Vincent Lecavalier Announces His Retirement
Longtime NHL forward Vincent Lecavalier has officially announced his retirement today. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie was first with the report. Lavoie also notes that he will be placed on waivers but that won’t have any effect on his decision to walk away from the game.
The 36 year old had two years remaining on his contract with a full cap hit of $4.5MM (split equally between the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers). The $2.25MM that each team carried as a cap hit now comes off the books. General Fanager adds that there will be no salary cap recapture penalties for either team. Despite walking away from the last two years of his deal, Lecavalier will still be paid $1,761,905 annually until 2026-27 as part of his buyout from Tampa Bay.
The decision comes as little surprise as Lecavalier had indicated that he was leaning towards retiring when he waived his no-movement clause to accept a trade to the Kings last season. After recording just a single assist in seven games with the Flyers, his play picked up following the deal as he tallied ten goals and seven helpers in 42 games with Los Angeles.
He spent most of his career with the Lightning after being the first overall pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Lecavalier played in 1,037 games with the Bolts (a team record), collecting 383 goals (also a team record) and 491 assists. For his career, he finishes with 421 goals and 528 assists in 1,212 games between the Lightning, Flyers, and Kings.
Lecavalier won several awards over his career, including the Rocket Richard Trophy (most goals in 2007), plus a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Lightning and a World Cup with Team Canada in 2004. He also currently has the most points of anyone drafted in 1998 as he sits 17 points ahead of longtime Tampa teammate Brad Richards.
Snapshots: Stamkos, 3rd Pick, Flames, Hamhuis
TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (transcription via Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot) that the Sabres are going “absolutely all in” for Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos should he hit the market. He hears that the speculation is that they may be willing to go upwards of $12MM per season to get a deal done. For comparison, the highest current cap hits in the NHL are Chicago forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Also from Dreger, the Blue Jackets are still listening to offers for the third overall pick in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft. He adds that GM Jarmo Kekalainen would like to attach a sizable contract, such as Scott Hartnell, who has three years left on his contract at $4.75MM per year, to any discussion to free up some cap space.
- The asking price for Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is quite high. Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun reports that Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford is asking for the Flames’ first round pick (sixth overall) in this Friday’s draft, a price that is too steep for Calgary’s liking. Francis suggests that the Flames would amenable to dealing one of their second round picks and a prospect to secure the services of the 31 year old netminder. TSN’s Bob McKenzie suggests Tampa Bay G Ben Bishop could be another target for Calgary.
- Vancouver GM Jim Benning acknowledged that the team is still trying to figure out the situation for pending UFA defenseman Dan Hamhuis, reports Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. The team would open to trading his negotiating rights but have yet to receive an offer for them.
Jets Re-Sign Michael Hutchinson
The Jets have signed backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a two year deal, the team announced. The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.15MM. According to CapFriendly, it is a one-way deal worth $1MM the first year and $1.3MM the second.
Last season, the 26 year old played in 30 games with Winnipeg, posting a 9-15-3 record with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 SV%. Those numbers were down from his career averages, a 2.53 GAA and a .912 SV% in 71 career NHL contests.
Winnipeg has a bit of a goaltending logjam on their hands as things stand for next season. Ondrej Pavelec has one year left on his contract at $3.9MM while prospect Connor Hellebuyck showed last year that he’s ready for regular NHL duty, posting a 2.35 GAA and a ,918 SV% while filling in for the injured Pavelec last season. However, Hellebuyck is still exempt from waivers so barring a Pavelec trade, it would seem likely that he will be AHL-bound to start next season.
Florida Acquires Rights To Keith Yandle
UPDATE: 7:28 PM CST: Stephen Whyno from AP Sports reports Panthers GM Tom Rowe is expecting Brian Campbell to test free agency, and that he’s “not shopping” Dmitry Kulikov, despite recent reports. Rowe says trading for Yandle is the beginning of the Panthers being a contender, according to Whyno.
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CST: Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the conditional pick will be a 2017 fourth rounder if Yandle signs with the Panthers.
UPDATE 4:50 PM CST: James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reports that the first pick will be a 6th rounder this season (174th overall), with the value of the conditional pick still unknown.
4:39 PM CST: George Richards of the Miami Herald confirms that the team will acquire his rights in exchange for a draft pick, plus a second conditional pick if he signs with them prior to July 1st.
4:31 PM CST: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers are working hard to acquire the negotiating rights to Keith Yandle prior to him becoming a UFA on July 1st.
Sabres Ink Nicolas Deslauriers To A Two-Year Deal
UPDATE: 6:39 PM CST: Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that Deslauriers will make $775,000 per year for two years.
After trading for the rights to Jimmy Vesey, the Buffalo Sabres have also re-signed forward Nicolas Deslauriers to a two-way deal, according to the team site. Deslauriers was a useful bottom-six piece for the Sabres the past couple of years, putting up 25 points over 162 games. While he’s not an offensive threat, he plays an up-tempo game and has logged over 200 hits in back-to-back seasons.
Toronto Acquires Andersen; Inks 5-Year Extension
UPDATE: 5:34 PM CST: Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that Anderson’s contract is $5MM per year for five years — $25MM overall and $5MM AAV.
UPDATE 4:53 PM CST: Bob McKenzie of TSN chimes in with some contract details. It will be a five-year deal somwhere between $5MM and $5.5MM per season. That makes the new Leafs’ goaltending duo worth almost $10MM per season.
4:31 PM CST: Pierre LeBrun adds that the Leafs have indeed agreed to a five-year extension with Andersen after making the deal. It will keep him in Toronto long-term, leading many to wonder what is to make of former starter Jonathan Bernier.
4:06 PM CST: According to the team Twitter, the Anaheim Ducks have traded restricted free agent goaltender Frederik Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first round pick (30th overall) and a second round pick in 2017.
Oilers Sign Jordan Oesterle
The Edmonton Oilers re-signed prospect Jordan Oesterle to a one year deal. The contract is a two-way pact worth $585,000 at the NHL level and $85,000 in the AHL according to Cap Friendly.
Oesterle initially signed with the Oilers in 2014 as an undrafted free agent after playing for the Western Michigan Broncos in the NCAA. He had 4G and 25P in 44 games last year with the AHL Bakersfield Condors while adding 5P (all assists) in 17 games with the Oilers. In 23 career NHL games, he has a total of six assists.
Boston Bruins Interested In Shattenkirk; Kulikov
UPDATE 4:40 PM CST: Jimmy Murphy of VICE Sports adds that in their search for defencemen, the Bruins have offered their first round pick (29th overall) to the Florida Panthers for Dmitry Kulikov as a “starting point”.
4:35 PM CST: In a tweet that assuredly caused panic in St. Louis, Darren Dreger reports that “The Shattenkirk watch is on” and that Boston among other teams are heavily interested in the blueliner. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds a quote from Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong: “I don’t think either of us are naive. I’d love to find a way to keep Shatty here and we’re going to work toward seeing if there’s common ground. But you just can’t keep everybody.”
Kevin Shattenkirk is owed $4.25MM in the final season of his current deal, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He’s basically a lock for 40 points from the back end, as he’s eclipsed that mark in the last four full seasons (and was on pace to do so in the lock-out shortened 2012-13).
If Boston was to acquire Shattenkirk, he’d immediately become the second highest paid defenceman on the team behind Zdeno Chara, and would seemingly join Chara on the top pairing. With the Bruins being rumored as trying to trade away Dennis Seidenberg and his $4MM cap-hit before a potential buyout, they would be creating room for Shattenkirk under their current payroll.
Buffalo Acquires Jimmy Vesey From Predators
UPDATE 3:52 PM CST: Bob McKenzie throws a little water on the fire of Vesey signing, with a couple of quotes from Sabres GM Tim Murray: “Why not us? Why not give it a shot? We have a spot in our Top 6 for him. We had four 3rd-round picks.” and “If I could’ve traded (rental) Jamie McGinn for Vesey’s rights at deadline, I’d have done it. We’ll give it our best shot.” While it still seems likely that Buffalo will sign him, perhaps it’s not quite as certain.
3:48 PM CST: In addition to being close with Eichel, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune adds that he’s been skating with him for a month already.
3:33 PM CST: According to Nashville Predators’ Twitter, the team has dealt the rights to NCAA winger Jimmy Vesey to Buffalo for a third round pick in this year’s draft. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com adds that it is Minnesota’s pick that is being dealt, 76th overall.
After much speculation that the Harvard winger would wait until August 15th, when he would be come an unrestricted free agent it seems Buffalo is certain they can get him signed before then. Vesey is close with Jack Eichel, the Sabres’ top pick from a year ago.
If the Sabres can get him signed, it’s a big addition to a club already brimming with young talent. Vesey 46 points this past year for Harvard, coming third in overall scoring in the ECAC. Now 23-years old, Vesey will be expected to step right into the Buffalo lineup and contribute. His size and skill will lead him to a top-six role quickly in the NHL, though there may be some doubt in his ability to become an elite winger.
For the Predators, it’s a fairly decent return for a player who was clearly not going to sign with them. Vesey was determined to become a free agent in August, meaning that the Predators would have lost him for nothing. Instead, they replace the 66th overall pick they spent on him with a 76th a few years later. While obviously not as good as getting Vesey for themselves, they’ll take what they can get at this point.
Wild Notes: Kuemper, Centers, Granlund
After losing in the first round to the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have turned their attention to next year and the attempt to getting back into the playoffs. Today, GM Chuck Fletcher spoke to reporters and gave some interesting information. In a series of tweets, Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press reports:
- Fletcher was impressed by what he saw from Mikael Granlund on the wing this season, and might go that way again next season. Up until now, Granlund had always been regarded as a center and had performed well in that role. With Charlie Coyle‘s emergence, and Mikko Koivu‘s continued strong play perhaps a slide to the wing is the best fit for the 24-year old playmaker.
- He adds that Granlund’s fit on the wing has prompted a search for a third center, with Fletcher being quoted: “If we can find a guy, we’ll do it.” Presumably this would be in a third line role, something that could probably be found on the cheap in this year’s free agency.
- The team has already begun fielding calls on restricted free agent Darcy Kuemper, though Fletcher admits he’s “a little hesitant” to trade the 26-year old goaltender. Kuemper has performed admirably as the Wild backup for the last few seasons, logging a career .912 save percentage and 2.47 GAA in 84 games.
- Asked about the possibility of buying out Thomas Vanek – something we profiled here on PHR yesterday – Fletcher said “Everything has to be on the table after the season we had.”. Vanek is owed $7.5MM ($6.5 cap-hit) for 2016-17.
- Michael Rand of the Star Tribune adds that while they’ve already had calls on many of their young defencemen, new coach Scott Stevens would love to keep them all. Fletcher seems open to the idea of trading one, saying “We would certainly look at trading from our strength — our defense — for a forward”