Free Agent Profile: Loui Eriksson
Once Steven Stamkos was crossed off several teams’ wishlist, a name that continues to rise to the top is Loui Eriksson. The one time Dallas Star and current Boston Bruin is a 30-year-old winger who could provide a scoring punch for any team that signs him.
Eriksson is coming off a season where he had 63 points (30-33), his best season statistically since 2011-12 when he was in Dallas. Fairly or unfairly, Eriksson was seen as the lesser of the two in the deal for Tyler Seguin and his first couple seasons in Boston didn’t entirely quiet that notion. Though he had 47 points in 2014-15 (22-25), it was a far cry from the three 30+ goal seasons Seguin produced in Dallas. Regardless, Eriksson has been a 20+ goal scorer six out of his nine NHL seasons.
Potential Suitors
After Stamkos re-signed with Tampa Bay, Eriksson had a lot of teams–possibly up to eight–kicking the tires. Vancouver, Montreal, Nashville, and San Jose are thinking about a future with the 31-year-old forward. Boston should not be counted out from re-signing him, either. The Hockey News listed Eriksson as one of the better bets to pick up during the free agent period because of his size, skill, and scoring prowess. Teams looking for scoring, Detroit and Buffalo also come to mind, may be intrigued should the bidding not get completely out of hand.
Expected Contract
PHR listed Eriksson #10 out of the top 50 free agents and had him staying with the Bruins. The predicted contract was six years, $27.5MM. While the price tag might go up due to Eriksson being one of the better goal scorers available, expect a yearly deal somewhere between $4.5-$5.25MM.
Red Wings Re-Sign Darren Helm
The Red Wings have reportedly agreed on a five year, $19.25MM deal with C Darren Helm, reports NHL analyst Aaron Ward.
Helm has spent his entire nine year career with the Red Wings after being a 5th round pick (132nd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Last season, he picked up 13 goals and 13 assists in 77 games while adding a goal in five postseason contests. The speedy forward was also a cornerstone of Detroit’s penalty kill.
For his career, Helm has played in 443 games, scoring 72 goals and adding 90 assists. We had him ranked 28th on our Top 50 UFA list, projecting a 3 year, $9.75MM contract.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press was the first to report a deal was close earlier this morning.
The Latest On Jared Cowen
Back when the buyout window opened up, Toronto D Jared Cowen was the first to go through (and clear) the waiver process, paving the way for the final year of his contract to be bought out. However, the first window ended last night and the Maple Leafs have not bought Cowen out.
The issue, according to TSN, appears to be Cowen’s medical status. He missed the bulk of last season due to a hip injury and TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggests that the NHLPA is now involved in a potential grievance process. That would suggest that Cowen may not be fully recovered from his hip concerns and players cannot be bought out unless they’re healthy. Neither the Leafs nor Cowen’s representatives are commenting on the process.
For the time being at least, Cowen’s $3.1MM cap hit in 2016-17 comes back onto the books for the Maple Leafs instead of the $650K cap credit they were pegged to receive. Should it be ruled that Cowen is still injured long-term, the potential to place him on LTIR next season would exist for the Maple Leafs.
Cowen played in just 37 games last year, all with Ottawa who dealt Cowen to Toronto as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade, collecting four assists. In his six year career, all with the Sens, he has 15 goals and 31 assists in 249 games.
Panthers To Sign Aaron Ekblad To Eight Year Extension
July 1: George Richards of the Miami Herald reports that an eight year, $60MM deal has been agreed on in principle. He adds that the deal will not likely be officially announced today but should be in the coming days.
June 24: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Florida Panthers is preparing a long-term extension offer for D Aaron Ekblad. It’s believed that the offer will be the maximum of 8 years at around $60MM in total. No deal could be finalized until at least July 1st as no extensions can be signed until there is one year or less remaining on a contract. Friedman also notes that both the team and Ekblad’s representation declined to comment on the report.
Ekblad was the first overall pick in the draft in 2014 and made the jump to the NHL right away. He quickly became a top pairing option for the Panthers, averaging just shy of 22 minutes per game last season, a number that jumped to 25:37 per night in Florida’s first round playoff loss to the New York Islanders.
In two seasons, Ekblad has played in a total of 159 games, scoring 27 goals and adding 48 assists.
Morning Minor Transactions: 7/1/16
Here is where we’ll keep track of the morning’s minor transactions before the free agent market opens up.
- Columbus has signed the 3rd overall pick in last week’s draft, Pierre-Luc Dubois, to a three year, entry level contract, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. He adds the deal should be made official later today.
- Boston prospect Alexander Khokhlachev has signed a 2 year deal with SKA of the KHL, the Russian team announced. He was a 2nd round pick of the Bruins (40th overall) back in 2011. Last year, he scored 68 points in 60 AHL games while being held off the scoresheet in 5 NHL contests. The Bruins will retain Khokhlachev’s rights as they issued him a qualifying offer earlier in the week.
- Arizona forward Sergei Plotnikov also signed a two year deal with SKA, according to a separate release from the team. He split the season between the Penguins and Coyotes, collecting three assists in 45 games.
- The Hurricanes announced that they have hired longtime NHL goalie Curtis Joseph as a goaltending consultant. He’s expected to work primarily with Carolina’s AHL affiliate.
- Washington announced the signing of prospect D Connor Hobbs to a three year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Hobbs was Washington’s 5th round pick in 2015 and spent last season with the WHL’s Regina Pats.
- Detroit has agreed to a deal with D Alexey Marchenko, reports NHL analyst Aaron Ward. MLive’s Ansar Khan adds that it’s a two year deal with a cap hit of $1.45MM.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed pending UFA Tom Sestito just before he hit the market to a two-way, $575K deal. The 28-year old has scored 19 points in 141 career NHL games.
- Also with Pittsburgh, the team has announced they’ve re-signed defenseman Steven Olesky to a similar deal, worth $575K. Olesky played the entire season with the Wilks-Barre Scranton Penguins of the AHL, scoring 19 points in 63 games.
Free Agent Profile: Mikkel Boedker
Mikkel Boedker’s name doesn’t quickly come up when discussing the top unrestricted free agents available but he is one of the more intriguing players on the market.
At just 26 years of age, Boedker is one of the youngest free agents on the market and the youngest of the impact (top six) forwards. It’s safe to say he’s entering the prime of his career which isn’t often the case when dealing with UFA’s. He also has the ability to play both wings, making him one of the more versatile players available.
Offensively, Boedker has shown signs of improvement the last several years. Over the past three seasons, he has passed the 50 point mark twice and played at a 50 point pace in an injury-riddled 2014-15 campaign. Last year, split between Arizona and Colorado, he picked up 17 goals and 34 assists in 80 games. That put him in a tie for fifth in points amongst all remaining UFA forwards.
On top of his improving offensive ability, Boedker’s speed is his biggest weapon. He’s one of the fastest skaters in the league and has the potential to be a big factor in transition wherever he winds up.
There are some concerns with his play though. He’s not the most consistent defensive player nor is it a particular strength of his. That limits where he can play in the lineup; for teams that run a two-way second line, he’s not really an option there nor is he strong enough to really be a top line player.
Potential Suitors
There haven’t been many teams linked to Boedker yet as most of the focus has been on the bigger names with a more proven track record. There should be no shortage of options as he’s young enough to be considered a core piece on rebuilding teams while being enough of an impact player.
Vancouver is the only team that has publicly been linked to him at this point. Other teams that could have varying degrees of interest are Toronto, Montreal, New Jersey, Buffalo, and Detroit among others. A return to Arizona is certainly a possibility as well. Those are all teams that have a young, emerging core that also have vacancies inside their top six.
Projected Contract
Boedker is ranked eighth on our Top 50 list of free agents. We have him signing a 6 year, $31.5MM contract. He may be wise to wait for some of the bigger names to go as that should increase the number of suitors he has as they will likely circle to him as a fallback option.
Buffalo Re-Signs McCabe To Three-Year Deal
According to Renaud Lavoie via Twitter, Buffalo restricted free agent Jake McCabe signed a three-year, $4.8MM deal. The cap hit is $1.6MM. CapFriendly also confirmed the move and included specifics about the contract.
The 22-year-old defenseman played in 77 games for the Sabres, registering 14 points (4-10). After a productive first full year in the NHL, McCabe will most likely see his ice time increase from an average of 19:07 this past season.
- In related news, Patrick Williams tweets that Buffalo also re-signed forward Cole Schneider to a one-year deal. In 74 AHL games with both Binghamton and Rochester, Williams had 56 points (21-35). Schneider recorded no points in two games with the Sabres.
PHR’s Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Initially published on June 21st, 2016.
With free agency less than two weeks away, it’s time to unveil our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agent List. The rankings were voted on by the PHR writing team and were based on talent and projected demand, not what we forecast for their new contracts.
Last summer, we saw GM’s show more restraint when it came to opening their wallets. That was due to the salary cap only increasing slightly and with the predictions that it won’t change much for 2016-17, we’re projecting that teams won’t be free spending again this time around. Sure, the top players will still get the big bucks but some of the middle-tiered players may not have quite the market they’re hoping for. We also have taken into consideration that some free agents may take a little less to stay where they are.
All predictions are independent of each other and no specific consideration has been given to no-trade or no-move clauses. Any players that have been or will be bought out are not included on this list.
Without further ado, here are our rankings and projections.
1. Steven Stamkos – Lightning – 8 years, $72MM. It’s extremely rare that a player like Stamkos ever gets to the market. He’s one of the top pure goal scorers in the league (only Washington’s Alex Ovechkin has more goals in the last five seasons) and at 26 years old, he’s in the prime of his career. A blood clot he sustained late in the year may give a couple of teams pause but if he makes it to free agency, he still should have no shortage of suitors. (Signed with Lightning, 8 years, $68MM)
2. Kyle Okposo – Sabres – 7 years, $47.25MM. Okposo has been under the shadow of linemate John Tavares for most of his career but he has quietly become a legitimate front line player in his own right. He has been one of the more consistent point-producing right wingers (a position that’s not too deep in terms of top-end talent) and is young enough that whoever gets him shouldn’t have to worry too much about a drop off towards the end of the contract. (Signed with Sabres, 7 years, $42MM)
3. Milan Lucic – Kings – 5 years, $28.75MM. Lucic is the prototypical power forward that every team wants to have on their side. He has picked up at least 44 points and been in the top 12 in hits in each of the last three seasons. Perhaps even more impressive is his durability given the style he plays as he has missed just ten games in the last six years. Despite that, it’s reasonable to expect that to change as he ages and accordingly, he may have some challenges getting a six or seven year deal. (Signed with Oilers, 7 years, $42MM)
4. Keith Yandle – Panthers – 6 years, $41.4MM. It’s a fairly weak UFA class of blueliners which should work to Yandle’s benefit as he is unquestionably the best of those available. He’s a high end point producer at his position which will make teams overlook some of his defensive concerns. Brent Seabrook received $6.875MM to extend in Chicago; Yandle in an open market should be able to come in at a similar price tag per year. (Signed with Panthers, 7 years, $44.45MM)
5. David Backes – Wild – 6 years, $34MM. Like Lucic, Backes is the big, physical forward that all teams covet and Backes provides the further benefit of playing center. He has surpassed the 20 goal mark in each of the last five full seasons and consistently hovers around the 45-60 point range year after year. Consistency, size, and skill are all elements that GM’s will covet in free agency and Backes has them all so despite the fact he’s older than some of the other players in our rankings (32), he should be able to command a long-term deal. (Signed with Bruins, 5 years, $30MM)
Wild Re-Sign Zac Dalpe And Tyler Graovac
According to CapFriendly, the Minnesota Wild have re-signed forwards Zac Dalpe and Tyler Graovac. Dalpe spent time with the Wild in 2015-16 while Graovac primarily played with AHL affiliate Iowa, though he did appear in two NHL games. Both were restricted free agents. Chad Graff also tweeted confirmation of the deals.
Dalpe’s deal is a one-year, 600K two-way contract while Graovac’s is a two-year, $1.25MM deal. The cap hit is $625k. Graovac will have a two-way deal in 2016-17, but a one-way deal in 2017-18.
The 23-year-old Graovac played 39 games in Iowa, notching 16 points (5-11). Dalpe appeared in eight games for Iowa and had 4 points (3-1). In addition to two games (1 goal) with the Wild during the regular season, Dalpe suited up for three games in the playoffs, registering no points.
Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Lightning, Bruins
The Detroit Red Wings are apparently talking more with Darren Helm after many analysts figured his time in Detroit was up. This all changed after Steven Stamkos was locked up in an eight-year deal with the Lightning. Craig Custance tweets that both Helm and the Wings will talk until tomorrow when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. An afterthought after Drew Miller signed a one-year extension, Helm could fill a need at center now that Stamkos is off the market, though it will not be the type of production Stamkos would have generated. Helm, 29, has spent his entire career with the Red Wings.
Nick Cotsonika wonders where the Red Wings go from here after not even getting a chance to talk with Stamkos. Cotsonika reports that Stamkos would have been the first bona-fide superstar signing for Detroit in quite some time, and that a quarter-century of success has its drawbacks in terms of not drafting generational talent due to having lower draft picks. The Red Wings, Cotsonika writes, will have to be deft at not only acquiring the right free agent, but outbidding other teams without overpaying.
Other Central Division notes:
- Speaking of Stamkos, Kevin McGran writes how the 25-year-old never intended to leave Tampa in the first place. Though he had the chance to be a “hometown hero,” Stamkos opted to stay with the Lightning where the opportunity to win a Cup remains very strong. McGran reports that not only did Stamkos sign for a very cap friendly $8.5MM, he did so knowing it was about $3MM less than what he could have received on the open market.
- DJ Bean reports that the Bruins would have preferred to trade Dennis Seidenberg instead of buying out his contract. Bean writes that a source told him that general manager Don Sweeney never approached Seidenberg with a trade scenario. Seidenberg’s contract included a no trade clause until December. Bean surmises that this either meant no one was interested in taking Seidenberg’s contract or if willing to take it, they would have expected a return similar to the Blackhawks Bryan Bickell trade that included Teuvo Teravainen.