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Archives for May 2019

Ivan Telegin Looking For NHL Contract

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If you’re a team in the market for experienced defensive forwards this summer a new one might be hitting the market in the coming weeks. Ivan Telegin told Igor Eronko of Sport-Express that he is looking for an NHL contract after his deal with CSKA Moscow in the KHL recently came to an end. As CapFriendly points out, though the Winnipeg Jets currently own Telegin’s NHL rights, that changes at the end of June when he will become an unrestricted free agent.

While the rights of Russian draft picks who never sign are held indefinitely, Telegin has actually had an NHL contract in the past. The fourth-round pick from 2010 (actually an Atlanta Thrashers selection) signed his entry-level contract in 2011 but ended up playing just 34 minor league games for the Jets’ organization before concussion problems and contract disputes saw him return to the KHL in 2014.

Telegin has been there ever since, playing for CSKA in each of the last five seasons. He reached a career high of 22 points this season before helping to capture a Gagarin Cup. Over the years he has represented Russia on the international stage several times, including winning a gold medal as part of the “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” The 6’4″ forward has never been much of an offensive player, but has experience at center and on the penalty kill.

Now 27 there likely isn’t much more development possible for Telegin’s game, but a team looking for an inexpensive contributor for their bottom six might find exactly that in the Russian forward. He is currently playing in the IIHF World Championship, though hasn’t been used a ton by the powerhouse Russian squad.

East Notes: Schoenfeld, Bystrom, Hurricanes

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Jim Schoenfeld has stepped down from his position as New York Rangers assistant general manager, ending a 17-year run with the organization. The executive was the GM of the Hartford Wolf Pack for 14 years, but the team decided to hand over the minor league affiliate to Chris Drury in 2017. Rangers president Glen Sather released a statement:

In nearly two decades with the Rangers, Jim made an impact on every level of the organization. His tireless efforts and contributions were vital to the extended run of success we experienced during his tenure in New York.

Prior to his tenure in New York, Schoenfeld had worked as a head coach for the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and Phoenix Coyotes but achieved mild success. His overall record was 256-246-78 as an NHL coach, with a losing record in 57 playoff contests. His departure leaves Drury as the only assistant GM on staff for the time being.

  • Florida Panthers prospect Ludwig Bystrom is heading to Finland, signing a two-year contract with Karpat. The 24-year old defenseman was scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer after spending the last two seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Bystrom recorded 30 points in 71 games this season for Springfield, but still hasn’t made his NHL debut. The Swedish defenseman was originally drafted 43rd overall by the Dallas Stars in 2012.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to have Curtis McElhinney in net once again as they try to stay alive in their Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins. McElhinney stopped 29 of 31 shots on Tuesday night in a losing effort, and will try to find some magic to keep the Hurricanes in the series. Regardless of what happens tonight the Hurricanes will have to make some tough decisions on their goaltending situation next season, as both McElhinny and Petr Mrazek are pending unrestricted free agents. Top prospect Alex Nedeljkovic was recently named AHL Goaltender of the Year, but has just two games of NHL experience.

Esa Lindell Signs Six-Year Extension

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The Dallas Stars have locked up a big part of their defense, signing Esa Lindell to a six-year contract extension worth $34.8MM. The deal carries a $5.8MM average annual value, and keeps Lindell in Dallas through the 2024-25 season. The deal also includes a full no-movement clause in the final four seasons. CapFriendly gives us the full breakdown:

  • 2019-20: $6MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
  • 2020-21: $4.8MM salary
  • 2021-22: $5MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $5MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $5MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5MM salary

GM Jim Nill explained why the team committed to Lindell:

Esa is a consummate professional who has proven himself dependable in every situation and is just an absolute workhorse. When you combine his strength, conditioning, hockey IQ and skill, he has become an integral part of this team. Along with John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen, the three make up the foundation of a blueline that will not only be a strength for our club, but one that will be as good as any in the NHL for the foreseeable future. 

Lindell, 24, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer but instead will be giving up several UFA years in his new deal. That is part of the reason why the contract’s cap hit is such a big raise on the $2.2MM Lindell earned this season, but the Stars obviously feel comfortable committing that amount of money to him. They have good reason, as the young defenseman has turned into one of the premiere two-way players in the league and averaged more than 24 minutes a night this season for the Stars.

While Klingberg and Heiskanen are often asked to carry much of the offensive load, Lindell serves as a perfect complement that is able to compete at both ends of the rink. He was leaned on heavily in the defensive zone by head coach Jim Montgomery this season and easily led the club in penalty killing time, averaging more than three minutes a game shorthanded. Even with all that responsibility, Lindell still managed to set career highs in goals (11) and points (32) while suiting up in all 82 contests.

In the playoffs Lindell continued to shine, recording four points in 13 games for the Stars while averaging nearly 27 minutes a night. The 6’3″ defenseman is an elite shot blocker, is willing to engage physically and still can move the puck effectively to his more offensive teammates. That package sums up to an excellent player for the Stars, who have found their way back to Stanley Cup contention.

Lindell’s deal though doesn’t come without some risk. His $5.8MM cap hit puts him 26th in the entire league among defenseman and well ahead of Klingberg, who comes in at $4.25MM through 2021-22. Only Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are signed longer for the Stars, meaning any step backwards by the young defenseman could make his contract into a troubling one for the team. Still, that seems unlikely at this point for a player who has consistently improved since being drafted 74th overall in 2012.

Not only will he provide a legitimate top-4 counterweight to the right-handed Klingberg, Lindell also serves as a more experienced veteran for Heiskanen to look up to and rely on as he takes the next steps of his professional career. The two Finnish defenders will be manning the left side of the Stars’ blue line for years to come, a luxury in today’s NHL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Craig MacTavish Headed To KHL

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The Edmonton Oilers are headed in a new direction under general manager and president of hockey operations Ken Holland. Now we know that at least one other tenured front office executive won’t be sticking around, as Craig MacTavish has left the team for the KHL. MacTavish was named head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl today, signing a two-year deal with the team.

MacTavish, 60, has been with the Oilers in one role or another for the last two decades, serving as head coach, general manager and senior vice president of hockey operations at different times. The KHL will be an entirely unfamiliar experience, especially given that his last coaching role came back in 2012. MacTavish will be following in the footsteps of several other former NHL coaches like Mike Keenan and Bob Hartley who have found success overseas, and joining a team with some familiar names including former Edmonton forward Anton Lander.

For the Oilers and specifically their AHL affiliate the Bakersfield Condors, this means more changes in the front office as Holland takes over. Edmonton has been criticized in the past for being an “old boys club” made up of former Oilers players, but if MacTavish’s exit is any indication things are going to change on that front.

Avalanche To Be “Aggressive” With Top Free Agents

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Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic is a fan of the upcoming free agent class. Speaking at the team’s final media availability of the season, Sakic said of the impending market that “It’s a pretty good class this year…We see positions of need, of what we’re looking to do. There’s a few guys that we’re gonna want to talk to if they become available. We’ll be more aggressive this year.” The Avalanche went out and added defenseman Ian Cole and forward Matt Calvert last summer, who are solid complementary players, but aren’t the major game-changers that can alter a franchise. After a surprising postseason run, Colorado now knows that their championship window is open and those game-changers appear to be exactly what Sakic has his sights set on this off-season to support his team’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup. And he’s also not willing just add anyone if he misses out on his top targets, adding “if it doesn’t work out with the players that we want to talk to we’re not just gonna go spend on anybody. We want the right players and the right fit.”

Fortunately for Sakic and the Avs, the team’s salary cap structure allows the GM to back up his comments as well. With Semyon Varlamov, Patrik Nemeth, and Derick Brassard – three players who contributed little to nothing this postseason – coming off the books, Colorado will shed more than $11MM. The team could opt to re-sign the likes of Colin Wilson, Gabriel Bourque, and Pavel Francouz, but none of that trio would likely take up much cap space. Right now, the team has an estimate of nearly $32MM in cap space entering the off-season. Some of that will need to be reserved for re-upping restricted free agents Alexander Kerfoot, J.T. Compher, Nikita Zadorov, and most of all Mikko Rantanen. However, it should still leave the Avs with at least double-digit cap space to explore the market with.

So which top free agents could the Avalanche pursue? You can cross off the tandem of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky for a number of reasons and it’s hard to imagine Matt Duchene returning to Denver. However, the team’s need for secondary scoring could lead Sakic to make pitches for many of the other elite forwards. Jeff Skinner, Joe Pavelski, and Anders Lee may not hit the market, but expect the Avs to be in the mix if they do. More ascertainable targets could be Ryan Dzingel, Jordan Eberle, Kevin Hayes, Gustav Nyquist, Marcus Johansson, and Mats Zuccarello, any of whom would provide an immediate boost to the team’s scoring depth. Adding two of those forwards would give the team a totally different look up front next season. Colorado may also have their eye on an established backup for Philipp Grubauer and could chase the likes of Mike Smith or Cam Talbot, among others. 

Given the talent already on the Colorado roster, an aggressive off-season plan should be an interesting topic to follow along with this summer. Sakic and company have seen what their team can do as an 8-seed in the playoffs and surely are imagining what might happen if they are instead a top seed. A division title and more is certainly in the realm of possibility next season if the Avalanche succeed in adding a couple of the aforementioned players.

Goalie Notes: Binnington, Carolina, Edmonton

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Jordan Binnington has been a revelation for the St. Louis Blues this season. A 25-year-old rookie who didn’t make his first NHL start until January, Binnington somehow managed to record 24 wins, a .927 save percentage, and a league-leading 1.89 GAA this season and has led the Blues to the Western Conference Final thus far in these playoffs. Binnington will be 26 before next season and has just 33 career appearances, yet he is a Calder Trophy candidate and undeniably St. Louis’ MVP in this amazing turnaround season. So how do you compensate a season like this? The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin wondered the same thing and explored three comparable contracts that the Blues may explore this off-season. The first belongs to a player with many similarities to Binnington, NHL journeyman Andrew Hammond. Hammond’s breakout season with the Ottawa Senators in 2015 was even more impressive than Binnington’s, that is until he lost his job to a healthy Craig Anderson in the postseason. A 26-year-old “prospect” with only 24 NHL appearances to his name, Hammond received just $1.35MM per year over three years from the Senators following his big season. However, Larkin points out that Hammond was not expected to be the starter in Ottawa, whereas Binnington is undoubtedly going to begin next season ahead of Jake Allen on the Blues’ depth chart. He also notes that Binnington has arbitration rights this season and no reasonable arbitrator would be convinced that Binnington is worth an equivalent contract to Hammond’s, which would only be about a $1.5MM AAV. On the other end of the spectrum, Larkin uses Winnipeg Jets’ starter Connor Hellebuyck as an example. Hellebuyck, another older prospect out of UMass – Lowell, Hellebuyck joined the Jets in 2015-16 at age 22 as the backup, struggled the next year as the part-time starter, and then had a breakout campaign last year in the final season of his entry-level contract. Winnipeg responded with a six-year deal worth more than $6MM annually for Hellebuyck. However, by the time he signed his extension, Hellebuyck had played in 149 games over three seasons, a much larger sample size than Binnington’s. He was also younger and entered the NHL with far great expectations compared to Binnington’s relative obscurity through a long AHL career. Thus, Hellebuyck also fails to be a convincing comparison for Binnington. Larkin finally settles on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Murray. Murray also came out of nowhere as a rookie, albeit a 21-year-old rookie, to start 13 games down the stretch and then lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup behind a stellar postseason. Despite Murray’s lack of NHL experience, the Penguins had seen enough to reward their young keeper with a three-year extension worth $3.75MM per year. While Binnington is significantly older and a less heralded prospect, he has a larger sample size and slightly better regular season numbers than Murray, making the deal a fair comparison. Under the current salary cap, which is likely to increase this summer, Murray’s deal would equate to about a $4.25MM AAV for Binnington. So what should Blues fans expect in a Binnington extension? The safe bet is somewhere between three and four years at $4-4.5MM per year, but a Stanley Cup title could still push that value even higher for the breakout keeper.

  • According to Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com, Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour says there is a “pretty good chance” he goes back to Curtis McElhinney in net for an elimination Game Four against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. McElhinney has played well this postseason in relief of Petr Mrazek, including in Game Three. McElhinney made 29 saves and allowed just two goals on Tuesday night after Mrazek surrendered ten goals combined in Games One and Two. At this point, McElhinney does seem to give the Hurricanes the best chance to win against Boston, but is there more at stake here? Whether McElhinney or Mrazek are in net, the odds of Carolina winning Game Four are slim and the chances they win four in a row to advance are much, much worse. When the ’Canes are inevitably eliminated, they face a reality of both Mrazek and McElhinney being unrestricted free agents. If forced to choose between the two, one would certainly think that the team would prefer to bring back Mrazek, who outplayed McElhinney this season – and is nine years younger. However, they take the risk in going back to McElhinney, who lost nevertheless in Game Three, that Mrazek no longer feels like the top option in Carolina and looks for other opportunities on the open market. After a strong season, the Hurricanes can’t afford a downgrade in net, so unless they are open to spending more on a free agent upgrade to Mrazek – a Robin Lehner or Semyon Varlamov for example – they’ll need to be careful with how the approach his confidence as this playoff run winds down.
  • Is new Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland happy to enter next season with Mikko Koskinen and (Group 6 free agent) Anthony Stolarz in net? If not, he could have a hard time attracting free agents and might instead look to his old team for help. Steve Yzerman may also want to bring in fresh blood in Detroit, but the Red Wings are locked in to Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier next season to the tune of $7MM. The ink is still drying on Howard’s extension with the team and his loyalty likely lies more with the city of Detroit than with Holland. After a nice season, it would be a surprise for Howard to be dealt away. However, Yzerman will likely be willing to move the disappointing Bernier and Holland would seemingly be interested. After all, it was Holland who signed the journeyman to a three-year, $9MM contract just last summer. He very well may feel that Bernier can still live up to that contract, even after a poor first season with the Red Wings. It would not come as much of a surprise if Bernier outperforms Koskinen next season, so if Holland can re-acquire the veteran net minder on the cheap, it could make sense for the Oilers.

Prospect Notes: Comrie, Ollas Mattsson, Praplan

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Less than two weeks after acquiring his WHL rights, the Kelowna Rockets have convinced defenseman Sean Comrie to leave the college level and join the junior ranks. The Rockets announced that the 19-year-old has signed on with the team beginning next season, leaving behind the University of Denver. Comrie, an Edmonton native, has always been a well-regarded prospect. He was initially drafted by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the second round of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. However, he opted to go the college route and committed to Denver instead of the WHL. Prior to heading to school, Comrie had a breakout campaign with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints in 2017-18, recording 34 points in 54 games. Many scouting sources projected Comrie to be a late-round draft pick last year, but he was surprisingly passed over. Joining the Pioneers as a freshman, the young blue liner likely hoped a strong NCAA campaign could get him back on the draft radar this year. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way; Comrie was used sparingly at Denver and did little with the ice time he did get, recording one lone point in 18 games. Looking to get his development back on track, it is no surprise that Comrie has decided to leave the college game to try his hand in juniors instead. The Rockets clearly still believe in his potential, as they moved back five spots in the first round of the WHL Draft earlier this month to acquire his rights. The next question now is whether an NHL team still sees enough in him to take a chance in the draft this season despite a down year.

  • Adam Ollas Mattsson seemingly did enough this season to finally earn an NHL contract from the Calgary Flames. Instead, he is back in his native Sweden visiting the Malmo Redhawks and is expected to sign, reports Swedish news source Kvalls Posten. Ollas Mattsson, 22, was a sixth-round pick by the Flames back in 2014 and stands out on the ice at 6’5″ and nearly 220 lbs. However, concerns about his skill level and skating led Calgary to refrain from signing him to an entry-level contract. Instead, Ollas Mattson chose to prove himself by signing an AHL contract with the Stockton Heat in 2016. After two seasons of being a little-used depth option, Ollas Mattson broke out this year, skating in 65 games for Stockton and recording 18 points and +22 rating. Not only was this campaign a career best across the board for Ollas Mattson, it was among the best seasons for any Heat players. The big Swede led the team in plus/minus by a drastic margin, led all defenseman in games played, and finished third among defensemen in scoring. Admittedly, even a season like that was unlikely to push Ollas Mattson into the NHL ice time conversation on a crowded Calgary blue line, but it should have at least earned him an NHL contract. Whether he made the choice to return to Sweden willingly or felt the Flames and their NHL competitors had no interest, Ollas Mattson heads back to his homeland a much better player who may still yet draw NHL interest down the road. The former Djurgardens junior standout will switch teams, joining a Malmo squad that will get a big boost from the big defender.
  • Swiss forward Vincent Praplan is at least considering following in Ollas Mattson’s footsteps. The Florida Panthers prospect, who is a restricted free agent, has been linked to SC Bern of the Swiss NLA already this off-season, after just one season in the NHL. Praplan, 24, signed a one-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks last summer and hoped to compete for a roster spot. Instead, he played exclusively with the AHL’s Barracuda until a deadline deal that sent him to the Panthers for only “future considerations”. Florida also sent Praplan to the AHL, where he finished out the season with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Now, Swiss news site Berner Zeitung writes that he is prepared to return to Switzerland if he does not receive a qualifying offer, or perhaps even a guarantee of NHL action, from the Panthers. Given the Panthers’ deep forward corps and their willingness to be active in free agency this summer, odds are Praplan plays in more games in Bern next season than in Sunrise.

Poll: Which Unrestricted Free Agents Will Columbus Re-Sign?

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The Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Jarmo Kekalainen specifically now face the harsh reality of what happens when you go all-in against pocket aces. The team threw their chips in the middle when they went out and acquired Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid at the deadline, propping up a squad that was already headlined by two star players that didn’t want to negotiate extensions. Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are likely on their way out of town—not before making a splash in the real estate market though—leaving the team with plenty of questions to answer this summer.

The Blue Jackets now have a handful of players that could land big deals in the summer, and Kekalainen will have to make a decision on who to try and keep around. He wants players that love the city, but it’s not clear if any of the big names are willing to commit to Columbus. That has led to plenty of speculation about how the Blue Jackets will navigate the next few weeks, including from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) who today examined the possibility of a sign-and-trade scenario. That kind of move would require quite a bit of planning between several parties, but could result in the Blue Jackets reclaiming some of those chips that are sitting in piles all around the table.

There is the possibility that several players will be retained by the Blue Jackets. Duchene specifically made quite an impact after a trade from the Ottawa Senators, and experienced the longest playoff run of his career, something he has been chasing for some time. The 28-year old center registered ten points in ten postseason contests, and was routinely one of the best players on the ice for the Blue Jackets. His situation is tricky though, as the Blue Jackets would owe the Senators another first-round pick in 2020 if they re-sign Duchene. That’s a high extra fee to pay on a deal that will already be quite expensive. Duchene is heading into the summer as one of the very best free agents available, and could command a huge salary on a long-term deal.

So who will the team bring back? Will any of the high profile names return, or are the Blue Jackets destined to hand over the offensive keys to Pierre-Luc Dubois and the other young exciting prospects? With a defense headlined by Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, the latter of which also needs a new contract as a restricted free agent, do they even need to bring back any of their outgoing players?

Vote below on who you think will be back with the Blue Jackets next season. Select as many names as you wish, and leave a comment to explain your choices!

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Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Kasper Bjorkqvist

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have convinced Kasper Bjorkqvist to forego his senior season at Providence College and join the professional ranks. The 21-year old forward has signed a two-year entry-level contract, ending his NCAA career. Pittsburgh assistant GM Bill Guerin released a statement on the organization’s newest player:

Kasper was able to produce in big games throughout his college career, and he was fortunate to play in a lot of them. Playing for an outstanding program in Providence allowed him to go far in the NCAA Tournament each season, so he received a lot of great experience.

We were very happy with the steady progression in Kasper’s production. I know Kasper expected that improvement in his personal numbers each season. He is also a very disciplined hockey player who plays a very team-oriented game.

Bjorkqvist comes to the Penguins as a polished two-way player after three years with Providence, his North American destination following a junior hockey career in Finland. The hard working forward finished with 17 goals and 30 points in his most recent season, but still brings some question marks offensively. Those questions don’t extend to his defensive game however, where he should provide a stabilizing presence for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or even Pittsburgh in due time.

The college market has been good to the Penguins in recent years, and Bjorkqvist should be the latest product to help the NHL team eventually. Selected 61st overall in 2016 he may not have the highest ceiling but could offer some inexpensive depth for a club looking to make some major changes this summer.

Snapshots: Monarchs, Myers, Wagner

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The Manchester Monarchs are no more. The ECHL team announced today that they would be ceasing operations after 18 seasons, meaning the Los Angeles Kings no longer have an affiliate in the league. According to Jon Rosen the Kings are expected to share an ECHL affiliate with another NHL team, though it is not yet clear who that will be.

The Monarchs franchise was actually founded in 1993 as the Huntington Blizzard, and have gone by several other names over the years including the Ontario Reign—the two minor league affiliates swapped in 2015, keeping a professional team that had been there since 2001 in the city. During their four-year run as the Monarchs in the ECHL, the team made the Kelly Cup playoffs every season and advanced to the third round in 2017. Several NHL players have spent time with the team, including 2018-19 rookies Jayce Hawryluk, Josh Brown and Jacob Middleton.

  • Team Canada is now without Brandon Montour for the rest of the IIHF World Championship, so were desperately trying to find a defenseman who could be added in the final roster spot. That defenseman is Philippe Myers, who today was added from the Philadelphia Flyers. Myers finally made his NHL debut this season and will now get the chance to represent his country on the world stage.
  • The Boston Bruins have received huge contributions from depth forwards like Chris Wagner in the postseason, but will have to find another source for the time being. Wagner has returned to Boston for further tests on his injured arm, one that was seen in a sling after he blocked a shot against the Carolina Hurricanes and was forced to exit game three. The Bruins will insert Noel Acciari into the lineup for game four in Carolina. If Wagner does not return in these playoffs he’ll end the postseason with an impressive 44 hits in 12 games while contributing two goals.

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