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Vegas Notes: Marchessault, Neal, Perron, Sbisa

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While it’s almost impossible to guess what the Vegas Golden Knight’s roster may look like from year-to-year for the forseeable future as general manager George McPhee has made it clear that trading for draft picks is his first and foremost goal, there are some who see trends already and, according to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, don’t be surprised at all if forward Jon Marchessault is re-signed to a long-term deal next year.

Fox did a podcast with Las Vegas Review-Journal hockey writer Steve Carp  (podcast on website), who says that Marchessault’s familiarity with former Florida Panthers’ head coach Gerard Gallant will make him want to stay in Vegas. The 26-year-old center will be joining his fourth team and has had his ups and downs after going undrafted early in his career. Before his 30-goal breakout season last year, he had only played in 49 career NHL games. He credits some of his success to Gallant, who was his head coach before being dismissed during the season. However, now that they are reunited in Las Vegas, he may look to stay where he is wanted.

  • Carp also says that the two most valuable trade chips at next year’s trade deadline will be James Neal and David Perron. While Neal’s name comes as no surprise after putting up 54 goals in the past two years, Perron’s value is unknown. The 29-year-old wing is far from his 28-goal season back in 2013-14, but did manage to play a full season last year in St. Louis and put up 18 goals. The belief is that McPhee is hoping to get second-round picks for each player, although Carp says he probably would be willing to accept a third-rounder, if needed. The Golden Knights whose emphasis is on receiving picks between the first and third round need help for next year’s draft. After having six picks in this year’s draft (including three first-rounders), Vegas has just two for 2018, yet seven in 2019 and five picks in the first three rounds in 2020. They hope the trade deadline will net them those 2018 picks.
  • Carp adds that one other issue with having 11 defenders currently on their roster is that nine of them are left-handed. Of all the defensemen on the roster, Carp says that McPhee wants to move Luca Sbisa, who has one year left on his deal, but at $3.6MM. “He’s 27 but he’s got a lot of money [owed to him],” Carp said. “I’m not sure if George didn’t overplay his hand a little bit in taking all these defencemen thinking he could flip ’em quickly for picks.”
  • Neal is also the likely candidate to become team captain, according to Carp. While Vegas has played up Marc-Andre Fleury as the face of the franchise, goaltenders are not permitted to be “on ice” captains.
  • Don’t expect the Golden Knights to sign one of the many veteran free agent forwards, according to Carp. A veteran does not fit in with the Golden Knight’s plans of developing youth or using veterans to trade for picks since no one seems to want players like Shane Doan or Jaromir Jagr now when they are available.

Kucherov Will Be Next To Receive McDavid-Like Money

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With the eight-year, $100MM extension of Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid already in the rearview mirror, many people have been speculating on the next big contract in the NHL. There are some who are looking at teammate Leon Draisaitl to break the bank, others at Auston Matthews in Toronto. Nashville’s Ryan Johansen just picked up $8MM per year, while Washington Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up $7.8. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post, points the finger at Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov who should be getting a huge extension in two years.

Kucherov is going into his second season of a three-year deal where he will be making $4.76MM, but when his contract is up in two years, expect there to be a major payday. The big-scoring winger will be just hitting his prime at age 26 when his contract is up and Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman will have a tough time from keeping Kucherov’s next contract from doubling, according to Brooks.

The 24-year-old winger took another major step this year, putting up career highs in both goals and assists, scoring 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points. Kucherov has come a long way in just a short time. Originally drafted as a second round pick in 2011, he stayed in Moscow for one year before coming over and playing junior hockey, before finally reaching the AHL in 2013-14 season. After 17 games, he was quickly promoted to Tampa Bay where he put up nine goals and nine assists in 51 games, but broke out the following year. He put up consistent numbers the next two years, combining for 58 goals and 72 assists, before taking the next step this past year.

While his 30 goals and 66 points in the 2015-16 season was still outstanding, Kucherov had little negotiating room when he hammered out this three-year deal. According to Brooks, Kucherov did not threaten to return to the KHL and had little recourse but to accept the three-year deal offered to him as a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. However, everything will change in two years when he can dangle his unrestricted free agency tag. His improved performance should only increase his pricetag. Add in the fact that Kucherov went out and got a new agent in Daniel Milstein of Gold Star Sports and expect that Kucherov should break the bank unless Yzerman can prove that he can lock up another great player to a team-friendly deal.

 

NHL Snapshots: Ennis, 2018 NHL Draft, Minor Signings

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The Minnesota Wild didn’t make too many changes to a team that finished with 106 points in the Western Conference last season. However, one major move was to move defenseman Marco Scandella and veteran Jason Pominville to Buffalo for Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis. While the team has high hopes for the 25-year-old Foligno, still a restricted free agent, could have a breakout year and he has predicted a 20-goal season, the team is even more focused on Ennis returning to form.

Ennis, who has battled the injury bug for the last two years has only played in 74 games during that time. Last year, he missed time due to groin surgery and only played in 51 games. Before those injuries, the 27-year-old wing scored 41 goals in two seasons between 2013-15. However, since then, he has tallied just eight goals. NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that Minnesota Wild coach Bruce Boudreau has high expectations for Ennis this year and believes that if Ennis can remain healthy, he expects to see a resurgence like the one that veteran Eric Staal did last year.

Staal scored 28 goals last year for the Wild a year after he was coming off a lackluster 13-goal season between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Rangers. Yet Boudreau believes Ennis could duplicate that kind of comeback performance in Minnesota.

“Tyler Ennis, I’ve seen and talked to and met,” Boudreau said. “I don’t want to put pressure on him, but three years ago, he was a great player in this league. He’s missed 90 games in the last two years due to injury. If we can keep him healthy, I think he’s going to have a rebound year like Eric Staal had. I’m very excited about having him. In our top-9 forwards, I think we’re as strong as anybody in the league.”

Of course Ennis’ personal high is 21 goals, and while he has hit 20 goals three times in his career, it’s unlikely to see Staal-like numbers.

  • The Dallas Stars tweeted they will host the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center next season on June 22-23. It was held this year in Las Vegas.
  • The Tucson Roadrunners, the AHL team of the Arizona Coyotes, signed three more players along with the reported signing of Ryan Culkin earlier today. The minor league affiliate also inked goaltender Michael Houser and wingers Scott Allen and Trevor Cheek, according to SB Nation. Houser played most of last season with the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones finishing with a 2.58 GAA in 41 games. Allen played 57 games for the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL and finished with eight goals and 11 assists, while Cheek split time between both the AHL and the ECHL.

Jets Hope Mason, Kulikov Will Send Winnipeg To Playoffs

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Offensively, the Winnipeg Jets have few worries. They finished seventh in the NHL in goals scored, averaging 3.0 goals a game. Afterall, they have several talented players including Patrik Laine, who scored 36 goals in his rookie season after being drafted second overall in 2016 behind Auston Matthews. The team also got 32 goals from 24-year-old Mark Scheifele, 26 goals from veteran Blake Wheeler, 25 goals from 21-year-old wing Nikolaj Ehlers, not to mention 21 goals from veteran Bryan Little. So, goal scoring is in good shape You can check it off.

Defense is a totally different story as Winnipeg was fourth in goals against as the team allowed an average of 3.11 goals per game. They also were 11th in shots allowed, having allowed 31.0 shots per game. The Jets, who made two big acquisitions during the offseason have high hopes they can change their franchise’s fortunes this season, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. The team signed veteran free agent goaltender Steve Mason to a two-year, $8.2MM deal and also signed enigmatic defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a 3-year, $13MM deal.

The team hopes Mason can steady their issues in goal. The team has struggled to get consistent play from that position for years from the struggles of Ondrej Pavelec to Michael Hutchinson to Connor Hellebuyck. Pavelec, who had been the starter for years had always been inconsistent, but after a great year in 2014-15 in which he finished with a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage, his production tailed off, moving to a backup role and this past year spent more time with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose than with the Jets. He signed with the New York Rangers this offseason. Hutchinson, 24, showed some promise in the 2014-15 season as well, but has struggled as the backup for the past two years. He finished this past year with a 2.92 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 28 games and will likely spend some time in the AHL this season. Hellebuyck, also 24, showed promise as the backup last season, but struggled when handed the starting job this year. He finished the season with a 2.89 GAA and .907 save percentage.

While Mason’s season in Philadephia was hardly phenomenal, he did finish with a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 58 games. The hope is that Mason can provide the stability that the team needs to reach the playoffs. Whether Hellebuyck will be given an opportunity to split time with Mason remains to be seen.

Kulikov’s addition is another key to the team’s success. Often listed as one of the worst free agency signings due to Kulikov’s struggles in recent years, the Jets have high hopes that he will break out in Winnipeg. Despite missing time with a bone bruise, Kulikov had one of the worst seasons with Buffalo this year. In 47 games, he had just two goals and three assists. However, the hope is that if Kulikov can step up and with the return of Tyler Myers as well as the dependability of Toby Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien, Josh Morrissey and Jacob Trouba, the Jets defense should be capable of improving, which should be enough to get them into the playoffs.

Boston Bruins Youth Movement Starting To Pay Off

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The Boston Bruins have always been able to stay relevant with their use of veteran players and an influx of young talent. That was more than evident last year when the team got quite a few contributions from their young players, including David Pastrnak, Brandon Carlo and Charles McAvoy as regular contributors, while others like Noel Acciari, Sean Kuraly and Frank Vatrano have all helped out the team on the lower lines.

Pastrnak is a perfect example of using a first-round pick wisely as the Bruins selected the now 21-year-old wing with the 25th overall pick. He scored 10 goals that first year after being drafted, improved to 15 one year later and broke out with a 34-goal season this year. Carlo, a former second-round pick in 2014, had a solid season on defense in his rookie campaign this year, while McAvoy, the 14th overall pick in 2016, played a full season for Boston University last year on defense, played four games for the AHL Providence Bruins and then had three assists in six playoff games for Boston to end the season.

Acciari contributed in 29 games for the Bruins last season, scoring two goals, but also helped out in the playoffs, playing in four of the team’s six playoff games and even scoring a goal. Kuraly, who was acquired in a trade a year ago after four seasons at Miami (OH) University, put up 14 goals for Providence in the AHL before getting a late season call. He played eight regular season games and then surprisingly got placed into the lineup during four playoff games, scoring two goals in the playoffs. Vatrano put up 10 goals last year in injury shortened season with the Bruins. The undrafted free agent is still only 23 years old and should be a regular contributor.

More youth is on the way, according to CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty, who profiles the Bruins’ top prospects and believes that Anders Bjork is ready to make immediate contributions to the Bruins lineup this season. Bjork, a fifth-round pick in 2014 has developed in three years at Notre Dame, finishing last season with 21 goals and 31 assists for the Fighting Irish. His combination of speed, skill and grit could make him a top candidate to make the team as either a wing for Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci. The key is whether he can prove that he can make the jump from the NCAA to the NHL without time in the AHL. Haggerty believes Bjork, who signed his entry-level deal on May 30, should be able to make the team out of training camp and has a chance to be a 20-goal scorer quickly.

For a team in need of wingers, the Bruins have quite a few prospects who could easily fill those roles next season. Jake DeBrusk, who was a first-round pick in 2015 and put up solid numbers in his first season in the AHL last year (19 goals, 30 assists) as well as putting up six goals for the Providence Bruins in 17 playoff games. Zachary Senyshyn, who went one pick later than DeBrusk in the 2015 first round, scored 42 goals for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL and played in four AHL playoff games last year. He will likely will need some time in the AHL to adjust to the speed of the game, but could earn a mid to late year promotion, according to Haggerty, and could be the best of the team’s top prospects.

Nevertheless, the future for a young Bruins squad looks bright. To see the rest of the list of top prospects, go here.

 

Ekman-Larsson Expected To Take Next Step For Arizona Coyotes

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Those struggling Arizona Coyotes that seem to have been flailing aimlessly at or near the bottom of the Pacific for the last few years suddenly are starting to look interesting. The team went out this offseason and made major changes from acquiring star center Derek Stepan and young goaltender Antti Raanta to acquiring veteran defender Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Coyotes suddenly seem to be a team on the rise. In fact, just a few days ago, we featured an early look at potential impact rookies and two Coyotes made the list in Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome. It seems if the rebuilding project that Arizona has undergone over the past few years is ready to begin paying off.

While that seems likely, NBC Sports Cam Tucker writes that of all the talent that Arizona has, the person that everyone should look to is star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The recently turned 26-year-old defenseman who was the sixth overall pick in 2009 and has been outstanding for a team that has struggled. However, with all the influx of talent coming in, Tucker writes that it will be Ekman-Larsson who should continue to be the centerpiece for the franchise. The blueliner slipped off a bit offensively last year after putting up a big season two years ago. He finished the season with 12 goals and 27 assists and while still good was a far cry from his 21 goals and 34 assists he had in 2015-16.

However, with a good chance he will be paired up with fellow countryman Hjalmarsson, a defensive specialist, and along with the forementioned offense that should come to Arizona this season, Ekman-Larsson will no longer have to be a one-man show and could take his game to a new level this year. He was utilized heavily last year as he averaged 24:36 minutes of ice time, more than a minute more than anyone else on the team. Those types of minutes shouldn’t be as necessary this year. On top of that, rumors persist that with the departure of Shane Doan, Ekman-Larsson will be handed the captaincy reigns this year.

  • Washington Capitals prospect Nathan Walker could make NHL history by becoming the first player from Australia to play a regular season game in the NHL. The third-round pick in 2014 has a legitimate chance to break the season with the Capitals this season, according to NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz. Walker, a high-energy, physical player despite his lack of size (5-foot-8, 186 pounds), could replace Daniel Winnik on the team’s fourth line this year. Walker has stepped up his game the last two years with the AHL Hershey Bears, putting up 28 goals and 64 points over the past two seasons.

Montreal’s Challenges In Utilizing Their Remaining Cap Space

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Defenseman Andrei Markov’s departure from Montreal caught many by surprise, particularly since the team had more than enough cap space to bring him back; even after bringing in Mark Streit, the team has more than $8MM to work with per CapFriendly.  While the expectation is that GM Marc Bergevin will look to add a big-ticket player now through the trade market or free agency, that’s something that may be easier said than done.

For starters, Markov was arguably the most prominent player left on the open market.  There’s a case to be made that there aren’t any top-four blueliners left in free agency so replacing him that way isn’t going to happen.  The Canadiens also need help down the middle but the top unsigned UFAs are players that are pondering retirement at this time in Mike Fisher and Matt Cullen.  There are wingers who can still help plenty of teams including Montreal that remain available but that’s one area where their depth is fairly strong.

[Related: Montreal’s Depth Chart at Roster Resource]

As a result, going the trade route seems to be the likeliest way to go.  However, there are some restrictions there as well.  First off, their best trade chip in defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was already dealt to Tampa Bay as part of the Jonathan Drouin deal.  He was the one youngster who could be the centerpiece of a trade for an impact player so it’s fair to question whether they have the prospect capital to land that big piece via trade.

Montreal’s financial situation beyond this season also is worth noting.  For 2018-19, they already have nearly $58MM committed to just 15 players.  While center Tomas Plekanec ($6MM) is a significant expiring contract, most of his salary is already earmarked to cover Carey Price’s new deal which kicks in then.  Fast forward one more year and the commitment stands at over $48MM to just nine players (with captain Max Pacioretty among those slated to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019).  Accordingly, it’s fair to speculate that Bergevin may not want to add another high salary that’s signed beyond next season, especially with the expectation that the salary cap is going to continue to flatten out.

There aren’t many teams in dire cap straits either that they could potentially look to exploit.  Three are currently pegged to be over (Toronto, Chicago, and Detroit) but they all have players eligible for long-term injury reserve that will mitigate the need to dump a sizable salary.  Washington’s in a tight spot as well but they can work around that by filling out the roster with near-minimum salary players instead of necessarily moving someone more prominent out.

All of a sudden, while the Canadiens have plenty of room to work with, the options don’t seem quite as plentiful.  Free agency isn’t likely to provide much help while if they want to add an impact player, they may not want to look at players on longer-term deals unless they’re sending at least some salary the other way so while the money is there, there are also some challenges they have to deal with when they go to spend it.

One way or the other though, it’s highly unlikely that Montreal enters 2017-18 with $8MM in cap room which makes them a team to watch for the rest of the offseason.

Snapshots: Lee, Jagr, Culkin

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One of the more intriguing defensemen still available on the open market is Chris Lee.  The 36-year-old has yet to play in the NHL but is coming off a strong season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL (where he led all defensemen in scoring with 65 points in 60 games) while also making a strong impression with Team Canada at the World Championships back in May.

Accordingly, his agent Peter Cooney told Ken Campbell of The Hockey News that five or six NHL teams have kicked the tires with regards to Lee’s asking price.  The holdup seems to be that no team is offering a one-way deal as of yet and Cooney noted that if the best offer that’s received is a two-way one, he’ll stay overseas where suiting up in the Olympics would be a distinct possibility.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • While some have wondered if free agent winger Jaromir Jagr could potentially go back to Pittsburgh to end his career, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted that GM Jim Rutherford has no interest in bringing Jagr in. The 45-year-old played spent 11 seasons with the Penguins from 1990-91 through 2000-01, collecting 1,079 points in just 806 games.  While he’s undoubtedly past his prime, Jagr did put up 46 points in 82 games with Florida last season, showing he can still produce at the NHL level.
  • Unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Culkin, who wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Calgary last month, has inked a one year deal with AHL Tucson (affiliate of the Coyotes), the minor league team announced. Culkin split the season between the AHL and ECHL levels and while he was productive in the latter (12 points in 16 games), he didn’t have much success in the AHL as he was held off the scoresheet in a career-low 19 contests.

Free Agent Profile: Jarome Iginla

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In his prime, right winger Jarome Iginla was a premier power forward in the league.  Although he has lost a few steps in recent years as he has aged, he could still serve as a potential middle six winger for some teams but remains unsigned as we near the one-month mark of free agency.

Iginla split 2016-17 between the Avalanche and Kings and while his performance with the former wasn’t the greatest, he did provide some signs that he can still help a team with the latter.  His role with Colorado diminished throughout the season and as a result, he was often in their bottom six, hardly a good sign for a team that was completely bereft of scoring.

Mar 20, 2017; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings right winger Jarome Iginla (88) is seen out on the ice during the pre game warm-up as they get set to play against the Edmonton Oilers before the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY SportsThere was plenty of trade speculation as the days ticked down to the trade deadline and the 40-year-old eventually was moved to Los Angeles in what basically amounted to a partial salary dump.  That seemed to spark Iginla, who picked up nine points (6-3-9) in 19 games with the Kings while seeing his ice time jump back over 16 minutes a night.  If he could sustain that level of production (or even close to it), he could be a bargain for whoever signs him.

However, as the game continues to speed up, Iginla is heading in the wrong direction.  He’s far from at his best in transition and is better suited for slower paced situations.  That alone will have quite a few teams looking in other directions before even factoring in anything else.  But, with 1,300 career points as well as a strong reputation off the ice under his belt, there still should be some teams kicking the tires if he wants to stick around for another year.

Potential Suitors

At this stage of his career, it’s hard to imagine that Iginla would be interested in joining any rebuilding teams.  He’d surely prefer a team that’s expected to contend but if one of those teams were to express an interest, it likely would have happened already.

The Bruins have been speculated as a possible fit.  While they have some youngsters on the horizon, Iginla would represent an affordable hedge against some of them not being ready right away.  He’s also familiar with the organization having played for them back in 2013-14 and he recently bought a house in the area.  Calgary is also quite familiar with Iginla as he spent parts of 16 seasons with the team.  There could be a third line spot on the wing available for him and it would be an opportunity for his career to come full circle.  Iginla fit in well with Los Angeles but they’re looking to transition towards more speed which all but takes them out of the running.

A non-NHL option in play is the Canadian Olympic Team.  With the NHL not participating in the 2018 Games, Iginla would be a candidate to suit up for them as well as playing in some pre-Olympic tournaments.  That would then open him to potentially signing with an NHL team for the stretch run (though he would have to pass through waivers first).  That would allow him to play a more limited schedule than a typical 82-game stretch which might be most beneficial for him.

Projected Contract

Back in June, Iginla ranked 33rd on our Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected one-year, $1MM contract.  If he decides to play in the NHL for another year, that’s still a reasonable expectation for a new deal for him although there could be a few bonuses in there as well.  As the calendar gets closer to training camp though, the Olympic option will probably become more and more of a serious option if retirement isn’t on the table.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Upcoming RFA Arbitrations

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Next week is the last week for scheduled RFA arbitrations. So far no team or player has managed to actually make it to arbitration. Rather, parties have settled in every arbitration case prior to the arbitration hearing date. The same fate may await the following six players who make up the final set of arbitration dates.

August 2nd: Calvin de Haan – New York Islanders
The New York Islanders defenseman had a $1.97MM cap hit last season, and put up 5G and 20A in 82 games.

August 3rd: Nate Schmidt – Vegas Golden Knights
The former Washington Capitals defenseman—selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft—put up 3G and 14A in 60 games last season. His previous cap hit was $812K.

August 3rd: Nino Niederreiter – Minnesota Wild
The 24 year-old Wild forward had a previous cap hit of $2.66MM and scored 25G and 32A in 82 games last season. Expect a significant raise.

August 4th: Mikael Granlund – Minnesota Wild
The 25 year-old Wild forward put up even better numbers than Neiderreiter with 26G and 43A in 81 games. Expect a significant raise over his previous $3MM cap hit.

August 4th: Conor Sheary – Pittsburgh Penguins
Fresh off a career season and a Stanley Cup victory, Sheary looks for a significant raise over his $667K contract. Sheary put up 23G and 30A in 61 games last season.

August 4th: Nathan Beaulieu – Buffalo Sabres
The 24 year-old defenseman scored 4G and 24A in 74 games last season. His previous cap hit was an even $1MM.

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