Unsigned RFAs And UFAs At The 2016 World Cup Of Hockey
The World Cup of Hockey poses a unique opportunity for unsigned RFAs and UFAs to showcase their talent before training camp. Players will be on the world stage facing off against top-level talent, and good performances would go a long way to improving a player’s stock. Below are the RFAs and UFAs set to play in the World Cup of Hockey:
Tobias Rieder (RFA)
Tobias Rieder headlines Team Europe’s forward group this summer and expects to play a large role in the team’s offense. Rieder and the Coyotes remain far apart on a new contract, with the forward’s camp insinuating to the KHL as a viable alternative. Rieder managed to score 14G and 23A in 82 games for the Coyotes in just his second season with the club. The German forward could benefit from a strong performance this summer, and skating with notable playmakers such as Kopitar, Hossa, and Gaborik can only help.
Johnny Gaudreau (RFA)
Johhny Gaudreau will join Team North America this summer. The centerman led the Flames in scoring last season with 30G and 48A in 79 games. While he currently remains unsigned, the Flames and Gaudreau are confident a deal will come to fruition. Johnny Hockey has an opportunity to prove that he is worth a long term contract this summer by holding his own amongst other Team North America stars Nathan MacKinnon and Connor MacDavid.
Sean Monahan (RFA)
Monahan will join his teammate Gaudreau on Team North America this summer, and it is fitting because Monahan finished second in team scoring behind Gaudreau with 27G and 36A in 81 games. Should both Monahan and Gaudreau shine in the tourney, it is likely that they get tandem long-term deals to solidify the Flames’ core.
[Update: Monahan sighed a 7-year, $44.625MM (6.375MM AAV) contract with the Flames]
Jacob Trouba (RFA)
Jacob Trouba will be anchoring Team North America’s defense this summer while looking for a new deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The steady young defenseman scored 6G and 15A in 81 games for Winnipeg, but more importantly played first line minutes averaging the second most even strength playing time. Trouba represents the Jets’ future on defense, but the team already has over $22M tied up in four defensemen. Winnipeg may push for a shorter bridge deal to lessen the cap hit.
Christian Ehrhoff (UFA)
Christian Ehrhoff is slated to play defense for Team Europe this summer, and strong play could create buzz for the 34 year old unrestricted free agent. The German defenseman split last season with the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, putting up 2G and 10A in 48 games. Ehrhoff has fallen precipitously since signing a 10-year deal with the Sabres in 2011-12, and was relegated to the press box during Chicago’s first round playoff loss last year. Ehrhoff hopes to impress NHL scouts enough to garner another contract, but he’ll have to significantly raise his game.
Dennis Seidenberg (UFA)
Dennis Seidenberg, another UFA German defenseman, will join Ehrhoff on Team Europe’s blueline. And like Ehrhoff, Seidenberg is hoping that a strong performance parlays into an NHL contract. The 35 year old defenseman scored 1G and 11A in 61 games for the Bruins last season. The free agent market is flooded with veteran defensemen of Seiderberg’s ilk, so he’ll value any chance to separate himself from the numerous other available players.
Nikita Kucherov (RFA)
Much has been written about Nikita Kucherov this summer. The Lightning’s leading scorer—30G and 36 P in 77 games—remains an unsigned RFA while the team looks for ways to make room under the cap. Tampa currently has $6.5M in cap space to sign Kucherov and Nikita Nesterov, but it also has to prepare for next year when Drouin, Palat, Johnson, and Bishop all require new contracts. If Kucherov lights it up this summer, the Lightning will have no choice but bite the bullet and find a way to alleviate the cap crunch.
Dmitry Orlov (RFA)
Dmitry Orlov highlights a thin Team Russia blueline this summer while still in contract talks with the Washington Capitals. Talks are amicable, reports CSN Mid-Atlantic, and that both sides chose to forgo arbitration bodes well for a deal. Orlov scored 8G and 21A in 82 games for the Capitals last season, but remains a bottom-pairing defenseman. A good performance this summer could boost both his salary numbers and his playing time.
Rasmus Ristolainen (RFA)
Rasmus Ristolainen will be manning Team Finland’s defense this summer, and the young defenseman looks to build on a productive season. The Finn led all Buffalo Sabres defenseman in scoring with 9G and 32A in 82 games, and led all players in ice time averaging over 25 minutes a game. A strong performance this summer will go a long way in showing that this season was not a fluke. Ristolainen is poised to become a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL someday, and he is hoping to parlay that potential into a favorable contract.
Snapshots: Predators, Strome, Athanasiou
The Nashville Predators are gearing up for an exciting season writes Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. Vingan makes his case for a trio of predictions as the season approaches. He writes that the over/under should be set at 35 goals for Filip Forsberg, but sees him falling short of 40. As for newly acquired defenseman P.K. Subban, Vingan bets that Subban will easily break 60 points. Vingan sees Pekka Rinne‘s as playing better than last season, but cautions that it may not be significant enough to warrant a dramatic improvement. He also points out that it was Rinne’s up and down play that made the Predators inconsistent.
In other NHL news:
- Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Strome says he’s done with junior hockey and the timing couldn’t be more impeccable. With the Coyotes buying out the contract of Antoine Vermette earlier today, the path seems clear for the 19-year-old forward. Craig Hagerman writes that the 2015 third overall pick is ready for the next step in his career after posting consecutive 100+ point seasons in the OHL. One of the final roster cuts last Fall, Hagerman reports that another year of seasoning and strong performance has Strome hopeful for a shot with the big club.
- Speedy Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou isn’t concerned about his starting place this fall the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports. Despite dazzling when given some ice time late in the regular season and then the playoffs, Athanasiou might be an odd man out when the Red Wings head into the 2016-17 season. With the addition of forwards Thomas Vanek, Frans Nielsen, and Steve Ott, roster space is limited, but Athanasiou says that he won’t let if affect him. St. James writes that along with Anthony Mantha, Athanasiou cannot be claimed on waivers. While this may not prove popular with the Red Wings fanbase, Athanasiou seems more concerned about building on last year’s successes.
What’s Next For Antoine Vermette?
After the shocking news today that the Coyotes bought out Antoine Vermette‘s contract, hockey insiders and analysts deconstructed the transaction. The big question now is if Vermette will find another team to land with before the start of the 2016-17 season.
Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski sees this as a logical move for both sides. A deep dive shows the wisdom in Wyshynski’s words.
The Eye Test
Vermette was owed $3.75MM over the next two seasons. He previously made the same amount when he inked a five-year, $18.75MM deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010. Thanks to a career year during the 2009-10 season that saw a 65 point campaign, Vermette cashed in. He never reached that total again, but still had productive seasons.
His playoff totals also helped his stock with the Coyotes in 2011-12, and then scored some timely goals during the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup run in 2014-15. He found his way back to the desert the following season, registering 38 points (17-21) in 76 games.
Though he did see his ice time decrease with the Blackhawks, Vermette was still viewed as a valuable commodity. The value certainly was there, and the Coyotes simply re-signed a player they were comfortable with.
Other factors
Puck Daddy’s Josh Cooper shared a tweet that honed in on the advanced stats attached to Vermette. The results revealed a player with declining performance. Vermette was not justifying the $3.75MM he was costing the Coyotes. This is a team being rebuilt by an analytics strategist with young talent waiting in the wings. There wasn’t a lot of motivation for general manager John Chayka to take ice time away from players he purportedly would rather see out there. The full reasoning was laid out in Chayka’s team release.
Where will he go?
Vermette still has value, it’s just a matter of what he would want financially and in terms of ice time. He’s still only 34 years old, and presumably has at least 2-3 years of hockey left in him. Though teams wouldn’t acquire him via trade, that was when he held a nearly $4MM cap hit. Now a free agent, acquiring a 40 point player at a significant discount is certainly an attractive option. Craig Morgan tweets that he expects Vermette to generate some interest.
In terms of compatibles, 26-year-old Sam Gagner fetched just $650K on the open market. Sure, he had a significant drop off in terms of production (41 points to 16), but he’s still younger. Compared to his past performance, it appeared an anomaly to his normally consistent self. But that anomaly cost him financially.
Expect Vermette to be plucked off the free agent heap–just at a more cap friendly price.
Snapshots: Nyquist, Bishop, Benn
The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist expects to bounce back following a disappointing 2015-16 campaign. Nyquist failed to reach the 20 goal mark for the first time since becoming a Wings regular. After being counted on to step up as one of the core players, Nyquist’s production slipped with 43 points (17-26) and just one goal in five playoff games. Though St. James believes Nyquist could recover with a new assistant coach in John Torchetti, she also writes that the 26-year-old Swede could be packaged in a deal to acquire a defenseman. With the Red Wings logjam at forward and Nyquist’s disappointing return last season, it’s a realistic scenario with forward Tomas Tatar due a hefty raise following the 2015-16 season.
In other NHL news:
- The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton indicates that Ben Bishop believes he’ll be ready for the World Cup of Hockey. Clinton recaps the injury that torpedoed the Lightning’s attempt at a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance, but writes that Bishop does feel better and plans on taking his recovery slow. Even if he does recover in time, Clinton reports that Bishop could easily be the third option behind Jonathan Quick and Cory Schneider. Entering his final season in Tampa, Bishop could be shuttled to another team or kept as an insurance option during the post-season. Arguably a pre-season favorite to win the Stanley Cup, Bishop could once again backstop a deep run in the playofs should he remain healthy.
- Clinton also reports that Dallas Stars’ forward Jamie Benn should also be ready for the World Cup of Hockey after undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury. While Benn believes he will suit up for the Canadian squad, Clinton writes that the Stars will have final say, especially after they inked their captain to an eight-year, $76MM extension.
Snapshots: Kane, Bartkowski, Jets
Sabres forward Evander Kane pled not guilty at his arraignment in Buffalo court today stemming from charges last month, reports Aaron Besecker of the Buffalo News. Kane faces a charge of misdemeanor criminal trespass, non-criminal disorderly conduct, plus four counts of non-criminal harassment. WBEN’s Brian Mazurowski adds that the maximum sentence for Kane would be 90 days but that District Attorney Michael Flaherty noted that first time offenders rarely receive prison sentences.
Other news and notes from around the league:
- Free agent defenseman Matt Bartkowski has received a few offers so far but has yet to land with a new team, writes Jeff Paterson of the Vancouver Province. Bartkowski’s agent, Stephen Reich, suggests that a deal isn’t likely to come until later in the offseason but is optimistic that he will be able to land a one way contract. Bartkowski earned $1.75MM with Vancouver last season and got into 80 games with the Canucks, collecting six goals and 12 assists while averaging 18:37 of ice time per night.
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun takes a closer look at Winnipeg’s defense depth and notes that there could be a bit of a logjam, particularly when RFA Jacob Trouba inks his new deal. He speculates that 2013 first round pick Josh Morrissey could be ready for full-time NHL duty but the Jets may deem it would be better for him to play a #1 role in the AHL over a depth role with the big club. Wiebe also suggests that Paul Postma could be a candidate to be dealt between now and the start of next season.
Coyotes Buy Out Antoine Vermette
The Coyotes announced that they have bought out center Antoine Vermette. The announcement came less that two hours after it was reported that the team had placed him on unconditional waivers as first reported by AZSports’ Craig Morgan.
Vermette is able to be bought out as a result of the second buyout window that opened up after the Coyotes re-signed Michael Stone, who had filed for arbitration last month. In a separate tweet, Morgan notes that GM John Chayka did try to trade Vermette before proceeding with this move.
The veteran had a decent year with the Coyotes last season, posting 17 goals and 21 assists, matching his 38 point output from the previous season. His role with Arizona was reduced last season as his ice time dropped from 18:59 per game to 16:39 in 2015-16.
Presumably, the decision to let Vermette go was likely made to help free up a spot for some of their top prospects such as Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak. The 34 year old has one season left on a two year pact signed last offseason worth $3.75MM per year.
From a salary cap perspective, the buyout costs Arizona $1.25MM in both salary and cap hit for both 2016-17 and 2017-18. That will free up $2.5MM on this season’s cap. The Coyotes are no stranger to having cap charges for players who aren’t playing for them as Pavel Datsyuk, Chris Pronger, and Mike Ribeiro are all on their cap for 2016-17 despite the fact that none of them will suit up for the team. Add in Vermette’s $1.25MM buyout charge and the Coyotes will have a cap charge of over $15.1MM for players who won’t actually play for them next year.
Week In Review: 7/25/16 – 7/31/16
While the final week of July didn’t have much in the way of trade activity or UFA signings, it was still a busy one as many restricted free agents came to terms on new deals. Here’s a look back at the week that was.
Notable Re-Signings
Brayden Schenn (Flyers) – Four years, $20.5MM
Peter Holland (Maple Leafs) – Two years, $2.5MM
Danny DeKeyser (Red Wings) – Six years, $30MM
Vladislav Namestnikov (Lightning) – Two years, $3.875MM
Mike Hoffman (Senators) – Four years, $20.75MM
Petr Mrazek (Red Wings) – Two years, $8MM
Calle Jarnkrok (Predators) – Six years, $12MM
Connor Murphy (Coyotes) – Six years, $23.1MM
Michael Stone (Coyotes) – One year, $4MM
Mathew Dumba (Wild) – Two years, $5.1MM
Martin Marincin (Maple Leafs) – Two years, $2.5MM
Tyson Barrie (Avalanche) – Four years, $22MM
UFA Signing
Matt Carle (Predators) – One year, $700K
Coaching Contract
Bill Peters (Hurricanes) – Two year extension through 2018-19
Players Signing Overseas
Kris Versteeg – SC Bern in Switzerland
Mike Santorelli – Geneve-Servette in Switzerland
Contract Termination
David Rundblad (Blackhawks) – Link
Training Camp Tryout
Maxim Lapierre (Rangers) – Link
Key Prospect Signing
Jakob Chychrun (Coyotes) – Three year, entry-level deal
Columbus Officially Signs Sam Gagner
The Blue Jackets have officially signed center Sam Gagner to a one year contract, the team announced. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the deal is worth $650K. The signing should come as little surprise as it was reported over the weekend that Columbus was nearing a deal with the 26 year old.
Last season was the worst of Gagner’s career. He played in 53 games with the Flyers, recording just 16 points (eight goals and eight assists) while averaging just 13:52 per game. After clearing waivers, he spent some time with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, picking up a goal and five assists in nine games. That marked the first minor league action for Gagner as he originally made the jump to the NHL straight out of junior.
This will be the fourth different team Gagner has suited up for in as many seasons despite spending seven seasons with Edmonton to start his career. Overall, he has played in 615 NHL games between the Oilers, Coyotes, and Flyers, scoring 124 goals and 228 assists while playing an average of 16:56 per game.
Gagner was ranked 46th on PHR’s Top 50 UFA list. We predicted that he would be forced to sign a cheap one year deal in the hopes of re-establishing his value but we figured he would have landed a $1MM contract. He’ll likely battle for a bottom six roster spot with Columbus along with youngsters from their Calder Cup winning AHL team.
[Related: Blue Jackets’ Depth Chart]
With the signing, the Blue Jackets now have just over $3.8MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly. However, that figure only factors a minimum-sized roster of 20 players so their actual amount of space to work with is lower than that.
Vancouver Trade Targets
In an article by Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun, he examines trade options for the Vancouver Canucks, who are looking to add talent to both their forward core and defensive group before the start of the season. With a young roster and talented prospect pool, the Canucks would likely be better suited to continue their re-build. However, after bringing in elite free agent Loui Eriksson to pair with Henrik and Daniel Sedin and with a year left with prior free agent splurge Ryan Miller in net, the Canucks and GM Jim Benning may feel like they want to contend for a playoff spot sooner rather than later. If that is the case, Botchford offers up five suggestions.
The lone defenseman on the list, Tyson Barrie, re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche today and is presumably off the market. However, Botchford lists his teammate, Gabriel Landeskog as a possible target for a blockbuster deal. While heads will likely roll if the Avalanche miss the playoffs again next season, or maybe even earlier if they get off to a rocky start, but it seems unlikely that they would trade a young cornerstone of their offense like Landeskog this off-season. Additionally, for the Canucks to get him, they would surely have to be willing to depart with young blueliner Chris Tanev. Tanev has developed into a strong defensive defenseman, and Botchford doubts Benning’s willingness to give him away, even for Landeskog.
If Tanev is off the table, Botchford’s suggestion of Bruin’s center David Krejci may as well be too. Krejci is a legitimate #1 center, and even a package of long-time Canuck top-pair defenseman Alex Edler and mid-level picks and prospects is unlikely to be enough for the 2011 Stanley Cup champ. The Bruins excess at center and lack of strength on the back end is well-documented, but they are likely looking at bigger fish like Kevin Shattenkirk if they are going to part with Krejci.
Botchford’s final two recommendations, Evander Kane and Scott Hartnell seem to be more likely, as both are being actively shopped. Ever since rumors started that Kane’s off-ice behavior had become too much of a distraction in Buffalo, the Canucks have been mentioned as a team willing to take the troubled, but talented winger of the Sabres’ hands. If Buffalo is able to sign Jimmy Vesey in August, they are expected to trade Kane. Vancouver very well could be the destination. If not, they could inquire about the veteran Hartnell. The Columbus Blue Jackets would love to rid themselves of Hartnell’s $4.75MM yearly cap hit, and Vancouver could use a big, strong forward to protect their younger and less physical players. As Botchford suggests, they may also be able to work out a deal in which bad contract is exchanged for bad contract, and the Canucks can ship overpaid defenseman Luca Sbisa out of town.
With all that said, it seems that Vancouver is in a better position to sign players than to make big trades. The Canucks seem far from contending, and as they did with Eriksson, it makes more sense to add players without losing young players, prospects, or draft picks. While a reunion with forward Radim Vrbata or defenseman Matt Bartkowski seems unlikely at this point, Vancouver has been linked to the surprisingly unsigned Jiri Hudler and might be well-served to give a young free agent like Brandon Pirri or Jakub Nakladal a shot. A Hartnell trade may be harmless, but all of Botchford’s other recommendations seem better suited for a team that is a few pieces away from contending. The Vancouver Canucks are not that.
Remaining Buyers And The Off-Season Salary Cap Landscape
All 30 NHL teams must be “cap compliant” before the first puck drops on the 2016-17 season this October. With the first month of the off-season on it’s way out, there are still players to be signed and trades to be made though. Many may think that the “buyers” would be those with plenty of cap space remaining and the “sellers” would be those over the cap or uncomfortably close to it. However, this is not always the case. Although the $73MM salary cap limit and $54MM salary cap floor allows teams plenty of flexibility as to how much they want to spend, those two values do not create an even distribution whatsoever. The “average” team expenditure in a balanced, bell curve distribution would be $63.5MM. Currently, there are only four teams with cap hits less than that: the Winnipeg Jets, the New Jersey Devils, the Calgary Flames, and the Carolina Hurricanes. Once the Flames re-sign restricted free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, they will be closer to the limit than the average. The Jets also have RFA defenseman Jacob Trouba to sign and the Devils may still be considering bringing back veteran Patrik Elias or adding another forward, which could leave the Hurricanes as the lone team below the “average” cap hit mark.
Instead of looking at the average, assume that a majority of NHL teams will instead spend as close to the cap as they see fit, whether that means they have a self-imposed budget or are simply content with their present roster. The median cap hit more accurately shows which clubs remain in a position to add to their team before the season begins. The median, or “mid-point” of NHL spending as of now is approximately $69MM. Thus, teams below that mark have $4MM or more in cap space and have the flexibility to still be “buyers” this off-season if they so choose. The teams above that mark may still have needs and want to be “buyers”, but are in a more difficult position to do so. Those teams will likely have to send salary out in return in any trade or make some risky roster moves to incorporate a new signing, otherwise they could leave themselves with too little cap flexibility once the season begins.
Looking at the teams who are just below the median and have some room left under the cap, several can be counted out immediately. Many teams will use up much of their remaining cap space on re-signing their own restricted free agents, as the aforementioned Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets are joined by the Tampa Bay Lighting (Nikita Kucherov), Anaheim Ducks (Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm), Ottawa Senators (Cody Ceci), and Buffalo Sabres (Rasmus Ristolainen). While each of those teams may end up having some space left to make an additional move, their focus will likely be on bringing back their own.
Buffalo, however, is an interesting case, as they wait for August 15th and a decision by college free agent Jimmy Vesey. The Boston Bruins, considered the top suitor for Vesey’s talents, are also below the median line and appear to be waiting to make any further moves until the Vesey decision is made. Once August 15th has passed, expect both Boston and Buffalo to be back working the phones looking for impact defenseman via trade or signing. The Edmonton Oilers should be right there with them, as could the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. The Columbus Blue Jackets could be in the market for added depth, even after their reported signing of Sam Gagner is made official. Additional bodies up front may also be needed in Ottawa and Winnipeg, if they have the means to add it.
As for the teams that are already in a cap crunch, but hope to add to their teams, they’ll have to get creative. The Detroit Red Wings would like to add a top pairing defenseman, but it seems very unlikely given that they are already projected to be over $4MM over the salary cap. The San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs both desperately need a reliable back up goalie, but neither have ample room to spend big on one. The Vancouver Canucks would really like to add a top six forward, but there may not be one to be found that can be squeezed in under the cap. PHR Top 50 Free Agents Kris Russell (#12), Jiri Hudler (#18), Radim Vrbata (#27), and Alex Tanguay (#33) could be had for a bargain price at this point, if the teams with more space and flexibility don’t scoop them up first.
The off-season is far from over and there are many teams still looking to add to their rosters for the coming season. Depth charts and salary cap numbers will continue to change, but you can always keep up with all of the news here at ProHockeyRumors.com