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Archives for June 2018

New York Islanders Hire Steve Pellegrini As Assistant General Manager

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The New York Islanders have made another addition to their front office, hiring Steve Pellegrini as an Assistant General Manager. Pellegrini will work along with current AGM Chris Lamoriello, and has previous experience with GM Lou Lamoriello from their days with the New Jersey Devils.

Pellegrini has experience with player development and acquisition, but really brings expertise in all things CBA related after working with the NHL’s Central Registry for the better part of a decade. Very familiar with contract terms and cap structure, he’ll be a worthwhile addition to a front office trying to turn around a struggling franchise. Lamoriello has been known for his “loophole” tactics, many of which were done with Pellegrini by his side in New Jersey.

Bringing in a skilled negotiator can only help the Islanders as they desperately try to retain John Tavares before he hits the open market in a few weeks. Other teams are allowed to speak with the star forward just a few days after the upcoming draft, which would likely only weaken the Islanders position. A mega contract of that type obviously has cap ramifications, something that Pellegrini will be able to help with as the Islanders try to navigate future deals with young star Mathew Barzal and others.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Carter Verhaeghe

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have locked up a big part of their AHL team, signing Carter Verhaeghe to a one-year, two-way contract. Verhaeghe was second on the Syracuse Crunch last season with 48 points in just 58 games.

Originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the 2013 draft, he was eventually shipped to the New York Islanders along with several other struggling prospects in exchange for Michael Grabner. After a couple of seasons bouncing between the ECHL and AHL, he was acquired by the Lightning in exchange for Kristers Gudlevskis last summer and found a home in Syracuse. Despite all the movement already in his career, Verhaeghe is still only 22 and could still have a future in the NHL if things break right.

Obviously the Lightning organization is a tough one to crack given their depth at forward, but after a solid junior career and now good transition to AHL scoring threat there could be at least a part-time role in his future. Verhaeghe has always been complimented on his work ethic and leadership abilities, meaning even if there isn’t a place for him in the NHL there will likely be a job waiting long-term in the minor leagues.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Henri Jokiharju To Entry-Level Contract

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The Chicago Blackhawks have inked one of their top prospects, signing Henri Jokiharju to his three-year entry-level contract. Jokiharju played this season in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks, while also suiting up for Finland at the World Junior Championship.

Jokiharju, 18, exploded for Portland this season, recording 71 points in 63 games and generally being one of the best defensemen in the league. Named a second-team WHL All-Star, Jokiharju would likely be in the mix for Defenseman of the Year should he return to Portland next season. That isn’t guaranteed though, as some believe he could make an impact with the Blackhawks, or perhaps return to Finland to continue his development at a higher level.

Regardless of where he plays next season, the Blackhawks are extremely excited about his early development. Selected 29th-overall in 2017, he is quickly showing he may have been a steal that late in the round. If he plays in junior or Europe next season, his contract will slide and not come into effect until 2019-20. He could even play up to nine games with the Blackhawks without burning a year.

Snapshots: Ekman-Larsson, Futa, Islanders, Blues

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Contract talks are going well between the Coyotes and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that teams inquiring about his availability in a trade are being told that he is not available while Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan adds that an extension is close.  Arizona had reportedly offered an eight-year, $66MM earlier this offseason and it appears that the new contract will come in at or around that amount.  The belief was that if they couldn’t come to terms on an extension, the team would then turn around and try to move him this offseason, something that appears to be off the table now.  However, nothing can be finalized until July 1st as players cannot sign contract extensions until they are officially in the final year of their existing deal.

More from around the NHL:

  • The Kings have signed Assistant GM Mike Futa to a contract extension, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Curtis Zupke of the LA Times adds (Twitter link) that it’s a multi-year deal.  Futa has been with Los Angeles since 2007, holding down a variety of positions including Director of Player Personnel, Amateur Scouting Director, and VP of Hockey Operations.  He has been interviewed for several GM spots around the league in recent years including Carolina’s vacancy earlier this year (that was later filled by Don Waddell).
  • The Islanders intend to have their new head coach in place by the middle of next week, reports Chris Botta of Sportsnet New York. They are the only team without a bench boss and it makes sense that they would want to get someone in place before the free agent interview period opens up following the draft.  Botta adds that Scott Stevens, who resigned from his role as an assistant coach with Minnesota last month, is in the mix for a spot on the coaching staff.
  • While prospect and development camps won’t occur until after the draft, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides a list of who will be attending camp with the Blues near the end of June. Among the notable invites are top prospects Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou while three non-drafted players will also get a look – wingers Ty Amonte (Boston University) and Jared Thomas (Minnesota-Duluth), plus center Austin Rueschhoff (Western Michigan).

Avalanche Interested In Re-Signing Jonathan Bernier

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The Avalanche have held discussions with Pat Brisson, the agent for goaltender Jonathan Bernier, regarding a contract extension for the netminder, reports BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater.  He’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month.

The 29-year-old just completed his first season in Colorado where he split the net with veteran Semyon Varlamov.  He played in 37 games, posting a 19-13-3 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .913 SV%.  He had an opportunity to take on the starting job in the playoffs with Varlamov being injured but he wound getting hurt himself, suffering a lower-body injury in Game Four of their first round series against Nashville.

Bernier made $2.75MM this past season and should be in line to receive a similar amount on his next deal.  Backup goaltenders who can handle a larger workload have seen their value increase around the league in recent years as teams put more emphasis on keeping their starters fresh.  There are a couple of teams that could view him as a potential starter (or a 1B goalie) as well in the Sabres and Islanders and Dater notes that Bernier would prefer to go to a situation where he can be the number one.  However, Varlamov is set to enter the final year of his contract so the starting job with the Avs could be available as soon as a year from now if he’s willing to be patient.

However, Colorado already has someone who has their eyes on being the backup next season in Pavel Francouz, who signed a one-year, one-way contract last month.  He is, however, waiver-exempt so he could be sent to the minors as insurance if they do reach an agreement with Bernier,

Meanwhile, Dater reports that there have been no talks regarding a new deal for pending UFA winger Blake Comeau.  The 32-year-old finished seventh on the team in scoring with 34 points in 79 games but GM Joe Sakic is on record saying that Colorado could wind up getting even younger in 2018-19 which may make Comeau too old to keep around.

Golden Knights Sign Stefan Matteau To One-Year Extension

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The Golden Knights aren’t wasting much time getting back down to their offseason business following their loss in the Stanley Cup Final.  The team announced that they have signed winger Stefan Matteau to a one-year, two-way contract extension.  The deal pays the league minimum $650K at the NHL level and $110K in the minors.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds (Twitter link) that the deal contains a total guarantee of $200K which matches his guaranteed total from 2017-18.

The 24-year-old spent most of the season with their AHL affiliate in Chicago after signing as a free agent last summer.  He suited up in 60 games for the Wolves, recording 15 goals and 12 assists along with 57 penalty minutes.  Matteau also played in eight games with Vegas during the regular season, picking up an assist while averaging 8:12 per night in ice time.  He was up with the team for their postseason run but did not see any game action.

Matteau has played in 64 career NHL games across three organizations with the majority of them coming with the Devils, who drafted him in 29th overall back in 2012 with the pick they were originally expected to forfeit as a penalty for circumventing the CBA when they first signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a contract extension.  (The league rescinded that penalty back in 2014.)  While he won’t live up to his first-round billing, Matteau appears to be at least carving out a niche for himself as a capable depth player that can be called up when injuries arise and hold his own on a fourth line.

Auston Matthews And Mitch Marner May Prefer To Sign New Deals Next Summer

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New Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has already reached out to the agents for center Auston Matthews and winger Mitch Marner, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (video link).  He also notes that Toronto’s preference would be to get deals done with both players at the same time but McKenzie believes that the youngsters may prefer to hold off on signing an extension this offseason in favor of waiting until next summer when they are eligible for restricted free agency.

Both players are coming off of strong sophomore campaigns and if they play at that level or better in 2018-19, it stands to reason that their cases for a bigger payday will only be strengthened.  There’s little reason to believe that one or both players will regress so betting on themselves certainly makes some sense.  Of course, there is some risk here.  A significant injury to either player would certainly negatively impact negotiations.

It’s also worth noting that the barometer for big contracts is shifting more towards the percentage of the salary cap over the actual AAV.  The Upper Limit has only gone up since being instituted and will probably do so again next summer so if Marner and Matthews are targeting a specific percentage of the cap on their next deals, it should yield a higher amount by waiting.

McKenzie also wondered if Matthews, in particular, may prefer to not sign a max-term deal which is something that notable number one picks including Steven Stamkos and John Tavares have done in the past.  Doing so would result in a lower cap hit on his next deal since fewer UFA-eligible years would be bought out but it would also give him the potential to hit the open market in the prime of his career.  It’s safe to say that he’ll be keeping a close eye on Tavares in the next few weeks.

We haven’t seen too many prominent youngsters go this route lately as early extensions are becoming more and more prominent.  Last summer, Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel wasted little time signing a year earlier than they needed to and many expected that Toronto’s top duo would do the same this time around but that may be in question now.  Even though those two may not sign right away, the other member of Toronto’s ‘big three’ up front (winger William Nylander) will need to get something done this offseason as he is eligible for restricted free agency next month.

Olli Juolevi To Undergo Microdiscectomy

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4:25pm: Though there has still been no official word from the team, Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet reports that it will be just a four to six week recovery for Juolevi. Breathe deep Canucks fans, as that gives him plenty of time to be ready for the start of training camp.

12:22pm: The Vancouver Canucks have revealed that top prospect Olli Juolevi will undergo a microdiscectomy to correct a problem in his back, and will update on his recovery timeline afterwards. Zach Parise underwent a similarly-named surgery earlier this year, and was given a timeline of eight to ten weeks. He returned to the Minnesota Wild lineup exactly ten weeks later, which—if this surgery does not prove to be more intensive—should give Vancouver fans a sigh of relief as Juolevi prepares to try and make the team in 2018-19.

Juolevi went back to Finland this season to continue his development after being selected fifth-overall in 2016, but faced a bit of inconsistency for his club team. Not quite as dominant as he had been in the OHL, the young defenseman still performed well at the World Juniors and was expected to push for a spot on Vancouver’s blue line this year. Now he’ll have to deal with an injury that could rob him of most of the summer, affecting his training and potentially keeping him out of the team’s development camp entirely.

The Canucks aren’t expected to push for the playoffs next season but as Daniel and Henrik Sedin move on from their playing careers, the torch will be passed on to the next generation. Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Troy Stecher and others will carry that torch, but it’s unclear if Juolevi will get a turn this year. Injury isn’t starting it off well, but if he can prove he’s healthy and ready for training camp in September there’s no reason to think he couldn’t be in the lineup come opening night.

Calgary Flames Sign Yasin Ehliz, Marcus Hogstrom

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The Calgary Flames have dipped into the European free agent market, signing Yasin Ehliz and Marcus Hogstrom to one-year contracts. Ehliz has signed an entry-level contract worth $650K at the NHL level, while Hogstrom has signed a two-way deal worth $700K in the NHL.

Like many of the European signings lately, the 25-year old Ehliz is an undersized forward that has still put up solid point totals for his club team. Playing in the German DEL, the 5’10” 183-lbs winger recorded 31 points in 46 games but perhaps will be better known for his international appearances. Given a chance to play in the Olympics for the first time, Ehliz recorded three points in seven games and helped the German squad take home a silver medal. Even better was his World Championship appearance where he recorded five points in seven games while competing for the fourth time.

Hogstrom, 29, has already had a long career playing in Sweden, Russia and Finland. The left-handed defenseman has good size and recorded another good season for Djurgardens in 2017-18, scoring 23 points in 50 games. Possessing a good amount of skill for a big-bodied defender, he’ll try to show that he can be an NHL player right away for the Flames. If he can’t, there’s a good chance a player of his experience will have a European Assignment Clause built in, meaning he wouldn’t be playing in the minors. If he does want to join the Flames organization and is willing to take an assignment to the AHL, the team has added a good depth piece for very little risk.

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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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 New Jersey’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Steven Santini – The New Jersey Devils went out and acquired Sami Vatanen this season to help a defensive unit that was struggling to keep up with their forward group. While Taylor Hall was putting up an MVP season and Nico Hischier was proving why he was selected first overall, the team didn’t believe they had enough depth on defense and sacrificed Adam Henrique to improve. This summer, further improvement could come from within. Santini, 23, ended up playing 36 games for the Devils in 2017-18, and amazingly logged more than 20 minutes in those games. Though his possession numbers were atrocious, that can largely (but not completely) be explained by the incredibly poor zone starts he was given.

More than 72% of the faceoffs taken while Santini was on the ice were in the defensive zone, one of the most heavily-skewed numbers in the entire NHL. The New Jersey coaching staff heavily sheltered Will Butcher this season to allow him to use his offensive talents, a trade that came at the expense of Santini who is considered more defensively responsible. Now he’ll head into RFA negotiations as a possible full-time option on the blue line going forward, especially if the team lets John Moore walk in free agency. He’s not arbitration eligible, and will likely come to an agreement fairly quickly.

F Miles Wood – Part of the Devils incredible turnaround falls at the feet of Hall and Hischier, but it was the team’s depth up front that had everyone talking. After being a fairly weak offensive team over the last few years they started to come in waves of speed, headlined by Wood’s impressive season. The 22-year old scored 19 goals and was a very effective player for the team at even strength. If he’s given more powerplay opportunities in the future that number could potentially grow even higher, as it wasn’t the result of an outrageous shooting percentage or any other easy to spot outlier.

Other RFAs: F Stefan Noesen, F Blake Coleman, F Nick Lappin, F Kevin Rooney, F Mario Lucia, D Michael Kapla, G Ken Appleby

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Michael Grabner – After putting up such a good first half the Devils went out at the trade deadline and acquired some more depth players up front, and even spent a second-round pick (and prospect) on Grabner. That didn’t seem to pay off for the team, as the counter-punch artist added just two goals and five points in 21 games down the stretch for New Jersey before going scoreless in just two playoff contests.

Still, Grabner is coming off back-to-back 27-goal seasons and will be a sought after commodity on the free agent market. The 30-year old speedster is an excellent penalty killer and can stretch defenses better than almost anyone in the league. Though he can struggle at times to finish his chances, and doesn’t create many opportunities for his linemates, many teams would be lucky to have him suit up in their bottom-six. Grabner is coming off just a two-year $3.3MM contract and will likely be looking for a big raise on a multi-year contract. The Devils may believe that’s too rich for them as they instead look to their young players for continued development.

F Patrick Maroon – The other deadline addition for New Jersey was Maroon, who was also coming off a 27-goal season in 2016-17. This year he had just 17, but found his playmaking stride for the Devils and recorded 13 points in 17 games. Struggling with the rest of the team in their first-round playoff exit, he still could represent a perfect fit for the Devils who don’t have many other players in the power forward mold. Maroon is an excellent puck protector, and has shown that when given the chance to play with skilled players is quick enough to still keep up.

It’s hard to gauge Maroon’s market after he struggled with the Edmonton Oilers early on. He fetched them just a 2019 third round pick and the rights to college forward J.D. Dudek at the deadline, and may not have a ton of teams knocking down his door in the summer. That would be just fine with the Devils if they’re looking to bring him back, though nothing has been reported between the two so far.

Other UFAs: F Jimmy Hayes, F Brian Gibbons, F Drew Stafford, D John Moore, F Michael Latta, F Bracken Kearns, F Ben Thomson

Projected Cap Space: Last season the Devils were seen as a dark horse candidate for nearly every free agent because of their huge amount of cap space and this year should be no different. With nearly $25MM in cap room depending on where the upper limit lands, the team could go after any player they want, including John Tavares or John Carlson. Though there are some restricted free agents to get under contract, GM Ray Shero should have just about all the resources he should need to help the Devils make it back to the playoffs once again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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