Pittsburgh’s Salary Cap Situation And Stanley Cup Final Notes
Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have captured the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in team history, the NHL offseason officially kicks off with the NHL draft just two weeks away and free agency right around the corner. Some news and notes as the city of Pittsburgh basks in the glow of Lord Stanley’s chalice.
- The Penguins find themselves facing a different type of opponent as they look to defend their title. The Washington Post’s Mike Hume reports that the Penguins face a difficult question as the offseason kicks off: what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury. While the salary cap is expected to rise to $74MM, it’s the likelihood of an expansion draft that threatens the Penguins’ continued dominance. Matt Murray, who backstopped the Pens to the Cup, has forced Pittsburgh’s hand with former #1 overall pick and franchise goalie Fleury. Murray’s cap friendly contract keeps him under team control while Fleury’s $5.75MM cap hit makes him an expensive backup. Should the expansion draft take place, Fleury’s no-movement clause eliminates him from being taken off their hands. Instead, it would be Murray exposed to the expansion draft. Moving Fleury would be tricky as well since he has final say over any trade, and teams looking for goaltending, such as the Calgary Flames, are not a favorite to win the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
- The signing of Phil Kessel paid huge dividends for the Penguins writes ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. The former Maple Leafs star notched 22 points in 24 games with 10 of those points being goals. The interesting part of Kessel’s resurgence is his cap friendly contract. Though his cap hit should be $8MM, Toronto agreed to pay $1.2MM of his contract when they traded the star winger to Pittsburgh last summer. The core of Kessel, captain Sidney Crosby, and star Evgeni Malkin remains intact for at least another few seasons thanks to savvy financial work.
- The Stanley Cup runner up San Jose Sharks had a great run thanks to the solid play of Martin Jones. Jones, obtained from Boston for a first round pick last June, kept the Sharks in the Final and would have been a top pick to take the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Sharks fortunes been different. Strong goaltending was always a weakness for San Jose, but Jones’ inexpensive $3MM cap hit keeps him with the Sharks until the 2018-2019 season. Backup goalie James Reimer is an unrestricted free agent and could fetch a number of offers from teams looking for a strong goalie tandem.
2016 Stanley Cup Finals: Conn Smythe Award
With the Stanley Cup Final heading back to San Jose for Game 6, the Penguins will have a second chance to close out the Sharks. If they are able to, the only remaining question will be who wins the Conn Smythe Award as the playoff MVP. If Pittsburgh is able to win tonight, there are a handful of Penguins who can take home the hardware, with these three leading the charge:
Sidney Crosby– The Penguins captain hasn’t produced at the point per game consistency he usually does but he has still been very productive with 17 points in 23 games. Crosby’s top-notch puck protection and vision have allowed him to control the play in the offensive zone. Not only has he dominated offensively, but Crosby has played a consistent 200 foot game. Crosby’s calming presence in the defensive zone has helped stabilize what was thought to be a below average defense, especially after the injury to Trevor Daley.
Phil Kessel– The addition of Kessel and his monster cap hit before the season seemed questionable, especially after Pittsburgh started the year as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. Don’t look now but Kessel has been the Penguins leading scorer these playoffs. Kessel has one of the quickest releases in the NHL and he hasn’t been afraid to shoot the puck, boasting a league leading 95 shots (for reference teammate Patric Hornqvist is second in the playoffs with only 77 shots). Kessel has been incredibly consistent, being held scoreless in just 7 of 23 games.
Matt Murray– No one expected 21 year-old Matt Murray to be in this conversation, let alone between the pipes in the Stanley Cup Final for the Penguins. Murray has been an absolute revelation for Pittsburgh since he was called upon in game 3 of the first round against the New York Rangers. Murray has posted a 2.14 Goals Against Average and .923 Save Percentage since being named the starter. Without Murray stepping up, Pittsburgh would be in huge trouble. Back up goalie Jeff Zatkoff was pulled for Murray after playing poorly in the first series and Marc-Andre Fleury struggled mightily after returning from injury.
If the San Jose Sharks are able to take care of business at home, the series will return to Pittsburgh for a winner-take-all Game 7. If they can take down the Penguins, there are plenty of Sharks who deserve the Conn Smythe. These are the three at the top of the list:
Logan Couture– Logan Couture leads the league in scoring these playoffs with 29 points in just 23 games. Couture’s playmaking ability has been a nightmare for opposing defenseman, setting up linemates Patrick Marleau and Melker Karlsson. The second line combination has worked wonders for coach Peter Deboer, forcing opponents to play a game of pick-your-poison when deciding to play its top pairing against either Couture’s line or the first line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Joonas Donskoi.
Brent Burns– Burns leads all defenseman in playoff scoring with 23 points in 23 games. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is second with just 14 points. Burns has been dominant on the offensive side of the puck. He is uncommonly poised handling the puck on the blue line, and is a force joining the rush and carrying the puck into the offensive zone. Where Burns is typically criticized is in his own zone, but he has been terrific there as well. He is second in the playoffs in plus/minus at 11, only trailing teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Martin Jones– Martin Jones is the reason the Sharks are still alive playing in a game 6. In game 5 Jones stood on his head, stopping 44 of 46 shots. The Sharks were severely outplayed but Jones time and again bailed out his team with terrific pad work. Jones has posted a 2.16 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage.
My picks: If the Penguins win, Sidney Crosby. If San Jose pulls it out, Martin Jones.
NHL Award Predictions: Calder Trophy
The 2016 NHL Awards will take place on Wednesday, June 22nd in Las Vegas. Between now and then, we will be making our predictions on who will take home the hardware.
First up for a closer look is the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top rookie. The finalists are:
D Shayne Gostisbehere , Philadelphia Flyers – It’s rare that a player who starts the season in the American Hockey League becomes a finalist for a major award but Gostisbehere’s impact upon being recalled was just too much to ignore. Despite missing 18 games while playing for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Adirondack, the 23 year old led all NHL defensemen in goals (17), assists (29), points (46), and power play points (22). He also set NHL records for most overtime goals by a rookie (4) and for the longest point streak by a rookie blueliner (15 games).
C Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – The top pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft lived up to his draft status in 2015-16 as he quickly took over as Edmonton’s top centre. Unfortunately for him and the Oilers, he missed 37 games due to a fractured left clavicle. Despite that, the 19 year old still posted 16 goals and 32 assists in 45 games, good for third in team scoring. McDavid also led all rookies with a points-per-game average of 1.07; he was the only first year player to average higher than one point per contest.
LW Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks – Signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason, Panarin made an immediate and significant impact for the Hawks. The 24 year old led all rookies offensively with goals (30), assists (47), points (77), power play points (24), and game winning goals (7). His point total was good enough for a tie for ninth overall amongst all NHL players and second best on Chicago, only behind the NHL’s top point getter, Patrick Kane. Kane, coincidentally, is the last Blackhawk to win the Calder Trophy.
Prediction: This is one the best rookie classes in a long time. All three finalists made more than a typical rookie impact and were among the NHL’s best in certain categories. Had McDavid been healthy all year, he would have had a strong chance but it would be hard to give him the nod since he missed 45% of the season due to injury. Gostisbehere was huge for the Flyers but he also missed considerable time early on so at the end of the day my pick to win the award is Panarin. I think the writers who vote on this award will have too hard of a time looking past a rookie finishing in the top ten in scoring league wide on one of the NHL’s top teams in the regular season.
Around The League: Coaching Vacancies, Goalies, Hertl, Datsyuk, Maatta
As we sit less than two weeks before the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, there are two head coaching vacancies that still need to be filled, Anaheim and Calgary. Elliotte Friedman’s latest 30 Thoughts column expanded on some of the likely candidates for each team. For the Ducks, Rick Bowness, former Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle, and Travis Green are under consideration while for the Flames, Glen Gulutzan and Mike Yeo have come up. Teams generally like to head their head coaches determined before the draft so it’s expected that these vacancies will be filled in the near future.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Bruce Garrioch discussed the potentially intriguing trade market for goaltenders in his latest Sunday column. He highlights a trio of goalies that could be of interest this offseason, Anaheim’s Frederik Andersen, Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop. Andersen is a restricted free agent this offseason while Fleury and Bishop are under contract through 2018-19 and 2016-17 respectively. Each of those teams has a high potential young netminder that has made a case that they’re ready for a larger workload. Given that the free agent class is relatively light between the pipes and the potential for an expansion draft as soon as 2017-18, there’s a case to be made that those teams should be investigating what the trade market is for their veterans.
- San Jose winger Tomas Hertl will not play in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night. Head coach Peter DeBoer noted that he’s “getting better every day”. Hertl has not been ruled out for a potential Game 7 on Wednesday night should the Sharks extend the series once again.
- Detroit GM Ken Holland was scheduled to meet with Pavel Datsyuk early this week but that meeting has been delayed due to the passing of Red Wings legend Gordie Howe. Datsyuk has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.5 million. It has been reported that the 37 year old would like to play in Russia next year but if he does so, his cap hit will not come off Detroit’s books.
- It won’t be a quiet offseason for Pittsburgh defenceman Olli Maatta. As soon as the Stanley Cup Final ends, he will return home to his native Finland to begin his mandatory military training which will span the next two offseasons.
Key Offseason Dates
Everyone in the hockey world knows July 1st as the official beginning of free agency. There are, however, several other important dates and deadlines during the offseason that aren’t quite so well known. Here are the key dates and times to watch for in the weeks and months ahead.
48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends: First buyout period begins. It’s also the deadline for First Club-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST).
June 24th, 25th: NHL Entry Draft
June 25th: Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) interview period begins. Teams may meet with and interview players that they are interested in signing although they cannot put pen to paper on a contract until July 1st.
June 27th: Deadline for teams to submit Qualifying Offers (4:00 PM CST). Players who do not receive Qualifying Offers are eligible to become UFA’s on July 1st.
June 28th: Restricted Free Agent (RFA) interview period begins. Similar to the UFA interview period, teams cannot sign players to offer sheets until July 1st.
June 30th: First buyout period ends.
July 1st: Free Agent Signing Period (for both UFA’s and RFA’s) begins (11:00 AM CST).
July 5th: Deadline for Player-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST). One minute later, the Second Club-Elected Salary Arbitration window opens.
July 6th: Deadline for Second Club-Elected Salary Arbitration (4:00 PM CST).
July 15th: Expiration of Qualifying Offers (4:00 PM CST).
July 20th – August 4th: Salary Arbitration hearings.
Habs Notes: Andrighetto, Muller, Draft Pick
After news broke that Montreal Canadiens inked Sven Andrighetto to a one-year, $650,000 dollar deal yesterday, details of the contract came fast and furious. It’s a one-way deal that will see the forward reach arbitration next summer if he plays in at least 10 games this season. For the Canadiens, he represents the first of eight upcoming restricted free agents who played for their team this year. With Andrighetto’s 17 points in 44 games, he was arguably the most important RFA they had; the trio of Darren Dietz, Joel Hanley and Mark Barberio on the back end look like the next priority.
More from the Habs:
- After bringing Kirk Muller back as an associate coach earlier this month, the former Montreal great will again face criticism about his inability to speak French. When asked if he thought a Montreal coach needed to be able to speak the language, legendary Hab Guy Lafleur responded: “To me it’s not the question of French, English, Russian or whatever. If you’re behind the bench, you have to do the job and you have to do it right, and make sure the players are playing at their potential and at their best.“
- On the matter of P.K. Subban and his reported poor dressing room presence, Lafleur related a story: “I was right beside the dressing room one night with Yvan Cournoyer and P.K. was outside screaming and dangling, and Yvan looks at me and says: ‘It wouldn’t have worked out in our days. Somebody would have smacked him with a stick.'” Though Subban continues to be brought up in trade scenarios, TSN’s Darren Dreger recently squashed some rumors, reporting one GM was told “flat out” that he would not be traded.
- As noted this morning, Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the Canadiens are trying to move up from their slot at ninth overall in this year’s Entry Draft. Moving up to get a player like Pierre-Luc Dubois would surely ignite a fan base that had to suffer through a disappointing season after the injury to Carey Price. Dubois could go as early as fourth in the draft, meaning that the Canadiens would have part with some big pieces to secure the Quebec native.
Expansion Notes: No-Movement Clauses, 40/70, Protection Limits
With the official announcement about the upcoming NHL expansion to Las Vegas coming on June 22nd, some information about the rules associated with an expansion draft has started to disseminate. The draft would be held at some point after the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final, but before the July 1st free agency period. Here’s what we know thus far:
- Eligibility is determined by how many professional seasons, as outlined by the CBA, a player has completed. Anyone with two or fewer seasons will be exempt from the draft. This includes seasons in the American Hockey League, and means that any third-year professionals are eligible to be selected.
- Each team will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender from the draft.
- Players holding no-movement clauses that do not expire until after the 2017-18 season are automatically protected, and count against the totals. Teams however will be allowed to ask a player to waive a NMC prior to the draft, making them eligible. If the clause expires after the 2016-17 season (like in the case of Calgary’s Dennis Wideman) they will not be guaranteed protection even though the draft will take place prior.
- Each team must expose at least two forwards and one defenceman who has played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season, or a combined 70 games in the previous two. These players must also be under contract for the first expansion season.
- Clubs have to expose at least one goaltender who is under contract for the first expansion season.
- At least twenty of the expansion team’s thirty selections must be under contract for the first expansion season, and though they can trade anyone following the draft, a player may not return to the team he was selected from until January 1st.
- There are going to be stiff penalties for any team who does not meet the requirements, in the form of picks or players.
- Each team can only lose a maximum of one player, should there be just a single expansion team. The new team has to select a certain number of players at each position, including a minimum of three goaltenders.
- The new team cannot buy-out any player selected until after the first expansion season.
For teams like Pittsburgh, who have one goaltender with a NMC and another leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals, some tough decisions will have to be made over the next year. Marc-Andre Fleury at the moment would force protection due to his no-movement clause, while playoff superstar Matt Murray will be eligible after what would be his third professional season.
In Winnipeg, both Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien have NMCs that will run through 2017-18 taking up two of their three defenceman slots. This means the Jets will have to expose one of their young defenders like Tyler Myers or Jacob Trouba if a deal isn’t struck between now and then. Losing either of them would be a disaster for the Jets, as Myers was a big part of the return for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, while Trouba was the 9th overall pick in 2012. Rumors have already started to swirl around Trouba, perhaps because of the issue facing Winnipeg down the road.
Situations like this present themselves all over the NHL, and though each team will only lose a single player, many will make moves to make sure their most prized assets remain untouchable. Here on Pro Hockey Rumors we’ll continue to breakdown potential draftees over the next year, giving you the inside scoop on who is available and who Las Vegas will select when they step to the podium for that draft next season.
Friedman’s Latest: Hartnell, Eriksson, Barrie
Although the Montreal Canadiens failed to move up in the lottery last month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they may try to make a deal to improve on their ninth overall pick. After picking late in the first round the last three seasons, Montreal will try to replicate the success they’ve had with their last couple of top-10 picks. In 2012 they selected Alex Galchenyuk third overall, and nailed Carey Price at number five way back in 2005. If Montreal wants to get back to the playoffs and have any chance at contention, they’ll have to improve through the draft. Here’s more from Friedman’s latest 30 thoughts:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets interviewed quite a few players ahead of selecting third overall in the upcoming draft. With rumors swirling that they are already getting offers for the pick, perhaps they’re just covering their bases before one of these deals blows them away.
- Still with Columbus, Friedman hears that there are trade rumblings around Scott Hartnell and that he is willing to waive his no-movement clause for several teams. Hartnell has three seasons at $4.75MM left on his deal, but put up another 20-goal season in 2015-16 and is a near-lock for 40 points at least for the immediate future.
- On Loui Eriksson, Friedman says that Boston will take one final run at re-signing the winger before he becomes a free agent on July 1st. If he makes it that far, expect a long list of suitors for the 30-year old after putting up an excellent 63 point campaign. He’s coming off a contract that earned him $4.25MM a season, and will look to improve on that number.
- It seems certain that Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie will be on the move this summer, but perhaps not until Colorado secures some help on the back-end. Their top target is Winnipeg Jets’ Jacob Trouba, who has played well since being drafted in 2012 and would take a fairly large ransom to pry away from GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.
- After acquiring Marc Savard‘s cap hit on Friday, the New Jersey Devils are no longer a landing spot for the Pavel Datsyuk dilemma should he decide to go back to Russia. According to Friedman this leaves only Carolina and Arizona as potential takers for the $7.5MM cap-hit he’ll incur since he signed his deal after he turned 35.
- Since Florida now has some room following the jettison of Savard’s hit, they’ve turned their attention to extending Vincent Trocheck. The 22-year old is a restricted free agent this summer, and is coming off an impressive 53 point season. With extensions for Aaron Ekblad and Reilly Smith due next year, Florida will have to keep Trocheck’s hit as low as possible if they’re to fit in all their young talent.
- Arizona is reluctantly looking at options with C Martin Hanzal as he nears free agency. While the Coyotes would like to re-sign him before he hits the market next summer, they are considering moving him and have asked for his list of teams he would accept a trade to.
What’s Next For The Calder Cup Champions?
On Saturday night in exciting fashion the Lake Erie Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, took home the Calder Cup for the first time in their history. Up three games to none in the series against the Hershey Bears, the teams took a 0-0 tie into overtime before 21-year old Oliver Bjorkstrand iced the game with his playoff-leading tenth goal. The finals sweep was the first of its kind since the Norfolk Admirals won in 2012, easily triumphing over the Toronto Marlies in four games.
Bjorkstrand took home the playoff MVP award, joining past winners such as Tomas Tatar, Robin Lehner and Carey Price. He’s carving out quite a playoff career thus far, having put up 77 points in 59 games throughout his time in junior to go with his 16 this season.
For head coach Jared Bednar, this not only is his first Calder Cup victory, it’s the first time an AHL team under his purview progressed past the first round. Now carrying a strong .589 winning percentage through four seasons as an AHL head coach, he’ll surely start to get looks as a NHL boss soon enough.
If he does, he’ll be following in the footsteps of recent Calder Cup champions; Willie Desjardins took the Texas Stars to the Cup in 2014, and was immediately hired on by the Vancouver Canucks. Jeff Blashill won with the powerhouse Grand Rapids Griffins in 2013, and was the successor in Detroit after Mike Babcock left for Toronto. In 2012, Jon Cooper took the Norfolk Admirals all the way, winning 55 games in the regular season and taking home the championship. Two seasons later he was behind the bench for Tampa, and has now taken them deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs in consecutive years.
For players like Bjorkstrand, their days on the the Monsters might be numbered. After being selected in the third round by the Blue Jackets in 2013, Bjorkstrand returned to the WHL and finished an impressive junior career with 118 points in just 59 games, adding 25 more in 17 playoff contests. This season, he scored 17 goals for the Monsters in the regular season, and made a solid debut for the Blue Jackets, putting up 8 points in just 12 games with the big club. He’ll look to break camp with the team as early as next season.
The other Monster making waves this postseason was 18-year old Zach Werenski, last season’s eighth overall pick. After completing his season at the University of Michigan, the defenceman signed an amateur try-out with the Monsters, as to preserve his status for any future expansion drafts. His entry-level deal with the Jackets will kick in in 2016-17, keeping him a first year professional for that season.
Werenski played seven games down the stretch for the Monsters, before becoming one of their top performers in the playoffs. His 14 points ranked him third overall on the Monsters and second among AHL defencemen trailing only Marlies’ standout Connor Carrick.
While Werenski played exceptionally these playoffs for the Monsters, he’ll be hard pressed to crack the roster this fall. The Blue Jackets have seven defencemen under contract for next season, including young standouts Ryan Murray and Seth Jones. With a lot of money tied up long-term at forward in players that aren’t providing much value, the Blue Jackets will need to rely on their young pipeline on the back end for the next few years.
Winning the Calder Cup is an outstanding achievement, and for Monsters’ captain Ryan Craig, it’s a long time coming. Breaking in with Tampa Bay just after their 2004 Stanley Cup run, Craig has bounced up and down for the next decade, never securing a place in the NHL or repeating his strong rookie season of 28 points in 48 games. Now 34, he’s a champion at the pro-level for the first time in his career.
You can bet teams will be scouring this roster for players as the season draws closer, betting that success in the AHL could lead to success for their big club. It’s a young, talented group, with six players above the age of 29. While Columbus didn’t have much success at the NHL level this season, they possess the third overall pick in this June’s entry draft after moving up in the lottery and may find themselves in a position to deal from a stocked cupboard in order to improve the team this season.