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Archives for July 2017

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Oscar Lindberg

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The Vegas Golden Knights have inked one of their restricted free agents, signing Oscar Lindberg to a two-year, $3.4MM deal. Lindberg was the Golden Knights’ selection from the New York Rangers, a player the Rangers had to replace earlier today with David Desharnais.

With just a two-year deal, the Golden Knights will carry Lindberg to unrestricted free agency in 2019. That allowed them to keep the cap hit relatively low at $1.7MM, especially for a player who has shown an ability to hold down a checking role and contribute on the scoresheet from time to time.

Lindberg scored 20 points last season in 65 games, playing just under 11 minutes a night for the Rangers. Stuck behind Derek Stepan, Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes at the center ice position, Lindberg didn’t get much of a chance to operate with high end talent but still provided some nice secondary scoring. Though the center ice position is a little crowded in Vegas right now, Lindberg should get a chance to see the ice more often than in New York, and show off the offensive talent he had in the AHL and Sweden.

Vegas has Vadim Shipachyov, Cody Eakin, William Karlsson penciled into the center position already, but there’s a real chance the team moves on from one of them (not Shipachyov) before the season begins. Jonathan Marchessault who also has center experience, could play the wing for the club this year and try to turn in another 30-goal season. Either way, it’s likely that the team spreads the icetime out a bit more and Lindberg should get an opportunity to contribute.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Andre Burakovsky To Bridge Deal

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The Washington Capitals have signed a key forward today inking Andre Burakovsky to a two-year, $6MM deal. Getting Burakovsky in for a relatively low price of $3MM per season was imperative for the team after it found itself in cap trouble this offseason. Mike Vogel of the team site gives us the breakdown:

  • 2017-18: $2.25MM+$500K signing bonus on July 15th
  • 2018-19: $3.25MM

After re-signing Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie to eight-year contracts, the Capitals found themselves without much room to pay Burakovsky and fellow restricted free agent Philipp Grubauer. That ended up with the team dealing Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils, but they still didn’t have the room to give Burakovsky a long-term deal. Buying out any free agent years would have made the cap hit skyrocket, as even though he currently has a career-high of 38 points, he’s also only 22 and has put up excellent numbers for relatively low playing time he’s received. With Johansson’s departure, Burakovsky should receive more time in the top-six and on the powerplay, giving him the opportunity to put up 50+ points next season.

That said, signing him to a bridge deal now makes any future long-term deal even more expensive. You don’t have to look much further than Kuznetsov, who took an identical two-year $6MM bridge deal in 2015, and just parlayed it into a $62.4MM contract this summer. While Kuznetsov is a center, giving him a bit more leverage, if Burakovsky can break out in a similar manner he will actually have a longer track record when he hits his third contract.

For the Capitals, this leaves them with ~$5.6MM in cap space and just Grubauer left as a key player to re-sign. They could easily fit him in under that, as the backup goaltender is coming off a $750K salary in 2016-17 and has still only started 51 games in his career. Though the option to trade him still exists, the amount of teams looking for a starting goaltender has considerably shrunk (if not disappeared all together) and dealing him as a backup would likely bring back a much smaller package. That said, Grubauer is two years away from free agency and any short-term deal will put him on the open market in a few seasons as a much sought-after starter.

Burakovsky though will now be a nicely priced asset for the Capitals, and will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the bridge deal. Despite being only 22, he’s just four years away from free agency meaning they’ll have two more years of control before he hits the open market. In 2019, the Capitals have both Lars Eller and Brooks Orpik coming off the books, and should have enough room to sign him to a longer-term deal that buys out free agent years. Whether that is signing a player capable of being a first-line winger or not is still to be determined.

Ilya Kovalchuk Will Return To KHL

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The Ilya Kovalchuk saga may be over, at least for now. Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that the Russian winger will return to the KHL for another season, making him an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team next summer. Andrew Gross of The Record confirms the report that he’s headed back, though there has not been any confirmation from a KHL team on where he’ll play next season.Ilya Kovalchuk

Kovalchuk’s camp has been talking to teams around the NHL for months since announcing his desire to return to the league next season, but hasn’t been able to find a deal that would be be acceptable to him, his new team and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils, though not interested in bringing Kovalchuk onto their own team, still had his rights and would have had to complete a sign-and-trade with another team to see him play in the league. Brooks reports that Devils’ GM Ray Shero did try to facilitate trades, but nothing worked out in the end.

The 34-year old will become a UFA next summer on July 1st, but will be hampered by the restrictions placed on 35-year old contracts in the NHL. Any contract signed after a player turns 35 will count against the cap regardless of whether the player retires or is bought out, and since Kovalchuk comes with a checkered past in this regard, it’s unlikely to see a team offer him any sort of long-term deal.

There is also doubt about his ability to even make an impact at the NHL level, as even though he put up 78 points this season for SKA St. Petersburg, things haven’t always been so rosy for him in Russia. Two years ago Kovalchuk scored only 16 goals on a less talented St. Petersburg team, and even this year his play fell off in the Gagarin Cup playoffs. While he was one of the most dominant power forwards in NHL history for a time, there is no guarantee his game can still work in the newer, faster league of today.

That’s not to say he won’t find a deal in 2018, as there will surely be teams after him with no compensation attached. Any contender who believes they can fit Kovalchuk into their system could make an offer, hoping to at least get a 20-goal version of him. With players like Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton getting big paydays even at advanced ages, it’s clear there will be a market for Kovalchuk next summer, though it might come on a very short-term deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

San Jose Sharks Sign Brandon Bollig

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The San Jose Sharks have signed Brandon Bollig to a one-year two-way deal worth $650K. Bollig is coming off the final season of a three-year $3.75MM deal, but was buried in the minor leagues by the Calgary Flames for the entirety of 2016-17.

Bollig, 30, is a former Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, but was moved to the Flames for a draft pick in 2014. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the winger:

Bollig is a competitive player who will add a tough edge to the Sharks. He brings with him a lot of playoff experience and a Stanley Cup Championship. His grit and physicality will be a great addition to our team.

It will be interesting to see if Bollig makes the Sharks on a full-time basis, as he’s barely been NHL worthy during his time in Calgary. While adding some solid defensive responsibility and a toughness to the fourth line, he offers virtually zero offensive ability. With the Sharks losing some firepower on the wing from Patrick Marleau’s departure, it will be interesting to see how the Sharks deploy their left side next season.

Snapshots: Kostin, Toninato, Mrazek

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The drama that is Dynamo Moscow continued today, with the team releasing most of their players due to unpaid wages going back almost a year. The new owners would not honor those debts, and instead have given freedom to the vast majority of their players. One of those players is Klim Kostin, the 31st overall pick at the draft and St. Louis Blues prospect.

Kostin is now free to sign an entry-level deal with the Blues, and already attended their development camp last week. At camp, Kostin turned many heads and has an outside shot of even playing in the NHL this season. More likely, he’ll head to the AHL next season after expressing that he will not suit up for Kootenay of the CHL. Interestingly, St. Louis doesn’t have a primary AHL affiliate this season, meaning Kostin would either go to the Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights) or somewhere else around the league.

  • According to Zach Schneider of KBJR 6 in Minnesota, Toronto Maple Leafs’ draft pick Dominic Toninato will not sign with the team and instead become a free agent in August. Toninato finished his senior season at the University of the Minnesota-Duluth and needs to sign somewhere, but the Maple Leafs are close to their contract limit and couldn’t fit him in. Should he not be able to find an ELC somewhere around the league, there is always the possibility the Maple Leafs could circle back and sign him to an AHL contract.
  • There has been much speculation about the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltending situation, as they once again have an expensive duo of Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek heading into the season. While the team doesn’t really need both in a rebuilding season, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press tells us they currently plan on heading into the year with both in tow. That means you’ll likely hear their names bandied about near the trade deadline once again, if any teams find themselves needing goaltending.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Nail Yakupov

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The Colorado Avalanche are in the perfect position to take a chance on a former top pick, and have done so with a contract for Nail Yakupov. The deal is for one year, and will pay him $875K.  Yakupov was not issued a qualifying offer from the St. Louis Blues, making him an unrestricted free agent. Nail Yakupov

The Avalanche, coming off one of the worst seasons in recent NHL history, are set to try and rebuild the franchise through the draft and young options they already have. Yakupov, still just 23 years old fits into their timeline as a lottery ticket that could pay off in the long run.

The first-overall pick in 2012, Yakupov looked like he was heading for big things when he scored 31 points in the 48-game 2012-13 season. Since then, things have gone downhill considerably. Last year he scored just nine points in 40 games, never fitting in properly in St. Louis.

It’s by no means too late for Yakupov to turn things around and become a quality NHL scorer, but at this point it needed to come in a place like Colorado with openings in their top-six and less pressure to be a playoff team right away. On a one-year deal, he can try to rebuild some value before becoming a restricted free agent again next summer for Colorado.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported it was for one year, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave us the dollar figure.

Arbitration Deadline Quickly Approaching

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With the heavy lifting of free agency now over, most teams in the NHL will turn their attention to their own restricted free agents and the upcoming deadlines for salary arbitration. Tomorrow, July 5th, is the deadline for player-elected arbitration while teams get until Thursday, July 6th to notify of team-elected arbitration. Those terms may sound similar, but they come with a few key differences.

A team is only allowed to take two players to team-elected arbitration each season, and each player only once in his career. That means, if a team—any team, not only the one he’s currently with—has elected salary arbitration in the past, they may not do so again with that player. Last year, the only club-elected filing was with Petr Mrazek, who ended up signing a two-year deal with the team before his hearing. That won’t change the fact that no team can elect to take him to arbitration again, as the filing is all that counts. Peter Mrazek

The opposite side has the decision on whether the resulting contract will be a one-year or two-year, and in certain situations the club has “walk away” rights. If the arbitration award is more than ~$4.0MM (this number changes with the average league salary, and has yet to be set for this arbitration season) the team can decline one year of the contract, meaning if they’d selected a one-year deal the player would become an unrestricted free agent.

For a full breakdown of how the arbitration process works, make sure to check out our own Mike Furlano’s fantastic Capology 101 series from last year. The arbitration sections can be found here and here.

As for potential arbitration cases, it’s important to note that not all restricted free agents are eligible. Leon Draisaitl, and David Pastrnak among many others are still too early in their careers to elect arbitration, making any potential deal come down to their negotiations with the team. The Capology pieces have all the details on how it is determined, but some of the biggest names that are eligible are:

Mikael Granlund – 81 GP, 26 G, 43 A, 69 P

Granlund and fellow Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter—who has actually already filed according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune—are both eligible for arbitration, and have some of the strongest cases in the group. Coming off his third straight 40+ point season, and a $3MM contract, should the Wild and Granlund not be able to reach a deal before his hearing he would be in line for a big raise.

Ryan Johansen – 82 GP, 14 G, 47 A, 61 P

There has already been reports of Johansen asking for an $8.5MM per year contract, which would make him one of the highest-paid centers in the league. Though his arbitration amount wouldn’t be that high, he has quite the case as one of the premiere up-and-coming talents in the league.

Alex Galchenyuk – 61 GP, 17 G, 27 A, 44 P

One of the most talked about RFAs in the league, Galchenyuk has simultaneously been the talk of much trade speculation and contract negotiation. The Canadiens are in active discussions with him, but if something can’t get done an arbitration date could settle the debate for them.

As with any year, most of the free agents that file for salary arbitration will sign a contract before a hearing ever happens. But with such a strong group of RFAs this year, we might be in for some interesting decisions as the time ticks down. After filing, the league will set hearing dates that should fall between July 20th and August 4th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Marcus Kruger Traded To Carolina Hurricanes

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As expected yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes have acquired Marcus Kruger from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2018 fifth-round pick. Kruger was acquired by the Golden Knights just a few days ago in a pre-arranged deal with Chicago. The Blackhawks had to wait to pay out a $2MM signing bonus on July 1st before moving Kruger for future considerations (which in all likelihood are nothing). It’s cap relief the Hawks were after, and they had to allow Trevor van Riemsdyk to be picked in the expansion draft to do it. Marcus Kruger

van Riemsdyk was also traded to the Hurricanes after the draft, making this a pretty handy selection for the Golden Knights. In essence, instead of taking a player from the Blackhawks they received a second and a fifth-round pick. Carolina GM Ron Francis had this to say about his new center:

We were determined to bring in experienced players with winning pedigrees and Marcus is another addition who fits that mold. He’s a solid, two-way center who has achieved success both in the NHL and internationally.

Kruger has won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, and several international medals with Sweden including Olympic Silver. The 27-year old already has 87 career playoff games under his belt, and should bring some of that experience to a young Carolina team looking to make an impact this season. The most important part, is that Kruger’s salary structure fits perfectly for the cap-floor team.

After the signing bonus was paid out, Kruger is owed just $1.45MM for the rest of the 2017-18 season despite his cap hit of $3.08MM. Next year his salary is just $2.3MM, meaning the Hurricanes will pay out a grand total of $3.75MM for two years of the checking center. Contracts like that are the lifeblood for a team that simply can’t pay up to the salary cap ceiling. Even better, Kruger is still a very useful player right in his prime. Though he’ll never be a top scoring threat, Kruger is a very effective checking center who has received Selke votes twice in his career, and is generally well regarded in a shut down role.

The Hurricanes have become a landing spot for several former Blackhawks, now with van Riemsdyk, Kruger, Teuvo Teravainen and Scott Darling set to play key roles next year. They’ve become a scavenging team, set to prey on teams that are in cap trouble. That plan looks like it will work for them, as with a new goaltender and maturing young core the Hurricanes should be a contender for a playoff spot as soon as next season. If they can acquire another offensive player for some of their defensive depth as many have expected, they’ll be even more dangerous.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evening Notes: Blackhawks, Flyers, Palmquist

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The Minnesota Wild have locked up 26 year-old defenseman Zach Palmquist to a one-year, two way contract, per Renaud Lavoie. The NHL value of the contract is $725,000. Palmquist has not yet played an NHL game, but played in 72 games for the AHL affiliate Iowa Wild last season. Palmquist is a low-scoring two-way defender, but at barely 6 foot tall, relies more on his skating and stick-checking to find success. He has a decent, accurate pass but cannot be relied upon for consistent offensive production. Still, he was trapped in a gigantic logjam with the glut of defensemen in the Minnesota system. Perhaps he finally gets his cup of tea as a bottom-pairing defender in 2017-18.

  • Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times contemplates the effect the Chicago overhaul will have on on-ice performance next season. He’s quick to point out that the 2016-17 Blackhawks had the second-best record in franchise history, which is quite storied. That said, it seems unlikely that the Hawks will be able to replicate that regular season success with such incredible turnover. Lazarus may be a little premature in his worry about post-season contention or management firings, but GM Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville will undoubtedly start feeling heat if the season starts off on a sour note. Losing Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson in particular have drawn ire from the fanbase, and it will be interesting to see how much faith ownership maintains if Chicago struggles early in the incredibly deep Central division. Although many of the moves were made out of salary cap necessity, the expectation is to win.
  • The Flyers never do seem to fully alleviate their goaltending troubles. Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer is quick to point out that free-agent acquisition Brian Elliott is not the answer to all their woes in between the pipes. He points out with particular concern the unlikelihood of Michal Neuvirth playing a full 40+ game split, which he hasn’t done outside of one season. Ford also attacks the tandem goaltending model, stating that it rarely finds success – though that is certainly a matter of debate. Elliott himself had his best season of his career for the 2011-12 Blues in a tandem with Jaroslav Halak. Ultimately, the franchise seems to be pinning its long-term hopes on either Carter Hart,18  or Felix Sandstrom, 20 – but neither is a sure thing. GM Ron Hextall is still not sold on Anthony Stolarz (even after protecting him in the expansion draft) and will watch his progress closely next season with the AHL Phantoms in Lehigh Valley.

Kings Looking To Shift Course

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After missing the playoffs two seasons in a row, the L.A. Kings have fallen pretty hard from grace. After winning the cup twice in three years, it’s been one bad story after another for the team from Hollywood. Dustin Brown was stripped of the captaincy and relegated to bottom-six duties, not long after former key contributor Mike Richards found himself terminated due to a combination of on-ice, off-ice, and salary issues. Matt Greene had to be bought out entirely. Marian Gaborik is 35, signed for four more seasons, and just put together two underwhelming performances back-t0-back. The defense has gotten more top-heavy, and after losing Brayden McNabb to Vegas in the expansion draft, is set to lose another valuable piece. The head coach who earned the franchise its two rings was fired and a re-tread coach from Philadelphia will get his opportunity in 2017-18.

In an article with the L.A. Times written by Helene Elliotts, GM Rob Blake details the change in philosophy the Kings will need to adopt if they are going to find success in the near future. Ultimately, he wants to predicate the team’s identity more on speed, while staying true to their defensive style. Los Angeles has played a heavy, physical, stifling game to get their championships, and it appears that Blake is shifting away from that mantra next season. He isolated the “core” of the team as Anze Kopitar, Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, and Jonathan Quick. It might be drawn from his sentiment thatt other, more expendable pieces that may be available if the Kings continue to merely tread water.

Los Angeles did make a decent bargain-bin signing in Mike Cammalleri, who was sunk by a capsized New Jersey Devils squad last season. The potential for him to rebound and be productive is quite high, but it may not be nearly enough. The Kings beat out only Philadelphia, Colorado, New Jersey and Vancouver in terms of fewest goals scored. Carter and Pearson were the only twenty-goal scorers on the team. Guaranteed offense is an absolute need, and although former coach Darryl Sutter’s systems were a component of the struggles, the team needs more reliable production. Their defense is still the team’s greatest organizational strength, but it does strike some as odd that a player like McNabb wasn’t shuffled elsewhere for scoring help rather than being sacrificed for nothing to expansion.

If the Kings decide at this late stage to go the free agency route, their options are solid if a bit older. If speed is the determinant factor, that may seem to rule out the likes of Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla, while leaving the possibility of a Thomas Vanek signing open. More likely, however, the Blake and the Kings will need to probe the trade market. From there, the team will likely need to surrender future assets if they hope to receive solid scoring in a returning package. The team could take a lot of offensive pressure off of Kopitar (who himself is more of a two-way player) if they could swing a trade for a solid center. Matt Duchene is likely out of their price range, and Alex Galchenyuk’s value just skyrocketed. The bottom-six wingers are dreadfully lacking in experience, so an upgrade to the third line couldn’t hurt. Cap space is tight, however, as the team will only have over $5.5 MM after re-signing RFAs Nick Shore and Kevin Gravel. It may take outside-the-box thinking to bring the Kings back into contender status, but Blake seems primed to make moves, albeit on his own timeline.

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