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Archives for April 2019

Offseason Keys: Buffalo Sabres

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While the playoffs are now underway, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Buffalo Sabres.

After a rocky 2017-18 season, the Sabres shook up their roster and had expectations of improvement in 2018-19.  While they did earn 14 more points than they did a year ago, they still missed the postseason by a significant margin once again which means they are once again in for an offseason of upheaval.  Here’s what to watch for in Buffalo.

Hire A New Head Coach

One of the few consistent things the Sabres have had in recent years is coaching turnover.  Since they let Lindy Ruff go during the 2012-13 season, they’ve had four different head coaches.  That will soon become five as Phil Housley was let go at the end of the season after just two years with the team.  (That puts him tied for the longest-tenured head coach in Buffalo since Ruff’s departure.)

Obviously, they need to hire a replacement but the question is what type of coach should they be looking for?  They’ve tried a first-time bench boss.  They’ve tried a veteran coach.  They’ve even tried bringing back someone they fired 16 years earlier.  Nothing has worked so far.

Buffalo is a fairly young team with only four regulars over the age of 30 in their lineup.  With that in mind, it could make sense to bring a coach with experience working with younger players as there is some teaching to be done.  On the other hand, this team has lacked structure and attention to detail and certain veterans have proven themselves to be capable of instilling that in a team.

Not surprisingly, GM Jason Botterill appears to be casting a wide net.  They have been linked to several different coaches including veterans Dave Tippett, Jacques Martin, and Todd Richards as well as Sweden’s Rikard Gronborg who hasn’t coached in North America since serving as an assistant with WHL Spokane in 2004-05 but has plenty of international experience.  With only a few vacancies remaining, Botterill can be patient in his search but if this pick winds up yielding results like Housley’s tenure, he may not get to make another choice.

Re-Sign Or Replace Skinner

Jeff Skinner was a big part of Buffalo’s early season success before things really started to go off the rails.  The winger got off to a very strong start with 30 goals over his first 44 games but cooled off considerably, scoring just 10 over the last 38 contests.  Still, he hit the 40-goal mark for the first time in his career which will certainly have him in the driver’s seat as he approaches unrestricted free agency.

By all accounts, negotiations on a contract extension have been ongoing for several months now but the two sides are clearly still apart on getting something done.  Clearly, the difference between his first and second halves will complicate the discussions.  On top of that, the longer this drags out, the greater the temptation to test the market is likely to become.  As a result, this has to be Botterill’s top priority in terms of player personnel decisions.

If they can’t come to a deal, there are a handful of other high-scoring free agents available that they could shift their focus to.  Alternatively, Buffalo still has an extra first-round pick (7th and 29th) so they could put one in play to try to acquire a younger option.  One thing is for certain though – they will be in even tougher shape if they can’t re-sign or replace Skinner in the coming months so there is a lot of pressure to get something done.

Goalie Decisions

Goaltending has been a question mark for a while in Buffalo and while it was better this past season, it’s still a question moving forward.  In particular, has Linus Ullmark shown enough to be counted on as a viable long-term starter?  He had some strong moments but also some particularly rough ones as he played to a .905 SV% and a 3.11 GAA over 37 appearances.  He’s only 25 and there’s still some upside but he’s also now eligible for salary arbitration so he’ll be looking at a big raise from the $800K salary he received.

Last summer, the Sabres brought in Carter Hutton in the hopes that he could carry over his strong performance in St. Louis to become the front half of a platoon.  His numbers weren’t much better than Ullmark’s overall and at 33, he’s not a viable long-term starter either way.  Is this a viable tandem to push them back into postseason contention?

If Botterill believes that the answer to either of the questions posed is no, then it wouldn’t be surprising to see Buffalo wade into the free agent market for a starting goaltender.  While the development of their young defenders – a group bolstered by Brandon Montour’s addition near the trade deadline – will undoubtedly help their fortunes moving forward, that alone won’t be enough to move the Sabres from being near the bottom of the league in goals allowed to even being more of a mid-pack team.  It was hoped that Hutton and Ullmark could shore things up but their work between the pipes may not be done after all.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Several Swedish Teams Interested In Dustin Tokarski

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While Dustin Tokarski is still playing in the AHL playoffs, the goalie is drawing considerable interest in Sweden according to a report from Mattias Ek of HockeyNews.se.  It’s believed that Leksand, Orebro, Oskarshamn, and Rogle have already expressed an interest in his services.

Tokarski is currently suiting up for Carolina’s farm team in Charlotte but is technically under contract to the Rangers after he signed there back in August on a two-way deal.  He has split the season between their AHL affiliates, posting a 2.58 GAA with a .914 SV% over 28 appearances.  It’s unlikely that New York would look to bring him back given the goalie depth they have in their system.

The 29-year-old has played in parts of six NHL seasons over his career but aside from the 2014-15 season with Montreal, he has primarily served as a third-string option.  Considering that he’s undersized for a goalie and his role in recent years, a move overseas would certainly make some sense where his earning potential would be greater compared to another two-way pact with an NHL team this summer as an unrestricted free agent.

Jets To Shop Mathieu Perreault This Offseason

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In an effort to try to free up some cap space, the Jets have shopped winger Mathieu Perreault around in the past, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 31 Thoughts column.  He adds that Winnipeg is expected to do so once again this summer.

GM Kevin Chevelayoff has quite a tricky road to navigate this offseason.  He has a lengthy list of free agents; among the 14 regulars on the roster in need of new deals are wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor plus defenseman Jacob Trouba (all restricted) along with center Kevin Hayes and Tyler Myers (both unrestricted).  All of those players are in line for raises – some quite substantial – and considering they already have more than $55.5MM committed for next season, they’re going to have to free up quite a bit of cap room.

That’s where Perreault and his $4.125MM AAV come in.  He’s certainly still an effective player with at least 30 or more points in seven of the last eight seasons (the one where he came up short was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign) while his ability to play all three forward positions certainly helps as well.  But with all of the players in need of new contracts, he’s a luxury that they can’t really afford now.

Unfortunately for the Jets, that’s something that every team knows which is going to make a fair trade that much more difficult for Cheveldayoff.  It was only back in June when they needed to attach winger Joel Armia plus a pair of draft picks in order to offload the final year of goalie Steve Mason’s contract on Montreal.  While Perreault can still fit in nicely on a third line, the fact that he has two years left on his deal (a much greater financial commitment) will make it harder to receive top value in return.  But knowing what’s on the horizon, there’s a good chance they’ll have to move Perreault out no matter what, even if the return isn’t ideal.

Snapshots: Francis, Maple Leafs, Pavelski

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If you’re looking for someone to credit for the success that the Carolina Hurricanes are having right now, it’s easy to name head coach Rod Brind’Amour, GM Don Waddell or even new owner Tom Dundon. One person who may be deserving of a good chunk of that credit though is former GM Ron Francis, who was let go before this season even started.

No, Francis wasn’t the man to pull the trigger on the Dougie Hamilton or Nino Niederreiter trades, but his fingerprints are still all over the roster. He was the GM who signed captain Justin Williams to a two-year, $9MM contract despite the forward being over 35. He orchestrated contract extensions for Brett Pesce ($4.025MM AAV) and Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM) that look like absolute steals right now, and he was the one who selected Sebastian Aho with the 35th pick in 2015. On Sportsnet radio today Francis admitted that he is interested in returning to management, and John Shannon notes that his contract expires on June 30th. It will be interesting to see where Francis lands, and in what role.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are expecting to add a Russian on Wednesday according to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, though it is not exactly clear who that would be. McGran suggests it is likely either Yegor Korshkov, a draft pick of the Maple Leafs who is expected to sign his entry-level contract this summer, or Ilya Mikheyev, who has been linked to the team in recent weeks. With the KHL season officially ending today and contracts expiring, many names will be signing over the next several days.
  • The San Jose Sharks will still be without captain Joe Pavelski when they take on the Colorado Avalanche today, as he did not travel with the team to Denver. The Sharks haven’t listed exactly what Pavelski is dealing with, but he hasn’t played since suffering the scary head injury against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Gustav Nyquist, who flew home for the birth of his child, is expected to play for the Sharks.

Canucks’ Owner Shoots Down Mike Gillis Speculation

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The Vancouver Canucks fired Mike Gillis as president and general manager in 2014, but in recent days speculation had bubbled up that the team may be interested in bringing him back. In fact, reports had surfaced that owner Francesco Aquilini had contacted Gillis to gauge his interest in returning to a role with the club. That report was firmly denied by Aquilini this afternoon, when he took to Twitter to explain that he has not contacted Gillis and has no plans to do so.

This isn’t the first time that Aquilini has had to correct the record, as earlier this month he tweeted in response to a report that Dean Lombardi had been offered the job of team president.

Vancouver has been operating without a president of hockey operations since Trevor Linden left the organization last summer. GM Jim Benning has been running things, and seemingly has the franchise on track given the superb performances from young players like Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat this season.

Markus Phillips Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed Markus Phillips to a three-year entry-level contract, a nice reward for a player who has helped the Guelph Storm reach the OHL Final. Phillips is set to take on the Ottawa 67’s starting Thursday evening for a chance to attend the 2019 Memorial Cup.

Phillips, 20, has been an excellent contributor to the Storm after a midseason trade from the Owen Sound Attack, and could potentially jump to the professional ranks next season. While still eligible for another year in the OHL, his development may warrant a place on the Ontario Reign of the AHL instead.

Selected in the fourth round in 2017, Phillips has routinely outperformed some of the players drafted ahead of him and even forced himself onto Team Canada at the recent World Juniors. A solid puck-mover, he actually seemed to give up some of that offensive ability for a more well-rounded approach this season, something that will carry over well to the next step of his career. He may still be a few years from contributing at the NHL level, but Kings fans should be excited about getting anything from a player drafted in the middle rounds. That’s the exact type of player they’ll need as they attempt a rebuild.

CapFriendly reports that the breakdown of the deal is as follows:

2018-19: $700k base salary, $77.5K signing bonus
2019-20: $700k base salary, $77.5K signing bonus
2020-21: $750k base salary, $85K signing bonus, $15K in performance bonuses

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Adam Fox

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After finding out that they weren’t going to be able to sign top prospect Adam Fox, the Carolina Hurricanes have traded his rights to the New York Rangers. In return, the Hurricanes will receive the Rangers’ 2019 second-round pick and a conditional 2020 third. That third-round selection will bump up a round if Fox plays 30 games next season.

The Rangers were always the expected destination for a trade, given the belief that he would leave college early and sign with them. Fox has completed three seasons at Harvard and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but instead is expected to start his professional career in 2019-20.

This was the exact scenario that the Calgary Flames did not want to take part in when they decided to include Fox in last summer’s blockbuster trade with the Hurricanes. It was clear to them that he had no intention on signing in Calgary, but the Hurricanes did believe that they could get him under contract. For whatever reason, that wasn’t to be and the Rangers seemed like the eventual destination. The Hurricanes front office made it clear that they would seek out a trade this summer, and they did well to secure at least some sort of return for the college star.

Fox, originally selected in the third round back in 2016, developed into one of the best defensemen in college hockey and put up 116 points in 97 regular season games for Harvard over his three years. A natural powerplay quarterback, he routinely carried the puck up the ice and gained the zone himself before setting up teammates for high danger chances. While not a physical presence, his defensive ability also improved to the point where many expect him to step right into the NHL next season. Right-handed offensive options are difficult to find, and the Rangers have now secured one with a ton of potential.

For the Hurricanes, this trade will certainly bring back some interesting franchise memories. In September 2006, the Hurricanes traded third-overall pick Jack Johnson to the Los Angeles Kings after he turned down their offers to sign out of college. That was just a few months after Carolina had secured their first Stanley Cup, something the current team is trying to replicate this spring. If they are somehow able to, it would be an odd quirk of history to have failed to sign another top college defenseman in the same year.

Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer was first to report that Fox has been traded, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirmed it was to the Rangers.

Florida Panthers Extend Chris Driedger

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with goaltender Chris Driedger on a two-year two-way extension, keeping him in the organization through the 2020-21 season. Driedger was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer after failing to get much NHL opportunity in his career so far.

Driedger, 24, was a third-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2012 but received just three NHL appearances with them over the years. The rest of his time was spent in the minor leagues—both the ECHL and AHL levels—until they eventually decided not to issue him a qualifying offer in 2018. After signing an AHL deal to play with the Springfield Thunderbirds, Driedger earned himself a two-way NHL contract at the most recent trade deadline to give the team some extra goaltending depth down the stretch. He still never played for the Panthers, but after they moved Michael Hutchinson they needed an extra body in case of injury.

That’s the same role he’ll likely fill going forward, as the team has several other goaltenders in the system already. Roberto Luongo and James Reimer are both under contract still, while Sam Montembeault is deserving of a new deal. There is also the chance that the Panthers go after someone like Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, pushing everyone even further down the ladder.

Still, this is obviously a nice bit of stability for Driedger who played extremely well for the Thunderbirds this year. In 32 appearances he recorded a .924 save percentage, the highest mark of his career at any level. If he can continue that performance he’s still young enough to perhaps earn an NHL role at some point down the line.

KHL Notes: Andrighetto, Mamin, Ozhiganov

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Despite still being in the NHL playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche, Sven Andrighetto has been linked to a different team for the 2019-20 season. A report from Sport-Express has Andrighetto expected to join Avangard Omsk next season in the KHL, after his current contract with the Avalanche expires this summer. Obviously nothing is official yet given that he won’t become a restricted free agent until July 1st, meaning there’s no guarantee he ends up overseas. In fact, AJ Haefele of BSN Denver asked the forward about it and he said he hasn’t had any conversations about next year with his agent yet.

Andrighetto hasn’t played since the first round against Calgary, but actually might draw back into the lineup tonight given his early departure from the morning skate. Still the 26-year old Andrighetto has seen his role with the Avalanche diminish greatly, averaging fewer than ten minutes of ice time since the beginning of March. He played 64 games this season for the Avalanche and is scheduled to be an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer for the final time. His current contract carries a $1.4MM cap hit.

  • Igor Eronko of Sport-Express is reporting that Maxim Mamin has signed a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow, where he spent the second half of this season. Mamin was loaned to the KHL club in late November and played 25 games with them during the regular season. The 24-year old forward is a restricted free agent this summer and can sign anywhere, though the Florida Panthers will retain his exclusive rights if they issue him a qualifying offer. Mamin has four points in 33 career NHL games.
  • There has been speculation that Igor Ozhiganov could return to the KHL this season after seeing his role on the Toronto Maple Leafs effectively terminated this season after the arrival of Jake Muzzin, and Sport-Express is now reporting that the defenseman’s KHL rights have been transferred to Ak Bars in exchange for former NHL player Jiri Sekac. That lends some credence to the idea that Ozhiganov is on his way home, but like Mamin the Maple Leafs could retain his rights (at least temporarily) by issuing him a qualifying offer.

Washington Capitals Place Maximilian Kammerer On Unconditional Waivers

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The Washington Capitals have placed Maximilian Kammerer on unconditional waivers, according to Chris Kuc of The Athletic. Kammerer was signed to a three-year entry-level deal last spring, but will likely see his contract terminated if he clears waivers. If that happens, Kammerer would be an unrestricted free agent and able to return to Germany.

Kammerer, 22, had 13 points in 33 games for the Hershey Bears this season but has yet to suit up for them in the playoffs. The Bears are set to start their second round against the Charlotte Checkers on Friday, but are apparently ready to cut ties with the German forward.

For many international free agents that believe they can compete in the NHL, waiting around in the minor leagues just doesn’t work out. It’s not clear what exactly happened between the Capitals and Kammerer, but it appears as though he is no longer in their plans.

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