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Anaheim Ducks To Buy Out Simon Despres

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In a surprising move, the Anaheim Ducks have placed Simon Despres on waivers in order to buy out his contract. Despres had four seasons remaining on his current contract, meaning the buyout cap-hit will be as follows:

  • 2017-18: $1.26MM
  • 2018-19: -$338K
  • 2019-20: -$338K
  • 2020-21: $963K
  • 2021-22: $663K
  • 2022-23: $663K
  • 2023-24: $663K
  • 2024-25: $663K

Interestingly, completing the buyout now when Despres is only 25 means that the team only has to pay out 1/3 of the remaining salary, and because that needs to be spread over eight years they will actually receive a cap credit in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Had they waited any longer, Despres would have turned 26 (July 27th) and the team would have had to pay twice as much in terms of salary.

Despres missed all but one game last season for the Ducks, but began skating with the team late in the year and now must have been officially cleared in order for the team to buy him out. The defenseman has dealt with concussion problems for quite some time, but could try to and come back somewhere around the league. Once a first-round pick that showed big potential as a two-way horse, if he wants (and is able to) play again he’ll have to rebuild his value.

This move is almost certainly linked to a possible Cam Fowler extension, as the team moves money out in order to hand out a long-term contract to their star defenseman. Despres was set to go unprotected in the expansion draft anyway, meaning this has little to do with that situation. The Ducks, who were right up against the cap already will save almost $2.5MM this season and more than $4MM each of the next two, room enough to help them fit in Fowler or any free agent they deem worthy.

Montreal Canadiens Will Not Qualify Nikita Nesterov

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In another (perhaps expected) move that will weaken the depth of the Montreal Canadiens defense, the team will not qualify Nikita Nesterov according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, making him an unrestricted free agent at the end of the month. After also trading away Mikhail Sergachev yesterday, it’s clear the team has some other plans for the blueline in 2017-18.

Nesterov never really did fit into the Canadiens schemes after being acquired in January from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In just 13 games for club, he recorded five points but played under 16 minutes a night. The writing seemed to be on the wall when he suited up for just two games in the playoffs for the team. The 24-year old actually is a positive possession player, meaning he’ll likely find a home with a more analytically-leaning front office around the league.

Just this month his agent Dan Milstein announced that Nesterov would like to stay in the NHL, despite the KHL reaching out to try and bring him back to Russia. There does seem to be some upside to Nesterov, but any deal will have to come with very little risk for the team.

The Canadiens continue to be linked to defensemen around the league, and also think highly of the newly acquired Jakub Jerabek. The Czech defender is expected to step right into the NHL and compete for minutes, giving the team another option for the bottom pairing.

Morning Notes: Hischier, Predators, Frk

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The AHL-CHL agreement is an interesting part of every offseason, stopping players who otherwise would be ready to join the professional ranks of the minor leagues and keeping them in junior hockey. That agreement, which limits anyone under the age of 20, doesn’t apply to players on loan from their European clubs. We saw it last year when Alexander Nylander played for Rochester of the AHL despite being just 18 at the start of the season.

It was expected that Nico Hischier, a top prospect in this year’s draft could do the same, but according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com he isn’t on loan from his former Swiss club Bern, and will not be eligible for the AHL should he not make his NHL club next season. That means the 18-year old Hischier will likely return to Halifax for one more season and try to win a Memorial Cup.

  • Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that despite trying to reach a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in order to protect both James Neal and Calle Jarnkrok from selection in the upcoming expansion draft, the two sides have yet to come to an agreement. As we discussed in our Nashville Expansion Primer, the Predators are at real risk of giving up the most talented player in the entire draft. LeBrun suggests they’ll look elsewhere for a deal, but protection lists are due tomorrow evening and they’re running out of time.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Martin Frk has been qualified by the Red Wings, just days after scoring the Calder Cup-winning goal. Frk is a restricted free agent this summer and had an outstanding AHL season with 50 points in 65 games after being claimed off waivers from Carolina. The qualifying offer for Frk would have been $715K, though he still qualifies for a two-way offer.

Details On Dion Phaneuf Trade List

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Dion Phaneuf submitted a new 12-team trade list to the Ottawa Senators recently, blocking deals to all but a dozen clubs around the league. Pierre LeBrun of TSN was first to announce that he’d sent it in to the Sens, and now gives us some details on who is on the “yes” list. The Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers all could acquire Phaneuf without the Senators asking his permission. Dion Phaneuf

Trade lists are usually about leverage for the player, trying to block teams that he think could want to acquire him. That gives him the ability to pick and choose where his next destination is, and not just be uprooted without warning. In this case, it seems more to do with geography than anything else as both the Canadiens and Oilers could theoretically use a player like Phaneuf.

The 32-year old has never played outside Canada, suiting up for Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa over his career. He’s made it clear he enjoys playing in his home country, making Edmonton and Montreal easy destinations. Los Angeles on the other hand may have more to do with his wife, Elisha Cuthbert and her television and film career. Cuthbert’s current show “The Ranch” films in Burbank, California making Los Angeles an easy landing spot for the pair.

The Kings would likely be uninterested in Phaneuf, and it would be hard to see either Edmonton or Montreal pony up the money for him over the next several years. Phaneuf incurs a $7MM cap hit for the next four seasons. As Darren Dreger of TSN spoke about this morning, Ottawa will have to retain some of his salary in order to facilitate a move, should they be serious about trading the defenseman. It would be much easier to sell a team on a $4.5-5MM Phaneuf for the next few years, but that would require a hefty investment from the Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Penguins, Predators Make Minor Signings

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Both Stanley Cup Final teams have made a minor signing today, as teams start to get their roster in order for the upcoming offseason. According to CapFriendly, the Nashville Predators have signed Joonas Lyytinen to a two-year entry-level contract, while the Pittsburgh Penguins have inked Filip Gustavsson to a three-year ELC.

Lyytinen’s deal is worth $740K per season, but there is still a long way to go before he ever sees an NHL ice surface. Selected in the fifth round (132nd overall) Lyytinen broke out this year in his native Finland, scoring 24 points in 54 games.  Though his two-way play is commendable in the European league, he’ll be hard-pressed to make an impact at the NHL level without significantly increasing his size.

Listed sometimes as low as 150-lbs, but more likely sitting somewhere above that, Lyytinen is still too small for the league at this time. If he can continue to fill out, and use his excellent skating ability to its full potential, perhaps the Predators have another mid-round steal on their hands. He’ll likely come over from Europe next season to suit up for the Milwaukee Admirals.

The Penguins on the other hand will pay Gustavsson $776K per season on his deal should he play in the NHL, and the second-round pick from last summer has a chance at some point. An incredibly athletic goaltender, Gustavsson put up solid numbers in both the Swedish junior league and the SHL this year. Though he’s not ready to step in as the backup to Matt Murray just yet, he does have a chance to crack the NHL in a couple of years when his play starts to adjust to the North American game. He’ll stay in Sweden for the 2017-18 season, after which this contract will kick in.

Expansion Primer: Detroit Red Wings

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

Missing the playoffs for only the first time in 25 years, the Detroit Red Wings plan on rebuilding but still keeping the playoffs in their sights. Detroit is in an interesting situation as they hold a slew of draft picks, and a number of contracts they could expose, giving some relief if one is taken.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar (RFA), Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou (RFA), Frans Nielsen (NMC),

Defensemen:

Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson, Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall, Nick Jensen, Xavier Ouellet (RFA).

Goaltender:

Jimmy Howard, Petr Mrazek, Jared Coreau

Notable Exemptions

Dylan Larkin, Johan Franzen.

Key Decisions

One of the chief reasons the Red Wings have lost their footing as a contender is not only a lack of high draft picks, but some disastrous decisions when it came to handing out contracts. Though I have written about this before, it bears repeating that under general manager Ken Holland, the Red Wings will always be loyal and choose to, as Holland always says, “draft and develop” before looking elsewhere for help. This is a key point to keep in mind as decisions are to be made. One of the biggest knocks on Holland is that he falls in love with his players–especially those he drafted.

One of the simplest ways Detroit could get salary cap room would be by protecting those who are absolutely necessary and allowing several high priced players to be exposed. Holland stipulated that he will be going with the 7-3-1 format when it comes to keeping players, and that will allow for some higher priced players to be exposed. Additionally, Holland has made it clear he will not part with draft picks in order to move contracts. Options, then, are aplenty.

Henrik Zetterberg will be protected because of his role as captain, and the all but guaranteed moment of his number hanging from the rafters. Barring some sort of crazy change, Zetterberg will be protected.

Feb 12, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan (15) during a game between the Minnesota Wild and Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Red Wings 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Riley Sheahan is a curious case. Sheahan struggled mightily, scoring two goals all season, both coming in the final game of the year. Still young and only a $2M cap hit, he could be snapped up. Sheahan has to be due for a bounce back, and with a hodgepodge of new talent and a fresh start in Vegas, it could be a boon for him professionally.  It’s a risk the Wings have to look at, being that the bounce back could also occur in Hockeytown.

Abdelkader is also an interesting case. He is owed a lot of money ($4.25MM AAV) through 2023, and hasn’t produced to justify the expense. But this is where Holland’s loyalty comes in. It’s highly unlikely Vegas would take him at that hit for the next six years while the Red Wings are believed to be grooming Abdelkader as the next captain of the team. Expect Abdelkader to be on the protected list. But rolling the dice and putting Abdelkader out there would not only allow them to hold onto a cheaper player who seems prone for a bounce back, but also provides the chance of getting significant cap relief should Abdelkader be selected.

Darren Helm and Luke Glendening at this point are role players who both hold higher cap hits ($3.85MM and $1.8MM respectively). Helm has traditionally been a third line center while Glendening spends the majority of his time on the fourth. They should both be exposed.

Finally, a quirk in CBA wording made Anthony Mantha eligible for the expansion draft. Holland will have no choice but to include him on the list. Detroit blog Winging It In Motown did a great job of breaking down the verbiage in the CBA that makes Mantha eligible.

Projected Protection List

F – Henrik Zetterberg
F – Anthony Mantha
F – Andreas Athanasiou
F – Frans Nielsen (NMC)
F – Justin Abdelkader
F – Tomas Tatar
F – Gustav Nyquist

D – Mike Green
D – Xavier Ouellet
D – Danny DeKeyser

G – Petr Mrazek

The goalie situation is another precarious case for the Wings, as Mrazek, who was anointed the starter last year, struggled to gain form and saw Howard take over the top spot until injury caught up with him. Coreau just backstopped the Grand Rapids Griffins to a Calder Cup trophy and comes very cheap as  an NHL backup, especially with little NHL experience to his name. The choice here would have to be Mrazek, as Howard has only a couple years left and can rarely stay healthy enough to maintain a #1 job. Youth and Mrazek’s potential are reasons to protect him. The Czech netminder has flashes of brilliance and should Detroit restock with a stalwart defense and supportive scoring, it’s not out of the question that Mrazek could be one of the best in the league.

Oct 30, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek (34) is pulled out and replaced by goalie Jimmy Howard (35) during the second period against Florida Panthers at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

On defense, the Wings will protect both Green and DeKeyser, the latter who they re-signed to a large deal that was panned by many, especially after DeKeyser sputtered last season. Still relatively young at 27, the Wings are trying to find a #1 or 2 defenseman that would ease the pressure on DeKeyser. The real question comes in at who to protect after that. The loyalty piece of Holland could put Kronwall on the list of protected because of his time in Detroit. The 36-year-old defenseman has been lauded for his leadership abilities as well. But that leaves a number of young talent exposed, namely Ouellet, and Jensen. The better bet is that Kronwall will be exposed, and the Wings will protect Ouellet over Jensen. Their numbers were similar this season, but Ouellet, just about three years younger than Jensen, seems the smarter choice to place on the protected list. It is highly unlikely that Kronwall will be taken, being that he experienced a major dip in play last season due to a nagging knee injury. His mobility and skating ability isn’t close to what it once was.

The takeaway with the Red Wings is that they are truly a team in transition. Their building blocks for nearly a decade are aging, they have question marks in net, and defensively, there is no clear cut number one or number two defensemen.  While they don’t have a lot to lose in terms of talent, Holland will most likely defer to youth rather than loyalty when making his final choices.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Thursday Trade Talk: Dumba, Brodin, Galchenyuk, Hjalmarsson

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The Minnesota Wild find themselves the center of trade speculation, with Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin headlining the rumors according to the Star Tribune’s Michael Russo. Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher has received “quality trade offers” revolving around Dumba and Brodin. It’s no secret that the Wild have difficult decisions to make before they make their final choices for the expansion list. According to Russo, it’s prudent to deal either Dumba or Brodin since Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter will take up two of the three slots for protected defenseman. Instead of losing one for nothing, Fletcher is listening in on trade offers, and one such team Russo sees as being targeted is Montreal. The player they’re most likely targeting? Alex Galchenyuk.

  • TSN’s Ken Campbell writes that with the Canadiens acquiring Jonathan Drouin today, it likely means that Galchenyuk “won’t be back” in Montreal next season. Campbell adds that Galchenyuk is actively being shopped and Campbell figures that the target will be a young defenseman. With Carey Price in need of an extension, and the Montreal brass wanting to avoid “drama” in getting that extension, Galchenyuk would fetch the young d-man that would entice Price to stay and also fill a need for the Canadiens.
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine goes through a number of players who have been the subject of trade rumors. On the issue of Marcus Kruger, Hine writes that the veteran center is “all but gone” and that defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is all but certain to join him with Vegas being the likely destination. Kruger would be dealt while van Riemsdyk would be selected in the draft. Regarding a core player who could be traded, Hine opines that Niklas Hjalmarsson could be the choice to move. However, Hine points out that Hjalmarsson has a partial no-trade clause and would only accept a trade to 10 teams. Hine writes that a source within the organization indicated that the Hawks have not asked Hjalmarsson to do this.

Analysts Weigh In On Sergachev-Drouin Deal

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The trade between Montreal and Tampa Bay that sent Jonathan Drouin and a 2018 conditional sixth round pick to the Habs for Mikhail Sergachev and a 2018 conditional second round pick was intriguing on a number of levels. It resulted in the Canadiens immediately inking Drouin to a six-year, $33MM deal, and flipped a defenseman to the Lightning, bolstering the blue line. It’s a deal that could not only begin the onslaught of trades that many have expected in the hockey world, but could have what Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun called a “major ripple effect” for Montreal. Here are some thoughts and musings from many in the hockey world.

  • Sportsnet’s Craig Hagerman details the expansion implications that the deal has. Getting rid of Drouin, Hagerman writes, offers Vegas a significantly less talented forward to choose from when they peruse Tampa’s choices.  Additionally, Sergachev is exempt from the expansion draft.  Montreal, on the other hand, still has a number of forwards they will have to expose. Hagerman adds that Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman acted when the Lightning were looking at some tough choices on who to protect and expose.Oct 4, 2016; Quebec City, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (22) checks Boston Bruins forward David Krejci (46) during the third period of a preseason hockey game at Centre Videotron. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli adds that the Bolts snagged a defenseman they desperately needed while the Canadiens grab the French-Canadian impact player they’ve been dreaming of since Stephane Richer, Pierre Turgeon, and Vincent Damphousse. Seravalli knows the trade was influenced by Tampa’s cap issues and its expansion draft decision. It gives them a chance to grow a potential top four d-man, while surrounding him with significant talent and other Russian influences on the team. Montreal adds a much needed goal scoring presence who has yet to even hit the prime of his career. The best part? He comes at a bargain.
  • The USA Today’s Kevin Allen sees this as a “do-over” for Yzerman in acquiring a top pairing defenseman. Allen writes that Yzerman chose Drouin over Seth Jones in the 2013 draft, and now has the chance to make up for that decision in acquiring Sergachev. He believes it’s a win for both sides, with the Habs acquiring a young scoring forward who is French-Canadian. The Canadiens, Allen writes, lost nothing on their current roster to add a dynamic scoring presence. For the Bolts, they gain an exceptional skater and a young defenseman who could possibly be on the roster next season.
  • But it’s not sunshine and rainbows for every writer. The Tampa Bay Times’ Martin Fennelly warns that it could be a deal Yzerman regrets. While he outlines the chance that Drouin doesn’t live up to what Montreal expects, he points out that the deal could “haunt” them as they’ll see Montreal often within the Atlantic Division scheduling, while adding that Drouin is an already established talent who will most likely delight in beating his former team. While Fennelly admits Sergachev to be a great prospect and saying that Yzerman hasn’t made many “bad” deals,  he believes this one has the potential to blow up in his face.

All photographs courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jonathan Drouin Signs Six-Year Extension

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Less than three hours after being traded to the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin has signed a six-year contract with the club. The deal will pay him $33MM, averaging $5.5MM per season through 2022-23. Drouin will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the deal. It contains a limited no-trade clause in the final two seasons, both bought out from what would have been his free agent years. Drouin had said earlier it was a dream come true for him to join his favorite childhood team, and now had this to say about the deal:

It’s quite an honor to be a member of the Canadiens. I’ve had a smile on my face for three hours straight!

Drouin was acquired for Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional second-round pick, and will now try to live up to his tremendous potential in his native Quebec. The forward is coming off a year in which he scored 53 points in 73 games and many believe he is capable of much more. He’ll be expected to be a huge part of the offense at $5.5MM, but it is reasonable enough to think that it won’t be a burden on Montreal down the line.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, who traded Drouin earlier today had expansion problems with their forwards and wanted a defenseman, but likely couldn’t go as high as $5.5MM in contract talks either. With Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat to sign this summer, they are cash-strapped in the short term as they try to stay under the cap but stay competitive.

Drouin’s deal makes him the second-highest paid forward on the Canadiens, amazingly ahead of captain Max Pacioretty. “Patches” is under one of the most team-friendly deals in the entire league, paying him only $4.5MM per season. The cap certainty that Montreal has gained with a long-term deal for Drouin will come in handy when trying to extend Carey Price, who is up for an extension on July 1st and will probably command the largest contract ever given to a goaltender.

The interesting things to watch in Montreal now are twofold. One, is Alex Galchenyuk destined for another team now that more depth on the left side has been acquired, and two, will it be possible to bring Alex Radulov back under the current salary structure. Those two things almost seem mutually exclusive, as Galchenyuk is also looking for a new contract as a restricted free agent and the Canadiens still need to address their defensive group and re-sign Nathan Beaulieu. If Radulov is looking for upwards of $6MM, he may prove too expensive unless another forward is moved out of town.

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