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Stars Must Make A Decision On Jason Spezza Soon

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The Dallas Stars offseason has already been underway for quite some time, but now with a head coach settled in, the team will have some tough decisions ahead of them. One question general manager Jim Nill and head coach Jim Montgomery must make is what to do with declining veteran Jason Spezza.

After signing a four-year, $30MM deal four years ago, the soon-to-be 35 year old is coming off a disappointing 2017-18 season. After scoring 33 goals in the first year of that deal, the veteran’s numbers have dropped as he scored 15 goals in 2016-17 and followed that up with just eight goals last year under former head coach Ken Hitchcock, while he averaged just 13:00 ATOI, his lowest time on the ice since his rookie season.

The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that the duo of Nill and Montgomery will are expected to discuss and come to a decision whether Spezza can fit into Montgomery’s system by the end of May. With one year remaining at $7.5MM AAV, there are a lot of options regarding Spezza. The team could keep him and hope he can produce on a bottom-six line. The team could also buy him out, saving $5MM in cap space for 2018-19, but would require the team to extend his cap hit of $2.5MM for 2019-20. The team could also try and trade his expiring deal to a team with existing cap space and take back a longer-termed player, who might be able to produce better than Spezza. Of course, Spezza does have a 10-team no-trade clause.

Shapiro also breaks down the veteran’s decline and is quick to point out that Spezza’s numbers were already going down before Hitchcock arrived in Dallas, so you can’t expect Spezza to return to form under Montgomery. However even with the lack of quality linemates among the bottom-six, Shapiro points out that Spezza has lost the ability to create his own scoring opportunities as he’s become a forward who attempts to position himself in front of the net in hopes to re-direct shots or catch a quick rebound. On top of that, Spezza’s defense hasn’t gotten any better, which was never a strength of his in the first place.

In the end, the decision will come down to how Nill and Montgomery view Spezza’s value. If you try not to think about the $7.5MM he is owed, he might fit well into a bottom-six role. The one nice thing about Spezza’s contract is that it should expire when the Stars need to open up cap space for Tyler Seguin’s new contract.

 

Offseason Keys: Carolina Hurricanes

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While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.

It has already been a busy offseason in Carolina.  They’ve made changes both behind the bench (Rod Brind’Amour replacing Bill Peters) and at GM (Don Waddell replacing Ron Francis) and even have made a trade with the acquisition of Jordan Martinook from the Coyotes.  Despite all of that, they’re still in for a busy summer; here are some keys to making it a successful one.

New Deals For RFAs

While the Hurricanes were active in locking up two key members of their back end a year early with the extensions handed out to defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce, there is still one more to lock up in Noah Hanifin.

The 21-year-old is coming off of his best season, one that saw him post career highs in goals (10), points (32), and average time on ice (18:52) which will certainly help in negotiations.  He also was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.  While he hasn’t become the top-pairing player that Carolina envisioned when they made him the fifth overall pick in 2015 yet, he appears to be well on his way towards being an impact blueliner for years to come.  Both Slavin and Pesce surpassed the $4MM mark in their deals (Slavin checks in at $5.3MM) and a long-term pact for Hanifin would undoubtedly check in past that amount as well.  Assuming that happens, that means that Carolina will have four defenders over that price point (Justin Faulk being the other) which would be a drastic increase in spending for a group that had a combined cap hit of just under $9MM this season.

Elias Lindholm is another intriguing restricted free agent that they will need to make a decision on.  His bridge deal has come to an end and his numbers aren’t that much different compared to what they were at the completion of his entry-level deal.  He’s part of their core but it appears he will be more of a role player than a key, impact one.  Lindholm is only 23 but is just two years away from UFA eligibility so another short-term pact would come with some risk.

Goalie Upgrade

Around this time last year, Carolina struck early on the goalie market, acquiring the negotiating rights to Scott Darling from Chicago and they wasted little time signing him to a four-year, $16.6MM contract.  In doing so, they secured their goalie of the future, or so they thought.

2017-18 was not a pretty season for Darling whose first go-round as a starter is one he’d like to forget.  He struggled out of the gate and wound up ceding a lot of playing time to Cam Ward and at the end, his numbers (3.18 GAA and a .888 SV%) were both well below the league average.  Meanwhile, Ward is now 34 and hasn’t posted a save percentage above .910 for six seasons.  Suffice it to say, he’s not a long-term solution either.

It appears that Waddell has reached a similar conclusion as he stated earlier this week that the team can’t bring back the same goalie tandem.  With Darling being tough to deal at this point, that would appear to signal that Ward is on the way out.  While Alex Nedeljkovic is coming off of a nice season at the minor league level, he’s not going to come in and make a big impact right away either.

Accordingly, it looks like they will be looking outside the organization to fill that second spot.  Given how Darling struggled, it stands to reason that they will be looking to find a starter or at least some with some experience in that role.  The free agent market has some platoon options but no clear-cut starters so if they’re looking to bring an undisputed number one in, they may have to go the trade route to do so.

Determine The Shakeup

Carolina’s core has been intact for a while now with Francis preferring to build things up slowly.  With Thomas Dundon’s ownership, that’s widely expected to change.  The question is, who will the casualties be?

Winger Jeff Skinner is one year away from unrestricted free agency and is coming off of a bit of a down season as he failed to hit the 50-point mark for the first time in three seasons.  Despite that, he has been a fairly consistent goal scorer and there would be no shortage of suitors if he was to be made available.

Meanwhile, assuming Hanifin is locked up long-term, that could call into question Faulk’s future with the team.  He also had a down season in 2017-18 but has a long track record of success and he carries a cap hit of just over $4.8MM which is decent value for a legitimate top-four defender.  There would undoubtedly be plenty of interest if he hit the trade block as well.

Of course, it’s certainly possible that a different core player or two get moved and these two stick around.  However, regardless of who goes, it appears that even more changes are coming in Carolina and with most of the moves so far coming off the ice, it’s pretty much a guarantee that the next changes will be on it instead.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cody Franson Doesn’t Expect To Re-Sign With Blackhawks

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Although he has played a big role since being demoted to the AHL, defenseman Cody Franson told Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago that he doesn’t expect to be back with the Blackhawks next season:

“I’m quite certain I won’t be back next year.  This year obviously didn’t go the way that I envisioned it going and they’re in a situation with their group right now where they’re in kind of a transitional period. They’ve got some young guys that started to get some experience this year and they’ve got all those guys signed up for next year, so I’ll be looking for something different I think unless something changes. Obviously it’s not like my door’s closed, but I don’t see it going that way.”

Franson signed a tryout deal with Chicago back before training camp and successfully parlayed that into a one-year, $1MM contract.  However, it didn’t take long before he fell out of the lineup which led to him being waived and demoted back in early January.  In the end, he finished up the season with just 23 NHL games played while averaging 16:37 per night, his lowest ice time since 2011-12.

The 30-year-old has had success as a power play quarterback in the past and he has been productive with AHL Rockford (28 points in 37 regular season games and eight in seven postseason contests.  However, given how the league passed on him midseason, he may have to take a two-way pact or settle for another tryout this time around.

Central Notes: Schwartz, Ehlers, Fisher

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Blues winger Jaden Schwartz sustained a shoulder injury on Thursday during Canada’s quarterfinal victory over Russia at the World Championships, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The injury occurred during the third period of the game and he did not return.  The injury will not require surgery but he will miss the final two games of the tournament which wraps up on Sunday.  However, Armstrong noted that this is not believed to be a long-term issue and that he fully expects Schwartz to be ready in time for training camp in September.  He’s far from the only St. Louis player that will be on the mend as defensemen Jay Bouwmeester (hip) and Carl Gunnarsson (knee) as well as wingers Robby Fabbri (knee) and Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder) are all currently recovering from their respective surgeries.

More from the Central:

  • Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers’ absence from the lineup in Game Three was not injury-related but rather due to an illness, reports Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). While he hasn’t skated for the past three days, he is expected to be available and play tonight in Game Four against the Golden Knights.
  • Retired Predators center Mike Fisher isn’t ruling out rejoining the Predators in some sort of non-playing role down the road, notes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Head coach Peter Laviolette stated that he has encouraged the veteran to think about coaching but that doesn’t appear to be something the 37-year-old is interested in at the moment while GM David Poile hinted that it could be a while before Fisher does decide on a new role.  However, we know that he won’t be unretiring for another late season run as that is something Fisher ruled out following Nashville’s elimination from the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Four Players

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Friday: Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star reports that the contract terms are as follows:

  • Engvall: $925K AAV
  • Lindgren: $776K AAV
  • Lindholm: $925K AAV
  • Ozhiganov: $925K AAV

Thursday: The Toronto Maple Leafs were busy today, inking four international players to entry-level contracts. Jesper Lindgren has signed a three-year contract and Pierre Engvall inks a two-year deal, while Par Lindholm and Igor Ozhiganov officially sign their one-year contracts. All four should come as no surprise as Lindgren and Engvall had already suited up for the Marlies while Lindholm and Ozhiganov had long been rumored to be signing with Toronto.

Lindgren and Engvall were both selected in the later rounds by the Maple Leafs, the former going 95th overall in 2015 and the latter going 188th in 2014. Engvall has been an impressive addition to the Toronto Marlies’ playoff run, scoring eight points in nine games down the stretch and adding seven more in the postseason. The big, physical forward has learned to use his frame to protect the puck on the way to the net, and recorded 20 points in 31 games for HV71 in his first turn in the SHL. Lindgren on the other hand is a right-handed puck-moving defenseman who played in Finland this year, recording eight points in 43 games. While that point total doesn’t sound promising he didn’t log big minutes for the team and should see an improved offensive output in North America.

Lindholm, 26, decided on the Maple Leafs last month after several teams had pursued him. Suiting up for Sweden at the Olympics and spending his fourth season in the SHL, the versatile forward could be the answer to Toronto’s fourth-line center next season. After scoring 47 points in 49 games in the SHL, he will bring more polish and experience to the role than the other internal candidates, as long as he can transition to the North American game without problem. With Tyler Bozak, Dominic Moore and Tomas Plekanec all headed towards unrestricted free agency, the Maple Leafs have a distinct lack of depth down the middle.

Ozhiganov perhaps is the crown jewel of the bunch, and one that has been recruited for some time by the Maple Leafs. Similar to the way the team pursued Nikita Zaitsev in recent years, Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello personally traveled to Russia to meet with Ozhiganov and sell him on the benefits of joining Toronto. Now that the 25-year old defenseman has officially signed, speculation will start over whether he’s an answer on the NHL club right from the beginning of the season. With Roman Polak heading to the open market, and Connor Carrick still not able to secure a full-time role on Toronto’s right side, Ozhiganov could potentially slide into the bottom pairing right away. That’s if new GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t go out and acquire some defensive help though, something the team drastically needs.

All of these signings were in place before Dubas took over, but continues what has been a mining of European talent over the last few years by the Maple Leafs. The team also signed Miro Aaltonen, Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen last summer, and have invested draft picks in several junior players in Russia over the last few years. As the Maple Leafs try to fill out the ranks around their young stars, the international market seems like their go-to scouting destination these days.

Rick Wilson Retires From NHL Coaching

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The Dallas Stars will not only have a new head coach next season, but new assistant as well. Rick Wilson, who has been behind an NHL bench for the past 30 years, has retired from coaching. The long-time assistant came back to the Stars last season with Ken Hitchcock, increasing his total to 18 seasons with Dallas over his career. Wilson is the best person to understand his impact on the game, and he did so in a statement:

As I look back on my time as a coach in the NHL, I feel a strong sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Very few individuals in their coaching career have the opportunity to work with incredibly talented athletes like Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher, Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan Suter, Matt Niskanen, Jared Spurgeon and John Klingberg . These are a few of the names that stand out, but this list can go on and on involving all positions. The game of hockey has provided my family and I so many opportunities and we are forever appreciative.

Indeed, Wilson had an impact on a tremendous number of elite defensemen in the league and his teachings will likely play a role in hundreds of careers down the road. Beginning his NHL coaching career in 1988-89 with the Los Angeles Kings, he’ll hang it up after a disappointing season with the Stars. In total though, even this down season can’t tarnish his record. Coaching in 2,306 regular season games, he will finish his career with a record of 1,159-846-301, most of which came as an assistant or associate coach. He did work for a short time as the head coach of the Stars when Hitchcock was fired in 2002, only to remain in his original position when Dave Tippett came aboard the next season.

Stars GM Jim Nill had this to say about Wilson:

We are grateful to Rick and all that he has brought to the Dallas Stars organization and the NHL over his many seasons behind the bench. He has left a lasting impact on this franchise through the countless hours he’s spent teaching, instructing and developing players as well as preparing them to perform at the highest level on the ice.

The Stars will be coached by Jim Montgomery next season, who will need to find a new assistant to coach the defense and penalty kill. While every coach likes to bring in his own people, it’s not clear if Montgomery—a first-time NHL head coach—would have turned down the opportunity to keep Wilson in the position.

Colorado Avalanche Begin Extension Talks With Patrik Nemeth

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After re-signing Mark Barberio and Mark Alt recently, the Colorado Avalanche aren’t done bringing back their suddenly deep defensive unit. Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports that they also intend on re-signing Patrik Nemeth, and that talks have already begun between the two sides. Dater expects a two or three-year deal for the restricted free agent.

Nemeth, 26, found a home in Colorado this season after bouncing up and down between the minor leagues and NHL for years in Dallas. Selected in the second round in 2010, Nemeth played just 108 games for the Stars over four seasons, while struggling to stay in the lineup for various reasons.

In 2017-18, he skated in 68 games and recorded 15 points while averaging the third most minutes of any Avalanche defenseman. His +27 rating led the club and placed him 11th in the entire league, only behind Josh Manson (+34), Victor Hedman (+32) and Anton Stralman (+29) among defenseman. While his possession stats still weren’t excellent, he was used in an extremely lopsided manner and given the toughest assignments and zone starts on the Avalanche.

Amazingly, that play came for under $1MM for the Avalanche, who claimed Nemeth off waivers just before the season began. Though he’ll likely never be an elite point-producing defenseman, getting him re-signed on a relatively short-term deal for a reasonable price should go a long way to filling out the Colorado defense corps for next season.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Tyler Lewington

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed Tyler Lewington to a two-year two-way contract, that will carry an average annual value of $675K in the NHL. Lewington has spent the last three seasons in the minor leagues, after finishing up his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2015.

Known mostly for his physical style, Lewington once again led the Hershey Bears in fighting majors and penalty minutes this past season. The right-handed defenseman had 11 points in 71 games, but totaled a career-high 149 penalty minutes. It seems unlikely that Lewington would be destined for the Capitals anytime soon, but there is more to his game than just fighting. What he lacks in high-end mobility he can usually make up for in quick decisions, and isn’t a detriment to the Bears at even-strength.

The Capitals have a deep group of defensemen currently, but are scheduled to lose Michal Kempny, Jakub Jerabek and John Carlson to unrestricted free agency this summer. If none of the three are retained and the team finds themselves short on depth in the coming years, it’s not out of the question that Lewington could find himself up in the NHL in the case of injury. For now, he’ll continue to develop his all-around game in the minor leagues, while not losing the physical edge that got him here.

Edmonton Oilers Extend ECHL Affiliation

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The Wichita Thunder have announced that they’ve extended their affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers and Bakersfield Condors for the 2018-19 season. Wichita is part of the ECHL, where more and more teams are building a legitimate tier of player development. The Thunder are coming off their first playoff appearance since joining the ECHL in 2014.

As sports science and analytics become more ingrained in organizations around the league, teams find themselves with a need for player development past just the AHL. Franchises like Toronto and Pittsburgh have built a tiered model that allows players who may have previously been considered too raw to be introduced to professional hockey a chance to work on their weaknesses in a lower risk situation. Players like Tom Kuhnhackl, Josh Archibald and Mike Condon have all spent time with the Wheeling Nailers (Pittsburgh) while Garret Sparks, Christopher Gibson and Darcy Kuemper have all spent time with the Orlando Solar Bears (Toronto, Minnesota).

That model is spreading, and the Oilers could try to take advantage of it with their Wichita affiliation. Goaltending prospect Dylan Wells was able to get into a game after his junior season ended, and he could start his professional career there next season. That position in particular is one that can be used heavily, as there are only so many starts to go around at the AHL level.

Kasperi Kapanen Not Yet Joining Toronto Marlies For AHL Playoffs

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The Toronto Marlies are about to begin a playoff series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow, and the team has all hands on deck. All hands but one at least, as Kasperi Kapanen doesn’t seem to be joining them after being eliminated from the IIHF World Championship yesterday. Though, as Scott Wheeler of The Athletic pointed out yesterday, he is eligible to join the Marlies for their playoff run, Kapanen posted a photo of a plane ticket from Copenhagen to Helsinki on his Instagram account earlier today. As Wheeler had mentioned, there was a possibility that Kapanen would return to Finland after what has been a long year to begin his offseason.

This doesn’t by any means guarantee that Kapanen won’t join the team at some point. The Marlies are a favorite for the Calder Cup after an incredible regular season and two impressive series wins against Utica and Syracuse, the latter of which ended in a four-game sweep. There is always a chance that Kapanen joins them somewhere down the road, but the team already has a glut of talented wingers to choose from.

Kapanen, 21, established himself as an NHL regular in the second half of the season and played in all seven games against Boston in the first round of the playoffs with the Maple Leafs. The speedy winger recorded nine points in 38 games during the regular season, but was limited to fourth-line duties for much of that time. After a solid performance for Finland at the World Championship, he’ll try to nab a role higher up the lineup next season with the Maple Leafs. The team is expected to let James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov go in free agency, opening up some more minutes for players like Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to fill.

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