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Morgan Geekie Signs With Carolina Hurricanes

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According to CapFriendly, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Morgan Geekie has signed his three-year entry-level contract after recently joining the Charlotte Checkers on an amateur tryout. The contract will start with the 2018-19 season, and carries a cap hit of just over $763K.

Geekie, 19, was selected in the third round by the Hurricanes last summer and spent this season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. Though his regular season point total took a step backwards—he finished with 84 points in 68 games—he showed what he could do in the playoffs with 17 goals and 27 points in 14 games. That goal total still leads all players in the postseason, despite the Americans being eliminated in round three.

The young center was actually undrafted in his first year of eligibility, meaning he’ll turn 20 before next season and can join the AHL. That’s a likely destination for him, as he’s shown he can score regularly in junior and needs a new challenge. A late-bloomer, Carolina might have found a future NHLer in the third round as Geekie continues to improve.

Rick Nash Open To Staying With Bruins

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Rick Nash would be open to continuing his tenure with the Bruins. The impending free agent told Matt Kalman of NHL.com that he’d consider a return to Boston.

“It was disappointing with having the concussion and having some effects during it and only playing a certain amount of games and then coming back for the playoffs,” Nash said Wednesday. “But everything was positive. The organization was great, the guys were awesome, so it was a great chapter here and hopefully it can continue.”

The 33-year-old was acquired by the Bruins in February, with Boston sending the Rangers a 2018 first-round pick, a future seventh-rounder, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, and forwards Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey. Nash went on to appear in 11 regular season games for the Bruins, compiling three goals and assists. He added another five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games. He ended up missing 12 regular season games due to a concussion.

Nash is hitting free agency for the first time since 2009, when he inked an eight-year, $62.4MM with the Blue Jackets. The veteran has been traded twice since signing that contract, but he still admitted that winning was his top priority heading into free agency.

“Obviously to win, that’s No. 1,” he said. “No. 2 is a good place to live, a good place that my family enjoys. And Boston’s been great. It’s been a pretty seamless transition for us, so everything was positive.”

Penguins GM Discusses Roster Changes, Sprong, Future

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After having won two straight Stanley Cups, the Penguins’ season ended in disappointing fashion on Monday night, as Pittsburgh fell to the Capitals in six games. Following the team’s annual “Getaway Day,” general manager Jim Rutherford took some time to talk with the media.

The 69-year-old, who has been in the role since 2014, touched on a number of subjects, including potential roster changes for next season. Thanks to Sam Kasan of NHL.com, we’ve collected some of the notable soundbites below:

On if the front office is eyeing any potential roster changes:

“It’s a little (too) early to tell. It’s obvious that I’m going to keep an open mind to making some changes. I will make some changes. I can’t give you a definite answer on who that’s going to be right now and exactly the positions.

“We’re a good team, and we will be a good team going forward. We’ll have a chance to win again. We have the nucleus to do that…We also have the pieces in place that are players that other teams are going to want that we’re going to be able to make those changes. Sometimes you don’t always have those players for cap reasons or for different reasons.

On where the team could specifically look to improve:

“It’s fair to say that this will be a different looking team by the time we open next season. It doesn’t mean there will be drastic changes or a lot of changes, but there will be changes in the areas that will become necessary…If we can improve at defense or forward and the right deal comes along we’ll do it.”

On forward Daniel Sprong, who we learned will be a “regular” next season:

“We were very careful with him this year. We develop players in different ways. Certainly he had the ability to come in at certain times and play an offensive role on our team. But he needed to work on his all-around game. He did that.”

On Rutherford’s own future with organization:

“It’s the annual question…[t]he best answer is that I may be around longer than you guys (in the media).”

Poll: Should The Edmonton Oilers Trade The 10th Pick?

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The Edmonton Oilers are picking in the top-10 again this year. That was not the expected outcome after their 103-point 2016-17, and especially not with a healthy Connor McDavid. The team finished 36-40-6 this year, and wasted the last season of McDavid’s relatively inexpensive entry-level contract. The captain will start his eight-year $100MM extension in 2018-19, and immediately put a strain on the team’s finances.

So, what do you do this summer? Do you select another high-upside player and hope that he and other young prospects like Jesse Puljujarvi can quickly ascend the ranks to dominate at the NHL level? Or do you pick up the phone and try to make a move to improve the club immediately?

As we wrote yesterday, Peter Chiarelli is apparently considering both options carefully. The Oilers’ GM is open to the idea of trading the 10th-overall pick, and Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal even called the odds “high” that it is moved at some point between now and June 25th. As Chiarelli put it:

A player at No. 9 or No. 10 isn’t going to play next year. We’ll certainly listen to offers, and if there is a trade, it would probably be on the draft floor.

The question is, should there really be a rush to compete? Now that McDavid is already into his expensive extension, and Leon Draisaitl is already on year two of his eight-year $68MM deal, it’s not like there is a closing window. In fact, with their best two players both 22-and-under, there could still be an argument to be made that the window will be widest after two or three more years. That’s incidentally when some of the expensive contracts for underperforming defensemen will come off the books, giving the team more flexibility to go after free agents or lock up internal options.

By then, the 10th-overall pick could be ready to be an impact player in the league, while whoever they trade for could be headed for the open market.

On the other hand, Cam Talbot is signed for just one more season and is now on the wrong side of 30, while Milan Lucic is already showing drastic signs of slowing down. Waiting could open up other holes on the roster, that can’t be filled without trading other valuable assets.

So should the Oilers make a move? Does it make sense to hold onto the pick? Cast your vote and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Mathias Bau Signs With Washington Capitals

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After a solid season in the AHL, Mathias Bau has earned himself an NHL contract. The 24-year old forward has signed a one-year two-way contact with the Washington Capitals that carries a $700K cap hit.

Standing a monstrous 6’7″, Bau had played this season on an AHL contract after signing out of Denmark last summer. In his rookie season in North America, he recorded 23 points in 58 games and took substantial steps forward in his overall game.

Though it’s unclear if he’ll ever make it to the NHL—at 25 to start next season, he doesn’t have a huge amount of development left even if large power forwards often taking longer to reach their peak—he’s done enough to secure a spot with Hershey next season. He also marks the fifth contract the Capitals have signed since May 1st, even as they continue on their current playoff run. Washington isn’t just focused on success in the NHL this season, but long-term success for the whole organization.

Nashville Predators Sign Carl Persson

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The Nashville Predators have dipped their toes back into the European free agent market, signing Carl Persson to a two-year entry-level contract. Persson is fresh off his first full season in the SHL, but will now be joining the Predators’ organization for the next chapter in his hockey career.

The 22-year old forward recorded 24 points in 52 games this season, a very good total for a rookie in the infamously low-scoring SHL. That total placed him third on his club team, and apparently did enough to impress the Predators. Standing 6’1″ 205-lbs, he’ll likely get a chance to keep scoring with the Milwaukee Admirals next year.

Nashville continues to add from the European ranks, bringing in Persson to a system that already added Filip Pyrochta just this week. GM David Poile knows the value of adding risk-free talent from the international market, as he flipped Victor Ejdsell earlier this year as part of the package to acquire Ryan Hartman. Though Persson isn’t quite as high profile of a prospect, he still adds value to the organization.

Washington Capitals Sign Maximilian Kammerer To Entry-Level Contract

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The Washington Capitals have signed another undrafted European free agent, inking Maximilian Kammerer to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an annual average value of $870K, and begin in 2018-19.

Kammerer is a German forward who should be familiar to NHL scouts, as he played one season in the WHL before being ranked 115th among European skaters in the 2015 draft. He wasn’t selected, and continued to play in the DEL where he recorded 31 points in 52 games this season. The 21-year old will likely join the Hershey Bears for next season and try to adjust to the North American professional ranks.

The Capitals have now signed four international players in May alone, after Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Juuso Ikonen and Ilya Samsonov all inked their entry-level contracts. It’s clear the team is focused on restocking the cupboard with players from all over the world, and are willing to take a chance on unproven, undrafted European talents.

KHL Notes: Ozhiganov, Valiev, Soshnikov

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Dan Milstein, the agent for many of the league’s top Russian players including Nikita Kucherov and Artemi Panarin, spoke about some of his lesser known clients recently with Championat, a Russian publication. In the interview, he would not confirm that Igor Ozhiganov will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, only that the defenseman will make a decision in the coming days.

Ozhiganov, 25, was visited by Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock earlier this season, in much the same process as Nikita Zaitsev the year prior. Many have believed for some time that he is destined to sign with the Maple Leafs, though nothing is certain yet.

  • Rinat Valiev, who was reported to be going to the KHL recently, has apparently not made that decision yet. Valiev will listen to offers from the Montreal Canadiens, as Milstein explained he was pleased when he got a chance at the NHL level. The former Maple Leafs prospect played in two games with the Canadiens after being traded midseason, and is a restricted free agent this summer.
  • Nikita Soshnikov, another former Maple Leafs player traded this time to the St. Louis Blues in early 2018, is also not committed to heading to Russia just yet. Milstein explained that St. Louis has already offered him a new one-way contract, but Soshnikov is considering heading back. Also a restricted free agent this summer, his rights are owned by SKA St. Petersburg, one of the most powerful teams in the KHL.

Anton Khudobin Hopes To Stay With Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have some tough decisions to be made on whether or not to bring back several of their pending unrestricted free agents, but while most of the spotlight is on Rick Nash, another player may be even more important. That’s Anton Khudobin, who was an excellent complement to Tuukka Rask this season playing in 31 games for the Bruins.

The 32-year old goaltender registered a .913 save percentage and a 16-6-7 record, and wants to return to Boston where he feels most comfortable. He told Joe McDonald of The Athletic that he doesn’t want to deal with the free agent market, and feels he could play another eight seasons. Khudobin is coming off a two-year contract that saw him earn just $1.2MM per season, a reasonable number for a club that already has Rask under contract for a hefty $7MM cap hit.

There are plenty of backup options scheduled to hit the market this summer, but none immediately stand out as substantial upgrades over Khudobin. Any that do would also likely come with a higher price tag, something the Bruins can’t afford as they prepare for some big extensions over the coming years. If he truly wants to stay, it seems like an easy fit for the two sides on a short-term deal.

Daniel Sprong Will Be A “Regular” With Pittsburgh Penguins In 2018-19

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The Pittsburgh Penguins held their season-ending press conferences today, after being eliminated by the Washington Capitals in the second round. Among the usual injury news, general manager Jim Rutherford also noted that young forward Daniel Sprong “will be a regular” on the roster next season. Sprong got into just eight games this season despite dominating at the AHL level, and will now get a chance to really prove himself in 2018-19.

Sprong, 21, was selected 46th-overall by the Penguins in 2015 and forced his way onto the NHL roster with an incredible training camp. He played 18 games in 2015 before going back to junior in December, where he would spend all of the next season and a half. This year, in his first full-time taste of professional hockey, he recorded 65 points in 65 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and tied for the league lead in goals with 32.

Interestingly, because the Penguins burned the first year of his entry-level deal in 2015-16 by keeping him up past 10 games, Sprong is headed into this summer as a pending restricted free agent despite only having one real season of professional hockey. He’s not arbitration eligible, and can still be given a two-way qualifying offer, but the team could decide to sign him to a longer-term deal if they believe he can be a core piece going forward.

There is little chance of Sprong holding out or going overseas, and next year should be a huge opportunity for him. The Penguins have shown a willingness in the past to give young players a chance alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, a dream scenario for a rookie trying to make an impact. Where Sprong fits into the lineup won’t be clear until training camp, but for now he can be secure in the idea that he he’s penciled in this summer.

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