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Archives for September 2018

Snapshots: Reinhart, Zetterberg, Hadfield

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Sam Reinhart still doesn’t have a contract, but that doesn’t mean he can’t practice with the Buffalo Sabres as training camp approaches. While the team awaits for the official practices to start, Jourdon LaBarber of NHL.com reports that Reinhart joined teammates on the ice today for an informal skate. The 22-year old forward seems extremely confident that a contract will be signed in the coming weeks, telling LaBarber that he’s approaching the season like normal because “that’s the way it’s going to turn out to be.”

Excitement is up around the Sabres this season after they drafted Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick and made several trades to address their lack of depth. When it comes to success up front, Reinhart may fall just behind Jack Eichel in terms of expectations this season as he tries to improve on his 25-goal 2017-18 campaign. The second-overall pick in 2014, Reinhart still hasn’t really shown he can dominate the league on his own and needs to take another big step forward in his development if the Sabres want to make the playoffs.

  • It seems inevitable that Henrik Zetterberg won’t be playing for the Detroit Red Wings this season, but he’s at least heading for another opinion in the coming days. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Zetterberg will see Dr. Frank Cammisa—the doctor who performed his 2014 back surgery—soon to see what he has to say. Zetterberg hasn’t been able to train this offseason at all given his back injury, and will at least miss the beginning of the season. It’s starting to look like the Detroit captain could be headed for a much more permanent designation, but we’ll have to wait and see what comes of the Cammisa visit.
  • The New York Rangers will finally raise Vic Hadfield’s #11 sweater to the rafters on December 2nd, honoring one of their most beloved former players. Hadfield, a famous member of the GAG line alongside Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, scored 50 goals and 106 points in 1971-72 but lost out in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins. A Rangers captain during those days, he’ll join Ratelle and Gilbert above the Madison Square Garden rink as one of the ten players to have their numbers retired by the team.
  • The Rangers also announced the hiring of Steve Konowalchuk as an Amateur Scout, adding him to the organization after his year of coaching with the Anaheim Ducks. Konowalchuk was also formerly the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, and led them to a WHL Championship in 2017. The long-time NHL forward played 790 regular season games and scored 396 points. He’ll use his familiarity with the WHL to bring the next wave of talent to the Rangers organization.

No Extension Talks Between Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders

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The New York Islanders experienced what it was like to lose a big name to free agency this summer when they were spurned by John Tavares and his decision to join the Toronto Maple Leafs. That doesn’t mean that new GM Lou Lamoriello is rushing into any other extension talks. Speaking with reporters including Brian Compton of NHL.com, Jordan Eberle indicated that he hadn’t yet spoken to the Islanders about a potential extension as he enters the final season of his current contract:

To be honest I haven’t had any conversations with anybody. Going into the summer I was trying to focus on me and being the best I can be, and come into the camp the best I can be. Once that happens you start trying to fill a role and try to make this team as good as it can be.

Eberle, 28, has been an extremely consistent offensive performer through his career and recorded 25 goals and 59 points last season for the Islanders. After coming over in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers, the talented winger posted his fifth consecutive 20+ goal season and earned his $6MM cap hit. Still, as he heads into the last year of his deal he has a lot to prove about whether he can be a part of a playoff contender. During his seven years in Edmonton, Eberle reached the postseason just once and was held goalless in 13 games. After missing the postseason tournament again last season with the Islanders, there will be some who doubt his worth as a top-six player in the league.

Still, with Blake Wheeler signing an extension today the crop of talented 2019 UFA forwards got a little smaller. Artemi Panarin and Tyler Seguin are still the big headliners of the group of pending free agents, but Eberle could find himself near the top of the heap after a few more extensions this season. For one thing he’ll still be just 29 when he is scheduled to hit the open market, and has shown a 30-goal ability in the past. James van Riemsdyk, who has just 11 more career goals than Eberle in 21 more games, received a five-year $35MM deal from the Philadelphia Flyers when he reached free agency this summer at age-29. A contract like that is certainly possible, but the Islanders forward would do himself a world of help if he dragged New York to the playoffs this season.

The Islanders do have a few big decisions to make up front, given that Eberle, Brock Nelson and Anders Lee will all be unrestricted free agents next summer. With long-term deals handed out to Andrew Ladd, Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck and Leo Komarov, the Islanders are already somewhat locked into this group being the one that has to take them to the next level. Handing out extensions may not be the most prudent thing to do at the moment even if Eberle and Lee are key parts of the offensive attack.

Morning Notes: Seguin, Bruins, Hurricanes

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While the Winnipeg Jets have locked up one of the premiere 2019 UFA forwards by signing Blake Wheeler to a five-year extension, talks have started up in Dallas again regarding Tyler Seguin. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the Stars and Seguin’s camp spoke about an extension this past weekend and noted that “things will get interesting” when Seguin returns to Dallas on Wednesday.

Seguin’s public comments about being disappointed in his contract situation likely didn’t do Dallas any favors, but there was always an expectation something would be worked out between the two sides. If nothing is announced before training camp begins in a few weeks though, you can be sure that there will be daily rumors over whether Seguin is intending on testing the free agent waters. With Wheeler off the market, another big name is removed from what at one point looked like the most impressive free agent class ever. Seguin’s signing would only further that decline.

Chris Kelly Hired By Ottawa Senators

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Chris Kelly’s playing career has come to an end after playing in the Olympics and then suiting up 12 times with the Anaheim Ducks last season, and he will re-join the Ottawa Senators organization as a development coach. Kelly started his career and played several years with the Senators between 2005-2010.

Kelly, 37, served as captain of the 2018 Canadian Olympic hockey team after the NHL banned their players from attending. The long-time professional player ended up with three points in six games en route to a bronze medal, but will always be able to say he competed at the very highest level of international competition. After also competing in the Spengler Cup, Kelly signed on with the Ducks in late February and registered two points down the stretch. Always a defensively responsible player, it was clear that his days of contributing much offense at the NHL level were long gone.

In Ottawa, a coach like Kelly who has been seen as a model professional and leader throughout his playing career can help to try and turn the tides. The Senators locker room has been divided for the last while if reports are to be true, and now have huge decisions to make with pending free agents. Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and captain Erik Karlsson are all heading into the final year of their contracts and need to be shown that the ship is heading in the right direction. Kelly will be a good influence on the young players hoping to help take over the team in the coming seasons.

Blake Wheeler Agrees To Five-Year Extension

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The Winnipeg Jets have had a huge offseason, but have now announced another huge contract. Captain Blake Wheeler has signed a five-year, $41.25MM extension that will keep him in Winnipeg through the 2023-24 season and make him the 16th highest paid forward in the league with an $8.25MM cap hit. Wheeler is heading into the final season of his current deal and was set to be one of the headliners of the 2019 free agent market, but will now be under contract until he is 37. According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, the deal includes a full no-movement clause for the first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause in the final two. The full salary breakdown (via Chris Johnston of Sportsnet) is as follows:

  • 2019-20: $6.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2020-21: $6.5MM salary
  • 2021-22: $10.0MM salary
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM salary
  • 2023-24: $8.25MM salary

Wheeler, 32, is coming off the most productive offensive season of his career and one in which he proved his status as one of the most versatile players in the league. Moving to center for the first extended stretch of his career while Mark Scheifele dealt with injury, Wheeler picked up the position immediately and was a force at both ends of the rink. Setting a new career-high in points with 91, and following that with a 21-point playoff performance, the 6’5″ forward has established himself as one of the premiere playmakers in the NHL and potentially could have demanded an even higher cap hit had he reached the open market.

While $8.25MM does become the Jets’ highest cap hit for the 2018-19 season currently, that number will likely be broken by the upcoming Patrik Laine extension that could command upwards of $10MM per season. The Jets are obviously willing to pay a good deal in order to keep their championship window open, but have done well to keep Wheeler on a contract shorter than the maximum eight years. Wheeler, Schiefele, Bryan Little and Nikolaj Ehlers are now all signed through at least the 2023-24 season, while Laine and Kyle Connor are next up for extensions as they head into the final seasons of their entry-level contracts.

It seems unlikely that Wheeler will be able to match his 90-point pace for the remainder of the contract, but even if he settles back into the 65-75 range that he has put up in previous years the Jets will be more than happy with their investment. Though his offensive exploits are the biggest reason for his upcoming raise, to a man the Jets organization raves about his leadership qualities on and off the ice, and he’s also earned Selke votes four times in his career as one of the league’s best defensive forwards.

For the Jets, there is obvious risk at the end of the contract when Wheeler is heading into his late-thirties, but it’s the price they have to pay in order to keep the window open right now. While the Nashville Predators and others in the Western Conference continue to load up for a run at the Stanley Cup, the Jets should be considered a front runner for the next few seasons. The team does still have quite a bit of work to do this summer, given that Josh Morrissey remains unsigned and Laine, Connor, Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba are all scheduled for free agency next offseason, but getting Wheeler under contract is a big step forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2018-19 Season Primer: Washington Capitals

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With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Washington Capitals.

Last Season: 49-26-7 record (105 points), first in the Metropolitan Division (beat Vegas in the Stanley Cup Final, beat Tampa Bay in the third round, beat Pittsburgh in the second round, beat Columbus in the first round)

Remaining Cap Space: $1.099MM per CapFriendly

Key Arrivals: F Nic Dowd (free agent, Vancouver), F Sergei Shumakov (free agent, CSKA Moscow)

Key Departures: F Jay Beagle (free agent, Vancouver), F Alex Chiasson (free agent, unsigned), G Philipp Grubauer (trade with Colorado), D Jakub Jerabek (free agent, Edmonton)

[Related: Capitals Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: D Michal Kempny – Kempny signed with Chicago two years ago but never really locked down a regular role.  The Capitals targeted him in advance of the trade deadline and it wound up being an under the radar move that really wound up paying dividends.  He worked his way into a regular role and wound up playing alongside top defenseman John Carlson.

That gave Kempny quite a boost heading into the free agent market.  Partway through the interview period, he decided to re-up with the Caps, inking a four-year, $10MM contract while nearly tripling his previous AAV in the process.  Instead of being simply a depth option as he was initially acquired to be, Washington will be expecting a lot more from the 27-year-old.

Can Kempny lock down a top-four role on a full-time basis?  While they can shield him on special teams, he’s still likely to play at five-on-five with Carlson.  If he can do that, their back end won’t necessarily need to be a focus for in-season additions assuming youngsters Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos continue to progress.  If Kempny struggles in that spot, however, then the Capitals will be looking at shoring up their back end as the season goes on.

Key Storyline: It’s extremely rare that a Cup-winning team has a new head coach behind the bench but that is the case in Washington with Barry Trotz resigning (he subsequently joined the Islanders) and associate coach Todd Rierden taking his place.  What type of effect is that going to have on a team that is nearly fully intact from their postseason run?

There is typically a championship hangover across the major sports and hockey is no exception.  How will incorporating a new head coach change that?  Will it up the focus level early on as the players adapt to a new system or will the changes add to the early-season lethargy that sometimes comes up after a team wins a title?  With so few coaching swaps taking place after a championship, this is certainly going to be intriguing to follow as it’s unlikely to happen again anytime soon.

Overall Outlook: While there could be some hiccups early on, Washington should still be among the contenders in a very tight Metropolitan Division.  It’s far from a guarantee that they’ll take home the top spot once again but they should comfortably be able to avoid battling for a Wild Card spot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Sbisa, Dubinsky, Nummelin

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With Nate Schmidt now out for the first 20 games of the regular season and Shea Theodore still a restricted free agent, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal speculates (Twitter link) that the Golden Knights could turn to veteran defenseman Luca Sbisa on a PTO deal for training camp.  Vegas is certainly familiar with Sbisa as he played in 42 games (regular season and playoffs) with them last season.  The 28-year-old is one of the top defenders left on the open market and would give the team some extra competition at training camp at the very least and potentially some insurance if Theodore remains unsigned into the season.  Whether it’s Sbisa or someone else, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas add another defender heading into training camp.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky struggled considerably last season, the team didn’t give any thought to buying out the remaining three years of his contract, notes George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch. The 32-year-old spent time as a healthy scratch last year and recorded a career-low 16 points, hardly the type of value they were expecting for someone carrying a $5.85MM cap hit.  Dubinsky has slimmed down over the summer and hopes that his improved speed will help him make more of an impact.  If not, the buyout talk will pick up once again over the summer.
  • Former NHL blueliner Petteri Nummelin announced his retirement today at the age of 45. The ex-Blue Jacket and Wild rearguard has had quite the journey since leaving the NHL, playing in Switzerland, Finland, Norway, and Japan.  He’ll be staying in the game, however, taking on an assistant coaching role in TPS Turku’s system in Finland, his hometown team, per a report from Turun Sonomat in Finland (link in Finnish).

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Detroit Red Wings

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Detroit Red Wings

Current Cap Hit: $82,772,044 (over the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Michael Rasmussen (three years, $894K)
F Filip Zadina (three years, $925K)

Potential Bonuses:

Rasmussen: $750K
Zadina: $850K

Total: $1.6MM

Rasmussen was Detroit’s top pick in 2017 and is viewed as their center of the future.  He’s coming off a fantastic playoff performance with WHL Tri-City and some believe that there isn’t much left for him to do at the junior level.  He’ll battle for a spot in training camp and if he makes it, he’ll likely debut on the wing to get acclimated to the NHL level.  Zadina surprisingly slipped to sixth overall back in June despite being hailed as one of the top goal scorers in the draft.  The Red Wings are of the belief that he could go to the minors and not back to junior so they could conceivably start him in Grand Rapids of the AHL and bring him up midseason.  Either way, there’s a good chance he’ll get a look at some point with the big club.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Martin Frk ($1.05MM, RFA)
G Jimmy Howard ($5.292MM, UFA)
D Nick Jensen ($813K, UFA)
D Niklas Kronwall ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Gustav Nyquist ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($3MM, UFA)
F/D Luke Witkowski ($750K, UFA)

Nyquist is coming off his lowest output in five years but still managed to put up 40 points last season.  He’s a capable top-six winger but will need to rebound if he wants to have a chance at a raise on the open market next summer.  Otherwise, he’ll likely be looking at a small pay cut on his next deal.  Vanek didn’t get any extra stability this offseason (aside from a no-trade clause) but he did manage to get a raise on his previous deal.  Assuming he’s a productive forward once again with Detroit, he’ll garner some trade value midseason and will hit the market next summer in the hopes of landing a similar deal.  Frk has an NHL-level shot but the rest of his game is a work in progress.  That’s part of the reason Detroit non-tendered him (to avoid arbitration) back in June before re-signing him shortly thereafter.  Assuming he has a similar year in 2018-19, the non-tender route is the expected outcome once again.  Witkowski will fill a depth role at both the wing and defense (in a pinch) but he could also be waived and sent down to free up a bit of extra cap room.

Kronwall has been a mainstay on Detroit’s back end for more than a decade but he is nearing the end of the road.  He acknowledged last month that there have been no talks regarding a possible contract extension and that this could be his final year.  If not, he will be looking at a sizable pay cut next summer as he is better off in a depth role.  Jensen was a regular last season but some have speculated he could be trade bait if one of their prospects makes a push at a spot.  If he can hold down a number six spot (whether that’s with Detroit or elsewhere), he should be able to land a small raise on his next deal.

Howard has alternated between good years and bad ones recently and is coming off one that could be classified in the latter category as his numbers were below the league average.  He will likely be given the chance to be the number one once again in training camp but the leash will probably be smaller this time around.  At this point, it’s hard to envision him beating his current AAV on his next deal (on top of his inconsistency, he also turns 35 in March) but if he can hold his own as a starter, he could make a case for a deal comparable to Craig Anderson in Ottawa (two years, $4.75MM AAV) as a short-term stopgap.  If not, he’ll be trying to market himself as a high-end backup which would likely carry a 50% pay cut.

Two Years Remaining

F Andreas Athanasiou ($3MM, RFA)
F Tyler Bertuzzi ($1.4MM, RFA)
D Trevor Daley ($3.167MM, UFA)
D Jonathan Ericsson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Johan Franzen ($3.955MM, UFA)
D Mike Green ($5.375MM, UFA)
F Anthony Mantha ($3.3MM, RFA)

Because of the number of big-ticket contracts on the books, Detroit was forced to mostly hand out bridge deals this summer.  Mantha has emerged as a capable top-six winger and if he can continue to progress, he should be looking at a contract north of $5MM per year two summers from now.  Athanasiou avoided a holdout this time around and while he remains an enigmatic player at times, he has some more stability now which could help.  If he puts it all together, he could be in line for a big raise.  If he remains very inconsistent though, he’ll be cast as more of a depth player which will limit his earning upside.  Bertuzzi has yet to play a full NHL season but made the most of his 48-game stint last year and showed management that he’s worthy of a bigger commitment.  If he can come in and build on that, it’s not impossible that he doubles his current cap hit down the road.  Franzen hasn’t played since early 2016 and won’t due to concussion issues; he’ll be LTIR-bound once again.

Green was widely expected to be the top defender on the move back at the trade deadline but neck issues hurt his trade market.  That stopped them from getting a pick or prospect but it may have helped keep him around as he opted to forego testing free agency to sign this deal.  He’s not the elite offensive player he once was but he’s still Detroit’s best threat from the back end and is on a manageable deal.  Ericsson is a better fit on the third pairing but is overpaid for that role – it’s safe to say that his next contract will see him taking a reduction in pay.  Daley was quieter than usual in terms of point production but still logged over 20 minutes a night.  For that type of money, that’s decent value and if they decide to try to get younger on the back end, his deal shouldn’t be too difficult to move.

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Jeff Glass Signs Professional Tryout With Calgary Flames

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There are still several goaltenders available in free agency with NHL experience, but at least one of them is off the board. Jeff Glass announced on the first episode of the Bosco Podcast with Nick Godin that he has signed a professional tryout with the Calgary Flames. The Flames, who are expected to have either David Rittich or Jon Gillies as their NHL backup this season, will bring in Glass to see if he could be of help to their organization in one way or another. The team does have several games in China scheduled for the preseason, and could likely use an extra body to help take shots in camp.

Glass, 32, made his NHL debut last season after a long and traveled professional career that has taken him through the AHL, ECHL and KHL. Once selected in the third round by the Ottawa Senators, he waited more than a decade before getting his chance with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. In 15 games, Glass recorded an .898 save percentage but saw his contract expire on July 1st.

There’s no telling if the Flames have any real intent of signing Glass to an NHL contract, but he’ll at least have a place to show that he can still compete at the highest level this fall. At the very least, Glass should earn a look at the AHL level somewhere if he decides not to pursue overseas opportunities.

Chris Lee Retires From Professional Hockey

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For fans tuning into the 2017 World Championships, a player stuck out like a sore thumb on the blue line for Team Canada. Wearing number 42 among the other NHL stars was a face that few recognized, but would learn to appreciate by the end of the tournament. Chris Lee stepped into a roster spot and ice time vacated by an injured Tyson Barrie and recorded two points in seven games en route to a silver medal. Lee had never played in the World Championships—or any major international tournament—for Canada before, and had no prior NHL experience.

Lee at the age of 36, had parlayed a 65-point season in the KHL into an invitation to the tournament where he played exceptionally well. Success in the KHL wasn’t a new experience for Lee, who had been one of the best offensive defensemen in the league since coming over from the German DEL and Swedish SHL—two other leagues he dominated in his short time there. There was also successful stints in the AHL prior to that, but they never even earned him an NHL contract let alone a sniff of the highest level of professional hockey.

The undrafted defensemen signed a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings for their 2017 training camp, but didn’t make the team. He returned to the KHL and Metallurg Magnitogorsk while also suiting up for Canada at the Olympics. He wore an “A” as an alternate captain of that squad, which wasn’t allowed to include NHL players this time around. An Olympic bronze medal came about this time around, but the Gagarin Cup was out of reach in 2018 for his KHL squad.

Last night in a lengthy ceremony, Lee’s retirement and career was honored by Magnitogorsk as his number was raised to the rafters. The team released a “thank you” article, and Lee even received a star outside the arena. A two-time Gagarin Cup champion, Lee goes down as one of the extreme oddities in the history of Canadian international hockey competition, at least in the modern era. Never given a chance at the NHL level and overlooked for much of his career, he still found incredible success on the ice as a player.

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