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Archives for June 2019

Decision On Playing Future Coming Soon From Roberto Luongo

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The Florida Panthers have been linked to Sergei Bobrovsky since he made his intention to hit free agency known, but with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer still under contract it didn’t seem possible without an additional transaction. Recently a report surfaced that the Panthers are trying to find a trade for Reimer, but Luongo’s future still was unclear. Today, Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted that a decision is expected to come from Luongo over the next few days on what he plans to do this season: play, retire, or start the year on long-term injured reserve.

Luongo, 40, has a lingering hip issue that has limited him in recent seasons and theoretically end his career if he decided not to push it further. That could be a solution for the Panthers, who could put his contract on long-term injured reserve for some additional cap flexibility or potentially trade it to a team looking to hit the cap floor. Luongo currently has three years remaining on his current deal, but is owed just over $3.6MM in actual salary on his extremely front-loaded deal. That structure is why retirement is a terrible option for the Panthers (and Vancouver Canucks, who signed the deal in the first place and are retaining some of the salary).

Deals like Luongo’s 12-year contract were outlawed in the latest CBA negotiations, with a cap recapture penalty being put in place for any player that retires early. The idea was to punish teams for adding years to a contract that were never meant to actually be played just to reduce the average annual value. Though there is no consensus currently on the exact numbers, Seravalli tweets that if Luongo were to retire right now the Canucks would face a $3.03MM cap recapture penalty for the next three years, while the Panthers would face a $1.09MM penalty for the same duration.

Still, there is always the option of playing again. While Luongo wasn’t his usual self last season due to the injury, he’s only one year away from a season in which he posted a .929 save percentage, his best since 2004. If the team can find a way to move Reimer, perhaps in a reduced role he could still be an effective option even at his high price tag.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vancouver Canucks Closing In On Deal With Alex Edler

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The Vancouver Canucks have finally found some common ground with defenseman Alexander Edler. After months of negotiating and things coming close to a breaking point recently, the two sides are closing in on a three-year deal according to both David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Friedman also notes that the deal will not include a no-movement clause that would guarantee protection from the upcoming expansion draft, a sticking point in the negotiations that was resolved recently. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet however notes that the deal isn’t quite done yet, and questions the accuracy of the three-year term. He does however note that he expects something to be completed eventually.

Edler, 33, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but will remain with the only NHL organization he’s ever known. Selected in the third round of the 2004 draft, he became one of four players from that Vancouver draft class to have long NHL careers. Cory Schneider (26th overall), Mike Brown (159th) and Jannik Hansen (287th) also made it to the league, an impressive achievement from the Canucks scouting group at the time.

In Edler, they found more than just a fringe NHL player. The Swedish defenseman quickly made his presence felt in Vancouver, and by his first full year in the NHL he was already averaging more than 21 minutes a night. He’s maintained that level of responsibility throughout his entire career, even averaging more than 24 minutes in each of the last four seasons. Unfortunately those four seasons—and several before that—have been marred by injury, limiting him to just 246 games played since the start of the 2015-16 season. The puck-moving defenseman still recorded 109 points during that time, but has been unavailable for long stretches. If he’s to help the Canucks get back to the playoffs in the coming years, he’ll have to find a way to stay on the ice.

Even with Quinn Hughes ready to emerge as a top option for the Canucks, the team is looking for help on the blue line and would have faced an even bigger hole had Edler left this summer. The veteran is a leader on the team and will allow Hughes to face some more favorable matchups as he continues to get his feet wet in the NHL.

Hockey Canada Announces Invitees For 2019 Junior Development Camp

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Hockey Canada has announced their 43-man roster for the 2019 National Junior Team Development Camp, the first step towards participating at the next World Junior tournament. GM Mark Hunter and head coach Dale Hunter will be evaluating all 43 players over a four-game stretch in Plymouth, Michigan between July 27-August 4 where they will take on a team from the United States as well as Finland and Sweden. Team Canada will be broken into two teams for the short showcase.

The list of players includes many already drafted names, but also some that are available this weekend or even next June in the 2020 Entry Draft. The full group is listed below:

G Colten Ellis (2019 draft eligible)
G Zachary Emond (SJS)
G Alexis Gravel (CHI, unsigned)
G Hunter Jones (2019 draft eligible)
G Olivier Rodrigue (EDM)

D Calen Addison (PIT)
D Kevin Bahl (ARI)
D Justin Barron (2020 draft eligible)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT, unsigned)
D Bowen Byram (2019 draft eligible)
D Peter Diliberatore (VGK, unsigned)
D Noah Dobson (NYI)
D Thomas Harley (2019 draft eligible)
D Braden Schneider (2020 draft eligible)
D Ty Smith (NJD)
D Jonny Tychonick (OTT, unsigned)
D Jett Woo (VAN)

F Luka Burzan (2019 draft eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (2019 draft eligible)
F Kirby Dach (2019 draft eligible)
F Riley Damiani (DAL)
F Ty Dellandrea (DAL)
F Aidan Dudas (LAK, unsigned)
F Carson Focht (2019 draft eligible)
F Cole Fonstad (MTL, unsigned)
F Nolan Foote (2019 draft eligible)
F Gabriel Fortier (TBL)
F Liam Foudy (CBJ)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (ANA, unsigned)
F Barrett Hayton (ARI)
F Mathias Laferriere (STL, unsigned)
F Alexis Lafreniere (2020 draft eligible)
F Raphael Lavoie (2019 draft eligible)
F Jack McBain (MIN, unsigned)
F Allan McShane (MTL, unsigned)
F Alex Newhook (2019 draft eligible)
F Serron Noel (FLA)
F Ryan Suzuki (2019 draft eligible)
F Akil Thomas (LAK)
F Philip Tomasino (2019 draft eligible)
F Joe Veleno (DET)

Sale Of Arizona Coyotes Approved By League

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The Arizona Coyotes will be sold to Alex Meruelo, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the NHL’s Board of Governors have approved the sale. The transfer will actually take place in July as long as everything proceeds as planned, at which point current owner Andrew Barroway is expected to retain a minority stake.

The Coyotes have a long and varied history of ownership, including former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, Wayne Gretzky and the NHL themselves at different times. Barroway purchased a majority stake in the team in 2014, after a failing bid to get into ownership with the New York Islanders. He bought out the remaining investors in 2017, a move that was quickly followed by a change in leadership for the team, with Gary Drummond and Dave Tippett both leaving the organization entirely. There were also some hard on-ice decisions made, including leaving Shane Doan unsigned and trading Mike Smith to the Calgary Flames.

In 2017 there was also a real push from the league to find a way to move Arizona to a new arena, as commissioner Gary Bettman penned a letter explaining to legislators that “the Coyotes cannot and will not remain in Glendale.” The battle for a move out of Glendale will now fall to the new ownership.

Obviously, this transfer of ownership will also bring up the long standing issue of franchise relocation. Not just finding a new arena for the Coyotes in Phoenix, but the idea that the team could move to another city and state entirely. With the announcement that the team will be moving into the Central Division once the Seattle expansion franchise is operational, many had speculated on a potential move to Houston. When the NBA’s Houston Rockets were sold to Tilman Fertitta in October of 2017, he immediately expressed interest in bringing the NHL to the city.

The NHL however, for all the strong language about not remaining in Glendale, has always strongly supported the Coyotes staying in the Arizona market. Indeed they will remain there for the time being, as relocation is a last resort for the league. Hopefully new ownership will be able to finally find some financial and organizational stability for the franchise.

Snapshots: Edler, Hiller, Grabovski

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The Vancouver Canucks may not be parting ways with Alexander Edler after all. Several reports including Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet have surfaced today that the two sides are making positive progress on a new deal, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the biggest hurdle has been resolved. That would be Edler’s availability for the upcoming expansion draft, something that was a major sticking point in early talks. The Canucks previously had not wanted to give Edler a no-movement clause that would make him automatically protected in the draft, through Friedman doesn’t go into detail on how the two sides have resolved the problem.

Edler, 33, is coming off a six-year, $30MM deal with the Canucks and is still arguably their most important defenseman. While that may change soon with the emergence of Quinn Hughes, losing him would create a huge 24-minute-a-night hole on their blue line. Even in a season limited by injury Edler still managed to record 34 points in 56 games and would be a top option on the free agent market if left unsigned.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be bringing back either of their assistant coaches this season, as Friedman tweets that Jim Hiller is heading to re-join Lou Lamoriello with the New York Islanders. The team had already watched D.J. Smith take the head coaching position with the Ottawa Senators, meaning Mike Babcock will need to find a few new faces to join him behind the bench in 2019-20. Hiller ran the Maple Leafs’ powerplay which despite ranking eighth in the entire league at 21.8%, was still seen as a relative disappointment given the talent they had to offer. Still, he’s a very experienced coach that joins another excellent staff under Barry Trotz in New York.
  • Though Mikhail Grabovski hasn’t suited up for a professional game since the 2015-16 season, only today did he officially announce his retirement. The 35-year old was forced out of the game due to concussion issues, but was actually still under contract through the 2017-18 season. In fact, Grabovski will still earn a paycheck for the next two years from a 2013 buyout at the hands of the Maple Leafs. In 534 career games, the shifty center recorded 296 points playing for the Maple Leafs, Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.

Flyers Sign Kevin Hayes To Long-Term Contract

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June 19: The contract has been officially announced by the Flyers, matching the financial details originally reported. GM Chuck Fletcher released this statement:

We are very happy to sign Kevin to a long term contract. He plays a smart, two-way game and is just entering the prime of his career. Kevin will add size and skill to our line-up.

The deal will include a no-movement clause for the first three years and a 12-team no-trade clause the remaining four.

Per CapFriendly, the contract breaks down as follows:

2019-20: $4MM base salary, $5MM signing bonus
2020-21: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2021-22: $9MM base salary
2022-23: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2023-24: $6.5MM base salary
2024-25: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus

June 18: As soon as the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Kevin Hayes’ negotiating rights from the Winnipeg Jets, they became the favorites to sign the two-way center. However, talks had not been going as expected until a recent report that progress was finally being made toward a contract resolution. Now, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that a deal is imminent. He expects the contract to be worth $50MM over seven years.

Hayes’ reported $7.14MM AAV, a raise of more than $2MM over his latest contract, puts him in the top 20 among NHL centers and continues an off-season that appears to be a players’ market. For a player with just five seasons of pro experience who has averaged less than 20 goals and 50 points per year, this may seem like a high cap number. While centers are paid a premium and Hayes’ defensive effectiveness needs to be taken into account, it is likely that some will be skeptical of this deal. Nevertheless, the Flyers did what they needed to to lock up a top young free agent and fill a major need down the middle. Now the team must hope that Hayes can continue on his upward trajectory set by a career-high 55 points this past season.

Hayes joins Erik Karlsson and Jeff Skinner as top impending free agents that have now re-signed for more than many expected. In comparison, this contract makes the New York Islanders’ extensions of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle look very team-friendly, but may make extending Anders Lee more difficult. Besides Hayes, the major beneficiary of this contract is Matt Duchene, who is considered the top free agent center and has a strong argument to make substantially more than Hayes. Lee can also fairly make that case. Marcus Johansson and Gustav Nyquist additionally stand to benefit, as they have similar per-game numbers to Hayes, albeit are older and not natural centers.

Hayes now joins fellow new Flyers Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen on a re-tooled roster that has undoubtedly gained the imprint of new GM Chuck Fletcher. And it’s only June. Where else Philadelphia goes this summer remains to be seen, but the team will certainly have a different look when they take the ice next season.

Montreal Canadiens To Host 2020 NHL Entry Draft

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The NHL Entry Draft is staying in Canada, as the league announced today that the 2020 draft will be held in Montreal on June 26-27. It was last held there in 2009, but Montreal has a long history with the draft including hosting the first 22 iterations from 1963 to 1984.

Not only will it be a great chance for the Canadiens to host the NHL, but potential first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere should feel right at home. The talented forward is from close by St-Eustache. Lafreniere recorded 128 points in 74 games this season for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL, despite being just 17 years old. He’ll hope to follow in the footsteps of the last man picked first in Montreal—John Tavares.

Ottawa Senators Extend Marcus Hogberg

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The Ottawa Senators have signed Marcus Hogberg to a two-year contract extension, carrying him through the 2020-21 season. The deal carries a $700K annual average value at the NHL level, but will be a two-way contract in the first year. Hogberg was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Now 24, Hogberg was originally selected in the third round of the 2013 draft but spent several years continuing his development in Sweden. Upcoming coming over to the Senators organization in 2017, he struggled at the AHL level and eventually found himself playing in the ECHL. In the most recent season however, Hogberg was excellent for the Belleville Senators and recorded a .917 save percentage in his 39 appearances. Add in a 21-17-4 record and 2.32 goals against average and it is no surprise that the team brought him back.

Hogberg was actually eligible for arbitration, though with only four NHL appearances under his belt he likely couldn’t have argued for a much better deal. This way he’ll know that he has some financial stability coming down the line, and he can keep working towards the goal of earning a full-time role with Ottawa in the future. That opportunity is certainly possible, as the Senators don’t have any long-term contracts for their NHL goaltenders currently.

Edmonton Notes: Puljujarvi, Broberg, Connolly

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It has seemed as though a fresh start might be in order for Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi, after several seasons of frustration from both the team and player. Selected fourth-overall in 2016, Puljujarvi hasn’t found his footing in the NHL (or AHL for that matter) and has just 37 points through 139 games. He heads into this offseason as a restricted free agent, and several reports have him on the trade block. Ryan Rishaug of TSN tweets this morning that the Oilers are looking for a third-line NHL forward in exchange for the young Puljujarvi, and if they can’t get one they might just hold tight.

Rishaug included several other nuggets of information:

  • The Oilers have the eighth-overall selection in this weekend’s draft, and may be looking at Swedish defenseman Philip Broberg. The 6’3″ defenseman played in Sweden’s second league this season and doesn’t turn 18 until next week. Broberg is a big, excellent skating defender, but some have questioned his hockey sense and upside over the last few months. The first round this year looks like it will be filled with interesting decisions, as the fifteen or so players ranked after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko could go in any order.
  • If the Oilers are looking at free agent forwards this offseason, Rishaug suggests that Washington Capitals UFA Brett Connolly will be of interest. The 27-year old scored 22 goals in 2018-19 and registered 46 points for the Capitals in a breakout season, finally showing some of the offensive upside that caused the Tampa Bay Lightning to draft him sixth overall in 2010. Connolly made just $1.5MM in each of the past two seasons, but has earned himself a healthy raise.

Anaheim Ducks Buy Out Corey Perry

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The Anaheim Ducks have done what would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Corey Perry has been bought out. Like Dion Phaneuf recently, Perry did not need to be placed on waivers first because of his no-movement clause. The 34-year old forward has two years remaining on his contract at an $8.625MM cap hit, meaning the buyout will cause the following cap hits for the next four years (via CapFriendly):

  • 2019-20: $2.625MM
  • 2020-21: $6.625MM
  • 2021-22: $2.00MM
  • 2022-23: $2.00MM

As discussed earlier this month, moving on from Perry may be more about the opportunity it will provide for the Ducks next wave of forwards. The deal will obviously save them some cap space next season, but because of the way his contract is structured—Perry was owed a $3MM signing bonus prior to the 2020-21 season—it will give them very little savings afterwards. In fact, the team is swallowing an additional two years of $2MM in order to get him off the roster, a big ask for a player who was once the franchise’s brightest star.

Perry was selected 28th overall in the 2003 draft and developed into one of the most dynamic goal scorers in the entire NHL. He was a huge part of the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup run, scoring 15 points in 21 games. In 2010-11 he lit the lamp 50 times, leading to him taking home the Rocket Richard and Hart trophies at the end of the year. He cracked the 30-goal mark four more times after that, but hasn’t been the same player in recent seasons.

In fact, Perry hasn’t even scored 20 goals in a single season since 2015-16 and missed most of last year with injury. Ten points in 31 games was all he could muster, leading to this moment where he will depart the only franchise he has ever known. The Ducks will take the minutes and money allocated to Perry—Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves too—and give younger players like Max Jones, Troy Terry, Daniel Sprong, Kiefer Sherwood, Max Comtois and Sam Steel, the next group of core forwards in Anaheim.

The question now however becomes whether or not Perry can find work somewhere else. It’s not often that a player with 372 career goals comes available, but there’s absolutely no guarantee he can ever be that kind of player again. A one-year deal may make the most sense in order for Perry to prove he can still compete at the NHL level, but it’s not clear yet who would be interested in giving it to him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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