Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2017

Evening Snapshots: Blackhawks, Patrick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The pressure building on the Chicago Blackhawks is similar to that felt by the 2012-13 team writes CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers. For fans seeking good omens, that could be one heading into a more uncertain season sans forward Marian Hossa, and a roster relying upon a bevy of youth. Myers writes that the Hawks torrid 21-0-3 start to the strike-shortened season, as well as a second round scare to Detroit ended well for Chicago as they dispatched the Boston Bruins in six games and captured its second Cup in four seasons. Few remember that the Hawks were at a crossroads–being beaten in the first round in consecutive seasons while experiencing some in-house turmoil that led many to wonder what would be. A Stanley Cup parade in 2013 put doubts to rest and the Hawks came within a puck bounce in 2014 of heading back to the Stanley Cup Final. They would win again in 2015, but are coming off of a shocking sweep last spring.

Myers writes, however, that things are a bit different than they were in 2013. The core of that team is almost five years older, have logged a lot of wear and tear, and don’t have the same supporting core they once did. Hossa’s loss hasn’t been measured yet, but the acquisition of Brandon Saad will bring a strong two-way forward back into the mix. Myers believes that a return to dominance is harder to envision, and that similar expectations to the 2013 resurgence are probably a little too optimistic.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers’ Nolan Patrick is going to be okay Philadelphia Inquirer writer Sam Carchidi assures a nervous fan base. Patrick had another surgery this summer for abdominal issues, which marked a second consecutive summer he spent rehabbing from an injury. The 19-year-old second overall pick did say he felt totally healthy three weeks ago–which should calm concerned Flyers fans. Patrick spoke about training with Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, who Patrick called a “really intelligent guy” and one who helped him with nutrition and training advice. He also noted that he’s been playing at 100% while on the ice, and that his goal remains to make the Flyers roster out of training camp.

St. Louis Blues Sign Petteri Lindbohm

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The pool of restricted free agents continues to dwindle, as the St. Louis Blues have signed Petteri Lindbohm to a one-year, two-way contract. Lindbohm was the team’s final RFA, and one of only six across the entire league. The financials have not been released, but it would be surprising to see Lindbohm earn any more than the minimum $650K at the NHL level. He’ll remain a restricted free agent at the end of the contract.

Lindbohm, 23, played in just seven games for the Blues last season, and has yet to find a real niche in the NHL. A sixth-round pick in 2012, Lindbohm has just three points to date in his Blues’ career, though has never been expected to contribute much offensively. Instead, his size and strength have been his calling card, mixing physical play with solid positioning in the defensive zone. While there is still some room to grow with a hard shot and fine passing ability, it’s more likely that he’ll continue to play a depth role for the team this year.

He is no longer waivers-exempt, meaning he likely won’t be bouncing up and down anymore and it’s unclear where exactly he’ll play in the AHL. The Blues don’t have a primary AHL affiliate this year after the Chicago Wolves instead signed a partnership with the Vegas Golden Knights. While Chicago will still be the destination for some of the Blues’ prospects, there won’t be enough room for all of them. Instead, some may be spread throughout a few other teams around the league, before the club starts their new deal with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018.

Snapshots: Anderson, Mashinter, Top 100

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators re-signed Mike Condon this offseason to a three-year contract despite the fact that they still had Craig Anderson under contract as the de facto starter, and that situation could last even more than just one season. James Gordon of The Athletic spoke with Anderson today, who said he’s leaving any extension negotiations to his agent and GM Pierre Dorion. For his part, Dorion apparently sounded positive on the matter, bringing up an interesting question for the Senators. How much is Anderson really worth?

After an incredibly emotional and inspiring season, Anderson heads into the year at age-36 and coming off a .926 save percentage. There is no question he’s still a near-elite level goaltender in the league, but for how much longer can that continue? Condon signed for $2.4MM per season, leaving plenty of room to keep Anderson under contract in a tandem, but the Senators are not usually a cap team—instead operating on an internal budget—and will have to issue big extensions to some of their players before long. Erik Karlsson leads that list as a pending free agent in the summer of 2019, but he’s joined by Mark Stone, Kyle Turris, Derick Brassard and Cody Ceci who will all need contracts in one form or another during that period.

  • Brandon Mashinter has signed a contract with the San Jose Sharks for the upcoming season, and though the news release doesn’t specify financials it is expected to be a two-way deal since it was announced by Joe Will, the GM of the AHL Barracuda. Mashinter, 28, played all of last season for the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL, scoring 30 points in 61 games. A veteran of 64 NHL games, he was originally signed by the Sharks out of the OHL after going undrafted. He’ll be in a depth role for the Barracuda, who were one of the league’s best teams last season.
  • The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has released the first half of his Top 100 Under 25 list, which also includes a healthy honorable mention group. One of the most immediate takeaways surely is how many extremely talented players are in this bottom half, showing how incredibly young the league has skewed in recent years. Players like Adam Larsson and J.T. Miller find themselves lower on the list not because of any lack of talent, but because of the infusion the last few drafts have given the league. When 19-year old players like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid can come in with such an impact right away, it pushes everyone else down. Carolina leads the way with five names in the 50-100 range, and even Vegas gets onto the list with the inclusion of Shea Theodore.

No Extension Talks For Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bozak

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Though we recently heard that an extension for James van Riemsdyk could cost as much as $6MM, another Toronto Maple Leafs forward hasn’t even had talks with the team about his next contract. Tyler Bozak who, like van Riemsdyk is a free agent next summer, told Luke Fox of Sportsnet that he hadn’t had any talks with the Maple Leafs yet, and is just focused on the upcoming season. Bozak will earn $4.2MM this season on the final year of his five-year deal.

Tyler BozakBozak, 31, is part of the old guard of Maple Leafs’ 2013 postseason run left over from the last regime but had an exceptional season last year as much of the pressure was taken off him to be their top center. With Nazem Kadri stepping into a larger role and Auston Matthews assuming the #1 duties, Bozak was allowed to skate freely alongside James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner without tough defensive responsibilities. That resulted in a 55-point season, one that will surely pay off on the open market next summer.

For the time being, Bozak continues to be the target in much trade speculation as he is one of the only true offensive centers that could be available. The Maple Leafs are clearly looking to contend this season and aren’t eager to move some of their key forward pieces, but are also blessed with quite a bit of young depth on the wings and the possibility that William Nylander could be moved back to center. The New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and others look like potential fits for Bozak if the Maple Leafs decided to move on. Never a great defensive player, his offensive instincts and faceoff ability are still good enough to be an above-average third line center for the majority of the league.

The Maple Leafs of course have more to worry about than just contending this season. Next summer will see Nylander hit restricted free agency for the first time, while Matthews and Marner will join him a year later. Jake Gardiner will need a contract extension at some point—his deal expires after 2018-19—and so will van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov, if the team chooses to keep them around. All that needs quite the financial plan for the next few years, and it’s not clear where Bozak fits into that. If a deal isn’t struck by the new year, expect his name to be near the top of all the trade bait boards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Marcus Foligno Close To Signing With Minnesota Wild

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Monday: Russo again writes that the contract should be done by Thursday at the start of camp, and that it will likely be either three or four years in length. Despite what CapFriendly says about the team’s current projected cap hit, Russo writes that the team has “roughly $3.7MM” in space before signing Foligno. There is some grey area depending on who the Wild keep out of training camp, but if the team carries any extra skaters (which they assuredly will) that room becomes even more constricted.

Friday: The last few restricted free agents are starting to sign around the league, with Bo Horvat going off the board today with the Vancouver Canucks. One of the remaining RFAs, Marcus Foligno told Michael Russo of The Athletic that he’s “very close” to signing, and that it would be done by the start of training camp.

Foligno was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres earlier this offseason in the Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville trade, and could be a solid addition to the Wild’s bottom-six. His game is based mostly around physicality and defense, and with the forward depth Minnesota already has in terms of skill, Foligno should fit in alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and Charlie Coyle as an impressive third line. The former Sabre set a career-high in goals with 13 last season, and could eclipse that this year depending on how much playing time he receives.

Interestingly, Foligno is coming off a salary of $2.25MM, which if matched would put the Wild over the salary cap at the time being. The additions of Kyle Quincey, Matt Cullen and the pair of Buffalo forwards, combined with extensions for Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund has put the team right up against the cap to start the year.

More Tryouts Signed In Chicago, Ottawa

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Some more training camp rosters came out today, with several other professional tryouts included in Chicago and Ottawa. The Blackhawks will welcome Mark Stuart, Drew Miller and John Mitchell to camp, while according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators have invited Chris VandeVelde to compete for a spot.

Stuart has spent the last six seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, but with the emergence of Josh Morrissey last season and the signing of Dmitri Kulikov, there was never going to be a match between the two for this season. Instead, he’ll try and prove, along with Cody Franson who is also in camp on a PTO, that he can still compete at the NHL level and add something to the Blackhawks’ defense group. The 33-year old has played 673 games in the NHL.

Miller, also 33, is coming off eight seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he admirably filled a fourth-line or thirteenth forward role. Never much of an offensive threat, Miller has nonetheless carved out a successful career for himself, playing 571 games and winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim before ever suiting up for a regular season game.

The last of the three new tryouts, Mitchell saw his play fall off a cliff last season with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring just seven points all season. The 32-year old had previously been a fairly reliable bottom-six center, who registered a career-high of 32 points in 2013-14. As part of the Colorado collapse last year, Mitchell saw fewer and fewer minutes and couldn’t get anything going offensively. It may be close to the end for the former Maple Leafs draft pick.

For the Senators, they’ll bring in VandeVelde after he suited up in 81 of the Philadelphia Flyers’ games last season. The 30-year old tied his career-high with 15 points last season, but was a regular on the penalty kill nearly all season. He’ll try to earn a contract with the same work ethic that took him from a middling minor leaguer to a lineup stalwart in Philly.

 

Noah Juulsen “Very Close” To Being NHL Ready

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Bob McKenzie of TSN released his series of one-on-one interviews with Canadian NHL GMs today, and in speaking to the Montreal Canadiens’ Mark Bergevin, McKenzie asked about Noah Juulsen, a top prospect who is now eligible to play in the American Hockey League. Bergevin confirmed that Juulsen is “very close” to being ready for the NHL, and that the team would be taking a hard look at him in training camp.

It’s hard to see Juulsen cracking the roster right out of camp, as Montreal currently has eight NHL-level defensemen signed plus Jakub Jerabek, the wild card from the Czech Republic. It will be a dog fight for the last few spots even without Juulsen’s competition, but the young defenseman will try to force the team to keep him. Last year in the WHL the 20-year old showed that he’s ready for professional hockey with 34 points in just 45 games while being one of the best open-ice hitters in junior hockey. His skating is already above-average for the NHL, and he would likely become a fan favorite in little time in Montreal.

As Bergevin explains, even though the Canadiens look to have too many defensemen already, training camp hasn’t even started. It’s rare that a team gets through the preseason without injury, meaning a chance for Juulsen is still a real possibility. The 6’3″ defender that was drafted 26th-overall in 2015 will likely make his debut at some point this season, even if it comes after the majority of the season is spent with the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Either way, Montreal fans should be excited knowing that there is some more high-level defensive help on its way.

Henrik, Daniel Sedin Will “Not Play Anywhere Else”

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks will have a decision on their hands after this season, when legendary forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin are up for a new contract. Their effect has been dwindling the last few years, and the Canucks are headed in a new direction, but the twins have something to tell the fan base who has cheered them for so long. They’re not going anywhere else. In a wonderful piece in the Players’ Tribune, Daniel states just that.

When the time is right, we will sit down with management and discuss it. People say our window for winning a Cup has closed, but we have said it before, and we will say it again. We won’t play anywhere else. If we are going to win a Stanley Cup, if we are going to achieve our dream, we’d only want it to be in Vancouver. If we did it anywhere else, I don’t think it would feel the same.

As we discussed in our recent Canucks Season Primer, the team will be looking to the future this year with players like Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. They made their case for a rebuild last trade deadline when they moved Jannik Hansen and Alex Burrows for two prospects, and have brought in a number of free agents this summer who could be flipped at the deadline. While it’s certainly possible that a rejuvenated Sedin duo and upstart young group could make an improbably playoff run a reality, it’s more likely that the Canucks will hope to see their name at the top of the draft lottery next spring.

What that means for the Sedin’s future is unclear. They could retire after the season, riding off into the sunset after Daniel joins Henrik in the 1000-point club, likely to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame together someday, or they could sign new short-term deals with the Canucks to be part of the rebuild. Right now, their $7MM cap hits are limiting Vancouver’s ability to do certain things like acquire bad contracts along with assets, but one year incentive-based deals could find a nice middle ground for the two sides.

Whatever happens, it won’t be anywhere but Vancouver. The pair, that were drafted second and third overall after some draft floor work by Brian Burke back in 1999 have played a combined 2,473 regular season games for the Canucks, scoring 2,007 points.

Damon Severson Signs With New Jersey Devils

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Another important—but perhaps underappreciated—restricted free agent is off the board, as Damon Severson has signed a new contract with the New Jersey Devils. The contract is for six years and $25MM, and does not include any trade protection. The salary breakdown is as follows:

  • 2017-18: $2.5MM
  • 2018-19: $3.0MM
  • 2019-20: $4.675MM
  • 2020-21: $4.675MM
  • 2021-22: $5.05MM
  • 2022-23: $5.1MM

Damon SeversonWhile many saw last season as a breakout for Severson, after Adam Larsson’s departure put more of the spotlight on him in New Jersey, he’s been playing at an extremely high level since he entered the league in 2014. Now 23, Severson has recorded 69 points in 203 games while logging 20 minutes a night nearly every game for the Devils. He is the leader on their blueline, and will now be rewarded with a long term contract.

The Devils of course moved Larsson to the Edmonton Oilers last summer in exchange for Taylor Hall, leaving Severson as the top right-handed option and powerplay quarterback on the team. His point total raised to 31 this season on the back of a big performance with the man advantage, but his defensive play is also up to snuff. Severson can at times look shaky in his own end, but generally drives possession with quick decisions. He doesn’t just clear the puck blindly, but moves it out with his feet or a quick first pass.

Speaking of Larsson, the new contract is exactly the same as the six-year $25MM deal they gave him in 2015, though that had some trade protection and was actually buying out three years of free agency. Severson will give up just two UFA seasons, and could hit the market at 28.

New Jersey, who’ve struggled the past five years to even ice a competitive team, have just a inked a shining star long-term that they can build around. The Devils are clearly still trying to compete for a playoff spot, but eventually they may need to do a slight tear-down and rebuild the team around young Nico Hischier, Mike McLeod, Pavel Zacha and others. Severson is now locked in as a top option on the blueline for some time.

The $4.167MM cap hit is plenty affordable for the Devils, and carries incredible value. As Larsson demonstrated, puck-moving right-handed defensemen signed for less than $5MM are very rare to find. It’s very plausible that Severson even takes another step forward this season and starts to compete with players like Tyson Barrie and Torey Krug in that next tier of offensive production. If he can do that without sacrificing anything in his own end, the Devils will be quite pleased with his cap hit for years to come.

Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the length and financial details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Bruins, Flyers, Clutterbuck

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is just six playoff games into what will assuredly be a lengthy NHL career but his presence is already making an impact off the ice.  Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe suggests that part of the concern about meeting winger David Pastrnak’s asking price is the expectation that they will have to hand McAvoy an expensive second deal in the near future as well.

The 19-year-old is eligible to sign a contract extension as soon as July 1st although his next deal won’t start until 2019-20.  Assuming he plays heavy minutes and is productive as he was in the playoffs, Shinzawa suggests that McAvoy’s second contract could be comparable to the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Seth Jones, and Colton Parayko, who are all earning at least $5MM on those deals.  While the Bruins are well under the cap now, their new contract for Pastrnak as well as all of their long-term, big money pacts to their veterans will still be on the books when McAvoy is up for renewal so GM Don Sweeney may be planning ahead to try to avoid a cap crunch down the road.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The Flyers don’t have any PTO offers in place for defensemen yet, GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).  However, Hextall is still looking around so that may not be the case for long.  Philadelphia projects to have at least a couple of young blueliners start with the team so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team look to add a little bit of veteran competition for training camp.
  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck dealt with recurring groin troubles last season. He told Newsday’s Arthur Staple that the issue stemmed from changing his skates of all things.  He has switched back to his previous ones and isn’t experiencing any soreness now.  Clutterbuck is coming off of a below-average season that saw him score just five goals and the continued groin issues undoubtedly contributed to those struggles.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top