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Minnesota Wild, Mikko Koivu Working Towards Contract Extension

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Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the Minnesota Wild and captain Mikko Koivu are working towards a contract extension. The team’s captain is clear that he wants to play his entire career in Minnesota, and Russo tweets that they’re “trying to carve out a two-year extension” that would take Koivu through his 37th birthday.

Koivu has suited up for 843 regular season games with the Wild during his long career, and has been one of the most reliable two-way centers in the game for the majority of that time. Despite only cracking the 70-point plateau once, his incredible defensive impact makes him a legitimate first-line option in the NHL. Though he’s never won a Selke trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, he’s received votes in nine different seasons and likely should have in every year he’s been in the league. His dominance in the faceoff dot is just another way he contributes in ways other than scoring goals, and he still is one of the most dangerous penalty killers in the league.

The Wild will pay Koivu a whopping $9.18MM this season between his salary and signing bonus, but will only induce a $6.75MM cap hit due to the up and down nature of his contract (he receives signing bonuses only every second year). That number still falls above the new contracts for Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund, but could have to take a slight cut depending on how the Wild see him aging over the next few years. Though his play certainly didn’t deteriorate last year—he recorded 58 points, his highest total since 2010-11—he will turn 35 in March and will eventually start to slow down. The Wild have room to fit him in next year, but do have more restricted free agents (Matt Dumba and Jason Zucker in particular) to re-sign.

Brian Hart, Cameron Darcy Clear Unconditional Waivers

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The Tampa Bay Lightning placed both Brian Hart and Cameron Darcy on unconditional waivers yesterday for the purpose of a mutual contract termination according to CapFriendly. The pair each had one year left on their entry-level contracts, but will become free agents after the termination is made official.

Hart was drafted in the second round five years ago, but hasn’t been able to develop into the power forward that was expected. In three seasons at Harvard, and two professional seasons split between the AHL and ECHL, Hart never did bring the offensive game that he showed in his high school days in Maine. In 33 games with the Syracuse Crunch last season, he registered just seven points. He’ll likely have to settle for a two-way minor league deal somewhere.

Darcy on the other hand was a seventh-round pick who was exceptional in the QMJHL, but has had trouble at the professional level. Still, he scored 25 points in 20 games for the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings last season, and has always shown a knack for setting up his teammates.

Minor Transactions: 09/18/17

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As teams start into their preseason schedule, the first round of cuts will send mostly junior-aged players back to their respective clubs. Rosters will be pared down slightly, with teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators already making moves earlier today. Below we’ll list some of the other cuts, as well as any minor moves around the league.

Dereck Baribeau Signs With Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild have signed goaltender Dereck Baribeau to a three-year entry-level contract, after clearly making an impression on the team at their rookie tournament. Baribeau is only 18, and went undrafted this year.

As with almost all NHL goaltenders these days, one of Baribeau’s biggest positives is his huge 6’6″ frame. While that wasn’t enough to make any team bite in the draft after he split this season between two QMJHL clubs, obviously the Wild believe that they can turn him into a professional goaltender. He hasn’t fared exceptionally well to this point in his junior career, but obviously has the measurables needed to take the next step.

In 35 games, he put up a 12-15-2 record with an .881 save percentage, but could easily see those numbers improve given the chance as an 18-year old. He’ll likely see his contract slide for the next two years, meaning the entry-level compensation won’t come into play for a while. The Wild have their goaltending locked up for the next several years with Devan Dubnyk, but don’t have a clear succession plan after that. Baribeau’s addition only strengthens their goaltending depth, but he’ll have to keep developing in order to ever sniff the highest level.

Flyers, Predators Reduce Training Camp Rosters

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced two cuts to their training camp roster today, sending Anthony Salinitri back to the Sarnia Sting of the OHL, and Frank Hora to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Salinitri was a sixth-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2016 entry draft, but put up a solid age-18 season and should be considered a legitimate prospect. Playing on a pretty average Sarnia team, he trailed just blue-chipper Jordan Kyrou in scoring with 58 points in 66 games.

Hora on the other hand was an undrafted free agent, who spent time with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL at the end of last season on an amateur tryout. Now he’s headed to the Phantoms on an AHL deal, and will try to continue his development as a mobile two-way defender. The 21-year old was the captain of the Kitchener Rangers last year, putting up 22 points in 53 games.

The Nashville Predators have also reduced their roster by two, sending Pavel Koltygin and Jacob Paquette back to junior. Koltygin, a sixth-round pick this year, was a standout during his rookie campaign with Drummondville of the QMJHL, scoring 47 points in 65 games. He’ll likely challenge for the team lead this season.

Paquette was the Predators’ seventh-round pick, and is a big left-handed defensemen from the Kingston Frotenacs. He’ll wear an “A” as an alternate captain again this season, logging big minutes against the opponent’s toughest competition.

Joffrey Lupul Accuses Maple Leafs Of Cheating System

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Over the last few years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made a habit out of using the long-term injured reserve list more than almost any other team in the league. Players like David Clarkson, Nathan Horton, Joffrey Lupul, and Stephane Robidas have all spent full seasons away from the team, apparently too injured to continue their career. While there has never been proof that an injury didn’t exist, Lupul has made it clear in the past that he wants to continue his playing career and once again took to social media to call out the Maple Leafs’ salary cap practices.

In an Instagram comment last night (via Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star), Lupul wrote that he was ready and just waiting for a call to play hockey again, and then subsequently said that the Maple Leafs’ “cheat” and “everyone lets them.” Fans and media alike have used the term “Robidas Island” to describe where Toronto sends their injured players, a tongue-in-cheek way of saying that they may just be more unwanted than unhealthy.

All of this has been speculation and rumor, though Jared Cowen leveled similar complaints towards the team after being bought out last summer. Now, Darren Dreger of TSN asked NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly to comment, which he declined:

We aren’t in a position to comment right now. That may or may not change when we know more.

That at least does sound like the league will be looking into it, a stance they also took when similar skepticism was shown at the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa situation. Hossa has developed a skin condition because of prolonged exposure to the equipment, one that will prevent him from playing this season. His $5.28MM contract and Lupul’s $5.25MM deal will not count towards the salary cap this season.

Maple Leafs Cut 24 Players From Camp

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The Athletic’s James Mirtle reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs cut 24 players from training camp today. No player cut had a realistic chance to make the team out of training camp. These cuts were made with less than 24 hours before the Maple Leafs first preseason game Monday night against the Ottawa Senators. Some players will return to the AHL Toronto Marlies while others will return to their junior teams in the CHL.

List of players cut

Vladimir Bobylev – Toronto Marlies
Jeremy Bracco – Toronto Marlies
Adan Brooks – Toronto Marlies
Matias Cleland – Toronto Marlies
Rich Clune – Toronto Marlies
Cole Coskey – Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Jean Dupuy – Toronto Marlies
Martin Dzierkals – Toronto Marlies
Marc-Oliver Duquette – Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
Fedor Gordeev – Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Alex Gudbranson – Toronto Marlies
Cal Heeter – Toronto Marlies
Sam Jardin – Toronto Marlies
Jeff King – Toronto Marlies
Nikita Korostelev – Toronto Marlies
Nicolas Mattinen – London Knights (OHL)
Ryan McGregor – Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Max Novak – Toronto Marlies
J.J. Piccinich – Toronto Marlies
Kristian Pospisill – Toronto Marlies
Eemeli Rasanen – Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Ian Scott – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Joshua Winquist – Toronto Marlies
Nolan Valleau – Toronto Marlies

Evening Snapshots: Coyotes, Predators, Oilers

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Arizona Coyotes cancelled Monday night’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings because of bad ice, reports the Associated Press. The team could not get the ice in playable condition after the venue—Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona—hosted a concert Saturday night. The team announced that the preseason game will not be rescheduled. The Coyotes will have time to get the arena ice in working order as they do not play in Glendale again until Saturday night versus the San Jose Sharks.
  • The Nashville Predators are on the hunt for a new captain, reports the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. Mike Fisher, the team’s previous captain, retired during the offseason and opened up the captaincy. Fisher himself benefitted from a vacant captaincy as the Predators traded away former captain Shea Weber last offseason. Vingan reports that choosing Mike Fisher last season was a team no-brainer, but this year’s choice is more difficult. The team does not have an obvious veteran with a rich history with the Predators, so they will have to look for other leadership qualities before opening night.
  • The Edmonton Oilers released five players today from training camp:

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $69,375,832 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alex Tuch (Two years remaining, $925K)
D Shea Theodore (One year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Tuch: $425K

While the brand-new franchise is focused on building up a powerhouse team over the next five years, which means draft picks and more draft picks, which will create a revolving door at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there should be at least one constant who is already locked in for the future in Theodore. The just-turned 22-year-old is considered to be a long-term piece and despite the team’s overwhelming defensive logjam, the hope is Theodore is on the team’s opening day roster. Theodore shined last year during Anaheim’s playoff run when he along with several other defenseman had to step in for injured players and fared well. Theodore, a offensive defenseman, was a first-round pick of the Ducks in 2013 and despite having just nine points in 39 regular season games last year, he put up eight goals in 14 playoff games.

Tuch, a talented forward acquired near the expansion draft in a side deal with the Minnesota Wild, has a chance to immediately make the team out of training camp. The 21-year-old wing was a first-round pick in 2014 and scored 18 goals for the AHL’s Iowa Wild last year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F James Neal ($5MM, UFA)
F Mikhail Grabovski ($5MM, UFA)
D Jason Garrison ($4.6MM, UFA)
F David Perron ($3.75MM, UFA)
D Luca Sbisa ($3.6MM, UFA)
D Clayton Stoner ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.14MM, RFA)
F William Karlsson ($1MM, RFA)
D Colin Miller ($1MM, RFA)
D Deryk Engelland ($1MM, UFA)
G Calvin Pickard ($1MM, RFA)
F Jon Marchessault ($750K, UFA)
F Teemu Pulkkinen ($700K, RFA)

The Golden Knights will be looking to move as many of their players at the trade deadline as they can. Neal should be their biggest trade bait as many teams wouldn’t mind adding a goal-scorer right in time for the playoffs. The 30-year-old wing is coming off a 23-goal season in Nashville and has scored 165 goals in the last six seasons combined. The team hopes that playing on a top line should keep his scoring numbers up high so that his price increases at the perfect time, but a recent report that a wrist injury suffered during the playoffs last year is still affecting Neal and he will miss two to four weeks is concerning. The team also has high hopes it can move Perron. After putting up a career-high 28 goals in 2013-14, he has struggled with injuries but rebounded last year with an 18 goal season. If he can stay healthy and produce similar numbers, he might be worth a mid to late pick.

One key decision the team will have to make is what to do with Marchessault, who is coming off a 30-goal season a year ago in Florida. At $750K, he is a bargain for the next year, but if he can duplicate his numbers from last year, he would be in line for a big payday. Complicating the situation is that Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant is a big fan of the 26-year-old and was the head coach in Florida wlast year when Marchessault started his breakout season.

The team also has a number of restricted free agents who they will likely hold onto. While Pickard’s name is rarely mentioned in Vegas as he is the current backup, don’t be surprised if Pickard is penciled in as the goaltender of the future. The 25-year-old struggled with Colorado last year (although he did have one of the worst teams around him), but was a promising prospect before that. Miller is another who should be retained. The 24-year-old was a promising defender in Boston who was just beginning to get full-time work. He got into 61 games last year and showed quite a bit of promise. Karlsson should get a bottom line spot in the lineup. The 24-year-old is coming off a 25-point season and the team hopes he takes his game up a notch.

While Grabovski likely won’t see the ice ever in Las Vegas (freeing the team of his $5MM cap hit), Garrison is a defender who may prove to have some value if he can produce on one of the team’s top defensive lines. The 32-year-old struggled at times in Tampa Bay and his offensive numbers have declined in the past couple of years. McNabb is considered to be an excellent defender and should provide solid defense for Vegas. He missed a lot of time due to a broken collarbone injury he suffered last October, forcing the 26-year-old in and out of the lineup all season and he eventually lost his starting job at the end of the year, but should get regular minutes with the Golden Knights. Sbisa is another player who should get playing time in hopes the team can move him later this year. The 27-year-old blueliner was a solid defenseman, but few teams were interested in his $3.6MM pricetag.

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Rangers Notes: Skjei, Kreider, Lundqvist

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New York Rangers Brady Skjei isn’t relying to just continue on after his rookie season. Afterall, the 23-year-old came off a solid rookie year in which he put up 39 points, yet still found himself sitting on the bench when the team was down. That especially was evident in the playoffs against Ottawa when the team sat him at the end of Games 2 and 5 to preserve one goal leads (unsuccessfully).

According to New York Post’s Larry Brooks, Skjei is determined to work on his defensive game and, in particular, working on his net-front play. “I’ve got to be physically stronger in front of the net and make the right plays when they’re there.” Brooks writes that Skjei spent the summer working with Ryan McDonagh on his defense and his conditioning, which received praise from head coach Alain Vigneault.

“I mean, Mac’s testing scores were over the roof and you could tell the influence and impact of Brady working out with him,” Vigneault said. “In my time here, Brady’s testing has improved, improved and improved and now he’s right near the Mac level as far as fitness scoring.”

Skjei’s improvements should bode well on a team with one of the best defenses in the league. After adding Brendan Smith at the trade deadline a year ago, the team signed top free agent Kevin Shattenkirk to the defense. However, with Skjei’s skating and offensive skills, he should thrive in New York as his 39 points last year was the second-best for a rookie defender in the league behind Columbus’ Zach Werenski.

  • In the same article, Brooks adds that Vigneault is putting a lot of pressure on the Rangers’ Chris Kreider to step up even more this year. Kreider led the team in goals scored last year with 28, but the head coach would like to see more consistency out of him. Vigneault refers to the third period of Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators last year when Kreider scored a goal 53 second into the period to narrow their deficit. The coach referred to Kreider as a “beast” and would like to see that more often. Kreider finished fourth on the team in points as he had 53 total. Now about to enter his prime, Vigneault believes he can take his game up to another level. “Like I said [on Thursday], he’s not a kid anymore. It’s his turn now. He’s got to become a real good voice in the room. We expect more from him and I know we’re going to get it.”
  • Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes that Henrik Lundqvist is more enthusiastic about this season after he helped lead Team Sweden to a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships earlier this summer. The positive experience was better than having to sit home all summer thinking about the team’s early playoff exit and his struggles last season. “I think going into this year, ending on that high note [at the Worlds], that’s definitely something I bring with me to start this year, feeling good about what I did,” Lundqvist said. “I use it as energy and motivation and a boost of confidence.”

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