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Atlantic Notes: Pastrnak, Karlsson, Brassard, Athanasiou

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While the Bruins and unsigned winger David Pastrnak remain far apart on money, Pastrnak’s agent J.P. Barry told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that they are both in agreement on discussing a maximum eight-year term.  Prior reports have suggested that the team is offering around $6MM per year while Pastrnak’s camp is looking for something closer to the $8.5MM that Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl signed for earlier this offseason so there is still quite a gap to bridge financially.  TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds (Twitter link) that there were lengthy discussions between the two sides today.

More from the Atlantic:

  • There remains no timeline for Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson to resume skating as he continues his recovery from foot surgery back in June, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. At the time of the procedure, the expected recovery time was four months.  As a result, his availability for the season opener a month from now against Washington is now in question.
  • Another Senators player recovering from offseason surgery is center Derick Brassard, who told Postmedia’s Ken Warren that he feels that his recovery is ahead of schedule. The 29-year-old went under the knife to repair a torn labrum on June 6th with an expected recovery time of four-to-five months.  He doesn’t expect team doctors to clear him for contact until at least the four-month mark which makes it unlikely that he’ll play in the opener on October 5th.
  • There’s “nothing new” on contract talks between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou, GM Ken Holland told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Meanwhile, Athanasiou’s agent Darren Ferris told reporters that the KHL has “moved to more of a probability at this time”.  James notes that AK Bars Kazan in the KHL has a one-year offer worth between $2.5MM-$3MM while the Red Wings are coming in at two years at around $1.9MM.  It wouldn’t be surprising if Detroit’s PTO deal for P.A. Parenteau from earlier today came about with the uncertainty surrounding Athanasiou’s situation.

James Van Riemsdyk Seeking Around $6MM On Next Contract

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Toronto winger James van Riemsdyk is one of several prominent players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the upcoming season.  He currently finds himself on one of the team-friendlier deals around with a cap hit of $4.25MM.  According to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, the 28-year-old is looking for a big raise on his next contract with the current asking price checking in at around $6MM.

Although he has never led the Maple Leafs in scoring in any of the five seasons he has been there, he quietly has been one of the more productive scorers in the NHL during that span.  Since the 2012-13 season, he ranks eighth league-wide in goals by a left winger with 118.  He’s also coming off of a career year with 29 goals and 33 assists. That level of production and consistency is certain to be rewarded on the open market next summer.

McGran notes that given Toronto’s depth up front and the lesser amount they have on the back end, a player like van Riemsdyk may be their best trade chip to use which would lower the likelihood of a possible extension.

Although Toronto has only $47MM committed for 2018-19 (and $5.3MM of that is for Nathan Horton who will be on LTIR that season as well), they have a lot of notable contracts on the horizon which could impact things.  Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov are also eligible for unrestricted free agency and will be seeking raises while William Nylander is a restricted free agent.  They will also likely be facing a significant bonus overage penalty from the upcoming season and extension talks can open up for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner next summer.

For what it’s worth, van Riemsdyk isn’t too worried about entering the final year of his deal:

“That’s stuff you can’t worry about as a player. It’s out of your control. I just want to go out there, play, and be a productive member of the team, and hopefully the rest of it figures itself out.”

Based on his consistent production, van Riemsdyk should be able to sign a deal that’s at least close to that asking price.  The question becomes, will it be with Toronto or another team?

Flames Re-Sign Sam Bennett To Two-Year Deal

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The Flames announced that they have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with center Sam Bennett.  The deal carries a cap hit of $1.95MM.

Apr 17, 2017; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett (93) skates with the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period in game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsThe fourth overall pick back in 2014 is coming off of his second career professional season and his sophomore campaign didn’t go as well as his first.  Last season, Bennett posted 13 goals and 13 assists in 81 games which checked in below his 2015-16 output (18 goals and 18 helpers in 78 contests).  He did, however, pick up a pair of goals in Calgary’s first round sweep at the hands of the Ducks back in April.

The fact that he was coming off of a down year and has yet to realize his potential made a bridge deal like this a much more likely outcome than some of the larger contracts that have been handed out to young players this summer.  The breakdown of salary by year has not yet been announced but it will be interesting to see if the contract is back loaded as whatever his 2018-19 salary is will represent his qualifying offer that summer.

Bennett will likely begin the season as Calgary’s third line center behind Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund.  That will give him time to continue to work on his game without too much extra pressure being put on him right away.  With Backlund eligible for unrestricted free agency in July, the 21-year-old could be in line to slide up into his spot one year from now if the Flames can’t get Backlund re-signed.

After re-signing defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon yesterday, Calgary has all of their players left under contract for the upcoming season.  They have a little over $5MM in cap space remaining, per CapFriendly.  League-wide, there are now just eight remaining restricted free agents left to re-sign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2017-18 Primer: Washington Capitals

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Washington Capitals.

Last Season: 55-19-8 record (118 points), first in Metropolitan Division (lost in the second round to Pittsburgh)

Remaining Cap Space: $4.09MM per CapFriendly

Key Newcomers: F Tyler Graovac (trade with Minnesota), F Devante Smith-Pelly (free agency, New Jersey)

Key Departures: D Karl Alzner (free agency, Montreal), F Marcus Johansson (trade with New Jersey), D Kevin Shattenkirk (free agency, NY Rangers), F Justin Williams (free agency, Carolina), F Daniel Winnik (free agency, unsigned)

[Related: Capitals Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Alex Ovechkin – Last season was a down one for the Russian sniper, whose 33 goals were his second lowest total in a full season in his career, same for his 69 points.  By no means is that bad production but since Ovechkin is the focal point of their attack with one of the highest cap hits in the league, the extra pressure is certainly there.

Jan 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) waves to the fans after defeating the Ottawa Senators 2-1 at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY SportsThe 31-year-old has reportedly slimmed down a bit over the offseason in an effort to gain a bit of speed which is an area that he would like to improve on.  While playing a bit slower hasn’t stopped him from getting plenty of shots off as he leads the league in shots on goal over the past five seasons (and it’s not particularly close), getting quicker should potentially open up even more opportunities for him.

The pressure is always on Ovechkin.  He’s their highest paid player, their captain, and one of the faces of the league.  But with a big chunk of the supporting cast gone now, that level of pressure is going to be even higher this season; the team needs him to get closer to the 50 goals he has routinely produced in the past and to help get them over the hump in the playoffs.  That’s a lot to put on any player.

Key Storyline: Even though they currently have over $4MM in cap space, they still have a few players to sign to fill out the rest of their roster.  They’re basically going to be very tight to the cap without much flexibility all season long.

As a result, they’ll be forced to turn to some of their youngsters to try to not only fill out their roster but deepen their depth which has taken a beating over the summer.  If their prospects are able to get the job done, the Caps will be a top team again as long as they stay healthy.  If not, they’re going to have very limited cap room to improve their roster and not the deepest of prospect groups to deal from either.

Everyone knew this was coming after a season where they went all-in.  GM Brian MacLellan has managed to get the team in at least a manageable situation heading into training camp but if more needs to be done either in terms of cutting money or trying to add another piece, it will be worth watching to see what type of manoeuvring will need to be done to accomplish that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

P.A. Parenteau Signs PTO With Detroit Red Wings

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According to agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, free agent forward P.A. Parenteau has signed a professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll join David Booth in Red Wings camp trying to show that they still deserve an NHL contract.

Parenteau, as Walsh points out, has averaged 17 goals over the past two seasons and has always been a capable offensive player. With 114 goals in 491 games, he can still help a team like Detroit who will be looking for offense, but comes with his share of warts. He’s never been a very capable defensive player and has been criticized in the past for not giving a consistent effort. His best seasons have come on relatively bad teams, when he was given top (or near top) line minutes.

Still, he’s an NHL player that last year brought back a sixth-round pick at the trade deadline. Whatever you think of Parenteau as a fit in Detroit, bringing in an asset to camp is never a bad idea. If he proves he can still score at a reasonable level, allowing him to see some powerplay time through the first half of the season and flipping him at the deadline is a good plan for any rebuilding squad.

Offside Challenges Now With Harsher Penalties

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One of the hottest items of debate all throughout the season was the newly introduced offside challenge, allowing coaches to ask for a video review of a goal to see if the opposing team carried the puck in onside. While in theory it makes sense—any goal scored because of a blown offside call can greatly swing the outcome of a game—in reality it became something of a circus. Referees were taking increasingly long periods to determine whether a player was on or offside, with things like skate blades barely touching the ice in dispute.

There were some who believed the challenges should be removed altogether, others who wanted the NHL to go to a sort of NFL endzone type plane that a player would have to break (as in, if any part of his body was above the blue line he would be considered onside) and still more that thought it was fine and just needed to have a limit in length of review. Instead, the NHL has decided to institute a new penalty for an incorrect challenge. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, if a coach challenges a goal and fails, his team will immediately be given a two-minute penalty.

It seems as though this will have one of two outcomes. Either coaches will avoid challenging plays entirely, afraid of putting their teams in an even worse hole, or they will delay the ensuing faceoff enough to get their own team to look at it before deciding to challenge. That’s the same problem the MLB faced when it instituted video review, eventually leading to another rule that made managers challenge within a certain period of time.

As we’ve reported before, the league will also remove the ability to call a timeout after an icing and will be cracking down on slashes to the hands and body. Last year saw many incidents where players were injured on a slash to the gloves, including when Sidney Crosby chopped off a piece of Marc Methot’s finger. How the league intends to further penalize these is still unclear.

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Brooks Laich Expected To Attend Los Angeles Kings Camp

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According to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, Brooks Laich can be added to the lengthening list of professional tryouts set to attend Kings’ camp this fall. Laich will join Chris Lee, Andrei Loktionov and Brandon Prust on PTOs in Los Angeles.

Laich is coming off a season in which he was buried for the entire year in the AHL due to a combination of his large cap hit, and the glut of young wingers ready to take the next step in Toronto. The veteran forward played 27 games for the Toronto Marlies, scoring nine points while dealing with injuries and an inconsistent role. At 34 he’ll be looking for a last chance in the NHL, but it does seem unlikely that he’ll lock down an NHL contract.

A veteran of 764 NHL games, Laich is a three-time 20-goal scorer who at one point was a key component of the Washington Capitals. Scoring 331 points in his career, he is coming off a six-year, $27MM extension he signed in 2011 right after completing his third straight season of 48 or more points. The deal almost immediately looked like an overpay, as Laich would take a substantial step backwards after the 2012-13 lockout, and scored just 14 points in his last full season (2015-16). He’ll try to prove that he has something left and can add a veteran presence to the bottom-six in Los Angeles.

Signing Sam Bennett Before Camp Still A Priority

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Calgary Flames’ GM Brad Treliving was on Sportsnet radio this morning, and spoke at length about the continued negotiations with restricted free agent Sam Bennett. While there was a report yesterday that Bennett and the Flames still had a “sizable gap,” Treliving was very positive that a deal would be done before the start of the season. Bennett isn’t skating in Calgary yet, but Treliving does speak to the importance of getting it done before training camp starts.

Our goal stays the same as it was when the season end. That’s to get Sam signed, and to get him signed prior to us starting [training camp]. History has shown that missing time—or people that don’t get there on time—usually is not a good thing. To get ready for an NHL season is difficult; you’ve got to get the reps, you’ve got to get playing at NHL pace, you’ve gotta get doing it every day prior to the start of the season.

Treliving reiterated that they still have time for the contract to to be signed before training camp starts in just over a week, and that this isn’t that unusual for restricted free agents. There are nine such free agents still unsigned around the league, including Bo Horvat in Vancouver and David Pastrnak in Boston.

It’s clear that there is still a divide between the two camps, but there doesn’t seem to be any animosity brewing. Both sides “want to get something done” and in time for the season. Coming off a disappointing second season in Calgary, Bennett is a tough subject to negotiate on. His potential is still very high and the Flames sunk quite a bit of draft stock into him by picking him fourth-overall in 2014. He’s only scored 63 points at this point in his career, and hasn’t found that offensive breakout just yet.

The Calgary front office should be used to these late negotiations, as Johnny Gaudreau waited until October 10th to sign his contract extension last year. Gaudreau was already going to miss training camp because of his appearance at the World Cup of Hockey, meaning signing just before the season didn’t change much in his preparation. Still, the Flames would like to get this done long before October and get Bennett back on the ice with a team that is poised to compete for the Stanley Cup this season.

Morning Notes: Jets, Karlsson, Horvat

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is hearing that there are incoming extensions for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Paul Maurice, keeping the duo in Winnipeg for the next few years. The Jets came closer to the playoffs than many remember last year, finishing ninth in the Western Conference with 87 points. With a young group of forwards led by Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, the Jets will be a tough contender in the battle for the playoffs once again. With Steve Mason in net, perhaps they’ll finally get the goaltending required to take the next step.

In terms of Cheveldayoff, his biggest task in the near future could once again be Jacob Trouba. After a holdout last season that leaked into November and came with a trade demand, Trouba eventually signed a two-year $6MM contract with the Jets and went on to have an excellent season in an increased role. Trouba’s complaints were mostly about playing time and future, and it seems that he’s now passed Tyler Myers on the depth chart in Winnipeg. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s enough to get Trouba to sign a long-term deal next summer, or if the young defenseman again wants out of town.

  • Erik Karlsson hasn’t resumed skating according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, and still isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for opening day. Karlsson underwent surgery on his foot and ankle in June and was given a four month timeline for recovery. Karlsson is part of the media tour for the NHL and NHLPA’s Declaration of Principals, which hope to help establish guidelines for inclusivity from minor hockey to the professional ranks. Dan Rosen of NHL.com has the entire Declaration, which apparently was the brainchild of Pat Lafontaine and Luc Robitaille after a trip to the Vatican. The announcement even included a letter from the Pope endorsing the program.
  • Bob McKenzie of TSN returned from his summer vacation to give us a bit of information on the ongoing Bo Horvat negotiations. He believes the two sides are closing in on a deal, and speculates it would be in the range of six or seven years at a salary between $5-6MM. We’ve heard that the Vancouver Canucks and Horvat have discussed everything from a bridge deal to an eight-year contract, with the latter seeming less likely. Horvat is one of several high profile free agents left to sign, but there never seemed to be much doubt that a contract would eventually be signed.

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