Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2017

Free Agent Profile: Lauri Korpikoski

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Unrestricted free agent winger Lauri Korpikoski hasn’t been able to build upon the offensive potential he displayed earlier in his career with the Coyotes but he has still successfully carved out a bottom six niche role over the past few years.  Despite being a safe bet for around 20 points in a lower spot in the lineup, he has yet to land somewhere for 2017-18.

Nov 11, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Dallas Stars forward Lauri Korpikoski (38) takes a shot against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY SportsLast year, he hit the free agent market a year earlier than expected as the Oilers opted to buy him out of the final year of his contract instead of carrying a $2.5MM cap hit.  He wound up joining Dallas on a one-year, $1MM deal and fared relatively well for an injury-laden Stars team, picking up 20 points (8-12-20) in 60 games before being flipped to Columbus at the trade deadline.  Things didn’t go as well for Korpikoski with his new team as he was a frequent healthy scratch and got into just nine regular season games (and zero in the postseason) which certainly doesn’t help his cause.

While the hit stat isn’t entirely consistent from team-to-team, it’s at least worth noting that his physical play dropped considerably last season.  While his career average in hits per game is a little over 1.5, he checked in at barely over half of one per night in 2016-17.  It’s easier to make a case for earning a contract as a bottom six player if a player can show there’s a physical element to their game but that’s something Korpikoski can’t say this time around.

Where the 31-year-old can hang his hat is on his ability to play the penalty kill and his speed.  Those are elements that can still get a player a regular spot in the lineup and between that and a consistent level of production in that role, he should be able to land a deal between now and the start of the season.

Potential Suitors

Two types of teams fit the bill.  The first is a team lacking in depth that can use Korpikoski for a few months until a younger player is ready to come up from the minors that would then flip him at the deadline.  The usual suspects come to mind, including Florida, New Jersey, and even his old organization in Arizona where he had the most success of his career.

The other type is more of a veteran team that could use him as a 12th/13th forward to start or who is facing a cap crunch and need cheaper depth.  Washington is certainly a team that needs some veteran forwards and will be looking for bargains to fill out their fourth line and Korpikoski would fit in nicely.  Minnesota, which is where we projected him to sign, is a team that typically covets veteran depth and he’d hedge against some of their youngsters not being ready for full-time duty right away.

Projected Contract

Back in June, Korpikoski landed the 48th slot in our Top 50 Free Agents with a one-year, $800K contract.  With the minimum salary rising to $650K this season, the pre-camp PTO agreements will likely come in around $800K so that’s still a reasonable target as he can’t realistically land much more than that.  As the market has hit its annual lull, he may have to wait a while yet to find his next team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Notes: Howden, Somerby, Moroz, Crisp

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After spending most of last season in the minors, forward Quinton Howden is crossing the pond.  The 25-year-old has signed with Dinamo Minsk, the KHL team announced (link in Russian).

The former first round pick (25th overall to Florida in 2010) spent 2016-17 with Winnipeg’s organization after the Panthers didn’t tender him a qualifying offer last summer.  He suited up in 58 games with their AHL affiliate in Manitoba, collecting 24 points (13-11-24).  Howden also got into five games with the Jets, being held off the scoresheet while averaging a career low 8:39 per night.  He has a total of 97 NHL games under his belt in his career and if he rediscovers his scoring touch overseas, he might be one to watch for down the road to see if he takes another chance in North America.

More notes from the open market:

  • The Islanders remain interested in signing defenseman Doyle Somerby who became an unrestricted free agent yesterday, agent Brent Peterson told Newsday’s Arthur Staple. Pederson noted that the interest is mutual although he is still soliciting interest from other teams as well.  It was reported earlier this month that as many as five other teams were likely to show interest in the 23-year-old stay-at-home blueliner.
  • Unrestricted free agent winger Mitchell Moroz has signed a one-year contract with Idaho of the ECHL, the minor league team announced. He became unrestricted after the Coyotes declined to tender him a qualifying offer in June.  Moroz was a second round pick of the Oilers (32nd overall) but didn’t progress past the AHL level in any of his three professional seasons.  Last year, the 23-year-old split the campaign between Bakersfield and Tuscon of the AHL, recording four goals, five assists, and 36 penalty minutes.
  • Canadiens UFA winger Connor Crisp is also ECHL-bound after the Toledo Walleye announced that they signed him to a one-year deal. Crisp was a 2013 third round pick (71st overall) after being unpicked in his first trip through the draft.  He dealt with concussion and other injury troubles on his entry-level pact, playing just over 100 regular season games in total.  Last year, he spent most of the season with ECHL Brampton, tallying 14 goals and 19 assists along with 60 PIMS in 43 games and was also non-tendered in June.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

at CDT | by 1 Comment

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.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Cap Hit: $71,149,167 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Brayden Point (Two years remaining, $687K)
D Mikhail Sergachev (Three years remaining, $894K)

If there was any upside to the injury woes that the Lightning suffered last season, it was the opportunity provided to Point to show that he can be a productive NHL player already.  He wound up producing like a second line forward in his rookie campaign but may be a bit lower on the depth chart when everyone’s healthy.  If he can come close to duplicating his 40 points in 2017-18, it wouldn’t be surprising to see contract extension talks open up next summer.

Sergachev was picked up in the Jonathan Drouin trade just prior to expansion and should be given a long look in training camp.  However, Tampa has seven other defenders on the roster and Sergachev has another year of junior eligibility remaining so it’s not a guarantee he makes the team.  If he does, he’ll likely start in a third pairing role with the potential to move up later on.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F J.T. Brown ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Erik Condra ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Slater Koekkoek ($800K, RFA)
F Chris Kunitz ($2MM, UFA)
F Vladislav Namestnikov ($1.938MM, RFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($813K, RFA)
D Andrej Sustr ($1.95MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses

Kunitz: $1MM
Point: $258K
Sergachev: $850K

Total: $2.108MM

Up front, Kunitz was brought in to try to help replace some of Drouin’s offense while giving them another veteran voice as well.  It will be interesting to see how he performs away from the Penguins; if he shows he can do so, he should be able to land a similar deal next summer.  Namestnikov is coming off of a bit of a down year but before that was showing signs of being a top-six forward.  If he can rebound, he’ll be in line for a nice raise but if not, he could become available in a trade with Tampa having several quality prospects in the system.  Paquette’s production has stagnated in the teens so while he’s a decent checker, he shouldn’t command a big raise next summer.  Brown is coming off a dreadful season and could see his roster spot usurped by a prospect before too long while Condra cleared waivers last year and could do so once again come October.

Defensively, Sustr has somewhat quietly carved out a regular role for himself on the third pairing.  However, he may price himself out of a spot next summer as GM Steve Yzerman could look for a cheaper replacement to save some money as his cap hit is starting to get high for someone who’s primarily a depth option.  Koekkoek has yet to lock down a full-time roster spot but as he’s now waiver eligible, he’ll likely get a longer look this time.  He’s on a one-year ‘show me’ contract and if he can land a regular role, he’ll set himself up for a pay bump next summer.

Read more

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Tye McGinn

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed their final restricted free agent, inking Tye McGinn to a one-year, two-way contract. No financial details were released, but it would be surprising if he earned much more than the $650K minimum salary in the NHL. McGinn will be a unrestricted free agent next summer.

Drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Flyers, McGinn has been a solid AHL player for several years. He played just 21 games with the Syracuse Crunch last season, but really made his mark in the playoffs by registering 16 points in 22 contests. The Crunch would ultimately fall to the Grand Rapids Griffins, but McGinn will likely return as a first line player once again.

In 89 career NHL games, McGinn has just 17 points. The big winger has a nose for the net, but lacks the high-end creativity and skill required to be an offensive player at the NHL level. He could play in a few games next year for the Lightning, but his role will likely be in Syracuse where he’ll try to help along some of the younger Tampa Bay prospects.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Zemgus Girgensons

at CDT | by 3 Comments

One of the last remaining restricted free agents, Zemgus Girgensons has signed with the Buffalo Sabres. The team announced the two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $1.6MM. Girgensons was coming off a one-year, $1.15MM deal and was Buffalo’s last RFA.

Zemgus GirgensonsGirgensons, 23, still hasn’t been able to fulfill the potential that made him a 14th-overall pick in 2012. The Latvian center has taken steps backwards offensively since his career-high 30-point season in 2014-15, and last year was given just over 13 minutes a night of ice time. With Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel entrenched as the top two options, Girgensons has basically been reduced to a checking option for the team.

Even though he hasn’t turned in much offense, a $3.2MM guarantee is basically no-risk for the Sabres. He’s coming in less than a million dollars over the minimum contract, and does have some redeeming factors. His shot suppression rate as a defensive player has been good, and he’s one of the most physical forwards on the team—especially with Marcus Foligno now in Minnesota.

It will be interesting to see how the team deploys him this season, with Johan Larsson back from a season-ending injury and Jacob Josefson signed as a depth center. Girgensons will be competing with both players for ice time, and that’s if the team keeps Sam Reinhart on the wing all season.

For Buffalo, this leaves them with just under $7MM in cap space to go after some of the NCAA free agents or even perhaps add one of the veteran options still available in free agency. The team should be much improved this year under the guidance of GM Jason Botterill and head coach Phil Housley, as long as they can stay healthy. Last year injuries to almost every key player ruined their season, and they could be in for a big step forward if Jack Eichel suits up for all 82.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Travis Zajac Undergoes Surgery, Out 4-6 Months

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Terrible news for the New Jersey Devils today, as the team announced that Travis Zajac is out for 4-6 months following surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. The injury was sustained during his offseason training program. Zajac will now miss a good portion of the season, with six months from now being the middle of February.

Zajac is coming off another fairly successful season in which he registered 45 points as the team’s number one center. While he hasn’t been a big point producer for some time now, his consistency and defensive effort is a big part of the Devils’ offense. Though they’ll obviously miss his presence in the lineup, it does open the door for some of New Jersey’s young players to step up and prove their talent on the big stage.

In addition to Nico Hischier, the first-overall pick from this year’s draft, the Devils also have a group of centers ready to take the next step. Pavel Zacha, Micheal McLeod and John Quenneville all could step into a role in the middle if the team deems them ready for full-time duty. That’s not to say any of the four would be needed on the top line, as Adam Henrique will likely be given even more responsibility.

Luckily the team also added even more depth this offseason by signing Brian Boyle and trading for Marcus Johansson. Though the latter was expected to play mostly wing in New Jersey, he does have experience at center and could be moved back there if deemed necessary. Still, for a team that struggled to score last year and is trying to compete while Corey Schneider is still in his prime, losing a top option like Zajac is a serious blow.

Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche Still Working On Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Though there has been plenty of rumors that Nikita Zadorov had already agreed upon a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, nothing had yet been announced by the club. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post finally got GM Joe Sakic to sit down and talk about it, and he explained that the contract length has been decided but they are still working on salary.

Both sides agreed to a two-year deal and we just have to figure out the numbers. We’ve got our NHL comps that we’re going with and he’s got to make a decision at some point on what he wants to do.

Zadorov has a contract offer in hand from the KHL, but has been clear that he’d like to stay in the NHL if possible. With Sakic taking a hard stance on salary though, that may have to change. The 22-year old defenseman is a restricted free agent and has little leverage if he stays in North America, as the Avalanche are more worried about slowly building their youth movement than competing in the short term. A holdout by Zadorov wouldn’t hurt a playoff run, for instance.

Even though Zadorov was a big part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade, he hasn’t yet turned into the shutdown defender the Avalanche had hoped for. While his big hits make highlight reels on the regular, he recorded just 10 points last season and has been generally just average in his own end. It’s clear that Sakic has a set number that he’ll pay, and is willing to endure threats of a KHL departure.

Sakic also mentions Matt Duchene, and the continuing possibility of a trade. Duchene is expected currently to join the team at training camp but Sakic “will be listening to offers.” Recently, Darren Dreger of TSN said that pushing Duchene back into the Colorado dressing room could be a mistake after the public availability this summer, but it doesn’t sound like Sakic’s ask has softened any. If he’s still looking for a blockbuster return for Duchene, he might have to start the year with the squad and wait for a desperate team to come forth later in the year.

Blackhawks, Red Wings Not Pursuing Will Butcher

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Craig Custance of The Athletic filled us in on some of the teams that haven’t called on NCAA free agent and reigning Hobey Baker award winner Will Butcher, saying that Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and San Jose all haven’t contacted him. Custance adds Columbus to the list of teams who have reached out, which also includes Buffalo, New Jersey and Vegas. Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post adds that the Flyers also are not pursuing him.

Butcher is expected to start visiting clubs that have reached out in the next few days, and should make a decision before the end of the month. The University of Denver defenseman is coming off a season in which he scored 37 points but still comes with plenty of concerns over his size and ability to transition to the NHL level.

With several teams inching closer to the contract cap, handing out an entry-level contract for a 22-year old fifth-round pick isn’t possible for everyone. That said, his high hockey IQ and growth in the college ranks has enticed at least a few teams that have little to lose. Columbus is an interesting addition, as the Blue Jackets already have a huge pipeline of young defenders. There doesn’t seem to be a clear path to the NHL for Butcher there, though perhaps their evaluation process has led them to believe he can make an immediate impact.

Unlike Jimmy Vesey last year, who nearly the entire league was in agreement with regards to his ability to play at the NHL level (if in a slightly reduced role from the one he was used to at Harvard), there is no guarantee that Butcher ever makes it. While he’s been clear that he is willing to start his professional career in the AHL, it would be foolish to sign with a team without a clear NHL role in the future. Even if his career doesn’t pan out, the opportunity he’s been given right now as one of the top college free agents is one he’ll take his time with and make the best decision for his future.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Granlund, Horvat, Heeter

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Arizona Coyotes are excited about their offseason moves, and perhaps none more than Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes star defenseman has gained a friend and pairing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has played with him on the international stage in the past. The two Swedes will team up on Arizona’s first pair this season and try to make some noise in the Western Conference. Speaking with Dave Vest of NHL.com, Ekman-Larsson spoke about his new teammate:

I’m super excited about [playing with Hjalmarsson]. He’s super easy to play with. He talks a lot and he’s a good skater and moves the puck. I would say he’s underrated.

While Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook got a lot of the national press out of Chicago, any Blackhawks fan will tell you that Hjalmarsson was an integral piece to the three Stanley Cup teams. He was a defensive rock for the club for many years, and will try to allow Ekman-Larsson to open up his game a little bit while still taking on the tough matchups.

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Mikael Granlund rolled his ankle in Finland and has been seen on crutches, but is still expected to be ready for training camp. It will slow down the young forward’s offseason training, but luckily he seems to have escaped serious injury. Granlund will be relied upon heavily for the Minnesota Wild this season after signing a three-year, $17.25MM contract this summer.
  • In other Granlund news, Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 reports that Markus Granlund’s wrist is fully healthy and the Vancouver Canucks forward is already skating. Granlund underwent surgery in March to correct an ongoing issue, but is “100%” and ready for training camp. Coming off a 19-goal season, he could jump onto a top-line role once again for the Canucks.
  • Granlund also told Dhaliwal that he thinks Bo Horvat’s new contract will be done soon. Horvat is still sitting as a restricted free agent even though Canucks’ GM Jim Benning has been clear he wants to lock him up long-term. The young center will likely be the new face of the franchise in Vancouver once the Sedin twins leave town, and will be looking for a contract which adequately compensates him for that.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed a goaltender to work with Garret Sparks this year. The team announced they’ve signed Cal Heeter to a one-year AHL deal, bringing him in after a solid end of the season with the Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins. Antoine Bibeau, the previous goaltender for the Marlies was not given a qualifying offer this spring and signed with the San Jose Sharks.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top