Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2017

Toronto Maple Leafs Eyeing Swedish Help On Defense

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

For all the success the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie forward group had this season, with Auston Matthews immediately becoming #1 center, Mitch Marner proving his size doesn’t change the fact that he’s a wizard with the puck, and William Nylander coming into his own as a possession-driving forward, their was still (at least) one thing wrong with the team. Their defense, even with the addition of 25-year old rookie Nikita Zaitsev, were often criticized for giving up leads and looking lost in their own end.

So they entered this season with a clear direction: add depth on defense. Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Zaitsev gave them three reliable options—ones that are now all locked up for next season—but they needed to fix the bottom pair if nothing else. Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak are both free agents, and though at times held their own were generally a weakness on the team.

When Mike Babcock finished the season, he immediately said he’d be heading to the World Championships to watch a few players, and this week told Darren Dreger that the team would soon be announcing a few European signings. It seems like those will include at least two Swedish defenders, namely Calle Rosen and Philip Holm. Rosen was linked to the Maple Leafs last month, while yesterday a report surfaced from a Swedish source that said Holm was also committed to the Maple Leafs.

Rosen and Holm both played this season for Vaxjo of the SHL, and are even usual partners there. Both shoot from the left-side, and have a common ability to skate the puck out of traffic and move it with crisp passes. During the year Holm, the elder of the two at 25, recorded 21 points while Rosen notched 19 in 11 fewer games.

With Holm getting into his first two matches at the World Championships for Sweden, Babcock likely has seen him up close. His three point effort against the Italians today would certainly impress, as he keeps up with the other outstanding defenders on Sweden.

Though nothing has been officially announced just yet, Rosen and Holm would definitely add a new wrinkle to the Maple Leafs defense group next season, and perhaps even get another chance to play together under the bright lights of professional hockey. While Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said recently that there is one player in particular in the minors that they’d like to take a look at, these Swedish defenders may block any prospect from making the jump just yet.

Andrei Mironov Officially Released From KHL Contract, Signs With Colorado

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Friday: The Avalanche have officially announced the contract, signing Mironov to a two-year entry-level deal.

Thursday: According to agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, Andrei Mironov has been officially granted release from his KHL contract. Mironov will sign a two-year entry-level contract shortly with the Colorado Avalanche. GM Joe Sakic was confident that the signing would go through, but still hesitated to call it completed until the official release came down.

Mironov is a 6’2″ defender who has played the last five seasons in the KHL, despite still only being 22. Selected in the fourth round in 2015, his physical style and general nastiness will give the Colorado blueline another facet in the future. The left-handed shot was recently compared to Darius Kasparaitis, the long-time NHL defender who was one of the best at getting under opponent’s skin.

While the Colorado blueline needs a lot of work, Mironov and Nikita Zadorov would be a tough duo to play against (though they both play the same side) down the line, though each of their offensive abilities are still in question. Mironov doesn’t move the puck as well as you would hope, and will need to improve that aspect of his game before really being an impact player at the NHL level.

Minor Moves: Bratt, Carey, Carrick

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have inked one of their 2016 draft picks, signing Jesper Bratt to a three-year entry-level contract. The sixth-round pick played this season for AIK of the Swedish second league, scoring 22 points in 46 games. Bratt is a small, shifty winger that is still a long way away from being considered a real NHL prospect. Still just 18 years old, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him stay in Sweden next season, perhaps moving up to the SHL at some point.

Bratt will also have a chance to appear in this year’s World Juniors, after playing in the U18 tournament last year. He’s shown a good hard shot at international competitions in the past, though only scored six goals with it for AIK this season.

  • Washington Capitals forward Paul Carey has cleared waivers and been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Hershey won game 3 of their series against the Providence Bruins last night, and will hope Carey can help them all the way to the Calder Cup finals. If there has been one complaint about the Bears this postseason it’s that they haven’t scored enough goals, notching just 17 in the 8 games thus far. Carey will likely change that, after his point-per-game season that saw him register 24 goals for the Bears.
  • Sam Carrick has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks once again, as they get set to start their series against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks have been beat up by injuries all playoffs, and will rely on Carrick as insurance should they get into any trouble before the game tonight. Carrick hasn’t played in the NHL this season, though he did put up 11 points in 15 AHL games after coming over in a mid-season trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also has recorded five points in the playoffs for the San Diego Gulls, who are currently down 2-1 to the San Jose Barracuda in their second-round series.

Morning Notes: Okposo, Shattenkirk, Capitals

at CDT | by 2 Comments

When Kyle Okposo was hospitalized last month, it was a scary moment for friends, family and fans of the Buffalo Sabres forward, unsure of exactly what had happened. John Vogl of Buffalo News has a heartening update though, saying that Okposo is still likely to be ready for training camp in September.

According to teammate William Carrier, Okposo had suffered a concussion and was receiving treatment for it, which according to other sources then led to a bad reaction to medication. Okposo would end up in the neuro-intensive care unit, but was released on April 7th.

  • The Washington Capitals cleaned out their lockers today, and Kevin Shattenkirk was front and center talking to the media about his upcoming free agency. Though he told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that he’d talk to the Capitals first about a possible extension, he also admitted that he wants a bigger role wherever he goes. While the Capitals are likely losing Karl Alzner as well, it’s clear that Shattenkirk wouldn’t be the #1 on that team should he re-sign, which means he’s likely played his last game there for the time being. Which teams would be interested in making him their top defender is still up for debate, after an up-and-down playoff run.
  • The rest of the Capitals also talked about their free agency, with T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and Daniel Winnik all indicating their preference to return. Oshie especially will be a tough case, as he likely would enter the market as one of the top-3 free agents this summer. With the Capitals needing to re-sign several key restricted free agents, Oshie would be tough to fit into their cap structure.

Ben Bishop Signs Six-Year Contract With Dallas Stars

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Newly acquired goaltender Ben Bishop has signed a deal with the Dallas Stars. The contract will be for six years and come in at a total of $29.5MM ($4.92MM AAV). The Stars received Bishop in exchange for a fourth-round pick on May 9th, and were immediately said to have common ground on a future contract. Bishop would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer should he have made it to July 1st.

Like Carolina, who dealt for Scott Darling before quickly signing him to a long-term deal, the Stars were not willing to wait around to address their goaltending issues this summer. Instead, they were proactive going after one of the top free agents and seem to have gotten their man without having to fight off any other teams. "<strong

While this contract may seem like a bargain at the low cap-hit, six years is a lot to give to a goaltender who will turn 31 in November. While he clearly has the talent to be an elite netminder in the NHL, this is a big gamble by the Stars that could backfire quickly. Any contract guaranteed the Stars will make another move—whether it be a buyout or trade—of one of their other goaltenders. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi already cost the team over $10MM combined, and a new contract for Bishop would make them both expendable.

Bishop is coming off a two-year deal that paid him $5.95MM per season, and though his first season was well worth it this year saw a downturn in his play. As the Lightning leaned further toward Andrei Vasilevskiy as their starter, Bishop recorded only a .911 save percentage and dealt with injury. After a mid-season deal to the Los Angeles Kings, he performed even worse stopping just 90% of the shots faced.

This deal puts him in line with goaltenders like Jimmy Howard, Jaroslav Halak and amazingly, Niemi in terms of cap-hit. While it also comes close to Frederik Andersen’s deal from last summer with the Maple Leafs, Andersen was much younger when he inked his five-year pact. Bishop will play most of the final season on this contract at 36, an age few goaltenders make it to as starters.

The contract is broken down as follows:

2017-18: $7MM, NMC
2018-19: $6.5MM, NMC
2019-20: $5.5MM, NMC
2020-21: $3.5MM, modified-NTC
2021-22:$3.5MM, modified-NTC
2022-23: $3.5MM, modified-NTC

The front-loaded nature of the deal also poses a problem for the Stars, should they ever need to use a buyout on Bishop as he ages. With a low salary in the final few years, a buyout wouldn’t provide as much cap relief for the team, though the change to a modified no-trade clause (though details have not yet been released) could provide an avenue of escape.

Regardless of the risk involved down the road, Bishop will immediately have a big responsibility on his shoulders, trying to bring the Stars back to the promised land after a disaster season. The team will have two first-round picks to add to the stable, allowing a quick injection of talent to a roster that should already be competing for the playoffs.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN was first to report the deal was close, and also provided the first financial details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pending Restricted Free Agents And Offer Sheets

at CDT | by 2 Comments

It’s been four years since the last offer sheet in the NHL, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation surrounding them.

The past two years leave little clue to what could happen this summer. Two summers ago saw several major moves made to avoid the threat of an offer sheet, then last summer saw seven high-end players go the entire summer without a new contract with no whisper of an offer sheet.

Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Viktor Arvidsson, Evegeni Kuznetsov, Alexander Wennberg, and 23 more 30-plus point scorers are restricted free agents this summer. Those seven names all scored more than 59 points this past season, and would be plug-and-play options on most NHL clubs. And while the official compensation has not been reported for the upcoming season, last season it broke down this way (per Elliott Friedman):

Less than $1.23MM No compensation
$1.23MM to $1.87MM Third-round pick
$1.87MM to $3.75MM Second-round pick
$3.75MM to $5.63MM First and third-round picks
$5.63MM to $7.51MM First, second and third-round picks
$7.51MM to $9.38MM Two firsts, a second and third-round picks
Over $9.38MM Four first-round picks

The price to acquire a marquee name would realistically be two first-round picks, a second, and a third. Arguably, none of those players are in line to make more than $7.5MM on their new deals with their current clubs, but offer sheets need to be high enough to discourage the player’s club from matching, leading to overpaying players. It’s for that reason that offer sheets are so rare; no GM can afford to harm their team’s reputation among their peers (or take part in a barn fight). Additionally, offer sheets raise salaries and no team owner wants to be seen as responsible in the next CBA talks. Back in the mid-90s, Colorado Avalanche superstar Joe Sakic signed an offer sheet with the New York Rangers that raised the standard salary for NHL stars from $3MM to $7MM.

On TSN 690 in Montreal, where fans and media are speculating about a potential offer sheet for the Oilers’ big center Draisaitl, TSN Insider Darren Dreger shot down rumors. Dreger believes the Oilers know what it will likely take to sign Draisaitl and 2018-RFA Connor McDavid and are willing to sacrifice players like Jordan Eberle and perhaps even Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in order to keep their two young stars together. As mentioned above, offer sheets harm working relationships and with other big names becoming available from Edmonton for cap purposes in the coming few years, it doesn’t make sense to rule one’s team out of those discussions.

Realistically, the threat of an offer sheet is a more effective way to acquire a player. In 2015, the Bruins and Blackhawks traded Dougie Hamilton and Brandon Saad quickly to avoid being hit with an offer sheet. In the Blackhawks’ case, losing Saad for draft picks would have lead to future trades to replace him. Acquiring actual NHL players and prospects (like Artem Anisimov and Marko Dano) is more valuable than the risk associated with draft picks because the GM knows exactly what he’s getting back.

While fans and media love to speculate about offer sheets, the combination of losing several high draft picks, CBA issues, and the guarantee of harming the franchise’s reputation, it’s understandable why offer sheets are close to extinct.

Notable Contracts Signed During Playoffs

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL’s regular season ended on April 9. Since then, there have been six notable contracts handed out by teams who either missed the playoffs or were eliminated early. We also saw the first major signing by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

At the half-way mark of the playoffs, let’s take a look at the bigger contracts signed so far:

April 24 – The New York Islanders re-signed Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year extension worth $1.25MM. A year removed from being bought-out by the Boston Bruins, Seidenberg signed with the Islanders during training camp. The defensive defenseman scored five goals and 22 points in 73 games with the Islanders. Seidenberg will be exposed in the expansion draft, but is not the most-appealing option that will be available to the Golden Knights from the Islanders roster.

May 2 – The Toronto Maple Leafs finally confirmed the long-rumored signing of defenseman Nikita Zaitsev to a seven-year, $31.5MM extension. That’s an average of $4.5MM per season, which is fair value for a top-four defenseman on a long-term deal. The 25-year old transitioned exceptionally to the NHL, registering 36 points while leading the Maple Leafs in ice-time and playing in all 82 regular season games. The term is likely longer than most Maple Leafs’ fans wanted, but will keep the cap hit down. He will also be exempt from this spring’s expansion draft.

May 4 – The Vegas Golden Knights made their first major acquisition (sorry, Reid Duke) by signing KHL star Vadim Shipachyov to a two-year, $9MM contract. The 30-year-old center scored 76 points in 50 games this season for SKA St. Petersburg. That was good for third in the KHL and second on SKA, behind only Ilya Kovalchuk. Shipachyov is a highly-skilled offensive player, but isn’t a big body at 6’1, 190 lbs. Vegas hopes he’ll be a marquee talent for the expansion club.

May 5 – The Carolina Hurricanes traded for Chicago Blackhawks backup goaltender Scott Darling in late April, and spent less than a week negotiating a new four-year, $16.6MM contract. Darling spent three seasons with the Blackhawks, going from a little-known name to one of this summer’s most highly sought-after goaltenders. In 32 games this season, Darling went 18-5-5 with a 0.924 SV% and a 2.38 GAA. The Hurricanes still owe Eddie Lack and Cam Ward over $6MM for the upcoming season.

May 9 – The Los Angeles Kings’ new GM Rob Blake locked up one of his team’s key young players to a four-year, $15MM contract. Tanner Pearson finished third on the Kings in scoring, with a career-high 44 points. The Kings had a disappointing season, but Pearson was one of their few bright spots.

May 11 – After a 22-goal season, Richard Panik signed a two-year, $5.8MM extension with the Chicago Blackhawks this morning. Panik caught on with the Chicago Blackhawks last season and has been a regular fixture with captain Jonathan Toews on the top line. Prior to his 44-points this season, Panik’s previous career-high was 17 points. While he left some money on the table, it was unlikely that he would find a better spot than on Toews’ wing.

Oilers Notes: Free Agents, Draisaitl, Eberle, Pouliot

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7 on Wednesday night; now comes the post-season autopsies and plans for the coming summer.

The face of the franchise and perhaps the league, Connor McDavid is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Pending-RFA Leon Draisaitl lead the Oilers in playoff scoring after finishing eighth in the NHL during the regular season. Those two players will go from entry-level contracts to somewhere between $16-20MM by next summer.

The upcoming McDavid contract has already been the subject of much digital ink. Now, Draisaitl’s breakout season has lead to questions about what he’s worth. At the beginning of the year, the debate was bridge-deal or long-term. After a 77-point campaign, it’s clear that the Oilers will be looking long-term with their young star. Over at Sportsnet, Jonathan Willis explored previous contracts for comparable stars. Based on contracts signed by players like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Anze Kopitar, and Johnny Gaudreau, Willis writes that Draisaitl’s new contract ought to be in the $6 to $6.5MM range. However, because of Draisaitl’s 37-game rookie season and the influence of McDavid, Willis notes that both sides have leverage.

Other free agents include Kris Russell, Zack Kassian, and Matt Hendricks. Hendricks will certainly be off the books, clearing close to $2MM. Russell will be interesting, as he’s the only member of the regular top-six who’s not under contract next season. If the Oilers want to improve their blue line, then Russell’s spot is the clear choice to upgrade.

  • On Thursday morning, the Oilers announced that Draisaitl will join Germany at the IIHF World Championships in Paris, France, and Cologne, Germany.  The native of Cologne ought to help Germany’s chances, as the team has just one regulation win in four games so far. It’s been a busy season for Draisaitl, who has played 104 games since mid-August beginning with the Olympic Qualifiers, the World Cup of Hockey, all 82 NHL regular season games, and then 13 NHL playoff games.
  • Eberle’s poor regular season and playoffs may mean he’s on the way out. He didn’t score a single goal during the playoffs, and was even outscored by Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne by a score of three assists to two.  As Sportsnet’s Luke Fox puts it, “You’re selling low on Jordan Eberle, but you’re still selling, right?” Provided the Oilers can find more scoring depth on the right wing, then expect Eberle to be on his way out. Fox suggests Carolina, New Jersey, and Vegas as possible trade partners.
  • Left-winger Benoit Pouliot also struggled mightily this season, with just 14 points in the regular season and none in the playoffs. He also comes at a $4MM price tag, which makes any trade unlikely. He’ll be exposed to Vegas, with perhaps a prospect or pick offered as a sweetner. Failing that, a buyout could be the next option. It was a bad year, but Pouliot has previously scored a solid rate while being an aggressive forechecker and good penalty-killer. His penchant for bad penalties got him in coach Todd McLellan’s doghouse and he couldn’t play his way out.

Snapshots: Simek, Carey, AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While just today Jan Rutta’s agent told us that his client was getting NHL offers, it seems that perhaps another Czech defender will soon sign. TSN analyst Ray Ferraro responded on Twitter to the fact that Vancouver GM Jim Benning is only watching games in Paris at the World Championships, saying that the most interesting players are Rutta and teammate Radim Simek. There have been reports floating around that Simek has already signed an NHL deal, and it is supported by his own words that he plans on coming across the Atlantic this season.

Ferraro seemed to agree with the idea that Simek was already signed, though still had no details on who the team is. The 24-year old is another puck-moving defender that can put up points and skate well enough to make the jump, though he didn’t have quite the offensive impact of Rutta or Jakub Jerabek (another Czech teammate) this season. While the Sharks are rumored in the above article as having scouted him this year, several teams likely have shown interest at the tournament.

  • The Washington Capitals placed Paul Carey on waivers today, with the intent of sending him back to the Hershey Bears for the remainder of the AHL playoff run. Hershey will play game three in their series with the Providence Bruins later tonight after splitting the first two matchups. The addition of Carey will certainly help; he scored 55 points in 55 games this season for the Bears, and led the team in goals with 24.
  • Speaking of the AHL, the league has announced re-alignment for next season. The Charlotte Checkers will be moving from the Central Division to the Atlantic, while several changes will hit the North. The Senators will now be based out of Belleville, ON while the Albany Devils are moving to the vacant Binghamton. The Devils were one of the worst-attended teams in the league despite their recent success. The St. John’s IceCaps will also be moving, heading closer to their parent team in Montreal. They’ll become the Laval Rocket for next season, and stay in the North Division.

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

scroll to top