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Archives for May 2017

New York Islanders Sign Linus Soderstrom To ELC

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The Islanders have locked up one of Sweden’s top goaltenders, inking prospect Linus Soderstrom to a three-year entry-level deal. While Soderstrom isn’t expected to come over to North America right away, getting him signed is an important step for the Islanders as they continue to build their future between the pipes.

Soderstrom, 20, put up an incredible .943 save percentage as a rookie in the Swedish Hockey League this season, going 18-4 for HV71. His playoff numbers while slightly worse, were still a sparkling .922 save percentage and 2.11 GAA. His play—along with that of fellow Islanders’ prospect Ilya Sorokin—should excite Islanders fans as they look to the future.

Drafted in the fourth round, Soderstrom is part of what is turning into an excellent looking crop for the Islanders in 2014. Along with Sorokin (3rd round), the Islanders added Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle in the first round and Devon Toews in the fourth. All five players have a chance to make the NHL at some point, though only Ho-Sang has made it thus far. Soderstrom is big, talented and athletic and will likely continue his development in Sweden next season.

Jan Rutta Receiving NHL Interest

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As NHL clubs continue to mine Europe and the KHL for any talent that may be able to help them, agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey revealed on Twitter that Czech defender Jan Rutta has received offers from around the league. The 26-year old Rutta is currently playing with the Czech team at the World Championships.

Rutta put up 32 points in 46 games this season, more than his teammate David Kampf who recently signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kampf obviously is several years younger but the output of Rutta shouldn’t be overlooked. His size (6’2″ 200-lbs) and skill with the puck make him an intriguing option for teams around the league. Since moving up to the top Czech league full-time, he’s been one of the most effective offensive blueliners in the league.

While he’s not young anymore, Rutta still could likely help a powerplay in the NHL and is seeing similar icetime to Radko Gudas at the ongoing tournament. Countryman Jakub Jerabek was just signed by the Montreal Canadiens, and is less than a year younger. Jerabek is expected to step into the NHL right away, and Rutta could possibly do the same should he decide to come to North America.

New York Rangers Looking To Add Young Defense

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Alain Vigneault met with the media today in New York, and talked about several topics the Rangers will need to address this summer. According to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, the Rangers will be looking to add youth to their defense corps meaning lesser roles for Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, should they remain with the team next season.

Indeed, the Rangers had just two defenders under the age of 27 play at least 10 games, Brady Skjei and Adam Clendening. While Skjei has a bright future with the team, Clendening is more of a depth player that can’t be counted on for reliable minutes every game. Most of the regular group—Staal, Girardi, Kevin Klein and Nick Holden—will be on the wrong side of 30 when next season begins. Captain Ryan McDonagh will turn 28 this summer and is as effective as ever.

The Rangers have already added 23-year old Alexei Bereglazov this spring, who will have a chance to make an impact in the NHL. Ryan Graves, one of their top prospects in the AHL may be ready for an NHL audition after another successful season, but he is no lock to make the team at this point.

Without players in the system ready to step in, the team will have to look to the trade market if they want to find impact defensemen. Anaheim, Minnesota and Carolina all have a glut of defenders that could fit the “young” mold, and each will have trouble protecting them all in the expansion draft. Josh Manson, Mathew Dumba and Justin Faulk have all had their names rumored at times this season and each skate on the right side, where New York needs the most help. Unlike the last several years, the Rangers still have their first round pick and could dangle it once again for an improvement.

In all, the disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators seems to have sparked some reflection of the aging and declining defense core that is locked in long-term in New York. It is important to note that though Staal and Girardi both hold no-movement clauses at the moment, Girardi’s changes to a list of just 15 teams on July 1st. Either way it will be difficult to move them, with the Rangers likely needing to retain part of their salary to get a deal done.

Snapshots: Ovechkin, Sharks, Panik

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While Alex Ovechkin has been the butt of many jokes since his Washington Capitals were once again eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, it turns out that it’s not just his pride that has taken a beating this spring. The superstar forward will not join Team Russia at the World Championships because of a lower-body injury. Ovechkin apparently had been taking “pain numbing injections” just to stay on the ice for the Capitals, possibly because of the low hit he took from Nazem Kadri in the first round.

Ovechkin has played in the World Championships an amazing twelve times over his career, and has always been willing to suit up for his country on the international stage. Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov will join Team Russia for the tournament. The pair are both restricted free agents this summer, and will be a big part of the introspective offseason Washington has ahead of them.

  • Henrik Lundqvist will also be attending the tournament to play for Sweden, who desperately need his help. The team is currently going with a duo of Viktor Fasth and Eddie Lack in net, a clear weakness on their otherwise impressive squad. With defenders like Victor Hedman, Jonas Brodin and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in front of him, Lundqvist should help the Swedes become a medal favorite if they weren’t already. He’ll also be joining brother Joel on the team, who is captaining this group.
  • According to Paul Gackle of the Mercury News, the San Jose Sharks are getting close to new contracts with restricted free agents Joonas Donskoi and Melker Karlsson. The pair represent two of the Sharks’ biggest tasks for the offseason, along with decisions on Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Donskoi and Karlsson both didn’t perform up to the lofty expectations they had after their early success in the league, with just 17 and 22 points respectively. It will be interesting to see where they both land salary wise, as the Sharks have Brent Burns’ extension kicking in along with upcoming deals for Martin Jones, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Tomas Hertl to contend with next summer.
  • Richard Panik apparently was surprised by the Chicago Blackhawks’ first contract offer, and didn’t need to negotiate according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. That offer was the two-year, $5.6M deal he signed earlier today, which will see the team keep a 20-goal man for under $3MM. Panik knows that playing with Jonathan Toews is likely the best scenario he’ll find anywhere in the league, but that he could earn a much bigger contract in two years when he hits unrestricted free agency. He’ll hit the open market at just 28, and if he has three 40-50 point seasons under his belt people will be lining up to hand him a long-term deal.

Nail Yakupov Not Expected To Leave For KHL

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Though it seemed like a good option for the former #1 pick, Nail Yakupov tells Andy Strickland of FOX Sports that he will not head to the KHL next season. According to Strickland, Yakupov “fully expects” to play in the NHL in 2017-18.

The 23-year old Yakupov is a restricted free agent this summer, and though eligible for salary arbitration is unlikely to receive a qualifying offer from the Blues. There will certainly be teams around the league willing to take a chance on him at a reduced price, but he could earn more if he returned to Russia, especially after the reigning champions SKA St. Petersburg just traded for his rights.

Yakupov will almost certainly not be protected in the upcoming expansion draft, meaning that Vegas is a possible destination for him. He would certainly be a good marketing option for them, as a former top prospect. But his play on the ice certainly hasn’t backed up the lofty draft expectations, scoring just nine points this season.

Morning Notes: Eaves, Barrie, Islanders

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With the Anaheim Ducks winning game seven last night against the Edmonton Oilers, breaking their recent string of losses and heading to the Western Conference Final, the Dallas Stars also celebrated. The Stars will now enjoy an extra first-round pick thanks to the deal that sent Patrick Eaves to California at the trade deadline. Eaves didn’t even play in the back half of the series, but had suited up for enough games to trigger the clause.

The Stars will now hold the 3rd pick after seeing their card selected in the lottery and another near the end of the round (depending on who wins the Stanley Cup). While the late-round pick may be dismissed in what has perhaps mistakenly been classified a weak draft, it is still a 30-spot improvement over where they stood a day ago. The Stars will head into the draft with a ton of currency that they could use to make moves, or select two new prospects to help lengthen their competitive window.

  • In one of the weirdest stories of the year, Tyson Barrie will miss the remainder of the World Championships due to a laceration he suffered while wrestling in his hotel room. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the cut is severe enough to not risk anything in this tournament, meaning he’ll shut it down completely. In his place, Chris Lee will suit up against France before Colton Parayko joins them in the next few days. Lee has played abroad for the past seven years after several years in the AHL, but had a tremendous year in the KHL this season. With 65 points in 60 games, the 36-year old put up the most productive season of his hockey career. He’ll get a chance on the world stage before Parayko likely figures in for the rest of the tournament.
  • The New York Islanders will welcome Luke Richardson to their coaching staff for next season according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. The long-time NHL defender will join Doug Weight behind the bench and try to impart some of the knowledge he gained while playing more than 1400 games in the league. Richardson had been the head coach of the Binghamton Senators from 2012-16 before mutually parting ways. He’ll presumably take over some of the responsibility of coaching the defenseman in New York, a group that may look a little different after the expansion draft and free agency.

Richard Panik Signs Two-Year Extension With Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have locked up a valuable piece, signing Richard Panik to a two-year contract extension.  The deal is worth $2.8MM per year, and will expire after the 2018-19 season. Panik was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and had arbitration rights that would have likely awarded a hefty raise. "<strongRichard Panik” width=”216″ height=”300″ />

Formerly a failed prospect that bounced through two organizations, Panik was acquired by the Blackhawks for Jeremy Morin in early 2016 and has found a perfect fit in Chicago. While the Hawks have searched for ages to find wingers for Jonathan Toews, Panik slid in nicely beside the captain and scored 22 goals this season, easily a career high. The former second-round pick is still just 26, and coming off a 44 point season looks like a core piece for the Hawks going forward.

The interesting part of this deal though is how little cap space the Blackhawks had even before factoring in his ~$2MM raise. Including Panik, the Blackhawks now have over $73MM dedicated to contracts for next season already, and while the salary cap is expected to go up to somewhere around $75-76MM, that doesn’t leave them much room to work with. Artemi Panarin’s bonuses from this year are also carrying over, which would actually push them over that threshold. Their remaining restricted free agents include Tomas Jurco, Michal Kempny and Dennis Rasmussen, and while none of those names deserve a huge raise they will nonetheless cost something. It seems Chicago will have to move out an asset once again to maintain their salary cap structure, following the trend that has seen Teuvo Teravainen, Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy and others get shipped out long before their usefulness expired.

While a 20-goal scored for under $3MM is a solid deal for any team—as Pierre Lebrun of TSN points out, saying that Panik left money on the table to stay in Chicago—it will have ramifications elsewhere on the roster as the summer goes on. Getting out from under Brent Seabrook or Marian Hossa’s huge deals would be beneficial for Chicago, but getting them to waive their no-movement clauses and finding a taker for the huge cap hits and term will be difficult.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided the financial details on the contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Announce Jason Botterill As GM

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced Jason Botterill as their new General Manager today. The team had been waiting for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second-round series to end before announcing the hire. The Sabres will presumably now begin their coaching search with Botterill at the helm, as they look to try and instill a culture change in the franchise from top to bottom.

Botterill has been rumored for weeks to be the top candidate for the job, as the team shut down the search after interviewing him a second time. The Penguins’ associate GM is considered one of the brightest young minds in hockey, with many colleagues saying he could have succeeded in any industry. He comes with a wealth of experience in many different roles, including serving as the interim GM for the Penguins between the Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford tenures.

The 40-year old Botterill was quite a player in his own day, selected in the first round by the Dallas Stars in 1994. He was a star at the University of Michigan, scoring 62 points in his senior season. Though his NHL career was limited, it didn’t take him long to get back into the game after retirement. Botterill returned to Michigan to finish his MBA before working for the league’s central scouting. Pittsburgh hired him away from the league offices in 2007, and would be promoted to assistant GM within two years. His promotion to associate came with Jim Rutherford’s hiring, though Botterill maintained a lot of the responsibility he’d had prior.

While he doesn’t have a ton of experience as a full-fledged GM in the league, it would be hard to find many people around hockey that doesn’t believe he’ll succeed as one. Legendary Michigan coach Red Berenson even once said he thinks Botterill should be the next commissioner of the NHL. His navigation of the Penguins’ salary cap situation and eye for young college talent will be a huge boost for a Buffalo team looking for anything to hang their hat on.

The Sabres once again ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, this time not even receiving a top-5 pick in the process. The team that should have taken steps forward towards playoff contention stagnated at the bottom of the league, unable to keep their stars healthy or happy. Botterill will be tasked in bringing in talent to supplement the core of Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen (among others) and have an immediate impact in the 2017-18 playoff picture. It won’t be easy, but there weren’t many other more exciting candidates for the team to pursue.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to break the news on Twitter, though John Vogl of the Buffalo News had reported that he would be announced after the Pittsburgh series.

Snapshots: Sharks, Florida’s Coaching Search, Sharipzianov

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With a pair of long-term veterans in Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton slated to become unrestricted free agents in July and the team being ousted in the first round, CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz suggests that the time is right for GM Doug Wilson to make a big splash this offseason.

For starters, Marleau and Thornton represent a little over $13.4MM in money potentially coming off the salary cap which opens up the type of payroll flexibility the team hasn’t had in quite some time.  Kurz argues that while one or both could conceivably be brought back, the team would still be competitive but also wouldn’t be favored as a threat to be a Stanley Cup contender either.

The core of the Sharks has been together for quite some time but with those two potentially set to walk as well as new deals needed for goalie Martin Jones and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic following 2017-18, the time may be right to shake things up in San Jose.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • While Predators assistant coach Phil Housley is believed to be a candidate for Florida’s coaching vacancy, Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel adds another name to the mix in Capitals associate coach Todd Reirden. The 45 year old Reirden has been with Washington for the past three years and before that, spent parts of seven seasons in Pittsburgh’s organization, three seasons at the minor league level and four with the big club.  Former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien as well as Denver University bench boss Jim Montgomery are also in the mix to replace Tom Rowe behind the bench.
  • Kings defensive prospect Damir Sharipzianov has been loaned to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL for next season, the Russian team announced (link in Russian). The 21 year old recently completed the first season of his three year, entry-level contract but spent the full season in the minors, playing 38 games with Ontario of the AHL and ten more with ECHL Manchester.  Although he won’t be with the Kings or a minor league affiliate, he will continue to count against their 50 contract limit for 2017-18.

Kings Expect To Start Toffoli Contract Talks Soon

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Although the Kings put pen to paper on a new four year, $15MM deal with winger Tanner Pearson yesterday, talks haven’t progressed as significantly with their other prominent pending restricted free agent in winger Tyler Toffoli, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.  However, he notes that talks on a new contract for him are expected to begin soon.

Toffoli is coming off a bit of a tough year as he missed 19 games due to a leg injury while playing through another leg issue during the season.  As a result, his offensive numbers came in considerably lower than the past two years but he still managed to put up 16 goals and 18 assists in 63 games.  However, he’s just one year removed from a 31 goal campaign and will be counted on as a go-to scorer for Los Angeles not only for next season but for the foreseeable future as well.

The 25 year old is coming off the second and final year of his bridge deal that carries a cap hit of $3.25MM.  However, it’s worth noting that his salary this season was $3.9MM which sets that as his qualifying offer amount if the two sides aren’t able to work out a new deal by the end of June.

While they certainly need to get a deal done, Toffoli’s next contract will only further the cap constraints that new general manager Rob Blake will be facing.  The team already has nearly $62.2MM in commitments to 16 players for next season per CapFriendly and the salary cap isn’t expected to go up much from the $73MM it was at in 2016-17.  While there is the potential for Marian Gaborik to head for long-term injured reserve next season, that still doesn’t leave a whole lot of wiggle room for Blake to make many changes to their roster for next year as things currently stand.

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