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2019 Buyout Window To Open June 15th

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While St. Louis’ 2-1 win over San Jose on Friday night to tie the Western Conference Final was significant in itself, it also played a role in locking in a key day on the offseason calendar.  The schedule for the Stanley Cup Final has been set which means the buyout window is now locked in as well.  The window opens up on the later of June 15th or 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.  The latter can end no later than June 14th which means that teams will have to wait until the 15th to begin the process of buying out players.

As a refresher on the rules, players must pass through unconditional waivers in order to be bought out unless they have a no-move clause.  In those instances, the player can simply block the waiver placement and accept the buyout.  Injured players cannot be bought out.  The standard cost to buy a player out is paying two-thirds of his remaining salary (excluding signing bonuses which are 100% payable) over two times the remaining term on the contract.  That applies for anyone 26 and over.  If a team wants to buy out someone younger than that (a rarer occurrence), the cost drops to one-third of the remaining salary.

With several teams facing difficult salary cap situations for next season, it’s likely we’ll see some activity on this front before the window closes on June 30th.  Teams can acquire and then immediately buy out a player as Colorado and Montreal did last summer with Brooks Orpik and Steve Mason respectively.  It wouldn’t be surprising if there are more moves like that this offseason as teams with extra payroll room look to leverage their cap space and buy out a player while taking on additional assets from other teams.

Offseason Keys: Chicago Blackhawks

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While the playoffs are well 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 Chicago Blackhawks.

There were certainly some positives in Chicago in 2018-19.  Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews had career years, Dylan Strome made an immediate impact after being acquired midseason, and Alex DeBrincat has quickly emerged as one of the top young scorers in the league.  Despite all that, they still missed the postseason while only besting their 2017-18 performance by eight points.  GM Stan Bowman has started to change the roster around over the past year but more work is in store.  Here’s what that work will entail.

Decide On The Third Pick

Regardless of which order they go in, Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are going to be the first two picks in the draft.  As a result, the intrigue of the draft truly starts with Chicago after they won in the Draft Lottery to move up from tenth overall to third.

One player that has been frequently projected to go at number three is defenseman Bowen Byram.  However, the last three first-round picks for the Blackhawks have all been defenders and while the current back end needs some work, help will soon be on the way from that group of prospects.  While teams always claim they’ll draft the best player available, organizational depth can potentially skew who a team believes the best player is.

There are also some intriguing forwards on the board that they could lean towards given their defensive depth in the pipeline.  Alex Turcotte, Kirby Dach, Dylan Cozens, and Vasili Podkolzin have all been ranked in the number three slot by various publications throughout the year.

Basically, no one has really separated themselves from the pack just yet.  Finding the best of the bunch would go a long way towards getting Chicago back on the right path after missing the playoffs for two straight years.

Extension Talks

Alex DeBrincat’s rookie season in 2017-18 was quite impressive before even considering the fact that he was a second-round pick.  28 goals and 52 points aren’t too shabby for a rookie.  Not only did he beat those numbers this past season, he obliterated them, putting up 41 goals and 76 points.

Having completed the first two years of his entry-level deal, DeBrincat is now a year away from restricted free agency.  He has given himself plenty of negotiating leverage through the first two seasons of his career and it’s fair to say that he will be looking for similar money as some of the other top players that are entering restricted free agency this summer.

If talks haven’t started already (he can’t sign until July 1st but they can always talk before then), they should soon.  However, this is a case where both sides may opt to wait to see how things play out with the other RFAs first to see what the precedent winds up being.  If it’s too rich for Chicago’s liking, they could opt to sit back and wait until next summer.  However, if DeBrincat has another season like this one, that price tag is only going to go up.  Plus, it may be beneficial to know what the cost is going to be to help them plan accordingly for free agency this summer.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see them inquire about what goalie Corey Crawford’s plans are beyond next season.  He’s a year away from unrestricted free agency and the team doesn’t have a future starter in the system.  Of course, his lengthy injury history is a red flag but at the very least, expect the team to get an idea of what it may cost to keep him around or how much they need to hold off on spending this summer to ensure they have enough to replace him next season.

Make Their Big Splash

Mentioning Chicago and cap space in the same sentence is something that hasn’t been seen in a while unless there was a qualifier about how they had very little of it.  That’s no longer the case.  GM Stan Bowman was able to shed the rest of Marian Hossa’s contract and didn’t add any long-term deals over the course of the season.  Between that and an expected uptick in the Upper Limit, the Blackhawks can now take a run at the higher end of the free agent market if they so desire.

They’ve been speculatively linked to Artemi Panarin given his prior ties to the franchise and if they decide to put all of their eggs in one basket so to speak, they could very well be able to afford him.  They have an opportunity to add an impact piece and really add another dimension either to their attack or back end.  Given their desire to take another run with their existing core, expect them to try to make a big splash, even if it does carry some risk knowing that DeBrincat’s expensive new contract is only a year away.  In particular, with Kane and Toews having resurgent seasons, there’s a good chance they’ll look to add another forward to hedge against possible regression and give them two strong scoring lines.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Senators Expected To Interview Patrick Roy For Vacant Coaching Position

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It had been suggested in recent days that there was one more candidate that had yet to be interviewed for Ottawa’s vacant head coaching position.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Patrick Roy will be the final person to receive an interview for the role which is expected to occur sometime next week.

Roy has been out of the NHL since abruptly resigning his post as head coach of Colorado in August of 2016 after three seasons with the team.  He had stayed out of coaching until this past season when he returned to the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL where he first began his coaching career back in 2005 and spent eight years with the team before joining the Avalanche where he won the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year in his first season.

Having considerable experience working with younger players could certainly work in Roy’s favor.  The Senators are fully in the midst of a rebuild and will have a young and inexperienced roster for the next couple of years, headlined by winger Brady Tkachuk plus defensemen Thomas Chabot and Erik Brannstrom.  Player development will be criticial and Roy should be comfortable working in that type of environment.

Part of the reason that Roy left Colorado was a lack of input in player personnel decisions but Garrioch reports that this time around, the 53-year-old will be content with strictly being a coach and not being involved in managerial decisions as he was in his time at the junior level.

GM Pierre Dorion has conducted a thorough search and is known to have interviewed Marc Crawford (who finished the season in the interim role), AHL Belleville’s Troy Mann, Providence College’s Nate Leaman, plus NHL assistants Rick Bowness (Dallas), Jacques Martin (Pittsburgh), and D.J. Smith (Toronto).  A final decision is expected by next month’s NHL Entry Draft.

Juuso Ikonen Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Saturday: Ikonen has cleared waivers, Kuc reports.

Friday: The Washington Capitals have placed Juuso Ikonen on unconditional waivers according to Chris Kuc of The Athletic, likely for the purpose of a contract termination. Ikonen had one year remaining on his entry-level deal, but didn’t find much success at the AHL level this season.

Ikonen, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the SHL in 2018 after several years of solid play in Europe. The Finnish forward had suited up twice at the World Juniors and shown enough offensive upside to make the Capitals believe he could contribute in North America, but after registering just 14 points in 54 games for the Hershey Bears he’ll be allowed to return home.

International signings like these are often lottery tickets for teams dealing with cap trouble like Washington, hoping they can get a depth player at bargain bin rates. They haven’t worked out for the Capitals of late though, with Ikonen joining Maximillian Kammerer as terminated players this spring.

Arizona Coyotes To Terminate Contract Of Jens Looke

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Saturday: Looke has cleared waivers, paving the way for his deal to officially be terminated, Morgan reports.

Friday: The Arizona Coyotes have terminated Jens Looke’s contract according to Craig Morgan of The Athletic. Looke actually had one year left on his entry-level deal, but had recently signed with Timra IK in the SHL. In order to do that, the Coyotes have agreed to terminate the deal and placed him on unconditional waivers.

Looke, 22, was actually a third-round pick of the Coyotes back in 2015 but hasn’t shown enough over the last two seasons to be part of Arizona’s plans going forward. The talented playmaking winger couldn’t find a fit with the Tucson Roadrunners, recording just 32 points over 120 games in the AHL the past two seasons. He’ll return to Sweden to continue his development, and may actually end up being a name we hear down the road in regards to a potential return.

With the termination the Coyotes will lose the rights to Looke, making him an unrestricted free agent. His departure will open up a contract slot for them, but is a disappointing end after investing the 83rd pick in him just a few years ago.

Blue Jackets Could Decide To Not Replace Sergei Bobrovsky In Free Agency

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If Sergei Bobrovsky winds up leaving Columbus in free agency this summer as many anticipate, it shouldn’t be considered a sure bet that the Blue Jackets will look to replace him.  Speaking with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated that the team is comfortable running with Joonas Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins as their goalie tandem for next season:

It’s going to be a competition between those two unless something else happens. And if that’s what we have for our two goalies at the start of the training camp, we’re totally fine with it.

Korpisalo has long been viewed as the goalie of the future in Columbus and he has had flashes of dominant stretches in his young career.  However, he has also struggled at times as well and has posted identical .897 save percentage marks over the past two seasons.  That number falls below the league average which isn’t the most ideal from a potential starting goalie.  The 25-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer and given the uncertainty surrounding his role for the upcoming season, Portzline notes that a one-year contract is likely.  He will still have one season of RFA eligibility after that.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins has been viewed as one of the top goalies outside of North America for the past few years and recently inked a one-year deal for next season.  However, he has yet to play on the smaller ice surface so it’s certainly possible that he could need some time to adjust in the minors first.  However, given how he has performed in the Swiss NLA, it’s also possible that he could step in and make a big impact right away.

Kekalainen is no stranger to high risk, high reward gambles considering how he went all in at the trade deadline.  If he opts to go with a largely unproven tandem of Korpisalo and Merzlikins next season, he’ll be making another one for next season.

Pacific Notes: Edmonton’s Coaching Search, Canucks, Archibald

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While Ken Holland has been on the job for a week and a half already, it doesn’t appear as if the Oilers have made much headway in their head coaching search.  The new GM told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he’s working off of a list of 12-14 potential candidates at the moment and while he won’t be interviewing that many, he’s still in the information gathering stage at this point.  With interviews still to follow after that, Holland acknowledged that it could still be a couple of weeks before they have their new bench boss in place.

Elsewhere around the Pacific:

  • The Canucks have serious interest in Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom for the upcoming draft, reports Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. The 18-year-old spent most of the season with Brynas of the SHL and acquitted himself rather well, logging over 17 minutes per night.  Vancouver is in need of a top right-shot defender in their organization so it’s no surprise that he’s one they’re eyeing for the number ten slot.  GM Jim Benning also stated that he would look into the cost of moving up in the first round.
  • Coyotes winger Josh Archibald was dealing with some shoulder issues at the end of the season, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required). He still played regularly down the stretch but only recorded a point in one of his final 16 games.  The 26-year-old is slated to be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility in July and will be owed a $735K qualifying offer.  Despite the poor finish, he still wound up with a career-best 22 points in 68 games on the season.

NHL Announces Free Agent Contact Dates

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Before free agency opens on July 1st each year, teams are given brief windows to speak with impending free agents from other clubs, both unrestricted and restricted. While they are officially not allowed to talk contract details during this time, the two sides may discuss the direction of the team, the fit of the player, and other details adjacent to a contract signing. Of course, financial details sneak in as well, allowing for the late-June rumor mill to heat up and the massive influx of signing announcements as soon as the clock strikes noon Eastern on July 1st.

Per TSN, the NHL has announced the opening dates for free agent contact for this year. Beginning on June 23rd, at exactly 12:00 AM ET, teams may begin talking to unrestricted free agents. This is one day after the conclusion of the NHL Draft, when teams can wholly shift their focus over to the free agent market. Three days later, on June 26th, teams may also start contacting restricted free agents. In general, the UFA talks are far more fruitful than the RFA talks, but in an off-season with few elite unrestricted free agents and many elite restricted free agents – not to mention teams in difficult cap situations with RFA’s to sign – the odds of an offer sheet are higher than they have been in years and it could be that those RFA discussions actually yield a contract or two this summer.

Before teams can truly start to consider free agent signings, there are a couple of other factors that need to be decided as well. On the team side, restricted free agents must have received their qualifying offers by June 25th. An RFA who receives this offer remains restricted, but one who does not becomes unrestricted. It is not a coincidence that the RFA contact window opens after this deadline, as that official determination is needed. On the league side, teams also need to know what the salary cap ceiling – and for some the floor – will be for the 2019-20 season. Roster building is all a function of the salary cap and many teams will make decisions on free agent offers based on where next year’s cap ends up. There is no official date for when this announcement will be made, but CapFriendly has tentatively set the ceiling at $83MM and the floor at $61.3MM for their metrics, based on previous reports and expectations.

2019 Memorial Cup Preview

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The biggest event in junior hockey begins tonight, as the year-end Memorial Cup Tournament opens in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For a refresher, the champions of the three Canadian Hockey League member leagues – the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League – and a rotating host team square off in a round-robin tournament each year to determine Canadian junior hockey’s premier team. Each of the four contenders play one another once, after which the standings allow for a semi-final and final round. The action begins tonight and continues through the week, with the playoff rounds scheduled for May 24th and 26th. As for the competitors, the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) play host to the Guelph Storm (OHL), Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL), and Prince Albert Raiders (WHL). Below is a summary of each team’s season and top players for those interested in following the action over the next ten days:

Halifax Mooseheads (49-15-4)

This year’s host team was nearly a league champion themselves. The Moosheads fell to the Huskies in six games in the QMJHL Final, but will have a second chance against the team at least once in the Memorial tournament. Halifax is led by 20-year-old undrafted center Samuel Asselin, whose 86 points led the team and were a top-ten finish in the league, but all eyes will instead be on his young, draft-eligible line mate. Raphael Lavoie, who has had an up-and-down season, picked a good time to be on the up. With the NHL Draft a month away, Lavoie caught fire in the QMJHL playoffs. The 6’4″ right wing recorded 32 points in 23 postseason games, almost half of his 73 regular season points, which was far-and-away the most on the Mooseheads and second-best in the league. Most draft rankings and mock drafts have Lavoie falling somewhere in the middle ten picks of the upcoming first round and the Memorial Cup is his final chance to prove he should go earlier instead of later. The big winger plays a physically dominant game that often looks effortless, but he can also flip a switch and show off stellar skill. Also up front for Halifax are are a pair of recent Anaheim Ducks second-round selections, Benoit-Olivier Groulx and Antoine Morand, and New York Islanders’ sixth-round sleeper pick Arnaud Durandeau. Leading the defense is the daunting pair of top Detroit Red Wings blue line prospect Jared McIsaac and promising 2020-eligible rearguard Justin Barron, a likely first-round pick next year. The Mooseheads are as strong in the top-six and on the top pair as any team in this tournament, but it is in their depth that they could fall short. However, there is always the chance that goaltender Alexis Gravel, the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2018 sixth-rounder, could steal a game if the skaters fall short. Gravel finished in the top five in both save percentage and goals against average among QMJHL starters this season.

Guelph Storm (40-18-10)

No one expected Guelph to be here. The Storm, who entered the playoffs with the eighth-best record in the OHL, were down 3-0 in their second-round series against the division rival London Knights and managed to mount a four-win comeback to advance. They then fell behind by two games against both the Saginaw Spirit in the third round and Ottawa 67’s in the OHL Final to win it all. This team is nothing if not resilient and will be a tough out in this tournament. While Arizona Coyotes’ forward prospect Nate Schnarr enjoyed an excellent season, leading Guelph with 102 points and finishing in the OHL’s top-ten in points and assists, there is little argument that he is still the best forward for the Storm. Acquired in January, Montreal Canadiens top prospect Nick Suzuki has been superhuman since arriving in Guelph. The talented forward recorded 49 points in 29 games to close out the regular season and then another 42 points in 24 playoff games en route to a championship. Suzuki might be the most dangerous player in the Memorial Cup tournament, which is a major boost for the Storm. He’s not alone though; Suzuki and Schnarr lead a forward corps that includes NHL-bound power forwards Isaac Ratcliffe of the Philadelphia Flyers, MacKenzie Entwistle of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Liam Hawel of the Dallas Stars. The defense is also stout behind mainstays Dmitri Samorukov of the Edmonton Oilers and draft-eligible Owen Lalonde and trade additions Markus Phillips and Sean Durzi the Los Angeles Kings. Guelph would be the favorites to win the Memorial Cup if it wasn’t for their goaltending issues. If Anthony Popovich can find his game and that weakness goes away, the Storm are in good shape. The OHL is traditionally the strongest of the three CHL leagues, which is evidenced by the depth of talent that Guelph, the eighth-best OHL squad in the regular season, has versus the best teams of the QMJHL and WHL.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (59-8-1)

Rouyn-Noranda’s regular season mirrored that of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team was dominant from beginning to end and won the QMJHL regular season title by a whopping 12 points and finished with a goal differential of +182. Fortunately for them, the similarities ended in the postseason. The Huskies continued to roll all the way to the league championship. Leading the way, regular season and postseason, has been league scoring title-winner Peter Abbandonato. Abbandonato, 21, recorded 111 points this season and tacked on another 27 in the postseason. An undrafted prospect, Abbandonato has not let the lack of NHL commitment slow him down as he has been near-impossible to stop all season. He also has a deep supporting cast, including talented first-time draft-eligible prospect Alex Beaucage, and over-agers Raphael Harvey-Pinard and Felix Bibeau, as well as Boston Bruins draft pick Jakub Lauko and Montreal Canadiens signee Joel Teasdale. Trade acquisition Noah Dobson, the twelfth overall pick last year by the New York Islanders, has also had a massive impact for the team both defensively and offensively. Dobson is arguably the best player in the tournament and could be the x-factor for the Huskies. The story of Rouyn-Noranda’s season to this point though has been the stellar goalie tandem of Samuel Harvey and San Jose Sharks pick Zachary Emond, both of whom posted a save percentage of better than .925 and a goals against average below 2.10 in the regular season. Harvey, who started 20 of 21 playoff games, put up even better numbers when it mattered most. If the 21-year-old net minder keeps up that level of play, the Huskies will be hard to beat.

Prince Albert Raiders (54-10-4)

The Raiders were just as, if not more dominant in the WHL as the Huskies were in the QMJHL, winning the regular season title by 11 points and recording a goal differential of +151, more than 50% better than the next-best team. Yet, Prince Albert accomplished such a campaign without much game-breaking talent, perhaps why they came within an overtime goal away from losing in the WHL Final to the Vancouver Giants. The Raiders have good players, but on paper they pale in comparison to the other three competing teams. That doesn’t erase what they have already accomplished this season, but it could put them at a disadvantage in inter-league play. Leading the Raiders is a player whose name hockey fans will know before the NHL Draft, if they don’t already. 20-year-old forward Brett Leason is a once-in-a-generation late bloomer who was passed over in two drafts already before breaking out this season. His play has caught seemingly everyone’s eye, as he earned a spot on Team Canada’s World Junior team earlier this year and is considered by some to be a first-round pick possibility in June. Leason’s numbers back up the hype; not only is he 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., but the power forward scored 36 goals and totaled 89 points in just 55 games this year. He then added 25 more points in 22 postseason games. Leason is a force in the offensive end – shooting, passing, possessing, and forechecking – and will be one of the tougher players to match up with in the tournament. Right beside Leason all season long has been San Jose Sharks selection Noah Gregor, who finished just one point behind Leason but still within the WHL’s top ten scorers. Cole Fonstad, property of the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators free agent addition Parker Kelly, and another intriguing draft prospect, Alexei Protas, also play key roles up front for Prince Albert. Outside of WHL plus/minus leader Brayden Pachal, the Raiders are pretty thin on the blue line, but star goalie Ian Scott hasn’t let it affect him. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ keeper of the future has been phenomenal this season, posting a sub-2.00 goals against average and .932 save percentage in the regular season and replicating those numbers in the postseason. Gravel and Harvey may be able to steal a game in the Memorial Cup, but a hot Scott could steal the whole tournament.

Jordan Schroeder Signs In KHL

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After failing to suit up in a single NHL game for the first time in six years, Jordan Schroeder is taking his talents overseas. The pending unrestricted free agent has signed on with the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod for the 2019-20 season.

Schroeder, 28, played this season for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL after a trade brought him to the Chicago Blackhawks organization last summer. The veteran minor league forward ended up with 45 points in 62 games, but failed to earn even a single call up. Prior to this year, Schroeder had played in at least 21 games in every season since 2012-13, suiting up for the Vancouver Canucks, Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets during that time.

His KHL deal is just for one season, meaning we very well could see a return to North America before long. Originally selected in the first round ten years ago, Schroeder has 42 points in 165 NHL regular season games but isn’t well suited to a bottom-six role. The 5’9″ forward has been an excellent AHL scorer throughout his career, and could very well find success on a KHL team that saw Andrew Calof lead the way with 41 points in 58 games last season.

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