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Vegas Golden Knights Officially Hire Mike Kelly

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As expected from previous reports, the Vegas Golden Knights have hired Mike Kelly as an assistant coach for their upcoming inaugural season. Kelly had previously worked with head coach Gerard Gallant with the Florida Panthers and Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The Vegas coach had this to say about his new assistant:

I am very excited to be working with Mike again. We enjoyed success in both Florida and Saint John and I am eager to bring that success to the Golden Knights. Mike is a great guy with a wealth of hockey knowledge and I couldn’t be happier with the decision to bring him to Las Vegas.

In 2010-11 with Saint John the pair won a QMJHL Championship before going on to hoist the Memorial Cup. They would repeat as Q champions and return to the CHL’s top tournament a year later, though they could not overcome the host team. In Florida, they success last year winning the Atlantic Division and getting the Panthers back to the playoffs, though an early exit at the hands of the Islanders awaited them in the postseason.

The pair will now try to mold the upstart expansion team into something of a culture, though the first few years may be lean on talent up front. There are several options from their Saint John days that could make an appearance, as Tomas Jurco, Stanislav Galiev and Eric Gelinas all played big roles on the Gallant-led teams.

Nikita Nesterov Remains Committed To NHL Future

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Despite rumors that he had signed in the KHL because of his appearance on the Traktor Chelyabinsk roster page, Nikita Nesterov still wants to play in the NHL next season. Dan Milstein, Nesterov’s agent with Gold Star, confirmed as much on Twitter today claiming that the rumors were “absolutely false.” Nesterov remains an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.

Nesterov was acquired by the Canadiens in January for Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round pick, but played just 13 games down the stretch and two in the playoffs. The 24-year old has now played 132 games in his short career, and has generally performed well. While he hasn’t become the top-4 defenseman that Tampa Bay hoped at one point, his play does deserve an NHL contract in the future.

A qualifying offer for the defenseman would cost the Canadiens just over $761K, which would also allow them to retain his rights even if he does head to Russia for next season. He is also eligible for selection in the expansion draft, and doesn’t project to be protected by the Canadiens. He’s at little risk of being selected, as there are other defensemen on the team who would be more appetizing for the expansion team. We’ll see if he reaches an agreement with the Canadiens, as they look to reshape their defense with players like Jakub Jerabek.

Potential Elliott Extension Comes With A Price

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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving was on Sportsnet radio today and confirmed the previously reported details on the Brian Elliott trade from last summer. Should the Flames reach a new contract with the goaltender this summer, they would have to send an additional third-round pick to St. Louis. Though the Flames have previously considered an extension for Elliott, that extra asset obviously makes it harder.

Elliott had a terrible start to the season, holding an .898 save percentage through his first 30 games. He would raise that number to .910 by the end of the year, including an outstanding streak to help the Flames into the playoffs. It ended poorly, being pulled after just a single goal in the deciding game against the Anaheim Ducks. Even so, Elliott likely remains on the Flames list as a potential option for next season.

With Ben Bishop and Scott Darling already locked up, the goaltending options for a non-expansion team seem to be dwindling quite quickly. As reported yesterday, Mike Smith and Marc-Andre Fleury remain possibilities for the team, though may each come with a higher price than the 2018 third-round pick that Elliott would cost. Should the team want to make a short-term investment in order to bridge the gap to their young prospects—Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons among them—any of these three could fit. Smith and Fleury both have two years remaining on their current contracts at $5.67MM and $5.75MM respectively.

Elliott at age-32 is still one of the more experienced options on the market for any team this summer, with 338 starts under his belt. His .913 career save percentage compares favorably to many of the other choices, including Steve Mason (.911 career save percentage), Ryan Miller (.915) and Jonathan Bernier (.915). He’s coming off a contract that carried just a $2.5MM cap hit.

Dillon Fournier Retires Due To Injury

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In another example of a career gone awry, Dillon Fournier has decided to hang up his skates. Scott Powers of The Athletic has the exclusive with the Chicago Blackhawks prospect, who has played sparingly the last few seasons thanks to multiple shoulder surgeries. Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, the Blackhawks will no longer have to decide whether to offer him a new contract.

It was just five years ago that Chicago made Fournier the 48th-overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, bringing in this big impressive defenseman from the QMJHL to add to their prospect pool. He was taken two picks ahead of Colton Sissons, who is now starring for the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Final. Still just 22, Fournier has played 13 games the past two seasons combined. Powers talks to Norm Maciver, Blackhawks assistant general manager:

Unfortunately, he had so many shoulder injuries. Any time it seemed like he was on the right track, it would be another setback. It’s just unfortunate, real nice kid. Sometimes in pro sports injuries can derail a lot of careers. Unfortunately for Dillon, it just didn’t work out.

It is unfortunate, because Fournier looked at one point like he had a good chance to make the NHL. The 6’2″ defenseman was an excellent skater who could compete at both ends of the rink. He scored 32 points in 36 games in his final year of junior. According to his agent, he’ll likely go back to school and perhaps play some college hockey in Canada.

Offseason Keys: Montreal Canadiens

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Montreal Canadiens.

After a tough season that saw them out of the playoffs, Montreal made several changes last season, most notably being the Shea Weber – P.K. Subban swap.  The team got off to a franchise-best start and rode that to a division title but it wasn’t enough to get them far in the playoffs as they were eliminated in the first round by the Rangers.  Now, GM Marc Bergevin is faced with retooling the roster once again, though likely not with as significant of moves compared to last summer.  Here are some of the key things on his to-do list.

Extension For Price

While John Tavares has garnered the most headlines among those that are a year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency, goaltender Carey Price is also in that situation.  Like Tavares, Price is Montreal’s franchise player and they can ill-afford to let him leave for nothing in return.  Bergevin indicated in his end-of-season press conference that trading him is not an option that’s on the table either.

Apr 1, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) looks on against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThat just leaves one option and that’s to find common ground on an extension.  Price’s case is a particularly interesting one as his new deal will likely be a precedent setter around the league.  Currently Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers has the highest cap hit among goaltenders league-wide at $8.5MM and Price is expected to come in above that.

As is the case with all top players, the argument of taking a little less to ensure there’s enough money left to spend on other needs will undoubtedly come up.  But if Price and agent Gerry Johannson aren’t amenable to that, Bergevin doesn’t really have much of a leg to stand on given Price’s importance to the team.  It’s expected that both sides will look to get an extension done as close to July 1st as possible so the question here will be how much more than his current $6.5MM cap hit will Price receive on this next contract.

Make A Decision On Galchenyuk

Five years ago, Montreal drafted Alex Galchenyuk as the third overall pick, touting him as their center of the future.  Fast forward to today and his long-term position is still up in the air.  While they have tried him down the middle at times, he has been moved back to the left wing every time before too long.  Both Claude Julien and former coach Michel Therrien have expressed some concern about his two-way game which has in part overshadowed his offensive production.

Galchenyuk now finds himself as a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility, something that agent Pat Brisson has suggested as a route they may be interested in taking.  The 23 year old dealt with a knee issue this past season and ended his year on a sour note as he was held without a goal in the playoffs while spending some time on the fourth line.  From their perspective, a one year ‘prove it’ deal may be better for Galchenyuk than signing a long-term deal now.

From Montreal’s standpoint, they need to make a decision as to whether or not he’s still viewed as a top line center of the future or if he is a winger moving forward.  There’s also some question as to whether he is still part of their future plans or if the time may be right to trade him.  Before they even approach contract discussions (short-term or long-term), those are a couple of key questions that need to be answered making his situation one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Address Their Center Concerns

Montreal’s depth down the middle has quickly become an area of concern especially since Galchenyuk hasn’t slid into the center ice position like they were hoping for.  While Phillip Danault had a breakout season, that was offset by long-term veteran Tomas Plekanec having a tough year.  Those two are better served as third liners yet as things stand, they represent their top two.

Unfortunately for Bergevin, the free agent market isn’t exactly full of top six options down the middle let alone top liners.  Accordingly, he may be forced to turn to the trade route but again, available top six centers aren’t readily available and those that are will likely have a premium attached to them.  However, if they aren’t sold on Galchenyuk moving to center, they may very well have to bite the bullet if they intend to take that next step forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Spooner, Islanders, Berube, Russell

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Bruins forward Ryan Spooner is coming off a bit of a down season but despite that, “the interest is out there” for his services around the league, reports CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty.  Two years ago, he tallied a career high 49 points but that dipped down to 39 this season while his role diminished a bit as the season went on, a trend that continued in the playoffs where he was a healthy scratch at one point.

The 25 year old is set to become a restricted free agent in July and is due a qualifying offer of $1.1MM, one he will undoubtedly receive whether it’s from Boston or another organization.  Haggerty adds that the Bruins gave prospect Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson some indications that he is in their immediate plans for next season and the youngster would likely fit in nicely in Spooner’s spot on the depth chart.  There’s no guarantee Spooner will be dealt between now and the expansion draft but it appears that he’s certainly in play as GM Don Sweeney looks to shake up his roster.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Islanders do not plan to ask either winger Andrew Ladd or defenseman Johnny Boychuk to waive their no-move clauses in advance of the Expansion Draft at this time, GM Garth Snow told Newsday’s Arthur Staple. The challenges that they face are well-documented and if either veteran were to consider waiving it, it would free New York up to protect some other core players from the Golden Knights.
  • Although Craig Berube has interviewed for both the head coaching vacancies in Florida and Buffalo, CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio reports (Twitter link) that will not land either job. Berube was the head coach for AHL Chicago this season but with the Golden Knights taking over as primary affiliate for that team next year in place of St. Louis, they have brought in their own head coach with today’s hiring of Rocky Thompson.  TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests via Twitter that Berube could wind up as an associate coach with the Blues.
  • The Oilers opened up brief contract talks with the agent for defenseman Kris Russell on Tuesday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports (Twitter link). Both sides have been vocal about their desire for a reunion but Edmonton is expected to deal with a new contract for center Leon Draisaitl and an extension for center Connor McDavid before really getting into more substantive discussions with Russell (or any other free agents).  The 30 year old is coming off a one year, $3.1MM pact that he got just before the start of the season and will likely be looking for more on the open market.

Kings Sign Tyler Toffoli To A Three Year Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings announced the signing of pending restricted free agent winger Tyler Toffoli to a three year contract.  The deal is worth $13.8MM for a $4.6MM cap hit.  He was due a $3.9MM qualifying offer from the team at the end of June.

Toffoli is coming off a bit of a down year, one that saw him miss 19 games due to a leg injury while also playing through a separate leg issue for part of the year as well.  On the season, he played in 63 games, scoring 16 goals while adding 18 assists.

Feb 7, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Tyler Toffoli (73) passes the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsThe 25 year old was a second round pick of the Kings (47th overall) back in 2010 and he has emerged into one of their top threats on the wing.  He’s only one year removed from a 31 goal season and should be a top liner for Los Angeles heading into next season.

It’s worth noting that this new contract only covers one of Toffoli’s UFA years.  While this played a big role in keeping the cap hit lower, it also will allow him to enter the open market in the prime of his career which should set him up for a big pay day in three years time.

The contract takes care of the biggest deal to be done on the to-do list for the Kings but it also takes a big chunk out of their limited cap space.  The team now has over $67.5MM committed to 18 players for next season and with the salary cap not expected to jump by a significant amount, that doesn’t leave them a lot of wiggle room to work with.  Los Angeles still has a trio of NHL players that are slated to become restricted free agents this summer in defenseman Kevin Gravel as well as forwards Andy Andreoff and Nick Shore.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Arizona Coyotes

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The free agent period is now less than one month away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Arizona’s free agent situation.

Mar 14, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Coyotes left wing Anthony Duclair (10) prepares to take a shoot the puck during a shootout in a NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. The Coyotes defeated the Kings 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsKey Restricted Free Agents: F Anthony Duclair – 2016-17 was a tough season for the 21 year old.  After putting up 20 goals and 44 points in 81 games in his first season in the desert, he had just five goals and 15 points in 58 NHL contests this season.  He was also sent to the AHL where he managed just a single tally in 16 games.  Given the success he had prior to this past season, he could still make a case that he’s worthy of a decent raise coming off his entry-level deal.  His struggles have led to some speculation that he could be dealt during the offseason.  If he’s not, a one year contract would be a likely outcome to see if he gets back to his sophomore season form before giving him a sizable pay jump.

F Alexander Burmistrov – The Russian center made a pretty good impression after being picked up off the waiver wire from Winnipeg, collecting 14 points in 26 games while seeing his ice time jump to over 15 minutes per game.  However, he is due a qualifying offer of $1.6MM which may be a bit too high for Arizona’s liking considering how much he struggled with the Jets.  GM John Chayka will have a decision to make as to whether he’s worth that qualifier or whether they’d be better suited to not tender him one and then try to negotiate a cheaper deal later on.

Other RFAs: F Grayson Downing, F Tyler Gaudet, F Peter Holland, F Josh Jooris, G Marek Langhamer, F Jordan Martinook, F Jeremy Morin, F Mitch Moroz, F Teemu Pulkkinen, F Branden Troock

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Shane Doan – While he’s coming off a down season, there’s no doubting that Doan remains the face of the franchise in Arizona.  The 40 year old has suggested in the past that he wouldn’t likely go elsewhere in free agency (although he was reportedly open to moving as a rental player at the trade deadline if the perfect situation were to come up).  If he were to sign on for another season, it would likely come at a rate below the $3.86MM base salary (before performance and signing bonus deferred payments) he earned this past season.

F Radim Vrbata – Vrbata is coming off a resurgent season after returning to the desert on a one year, incentive-laden contract last offseason.  With 55 points, he’s the second highest point producer that’s slated to hit the open market; only Washington’s T.J. Oshie (56) had more.  The soon-to-be 36 year old has had success in each of his three stints with the Coyotes but has been inconsistent when he’s with other organizations.  Despite that, the weak free agent market should help him land a lot more than the $1MM in guaranteed money he settled for last summer.

Other UFAs: D Jamie McBain, D Zbynek Michalek, F Chris Mueller, F Garret Ross, D Jarred Tinordi, F Joe Whitney

Projected Cap Space: After finishing the season in LTIR with zero cap space having taken on several large contracts for players who weren’t playing for them, Arizona has just over $47MM committed to 17 players per CapFriendly, giving them plenty of room to work with under the cap.  However, they’re a lower budget team so it’s not likely that they’ll be adding big ticket deals in free agency but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to take on a cumbersome deal for a player who’s out long-term in exchange for a younger asset, something Chayka has already done in his brief stint as GM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Minnesota Wild

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Minnesota Wild.

Things were looking up in Minnesota at the beginning of March.  They led the Western Conference in points and decided to go all in, adding one of the biggest names available at the trade deadline in Martin Hanzal.  Unfortunately for the Wild, it went downhill from there and they were eventually eliminated in the first round, hardly the outcome they were expecting.  Now GM Chuck Fletcher is tasked with restructuring a team that was built for 2016-17 to be their year.  Here are some objectives he’ll be looking to meet this summer.

New Deal For Granlund

Minnesota isn’t going to have a lot of money to work with this offseason (they have $61.5MM in committed payroll but only 15 players under contract per CapFriendly) but they’re going to have to open the vault for forward Mikael Granlund.  After showing flashes of his potential, he put it all together and became a top line forward.  His timing couldn’t have been better either as he’s eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration rights next month.

Mar 14, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Minnesota Wild center Mikael Granlund (64) skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsThe 25 year old had 69 points, quite the platform season considering his career high was 44 which was set in 2015-16.  That makes his case a particularly interesting one.  Did Granlund’s full-time shift to the wing truly represent a significant and sustainable breakthrough or was it more of a ‘perfect storm’ situation where everything went right?  Fletcher’s answer to that question may dictate their approach; if he thinks Granlund has truly turned the corner, he’ll push for a long-term contract.  If not, a one year deal may be most prudent even though it would take Granlund within a year of unrestricted free agency.

Whichever route they do go, the Finnish forward is set to earn a sizable jump from the $3MM cap hit he had on his current deal (he’s due a qualifying offer of $3.2MM).  Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune reports (Twitter link) that while Fletcher and Granlund’s agent met back at the NHL combine, no negotiations took place and they will likely meet again at the draft.

Defensive Decisions

Normally, having too many quality defensemen would be considered a good thing.  However, expansion creates a dilemma for the Wild, who have five blueliners that are worthy of protection.  The standard 7/3/1 route will leave two of those exposed while it’s hard to fathom a team protecting five blueliners and just three forwards, especially considering the no-move clauses they have up front with Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, and Zach Parise.  No matter what, it’s shaping up that they’ll have to leave at least one above average defender unprotected with that player being a probable selection by the Golden Knights.

That leaves Fletcher with a tough decision on his hands.  Does he bite the bullet and lose one for nothing or does he try to flip one elsewhere via a trade and then protect eight skaters in the hopes of keeping the other four around?

Either way, it’s going to be a tough call with regards to who the odd man out would be.  Ryan Suter has a no-move clause himself so it won’t be him.  Jared Spurgeon has emerged as a strong two-way defender so he’s probably safe as well.  Marco Scandella has been a solid second pairing player and has a good contract with three years remaining at a $4MM cap charge.  The other two, Jonas Brodin and Mathew Dumba, are 23 and 22 respectively and have several years of team control remaining.  Losing any of those players for free (or less than market value) would be a tough pill to swallow but Fletcher is likely going to have to choose which player that happens to.

Find A New Backup Goalie

Devan Dubnyk got off to a strong start this past season but clearly wore down as the season went on.  Part of the reason for that was that head coach Bruce Boudreau didn’t have much confidence in Darcy Kuemper who had a tough season so he opted to overplay Dubnyk as a result.  Kuemper is set to become an unrestricted free agent and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Wild look outside the organization to find his replacement.

Alex Stalock was signed to a two year extension midseason in a move that was primarily expansion-related.  While he is capable of playing in a pinch, he’s best served at this stage of his career as a third stringer that can play a few NHL games if someone gets hurt.

There will be several goalies to choose from in free agency but by the time the Wild get through their own free agents (most notably Granlund and Nino Niederreiter), they’re not going to have a lot of money to work with.  Do they go bargain hunting or do they look for one of the higher end backups in the hopes of getting someone who can help keep Dubnyk fresher for the stretch run?  If they go the latter route, spending that extra money may take them out of the running of doing something else but the trade-off may still be worth it if it keeps their top netminder in top form longer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mike Smith Submits No-Trade List; Coyotes Listening To Potential Offers

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN in both Insider Trading and on Twitter that the Arizona Coyotes are indeed listening to offers on goaltender Mike Smith, despite calling him their “rock” recently. LeBrun reports that at least three teams, including the Calgary Flames, have already made inquiries. Smith, who has a no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to eight teams has recently submitted his new list.

All season, GM John Chayka has spoken about how he isn’t keen on trading Smith as he considers solid goaltending to be part of the development process. That said, he’s willing to admit that if someone offers them something substantial for the goaltender he’d have to listen. The Coyotes, who will likely want to stop rebuilding and contend for the playoffs in the very near future, have to decide whether Smith can be effective when they’re ready to do just that. Already 35-years old, Smith is coming off an All-Star season and has two years remaining on his contract. He may still have some substantial value, especially to teams like Calgary who think they can contend for the Stanley Cup with some improvement in net.

Smith has been in Arizona for six seasons, putting up a solid .916 over that time and even garnering Vezina votes in 2012. If he were moved, the goaltending torch could be passed to Louis Domingue, though it’s not clear he has the ability to be an above average starter in the league. The Coyotes also have Adin Hill on the way, but it will still be several years until he’s ready for an impact role with the team.

On Calgary in particular, LeBrun mentions that he thinks their first choice would be Marc-Andre Fleury. There have been many reports that Fleury is already ticketed for Vegas, but perhaps the Flames could come in and offer even more for him at the last minute. When Ben Bishop and Scott Darling were traded for and signed by Dallas and Carolina respectively, it removed two other options from the Flames’ board, leaving players like Smith as a sort of back-up plan should they be unable to land anyone else.

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