza may be getting older, but many don’t appreciate just how great he’s been. He’s currently ninth among active players in points per game. He’s also older than several of the players immediately ahead of him, giving him more decline years to weigh down his averages. Heika notes that Spezza’s game being based on hockey IQ may extend his usefulness. Players do decline, and Spezza has to some extent, but he’s a future Hall of Famer, and they don’t fall off the map as fast as other players.
Veteran Candidates For Training Camp Demotions
We think of rookies when think of players who fail to make their team out of camp, or at very least players on tryout deals. But a player having tenure and a contract isn’t necessarily a guarantee of anything. Players aren’t “cut” like they are in football, since there are assigned buyout periods. There are, however, demotions, re-assignments, or on rare occasion, some players are just told to go home. Here’s a rundown of a few guys who shouldn’t go to camp complacently.
- Steve Ott – The Red Wings are packed with forwards, 16 of them in fact, and the signing of Ott is likely to force a younger player to earn his spot rather than have it handed to him. At 34, Ott played just 21 games for the Blues last year, registering two assists. His salary is also low enough to be buried in the AHL. He’ll stand a fighting chance, but he’ll have to grab hold of it.
- Ondrej Pavelec – Pavelec has had an above average save percentage just once since the Jets moved to Winnipeg, and some observers give him a big share of the blame for their lack of success. He played just 33 games last year, mostly due to injury. The Jets also have two of the best goaltending prospects in hockey in Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie. Pavelec has been insulated by his big contract for a while now, but with just one year left on that deal, it’s possible to imagine there’s less pressure in Winnipeg to get something out of it.
- Milan Michalek, Colin Greening, Brooks Laich, and Joffrey Lupul – We’ll combine these four to get all the Leafs out of the way at once. The Leafs have a ton of players. Especially at forward. Michalek, Greening, and Laich were all short-term make-weights in recent deals to dump salary and acquire prospects, while Lupul is a holdover from the last regime. GM Lou Lamoriello isn’t even sure Lupul can play hockey again. The Leafs also have kids like William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Connor Brown, Brendan Leipsic, Zach Hyman, Kerby Rychel, and Nikita Soshnikov who all either got a taste of the NHL last year, or are expected to this year. It’s hard to imagine none are on the opening night roster, Greening was impressive after being acquired from the Senators. That said, the best hope any individually has is that the team decides they aren’t playoff ready yet, and plays them in hopes of a deadline move.
Snapshots: Vegas, Vesey, Yandle
After being previously reported that Night Hawks would be the name of the new Las Vegas franchise, Ken Boehlke of The Sin Bin now reports that name is actually a back-up plan for a different moniker. Fans of the Chicago Blackhawks will be happy to hear it, as many felt the name encroached on their own. The team is still expected to have Night somewhere in the nickname, but is presumably still being vetted by the NHL.
- All day Jimmy Vesey rumors have been running rampant, with a several teams all being crowned the favorites at different instances. Peter Fish, Vesey’s agent, put and end to the speculation, saying that a handful of teams are still involved and that all the rumors of favorites are false. Another member of the Vesey camp, Peter Donatelli, said that the group had only met once yesterday to discuss the options, and that a decision is not likely going to come down today. Earlier today we wrote about why Vesey’s free agency has been such a hot-button issue this summer.
- Keith Yandle is down in Florida already training for his debut with his new team, and George Richards of the Miami Herald caught up with him today. Yandle was looking for the most possible years on the free agent market, a big part of why he signed with Florida after they traded for his rights. The team offered him a seven-year deal, giving him some stability for his foreseeable future. Yandle mentioned how it’s not just him coming down early this summer, after a wonderful season last year from the Panthers: “I can’t wait to meet everyone and get things started. Guys are coming in early so you get to meet guys before training camp even starts. We’ll go out to lunch and dinner; it’s a lot of fun.”
West Notes: Rakell, Rattie, Gaudreau
With the World Cup of Hockey fast approaching, another unsigned restricted free agent is headed to Toronto. According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (who we interviewed just yesterday on PHR) Rickard Rakell will join the Swedish club replacing the injured Alexander Steen. Steen had surgery in June on his shoulder, and is still trying to be ready for the opening of the regular season.
Rakell will be rewarded for last season’s breakout that saw him score 20 goals and 43 points in his second full season. Rakell remains one of the Ducks priorities this summer, along with fellow unsigned RFA Hampus Lindholm. The team, with only $6.6MM in cap space at the moment, may not have enough to sign both to long-term deals and may have to settle for the player-friendly bridge deal.
- Among the news at Pro Hockey Talk’s St. Louis Blues day is that Ty Rattie will be given a real chance to stick with the big club this season. Adam Gretz writes that with the team losing veteran forwards like David Backes, Steve Ott and Troy Brouwer to free agency, there is plenty of opportunities for young players like Rattie. This is in line with a similar article on NHL.com today, that quoted GM Doug Armstrong: “I think the game is getting faster, and youth is being served. I think we were going to transfer to this (youth movement) regardless.” Rattie has suited up for just 26 NHL games, but has proven his scoring ability at the AHL level with three straight 40+ point seasons.
- After signing Sean Monahan earlier today to a seven-year deal, the Calgary Flames will now turn their attention to Johnny Gaudreau. Craig Custance of ESPN thinks that his deal will come in very close to Monahan’s, as the team views the situation as similar to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago. The Blackhawk stars signed identical $84MM deals in July of 2014, despite Kane having more career points (493 vs. 440). Monahan also has a full season more of NHL duty under his belt than Gaudreau, despite being more than a year younger than him. If the Flames can get both on long-term deals under $7MM, they’ll be set up nicely for the future with two underpaid superstars.
OHL Cracks Down On Fighting
In a move that may preempt the NHL doing something similar, the OHL has announced its rule changes for the upcoming season and for fighting fans – you won’t like it.
Along with changes to the icings and instituting a “blindside hit rule”, which will see a penalty be assessed if a player is checked from “the blindside” (a determination that is in the referee’s discretion), the league will now lower their fighting suspension threshold from ten to just three per season. Once a player is involved in three fights, each following major will incur an automatic two-game suspension.
In 2012-13, the league instituted the policy, with the threshold being placed at ten fights. Since then, fights league-wide have decreased by almost half. While the NHL wouldn’t make the same drastic change, for fear of upsetting part of its fanbase, installing these rules at the junior level will effectively end the development and encouragement of fighters as they move through the ranks.
Last season according to hockeyfights.com, only four players fought at least 10 times. Compare that to just five years ago, when 38 players passed that threshold, the leader, George Parros, dropping the gloves a whopping 27 times. While the Maple Leafs rewarded known scrapper Matt Martin with a four-year deal this offseason it was because he’s known as a player who can contribute, at least a little bit, while also “protecting” his teammates. The days of the enforcer are over, and with moves like today’s rule changes, they’re sure to never return.
Calgary Flames Reach Seven-Year Deal With Sean Monahan
Sean Monahan is staying in Calgary a while longer. The team announced today that the restricted free agent has signed a seven-year deal. The value will come in at $44.625MM, a $6.375MM AAV and it will include a partial no-trade clause in the final three years. A press conference is to be scheduled for this afternoon to announce the deal.
Monahan is a restricted free agent for the first time in his career, after posting 159 points through his first 237 career games. At just 21, he’s one of the best young centers in the game, and has found amazing chemistry with fellow star Johnny Gaudreau.
The sixth overall pick in what is turning out to be a fabulous 2013 draft, Monahan has proven he should be considered in the top echelon of centers in the NHL and will now stay long-term in Calgary. With he and Gaudreau publicly stating that they want to stay in the Canadian city, it was just a matter of time until the deal was finalized.
While they still need to sign Gaudreau, the Flames now seem poised to go on a long streak of contention, led by their dynamic duo up front. With Sam Bennett also making an impression in his first NHL season, they have three players 23 or younger who are capable of scoring 30 goals in a season. With Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie locked up long-term on the back end, joining veteran and captain Mark Giordano, they have a core capable of making it back to the playoffs as soon as 2016-17.
[Related: Updated Calgary Flames Depth Chart]
Monahan’s $6.375MM cap-hit comes in just above Nathan MacKinnon’s number from earlier this summer, and his performance comes in right alongside the former first-overall pick (in the same draft as Monahan to boot). While Gaudreau will undoubtedly cost more, the Flames have left themselves enough room with a ton of money coming off the books after next season. Ladislav Smid, Dennis Wideman, Deryk Engelland and the goaltending duo of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson all become unrestricted free agents next season, giving the club money to work with (for a new Bennett contract, for instance).
First teased by Eric Francis of Sportsnet this morning. Elliotte Friedman was first to give us the seven-year details, along with the dollar value. CapFriendly provided details on the NTC.
The Vesey Watch Is Coming To An End
This morning one of the most trusted names in hockey journalism finally gave us what we’ve been waiting for – an end. Bob McKenzie of TSN chimed in on the Jimmy Vesey situation for the first time, to tell us that it is coming to and end today, probably. While McKenzie says it may stretch until Saturday, it will go no further than that. Andrew Gross of The Record also hears that it’ll end today, as does Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
Arthur Staple of Newsday gives us the latest update on the finalists; he’s heard that it’s down to the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, noting that the Islanders made a strong push but fell short.
An amazing amount of proverbial and literal ink has been spilled over the free agency of Vesey, more than most prospects get in their entire amateur careers. Now, with it coming to an end, Vesey will have to start performing immediately or risk the ire of an entire fanbase.
If the Harvard grad struggles, like many prospects before him, he’ll be met with songs of “all that for this guy?” at his home arena and “over-hyped” will be firmly entrenched beside his name in the program. But for all the hype that the media (including PHR) has created, Vesey is none to blame. He’s done nothing but exercise his rights under the current CBA, just as other players have done in the last few days.
Three things have made it into a media whirlwind though: the lack of other hockey news in August, the uncertainty of the level of college hockey in the USA when compared to other amateur leagues, and the relatively poor free agent market after its biggest name re-signed before July 1.
Obviously, as any other year, August is one of the slowest months for hockey news. Teams have built their core, and are waiting for training camp to open. While many fringe free agents remain unsigned, the meat has been almost completely stripped from the bone.
The NCAA still proves to be a hard league to create equivalents from. Because the league has such a spread of talent, and has only started to become respected as a strong development option in the last couple of decades, fans and media alike aren’t sure exactly how to examine base statistics.
In the CHL, it’s common to see top prospects crack 100 points and dominate in their draft year. But the college ranks play less games, and require more of their athletes outside of hockey – indeed, Vesey will graduate with a degree from Harvard University, and to put it in his own words: “College is an ultrastressful environment — we’re balancing school, hockey, internships, our social lives and so many other things.” The fact is that the Frozen Four isn’t as well covered as the Memorial Cup (the CHL championship) is in Canada, and that many fans have never even seen a college hockey game, and they’re just not sure what Vesey really is.
What he isn’t, though, is Steven Stamkos. When Steve Yzerman pulled the unthinkable and re-signed his superstar centerman just prior to him becoming a free agent, the summer lost its biggest story. All of a sudden the best free agent in history was off the market, and we were left with an unspectacular group (despite the amount of money that was spent on it). Vesey represents the unknown, and for at least a handful of teams (a group similar to the ones reportedly “in” on Stamkos) another chance to land the summer’s biggest fish.
Senators Sign Logan Brown To ELC
After drafting Logan Brown eleventh overall at this year’s draft, the Ottawa Senators have signed him to his first professional contract. The big forward signed a three-year entry-level contract on Friday, according to a team release.
Brown, a 6’6″ 220-lb monster, put up a solid season with the Windsor Spitfires in 2015-16, scoring 21 goals and assisting on a team-high 53 markers. His 74 points ranked him only behind Arizona prospect Christian Fischer (90 P) on the team.
Naturally a center, Brown is an elite playmaker despite his size and can dish the puck to teammates in any situation. He’s expected to go back to junior for one more season, and dominate at the OHL level before making an impact in Ottawa in 2017-18.