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Capitals Have Not Made Contract Offer To Barry Trotz

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The Washington Capitals, defending Stanley Cup champions, would like to bring back the man who led them to the promised land, head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz was in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent along with the players when the new league year begins. It is common sense for Washington to want him back, but has nonetheless been reported by several sources as well. Yet, the Caps have a funny way of showing their loyalty to Trotz; Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that the team has yet to extend a contract offer to their coach.

Trotz, 55, has long been expected to be a free agent this summer. Despite a immensely successful career by a wins standard, Trotz had often been criticized for not being able to get the job done in the postseason. That excuse is out the door now, after the Capitals secured their first Cup title in franchise history last week. As a result, rumors of Trotz’ free agency were also supposed to be thrown away. It seemed like a sure thing that GM Brian MacLellan and the Caps would want to retain his services. However, an offer has yet to be made and Shannon adds that the two sides do not have any meetings schedule to negotiate an extension.

This could simply be the pre-occupied champions dragging their feet or focusing all of their attention to catching up on draft and free agency preparations. Of course, it could be something else entirely. It’s possible that Trotz, now a championship coach, is intrigued with the possibility of other positions. Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders are known to be eyeing Trotz for their current vacancy, while it has also been rumored that at least one team with a head coach has considered hiring Trotz regardless if he was to become available. Trotz has reportedly had some preliminary contract talks with the Capitals already and it could be that the recent title and his improved free agent status has raised the price tag beyond what Washington is comfortable paying. This very real possibility is only supported further by the idea that the team had been grooming assistant Todd Reirden to take over. Anticipating the expiration of Trotz’ contract and, after years of letdowns, not expecting their miraculous Stanley Cup run, the Capitals were reportedly comfortable with handing the job off to Reirden. Of course, the situation has changed greatly, but if the price is too high to retain Trotz, Washington would not panic, but could simply stick with their original plan.

The odds still favor an extension for Trotz. He is fresh off of a title with the Capitals, knows and trusts his players and staff, and understands that his best chance at another Cup is likely to stay in Washington. However, Shannon’s report that – with days remaining on his contract – Trotz does not have an extension offer nor any scheduled meetings to discuss a new deal, raises questions. The lure of more money and a new challenge could be enticing Trotz and his asking price could be scaring off the Capitals. Only time will tell, but suddenly the idea of one of the winningest coaches in NHL history hitting the free agent market is back in the realm of possibility.

Bruins Re-Sign Matt Grzelcyk To Two-Year Deal

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The Boston Bruins have locked up one of their many impressive young players, announcing an extension for defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The deal carries a $1.4MM AAV and will keep the Boston native with his hometown team for at least two more years.

While Grzelcyk may not be one of the most talked-about young players in the league or even in Boston, the small but capable blue liner was a pleasant surprise as a rookie in 2017-18. A 2012 third-round pick and a former pair-mate of fellow Bruin Charlie McAvoy’s at Boston University, the Bruins always had high expectations of Grzelcyk. However, few could have expected that his performance would thrust him into a starting role and leave veterans like Adam McQuaid and Paul Postma as afterthoughts for much of the season. Grzlecyk skated in 61 games for the Bruins, contributing 15 points along the way. He also posted a +21 rating, tied for third-best on the team with two-way star Patrice Bergeron. In the postseason, Grzelcyk played in all but one of Boston’s games as well and didn’t look out of place.

Perhaps the greatest attribute that Grzelcyk showed as a rookie – and one that caught the eye of those in tune with advanced analytics – was his possession ability. Grzelcyk finished the year with a top 25 Corsi For rating (among players with at least 300 minutes of ice time) of 55.67%, which was third best among rookies behind only McAvoy and Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois. Grzelcyk even held the best relative shot differential among all defenseman in the NHL for a significant span of time mid-season. While not an overly physical player nor a player with huge offensive upside, Grzelcyk showed himself to be a safe puck-handler and a player that can be relied on to create offense and suppress the opposing offense.

Moving forward, Grzelcyk’s role may change. The Bruins continue to show a desire to add a top-four left-handed defenseman, likely to pair long-term with McAvoy at the top of the depth chart. This would likely shift Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug down, as McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Kevan Miller form a solid grouping on the right side. The result could be Grzelcyk becoming an extra man rather than a starter for the next year or two. Grzelcyk’s skill set and ceiling could make him an ideal seventh defender in his career, if that is the role he is asked to play. However, the value of this contract and the speed with which both sides agreed upon the terms indicates that the Bruins have plans for Grzelcyk, likely short-term or long-term. The young defenseman is just getting started with his NHL career and will get plenty more chances to show himself in Boston.

Western Notes: Flames, Bolland, Grant

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Don’t expect the Calgary Flames to make a selection in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft next Friday and probably don’t expect to see them make a pick too early on Saturday either. The Flames currently sit with just three picks in the 2018 Draft: a fourth-rounder, sixth-rounder, and seventh-rounder. The rest of their selections were used in deals to acquire Travis Hamonic, Mike Smith, and Michael Stone. Speaking with Calgary GM Brad Treliving, beat reporter Kristen Anderson makes it sound as if the team’s philosophy toward the value of draft picks versus prospects will very likely keep them from adding any significant picks this year. Treliving admitted that he has looked at scenarios that would allow his team to trade back in to the first round and has tried to make a deal with other teams, but doesn’t know if they’ll ever reach a point where a trade will actually happen. In fact, he called that possibility very unlikely. Understandably, Treliving is hesitant to trade away young players or promising prospects for picks that will be farther behind in their NHL development and who they only hope will one day reach or exceed the level of the player they move in return, calling it “backwards shuffling”. Treliving also lacks some firepower in terms of future picks with his 2019 second-, sixth-, and seventh-round selections already lost as well. Right now, the asking price for early picks is too high for the Flames to bite on anything just yet. However, don’t underestimate what the anxiety of waiting through three rounds could force them to do next weekend.

  • AZSports’ Craig Morgan recently spoke with Anton Thun, the agent for Dave Bolland, about the veteran Arizona Coyotes center’s future. Bolland, 32, has yet to play a game for the Coyotes despite being traded to the team in the off-season prior to the 2016-17 season. A lingering back injury and lower-body concerns forced the Florida Panthers to dump Bolland’s contract in Arizona – a move that also cost them prospect Lawson Crouse – and he has not been cleared to suit up at any time since. Thun reports that Bolland is doing better, but there is still no expectation that he will be able to play next season. Instead, Thun suggests to Morgan that Bolland is likely to be placed on long-term injured reserve yet again in the final year of his contract and will then formally announce his retirement after next season. If this proves true, it will be a disappointing end to the career of a well-respected player who built a career on his reliable defensive play.
  • One of the more talented offensive defensemen in the AHL is off to Finland for the next stage of his pro career. Alex Grant, 29, has signed with Jokerit of the KHL, the team reported today. The journeyman defender has made a career of being one of the top scoring blue liners in the minor leagues, jumping from one two-way contract to the next throughout the past nine years. However, in that time he has only been given seven NHL appearances and appears to have decided to make a name for himself at the highest level in Europe rather than continue to play in the AHL. After an impressive 49-point campaign with the Providence Bruins in 2016-17, Grant signed with the Minnesota Wild last summer and was expected to be one of their top depth options on the back end. Instead, he again was not given that chance and will now seize an opportunity with Jokerit. Offensive-minded defensemen who have struggled to find their place in the NHL have often found great success in the KHL. Grant could very well be the next in that line, which has featured the likes of Matt Gilroy, Philip Larsen, and Jakub Nakladal in recent years.

Ottawa Senators Suspend Assistant General Manager Randy Lee

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The Ottawa Senators have suspended Assistant General Manager Randy Lee indefinitely, pending the conclusion of his current legal case. Lee was charged with harassment while in the United States for the NHL Draft Combine, and currently has his next court appearance scheduled for July 6th. The Senators GM Pierre Dorion issued a statement that included a condemnation of harassment in any form:

As our hockey club’s initial statement made clear, our Hockey Team – and our organization as a whole – will always hold our leaders, coaching staff, players and employees to the highest standards of behaviour.

Harassment in any form is unacceptable, whether it occurs inside or outside the work place. As a result, and with all the care and caution required in such cases, we have spent the past two weeks listening carefully to, and consulting with our community, our fan base and our partners to understand their expectations on the matter.

Lee’s court date was originally set for June 22rd, the first day of the draft and an important date in regards to his duties for the hockey club. Though that appearance has now been pushed back, the team has taken the additional step of suspending Lee, meaning he won’t be able to attend or help in anyway for the upcoming draft. Obviously there is no decision yet on Lee’s future with the club, as the Senators will allow the legal process to play out before making any decisions.

The 56-year old Lee has been with the Senators for 23 years, working as a video coach in 1995 and working his way up the organization. He has been accused of inappropriately touching and making lewd comments toward a hotel shuttle driver, and was arrested and charged with second-degree harassment on June 1st, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Official Order Of Selections For 2018 NHL Draft Released

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The NHL has announced the full order of selections for the upcoming 2018 Entry Draft, including all picks from rounds 1-7. Though we already knew how the first few rounds were set to shake out, this confirms any outstanding conditions that were unclear from previous trades. The full order is as follows:

Round 1

1. Buffalo
2. Carolina
3. Montreal
4. Ottawa (optional to COL)
5. Arizona
6. Detroit
7. Vancouver
8. Chicago
9. NY Rangers
10. Edmonton
11. NY Islanders
12. NY Islanders (from CGY)
13. Dallas
14. Philadelphia (from STL)
15. Florida
16. Colorado
17. New Jersey
18. Columbus
19. Philadelphia
20. Los Angeles
21. San Jose
22. Ottawa (from PIT)
23. Anaheim
24. Minnesota
25. Toronto
26. NY Rangers (from BOS)
27. Chicago (from NSH)
28. NY Rangers (from TBL)
29. St. Louis (from WPG)
30. Detroit (from VGK)
31. Washington

Pick 4 – Under the terms of a Nov. 5, 2017, trade: The Senators have the option to retain their pick and instead send the Avalanche their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
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Boston Bruins Getting Interest In David Krejci

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The Boston Bruins have reportedly set up a meeting with Ilya Kovalchuk and is looking for a way to help his team get over the hump next season. One way that might happen is through trade, and today on WGR 550 in Buffalo, Darren Dreger of TSN spoke about how Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney has gotten several calls about center David Krejci:

I know that there are teams calling on David Krejci as well. The Bruins would like to move [David] Backes. I think they’re again a little reluctant to consider trading David Krejci, but every player has a price tag. I think we need to look at Don Sweeney, the GM of the Bruins, as being perhaps a team and a GM that could be very active in the days ahead. 

Reluctance to the idea of trading Krejci shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his continued production and stabilizing presence down the middle for the Bruins. Though the team certainly has some young forwards ready to take on bigger roles, the duo of Krejci and Patrice Bergeron at center allows the team to match up well against nearly anyone in the Eastern Conference. Krejci is coming off a season in which he recorded 44 points in just 64 games, and was excellent for the Bruins in the playoffs once again.

His contract though does cause some concern, and likely keeps Sweeney on the phone a little longer than he would normally stay. Though Krejci is an excellent player for the team still, he’s now 32 years old and is still under contract for three more seasons at a $7.25MM cap hit. While the actual salary drops a bit next season, he would be an extremely expensive asset if his play were to decline at all over the next few seasons. Trading him now, if teams are offering legitimate packages, may actually be a good idea.

Still, Krejci has a full no-movement clause for this season and a partial no-trade clause moving forward. He generally holds his future in his own hands, and has never made any indication that he would want to be moved out of Boston. With the Bruins not extremely interested in moving him, it seems like a very small chance that he’ll be playing on another team come the start of the 2018-19 season.

The fact that they want to trade Backes also doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The physical forward fought through injury this season but was relatively effective when he played, registering 33 points in 57 games. Still, he struggled in the playoffs and is now a 34-year old injury risk that doesn’t have a clear spot in the lineup. He currently carries a $6MM cap hit with three years remaining on his current contract, and it seems unlikely that he’ll ever return to the 30-goal, 60-point player he was in St. Louis. A trade may have to wait a year though, as Backes also holds a no-movement clause for the next year before seeing it drop to an eight-team trade list in the summer of 2019. At that point the salary also drops, and after paying him a signing bonus on July 1st, 2019 Backes will be owed just $5MM total over the last two seasons of his contract. If you were to acquire him right now, that number is $14MM for the last three years.

The Bruins find themselves without a first-round pick in this year’s draft thanks to the trade to acquire Rick Nash, one that Sweeney likely wishes he could take back given the power forward’s disappearance down the stretch and in the playoffs. Instead, the team would have to use other assets to acquire the talent that they want for next season, be that through trade or free agency.

Latest On The Ottawa Senators & Mike Hoffman

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As a general policy, PHR does not comment or report on a player’s off-ice situations unless they have a significant impact on their status with a team or around the league. This site is meant to wade through the unfounded accusations or hearsay and bring you only the most accurate transaction-related information and reporting from around the NHL and professional hockey. In this case, we decided not to cover a story on Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators because any effect it may have had on their status with the team was unclear. Now, as reports start coming from respected hockey sources on how the market has changed for an impending trade, we feel the need to release something on the situation. The original report came from Shaamini Yogaretnam the Ottawa Citizen, and subsequent response from Hoffman and his fiancée has just been published by Bruce Garrioch of the same publication.

Mike Hoffman has been rumored to be on the trade block for months, and the latest situation surrounding him, his fiancée and Erik Karlsson has only raised expectations of his movement. At one point, many believed that Hoffman was guaranteed to be traded before the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, something which is now not so clear. There’s no doubt that he will likely be moved still, but the situation has increased the difficulty of any deal.

In an updated version of the first report, the Ottawa Citizen spoke with Hoffman’s agent Robert Hooper. In his comments, he made it very clear that he believed there was no place in Ottawa for Hoffman any longer as long as Karlsson remained with the team.

What we’ve indicated to Pierre [Dorion, team GM] is that, and let’s call a spade a spade, it would be very difficult for both parties — both Erik and Mike as well as the wives and the fiancées — to co-exist in the same wives’ room and the same dressing room. 

In my 22 years in this business I don’t believe that I’ve ever come across a situation like this. This is an exceptionally unique situation and one that’s very unfortunate. Hopefully it can get resolved as quickly as possible.

This isn’t something we talked about with Pierre just today. We’ve been aware of this situation since the end of the season,

Insiders all around the league are speculating that Hoffman’s value has plummeted though, and could make it a much tougher sell for the Senators. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that at least two GMs wouldn’t be willing to tough the situation until it is resolved, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet believes it’s now a situation that could hurt Pierre Dorion’s reputation around the league. Friedman believes that the team dropped their asking price for Hoffman before the story broke, and that some other teams may see that as “dirty poker.”

If you make this deal without knowing [about the situation]—and I think there might be some teams mad at the agents too, but the agents are trying to protect their clients and Dorion is trying to protect his investment—whatever the case is I think there were some teams just mad at the overall situation: ’Oh, you tried to pull a fast one on us eh? So what else about some of your guys are you not telling us?’ It’s a brutal situation.

In a video attached to Hoffman’s latest response, Garrioch claims that he believed the team was originally looking for a 2019 first-round pick and an established NHL roster player. Now, he believes that the team will have to settle for a prospect and first-round pick instead, and lists the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres as potential candidates for a trade. Whether that comes to be in the next few days is still unclear.

The situation obviously also has an effect on Karlsson’s future, though the team has known about the situation since well before the original report. Even Hoffman admits that he spoke to his captain about it before the season was over, but that things weren’t resolved. Karlsson has always maintained that he loves the city of Ottawa and the team, though rumblings of a potential trade persist. If the team can’t get their superstar defenseman signed this summer to a long-term extension, the belief is they will look to move him and start a true rebuild.

Hoffman, 28, is under contract for two more seasons at a reasonable cap hit of just under $5.2MM. His production has been excellent through his four full seasons in the NHL, and he’s coming off a 22-goal, 56-point campaign. It’s obvious that many teams would enjoy adding the player to their lineup, but it seems clear that as long as this situation hangs over his head there will be a smaller market for Dorion to work with.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Lucas Elvenes

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The Vegas Golden Knights have inked another prospect, signing Lucas Elvenes to a three-year entry-level contract. Elvenes split this year between the SHL and Allsvenskan in Sweden, and is expected to remain there for at least another season.

The 18-year old center was selected in the fifth round last summer, and turned some heads this season when he recorded 16 points in 28 SHL games. That’s good production for a player as young as Elvenes, as ice time is generally reserved for the more experienced players in Sweden’s highest league. The fact that he was almost a point-per-game player in the Allsvenskan (Sweden’s equivalent of the AHL) makes his year even more impressive.

Vegas has stockpiled quite a few interesting prospects, and the 6’1″ 172-lbs Elvenes is just another name to remember. Just getting him under contract is a big first step, and if they can get him over to North America it will be a change in family history. His father Stefan Elvenes was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks back in 1988 but never left the European pro leagues. He now works as a part-time scout for the St. Louis Blues, and could likely give the Western Conference rivals a thorough report on the newest Golden Knights prospect.

Chicago Blackhawks Signs Vinnie Hinostroza To Two-Year Deal

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The Chicago Blackhawks are getting their restricted free agents out of the way early. After agreeing to a two-year deal with John Hayden this morning, the team has also agreed to a two-year contract extension with Vinnie Hinostroza. The deal will carry a $1.5MM average annual value.

Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that there is an expectation that Tomas Jurco will also re-sign, making quick work of the bulk of Chicago’s restricted free agents. In Hinostroza they likely have locked up the most important one, after the 24-year old recorded 25 points in just 50 games last season. Though he didn’t get much of a chance to play his natural position of center, Hinostroza was moved around the lineup and seemed to have a knack for finding teammates at important times. His 18 assists actually ranked him fifth among all Chicago forwards, ahead of full-time players like Brandon Saad and Artem Anisimov, and he’ll need to use that playmaking ability to secure a role on the team next season.

Contracts like these to Hayden and Hinostroza are integral to the Chicago salary structure as they continue to deal with mega-deals for Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Brent Seabrook. Though those players are still effective—though, that may be argued at this point for Seabrook—they aren’t able to drag the roster to the playoffs by themselves any longer and rely on contributions from the role players on the roster. If Chicago is to make any real upgrades this season they’ll need all the cap room they can get, and Hinostroza locking down a full-time roster spot for $1.5MM is certainly acceptable.

Drafted in the sixth round in 2012, Hinostroza exploded in two years at Notre Dame and proved he could carry over his junior success to a higher level. After leaving school following his sophomore season, he didn’t look back and continued to dominate at the AHL level. He’ll have to make sure his body can handle the grind of an NHL season, but at this point in his short career no level of hockey has stunted his offensive production. If the Blackhawks are in for a 40+ point season in 2018-19, they’ll certainly take it.

The biggest question remaining in Chicago’s free agent pool is what to do with Anthony Duclair, who came over from the Arizona Coyotes but still wasn’t able to prove himself as a reliable goal-scoring threat. He had just two tallies over the 23 games with Chicago, and though he did accumulate eight points there are plenty of questions about whether he’ll take the next step. After earning $1.2MM last season, Duclair would still likely push for a raise in contract negotiations. After signing Hinostroza, the team likely has less than $10MM in cap space for this summer—though Marian Hossa’s contract is expected to be traded or put on long-term injured reserve once again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

42 Players Invited To Team USA Summer Showcase

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The World Junior Summer Showcase is a tournament designed to help prospects demonstrate their skills and vie for a spot on their respective World Junior Championship squads. Today, USA Hockey released the list of 42 names that have been invited to the showcase, including several returning players. Highlighted by potential top-5 pick Quinn Hughes and his brother Jack Hughes—who is an early favorite for first-overall in 2019—the USA should have a good chance of bringing home gold at the 2019 tournament. The full list is below:

G Kyle Keyser (BOS, free agent)
G Spencer Knight (2019 draft eligible)
G Keith Petruzzelli (DET, 88th overall, 2017)
G Cayden Primeau (MTL, 199th overall, 2017)

D Matt Anderson (2018 draft eligible)
D Mikey Anderson (LAK, 103rd overall, 2017)
D Josh Ess (CHI, 215th overall, 2017)
D David Farrance (NSH, 92nd overall, 2017)
D Quinn Hughes (2018 draft eligible)
D Joe Keane (2018 draft eligible)
D Phil Kemp (EDM, 208th overall, 2017)
D Ben Mirageas (NYI, 77th overall, 2017)
D K’Andre Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Tommy Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Alec Regula (2018 draft eligible)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG, 43rd overall, 2017)
D Mattias Samuelsson (2018 draft eligible)
D Reilly Walsh (NJD, 81st overall, 2017)

F Evan Barratt (CHI, 90th overall, 2017)
F Noah Cates (PHI, 137th overall, 2017)
F Sasha Chmelevski (SJS, 185th overall, 2017)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI, 201st overall, 2017)
F Cole Coskey (2018 draft eligible)
F Paul Cotter (2018 draft eligible)
F Sean Dhooghe (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Drury (2018 draft eligible)
F Joel Farabee (2018 draft eligible)
F Jon Gruden (2018 draft eligible)
F Curtis Hall (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Hughes (2019 draft eligible)
F Logan Hutsko (2018 draft eligible)
F Brandon Kruse (2018 draft eligible)
F Ivan Lodnia (MIN, 85th overall, 2017)
F Jacob McGrew (SJS, 159th overall, 2017)
F Grant Mismash (NSH, 61st overall, 2017)
F Josh Norris (SJS, 19th overall, 2017)
F Jay O’Brien (2018 draft eligible)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL, 25th overall, 2017)
F Jason Robertson (DAL, 39th overall, 2017)
F Brady Tkachuk (2018 draft eligible)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (2018 draft eligible)
F Jake Wise (2018 draft eligible)

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