Thomas Schemitsch Signs ELC With Florida
The Florida Panthers announced that they have signed defenseman Thomas Schemitsch to an entry-level contract. The 19-year-old blue liner has been assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL, and gives the Panthers some depth and upside at the minor league level. The deal carries a $717.5K cap hit, with bonuses bringing the annual value to the $925K maximum for entry-level contracts and is for the maximum three years as well.
A 2015 third-round pick, Schemitsch is a physical player at 6’4″ and over 200 pounds, but also brings a layer of finesse to his game. While his size is key, Schemitsch is actually a very capable offensive defenseman. With above average skating ability, vision, and play-making ability for a player of his stature, Schemitsch has flown up the Panthers prospect depth chart. After putting up 49 points for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in his draft year, he had another 31 points in 2o15-16. With size, strength, and raw talent, Florida’s decision to bring him to the pro level early is one that will enable him to work with the Panther’s coaches in Springfield to further develop Schemitch’s defensive awareness and checking ability.
After trading defenseman Jonathan Racine today as well, Florida essentially replaces him with a similar-sized, but younger and much more well-rounded prospect in Schemitsch. While the top of the defensive depth chart in Florida is very strong, the bottom is hardly set in stone for the entirety of 2016-17 and beyond. Schemitsch joins a growing list of capable defensemen in Springfield, such as Jakub Kindl and Ian McCoshen, who will keep the pressure on the likes of Mark Pysyk and Steven Kampfer for a big-league role this year.
Panthers Acquire Tim Bozon
One day after a young forward who had yet to play to his potential was traded away, in Nail Yakupov, the same situation has repeated itself. Though not exactly a #1 overall pick, Tim Bozon had long been considered a top forward prospect for the Montreal Canadiens. That changed today, when the 22-year-old winger was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Jonathan Racine.
A third-round pick in 2012, Bozon looked like a steal for the Habs, after he turned in a 91-point junior season for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in 2012-13, outscoring many household names including 2014 #2 overall pick Sam Reinhart. However, a mid-season trade in 2013-14 to the Kootenay Ice seemed to throw off Bozon’s career trajectory. In his final two years of junior, now playing in Kootenay, he only put up point totals in the sixties, a steep drop from his breakout season in 2012-13. His woes hit a new low last year, as he took part in his first full pro season. In 41 games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps, Bozon only had eight points, and was even demoted to the ECHL at one point.
Disappointed with the lack of production and development with their once-promising prospect, Montreal made the decision today to give Bozon a change of scenery, sending him to the Florida (or more accurately Springfield). They get back the 23-year-old defenseman Racine, who gives the Canadiens some defensive depth with a solid AHL contributor. While Racine has little to no offensive upside, he does play a smart defensive game and a hard-hitting, physical style of hockey. Trading away scoring ability for grit and toughness has been a theme of Montreal’s off-season, and it continues with this deal. The Panthers, on the other hand, hope to revive the career of a player with outstanding skating ability and a strong shot, who at one point looked like a sure thing as a future NHLer. If Bozon can work on playing a more complete game and not being pushed on the ice, this won’t be the last time you’ll hear of him.
Atlantic Division Notes: Richards, Foligno, Carlo, Heinen
Many pundits consider the Tampa Bay Lightning roster to be among the deepest and most talented in the league. The team boasts a franchise player in Steven Stamkos along with plenty of skilled skaters – Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin to name a few – joining him up front. They have Victor Hedman to anchor the blue line with Anton Stralman to provide support. In goal Tampa Bay has two netminders capable of carrying a team through a lengthy playoff run.
If the Lightning have one weakness that could derail their Stanley Cup plans it could be an ineffective power play. Tampa Bay ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency, converting just 15.8% of their opportunities. While the team elected to essentially avoid signing outside free agents in order to save their limited cap space for their own, one addition could go a long way toward fixing their power play, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes.
Smith notes that since joining the team as head coach, Jon Cooper oversaw the man-advantage unit but he has ceded those duties to newly hired assistant coach Todd Richards. Richards of course was head coach in Columbus before losing his job on the heels of an 0 – 7 start to the 2015-16 season. Cooper expects Richards to provide a “fresh look and fresh face” to the power play.
In Richards’ last full season at the helm in Columbus, the Blue Jackets tied for fifth in power play efficiency with a 21.7% success rate. While Smith reports Richards won’t be making too many changes with regard to system or personnel, the players have noted some subtle changes including an emphasis on shooting the puck.
A more potent power play could go a long way to helping the Lightning over the hump and Richards’ solid showing in that area while with the Jackets offers hope he can help in Tampa.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- It’s taken the better part of five seasons but it finally appears as if winger Marcus Foligno has found his niche with the Buffalo Sabres, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. After a rough start to the 2015-16 campaign, Foligno finished the year strong scoring eight goals and 16 points in his final 40 contests. He credited a mid-season conversation with the Buffalo coaching staff as helping him find consistency with his game: “I voiced my frustration a little bit. I remember talking to the coaches about ‘What can I do?’ and things like that. It was good. It was positive criticism, and then from there I never looked back. You’ve got to look at the man in the mirror sometimes, and that’s what I did.” Foligno, now 25, is expected to fill a spot in the Sabres top-nine and to provide leadership, grit and toughness. For his part, head coach Dan Bylsma noted the change in Foligno: “In the past, there was some fluctuation in his game, there was some inconsistencies from game to game and week to week. Marcus’ game can’t change and fluctuate. He has to be a hard guy to play against. He has to be a big, physical presence. He’s got to be a guy who plays on the inside. Marcus grew into that, and in the last 45 games delivered that on a consistent basis.”
- A few Boston prospects are making a case to stick with the big club to start the campaign, as Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes. As Haggerty reports, Bruins head coach Claude Julien and his staff are looking at a roster scenario that would include rookies Brandon Carlo, Danton Heinen and Austin Czarnik making the club. With an aging and thin blue line, the fact Carlo, a 19-year-old, right-shot defender is closing in on a roster spot should be of little surprise. But for Heinen, a 2014 fourth-round pick, to be on the verge of securing a regular job in the team’s bottom six is somewhat surprising. Czarnik’s chances likely hinge on whether or not the Bruins use David Backes on the RW on one of the top two lines or as the team’s third-line pivot. Though a strong performance for Providence in the AHL that saw Czarnik tally 61 points in 68 contests, suggests the Miami of Ohio graduate is close to, if not fully ready for NHL action.
Pacific Division Notes: Rodin, Gryba, Bennett, Coyotes Prospects
In need of additional scoring punch up front, the Vancouver Canucks were hopeful Swedish winger Anton Rodin would earn a big league job and contribute some secondary scoring to the lineup. He has impressed during camp but now it looks as if his NHL debut will be postponed as the 25-year-old winger is experiencing soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired knee. Rodin suffered a severed tendon last year while playing in the Swedish Elite League and as Iain MacIntyre of the Province writes, it’s believed that Rodin has simply aggravated the knee by playing too much hockey in a relatively short period of time this preseason.
GM Jim Benning indicated Rodin will be held out of the lineup for up to a week to allow for rest and rehab.
“The injury got aggravated and so he’s going to have to take a step back. We’re going to give him a few days or week off here to get the swelling down, and from there just rehab so he’s a 100 per cent for us. We’re going to need him at 100 per cent.”
MacIntyre notes that Rodin is averaging a point-per-game through five preseason contests and has demonstrated an ability to protect the puck and to play in traffic against bigger opponents during exhibition games. The 2009 second-round pick has some experience in North America, skating in 111 games with Chicago in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 41 points. He returned to Sweden in time for the 2014-15 season and would go on to win the Swedish League’s MVP in 2015-16.
Fortunately for Vancouver, the injury doesn’t appear serious and it looks as if Rodin will only be out a short time. It could threaten his availability to play in the season opener and as such, his absence could come into play as the Canucks look to finalize their roster.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- After signing Kris Russell to a one-year contract, the Edmonton Oilers have given fellow blue liner Eric Gryba permission to speak with other clubs in an attempt to land a job, tweets Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal. This would seem to suggest Gryba, who is in camp with the Oilers on a PTO, will not make the Edmonton roster. If Gryba fails to find a spot in another organization, Gregor believes he could continue to skate with the team, though of course he would be doing so without a contract. Gryba spent the first three years of his NHL career with Ottawa before a 2015 trade sent the defenseman to Edmonton. He appeared in 53 games in 2015-16 with the Oilers and tallied one goal and six points.
- It’s looking more and more likely the Arizona Coyotes will break camp with a few rookies among their ranks, writes Sarah McLellan of AZ Central. Dylan Strome was expected to make the team and fill a scoring line pivot role and has done nothing in camp to change that line of thinking. Recently he’s been skating with Lawson Crouse and Anthony Duclair on the team’s second line. Speaking of Crouse, the Coyotes value his grit and toughness though it’s still likely he doesn’t start the season with Arizona. Laurent Dauphin could force his way into a 4th line role and has evidently earned the trust of his teammates with his hard work. McLellan also notes the team is still giving looks to forwards Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer along with blue liners Jakob Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo. Whatever happens it seems quite possible that several rookies will be suiting up for the Coyotes in 2016-17.
- Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett appears poised for a breakout campaign as a sophomore in the NHL, writes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald. Bennett, who scored 18 goals and 36 points in 77 games as a rookie, is already well on his way to earning the trust of new head coach Glen Gulutzan due to his responsible two-way play this preseason. The 20-year-old pivot has also made an impression on veteran winger Troy Brouwer, with whom he has skated with this preseason: “He’s a good player. He sees the ice well and he reads the game well, which is a tough thing and a unique thing to have, especially at 20 years old. I think he’s the type of player, under this coach, who is going to have a lot of responsibility and it’s really going to elevate his game.” Gilbertson notes that with Johnny Gaudreau still unsigned and not playing, Calgary has struggled putting the puck in the net scoring just nine times in seven games. If Gaudreau is out for any extended period of the regular season, Bennett could help fill the scoring void created by his absence.
Yakupov Trade Reactions
For the second time in a few months Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has traded away a former #1 overall draft pick, sending RW Nail Yakupov to St. Louis in exchange for a minor league prospect and a conditional draft choice. At least when the team moved Taylor Hall, they did it to fill a dire need by acquiring right-shooting defenseman Adam Larsson. With yesterday’s trade of Yakupov, the Oilers simply appear to have made the best deal possible in order to satisfy both the player’s and team’s desire to move on from one another.
While Yakupov has failed to live up to his superstar billing, the trade is still notable on a number of fronts and there has been no shortage of opinions of the deal. Here’s a roundup of some of those reactions.
- David Staples of the Edmonton Journal feels the two sides failed each other: Yakupov for his lackluster practice habits and for failing to work on his two-way game and the Oilers for too frequently playing the skilled winger with weak teammates. Ultimately Staples feels it was time to move on as it was made evident head coach Todd McLellan didn’t see Yakupov as “part of a winning equation.”
- Considering the relatively low price paid to acquire Yakupov – Zach Pochiro and a conditional pick – the deal is a classic low risk investment for the Blues, as Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Hochman compares the trade to that which sent another former #1 pick, Erik Johnson from St. Louis to Colorado. At the time of that trade, Johnson also had yet to live up to his lofty status as the top pick in his draft year, but since moving on to the Avalanche, he has developed into a pretty good defenseman. It should be noted that unlike the Oilers, the Blues received a sizable package in return that included Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart. Hochman also calculates that if Yakupov follows the same sort of career trajectory as Johnson, the Blues will be pleasantly surprised. He points out that even if the worst case scenario plays out – an output of 8 – 10 goals – then Yakupov will have sufficiently replaced the expected production of Vladimir Sobotka, who was expected to return to the NHL but now appears stuck in the KHL.
- Even though the Oilers received very little in return aside from cap savings, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun believes the trade is an instance of addition by subtraction. Matheson points out that the Oilers coaches simply did not trust Yakupov to play a responsible two-way game and that his offense simply wasn’t enough to offset his poor defensive play. The lack of consistent linemates also played a role in Yakupov’s struggles, according to Matheson, and although he found good chemistry with Connor McDavid for a brief time last season, McLellan was of the belief a former #1 overall pick should have been able to make the players around him better.
- The Oilers may have sold low on Yakupov and in return did not acquire any assets likely to help the team today, but The Score’s Sean O’Leary says the team still has a brighter future today after the trade. O’Leary also argues that Oilers fans will soon forget Yakupov, even if the talented winger does realize his vast potential in St. Louis. Lastly, O’Leary reasons that with McDavid now leading the way and after trading away the likes of Taylor Hall and Yakupov, the Oilers have changed their culture for the better.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/8/16
Opening night is just a few days away and teams are quickly finalizing their rosters in advance of the regular season. With announcement likely coming throughout the day in a steady stream, we’ll track all of the day’s cuts here.
Anaheim Ducks (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
G Dustin Tokarski (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to San Diego, AHL)
Arizona Coyotes (via Craig Morgan)
D Anthony DeAngelo (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
C Christian Fischer (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
RW Stefan Fournier (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
D Dakota Mermis (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
G Justin Peters (Assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
G Linus Ullmark (Assigned to Rochester, AHL)
Calgary Flames (via team release)
RW Garnet Hathaway (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G David Rittich (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Hunter Shinkaruk (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (Assigned to Stockton, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
C Patrick Brown (Assigned to Charlotte, AHL)
LW Brock McGinn (Assigned to Charlotte, AHL)
C Derek Ryan (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Charlotte, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
D Duncan Siemens (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to San Antonio, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports)
D Brian Lashoff (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
C Eric Tangradi (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Martin Frk (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Nick Jensen (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
RW Mitch Callahan (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Grand Rapids, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports and team release)
C Landon Ferraro (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Chicago, AHL)
D Petteri Lindbohm (Assigned to Chicago, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
C Paul Carey (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hersehy, AHL)
RW Stanislav Galiev (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
C/LW Brad Malone (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
RW Christian Thomas (Placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hershey, AHL)
2016-17 Season Preview: New York Rangers
After back-to-back Eastern Conference Final berths and a trip to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the New York Rangers stumbled this past season, dropping their first-round playoff series to the eventual Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. The Blueshirts embarked on a summer of retooling with the hope the remaining core has enough gas left in the tank to propel the team on another long playoff run. With the season set to start in less than a week, we’ll soon how the changes made play out on the ice.
Last Season: 46 – 27 – 9, 101 points, third in the Metro Division. Lost in the first-round of the playoffs.
Remaining Cap Space: $2.95MM per Cap Friendly.
Key Newcomers: Mika Zibanejad (Trade – Ottawa); Jimmy Vesey (UFA – Harvard); Josh Jooris (UFA – Calgary); Michael Grabner (UFA – Toronto); Brandon Pirri (UFA – Anaheim); Nick Holden (Trade – Colorado)
Key Departures: Derick Brassard (Trade – Ottawa); Eric Staal (UFA – Minnesota); Dominic Moore (UFA – Boston); Keith Yandle (Trade – Florida); Dan Boyle (Retirement)
[Related: New York Rangers depth chart via Roster Resource]
Players to Watch: Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. The Rangers have for years relied on Girardi and Staal to provide steady play from the back end but last season was a tough one for both blue liners. Henrik Lundqvist faced more High Danger Shots Against (HDSA) than any other goalie in the league, averaging better than one additional HDSA-per-game than Braden Holtby, who was #2. At least part of that was due to the lackluster play of Girardi and Staal and in particular, their struggles in the puck possession department.
While Girardi has never been a strong possession player, not finishing with a CF% above 50% in eight seasons, Staal posted a CF% of 54.3% as recently as 2013-14. It’s possible the wear and tear from years of blocking shots and playing 20-plus minutes every night against the opposition’s best players has simply caught up to the 32-year-old Girardi but there is at least a chance Staal can again be a reliable defender.
It’s fair to note that Girardi battled injuries for much of the 2015-16 campaign, including a cracked knee cap which he played with through the second half of the season. He’s said to be fully healthy – perhaps for the first time in several seasons – and with a long offseason of rest and recuperation, Girardi feels he can again be a solid shutdown blue liner.
The Blue Shirts have $11.2MM tied up annually in the two defensemen and much of the reason the team avoided big money free agent deals was the lack of flexibility due to the Staal and Girardi contracts. Those deals also make it practically impossible for GM Jeff Gorton to move either player, likely meaning that barring a contract buyout, the Rangers will be forced to sink or swim with the two defenders playing big minutes. For the team to have a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup, they need much better performances from Girardi and Staal.
Key Storyline: Defense, defense and again, defense. Gorton did a tremendous job with limited resources injecting youth and speed into the lineup but was unable to upgrade the talent on defense. Henrik Lundqvist is still playing at an elite level and the offense figures again to be a top-10 unit – they finished seventh overall in goals scored in 2015-16. But if the defense continues to allow the opposition too many high quality scoring chances on a nightly basis, none of that will matter. Partially due to salary cap constraints, the Rangers were unable to land a defensive upgrade on the free agent market and in fact were forced to trade Yandle, who many felt was the team’s best defenseman last season, because they could not afford to re-sign him.
Perhaps a healthy Girardi and a rested Staal will be better in 2016-17. Maybe head coach Alain Vigneault and new assistant Jeff Beukeboom can tweak the defensive system to provide additional help to his blue liners. But without major improvements in the play on the back end, it’s likely the Rangers will again come up short in their quest for the Stanley Cup.
Western Conference Snapshots: Seguin, Hemsky, Birgas, Setoguchi, Kempe
One concern with allowing NHLers to participate in international tournaments such as the Winter Olympics and World Cup is the prospect of losing key players to injury either during the season or just prior. The Dallas Stars, for example, saw star center Tyler Seguin suffer a hairline fracture to his foot which has prevented him from playing in any exhibition games. Top-nine winger Ales Hemsky injured a groin during the recent World Cup and has also been held out of preseason action with the Stars.
Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News has the latest updates on the health of the two forwards and the roster shuffling the team has undergone in their absence. The news on Seguin is optimistic even though he has yet to see any game action. Heika reports Seguin is a full participant during practice and according to head coach Lindy Ruff, should “in all likelihood,” be available to play opening night.
On the flip side, Hemsky’s rehab is not going well. He experienced a setback recently and is expected to be re-evaluated early next week.
Dallas recently added Justin Fontaine via PTO to add depth. Fontaine netted 16 points in 60 games with the Minnesota Wild this past season and was recently released from his PTO with Florida.
In addition to being without Seguin and Hemsky, the Stars are also missing Cody Eakin – out until November – and Mattias Janmark – out until April – both due to knee injuries. With nearly $6MM in available cap space, it’s possible the Stars could look to the trade market or waiver wire to bring in additional depth up front or they could simply try to weather the storm with what they already have on the roster.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Colorado Avalanche recently sent defense prospect Chris Bigras to their AHL affiliate in San Antonio but as Terry Frei of the Denver Post writes, the demotion had little to do with his play in training camp and more to do with ensuring the 21-year-old blue liner gets plenty of quality ice time. The Avalanche have plenty of quality players to fully staff the big league blue line and Bigras likely would have spent much of his time in the press box had he remained in Colorado. Bigras made his Avalanche debut last year, recording his first NHL goal and adding two assists in 31 games. With offseason free agent acquisition Fedor Tyutin set to hit the open market again next summer, and with three other defensmen – Eric Gelinas, Nikita Zadorov and Patrick Wiercioch – scheduled for restricted free agency, Birgas’ chances of making the team and earning a key role next year should be much better.
- As teams continue to trim down their rosters in advance of the start of the regular season, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider writes about two players facing very different challenges as they try to survive final cuts. Devin Setoguchi, who is in camp on a PTO, realizes this could be his final chance to make an NHL club and is aware his performance in the team’s final two exhibition contests is vital: “I think it comes down to these last two games, and obviously I’m still here and have done something to this point to maybe keep them a little intrigued. Definitely I feel like there’s a lot riding on these next two games that I have to play.” Meanwhile, Adrian Kempe, the 20-year-old selected by the Kings in the 2014 draft, is just beginning his pro career and should he fail to make the Kings team this year, he’ll likely have many more opportunities to do so: “I came over really wanting to take a spot and that’s my goal. That’s been my goal the whole last year. It’s going to keep being my goal till I make it. I made a good camp, I think I played good in the games too and I’m still up, so I don’t know what’s going to happen after this weekend, but we’ve got two games left here and we’ll see what happens, but I feel good out there, so that’s good.” While not necessarily in direct competition for a roster spot, Rosen notes that Kempe’s versatility – he can play both wing and center – could prove to be an advantage. On the flip side, if the Kings like what they see from Setoguchi and feel he can again resemble the player who once netted 31 goals in a season, he could help fill the void created by Marian Gaborik‘s foot injury.
Oilers Close To Signing Russell
Update (8:52am): The Oilers, via their team Twitter account, announced the agreement with Russell late last night.
On the heels of trading former #1 overall draft choice Nail Yakupov to St. Louis, the Edmonton Oilers are said to be on the verge of inking veteran, shot-blocking defenseman Kris Russell to a one-year deal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Friedman hears the pact will be worth $3.1MM for 2016-17 and believes an official announcement likely will be made tomorrow.
How Russell will fit in with the Oilers remains to be seen. While the team certainly can use additional blue line help, Russell is a left-handed defenseman who is poised to join a roster that already boasts Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse and Brandon Davidson, all of whom are left-handed as well. On the right side, the Oilers list Adam Larsson and Mark Fayne on their depth chart. Obviously, at least one port-side shooter will have to cross the ice and play his off side.
The lucrative, multi-year deal Russell and his representation expected this summer never materialized despite his reputation as a mobile blue liner willing to block shots. Of course his shot-blocking acumen is also one of the reasons some teams may have steered clear of Russell, as that quality has also been accompanied by poor puck possession metrics.
However, if the Oilers are simply interested in Russell as a capable, third-pair defender and someone who can chip in on the power play, they could do far worse than the 29-year-old former Flame, Blue Jacket, Blue and Star. Over the last three seasons, Russell has tallied seven goals and 43 points on the man advantage. Overall, Russell has recorded campaigns of 29, 34 and 19 points during the period from 2013-14 through 2015-16. In a somewhat sheltered role with limited responsibilities, Russell can certainly be a valuable addition for the Oilers.
Depending on how the 2016-17 season transpires for Edmonton, the club could always look to flip the nine-year veteran defender and hope for a package similar to that which Calgary received at this year’s trade deadline. The Flames sent Russell to Dallas and acquired a second-round pick and two prospects in exchange.
That this signing, presuming it in fact does become official, only came after the trade of Yakupov suggests the Oilers needed to move salary before adding Russell. Prior to the trade, Edmonton had plenty of available cap space – roughly $9.5MM – but it’s likely the team has its own internal budget and signing Russell may have meant exceeding that figure.
Barring a mid-season contract extension, Russell will hit the free agent market again next year in the hopes he can secure the multi-year deal he failed to find this summer.
Yakupov Traded to St. Louis Blues
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and John Shannon confirm that Nail Yakupov has been traded to the St. Louis Blues for prospect Zach Pochiro and a conditional 2017 3rd round pick. Both Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson and Blues beatwriter Jeremy Rutherford reported earlier this evening that the St. Louis Blues were the front-runners for Edmonton Oilers’ much-maligned prospect.
The former first overall pick has not lived up to expectations in Edmonton, scoring only 50G and 61A in 252 career games. Last season was his worst statistically as he scored only 8G and 15A in 60 games. Yakupov is a RFA next summer as he plays out the final year of his $2.5MM a year contract. The move gives Edmonton over $11MM in cap space. Conversely, the Blues will only have just under $1.5MM in cap space after this trade.
The conditional 3rd rounder will become a 2nd in 2018 if Yakupov scored at least 15 goals, reports John Shannon. Forward Zach Pochiro, the prospect acquired by Edmonton, spent most of last season in the ECHL. He scored 9G and 17A in 44 games for the Quad City Mallards.
Yakupov was linked to the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday, and TSN’s Bob MacKenzie reported that Yakupov requested a trade. The Blues were not publically tied to Yakupov trade talks this offseason.