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Archives for June 2019

Snapshots: Aberg, Bournival, Pasquale, Glass

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Minnesota is not expected to tender winger Pontus Aberg a qualifying offer this summer, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required).  The Wild acquired him from Anaheim in January in the hopes that he’d be able to give them some much-needed secondary scoring after picking up 11 goals in just 37 games with the Ducks.  However, he managed just a single tally in 22 games with Minnesota.  Between that and the fact he has arbitration eligibility where his dozen goals would have him in line for a nice raise from the league minimum $650K he made over each of the last two seasons, the fact that they’re leaning towards letting him go shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Tampa Bay UFA Michael Bournival has retired, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse announced (Twitter link). The 27-year-old showed some promise early in his career with Montreal but injuries limited him in his time both there and with Tampa.  In 2018-19, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after just five games.  He wraps up his career with 127 NHL games between Montreal and Tampa Bay (regular season and playoffs), posting 12 goals and 11 assists.
  • While he made his NHL debut this past season, Lightning UFA goaltender Eddie Pasquale is heading overseas. Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL announced that they’ve signed the netminder to a one-year contract.  Pasquale was the starter for AHL Syracuse in 2018-19, posting a 2.35 GAA in 45 appearances while also getting into three games with Tampa Bay, his first career NHL appearances.  Between this and their trade of Connor Ingram earlier today, their goaltending depth has taken a bit of a hit.
  • Veteran winger Tanner Glass has retired and will join the Rangers in a player personnel role, reports Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. He spent parts of four seasons with New York in the past and after failing to land an NHL contract last summer, he played in France in 2018-19.  He wraps up his playing days with nearly 600 career NHL games played with six different teams.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Islanders have been active with some of their key UFAs but GM Lou Lamoriello still has some work to do.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Anthony Beauvillier – While he hasn’t become a full-time fixture in the top six just yet, Beauvillier has been a capable secondary scorer for the Islanders, tallying 39 goals over the last two seasons.  That type of production is certainly valuable to have so he will be a top priority for Lamoriello once he deals with his UFA class.  Because of his role, the 22-year-old is a likely candidate for a bridge deal at this point with an eye on having a big year over the next season or two to land a richer contract with arbitration eligibility down the road.

F Josh Ho-Sang – While fellow RFA Michael Dal Colle has had more of an NHL impact so far, Ho-Sang’s case is the more intriguing of the two.  He has made it known that he feels he should have been given more time with the Islanders and even spoke openly about how he could have been dealt in advance of the trade deadline to a place where he could have had more of an opportunity.  The team has confirmed he’ll be qualified but beyond that, his future is uncertain.  It’s certainly possible that he’s a trade candidate once again over the coming weeks.

Other RFAs: F Michael Dal Colle, F John Stevens

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Anders Lee – For the second straight season, their captain is slated to hit unrestricted free agency but the odds of him sticking around are certainly relatively strong.  Both sides have expressed an interest in getting something done and there have been discussions going back several months now.  However, the length of the contract seems to be holding things up with Lee’s side seeking a long-term pact while Lamoriello wants a shorter deal.  The soon-to-be 29-year old has scored at least 25 goals in four of the last five seasons including a 40-goal campaign in 2017-18.  That has him poised to be one of the top wingers available on the open market and he will wind up with a significant raise on the $3.75MM he had on his previous contract.

G Robin Lehner – What a turnaround season he had.  After being non-tendered by the goaltending-starved Sabres, Lehner completely turned things around both on and off the ice, putting together a career season in the process.  Now, instead of being viewed as a short-term stopgap, the 27-year-old could be looked as a multi-year fit, both with New York and around the league.  He’s also in line for a significant raise on the $1.5MM he made in 2018-19 and after playing on one-year deals the last two seasons, he’ll get some much-coveted security as well.

Other UFAs: F Steve Bernier, F Valtteri Filppula, F Stephen Gionta, F Tom Kuhnhackl, D Luca Sbisa, D Dennis Seidenberg, F Mike Sislo

Projected Cap Space: With a little over $60MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly) following the recent re-signings of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle, Lamoriello has plenty of cap space at his disposal for this summer.  A decent chunk of that will go to Lee and Lehner if they re-sign but even if they do, the Islanders have the cap space to make a big splash on the open market this offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Capitals Hoping To Re-Sign Carl Hagelin

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Carl Hagelin made a positive impression on the Capitals after they acquired him from Los Angeles in advance of the trade deadline.  However, keeping him in the fold was going to be tricky given their salary cap situation.  As a result of today’s defensive swap with Philadelphia though, they now have over $3MM in room to work with.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Washington is hoping to put that some of that money towards keeping Hagelin around as they are still trying to get him signed to a new contract.

While Washington was able to get away with carrying Hagelin at a reduced rate in 2018-19 thanks to the Penguins and Kings retaining part of his $4MM contract, that won’t be the case this time around.  The question for them now is how close to his old AAV will they have to get to in order to keep him in the fold.

Although he’s coming of a particularly rough season offensively (just five goals and 14 assists in 58 games), Hagelin was somewhat productive in his time with Washington as 11 of his 19 points came with them in just 20 contests.  However, he was largely held off the scoresheet in their first-round loss as he had just a single assist in seven games.

Even if he’s no longer much of an offensive threat, the 30-year-old is still a very strong skater and penalty killer and should be able to play in that role for a few more years.   Those qualities are what made Washington interested in him in the first place so it’s no surprise that they want to keep him around.  As a result of the trade, they now have at least $10MM in cap space for next year (the actual amount won’t be known until the Upper Limit is officially set) so their ability to bring Hagelin back has certainly gotten a boost.

Boston Bruins Announce Laundry List Of Playoff Injuries

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The Boston Bruins held their locker clean out and final media availability today, and many of the questions regarded the obvious injuries that plagued the whole roster. The Bruins, like many other teams the St. Louis Blues have faced, explained their long list of ailments but didn’t use them as an excuse. Among the injuries were:

  • Zdeno Chara – Multiple fractures in jaw, recovery period is five to six weeks. Will have MRI on lower-body injury.
  • Kevan Miller – Fractured kneecap, hopeful for start of next season.
  • Brad Marchand – Abdominal, groin injuries, sprained hand.
  • Patrice Bergeron – Groin injury, no surgery required.
  • Noel Acciari – Broken sternum. Further testing to be done on right foot, currently in walking boot.
  • Jake DeBrusk – Concussion.
  • John Moore – Broken humerus, four to six month recovery.

While many of the injuries were obvious, some were not so apparent. DeBrusk for example was allowed back into the lineup despite telling Joe McDonald of The Athletic that he battled through the injury since the first round. While not all of the details will ever likely emerge on the diagnosis and treatment, it is concerning that he was allowed to play at all. Rick Nash battled through a concussion to play in the playoffs last season for Boston, and ended up deciding to retire in part because of those issues.

Still, few of the injuries appear as though they’ll have a huge impact on the 2019-20 season. More important perhaps were the comments made from some of the other players on the roster, including Charlie McAvoy who told reporters he wants to stay in Boston “forever.” McAvoy is a restricted free agent this summer and will need a new contract. David Backes meanwhile, who sat out much of the playoffs despite his hefty contract, knows that it may be the end for him in a Bruins uniform. The veteran forward said he’s “not naive” in believing that the team isn’t looking for a way to shed his salary. Backes has two years left on his contract that carries a $6MM cap hit.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Ilya Lyubushkin

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The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed Ilya Lyubushkin to a one-year contract, avoiding restricted free agent with the young defenseman. Signed out of Russia in 2018, Lyubushkin was limited to a one-year entry-level contract that was set to expire at the end of the month. The team did not disclose the salary of the new contract, but GM John Chayka did release a statement on the deal:

We are pleased to re-sign Ilya. He was a solid addition to our team last year and provided us with depth and a physical presence on our blueline. We look forward to having him on our roster this season.

The 25-year old defenseman ended up playing in 41 games for the Coyotes and immediately made his presence felt with an eye-popping physical style. Recording 150 hits and 61 blocked shots despite averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night, he played his way into this contract extension by providing something that is relatively hard to find in today’s NHL. In fact, only Oliver Ekman-Larsson recorded more hits among the Coyotes defense and he played in 40 more games than Lyubushkin. That physicality won’t guarantee him a starting spot in the top-six, but it will certainly put him in the NHL for at least one more season.

There isn’t a lot of offensive upside in Lybushkin, as his career high even in the KHL was 11 points in a single season. Impressively though he took only four minor penalties all season, a remarkable feat for such a physical defenseman.

Tampa Bay Lightning Trade Connor Ingram

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded prospect Connor Ingram to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a seventh round pick in 2021. Ingram has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

It’s been a very odd year for the 22-year old goaltender, as Ingram was sent down to the ECHL almost immediately after being named an AHL All-Star. Little was explained about the decision, but Ingram spent the rest of the season with the Orlando Solar Bears. In his 22 appearances at the AHL level, Ingram recorded a 14-7 record and posted a .922 save percentage. In a bizarre situation, the trade was actually listed on NHL.com’s trade tracker before either Ingram or his agent were notified, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic.

Originally selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, Ingram was a top goaltending prospect that had competed for Canada internationally and dominated the WHL. He actually stepped into professional hockey in 2017 with no trouble, posting a 20-11 record for Syracuse in his rookie year. That kind of production is exactly what the Predators are hoping for, though obviously whatever came between him and the Lightning organization will have to be resolved if he wants to flourish with his new team.

Minnesota Wild Hope To Extend Jared Spurgeon

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Of all names in trade speculation coming out regarding the Minnesota Wild, Jared Spurgeon’s was perhaps the most surprising. While the 29-year old defenseman has just one year remaining on his current contract, he is also one of the most consistent two-way defensemen in the league and is coming off a career-high 43 points for the Wild. Spurgeon was forced to carry more of the offensive load after Matthew Dumba went down with injury, and ended up averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the third consecutive season. That kind of player is extremely hard to come by, which made it curious why his name was coming up in any speculation. Wild GM Paul Fenton put an end to that today while speaking to reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic, indicating that he does not plan on trading Spurgeon and instead wants to sign him to an extension.

The Wild have made their fair share of trades over the last few months as Fenton tries to put his signature on the club, but trading Spurgeon may be the limit he’s unwilling to cross. After sending Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund packing in three separate trades, Jason Zucker has also been included in talks and is expected to be dealt at some point. Part of the rationale behind those moves was clearing long-term salary off the books, probably in order to do something like extend Spurgeon. Minnesota is still hamstrung by the massive contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise—even if both are still fine players—and already have multi-year commitments to several other players.

It’s not just Spurgeon who will need a new deal soon however, as fellow defenseman Jonas Brodin will be looking for a raise after his current deal ends in 2021. Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek are already restricted free agents this summer, and a decision will have to be made at some point down the road on Devan Dubnyk’s future. Locking up Spurgeon to a long-term deal certainly keeps around a great player, but also makes everything a little tighter in terms of cap dollars available. Any extension will likely represent a big increase on the $5.19MM cap hit he carries currently, and may even push Suter and Parise for the team’s most expensive contract.

Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Gustav Olofsson

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The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with pending restricted free agent Gustav Olofsson on a one-year two-way deal. The contract will pay Olofsson $700K in the NHL level, and guarantee him at least $300K. The 24-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal if he fails to play in 24 NHL games this season.

Olofsson was acquired by the Canadiens last October, but ended up playing in just two AHL games all season thanks to a shoulder injury. That meant he wasn’t able to help Montreal as they dealt with injuries on the NHL club, and sent him into this offseason in uncertain territory. Apparently he did enough to impress the front office and will try to show he can be an asset to the organization in 2019-20.

Montreal now has just three more defensemen to make a decision on, as Jordie Benn (UFA), Mike Reilly (RFA) and Brett Lernout (RFA) are the only free agents remaining. Even before any big moves this summer the team has a good amount of depth on the blue line, though it could probably use an upgrade at the NHL level if the Canadiens want to return to the playoffs. Olofsson isn’t that just yet, but don’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity to show he belongs at the highest level.

Toronto Maple Leafs Shopping Garret Sparks

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The Toronto Maple Leafs watched this postseason as past goaltenders suited up for other teams. Not only did they have to watch Tuukka Rask, a Maple Leafs’ draft pick, nearly take home the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, but even Curtis McElhinney with the Carolina Hurricanes eight months after losing him on waivers. McElhinney was excellent for the Hurricanes all season when called upon while Garret Sparks, the goaltender that was kept instead, struggled at various times throughout the year. Sparks finished with just a .902 save percentage through 20 appearances, and now may be headed somewhere else. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Maple Leafs are “quietly” shopping Sparks in trade talks.

Sparks, 25, actually signed a one-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs just a few months ago, a deal that will pay him $750K next season. That kind of low cap hit is exactly what Toronto needs from their backup goaltender given how much they’re spending on the rest of the roster, but they also need some consistency in net behind Frederik Andersen. Andersen has started more games and faced more shots than any other netminder over the past three seasons, something that likely won’t change unless Sparks takes a necessary step forward or the Maple Leafs bring in a different option.

They can’t spend much more than that $750K however, given the incoming contracts for Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. Even if the team is able to rid themselves of Nikita Zaitsev and Patrick Marleau they will still be in a cap crunch where every dollar counts. There are several veteran options on the market this summer, but a rare few (if any) will be taking close to the league minimum.

There is also the situation behind Sparks for the Maple Leafs to worry about. Kasimir Kaskisuo likely pencils in as the third option on the depth chart, and the 25-year old has struggled at times in the AHL. Toronto does have Ian Scott and Joseph Woll in the system, but both are just about to start their professional careers and shouldn’t be relied on for anything at this point.

Morning Notes: Eriksson, Sabres, Afanasyev

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Loui Eriksson has been at the center of trade speculation for the last few weeks, and his name came up again when agent J.P. Barry was on Sportsnet radio today. Barry explained that he will work with Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning on how to go about Eriksson’s future, and noted that “for a lot of hockey reasons, it might be better for Loui to play somewhere else.” These comments come after Eriksson spoke out last month about how he was being used and how he didn’t see eye to eye with head coach Travis Green.

The 33-year old was infamously part of a spending spree on July 1, 2016 that has resulted in some of the worst contracts around the league, and still has three years remaining on the deal he signed that day. Eriksson comes with a $6MM cap hit for those three years, and actually has a full no-trade clause for this season. That means he gets to have a say in where he plays in 2019-20, but it may be difficult to find a taker given he has scored just 32 total goals in his three seasons in Vancouver.

  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have hired Don Granato and Mike Bales as assistant coaches, adding them to Ralph Krueger’s staff that also includes Steve Smith. Goaltending coach Bales recently parted ways with the Carolina Hurricanes and was immediately linked to the Sabres, given his history with Buffalo GM Jason Botterill from their time in Pittsburgh together. Granato meanwhile spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has plenty of head coaching experience in the USHL, ECHL and AHL.
  • The Windsor Spitfires have convinced Egor Afanasyev to commit to the OHL next season, giving them another intriguing weapon to deploy up front. The 18-year old forward starred for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL last season scoring 62 points in 58 games and could very well find himself selected early in this month’s NHL Entry Draft. Afanasyev was ranked 16th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and is an attractive mix of size and skill that could be snapped up by a team who believes in his ceiling. No matter what NHL team picks him, the 6’4″ forward will be part of an excellent junior program in Windsor and should be given every chance to develop.

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