Several Teams Showing Interest In Patrick Marleau
Even at the age of 37, Patrick Marleau scored 27 goals and was an effective offensive threat. Now, as Craig Custance of The Athletic reports, quite a few teams are showing interest in the pending UFA. Custance lists Toronto, Anaheim, New York (Rangers), Carolina, Nashville and Los Angeles in the mix for him, also noting that San Jose remains interested in bringing him back. Marleau was ranked #6 in our list of the Top 50 Free Agents, expecting him to eventually return to San Jose to finish his career.
Marleau broke the 500 goal mark this season, giving him a good shot for the Hall of Fame when he retires. There are only five non-active members of the 500-club not to be inducted yet: Keith Tkachuk, Pat Verbeek, Pierre Turgeon, Jeremy Roenick and Peter Bondra. While Marleau likely has more in common with those five than many of the players ahead of him, another couple of seasons like 2016-17 and he’d be pushing his way into the top-25 all-time. He’s also one of the most durable players in recent years, playing every game of the last eight straight seasons and at least 74 contests in each of his 19 years, save for the lockout-shortened 2012-13.
On any of the teams listed above he would be a big addition, giving speed to a slow team like Los Angeles or experience to a young team like Toronto. No matter which way he goes, his first step and uncanny scoring ability will be on display once again. Should San Jose not come to an agreement with him, it will be an odd sight to see him in something other than a Sharks sweater. Since being selected second overall in 1997 Marleau has played in 1,493 regular season games and 177 playoff contests, all for the same franchise.
Ben Street Signs One-Year Extension With Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have brought back one of their top minor league players, inking Ben Street to a one-year extension for 2017-18. No financial details were released. Street was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Fresh off a Calder Cup championship with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Street is one of top offensive performers in the AHL. Almost a point-per-game player in the minor leagues, he put up 21 in the 19 playoff games for the Griffins, and will return to try and take them back to the finals next season. At 30, he’s worn a captain’s “C” in the past and was an alternate in his first season in Grand Rapids this year. While he’s likely not going to play in Detroit very much, having top players like him helping carry the load in the minors is part of an oft-used development strategy to help slowly bring along prospects in a winning culture.
Street was just one of the Red Wings several UFAs, which include Drew Miller and Joe Vitale. Whether the team goes after a full rebuild and starts from scratch, or tries a short reload is still yet to be determined. GM Ken Holland has said before that he wants to make it back to the playoffs right away, but with the lack of real star players that will be a difficult task to accomplish.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jordan Schroeder
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed their newest acquisition, inking Jordan Schroeder to a two-year deal. The contract will be two-way in 2017-18 while transitioning to a one-way deal in 2018-19. Schroeder was acquired this weekned in exchange for Dante Salituro after it was clear he would not receive a qualifying offer from the Minnesota Wild. The deal will pay Schroeder the minimum of $650K at the NHL level in both seasons.
Schroeder, 26, had 13 points 37 games for the Wild last season but was likely going to cost the Wild too much in an arbitration settlement. Because it was clear the two sides weren’t going to find common ground, he was dealt to Columbus where he can start fresh. It’s not clear if he’ll get an opportunity in the NHL with Columbus right away, but he has the offensive chops to contribute even if he does come in undersized.
At the very least, he provides a nice depth option for Columbus who will be looking for center help this offseason. While they’re expected to let Sam Gagner head to free agency, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet recently linked them to Joe Thornton as a potential short-term option. Either way, Schroeder will be able to help fill out the depth chart down the middle or join a Cleveland squad looking to get back to the Calder Cup final.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Ville Pokka To One-Year Deal
According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, Ville Pokka has signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. No financial details were released, though it certainly couldn’t be very expensive seeing as Pokka has yet to make his NHL debut.
With the Blackhawks still currently over the cap for next season, using players like Pokka on extremely cheap deals will be paramount to their success next season. Whether he’s ready to make his NHL debut or not, it’s likely that he will at some point next season. A restricted free agent now, Pokka is still two years away from using Group VI free agency should the Blackhawks not give him a chance in the NHL.
Registering impressive point totals in the AHL, the 34th-overall selection from 2012 still has impressive upside. It’s his all-around game that hasn’t been refined enough to trust with NHL minutes, but sooner or later the team will need to try.
The Blackhawks have signed a number of their restricted free agents, and let a number of them go to free agency without issuing a qualifying offer. Dennis Rasmussen, originally believed to have been issued one has apparently not, and will become a UFA on July 1st.
Arizona Coyotes To Interview Todd Nelson For Head Coaching Job
After coming to a mutual agreement to part ways with long-time head coach Dave Tippett, the Arizona Coyotes are on the search for their next head coach. An early candidate is Todd Nelson of the Grand Rapids Griffins, who has been given permission from the Detroit Red Wings to interview for the position according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
Nelson was previously the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers for a short time, and recently guided the Griffins to a Calder Cup victory in the AHL. Considered a top candidate for several jobs this spring, he’s been passed over so far for the chance to lead an NHL club again.
A fourth-round pick of the Penguins in his playing days, Nelson made it into just three NHL games throughout his decade-plus in professional hockey. Bouncing around the minor leagues and even Europe, he’s already found more success in the coaching ranks than he did as a player. He’s the first out of what will likely be many candidates connected to the job, as the Coyotes try as quickly as possible to install a new head coach. They’ll also be filling an associate coach role, as Sarah McLellan of AZ Central reports that another mutual termination has come between Jim Playfair and the team. Despite being at development camp, the long-time coach initiated the parting.
Marc Methot Turned Down Teams On No-Trade List
New Dallas Stars defenseman Marc Methot spoke to the media today, and talked about the tough last few weeks as he was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights and then flipped yesterday. According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, the former Ottawa Senator confirmed he said no when teams on his no-trade list tried to inquire about him.
Methot holds a 10-team no-trade list, and it is reported to have every Canadian team (save for Ottawa, of course) on it. Whether it was those, or some of the remaining four that had interest in him is unclear. Methot has the right to exercise it, and clearly valued steering his future somewhat.
Ending up in Dallas, Methot is in a nice scenario for success going forward and as Chris Johnston of Sportsnet points out a much lower tax bracket. Methot saves quite a bit of money (almost $700K) and is likely to play with John Klingberg, a player who does have some similarities to Erik Karlsson. Not a bad situation even if you do have to be shipped across the continent.
Eric Gryba Re-Signs In Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers continue to bring back their veteran defense group, as according to Bob McKenzie of TSN the team has re-signed Eric Gryba for two years. The deal will pay him an average of $900K per season.
Gryba played last season on a two-way deal but spent the whole season with Edmonton or on the shelf due to injury. In 40 games he registered six points but amazingly recorded 145 hits, an impressive rate that would have had him near the top of the league had he played all 82. He’ll likely return in a similar depth role, but is an interesting piece as a big bruising right-handed defenseman.
Now with Gryba and Kris Russell back in the fold, the Oilers have seven NHL defenders under contract. Andrei Sekera won’t play for the first part of the season, but it seems like Edmonton is probably finished when it comes to free agent defensemen. With Matt Benning and Darnell Nurse expected to take a step forward, and Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson entrenched as the leaders on the back end, it could be a pretty solid defensive group this season.
PHR’s 2017 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
With free agency less than a week away it’s time to unveil our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agent List. The rankings were voted on by the PHR writing team and were based on talent and projected demand, not what we forecast for their new contracts.
This year with the expansion draft muddying the waters and filling June with more excitement and speculation about who will be headed to the Golden Knights instead of who will be re-signing with their teams, less attention has been paid to this UFA class. It doesn’t help that it’s one of the most uninspiring groups in several years, with most of the big names having substantial flaws in their games or being too old to deserve a long-term deal.
All predictions are independent of each other and do not project a team signing all attached free agents. Each player is presumed to sign in the NHL for a one-way deal though retirement, Europe, and PTOs are a real possibility for many of them. The voting was done before the qualifying offer deadline, and thus no unqualified restricted free agents were included.
1. Kevin Shattenkirk — New Jersey Devils — 7 years, $42MM Despite a disappointing playoff run with the Washington Capitals, Shattenkirk remains the best option of an ugly free agent class. He’s made it clear that he wants to be “the guy” wherever he goes, and though New York and Boston remain options he clearly wouldn’t be the #1 defenseman on either team. Some would argue whether he’d even be that in New Jersey, Buffalo or anywhere else that would be interested but he could certainly feel that way. He probably played himself out of a 7 x 7 deal, but should still find a long-term home on July 1st. (Signed with Rangers, 4 years, $26.6MM)
Andrei Markov Looking For $12MM Deal
Andrei Markov has been clear with his desire to return to Montreal, but it won’t come cheap. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that the Markov camp’s current ask is two years at $6MM, a number that may be unreasonable for the Canadiens to work with. Obviously as with any negotiation, a side presents a bigger offer than what they’re willing to eventually take,but $12MM for a 38-year old defenseman is certainly a big ask. 
Markov was effective again for the Canadiens when he was on the ice, registering 36 points in 62 games. The career-Canadien has played 990 games for the club since debuting in 2000, recording a very healthy 572 points during that time. One of the best and most consistent offensive defensemen over his career, he certainly has the resume to demand a $6MM salary. It’s that age that comes into play, as a two-year deal would take him past his 40th birthday and he did miss time this year after being healthy for several seasons.
It’s a risky move for any team, and would actually be a raise for Markov after earning $5.75MM ($4.25MM actual salary) last year. He does have the market going for him, where there is a distinct lack of defense options and teams like Montreal may be desperate to fill holes after the expansion draft. It’s unlikely he gets the full $12MM, but a two-year deal doesn’t seem completely out of the question. With the free agent window open for teams to talk (about anything other than contract details) with players about a possible fit, Markov has surely received several messages from around the league. Whether he pulls on a new sweater to end his career, is still to be decided.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ottawa Senators Sign Max McCormick To Two-Year Deal
Another minor league contract came down today, this time from the Ottawa Senators. The team has signed Max McCormick to a two-year contract that will be two-way in the first season, and transition to a one-way deal in 2018-19. Both seasons will pay McCormick $650K at the NHL level. McCormick was set to become a Group VI free agent on July 1st.
A sixth-round pick of the Senators in the 2011 draft, McCormick has developed into a solid AHL scoring threat capable of 20+ goals every year. That scoring ability hasn’t translated to the NHL yet though, as he’s registered just two goals in 27 career games. The forward loves to get his hands dirty, and could provide some depth for the Senators bottom-six this season. If anything he could likely fill a similar role to Chris Neil, a much-beloved Senator for many years. With a little bit of skill, and the willingness to protect his teammates McCormick should have a long professional career, even if most of it comes in the minor leagues.
Ottawa has a large group of free agents to still make decisions on, including Tommy Wingels, Viktor Stalberg and Chris Kelly. While it seems unlikely that most of them will return, there is a chance that one or two could re-up with the team for another run at a Stanley Cup.