Vegas Signs Reinhart And Leipsic To Two-Year Deals
The Vegas Golden Knights have announced the signings of Griffin Reinhart and Brendan Leipsic to two-year contracts, per the team’s twitter. Reinhart’s deal is worth $800,000 AAV, while Leipsic’s is only for $650,000 a season.
Reinhart is a former first-round pick, picked fourth overall in 2012 by the New York Islanders. He was moved to Edmonton for a first-round and second-round pick. He under-performed in Alberta, only playing 29 games total. His Corsi For Relative % was a poor -3.3%, and he often struggled with the puck on his stick, flubbing simple zone exits. With only two career assists to his name, he has a lot to prove in the NHL. That said, there was a reason he was so highly touted in his draft class. He’s mobile for a 6’4 defenseman and has tons of room to grow at only 23 years old. He has shown a solid pass from time to time and has the potential to be a solid top-4 defender if he can learn to adjust to the intellectual pace of the NHL game. Watching him down the tail stretch of the season and in his one playoff game in relief due to injuries, he’s not a lost cause. Reinhart has grown physically and still has a decent skill level. Vegas will hope to have struck gold with this player, but he’ll have to beat out other promising young defensemen in the system in order to gain heavy playing time.
Leipsic is a more curious move, as he is quite undersized and is no sure bet to crack an NHL roster. That said, he had a 120-point season with the Portland Winterhawks and adjusted well to his time with the AHL Marlies, potting 50 points twice. The 5’10 winger was an add-on in a trade between Toronto and Nashville a few years back, and has only dressed for 6 games total for the Leafs. Still, he’s only 23, and is a sparkplug on every shift. He moves quickly and has decent hands, but is most likely destined for an AHL scoring role. He’ll have the opportunity to flourish in Vegas if he proves himself early, considering that team’s lack of proven offensive depth.
Neither player had a particularly strong case for a raise, so this news is not much of a shock. Still, Vegas is locking up the players it claimed in the expansion draft and banking on younger players to step up this season.
Penguins’ 3rd-Line Center Options
With the loss of Nick Bonino to Nashville via free agency, the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have a gaping hole down the middle. For the first time in over a decade, the center position is now one of relative weakness. It’s always a possibility that Matt Cullen decides to re-sign for one more year, but he will not be able to carry the load of a typical 3rd-line center. Cullen showed signs of slowing down toward the tail-end of the team’s playoff run, and he was only averaging 13:55 a game through the regular season. At 41 years old, he simply won’t be a viable long-term option. The Penguins likely have high hopes for Zach Aston-Reese to make a push in training camp, but he is an unknown quantity at the NHL level. GM Jim Rutherford had 5 potential trade options in the works prior to July 1st, according to the very reliable Josh Yohe of DKPittsburghSports. Talks either fizzled or were put on the back-burner, but one might imagine the number of available targets is far fewer now. With Dallas’ three-year signing of Radek Faksa, there is one fewer name left for consideration. Vegas seems to be content with merely flipping defensemen from here on in, although names such as Cody Eakin and William Karlsson shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. Erik Haula is likely a pipe-dream, but he’s another possible target. Matt Duchene was linked for a time, but between the high cost and the stubbornness of Colorado GM Joe Sakic to make a move, he seems incredibly unlikely.
Who are the safest bets for an off-season move? Or will Pittsburgh enter the season with someone unproven slotting behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
Bozak has made tons of sense since his name was first mentioned. A lot has been made of his relationship with Phil Kessel. When they played on a line together in Toronto, Kessel saw some of his best career production. More than that however – the Leafs are in a bit of cap pinch as they will look to free up dollars for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the next two seasons. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to drop underneath the ceiling due to LTIR intricacies, but moving out Bozak’s $4.2 MM for this next season would be a forward looking move. If he’s due a raise, it’s likely they’ll lose him for far less, as his contract expires at the end of 2017-18. The move makes sense for Pittsburgh because of the Kessel relationship, but also because he fits the mold of the Pittsburgh squad. He’s a solid skater, sees the ice well, and hustles back into his own zone. His playmaking abilities would be a wonderful fit on the cheap to aid the high-powered offense, and the player would be a positive possession asset to remove the stress from the bigger guns. Bozak does have a modified no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see Pittsburgh being included on his list of non-tradeable teams.
Staal saw a lot of success in Pittsburgh before he was traded away to Carolina at the 2012 draft. Jordan was traded to that team in particular due to his desire to player with his older brother Eric Staal. Seeing as Eric is no longer in the picture, it would make sense that Staal might be open to a Pittsburgh reunion. Staal is one of the better defensive centers in the league, and has been forced to take a more uncomfortably offensive role in Carolina. Staal’s biggest downside is that he isn’t the most agile skater, but he’s not any slower than Nick Bonino was. That said, he can play the shutdown role and be a total nuisance for top opponents. Rutherford loves the player, as he was the GM of Carolina when they initially acquired the player, for a hefty sum of Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a 1st-round pick (which became Derrick Pouilot). According to Yohe, Staal is apparently open to a return, and the nostalgic element of the team’s fanbase is clamoring for this to happen. Rutherford stated on a local radio segment with Ron Cook that “to his knowledge he (Staal) isn’t available”, but he’s played coy with the media in the past.
Out Of Left-Field
Rutherford has been known to throw the hockey world for a loop with some of his trades. The James Neal–Patric Hornqvist trade shocked just about everyone, and the Phil Kessel trade is still being discussed to this day. If there’s one thing we should expect from him, it’s the unexpected. There are a few lesser options out there for Rutherford to explore, and management may want to have the Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin contracts put to paper before making any sort of transaction. It seems unlikely that anything will happen until those deals get done. Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette that there are “hundreds of names on (his list)”, and that it’s “a patient process”. Could Detroit be willing to move Andreas Athanasiou? Could Bryan Little be pried from Winnipeg for a young defenseman? It’s hard to speculate as to where exactly management have set their sights, but Rutherford is generally willing to overpay to “get his man”. There is the slight likelihood that they enter the season with that hole left unfilled, but it’s hard to imagine. Until more dominoes fall, Rutherford is likely to bide his team and search for the correct deal.
Top Ten Remaining UFAs
Before NHL free agency opened up this summer, PHR published a list of the top-50 NHL UFAs. Two weeks into the offseason and the majority have signed deals—leaving 18 out of 50 still looking for a new NHL contract. Below are the top ten players still on the market:
[initial writeups credited to PHR’s Gavin Lee]
Coyotes Seeking Short-Term Deal With Duclair
The Arizona Coyotes are seeking a one or two-year deal with embattled prospect Anthony Duclair, Sarah McLellan of AZCentral reports. Duclair is currently an RFA without arbitration rights. He was initially taken 80th overall in the 2013 Entry Draft, and electrified fans with a surprise breakout rookie campaign.
Duclair had a tumultuous sophomore season as his play dropped precipitously from his rookie year, and he became the subject of rampant trade rumors. The Coyotes eventually demoted Duclair to the AHL Tucson Roadrunners in the hopes that he could regain his scoring touch. Duclair finished the season with 5G and 10A in 58 NHL games, and 1G and 7A in 16 AHL games. The former 3rd round pick broke into the NHL with 20G and 24A in 81 games, and the Coyotes hope he can return to that level.
A short-term deal could be in the best interest of both player and organization. Duclair could accept a one-year “prove-it” deal and hope that his play rebounds enough to garner a more lucrative contract next season. The 21 year-old is only one year removed from his stellar rookie season.
Valeri Nichushkin Hopes To Return To Stars In 2018-19
Russian forward Valeri Nichushkin expects to play for the Dallas Stars in 2018-19, reports Mike Heika of the Dallas News. He currently plays for CSKA Moscow in the KHL and will finish out the final year of his contract with the Russian club.
The Stars still retain Nichushkin’s rights as he left for the KHL after finishing his ELC contract, so he is still considered an RFA by the NHL. Nichushkin is valued enough by the Stars that they protected him in this summer’s expansion draft.
This season, Nichushkin scored 11G and 13A in 36 games for CSKA Moscow, and an additional 1G and 4A in the playoffs. In his last season with the Stars (2015-16), Nichushkin netted 9G and 20A in 79 games. The Stars obviously value him enough to protect him, and if he returns as a more-developed version of himself, it is a win-win for both player and organization. The player receives more playing time in his native country rather than limited NHL minutes—or riding the bus in the AHL—and the team has its asset develop without incurring salary expenditures or a salary cap hit.
Donald Fehr Addresses Salary Caps, Contracts, And More
NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr spoke to media during the NHLPA’s annual charity golf tournament this week. Fehr answered numerous questions regarding the salary cap, player contracts, and the Olympics.
At the outset, Fehr reiterates that the PA is against any form of salary cap, and that its presence hinders player salary growth. Fehr points out that Major League Baseball continues to function successfully without any salary limitations.
Fehr then addressed how the NHLPA deals with players potentially leaving money on the negotiating table. This question stems from the rumor that Connor McDavid walked back a $13.25MM AAV contract to one that pays him $12.5MM AAV. Fehr states that money is just one factor in contract negotiations, and the top-dollar amount is not always the main concern.
Regarding the Olympics, Fehr tells reporters that national pride drives players to play in international events, but did not expand on the PA’s position regarding player participation next season. Fehr did admit that the PA wants a series of international events just like the NHL. In the same international play vein, Fehr also admits that players have not been fully paid for the World Cup of Hockey. Prize money and stipends were handed out, but the rest of the revenue required complete accounting before distributing the players’ share.
Finally, Fehr addresses the revenue and salary gap between the NHL and NBA. The NHL, says Fehr, used to be only 20% behind the NBA in revenue numbers, but now lags behind significantly. As for player salaries, Fehr acknowledges that individual NBA players can affect the game more than an individual NHL player.
San Jose Sharks Sign Goaltender Josef Korenar
The San Jose Sharks signed undrafted goaltender Josef Korenar to a standard entry-level contract, NHL.com reports. It is a three-year deal worth $726K a year, according to CapFriendly.com.
Korenar is a 19 year-old goaltender out of the Czech Republic, but played in Lincoln, Nebraska last season for the Lincoln Stars in the USHL. Sharks Assistant GM Joe Will said that Korenar is a “goaltender that has been on our radar for a while now,” and that they “strongly considered drafting him in the 2017 NHL Draft.”
The Sharks now have three minor league goaltenders under contract, including recent signing Antoine Bibeau, and veteran Troy Grosenick. Up in the big leagues they Aaron Dell backing up starter Martin Jones, but Dell’s backup position could be in peril with an impressive camp performance from one of the aforementioned minor league goaltenders.
Snapshots: Umberger, O’Brien, McLean
After a full year away from the NHL, R.J. Umberger has signed a professional tryout with the Dallas Stars for camp this fall. Umberger was bought out of the last year of his deal in 2016, but according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch will be brought in with former coach Ken Hitchcock to training camp.
It would be quite a story to see Umberger get back on the ice, as he at one point was one of the more consistent scoring wingers in the league. In the four seasons stretching from 2008-2012, Umberger scored 94 goals and 198 points and was a shining star in Columbus. His career quickly fell apart after heading to Philadelphia, before a buyout would push him out of the league entirely. Now 35, he’ll try to show that he has a bit left in the tank.
- The Washington Capitals have signed their last remaining restricted free agent, inking Liam O’Brien to a one-year two-way contract. O’Brien will earn $650K at the NHL level, but that would be a big jump for the undrafted forward. O’Brien has just 14 NHL games to his name, and just a single one over the past two seasons. It’s hard to see him making enough of an impact to get a bigger role for the Capitals this season.
- The Iowa Wild have hired Brett McLean as an assistant coach for this season, giving him his first crack behind the bench. McLean just finished his playing career after a couple of seasons in Austria, the last stop on a long winding road. Drafted by Dallas in 1997, McLean never played for the Stars but did suit up for 385 NHL games. An incredibly talented offensive player, he was undersized before it was common in the league, and would eventually take his talents to Europe and be a big part of the developing Swiss NLA. He’ll come in and help the Minnesota Wild’s AHL franchise now, trying to pass on a little of that offensive knowledge to their young players.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Jonny Brodzinski, Paul LaDue
The Los Angeles Kings seem determined to sign all of their restricted free agents before the day is up. After inking Kevin Gravel and five others already today, the team announced a two-year deal with Jonny Brodzinski that will pay him $650K at the NHL level. The deal is a two-way contract in the first season, but transitions to a one-way deal in 2018-19. They also announced a one-year, two-way deal for Paul LaDue, which will pay him $874K at the NHL level.
Brodzinski, 24, made his NHL debut this season after lighting up the AHL. Armed with a cannon of a shot and the instincts to find open space he’s scored at every level so far in his career. The next step will be to see if that ability can transition to the NHL, where time and space is much harder to come by. In his six game stint with the Kings, he recorded two assists but did generate 17 shots, a strong effort for his first time in the league.
It’s more likely that Brodzinski is a fringe NHL player at best, as there are there are other things about his game that still need work. The potential he’s shown recently though is what has people in Los Angeles excited as with a new structure under John Stevens and company, they’ll likely be trying out new options to try and turn around the team.
One of those options could also be LaDue, who made it all the way to the NHL in his first full season since signing out of the University of North Dakota. In 22 games with the Kings, LaDue scored eight points and showed he could be an option to replace some of the outgoing minutes from the loss of Brayden McNabb. LaDue, 24, should be battling with newcomer Christian Folin for time on the right side this year.
The Kings have now signed all of their RFAs, leaving them with other decisions for the rest of the summer. With the signing of Gravel, they opened another buyout window that they could take advantage of should they want to move Dustin Brown‘s contract. Otherwise, they still have $5.9MM with which to play with, in either free agency or the trade market.
Ondrej Palat Signs Five-Year Contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to lock up their core pieces, signing Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract worth $26.5MM. The contract will have an average annual salary of $5.3MM, but the breakdown of the deal is as follows: 
- 2017-18: $5.6MM
- 2018-19: $6.855MM
- 2019-20: $5.3MM
- 2020-21: $3.445MM
- 2021-22: $5.3MM
This comes on the heels of a seven-year extension for linemate Tyler Johnson, that will see him earn $5MM per season. The fact that Palat comes in a tick ahead of him in terms of salary is a direct result of the length of the contract, as the two have very similar rates of production (though admittedly at different positions).
In the past twelve months (and change), Lightning GM Steve Yzerman has given out long-term deals to Palat, Johnson, Alex Killorn, Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos, while also getting Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy under decently priced bridge deals that will keep them restricted free agents after they expire. All that, plus a heck of a lot of work to clear enough room for it all has the Lightning locked in to this group for quite a while, and will allow them to compete together for the Stanley Cup.
Palat, 26, is giving up four unrestricted free agent years in the deal and will do so at a reasonably priced cap hit. His production since joining the team full time has been excellent, with 218 points in 307 games. During that time he’s also received Selke votes as the league’s top defensive forward three times, and has registered excellent possession numbers throughout. With Jonathan Drouin gone to Montreal, the team will rely on Palat even more as a top offensive weapon and will give him ample powerplay time.
One of the best seventh-round picks in recent history, Palat has come a long way since his humble beginnings in the draft. Passed over completely after his first year in the QMJHL, the Czech winger was taken with the third last pick in 2011 even after scoring 96 points for Drummondville. In what has turned into arguably Yzerman’s best draft, Palat joined Vladislav Namestnikov, Kucherov and Nikita Nesterov on the Lightning’s board that day.
Palat was set to have a hearing on July 25th after filing for player-elected salary arbitration, but was always expected to sign a long-term deal beforehand. With all of the key RFAs now dealt with, Tampa Bay has just over $3.2MM left in cap space—an amazing feat considering the trouble they were in just a few months ago.
Craig Morgan of AZ Sports was first to report the deal, and give the salary breakdown.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images