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Archives for July 2019

Evan Rodrigues Receives Arbitration Award

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Another player has received an arbitration award, as Evan Rodrigues signs a one-year, $2MM contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Rodrigues had filed for a $2.65MM salary while the Sabres filed for just $1.5MM. The Sabres still have hearings scheduled with Remi Elie and Linus Ullmark for early next month.

Rodrigues, 25, is coming off his first full season in the NHL and recorded 29 points last season in 74 games. A former teammate of Jack Eichel at Boston University, Rodrigues was an undrafted free agent when he decided to sign with the Sabres in 2015. After showing he could hang at the NHL level in the 2017-18 season, he has now established himself as a full-time roster option for them moving forward.

No, the 5’10” center is not going to be mistaken for a star offensive player anytime soon, but giving the Sabres strong minutes down the middle is still valuable. Rodrigues has been moved around the lineup through his young career and also contributed last season on the powerplay and penalty kill, giving him a huge amount of versatility as they try to build the roster up. With new additions like Marcus Johansson and Jimmy Vesey figuring into the top-six it’s unlikely that Rodrigues will find a ton of minutes in that group, but he may have the most upside in that next group including players like Johan Larsson and Zemgus Girgensons.

The real test for Buffalo this season will be trying to get enough production out of that bottom-six to really compete, something that is far from decided at this point. The team obviously has some elite talent at the top of the lineup with Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner, but will need more competitiveness on a nightly basis from the rest. New head coach Ralph Krueger is certainly known for his ability to motivate players, something that the Sabres will hopefully experience this year as they try to compete for a playoff spot in the difficult Atlantic Division.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jordan Schmaltz

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Jordan Schmaltz from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Andreas Borgman. The deal does not include any other assets. Schmaltz is in the final season of a two-year contract signed in 2018, while Borgman was just signed to a one-year two-way deal in March.

Basically, this is a fresh start for two players who were buried on their respective depth charts. Despite including a first-round pick and an SHL Rookie of the Year, neither club might actually be getting any actual NHL games out of the deal. In Schmaltz’ case, the 25-year old has never lived up to his draft billing as the 25th overall pick in 2012 and has just 42 NHL games under his belt with the Blues. He has been a solid contributor at the minor leagues, but has been passed over time and again by other players in the Blues system including most recently by Mitch Reinke, who was outstanding in his first season of professional hockey.

In Toronto though, Schmaltz represents some much-needed depth on defense simply because he is right-handed. Toronto previously had just Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Justin Holl as right-handed options with NHL experience in the entire organization, meaning they needed to find someone else just in case they face injury. Head coach Mike Babcock has been clear in the past that his preference is playing defensemen on their strong side—except perhaps in the case of Ron Hainsey, who played the right side of Morgan Rielly the last two seasons. Schmaltz may actually have a shot at making the NHL roster out of camp because of this lack of depth, especially because Travis Dermott is expected to start on injured reserve thanks to shoulder surgery.

For Borgman, this could also represent a better opportunity to make it to the NHL, though he shouldn’t hold his breath. More likely the Blues wanted a player who was still waiver-exempt and on a two-way deal, in order to fill out their depth in the minor leagues. Borgman could potentially be an injury replacement at some point this season, but given the Blues retained their entire Stanley Cup-winning blue line while also adding Derrick Pouliot, it will be tough sledding to find much ice time.

Interestingly, both players will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer if they don’t get some time in the NHL this year. Borgman needs 32 games to keep him a restricted free agent, while Schmaltz would need 38.

Sheldon Dries Re-Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have avoided arbitration with Sheldon Dries, signing the forward to a one-year contract. Dries was scheduled for a hearing on August 4th, but obviously won’t need that now. Dries was the only arbitration case left on the books for the Avalanche. According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the deal is a two-way contract worth $735K at the NHL level.

Dries, 25, was an undrafted free agent coming out of Western Michigan University in 2017 and latched on with the Texas Stars on an AHL contract. That season he impressed the entire hockey world by scoring ten goals in the Calder Cup playoffs, helping the Stars reach the finals (which they would ultimately lose). He earned himself a one-year entry-level deal with the Avalanche and a chance to suit up for 40 games in the NHL during the 2018-19 season. Though he had just six points during those games, he established himself as a legitimate depth option that was deserving of another deal.

Whether Dries will see any more time in the NHL this season is still unclear. The Avalanche have improved their forward group tremendously with additions like Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky, not leaving a lot of room for players like Dries to compete. Still he could very easily see some games as an injury replacement, especially given he is waiver-exempt and can be moved up and down without an issue.

Arizona Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliate

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What’s old is new in terms of ECHL affiliates for the Arizona Coyotes, as they have reached a new two-year agreement with the Rapid City Rush. The Rush served as the Coyotes ECHL affiliate from 2015-17. Arizona assistant GM Steve Sullivan released a statement on the renewed partnership:

We are excited to once again partner with the Rapid City Rush as our ECHL affiliate. The Rush are a first class organization with a passionate fan base. We look forward to working with owners Jeff Dickerson and TJ Puchyr (Spire Sports and Entertainment) as well as owner Scott Mueller and Head Coach Daniel Tetrault.

The Coyotes were affiliated with the Norfolk Admirals last season and the Fort Wayne Komets the year prior, but will now get at least a little bit of stability with the two-year deal. Like any ECHL affiliation, the Coyotes can use the Rush for their raw or long-shot prospects as well as house their young goaltenders to give them some stable playing time.

West Notes: Engelland, Hutton, Eriksson

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The bonus structure for Deryk Engelland’s new contract has been reported by PuckPedia, and there are certainly some achievable milestones for the veteran defenseman. Engelland will receive a $300K bonus for playing in ten games, and an additional $100K at the 20 and 30 game thresholds. He’ll also get an additional $100K if he finishes the season in the top-five on the Vegas Golden Knights in ice time, an $100K for making the playoffs, and $25K for each successful round.

The relatively easy bonuses are another reason why the Golden Knights didn’t want to be using long-term injured reserve if they can avoid it, hence the trade of David Clarkson’s contract earlier this week. If they were using LTIR and Engelland reached the bonuses, they would be applied as a cap overage in 2020-21 giving the team even less room for additional spending. Obviously $800K in overages isn’t the end of the world, but for a team like Vegas who is expected to be cap-strapped for some time they can make a difference.

  • Ben Hutton’s agent Andy Scott of Octagon Hockey spoke to Rick Dhaliwal on Sportsnet radio, and explained that he has no doubt the free agent defenseman will be signed before the year starts. Hutton has “plenty of offers” according to Scott, though nothing has been worked out so far. Scott also gave his take on the Brock Boeser situation (who is represented by fellow Octagon agent Ben Hankinson) explaining that “everyone is taking it slow” in the market right now. Boeser is one of a huge number of star restricted free agents still without contracts as August nears.
  • The conversation around Vancouver Canucks forward Loui Eriksson continues, this time with Harman Dayal of The Athletic (subscription required) exploring potential trade options in the form of LTIR contracts coming back. The most eye-popping suggestion is one that revolves around Ryan Kesler, who is a polarizing figure in Vancouver. The veteran center heard boos for his entire career with the Anaheim Ducks whenever they traveled to Vancouver after forcing his way out of the Canucks organization in 2014, but is not expected to ever play again after debilitating hip injuries and multiple surgeries. Eriksson still has three years remaining on his contract which carries a $6MM cap hit.

Minor Transactions: 07/25/19

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As July marches on and we get into arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Michael Brodzinski has signed a one-year two-way AHL contract with the Belleville Senators, leaving the San Jose Sharks organization after three years bouncing between their AHL and ECHL affiliates. Interestingly his older brother Jonny Brodzinski just signed with the Sharks this offseason, though he likely has a real shot at playing some NHL games this season.
  • The Colorado Eagles have added another young goaltender to the mix, signing former Calgary Flames prospect Mason McDonald on an AHL contract. The 23-year old was selected 34th overall in 2014 but has spent most of his professional career in the ECHL to this point. McDonald will join Hunter Miska as another former top prospect with Colorado this season, an interesting pair to keep an eye on throughout the year.

MacKenzie Weegar Settles Prior To Arbitration

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Thursday: The team only just officially announced the deal, though obviously it was agreed to earlier this week since it is not an arbitration award.

Monday: The Florida Panthers and MacKenzie Weegar won’t need their arbitration hearing after all. CapFriendly reports that the two sides have agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.6MM. Two other arbitration cases are on the books for today, though they could also be settled at any point before a decision is awarded.

Weegar, 25, has been basically a full-time member of the Panthers the last two seasons suiting up for 124 games since the start of 2017-18. In that time he has recorded 23 points and solid enough possession numbers, though he is still sheltered and receives fewer than 16 minutes of ice time each night. That number could very well go down in 2019-20, as the team brought in veteran defenseman Anton Stralman to take over a ton of minutes on the right side. Stralman is carrying a $5.5MM cap hit in each of the next three years.

There will also be plenty of competition for the bottom pairing in Florida, as players like Mark Pysyk, Josh Brown and Ian McCoshen (still unsigned) battle for playing time. The Panthers have sunk a ton of money into the team this offseason to make it competitive under new head coach Joel Quenneville, meaning Weegar will need to play even better to get on the ice.

A one-year contract will leave the young defenseman a restricted free agent again next summer, when he will be arbitration eligible once again.

Max McCormick Signs With Carolina Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes have added some more forward depth, signing Max McCormick to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a $700K salary at the NHL level. GM Don Waddell released a short statement:

Max is a hard-nosed forward who has shown a scoring touch and an ability to kill penalties at the AHL level. This signing adds depth to our forward group.

McCormick, 27, spent most of his professional career in the Ottawa Senators organization before a trade last year took him to Colorado. In Ottawa, he received 71 NHL opportunities over the years in which he scored ten points and registered 78 penalty minutes. The feisty winger has been more effective in the minor leagues, meaning he’ll probably end up playing with the Charlotte Checkers this season.

The Hurricanes have improved their group up front considerably since this time last year, bringing in names like Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Dzingel, Erik Haula and Brian Gibbons, meaning there might not be much opportunity for McCormick in the NHL. If you were to pick an AHL organization though, why not head to the defending Calder Cup champions. The Checkers lost their head coach and GM when Mike Vellucci left for the Penguins, but should still be a force in the AHL’s Eastern Conference.

Free Agent Profile: Brian Boyle

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Brian Boyle is a player that has been in high demand on multiple occasions at the trade deadline.  Despite that, his market has been slow to develop this summer.  Let’s take a closer look at his situation.

While Boyle has been coveted by quite a few teams in recent years, it also means that he has bounced around a lot.  Over the past three seasons, he has played for four different teams.  Each of those squads have brought him in for the same few reasons.

The 34-year-old has been effective at the faceoff dot for most of his career while also playing a regular shift on the penalty kill.  Although teams have been trending more towards speed on the fourth line, Boyle has been able to adapt and be effective.

Look no further than last season for evidence to that effect.  He collected 18 goals between New Jersey and Nashville (who added him near the trade deadline), the second-best mark of his career.  While it’s notable that his 14.6 shooting percentage is well above his career average (9.3%), he has scored at least 13 goals in each of the last five years.  That’s pretty good production from a player towards the bottom of the lineup.  Accordingly, it stands to reason that he’ll wind up somewhere before training camps get underway in September.

Potential Suitors

There are two types of teams that are likely to have interest in Boyle at this point.  Contending teams with enough cap room may want to add him now over trading for him midseason while rebuilding teams looking for some veteran leadership (and a chip to play at the trade deadline) should also be inquiring about him.  Looking through the league, the majority of the potential fits appear to be in the East.

The Bruins lost Noel Acciari to Florida this summer and while they have other players that can fill that spot from within, Boyle’s the type of player they could conceivably look to acquire for depth at the deadline so if there’s a way to make it work, why not sign him now?  The tricky part will be the RFA contracts for defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo as until those are solved, it’s highly doubtful Boston will be looking to add anyone else.  The Islanders are known to have some interest in center depth after losing Valtteri Filppula to Detroit in free agency.  GM Lou Lamoriello brought him in while he was with Toronto back in 2017 as well.  Edmonton is hoping to get back into the playoff picture and if they intend to deploy one Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Connor McDavid’s wing, there could be an opening for someone like Boyle as well.

In terms of teams that could view him as short-term help with an eye on flipping him later in the season, several look like possibilities.  The Blue Jackets haven’t really replaced Matt Duchene who left in free agency while the Kings could have a spot in the lineup as well.  Both teams are currently being viewed as likely to miss the playoffs which would make him a trade candidate before too long.  Boyle was also a very popular player in New Jersey and while they don’t need more center depth, it wouldn’t be shocking if they found a way to bring him back.

Projected Contract

Boyle slotted in 30th on our Top 50 UFA rankings, with a projected two-year, $4.5MM contract.  A multi-year pact may be tricky to get at this point although a one-year deal around that AAV is certainly a reasonable possibility.  At this point, the top end of the RFA market may be squeezing out veterans like Boyle (once they sign, teams will have a better sense of what flexibility they still have) but it’s a safe bet that he’ll have a new team by training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Point, Bobrovsky, McDavid

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The top end of the RFA market is really making an impact this offseason as it appears most of the players are waiting to see what others get.  But eventually, someone will have to be the next to sign.  ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski cites one GM who believes that Tampa Bay center Brayden Point will be the next one to put pen to paper on a new deal.  It was reported earlier this summer that Montreal had approached him about an offer sheet but they were quickly rebuffed so the threat of him considering an offer sheet elsewhere may not be so high.  However, the cap situation for the Lightning still isn’t the greatest, even following the trade of J.T. Miller to Vancouver and the fact that Ryan Callahan will be on LTIR next season.  Tampa Bay has forced some young players to go the bridge route in the past and it’s something they may have to do here but if so, this is something that could wind up dragging out for a while yet.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • New Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky opened up to Sport 24’s Daria Tubolseva regarding his departure from Columbus. He mentioned that he informed management following their postseason exit in 2018 that he had no intentions of staying with the Blue Jackets but management decided to try to re-sign him anyway at various points throughout the season.  Bobrovsky called Florida his top option when he was assessing teams to sign with and he wasted little time joining them, inking a seven-year, $70MM contract shortly after the signing period opened up on July 1st.
  • Oilers GM Ken Holland indicated in an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link) that everything he’s hearing regarding Connor McDavid’s recovery is positive but stopped short of guaranteeing that the center will be ready for training camp. McDavid suffered a knee injury in the final game of the regular season and while surgery wasn’t required, a lengthy rehab period was expected.

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