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Archives for June 2018

Snapshots: Couture, Stastny, Saad

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Last summer, the Sharks moved quickly to get a pair of core players locked up as soon as the window to sign contract extensions opened up as they inked defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones to long-term deals.  It appears they may be heading down that route again this summer as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (subscription required) that talks on a new deal are progressing with center Logan Couture and that they’re hoping to have a deal done for July 1st, the first day an extension can be made official.

The 29-year-old has been a fixture in San Jose’s lineup for the better part of the last decade after they made him the ninth-overall selection back in 2007.  He’s coming off of a career year in goals (34) and adapted well when he was asked to spend some time on the left wing.  Couture is set to earn $6MM in 2018-19 and will undoubtedly get a raise from the Sharks on this new contract.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Still from LeBrun, the Jets have yet to begin contract talks with pending UFA center Paul Stastny. The 32-year-old played a key role for Winnipeg in their postseason run but with Mark Scheifele and Bryan Little locked up long-term, it’s hard to imagine there’s room for him unless they find a way to move a sizable contract out.  Stastny is set to hit the open market as the top pivot not named John Tavares and will draw plenty of interest around the league.
  • Among the pieces that the Hurricanes are interested in from Chicago in their trade talks regarding defenseman Justin Faulk and goaltender Scott Darling is winger Brandon Saad, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 25-year-old failed to have the type of impact the Blackhawks were hoping for when they reacquired him last year as part of the Artemi Panarin trade.  However, after averaging 51 points over the previous four seasons, it’s reasonable to expect that he will have a bounce-back campaign in 2018-19, something that Carolina likely believes as well.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of Columbus’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Boone Jenner – While Jenner hasn’t been able to repeat his 30-goal performance from 2015-16, he has still been an important middle-six forward the last couple of seasons for the Blue Jackets.  Their issues getting consistent play at center resulted in Jenner spending most of this past season there after being shifted to the wing for the majority of the previous campaign.

The 24-year-old is coming off of his bridge contract and is owed a $2.9MM qualifying offer later this month, one he’ll undoubtedly receive.  The big question here is how much more he’s going to get this time around and whether Columbus will be able to afford it in their budget, especially with three of their top players needing new contracts one year from now.  If it’s more than they’re willing to pay, the Blue Jackets will be well positioned to take advantage of a center market that has a lot more demand than supply around the rest of the league.

D Ryan Murray – When healthy, Murray has been a capable fourth or fifth defenseman for the past several years.  Unfortunately for him and the team, staying healthy has been a concern almost every year and 2017-18 was no exception as he missed 34 games due to an upper-body injury.

At this point, the fact he was a second-overall pick (back in 2012) shouldn’t really come into play in negotiations but Murray is still in line to receive a raise on the $2.825MM he made this past season.  For someone who spent some time on the third pairing, an increase may make him a little pricey for his role.  However, their back end could look a little different depending on their unrestricted free agents (more on that shortly) so there could be an opportunity for more playing time for the 24-year-old next season.  Long-term deals are common coming off of a bridge contract but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Columbus look short-term here.

Other RFAs: F Oliver Bjorkstrand, F Ryan Kujawinski

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Jack Johnson/Ian Cole – Cole’s acquisition at the trade deadline was supposed to force Johnson out but that wound up not happening.  As a result, Johnson’s ice time was cut to the point where he didn’t even play in the playoffs.  While that seemingly wouldn’t bode well for his future, at least one prominent insider believes he’s still in line for a pretty good raise on his next contract.  It’s safe to say that the Blue Jackets won’t be the one providing it to him, however.

The same can’t be said for Cole who fit in nicely.  He didn’t log big minutes (just over 18 minutes per night in the regular season and a little over 19 in the playoffs) but helped to stabilize their bottom pairing.  He had several suitors back at the deadline and should have quite a few this summer as well which means he should get a sizable jump on his next contract from the $2.1MM AAV he played under over the past three seasons.

F Thomas Vanek – The veteran was acquired for cheap at the deadline and wound up being quite productive with Columbus, collecting 15 points in 19 regular season games.  When you add that to the 41 points he put up with the Canucks, you quietly get the fourth highest point getter that’s set to hit the open market next month.  He has settled for one-year deals the last two summers and considering how much he has bounced around lately (he has played for eight different teams since 2013), another short-term pact may be in the works this time around.  If he can come close to repeating his performance next season, whoever gets him may be getting a nice bargain.

Other UFAs: D Andre Benoit, F Alex Broadhurst, F Matt Calvert, D Taylor Chorney, D Cameron Gaunce, F Mark Letestu, G Jeff Zatkoff

Projected Cap Space: The Blue Jackets currently have just over $61.6MM committed to 19 players, per CapFriendly.  Even after factoring in raises for Jenner, Murray, and Bjorkstrand, they should still have a decent amount of payroll room to work with this summer.  However, with new deals on the horizon for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, winger Artemi Panarin (both eligible for unrestricted free agency next year), and defenseman Zach Werenski (eligible for restricted free agency), GM Jarmo Kekalainen may want to look for players willing to take one-year deals to ensure they have as much flexibility as possible next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buyout Candidate: Braydon Coburn

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Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn has long had a reputation of being a strong shutdown defender but in recent years, he has shown signs that he is better off as a depth player than a top-four rearguard.  With that in mind, Tampa Bay may very well be considering moving on from the veteran.

Coburn played a regular role in 2017-18 but saw his ice time dip to just 16:01 per game, the lowest of any of his full-time NHL seasons.  That was cut even further in the postseason as he dropped to 14:06 per night although he still played in all 17 of their playoff games.  While he still serves a role, he certainly isn’t living up to the $3.7MM per season he’s getting on his current contract, which will enter the final year in 2018-19.

While Tampa Bay isn’t as tight to the salary cap as they have been in recent seasons, they could still certainly benefit from some extra flexibility this summer.  They have just over $68MM committed to 18 players per CapFriendly but they also have a big ticket contract coming in forward J.T. Miller who is coming off of a 58-point season and has arbitration eligibility.

Buying out the remainder of Coburn’s contract would result in his cap hit dropping from $3.7MM to $1.23MM, a savings of $2.47MM for 2017-18.  With the role that the 33-year-old has filled recently, they could replace him with someone cheaper and reallocate the rest of the savings elsewhere.

However, doing so would also create a $1.23MM cap charge for 2019-20.  That may not seem like much but winger Nikita Kucherov’s contract expires after the upcoming season and he will be in line for a massive raise next summer.  They’re going to need all the payroll room they can get to keep him around so $1.23MM in dead money certainly isn’t appealing.

As a result, there’s a good chance that GM Steve Yzerman will look to trade Coburn with some salary retention (up to 50% can be held back) before really looking at the buyout route.  While that would lessen their savings for 2018-19, he would come off the cap entirely after the season.  It should be noted that Coburn can block a trade to 14 teams but if the options are a trade with his full contract or a buyout, he may be open to a move even if it isn’t to a preferred destination.

The first buyout window this offseason runs from June 15th through the 30th.  While some decisions will likely come quickly, Coburn’s case is likely one that will be delayed until as close to the deadline as possible.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Slava Voynov’s Potential NHL Return

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Despite still pending legal matters regarding his 2014 arrest and three full seasons away from North America, Slava Voynov is attempting a comeback. The latest developments in his situation are examined thoroughly by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who claims that there is real interest from teams around the league. That would require a California court expunging his previous plea of no-contest to corporal injury to a spouse, acquiring a work visa for the United States, and being granted re-instatement from the league. None of these things are certain at this point, but he has a court hearing on July 2nd to get the process moving.

Friedman also reports that even if Voynov is given re-instatement he likely will face further discipline from the league, explaining that “no team that takes him is going to get him free and clean.” Though he’s referring to potential suspension or other discipline, there is also obviously the potential public relations disaster that any team willing to give him a contract would face. It’s not clear what the reaction would be from fans, but it won’t be an easy contract to sign even for a small market team.

Voynov, 28, is a talented puck-moving right-handed defenseman who is still in his prime and recently won an Olympic gold medal with the Russian team. He has two Stanley Cups already, and was an excellent player for the Los Angeles Kings early in his career. Drafted 32nd-overall in 2008, he was paying off huge dividends for the Kings and looked like a key part of their future. If those skills haven’t diminished—and his success in the KHL and internationally suggests they haven’t—he could help nearly every team in the league. Whether he’ll be given that chance is still far from decided, but his intent is certainly there to return at some point in the 2018-19 season.

Even if re-instatement does happen and a team wants to sign Voynov, they’d have to go through the Kings to do it. Just like with Ilya Kovalchuk last offseason, the Kings still own Voynov’s rights as he’s currently on their Voluntary Retirement List. The team could sign him themselves, or work out a sign-and-trade with another team.

Several Teams Linked To Ilya Kovalchuk

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This weekend a report surfaced that Ilya Kovalchuk was visiting the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. There wasn’t any indication whether those teams would eventually land the Russian sniper, but he was at least willing to speak with them ahead of his signing period that begins on July 1st. Now, in a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) the market for Kovalchuk becomes more clear.

LeBrun lists the Kings, Sharks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as the “top contenders” for the 35-year old sniper, with a second group of interested parties including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Darren Dreger of TSN also believes that Detroit is in the mix, while Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard that the Red Wings want to bring him aboard. Custance also lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as a possibility if Kovalchuk is willing to sign a short-term deal.

Interestingly, the New York Islanders were not listed among the interested teams despite Kovalchuk’s obvious connection with GM Lou Lamoriello. Arthur Staple of The Athletic added to that when he tweeted that the Islanders were “not in the main circle of interest” something that doesn’t seem so surprising when they have their own star free agent to get under contract in the coming weeks. While no Lamoriello-run team should ever be counted out of anything because of a lack of information, the Islanders don’t appear to be the best fit for Kovalchuk, who wants to win a Stanley Cup and doesn’t have a lot of years left to do it.

Kovalchuk can agree to terms with anyone in the league right now, but will have to wait until July 1st to actually sign a contract. He’s obviously taking his time to speak with anyone interested, but it seems as though there are plenty of teams willing to take a chance on him. Remember any contract he signs will count against the cap regardless of whether he retires or not, while he can only receive performance bonuses if he agrees to a one-year deal.

Arizona Coyotes Agree To Terms With Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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After letting him sit with the offer for a while, the Arizona Coyotes have finally agreed to terms with superstar defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the contract is for eight years with an annual average value of more than $8MM. Previously it had been reported that the deal would be for $66MM, an average of $8.25MM, and Dreger later confirmed that these numbers are correct. He also believes that the defenseman will be given the Coyotes captaincy, something that many believed would happen last season.  The contract can’t be officially announced until July 1st, when Ekman-Larsson has just a single year remaining on his current deal.

The face of the Arizona franchise is one of several star defensemen scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, but has always maintained that he would like to stay in the desert. Since being selected sixth overall in 2009, Ekman-Larsson has grown into an elite offensive force with five straight double-digit goal seasons including two in which he broke 20. He’s also better defensively than some give him credit for—thanks largely to his terrible plus/minus ratings the last few years—and is able to log big minutes in all situations.

Still just 26-years old, Ekman-Larsson isn’t necessarily even signing the final contract of his career. That’s part of the reason why he’d been held up in the same conversation with Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson, who will both hit free agency at an older age next summer. An eight-year extension takes Ekman-Larsson through his age-35 season though, which still presents plenty of risk. The Coyotes aren’t as flush with cash as some other organizations, meaning they can’t afford paying a player this much if he’s not producing for them. Even getting him under contract will put them in a tight spot financially, especially as players like Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun get new contracts in the coming years.

The Coyotes made it clear to Ekman-Larsson that they wanted him to stay when they went out last offseason and tried to make the team better right away. Acquiring Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta from New York, and bringing in his Swedish defense partner in Niklas Hjalmarsson from Chicago. Though Arizona struggled through a historically-bad start, the second half of the season did show some promise as Keller showed his future stardom and a healthy Raanta became the goaltender they expected him to be. Now with Raanta locked up and more young players ready to make an impact, the Coyotes aren’t as far away from playoff contention as some may believe.

What was once termed a “Superclass” for 2019 is slowly dwindling, and on July 1st we’ll really find out what is going to be available. Doughty has been rumored to be in talks on a potential extension of his own, and the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars will be desperately trying to lock up Ryan Ellis and Tyler Seguin. Ekman-Larsson’s new contract will also cause a ripple in the summer trade market, as some believed he would be available if the team hadn’t been able to get a deal done. John Carlson should also be pointing to this contract as a comparable after his outstanding season, and trying to secure at least $8MM for himself this summer.

Arizona Not Expected To Re-Sign Four Free Agents

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The Arizona Coyotes have agreed to terms with one of their 2019 free agents, but it doesn’t look like that will happen with any of those scheduled to hit the market this summer. Craig Morgan of AZ Sports reports that all four of Brad Richardson, Luke Schenn, Kevin Connauton and Zac Rinaldo are likely to go unsigned before July 1st and become unrestricted free agents.

Richardson’s fate was likely sealed when the Coyotes traded for Marcus Kruger recently, while Connauton has been clear that he’s hoping for a bigger role—one that might have to come on another team. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Coyotes go after some bigger names this offseason in either free agency or trade, hoping to support their young players and get back to the playoffs in 2018-19. That said, all four of the above names could find jobs around the league as they still represent useful depth options.

Schenn, a former fifth-overall pick, has already played 708 games in the NHL and won’t turn 29 until after the 2018-19 season starts. Though he never did become the shutdown first-pairing defender that Toronto thought they were picking, he’s not the worst option for a third-pairing right-handed defenseman that play a physical game and help on the penalty kill.

Connauton too brings some upside on defense, after recording 21 points in 73 games while seeing the ice just over 15 minutes a night. His 11 goals all came at even-strength, and he could have some even better numbers if given an opportunity. That’s what he’ll look for, but it’s not clear who will be willing to give him a full-time role right away.

Jack Johnson’s Value Still High Despite Down Year

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Earlier this season Jack Johnson asked the Columbus Blue Jackets to trade him. It didn’t have anything to do with a distaste for the team, city or coaching staff, but instead because he was looking ahead and trying to secure a healthy payday for himself. Johnson had been embroiled in a long, public legal battle with his parents who had racked up debt in his name, and was using a big portion of his Blue Jackets contract to pay it off. When his minutes and role started to slip in Columbus due to the emergence of Zach Werenski and Seth Jones, Johnson started to worry about the fact that he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Blue Jackets would decide not to trade Johnson, instead using him more frequently and keeping him as an integral part of their playoff squad. Now, as he heads towards free agency he may have nothing to worry about in terms of finances. Bob McKenzie was on TSN radio recently and spoke about Johnson, speculating that the defenseman could earn in the “neighborhood of $6MM.” While some may bristle at that number for a 31-year old who registered just 11 points this season, remember that Johnson had logged an average of more than 20 minutes a night for ten straight seasons before finishing at 19:33 this year. Many could still believe that he could play a big role on their blue line, and on a short-term deal pay up to get him.

McKenzie qualified the amount by saying “give or take a million,” and that seems more likely where Johnson will fit in. The biggest thing in his favor though might be the relative lack of quality options on the free agent market behind John Carlson. Calvin de Haan looked like he was on a path for a big payday before he was injured this season, while Mike Green and others present their own risks.

Though there are reports of Johnson being linked to the Montreal Canadiens, most notably by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet who claimed they could be a “stealth destination” for the free agent defenseman, McKenzie wouldn’t go so far as to say he knows anything about that. He did however say that they could be interested since they are looking to upgrade their defense corps, after a disappointing 2017-18 season.

For whoever signs Johnson, it’s clear that his market is still healthy enough to demand a high-priced deal. It’s not clear how long a team is willing to commit to the two-way defenseman, but we’ll find out in just a few weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Brooks Macek

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According to his former club team, Brooks Macek has signed a one-year two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. Once a Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Macek has been playing in the German DEL for the last five years and competed for the country at the recent Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. The deal is worth $650K at the NHL level.

Macek should be well known to Vegas AGM Kelly McCrimmon from his days in the WHL, as the 26-year old forward played five years of junior, splitting his time between the Tri-City Americans and Calgary Hitmen. An excellent offensive player in those days, he hasn’t slowed down since joining the DEL where he had 44 points in 50 games for Munich last season. Teammate Dominik Kahun has recently signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, and perhaps will have to face Macek at some point in either the AHL or NHL.

The Golden Knights have plenty of work to do with their NHL roster, but building a solid minor league system is still a priority. While Macek could compete for an NHL job in the fall, building a deep organization is more than just signing the best players for the Golden Knights squad. As the sole affiliate of the Chicago Wolves next year, Vegas can use players like Macek to provide some much-needed professional experience to a young group.

New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Marek Mazanec

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Though a contract had been previously reported by CapFriendly, the New York Rangers officially announced that they have agreed to terms with goaltender Marek Mazanec on a one-year contract. Mazanec had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent, but will ink a two-way deal that pays him $650K at the NHL level.

Mazanec looked like he was on his way out of North America for good last summer when he agreed to mutually terminate a contract with the Nashville Predators so that he could sign in the KHL. Instead of staying in Russia though, Mazanec played just 23 games there before signing with the New York Rangers and spending half the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Terminating the contract with the Predators made him an unrestricted free agent, despite them qualifying him and coming to a contract agreement earlier in the summer.

Now he’ll remain in the Rangers organization for another year, and the question becomes whether he’ll be given a chance to become Henrik Lundqvist’s backup for 2018-19. Ondrej Pavelec, who served in the role last season, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, while none of the other goaltenders in the system have much NHL experience. Mazanec has 31 NHL games under his belt including four with Nashville in the 2016-17 season, but hasn’t found much success there so far. Even last season wasn’t very promising in the minor leagues, where Mazanec recorded just a .905 save percentage.

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