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Archives for June 2018

Nichushkin Reaches Two-Year Deal With Dallas Stars

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June 22: GM Jim Nill has confirmed that he will sign Nichushkin to a two-year deal on July 1st, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it will be worth around $2.95MM per season.

June 9: While the rumor of his return has been out there for a while, the Dallas Stars and Valeri Nichushkin have agreed to a new two-year contract, according to R-Sport, a Russian news outlet (translation required). The deal cannot become official until July 1 and there is no word on the specifics of the contract.

Nichushkin, the team’s 10th overall pick back in 2013, played three years in Dallas after he was drafted and put up a solid rookie season of 14 goals and 34 points. However, after suffering a hip injury in 2014-15 that cost him all but eight games that season, he had trouble returning to form and wasn’t happy with the lack of playing time the following year when he averaged just 13:56 of ATOI. He tallied just nine goals and 20 assists in 2015-16.

He returned to Russia as a restricted free agent to continue his development with CSKA Moscow, playing two years in the KHL. He tallied 27 goals and 24 assists in those two years, including a 16-goal season this past year. The winger was expected to play for Russia during the Olympics, but was one of five players banned by the IOC and was forced to watch the games instead. Nichushkin, whose contract with CSKA Moscow expired on April 30, had always intended to return to Dallas and continue his NHL career.

At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, the 23-year-old should be able to step right into Dallas’ lineup to add both scoring and physicality to the team and should give the Stars another talented young player to build around. He will be given every chance to claim a spot on the team’s second line in training camp. The Stars have finished sixth in the Central Division three of the last four years and have made the playoffs just once in that span.

Louis Domingue Signs Two-Year Contract With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed Louis Domingue to a two-year $2.3MM contract ($1.15MM AAV). Domingue was scheduled to become a restricted free agent, but will now remain with the Lightning and presumably have the inside track to be Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup given the team’s recent trade of Peter Budaj.

Domingue, 26, came over from the Arizona Coyotes in November of last season and made quite the impression on his new team. With a .919 save percentage in 18 games with the Syracuse Crunch, and a .914 in 12 appearances with Tampa Bay, Domingue showed himself to be quite capable to back up Vasilevskiy for the foreseeable future.

He’ll receive just a slight raise on the two-year $2.1MM contract he signed with the Coyotes in 2016, and remain an almost risk-free proposition for the Lightning. Even if Domingue falters, almost all of his cap hit can be buried in the minors without trouble. If he can provide the same excellent play going forward, he’ll look like one of the better goaltending contracts in the league.

It’s important that the Lightning locked up a suitable back up goaltender, as Vasilevskiy admitted late in the season that he was feeling fatigued from taking over the full-time starting duties. The 23-year old goaltender played in a career-high 65 games last season, a huge number for any netminder. Adding in another 17 playoff starts and there was a clear need to bring in someone who could spell Vasilevskiy for somewhere around 20-25 games, and Domingue will be asked to be that player.

The team does have Connor Ingram on his way, but he’ll still need at least a few years of development before he’s ready to jump to the NHL. It might work out perfectly, as Domingue will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal.

Tampa Bay Lightning Name Jeff Halpern Assistant Coach

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted from within, naming Jeff Halpern an assistant coach. Halpern had been working with the Syracuse Crunch staff and will be starting his first coaching job in the NHL. The former Lightning forward retired in 2014.

Halpern, 42, was never an outstanding offensive player in the NHL, but nevertheless carved out a 976-game NHL career and was even named captain of the Washington Capitals for a season coming out of the lockout. Respected for his work ethic and responsible defensive play, he was quickly welcomed back into the Lightning organization after retirement and named full-time assistant coach for the Crunch in 2016.

Not only will Halpern bring a wealth of NHL experience to the bench beside Jon Cooper, but his familiarity with the prospect development side of the organization will only help the NHL club utilize their young players to the fullest. Though Tampa Bay is led by a core of veteran players, they also have names like Mikhail Sergachev, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli all expected to play big roles going forward.

Jeff Skinner Discussions Heating Up

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One of the biggest prizes on the trade market as we inch closer to the start of the 2018 Entry Draft is Jeff Skinner, who could inject instant offense into almost any team in the league. The three-time 30-goal man has been confirmed available by his GM Don Waddell, and recently linked to the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings. Well now Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are “inching closer” to a deal for Skinner, and adds that three teams—but not necessarily the ones listed above—are in the “late stages of discussions.” Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer doesn’t believe things are as close, and notes that the team has not asked Skinner to waive his no-trade clause for a specific team as of yet.

Skinner, 26, scored 24 goals and 49 points in what many consider a down year for the winger, but still provides tantalizing offensive potential for an acquiring team. The fact that he is basically plug-and-play 20-goal scorer with upside for much more, as well as being one of the most dynamic skaters in the league, should leave no one wondering why there are several teams after him down to the wire. With just a single year left on his current contract before unrestricted free agency though, he’s doesn’t provide a long-term option without agreeing to an extension. That’s something he can’t technically sign until July 1st, and something that’s not clear Skinner even wants at this point.

Scheduled to hit the open market at just 27, Skinner could position himself as one of the very best forwards available in free agency next summer. Though currently the group looks like a “Superclass” there could be plenty of extensions waiting for July 1st for players like Tyler Seguin, Logan Couture and Blake Wheeler. Even if there isn’t, Skinner still has one of the best resumes of any offensive player in the league, starting with his 31-goal rookie campaign in 2010-11.

It will be interesting to see what he costs as a rental option before the draft, if an extension isn’t agreed upon. The Hurricanes aren’t exactly in a position to rebuild, meaning they could target NHL-level players in return. Pittsburgh for instance had reportedly made Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Dominik Simon available to the Arizona Coyotes in negotiations over Max Domi. Perhaps Carolina would be interested in adding proven NHL talent like that in exchange for their expiring asset.

Snapshots: Bowness, Kulikov, Rierden, Nash

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The Stars are finalizing a deal with Rick Bowness to make him one of their new assistant coaches, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link).  The veteran coach has received plenty of interest since being let go by Tampa Bay following their playoff elimination with Shannon noted that at least three teams made offers to him.  He will join a new-look Dallas staff including first-time head coach Jim Montgomery and assistant Todd Nelson.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov underwent back surgery following Winnipeg’s exit in the third round of the playoffs, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). He’s expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp.  Kulikov’s first season with Winnipeg did not go particularly well as he missed time due to a back issue as well as a concussion and played a limited role when he was in the lineup, averaging just 17:04 per game, the lowest of his career.
  • The Capitals will interview associate coach Todd Reirden for their now-vacant head coaching position, GM Brian MacLellan told reporters, including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. He has long been expected to be the successor for Barry Trotz (who now is with the Islanders) and it’s clear the team views him the same way as no other interviews are scheduled at this time.
  • While the Bruins have prioritizing signing UFA winger Ilya Kovalchuk, they remain in contact with winger Rick Nash about possibly extending his stay in Boston should they not land the Russian, GM Don Sweeney told Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston. However, Sweeney acknowledged that they won’t be able to sign both players.  Nash should have plenty of interest if he makes it to the open market but he will have to take a significant pay cut on the $7.8MM he made in 2017-18.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Markus Granlund To One-Year Contract

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The Vancouver Canucks have inked one of their restricted free agents, signing Markus Granlund to a one-year $1.475MM contract. Granlund was set to hit RFA status with arbitration rights, and will still be a restricted free agent when the deal expires.

The 25-year old forward hasn’t fulfilled the promise he showed early in his Vancouver career, and finished this season with just 12 points while serving a diminished role. Under the previous coaching staff Granlund was given the opportunity to more minutes and in an offensive role, but was limited to a checking unit for most of the season under head coach Travis Green. He was deployed much less frequently on the powerplay, and instead took up a key penalty killing role for the team. Granlund has never been known for his defensive presence though, and it’s not clear if he can really grow into that role for the Canucks going forward.

A two-year contract would have taken Granlund to free agency in the summer of 2020, but this deal will give him one more chance to prove he can be part of the solution in Vancouver. The team is building around a new forward core including Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson, and will need quality role players to fill out the rest of the group. If Granlund can show some level of improved production despite his position lower in the lineup, or demonstrate himself to be an excellent defensive option, there is a place for him going forward. Otherwise, his career may not be long for Vancouver.

With a $1.475MM contract he is getting a substantial raise over the $900K he earned in 2017-18, but it shouldn’t dramatically affect the Canucks’ salary structure. The team still has plenty of cap room and with Daniel and Henrik Sedin coming off the books should be in a good financial position going forward. Though they may not spend the entire $25MM of cap space this summer, new deals will have to be struck sooner or later with players like Boeser, Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev, if they are to be part of the organization long-term. Granlund would like to add his name to that group, but he’ll need to find some of the magic that turned into 19 goals in 2016-17 to do it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tampa Bay Lightning Will Not Re-Sign Chris Kunitz

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will not bring back Chris Kunitz for the 2018-19 season. That’s what Lightning GM Steve Yzerman told reporters today when asked, though he noted that the 38-year old forward still wishes to continue his career and is not currently considering retirement. Kunitz is coming off a one-year $2MM contract with the Lightning, that also included $1MM in performance bonuses.

Kunitz is best known for his Stanley Cup heroics, including the overtime-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the finals in 2017. He has four cups under his belt, and was brought to Tampa Bay to provide some veteran leadership and experience to a group that was relatively unproven in the playoffs. The Lightning though have just too many young players ready to compete for roster spots, meaning Kunitz will have to look for employment elsewhere.

Even with his diminished effectiveness, there will likely be several suitors. Kunitz recorded 29 points this season but did it in just under 12 minutes a night and with almost zero powerplay time to speak of. That’s not exactly the 35-goal man he was with the Penguins a few seasons ago, but with his ample playoff experience and generally well-regarded locker room presence another team on the cusp of contention may bring him in to give their squad a boost next season. Willing to play in that diminished role, another performance bonus-laden contract seems appropriate.

One would have to wonder if the Penguins themselves would consider bringing him back on a reduced salary, as the team requires cheap, effective players to work within the constrains of the salary cap. Kunitz’ familiarity with the leadership group in Pittsburgh would only help his case there, though at this point nothing can be said about any potential Penguins interest.

A veteran of 966 regular season games, Kunitz has recorded 609 points and been to the playoffs every season since his rookie year in 2003-04. That kind of experience isn’t easy to come by, even among players who are at his age. It won’t be surprising to see someone snatch him up on July 1st.

Philipp Grubauer Generating Plenty Of Interest

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Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan was very clear after the season that he would try to give Philipp Grubauer a chance to be a starting goaltender. That chance won’t be with the Capitals though, as MacLellan admitted he’d explore the trade market to try and find Grubauer an opportunity where he could step into a bigger role. In doing so, several sets of ears perked up around the league and speculation started swirling around who could afford to acquire the 26-year old goaltender.

Grubauer is a restricted free agent this summer, meaning a trade is the best outcome for the Capitals as well. Even with the increase in the salary cap from $75MM to $79.5MM, Washington doesn’t have a ton of room. Unrestricted free agent John Carlson may take half of their projected $15.7MM in cap space should they re-sign him, while Tom Wilson and others are also restricted free agents looking for raises. Grubauer, with all his success as the backup to Braden Holtby, is a luxury the team may not be able to afford.

He does have a successful resume though, which is likely why several teams have been calling with interest. Bob McKenzie of TSN was on the radio this morning reporting that there is plenty of interest in acquiring Grubauer, and listed the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche as teams that are “in” on the RFA goaltender. McKenzie suggests that teams may be willing to part with a first or second round pick if they believe Grubauer can step into a starting role, or at least a tandem with one of their current options. That goes along with the reports from Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) and Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that the Capitals are looking for—or perhaps expecting—a late first or early second-round pick in exchange for their backup goaltender.

None of this means that the team will definitely trade Grubauer at the draft this weekend, but a draft pick today is worth more than one down the line in terms of development. The Capitals are looking to compete for a second consecutive Stanley Cup in 2018-19, but are also committed to building a program that can continue contending long-term. They are one of the few contending teams that did not give up their first-round pick at this year’s trade deadline, and are in good shape to keep adding prospects to a pipeline that has produced several key players over the years. If they can procure a pick in tonight’s first round, it would by default be higher than their first selection and allow them some more currency to try and work with as they strengthen their roster for another run.

Sharks To Buy Out Paul Martin

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The Sharks announced that they have placed defenseman Paul Martin on waivers for the purposes of buying out the remainder of his contract.  GM Doug Wilson issued the following statement regarding the move:

“Paul Martin has been the utmost professional on and off the ice during his three years in San Jose. His leadership, character and on-ice contributions have been essential to our success and in reaching the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. The impact he has had on our organization, his teammates and many of our younger players will be felt for many years to come.”

The 37-year-old has spent the past three seasons in San Jose and played an important role in their trip to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2015-16.  However, his effectiveness and role were reduced in recent years to the point where he cleared waivers this past season and played in more games in the minors (18) during the regular season than he did in the NHL (14).  Martin was brought back up late in the season and while he played a sparing role on the third pairing, he did get into seven postseason contests but even with that, being bought out was still the expected outcome.

Martin had one year left on his deal with a $4.85MM cap hit and a $4.25MM salary.  Assuming he clears waivers on Saturday, the Sharks will instead carry a $2.017MM cap charge in 2018-19 and a $1.417MM hit in 2019-20.  The roughly $2.8MM in savings will give San Jose nearly $19MM in cap room to play with this summer which will make them a team to watch for in free agency which kicks off next Sunday.

Blues, Penguins Interested In Jeff Skinner

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The Penguins and Blues are among the teams that are interested in acquiring Hurricanes winger Jeff Skinner, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link).  Skinner has been frequently speculated as a trade candidate in recent months as he gets set to enter the final year of his contract, one that carries a salary cap hit of $5.725MM and also a full no-move clause.

St. Louis has been looking for help in their top six dating back to last season and Skinner would certainly give them some more scoring punch as he has averaged 28 goals over the last five years.  The Blues also have a deep group of prospects up front including winger Klim Kostin and Jordan Kyrou as well as center Robert Thomas that Carolina will certainly be asking about as a possible return.

The fit in Pittsburgh is a little more curious.  There’s no doubt that Skinner would fit in nicely alongside one of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin inside their top six but they lack the cap space to add Skinner in; while they have just over $9MM in room per CapFriendly, they still have as many as six players to sign for their NHL roster.  While they could presumably deal a winger or two the other way to help offset the money, Carolina will be looking for a more significant return and the Pens also don’t have their first-round pick having dealt it for center Derick Brassard back before the trade deadline.

Meanwhile, LeBrun notes that the Kings, who have been interested in Skinner for a while, have turned their focus to UFA winger Ilya Kovalchuk.  They are one of the teams that are known to have already made a contract offer and they lack the cap space to add both him and Skinner.  Kovalchuk isn’t allowed to sign until July 1st but could make a verbal commitment before then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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