Rangers Re-Sign Jensen, Bodie
The New York Rangers have announced the re-signing of defenseman Mat Bodie and forward Nicklas Jensen. Financial terms were undisclosed. Both players were restricted free agents but only Bodie could have filed for arbitration.
In 41 games for AHL affiliate Hartford, Jensen had 25 points (15-10) and in 27 games with Utica, he had 12 points (4-8). Bodie, in 76 games with Hartford, had 36 points (7-29).
Red Wings’ Pulkkinen Out 4-6 Months
Red Wings forward and restricted free agent Teemu Pulkkinen is out four to six months following shoulder surgery writes Navin Vaswani. MLive’s Ansar Khan tweeted that the surgery was in early June while Vaswani indicates that the winger will definitely not be ready for the season.
It’s an interesting wrinkle in that the Red Wings are trying to acquire a defenseman via a trade and Pulkkinen’s name has been one linked as possibly being moved. This could also hurt Pulkkinen as the Red Wings are overwhelmed with forwards after signing Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek, and Steve Ott. Not returning until possibly December could make Pulkkinen the odd man out, or all but guarantee a chance of him being packaged in a deal for a #1 or #2 defenseman. The injury only casts more doubt on where Pulkkinen fits in with Detroit.
Last season, Pulkkinen had 12 points (6-6) in 36 games, but ended up being a healthy scratch despite a booming slapshot and a dizzying scoring performance in the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Pulkkinen had 14 goals in 16 playoff games, and while expected to have a better chance to compete with Jeff Blashill as the Wings bench boss, Pulkkinen never saw the ice time many thought he would.
Blues Re-Sign Magnus Paajarvi To One-Year Deal
NBC Sports is reporting that the St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent Magnus Paajarvi to a one-year deal. According to CapFriendly, the deal is worth $700K.
The 25-year-old forward played in 48 games and had 9 points (3-6). In the playoffs, Paajarvi saw limited action, playing three games and registering an assist.
After signing Paajarvi, the Blues have just over $8.7MM left in salary cap room.
Central Notes: Blues, Jets, Predators
Jake Allen is the undisputed #1 goalie in St. Louis writes Jeremy Rutherford as the Blues are no longer looking to platoon the position. After being a tandem with Brian Elliott, who was dealt to Calgary, Allen is now the top goaltender in the organization. General manager Doug Armstrong, goalie coach Jim Corsi, and assistant manager Martin Brodeur believe that it’s Allen’s turn, and like many other clubs around the league, are willing to hand the reins to a younger netminder.
- While the Winnipeg Jets recently signed 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine to an entry level deal, it’s the organization’s 2015 draft pick who is looking to make a stride within the organization. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that Kyle Connor, a Hobey Baker finalist, is ready to take the next step as an NHL player. Connor spent last season with the University of Michigan and scored 35 goals in just 38 games. He also notched 71 points. Though the ice is crowded with forwards for the Jets, Connor is confident that if he does the right things, the impact he made at Michigan will be similar in Winnipeg.
- The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes about the impact of newly acquired P.K. Subban and how the larger than life defenseman will have no problem fitting into his new surroundings. While many speculated that Montreal bench boss Michel Therrien and Subban were at odds because of a personality clash, Vingan reports that Nashville coach Peter Laviolette is of a similar no-nonsense mentality. The difference, Vingan writes, is that the Preds stand to benefit from Subban’s “on the edge” and also takes chances, something he feels benefits the Predators style of play. Vingan goes further by quoting NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, who stated that Subban wanted to be with an organization that values him. Weekes added that he thought “there are so many similarities between a place like Nashville and P.K.”
Atlantic Snapshots: Matthews, Hoffman, Red Wings, Panthers
Auston Matthews is participating this week in his first development camp as a member of the Maple Leafs. Usually, it’s around this time that a first overall pick gets his entry level contract signed but as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston writes, there’s a bit of a unique situation when it comes to getting this particular deal done.
Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello is strongly opposed to putting performances bonuses in contracts, refusing to include them in any of his deals with New Jersey. While Mitch Marner’s entry level deal does contain bonuses, they were already in the framework of contract talks when Lamoriello joined the Leafs last season so their inclusion were honored when the new GM took over the talks.
Players selected with the first overall pick typically receive the maximum amount of bonuses allowable: Schedule ‘A’ bonuses worth $850K which are set in the CBA and are tied to individual performance and $2MM in Schedule ‘B’ bonuses which are tied to league-wide performance standards.
While no one expects there to be much difficulty in terms of getting a deal done, it will certainly be interesting to see how much Lamoriello is willing to bend his own policy to get Matthews signed.
Other news and notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Ottawa winger Mike Hoffman is expected to file for arbitration on Tuesday, reports Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Last season, Hoffman led the Senators with 29 goals and recorded 59 points in 78 games. Hoffman went through the arbitration process last season and was awarded a $2MM salary, a considerable bargain given his production.
- Detroit made Matt Martin a frontloaded four year, $10MM offer early on in free agency, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. After he declined their offer to sign a four year, $10MM pact with Toronto, they quickly turned around and signed Steve Ott for one year and $800K. They’ll likely need to use those savings towards inking RFA’s Danny DeKeyser and Petr Mrazek, who are also strong candidates to file for arbitration tomorrow.
- The Panthers have lost four regular defensemen from last season via trades and free agency but Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy suggests their new look blueline should at least equal, if not improve upon the play of their predecessors and that their offseason moves have them well positioned to contend for another division title next season.
Ducks To Sign Mason Raymond
The Anaheim Ducks have reportedly agreed to terms with Mason Raymond on a one year, two-way deal. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Raymond will make $675K at the NHL level and $225K in the AHL. Dean Molberg of the FAN 960 was the first to report Raymond had signed in Anaheim.
Raymond spent the last two seasons with Calgary after signing a three year deal with the Flames in the 2014 offseason. Last year, he picked up four goals and an assist in 29 NHL games before being waived and sent to Stockton of the AHL. He was much better at that level, picking up six goals and nine helpers in 15 games.
The Flames opted to buy out the final year of Raymond’s contract at a cost and cap hit of $1.05MM for each of the next two seasons.
Raymond’s best season came with Toronto in 2013-14 where he played under Randy Carlyle, who was named Anaheim’s head coach last month.
The Ducks have several vacancies up front and Raymond could presumably fit in anywhere from the second to fourth lines. However, the fact that he received a two-way deal would suggest that GM Bob Murray intends to bring in several more players this offseason to fight for those roles and that Raymond’s spot on the roster is far from a guarantee.
This Day In History: Seguin Traded To Dallas
Monday is three years ago to the day that the Bruins and Stars made a blockbuster deal with Boston sending Tyler Seguin to Dallas as part of a seven player swap. It was a deal that significantly shaped the look of each franchise. Here’s a closer look at each player in the original deal and what they’ve accomplished since the trade.
Dallas Received:
Tyler Seguin – Seguin has been better than a point per game player in each of the last three seasons and has the fourth most points in the NHL in that span. Seguin has three years left on a six year, $34.5MM contract, making him one of the better bargains among top line forwards in the league.
Rich Peverley – Peverley played most of the 2013-14 season with Dallas, picking up 30 points in 62 games before collapsing mid-game on the bench in March. He was never able to get the green light to return to the ice and officially retired in September of 2015. He remains with the Stars as their Player Development Coordinator.
Ryan Button – Button spent 2013-14 with Dallas’ two minor league affiliates but was not given a qualifying offer at the end of the season. He has played the last two years in Germany.
Boston Received:
Loui Eriksson – Eriksson played each of the last three seasons with Boston, saving his best effort for last with a 63 point campaign in 2015-16. However, he no longer is with the team as he signed a six year, $36MM contract with Vancouver on Friday.
Reilly Smith – Smith spent two years with Boston, collecting 91 points in 163 games in that span. He was traded to Florida last July in exchange for Jimmy Hayes. Smith picked up 50 points last year with the Panthers and signed a five year, $25MM extension yesterday afternoon.
Joe Morrow – The former first round pick spent all of last season up with the Bruins but only got into 33 games of action. He should be positioned to play more of a regular role in 2016-17.
Matt Fraser – Fraser spent parts of two seasons with the Bruins, picking up five goals in 38 games. He was lost to Winnipeg on waivers in December of 2014 and spent all of last season in the AHL, split between Manitoba and Rockford.
At the time, the return for the Bruins was widely panned and a few years later, that still seems like the case as all they have left to show for Seguin, one of the NHL’s top players, is Hayes and Morrow. Meanwhile, the Stars have themselves a franchise player on a team-friendly contract for several more seasons.
Free Agent Profile: Jiri Hudler
What a difference a year can make sometimes. Two years ago, Jiri Hudler was eighth in NHL scoring with 31 goals and 45 assists in 78 games. One year later, he’s coming off a down year and isn’t garnering a lot of looks in free agency. Here’s a closer look at his situation.
Before last season even began, it was expected that Hudler would take a step or two back. At no point in his NHL career had he shown flashes of being a top ten scorer so no one figured he’d be able to repeat his 76 point 2014-15 campaign. And while Hudler certainly fell short of matching that point total, he still had a fairly strong season, recording 16 goals and 30 assists in 72 games split between Calgary and Florida, the team he was traded to just prior to the NHL’s Trade Deadline.
Statistically speaking, Hudler is a legitimate top six forward, having put up or at least played at a 40 point pace in every season since 2007-08. So why hasn’t he received a lot of interest so far?
Working against Hudler is his size. At just 5’10, he’s one of the smaller forwards out there and he isn’t the fastest of players either. He’s also 32 which is around the time where players start to exit the primes of their careers. Despite that, he should still have at least a couple of good years left in him in a second line role.
Potential Suitors
Vancouver is still looking to add top six help and is believed to have contacted Hudler’s agent, Petr Svoboda. Ottawa also needs some more offense and could get in the discussion as the asking price drops. The same can be said for Anaheim, New Jersey, and Carolina. Those could all be potential fits for multi-year deals but if Hudler decides to take a one year pact, the opportunities to join a contending team should increase.
Projected Contract
We ranked Hudler 16th on our Top 50 UFA list, projecting a four year, $16MM contract. That was under the assumption that he’d have several suitors early on in free agency. At this point, it seems likely that he’s going to come in below that number, both in term and salary. A one or two year pact seems more probable at this point for Hudler.
Examining What’s Left Of The Goalie Market
What was already a thin goalie market to begin with has gotten even thinner just a few days into free agency. Only two goalies remain on our Top 50 UFA list, Karri Ramo and Jhonas Enroth.
While there aren’t many notable goalies still available, there aren’t many vacancies to fill either. Here is a closer look at each team’s goaltending situation:
Anaheim: John Gibson, Dustin Tokarski, Matt Hackett
Arizona: Mike Smith, Louis Domingue, Justin Peters
Boston: Tuukka Rask, Anton Khudobin, Malcolm Subban
Buffalo: Robin Lehner, Anders Nilsson, Linus Ullmark
Calgary: Brian Elliott, Chad Johnson, Jon Gillies
Carolina: Cam Ward, Eddie Lack, Daniel Altshuller
Chicago: Corey Crawford, Scott Darling, Lars Johansson
Colorado: Semyon Varlamov, Calvin Pickard (RFA), Jeremy Smith
Columbus: Sergei Bobrovsky, Curtis McElhinney, Joonas Korpisalo
Dallas: Kari Lehtonen, Antti Niemi, Maxime Lagace
Detroit: Petr Mrazek (RFA), Jimmy Howard, Jared Coreau (RFA)
Edmonton: Cam Talbot, Jonas Gustavsson, Laurent Brossoit
Florida: Roberto Luongo, James Reimer, Reto Berra
Los Angeles: Jonathan Quick, Jeff Zatkoff, Peter Budaj
Minnesota: Devan Dubnyk, Darcy Kuemper (RFA), Alex Stalock
Montreal: Carey Price, Al Montoya, Mike Condon
Nashville: Pekka Rinne, Marek Mazanec, Jusse Saros
New Jersey: Cory Schneider, Keith Kinkaid, Scott Wedgewood
NY Islanders: Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, J-F Berube (RFA)
NY Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, Antti Raanta, Magnus Hellberg
Ottawa: Craig Anderson, Andrew Hammond, Matt O’Connor
Philadelphia: Steve Mason, Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz
Pittsburgh: Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry
San Jose: Martin Jones, Mantis Armalis, Aaron Dell
St. Louis: Jake Allen, Carter Hutton, Jordan Binnington (RFA)
Tampa Bay: Ben Bishop, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Kristers Gudlevskis
Toronto: Frederik Andersen, Jonathan Bernier, Garret Sparks
Vancouver: Ryan Miller, Jacob Markstrom, Thatcher Demko
Washington: Braden Holtby, Philipp Grubauer, Joe Cannata
Winnipeg: Ondrej Pavelec, Michael Hutchinson, Connor Hellebuyck
In terms of starting goalie vacancies, there really aren’t any. It’s believed that Dallas would like to improve their starter but they already have over $10MM committed to their tandem so any goalie they acquire would have to see one of Lehtonen or Niemi sent the other way. That could be a problem for teams like Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay who could potentially part with their veterans (Fleury and Bishop respectively) but wouldn’t want someone else making #1 money coming back the other way.
As for backup openings, Anaheim and San Jose are in need of a new #2 after losing Andersen and Reimer respectively this offseason. While Ramo and Enroth are the best of who’s still available, there are a trio of other goalies on the UFA market that have some backup experience in Joni Ortio, Ben Scrivens, and Anders Lindback.
If those teams can’t come to terms with (or don’t want to sign) any of those players, there are a handful of teams with a surplus between the pipes. While the Jets re-signed Hutchinson earlier this offseason, Hellebuyck showed last year that he’s ready for full-time NHL duty which could make Hutchinson expendable. Condon was supposed to be a backup last year but due to injuries played in 55 games in 2015-16. However, his spot appears to have been filled with the addition of Montoya which could make Condon available. The Panthers have a trio of goalies with NHL experience and could potentially part with Berra although he is insurance for Luongo whose hip injury has his availability to start next season in question.
While there are still several strong forwards and defensemen available, the same can’t be said for goalies. Aside from the Ducks and Sharks adding a backup and some teams signing their restricted free agents, it’s shaping up to be a quiet few months in terms of news between the pipes.
Central Snapshots: Staal, Roslovic, Perron
The Wild are hoping that Eric Staal, their biggest free agent acquisition on Friday, can buck the recent trend of offensive players struggling upon arriving in Minnesota, writes Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune. Russo notes that GM Chuck Fletcher hasn’t been shy in adding big name players since he took over in 2009 but there have been more misses than hits out of that group.
While Fletcher hopes that Staal will be able to give the offense a boost, he acknowledges that young players such as Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle will need to take another step forward in order to help take the Wild to the next level.
Fletcher also noted that the trade market is also quite active, telling Russo that “I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to more managers more often than I have the past few weeks.”
More from the Central Division:
- Still with the Wild, pending RFA Jordan Schroeder is expected to file for arbitration by Tuesday’s deadline, Russo tweets. Schroeder had two goals and two assists in 24 games with Minnesota last season.
- Winnipeg prospect Jack Roslovic intends to return to college for his sophomore season, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. Roslovic’s junior rights were traded to OHL London a couple of weeks ago at the draft, fueling speculation that he would forego his college eligibility to join the Knights instead. Roslovic was a first round pick of the Jets (25th overall) in 2015.
- Last season, the Blues considered trading for David Perron before he wound up being dealt to Anaheim, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Perron’s success with the Ducks only added to the Blues’ interest in bringing back their former first rounder and they were quickly able to come to terms on Friday on a two year deal. While there was concern when St. Louis traded Perron away three years ago that he couldn’t fit in Ken Hitchcock’s system, the veteran bench boss played a key role in getting a deal done as he encouraged GM Doug Armstrong to bring him back to the fold.