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Who Will Play Defense For The Vegas Golden Knights?

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The Vegas Golden Knights are in a precarious situation. After drafting 30 players in this summer’s NHL expansion draft, the team is left with two goalies, thirteen forwards—and ten defensemen. They are clearly overloaded on the blue line, and common wisdom suggests that the team will part with at least two or three before the season starts. Who that may be, however, is unclear as the current defense corps does not contain a clear cut trade candidate.

The Golden Knights have a plethora of defensemen on the final year of their contracts, making them attractive at the deadline, but not necessarily attractive before the season starts. Below is a quick synopsis on the Golden Knights blue line and who may stay and who may go.

Jason Garrison: Age 32, $4.6MM, pending UFA
The highest-paid defenseman on the Golden Knights, Garrison represents the prototypical “stay-at-home” veteran defenseman old-school GMs like. Garrison scored 1G and 8A in 70 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning while averaging over 18 minutes a night on Tampa Bay’s second defensive pairing. His contract may prove unmovable though, especially to a team looking to make a playoff push.

Luca Sbisa: Age 27, $3.6MM, pending UFA
The Italian-born Sbisa scored 2G and 11A in 82 games for the Vancouver Canucks last season, while averaging just under 19 minutes a night. Sbisa entered the NHL with much fanfare in 2008-09, but has not fully met the scouts’ expectations. It is possible that Sbisa contributes more in an expanded role, as he was stuck on the Canucks third-pairing for most of the season.

Clayton Stoner: Age 32, $3.25MM, pending UFA
Stoner is looking for a bounce-back season after spending most of 2016-17 on IR. Stoner underwent abdominal surgery in late December 2016, and only managed to play 14 games last season. In those 14 games to start the season, Stoner put up 1G and 2A. Stoner has never been a prolific point-producer—his career high is 10 points—so the Golden Knights may find it hard to move his contract.

Brayden McNabb: Age 26, $1.7MM, pending UFA
McNabb has split time between the Buffalo Sabres and the Los Angeles Kings in his NHL career. His best season saw him put up 2G and 22A in 71 games in 2014-15. The Golden Knights hope that McNabb bounces back from last season’s diluted production, with McNabb scoring only 2G and 2A in 29 games wile averaging just over 15 minutes a night.

Jon Merrill: Age 25, $1.1375MM, pending RFA
Merrill scored 1G and 5A in 5 games for the New Jersey Devils last season, and averaging over 18 minutes a game. What separates Merrill from the above defensemen is his controlled contract situation and his youth. He might be a movable piece on those aspects alone.

Colin Miller: Age 24, $1MM, pending RFA
The former Boston Bruins defenseman has the most to prove on the Golden Knights. Only 24, Miller still has time to live up to his potential. He’ll have to improve on last year’s numbers, though. Miller scored 6G and 7A in 61 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night. More opportunity for Miller should ramp up his production.

Deryk Engelland: Age 35, $1MM, pending UFA
The Golden Knights signed Engelland to a one-year deal after the expansion draft, so it is unlikely that he is traded before the season starts. He will most likely be the veteran presence in the locker room.

Shea Theodore: Age 21, $863K, pending RFA
Shea Theodore has big shoes to fill. The Golden Knights ostensibly thought enough of Theodore to be okay with making deals with the Anaheim Ducks to forego a defenseman like Sami Vatanen. Theodore scored 2G and 7A in 34 NHL games last season, but at age 21, he has time to develop into a more-integral player. The Golden Knights are unlikely to move Theodore.

Griffin Reinhart: Age 23, $800K, RFA in 2019-20
Reinhart may be moved by the Golden Knights, but that move might be down to the AHL. In 37 career NHL games since 2014-15, Reinhart has zero goals and only 2 assists. The former 4th pick overall in 2012 has yet to prove scouts right, but the Golden Knights saw enough in Reinhart to sign him to a two-year deal worth $800K a year.

Brad Hunt: Age 28, $650K, UFA in 2019-20
Hunt signed with the Golden Knights on July 1st, so it’s unlikely that he is traded before the season starts. Last season Hunt split time between the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and the AHL Chicago Wolves. Hunt put up 1G and 5A in 12 NHL games, and an additional 9G and 20A in 23 AHL games. The main knock against Hunt is his size—5’9″ and 175 lbs—but with the NHL evolving into a faster, more skill-based league, Hunt may find a permanent place on the Golden Knights blue line.

Nate Schmidt: Age 26, $TBD, current RFA
Schmidt remains the Golden Knights most interesting defensive asset, and thus could garner the most value on the trade market. Underused on the Washington Capitals blue line last season after the Capitals acquired Kevin Shattenkirk, Schmidt still put up 3G and 14A in 60 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night. Schmidt received a bigger role in the playoffs, showcasing his potential for the upcoming season. But before all that, the Golden Knights have to sign Schmidt. Both parties have an arbitration date on August 3rd, but it is likely they come to a deal before then.

The Golden Knights need to move at least one defensemen before the season starts, unless they plan on moving some of their players to the AHL. No one player stands out as an obvious trade candidate, so GM George McPhee has his work cut out for his as the season approaches.

Evening Snapshots: Front Offices, NWHL, and the Islanders

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News and notes from around the hockey world this evening:

  • The Hockey News conducted a survey asking fans to rate the performance of each NHL team’s front office. Over 1300 people participated in the survey and ranked front offices on six distinct categories: roster building, cap management, drafting/developing, trading, free agency, and vision. The Nashville Predators earned the highest public opinion, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. On the other end of the spectrum, the Colorado Avalanche had the worst public opinion ratings, just behind the Vancouver Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings.
  • The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) has expanded its official rosters from 17 players to 25 players. Previously, the league had two tiers of players: roster players and practice players. Practice players would only play in games if a roster player could not. Moreover, practice players did not get paid for practicing unless they also played in a game. Now, all players are considered roster players, but only 17 will suit up for a game—important because players are now played per game rather than through a salary.
  • The New York Islanders may be one step closer to moving out of the Barclays Center. Randi Marshall of Newsday reports that New York State will officially begin requesting proposals for developing valuable land next to Belmont Park—home of the Belmont Stakes. The Islanders have been rumored to be discussing a Belmont Park-located arena, and the State’s proposal request will propel those talks.

Potential 2018 Olympic Roster for Team Canada

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Hockey Canada released its roster for two upcoming international tournaments, and stated that the 2018 Men’s Canadian olympic hockey team roster will draw primarily from these two teams. The roster announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that Sean Burke and Willie Desjardins will serve as the team’s General Manager and Head Coach, respectively.

Those tournaments—the 2017 Sochi Hockey Open and the 2017 Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov—will be the stage for informal Team Canada olympic tryouts. Hockey Canada is using these tournaments as an opportunity to scout 46 different players it considers having a chance to join Team Canada in South Korea.

The full rosters are below, but notably standouts include former NHLers Derek Roy, Carlo Colaiacovo, Maxime Talbot, Mason Raymond, Kevin Klein, and Ben Scrivens. Most players listed currently play hockey in Europe.

Sochi Hockey Open Roster

Forwards
Justin Azevedo, Gilbert Brulé, Brandon Buck, Kevin Clark, Andrew Ebbett, Bud Holloway, Rob Klinkhammer, Brandon Kozun, Ben Maxwell, Brandon McMillan, Eric O’Dell, Daniel Paille, Mason Raymond, Maxime Talbot, Linden Vey

Defense
Chay Genoway, Geoff Kinrade, Patrick McNeill, Maxim Noreau, Mat Robinson, Jonathan Sigalet, Karl Stollery

Goaltenders
Justin Peters, Kevin Poulin

Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov Roster

Forwards
Taylor Beck, Sean Collins, Cory Emmerton, Ryan Garbutt, Andrew Gordon, David McIntyre, Jacob Micflikier, Trevor Parkes, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Derek Roy, Greg Scott, Paul Szczechura, James Wright

Defense
Cam Barker, Carlo Colaiacovo, Stefan Elliott, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Kevin Klein, Shawn Lalonde, Craig Schira

Goaltenders
Kevin Poulin, Ben Scrivens

It is likely that the majority of Team Canada will draw from these two rosters, but Hockey Canada has indicated that it is looking at all options. That included potential non-signing UFAs like Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla, as well as standout junior players if the situation warrants. It also includes players on AHL-only contracts.

Detroit Red Wings Will Pursue Will Butcher

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The Colorado Avalanche were unable to convince reigning Hobey Baker award winner Will Butcher to sign with them after his final season with the University of Denver, and he will become a free agent after August 15th. Like last year with Jimmy Vesey, we’ll see plenty of teams reach out to the young defensemen to try and add a prospect to their organization for nothing more than an entry-level contract. We’ve already heard that Pittsburgh will likely be interested in him and that Butcher’s camp would welcome a call from the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and now Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that the Detroit Red Wings will also be involved.

The Red Wings have gone hard after free agents from college and Europe this offseason, trying to infuse as much young talent as they can into their franchise as it begins its next chapter. The Wings missed the playoffs for the first time since 1990 and are in quite the precarious situation salary cap-wise. It looks like the next few years will be a rough patch for one of the NHL’s oldest teams, and adding young cheap talent like Butcher could help that cause. Custance is quick to point out though that some scouts think of Butcher as more of a bottom-pairing player, and it would be tough to assume more than that. It’s rare that top-4 defensemen slip through the cracks and into the fifth round, and even rarer that they’re not offered a contract until their senior year. It’s clear that Butcher has some sort of NHL upside, but he is already 22-years old.

An interesting note is that the Toronto Maple Leafs—often a rival of Detroit in pursuing college free agents—don’t currently have a contract spot open for Butcher if they wanted to go after him. The team has 49 contracts already, and with Connor Brown still to sign they wouldn’t have room for Butcher on an entry-level contract. That’s not to say they couldn’t get him to agree to an AHL deal this year, only to sign him next season but Butcher would be giving up a year of ELC to do that. It would have to be quite a pitch to convince him, especially if teams like Detroit and Pittsburgh are offering more immediate opportunities.

Ryan Johansen Signs Eight-Year Contract With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have signed Ryan Johansen to a new contract. The deal is for eight seasons, worth $64MM and interestingly does not contain any no-trade or no-movement clauses. Johansen was a restricted free agent for the second time, and coming off a three-year $12MM deal he signed before being traded to the Predators. He was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file, instead working out a long-term extension with the team. Ryan Johansen

Johansen, 24, was acquired by the Predators from the Columbus Blue Jackets in early 2016 in exchange for defensemen Seth Jones. In a swap of fourth-overall picks, Johansen immediately filled a gaping hole on the Predators as a big number one center, while Jones joined one of the deepest defense corps in the league in Columbus.

Armed with a solid offensive group around him in Nashville, Johansen put up his fourth straight 60-point season and was a huge part in the Predators going all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to see it to the end, as he was injured in the Western Conference Finals on what seemed to be a pretty innocuous play, and would require immediate surgery.

Already this summer the Predators have seen Viktor Arvidsson locked up for the next seven years, while Filip Forsberg signed a long-term deal just a year ago. Those three form the core of what is an impressive forward group, that will get Nick Bonino, Scott Hartnell and several young players added this year. While James Neal has gone to Vegas, and Mike Fisher hasn’t yet made a decision on a comeback, the present and future looks very bright in Smashville.

The $8MM average annual value of the deal puts Johansen tied for the 15th-highest paid player in the league next season, and eighth among centers right alongside Joe Thornton, who signed a one-year deal to return to San Jose. This deal’s biggest comparable may just be Evgeny Kuznetsov, who signed an eight-year deal of his own just a few weeks ago. Kuznetsov will get $7.8MM per season, but also has considerably less experience in the NHL (though they are just a few months apart in age).

Ryan JohansenThe Predators’ top line of Johansen, Arvidsson and Forsberg is now under contract for a total of $18.25MM for the next five seasons, and are all still under the age of 25 currently. The trio is as dominant a group as you can find in the NHL, though as GM David Poile joked in his press conference, Johansen also has plenty of experience (and success) playing with Hartnell from their days in Columbus. It will be interesting to see the deployment next season, and if head coach Peter Laviolette breaks up his dynamic young line to spread out some of the offense.

For all the things Johansen does well, it’s important to note that he’s not without flaws. For all the offense he can create, he has been criticized in the past for a perceived lack of effort at times and has scored just 14 goals each of the last two seasons. While both those years came with relatively low shooting percentages, he doesn’t generate as many shots as some of the other premiere centers in the league and could stand to use his size to his advantage a bit more.

That said, when lined up with natural goal scorers his playmaking ability can mesh and be disastrous for opponents to handle. His defensive acumen and work in the faceoff dot is exemplary, and should only improve as he enters his prime. Like Thornton in San Jose and Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim, those skills can be more than enough to make an outstanding career.

Adam Vingan of the Tennessean first had the deal.

Performance Bonuses Around The League

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In the NHL, there are only a few ways you are allowed to have performance bonuses included in your contract. One way is to be on an entry-level contract, of which almost every one contains some sort of incentive. Young players can earn either Schedule A or B bonuses for various performance markers, though the really big numbers are only usually given out to the very highest of draft picks. Even Mitch Marner for instance, drafted fourth overall in 2015 can only earn up to $850K each season and doesn’t have any Schedule B bonuses in his deal.

The other contracts that can include bonuses are more rare, and they’ll be the focus of this article. These can be given out to players who sign a one-year contract after they turn 35, or a one-year deal coming off a substantial injury (the qualifications for such an injury are that they have already played at least 400 games in their career, and spent at least 100 days on injured reserve in the final year of their previous contract). Many of these have been given out, and we’ll detail them here.

Radim Vrbata – Florida Panthers Radim Vrbata

Vrbata was given a one-year deal with the Panthers this summer after a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, and will earn $2.5MM in guaranteed salary. He also can earn a total of $1.25MM more through performance bonuses:

  • $250K for 10th goal
  • $250K for 15th goal
  • $250K for 20th goal
  • $250K for 45th point
  • $250K for making playoffs

Mark Streit – Montreal Canadiens

Streit was given a $700K contract from the Montreal Canadiens just this week to add some extra depth to a defense corps that was losing Andrei Markov. His deal includes $300K of unknown performance bonuses, that could take the total contract to $1MM.

Johnny Oduya – Ottawa Senators

Oduya earned a one-year $1MM contract from the Ottawa Senators, and while it’s not clear where he fits in exactly on the blueline he could earn much more should he find a prominent role. The deal includes $1.25MM of performance bonuses:

  • $250K for 41st game played
  • $250K for 65th game played
  • $250K if ranked in top-5 TOI for Ottawa defensemen
  • $250K if ranked in top-3 TOI for Ottawa defensemen
  • $250K for making playoffs

Chris Kunitz – Tampa Bay Lightning

Kunitz is looking for his fifth Stanley Cup this season with the Lightning, who gave him a one-year $2MM contract. The former Penguin can earn another $1MM in various unknown ice-time bonuses, likely tied to where he ends up among Lightning forwards.

Patrick SharpPatrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks

Sharp is returning to his old stomping ground this year after the Blackhawks signed him to a one-year $800K contract, but there is no guarantee he plays much of the season. Sharp’s been hurt by several injuries the last few seasons, and because of it Chicago included a $200K bonus for playing just ten games this year.

Mike Cammalleri – Los Angeles Kings

Cammalleri was bought out by the New Jersey Devils this spring, only to immediately find a new home with the Kings on the west coast. His $1MM contract has an additional $200K in performance bonuses, though the exact details are still unknown.

Deryk Engelland – Vegas Golden Knights

When the Golden Knights signed Engelland after the expansion draft, they were bringing back someone who knew the city and could help their young players get acclimated to their new surroundings. They signed him to a one-year deal worth $1MM, but it also includes another $1MM in unknown performance bonuses.

Thanks to CapFriendly for many of the performance bonus details.

Latest On Shane Doan’s Future

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It was shocking to many around the hockey world when the Arizona Coyotes made it clear they weren’t going to bring long-time captain Shane Doan back for the 2017-18 season, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been. Doan’s game has deteriorated significantly over the past few seasons, to the point where he scored just six goals this year breaking a streak of 16 seasons with 13 or more. Doan had said he would like to keep playing if there is a team that wants him, as he’s never come close to the Stanley Cup throughout his career.

Now speaking with Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, Doan’s agent Terry Bross says that four or five teams have been in contact but there is still not a decision imminent. He could even wait until training camp is about to begin to make that decision. It’s not clear who those teams are, or if they have actually offered Doan anything but it’s unlikely that there would be a huge market for the 40-year old. Though he’s likely due for some regression from that terrible goal total—his shooting percentage was a ridiculously low 4.4% last year—he also doesn’t seem to fit into anyone’s top-six, and may not even be a realistic option on a third line.

It’s hard to sign on as a fourth line player after so many years as the face of a franchise. While Doan may not be quite good enough for the Hall of Fame, he has still been one of the household names of his generation of players. With over 400 goals already, Doan is just 28 points away from cracking 1,000, something that will be odd to accomplish in a sweater that isn’t emblazoned with a Coyote. If there is any poetic justice in the NHL it will be a Jet instead, which was the crest he scored his first point under when the Arizona franchise was still located in Winnipeg.

St. Louis Re-Signs Jordan Binnington

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July 28th: The team has officially announced the contract.

July 22nd: While an official announcement from the team is still forthcoming, CapFriendly revealed last night that the St. Louis Blues have come to terms with goaltender Jordan Binnington on a new contract. It is expected that Binnington will sign a one-year, two-way deal worth $660K, just a tad over the minimum, at the NHL level.

When Binnington, a restricted free agent, chose not to file for arbitration despite being eligible to do so, it seemed that there was a mutual understanding between both sides and a new contract was just a matter of time. The 24-year-old has shown promise in short spurts, but really lacks the NHL experience or stretches of AHL dominance to have much leverage in negotiations. A third-round pick out of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in 2011, Binnington was named the OHL Goaltender of the Year in 2012-13 and expectations were high for his pro future. However, heading into his fifth pro season, Binnington has seemingly been progressing backwards. After posting a .916 save percentage and 2.35 GAA in 45 appearances in his first full season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2014-15, Binnington’s stats dropped sharply in 2015-16 and he ended up with just 32 appearances in 2016-17, having to share the net with Pheonix Copley (until he was traded) and Ville Husso. Both of those other goalies played significantly better than Binnington as well, with Copley earning an NHL call-up instead of Binnington. His lone NHL appearance remains a debut in relief of Brian Elliott at the end of a 2015 game, in which Binnington allowed a goal on four shots in the final 13 minutes.

As if Binnington’s NHL future and role for the Blues wasn’t unclear enough, St. Louis’ AHL situation further muddies the waters. It was announced in May that the Chicago Wolves would become the AHL affiliate of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights and then just recently, the AHL stated that it would be expanding to match the NHL’s new 31-team format, but not until the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately for the Blues, until then they will have to share the Wolves with Vegas, who needs the depth, but will surely favor their own prospects over a conference rival’s. This is especially true in net, where there are only so many starts to go around. The Knights have signed Maxime Lagace and Oscar Dansk this off-season as AHL depth behind Expansion Draft selections Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin Pickard. That pair will likely get the lion’s share of minutes in net this season for the Wolves, with the Blues’ keepers as an afterthought. Given the solid tandem of Jake Allen and Carter Hutton in St. Louis and Husso essentially passing up Binnington on the organizational depth chart, it seems that Binnington will not only be fourth string for his NHL team, but also for his AHL team as well. It could be a long year for the former highly-touted prospect.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Collin Delia

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The Chicago Blackhawks have dipped into the college free agent market, signing goaltender Collin Delia out of their development camp to a two-year entry-level contract. Delia attended the 2016 camp as well, and as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes, the team was impressed with him even then.

The 23-year old goaltender has played the last three seasons for Merrimack College, and had a huge junior season as the 1A in the team’s tandem. A .927 save percentage kept his goals against average way down at 2.15, apparently impressive enough for the Blackhawks to bring him in on a professional contract this summer. He’ll head to the minors, but whether that stop is Rockford (likely) or Indianapolis is still to be determined. The Blackhawks already have Jeff Glass, Anton Forsberg and Jean-Francois Berube under NHL contracts, at least one of which was poised to take the starting role in the AHL.

Delia though may hold more potential than either Glass or Berube, and should get his fair share of starts somewhere in the system. Though the Blackhawks lost Scott Darling this summer to the Carolina Hurricanes, they’ve built some solid depth behind starter Corey Crawford in recent weeks.

Early Notes: Butcher, Neil, CHL

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Will Butcher won’t be signing with the Colorado Avalanche before the August 15th deadline, and his impending free agency has the rest of the league looking back through their notes on the former Denver Pioneer. The two-way defender has some solid upside despite being a fifth-round selection, and should cause a bidding war not unlike the one Jimmy Vesey sparked last summer. Several teams will be interested in bringing the Hobey Baker award winner in, and he should have his pick of destination.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette caught up with Butcher’s agent Brian Bartlett, who told him that if the Penguins called “I’m sure we’d answer the phone.” Bartlett was clear in what he was looking for in Butcher’s first team, noting the Penguins solid track record developing college players and the fact that they’ve had (a bit of) recent success in the NHL. Butcher isn’t looking for a chance to compete in the NHL right away, but a spot to grow his young career.

  • Chris Neil won’t be back in Ottawa next season, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be in the NHL. The 38-year old tough guy told Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun that he’s already received one-way offers from a few teams, but is waiting on the right fit for him and his family.  Growing up and playing in Ontario for almost his entire life, any departure would be a new adventure for Neil and his young family.
  • Craig Button of TSN is at Canada’s Under-17 development camp, and breaks down the three top bantam picks of the CHL. Peyton Krebs (WHL first-overall in 2016) Ryan Suzuki (OHL first-overall in 2017) and Alexis Lafreniere (QMJHL first-overall in 2017) all have incredible talent, and have a good shot to go high in their respective NHL drafts in a few years. Suzuki is on to particularly watch over the next few years, as the younger brother of Vegas first-round pick Nick Suzuki will be playing for the Barrie Colts alongside possible 2018 first-overall pick Andrei Svechnikov. Barrie was the worst team in the OHL this season, but with Suzuki and Svechnikov coming in they could be much improved right away.
  • Speaking of prospects the NHL is set to hold a press conference with the Dallas Stars on Saturday, and Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is expecting it to announce the location of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The draft, which was held in Chicago this season, is a huge event that brings people from all corners of the hockey world together for more than a week. The top names like Svechnikov, Joe Veleno and Rasmus Dahlin are all extremely enticing prospects in what should be a very deep draft.

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