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Archives for August 2018

Paul Postma Signs In KHL

August 15, 2018 at 8:58 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

It’s about that time in the NHL offseason that veteran players start looking for opportunities overseas, and Paul Postma is just the latest to latch on with another club. The 29-year old defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL.

Postma signed on with the Boston Bruins last season as a depth defenseman, but got into just a handful of games at both the NHL and AHL levels. That lack of playing time came after a 2016-17 season in which he finally started to prove he could be an NHL regular with the Winnipeg Jets, playing in 65 games while they dealt with an injury to Tyler Myers and a short holdout by Jacob Trouba. Originally selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the seventh round of the 2007 draft, Postma had never played more than 42 games in an NHL season previously.

Those 14 games with Boston last year likely didn’t do much for his free agent market this summer, explaining why the right-handed defenseman had to head overseas to find work. In the KHL he should be provided a bigger opportunity, and he’s joining a club that is coming off a Gagarin Cup championship in the 2017-18 season. We’ll see if Posta can perform well enough to earn himself a pro job back in North America next offseason, or if he’ll stick around in the KHL for a while.

KHL

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Options For The Oilers To Replace Andrej Sekera

August 14, 2018 at 8:52 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

Normally, it takes training camp before any teams begin scrambling for an unanticipated injury replacement among the leftovers of the market. It is unclear how long the Edmonton Oilers knew about the injury to defenseman Andrej Sekera – they announced the surgery today indicating they knew of the injury prior – but what is clear is that the team will need to add another body to the mix in Sekera’s stead. Out indefinitely with a torn Achilles tendon, Sekera is likely to miss a substantial amount of time and extremely unlikely to be back at 100% at any point in the 2018-19 season. It is no coincidence that with Sekera missing most of last season due to a knee injury, the Oilers defense struggled on all fronts. Sekera had easily been the team’s top defender over the two years prior and this will now be the second straight season where he cannot be relied upon. The team must do something to avoid another frustrating campaign on the blue line, but what?

In replacing Sekera, Edmonton will likely target a right-handed defenseman. Although Sekera is a lefty himself, the team is set on the left side regardless with Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, and Kris Russell. There is also free agent addition Kevin Gravel, also a left-handed defenseman, though he is best suited for his current extra man slot. The right side however poses questions behind Adam Larsson, with Matt Benning likely slated for the second pair and now a hole on the third pair. It is unlikely that the Oilers want to press Benning into a top-four role this season, nor do they want a left-handed depth option like Gravel, Ryan Stanton, or Keegan Lowe as a regular on the right side. As such, they are likely looking for a second-pair caliber righty.

The easy answer is the free agent market. In a relatively stagnant summer, there remains ample talent available in unrestricted free agent defensemen. However, the Oilers are not in the most flexible of positions. The team currently has all but approximately $5MM in cap space committed to their roster which doesn’t include restricted free agent defenseman Nurse, still in need of a new contract. If and when Nurse re-signs, the team will be left with little to no cap space. Fortunately, at this point in the summer they face little competition on the free agent market and could negotiate several tryout deals with available defenders, signing one or more after the start of the season once Sekera’s $5.5MM cap hit can be buried on injured reserve. Yet, the pickings are slim on the right side. Cody Franson could be the team’s best bet with Paul Postma potentially as the next-best option. Ryan Sproul or Frank Corrado could be younger dark horse candidates, while the team could possibly look at veteran Kevin Bieksa. However, if the Oilers consider overloading on lefties as they would have anyway with Sekera, then Toby Enstrom, Luca Sbisa, Alexei Emelin, Johnny Oduya, or even old friend Brandon Davidson jump out as attractive options.

If the team is set on adding a right-hander and not sold on the available free agents, they could also wait for training camp cuts. While there is no guarantee that the right player would wind up on waivers, it’s also well within the realm of possibility. Robert Bortuzzo, Nate Prosser, Jake Dotchin, Steven Kampfer, Brad Hunt, Alex Biega, and Adam McQuaid – a former favorite of Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli in Boston – are just some of the names who could wind up on the waiver wire and fit in on the right side of the Edmonton blue line. It would not be a surprise to see the team sign multiple defenders to PTO’s and also keep an close eye on who gets cut from training camps.

Finally, Edmonton could simply stand pat and attempt to replace Sekera internally. On paper, it doesn’t seem like the Oilers have the pieces to do so effectively, but some of their defensive prospects have not yet been given the opportunity to show what they can do at the NHL level. Many will clamor for recent first-round pick Evan Bouchard to get a shot at sticking with the team. Although very talented – and a right shot – it would be asking a lot for the 18-year-old to step into the top pro game and succeed. It’s not unprecedented, but it is unlikely. Recent Swedish import Joel Persson, currently on loan to his SHL club, is a 24-year-old righty who could be an intriguing experiment and has more experience with the pro game. William Lagesson, on loan in Sweden last season but now back in North America, is a left-shot defenseman but played on the right side frequently during his college days at UMass and is a very safe defensive player who could be a stopgap. Elsewhere in the system, small puck-mover Ethan Bear and hulking Ryan Mantha are both righties who could provide some different style options alongside Lagesson in the AHL. Between these young possibilities and some veteran depth, the Oilers could opt to just let camp battles decide who steps into Sekera’s shoes.

The only thing that is for sure is that Sekera is not going to be suiting up for Edmonton any time soon. Whether the team finds a way to add a capable free agent, gets lucky on the waiver wire, or trusts their young depth, the Oilers will need someone to step up in his stead. An injury to a top defenseman is not how they wanted to begin the season, but the Oilers now have some time to figure it out before the puck drops on the new campaign.

AHL| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Prospects| SHL| Waivers Adam Larsson| Adam McQuaid| Alex Biega| Alexei Emelin| Andrej Sekera| Brad Hunt| Brandon Davidson| Cody Franson| Darnell Nurse| Jake Dotchin| Johnny Oduya| Kevin Bieksa| Kevin Gravel| Kris Russell| Luca Sbisa| Matt Benning| Nate Prosser| Oscar Klefbom| Robert Bortuzzo| Ryan Sproul| Ryan Stanton| Steven Kampfer| Toby Enstrom

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Zach Werenski On Track To Be Ready For Season

August 14, 2018 at 7:39 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Considering Zach Werenski played with an injured shoulder for almost the entire 2017-18 season, imagine how good he could be if he is at 100% for all of the upcoming campaign. That is the goal for the young Blue Jackets blue liner, who recently sat down with Columbus beat writer Brian Hedger. Werenski continues to recover from off-season surgery, but says that his goal is to “be there for Game 1”.

Werenski suffered the injury of note all the way back on October 30th, 2017. The sophomore defenseman nevertheless played in 77 games and recorded 37 points, even though he played with a brace for much of the year. Werenski then underwent corrective surgery in early May and had his left arm immobilized for much of the summer. However, the 2015 eighth overall pick is already ahead of schedule in his rehab and training. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen shared a recovery timeline back in June that assumed Werenski would miss most of training camp, but the young defender tells Hedger that he hopes to back toward the start of training camp. Werenski has already begun shooting drills and is essentially back to his regular off-season training minus taking any contact. While the offensive rearguard is obviously motivated to be ready for the season for his teammates, coaches, and fans, he also admits to Hedger that playing in the teams opener, a road game against the Detroit Red Wings in his home state of Michigan, is an added personal boost. “Suffer now, but I’m going to be able to play in my hometown in front of my family and friends ” has been Werenski’s mantra this summer and so far things seem to be going well.

Should Werenski suffer even a small setback that leaves him unable to start the season, the Blue Jackets are less equipped to deal with his absence than they would have been last year. With Jack Johnson, Ian Cole, and even others like Taylor Chorney now gone via free agency, Columbus is relatively thin on the blue line after their superstar young pairing of Werenski and Seth Jones. Ryan Murray or Markus Nutivaara would likely be the replacement on the top pair with Jones while the other skates with David Savard, leaving the Jackets with a bottom pair featuring two of Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson, Dean Kukan or new addition Adam Clendening. Count the Blue Jackets as being right there with Werenski in hopes that he is able to go from day one.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Detroit Red Wings| Free Agency| Injury Adam Clendening| Dean Kukan| Gabriel Carlsson| Ian Cole| Jack Johnson| Markus Nutivaara| Ryan Murray| Scott Harrington| Seth Jones| Taylor Chorney| Zach Werenski

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Over The Cap: Detroit Red Wings

August 14, 2018 at 6:40 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

Although the St. Louis Blues are dangerously close to the salary cap ceiling and the defending Stanley Cup champs of the past three years, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, are within an uncomfortable distance, the Detroit Red Wings are the only team who have surpassed the NHL’s $79.5MM limit at this point in time. When the team re-signed franchise center Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5MM contract last week, his $6.1MM  salary boosted Detroit’s payroll for the coming season to $82.772MM for just 21 players. The Red Wings currently sit more than $3.2MM over the salary cap with a roster that contains just six defenseman. While the NHL CBA allows teams to surpass the cap by 10% in the off-season – up to $87.45MM – the Red Wings must clear enough space to begin the season under the cap.

Once the season is underway, the salary cap is unlikely to be much of an issue. Johan Franzen, who last played in October of 2015, has been sidelined with post-concussion symptoms for the past three seasons and is almost surely not going to return to the Detroit lineup. His $3.955MM contract on the long-term injured reserve will wipe out all of the Red Wings’ cap overages. Additionally, it remains a very real possibility that captain Henrik Zetterberg may also be on the shelf this year and possibly done with his hockey career altogether, with a nagging back injury reportedly making his availability over the final two years of his contract an “unknown”.  If Zetterberg doesn’t play, his $6MM cap hit added to Franzen’s on LTIR would give the Wings more than enough space.

However, injured reserve transactions cannot be made until after the official start of the NHL season. This has previously caused teams to trade away players unlikely to ever play again due to health, with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa as the latest example, even though their cap hits can be absorbed. A team tight against the cap, like Detroit, may struggle to manipulate their roster enough to fit those injured players under the cap on day one. As such, the easiest way that the team could get under the cap prior to the start of the season would be to find a taker for Franzen’s contract. The Wings would have to part with a pick or prospect, but may be able to unload the deal to a team far from the cap ceiling. If Detroit is certain that Zetterberg is also done, they could do the same with his contract, although a higher cap hit means parting with greater trade capital.

Barring an injured player salary dump, the Red Wings are likely left with the reality that they must trade a roster player in the next two months. The team may be able to sneak players like Martin Frk and Luke Witkowski through waivers before the season begins, but it would not result in enough savings to make a difference. Detroit would be unlikely to expose anyone else to waivers simply to clear space briefly. As such, it appears as if someone must go. While Red Wings fans and leadership alike might like the idea of shipping an aging defenseman like Niklas Kronwall or Jonathan Ericsson away or trying to sweet talk some team into taking on the behemoth contract of Frans Nielsen or Justin Abdelkader, it would be a surprise to see any team with interest in that foursome. The likes of Danny DeKeyser and Trevor Daley may also be immovable for a team rife with poor contracts. Instead, impending free agent Gustav Nyquist or two-way center Darren Helm are the most likely candidates, while a player like Luke Glendening heading elsewhere paired with some clever waiver action could do the trick. There is also a chance that, if he proves to be healthy, some team might be interested in Zetterberg.

It’s never a great situation for a team to be forced into trading away assets simply to become cap compliant for one day, but trading away an older player would nevertheless be a step in the right direction for a team that has never truly embraced a rebuild. Opening up salary with a trade, as well as an LTIR placement for Franzen, would allow the Red Wings some flexibility to test out some young players this season while building around their established young core, headlined by Larkin. The salary cap crunch could prove to be their ally long-term, but in the short-term the team is left with little option but to make a move and hope for the best.

CBA| Detroit Red Wings| Injury| Ken Holland| Transactions| Waivers Danny DeKeyser| Darren Helm| Dylan Larkin| Frans Nielsen| Henrik Zetterberg| Jonathan Ericsson| Justin Abdelkader| Luke Glendening| Luke Witkowski| Marian Hossa| Martin Frk| Niklas Kronwall| Salary Cap

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Andrej Sekera Undergoes Achilles Surgery, Out Indefinitely

August 14, 2018 at 4:28 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Edmonton Oilers have already suffered a blow to their hopes of a bounce back season, as today they announced that Andrej Sekera will be out indefinitely following surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. The injury occurred during an off-season training session.

The 32-year old Sekera already missed a good chunk of the 2017-18 season with a knee injury, suiting up for just 36 games. Though he’s not a dominating presence on the ice, Sekera has been quite effective throughout his career and was dearly missed by the Oilers last season. Without Sekera healthy for much of the year and facing some injuries and stagnation by Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson, the team received very little offensive production from their defense. That was a huge reason they struggled to find any consistency during the year and finished so low in the standings, and Sekera’s new absence could start the whole process over again. Achilles injuries usually last months, and there is no clear indication if Sekera will be able to play at all this season.

While that won’t be decided for some time, the Oilers now have to find a way to improve their blue line in the next few weeks. Already there was plenty of speculation about them going after a right-handed puck-moving defenseman this summer, but nothing seemed to materialize on the trade front. Darnell Nurse is still unsigned, and the team has very little cap space (if any) to spend on a free agent acquisition. Though Sekera can likely be moved to long-term injured reserve to regain some cap flexibility, the Oilers have a ton of money already on the books going forward.

Unless the team is willing to go with a full-time bottom pairing of Matt Benning and Kevin Gravel without any real NHL-level depth behind them, a move needs to be made in a hurry. There are still several veteran options on the free agent market who could be signed for a reasonably low amount, but without the certainty of Nurse’s cap hit they won’t know exactly how much they can spend. A trade may be more appetizing, but there are only a few assets that would really bring back anything of value on the Edmonton roster given how expensive almost all of their NHL talent is.

It may improve the chances that Evan Bouchard, selected 10th-overall in the recent draft, could make the Oilers out of camp and stay all season. Though some believe Bouchard is better off returning to the London Knights of the OHL and continuing his development, he also may be the most talented option the Oilers have available to them. Bouchard recorded a huge number of points for the Knights last season while sometimes playing more than 30 minutes in a single game, and could likely be a contributor—albeit an inconsistent one—right away for Edmonton.

All this boils down to an extremely unfortunate circumstance for Edmonton, who were counting on a return to form by Sekera as a reason for optimism. Now they’ll have to find a way to piece together their blue line once again, and hope for no more significant injuries to their top three options. This also brings into question Sekera’s future with the team, as he’s now missed huge chunks of two seasons with injury and will be heading into his mid-thirties soon. Signed through 2020-21 at a $5.5MM cap hit, he may quickly become an anchor on the Edmonton salary structure if he can’t return to form.

Edmonton Oilers| Injury Andrej Sekera

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Silence Surrounds Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

August 14, 2018 at 4:08 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

At one point this summer the biggest story on almost a daily basis was the future of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, but since trade talks seemed to have broken down there have been almost no reports to update his status. Brent Wallace of TSN says it has been “eerily quiet” in Ottawa regarding Karlsson, and doesn’t believe that will change until he addresses the media at the start of training camp. Karlsson is still under contract with the Senators, but after the team reportedly offered a long-term extension in early July there has been very little talk about any potential negotiations between the two sides.

We’ve seen a situation extremely similar to this play out recently, ultimately ending in the Senators themselves acquiring Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche just a few weeks into the 2017-18 season. Duchene basically avoided speaking to the media entirely during training camp, not willing to feed into the speculation around whether he was unhappy in Colorado and had requested a trade. A similar thing might be happening with Karlsson, who has given no indication that he would hold out from camp to demand a trade, or in fact has even asked for a trade at all. The Senators obviously will have to continue contemplating that option if the two sides aren’t progressing in extension negotiations, given their expected struggles this season and Karlsson’s immense value as a trade asset.

Senators training camp opens in just under a month’s time, at which point we should start to get at least some answers from the team on whether Karlsson is expected to start the year on the roster. While the hockey world has seemingly taken a bit of a vacation in early August, things will begin heating up quickly as the calendar turns and the start of the season creeps closer. Not only will teams be able to evaluate their roster by seeing them first hand on the ice, but injuries to key players could always create a potential trade candidate where one didn’t appear before.

Karlsson remains the biggest fish on the trade market, and actually saw another one of his free agent contemporaries scratch their name off the UFA list for next summer. When Ryan Ellis inked his eight-year, $50MM contract extension today it marked the fourth big-name defenseman scheduled for 2019 free agency to sign a long-term contract. Drew Doughty, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ryan McDonagh have already been locked in, meaning Karlsson could find himself as the unchallenged king of the unrestricted free agent market—at least among defensemen— on July 1st.

Free Agency| Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson

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Florida Panthers Sign Mark Letestu To PTO

August 14, 2018 at 2:08 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Professional tryout season is upon us, and the Florida Panthers have announced that veteran center Mark Letestu will join them in training camp this year. A “PTO” as it is referred to is an agreement to have a player in camp without any obligation to sign them to an NHL contract. Many players on tryouts will eventually earn a deal somewhere—though, as the Edmonton Oilers found out not necessarily with the team they’re working with—but nothing is guaranteed for Letestu this time around. The 33-year old will be battling for his NHL life after spending the end of last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic in fact tweets that if Letestu can’t find a one-way deal with the Panthers, there could still be a two-way contract waiting for him in Columbus. The two sides had talks recently, and the veteran center had several two-way contract offers. Though last season didn’t go as planned first in Edmonton and then Columbus, there is a good chance that Letestu can still be an effective player. It was just two seasons ago that he recorded 16 goals and 35 points for the Oilers before being one of their best players in the postseason.

For a Panthers team that is looking to compete in a tough Atlantic Division, giving a chance like this to Letestu makes sense. The team isn’t incredibly deep down the middle, and has several unproven young players trying to lock down spots in the bottom-six. Battling out a veteran like Letestu for that opportunity can only improve their performance, and there is a real possibility that he has enough left in the tank to contribute this season. For what would likely be a one-way contract under $1MM, he may be able to snag a spot on the Panthers roster.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Florida Panthers Mark Letestu

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Ryan Ellis Signs Eight-Year Extension With Nashville Predators

August 14, 2018 at 11:18 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

One of the biggest extensions expected this summer has finally dropped, as the Nashville Predators today announced an eight-year, $50MM ($6.25MM AAV) contract extension for Ryan Ellis. The deal will kick in for the 2019-20 season, and keep Ellis in Nashville through the 2026-27 season. Ellis is currently carrying just a $2.5MM cap hit on the final year of his contract. The deal does not include any trade protection, meaning Pekka Rinne remains the only Predators player with a contract that includes a no-move or no-trade clause. GM David Poile released a statement explaining the contract:

Ryan is a huge part of our team on and off the ice and we are happy to have his leadership remain in our locker room for the foreseeable future. We have talked about wanting to keep the core of our team together, and this is another opportunity to help us do so while continuing to compete for a Stanley Cup. Ryan is entering his prime and is one of the reasons why we feel this team has a chance to win every time we step on the ice.

Ellis, 27, was scheduled to be one of the biggest unrestricted free agents on the market next offseason, though there was little doubt something would be worked out with Nashville at some point. The two sides had been open with their mutual interest, and this deal gives both what they were after. For Ellis, it potentially gives him the opportunity to play his entire career in Nashville after the team took a chance on him with the 11th-overall selection in 2009. At the time, undersized defensemen were not as accepted as they are today and it was obvious by some of the names taken ahead of him. Luke Schenn and Jared Cowen both ended up as top-10 picks, mostly for their size and defensive capabilities. Even Victor Hedman (2nd overall) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th overall) are big enough to fulfill the height restrictions, though the offensive upside of both made them such attractive commodities. Ellis, who stands just 5’10”, was seen as a risk even despite his obvious offensive gifts and defensive potential.

That potential has paid off, and though Ellis is still regarded as an excellent offensive player it is his all-around ability that makes him so valuable. Equally capable on the powerplay and penalty kill, the former Windsor Spitfire recorded 32 points in just 44 games in 2017-18 after returning from injury and logged huge minutes for the Predators in the playoffs once again. Though he won’t begin the extension until well after his 28th birthday, he secures the Predators’ blue line as one of the best in the league for years to come.

There was more money to be made, at least on a per-year basis on the open market to be sure. A similarly aged John Carlson just received an eight-year $64MM contract from the Washington Capitals given his proximity to unrestricted free agency, and some would argue that Ellis is an even more effective player. At the very worst he’s in the same range and could have demanded at least $7MM per season, but decided to stick with the Predators long-term and keep contending for the Stanley Cup. Ryan McDonagh too recently received an extension that carries a higher cap hit, in fact according to CapFriendly the closest comparables to the Ellis contract are Cam Fowler, Erik Johnson and Johnny Boychuk. While all three are effective players, Nashville will be happy to keep one of their leaders in the room for a respectable number.

The fact that there is no trade protection shouldn’t come as a surprise, and it also shouldn’t signal that the Predators will look to move Ellis down the road. Poile is staunchly against including no-movement clauses, and has avoided giving them out in other huge extensions for players like Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris. Ellis will earn a $7MM signing bonus on July 1st, 2019, giving him a good portion of money up front.

The Predators now have their elite four defensemen locked up for the next two years at least, with Roman Josi next on the block for an extension. His contract expires in the summer of 2020, at which point he’ll be 30 years old. Amazingly, Nashville is set up to have more than enough room to give him a heft raise from the $4MM he currently earns, meaning this group could stay together for some time. Mattias Ekholm, now the extremely underpaid member of the group, carries a $3.75MM hit for four more seasons.

This deal does carry some risk, as Ellis could deteriorate or decline in the latter portion of the contract. By then though the salary cap will have inflated and the Predators will likely have already received plenty of excess value. If he struggles to maintain his current play this season though, handing out an extension at this point could look like a huge mistake. There is pressure on the 27-year old defenseman to perform, but he’s never seemed to back away from the spotlight in the past.

Nashville Predators| Newsstand| Transactions Ryan Ellis

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Steven Santini Re-Signs With New Jersey Devils

August 14, 2018 at 9:08 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The New Jersey Devils have inked another restricted free agent, signing Steven Santini to a three-year, $4.25MM contract. The salary in the contract breaks down as follows:

  • 2018-19: $1.10MM
  • 2019-20: $1.50MM
  • 2020-21: $1.65MM

Santini will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal (provided he plays in at least five more NHL games during that time), but this gives him some contract stability going forward and ensures his place with the Devils. The big defenseman played 36 games for the team last season and performed admirably, recording 10 points and routinely being among the most physical players on the team. That’s something GM Ray Shero pointed out in the press release for the Santini contract:

We are excited to lock up Steven, a young, developing defenseman, for the next three seasons. He provides size and a physical element that complements our existing defensive group moving forward.

The team obviously believes that Santini can handle himself in the defensive zone, as some of his poor possession statistics can be traced back to the incredibly lopsided zone-start numbers head coach John Hynes gave him. Still, those possession numbers will send up alarm bells for some New Jersey fans looking at a three-year term for the young defenseman. At a $1.42MM cap hit there is no reason to think that Santini will be a full-time player for all three seasons, but the deal is expensive enough to expect at least some contribution. With Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen and Ben Lovejoy all on deals expiring in either the 2019 or 2020 offseasons, the team will have to make some tough decisions on how the blue line will look going forward.

Santini represents the second-last RFA the Devils had to sign this offseason, as now only Miles Wood remains without a contract. Even with a raise coming for Wood, New Jersey will still rank near the very bottom of the league in terms of salary commitments and could potentially add basically whoever they want without causing real financial ramifications. Low-cost deals like the one given to Santini will ensure that the team still has enough money to hand out to players like Vatanan and Taylor Hall when their extension window opens, though they don’t guarantee that the team will move forward in the standings. We’ll have to wait and see if Santini can take another step forward in his development and become more than just a defensive zone whipping boy.

New Jersey Devils Steven Santini

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West Notes: Schmaltz, Peeters, Talbot

August 13, 2018 at 8:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

The five-year, $30.5MM contract that the Red Wings gave center Dylan Larkin last week could serve as a template for the Blackhawks when it comes to their dealings with fellow pivot Nick Schmaltz next summer, suggests Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago.  Both players were picked in the middle of the first round back in 2014 and have put up comparable point production while largely playing a similar role.  They also happen to be represented by the same agent in Kurt Overhardt.

Chicago has been fairly quiet this offseason even after unloading the remainder of Marian Hossa’s contract to Arizona.  With Schmaltz and winger Alex DeBrincat both in need of new contracts following next season, it certainly seems like GM Stan Bowman is shying away from adding any more money to their books beyond then knowing that they will be adding a significant amount to their books in the not-too-distant future.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Still with the Blackhawks, goaltending prospect Wouter Peeters will not be returning to USHL Youngstown next season, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). The 20-year-old made the trek to North America for 2017-18 after spending his post-draft year in Jokerit’s junior program.  Powers notes that Peeters could still wind up with another USHL squad or head back overseas but that Chicago’s preference would likely be to keep him stateside where the player development staff can work with him more often.
  • The Oilers face a bit of a conundrum regarding goalie Cam Talbot, notes NBC Sports’ Scott Billeck. The veteran is coming off of a substandard season and the team is certainly going to be counting on him to help get them back into contention.  However, he’s entering the final year of his contract and a top-notch campaign could very well result in Talbot pricing himself out of what Edmonton can afford given all of the money on their books long-term.  For now, they’ll certainly hope that he can get back to his 2016-17 form but they will have to get even more creative with their cap room if they want him to be their netminder for the long-term.

Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers Cam Talbot| Nick Schmaltz

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    Arbitrator Rules In Favor Of Flyers In Ryan Johansen’s Grievance

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