Archives for August 2019

Minnesota Wild Hire Bill Guerin

August 21, 2019 at 12:13 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

The search is over for the next Minnesota Wild GM. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team has hired Bill Guerin, taking him away from the Pittsburgh Penguins where he served as assistant GM. The Wild fired Paul Fenton from the position in July after just 14 months on the job.

This will mark the second assistant GM that the Penguins have seen take over their own team in the last two years, after Jason Botterill was hired by the Buffalo Sabres in 2017. When Botterill departed, Guerin was given even more responsibility in the Penguins organization, most notably taking over as GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

Though he will not come with any experience as a GM of an NHL franchise, there was little doubt that Guerin was on the path towards running his own front office somewhere around the league. The 48-year old had a long and productive playing career that ended with the Penguins in 2010 and quickly transitioned into a front office role with the team, first as a development coach. His ascension up the ranks in Pittsburgh showed just how capable he was in his new career.

In Minnesota however, Guerin will be given a very different task than in Pittsburgh. He must try to rescue a ship that has taken on water over the last two years and start sailing it back in the right direction. The team still has some good young players and veteran talent but have seemed to waver between rebuilding and contending without accomplishing either. Fenton for instance was allowed to sign Mats Zuccarello to a five-year, $30MM deal just before being relieved of his duties, a deal that comes with quite a bit of risk for a club that found itself out of the playoff race last season.

The fact that the new GM is coming in just a few weeks from training camp makes it an even more difficult task, and one that is rarely seen around the NHL. What this means for head coach Bruce Boudreau and the rest of the front office is unclear, though Russo notes that Tom Kurvers who had been working as the interim GM is expected to stay on in some capacity.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: PWHPA, Barbashev, Hoglander

August 21, 2019 at 12:06 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

In May, some of the top women’s hockey players in the world announced the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association in their ongoing fight for more resources and support for their sport. The same way that the NHLPA protects players’ rights and fights for larger pieces of the financial pie, the PWHPA was meant as a “a vehicle dedicated to promoting and supporting the creation of a single, viable women’s professional league in North America.”

Today, the PWHPA has announced that Jayna Hefford has been named operations consultant, essentially taking over leadership of the union. The legendary women’s hockey star has been at the forefront of the sport both on the ice and as a former commissioner of the CWHL before it’s dissolution recently. Hefford is one of the most decorated Canadian hockey players of all-time, taking home four Olympic and seven World Championship gold medals over her career. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

The St. Louis Blues still have some unfinished business this summer with unsigned restricted free agent Ivan Barbashev. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express passes on a report out of Russia that has Barbashev looking for a two-year, $4MM deal with the Blues, while the team has offered just a two-year, $2.6MM contract. A report recently had Barbashev looking at his overseas options, though no decision has been made at this point.
Nils Hoglander will spend another season in Sweden according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, who reports that the Vancouver Canucks discussed a contract with the young prospect but won’t sign him this offseason. The 18-year old forward was selected with the 40th pick of the 2019 draft and can continue to develop in the SHL in 2019-20.

Ottawa Senators Sign Colin White

August 21, 2019 at 10:19 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The restricted free agent market might finally be showing some cracks. The Ottawa Senators have signed RFA forward Colin White to a six-year contract. The contract will carry an average annual value of $4.75MM and breaks down as follows:

2019-20: $4.0MM
2020-21: $4.0MM
2021-22: $4.75MM
2022-23: $4.75MM
2023-24: $4.75MM
2024-25: $6.25MM

White, 22, was one of the players ineligible for an offer sheet this summer and will lose just a single year of unrestricted free agency with this deal. At $28.5MM it will however take the title of the largest contract Senators GM Pierre Dorion has ever given out, eclipsing the four-year, $20.75MM deal he signed Mike Hoffman to in 2016 (the Senators would pay out just $9.45MM before trading Hoffman).

The team’s trade history when it comes to expensive players will be the first thing coming to mind for many Senators fans, but there is no doubt that this contract is a step in the right direction for the franchise. White, selected 21st overall in 2015, broke out last season with 14 goals and 41 points in 71 games during his first full NHL season. That production will only likely increase in the coming years as White takes on more and more responsibility for the Senators as their presumptive first-line center.

A $4.75MM cap hit ties White as the second highest paid player on the Ottawa roster, behind only Bobby Ryan and right alongside goaltender Craig Anderson—as long as you don’t count the injured Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik contracts. It means there will be plenty of pressure on the young forward to continue his development as a top-line player and puts a good chunk of the offensive burden squarely upon his shoulders.

With White signed, the team can start to look towards their next big name inching closer to free agency—Thomas Chabot. The 22-year old is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract and is already one of the premier defensemen in the league. If Ottawa is truly committed to retaining their stars and building a competitive roster in the next few years, signing Chabot to a long-term deal is key.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the two sides were close.

New York Rangers Hire Tanner Glass, Tuomo Ruutu

August 21, 2019 at 10:11 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The New York Rangers have made quite a few additions to their hockey operations department today, with several familiar faces among the group. Tuomo Ruutu and Tanner Glass have been hired as assistant directors of player development, Chris Morehouse will become the director of North American scouting, Marshall Davidson and Derek Ginnell have been added as amateur scouts. Steve Konowalchuk will move from the amateur to pro scouting department, while David Cunniff has officially been named assistant coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Glass, 35, played three seasons in the Rangers organization just a few years ago and became something of a folk hero for some fans. The fourth-line winger 69 regular season points over parts of 11 NHL seasons, but ended up playing in 30 postseason contests with the Rangers and scored a game-winning tally in 2017. The hard-nosed forward was never asked to do much more than protect his teammates and set a physical tone, but carved out a pretty impressive professional career.

Ruutu, 36, had a very different role in the NHL. While his brother Jarkko Ruutu was known as one of the league’s most effective pests, the younger Tuomo brought plenty of skill to the table. Selected ninth overall in 2001, Ruutu scored 148 goals in his 735-game NHL career and broke the 40-point mark three times. That’s not to say he didn’t have his own agitating edge, routinely being among the league leading forwards in hits.

Player development is extremely important all across the league, but perhaps even more so in New York right now as they try to transition from a rebuild back to contention. Their hopes rely on several young players taking positive steps towards becoming the best NHL versions of themselves, something that Glass and Ruutu will assist with.

Latest On Zach Werenski

August 21, 2019 at 9:16 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

It is now just over three weeks until the Columbus Blue Jackets will gather for their 2019 training camp, meaning Zach Werenski is running out of time if he still wants to have a deal done before it begins. Werenski is one of three restricted free agent defensemen being grouped in a tier above the rest alongside Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers. Today, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch tweets that the market is stalled waiting on either Werenski or Provorov to sign and adds in what the Blue Jackets’ defenseman is looking for.

Werenski is apparently working towards a three-year deal with a cap hit that will “begin with a five” according to Hedger, though he doesn’t know when something will actually be made official.

A three-year bridge deal would be an interesting outcome for both Werenski and the other two high-profile defensemen. The 22-year old has already completed three full seasons in the NHL meaning that contract would take him just a year away from unrestricted free agency and give him full arbitration rights. That could potentially put Columbus in a tricky situation with Werenski able to file for arbitration and walk himself right into the UFA market.

The team also has to worry about Werenski’s running mate Seth Jones, who has three years left on his deal and will need a massive contract extension at some point. Jones is already a perennial Norris Trophy contender, meaning buying him out of unrestricted free agency will likely make him one of the richest defensemen in the league. Having Werenski’s deal end the same summer might not be the most desirable outcome.

Still, keeping it to just three years and a ~$5MM cap hit would give the Blue Jackets a good window to try and contend for a Stanley Cup. Having that duo under contract for something around $11MM—Jones currently makes $5.4MM per season—gives them a leg up on almost any other team in the league.

A bridge deal would also affect McAvoy and Provorov, who may be looking for long-term deals with substantially higher salaries. Indeed, Hedger has heard of a $10MM average annual value ask from Provorov’s camp, though immediately downplayed the likelihood of it actually happening. A bridge deal for Werenski might not set the market in the way that the other two are hoping for.

In any case, the Blue Jackets are running out of time to get their young stud defenseman under contract if he’s not going to miss any of training camp. Something will have to change soon if these restricted free agents are going to be there on day one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

August 20, 2019 at 8:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current Cap Hit: $65,734,082 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Pierre-Luc Dubois (one year, $894K)
F Alexandre Texier (two years, $898K)

Potential Bonuses:

Dubois: $2.5MM

Dubois was a surprise selection at third overall three years ago and GM Jarmo Kekalainen should be praised for the decision to take him over the consensus selection in Jesse Puljujarvi. He followed up a strong rookie season with an improved sophomore campaign and with Matt Duchene gone, Dubois should have the inside track on the number one center role on a full-time basis. He’ll be wanting to keep tabs on the current class of restricted free agents as it’s quite possible that Dubois will be among the headliners in next year’s group if they can’t agree on an early extension which could potentially exceed the $8MM mark if he builds on his 2018-19 performance.

Texier joined the team late in the season and worked his way into a regular role for the most part in the playoffs. That should give him the inside track at a roster spot. The Blue Jackets like his upside but he’ll need more run at the NHL level before they get a sense of what his second contract could be.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Josh Anderson ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($750K, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($1.15MM, RFA)
D Dean Kukan ($725K, RFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins ($874K, RFA)

Anderson’s three-year bridge deal was a way to see if he could establish himself as a top-six player first before committing that type of money to him. Mission accomplished. He broke out with a 27-goal season that also saw him surpass the 200-hit mark and has established himself as a quality power forward. A similar performance could see him triple his current money on his next deal. Hannikainen is a capable depth option but he won’t get much more than his current rate a year from now unless he has a breakout year offensively. As for Kukan, he’s also in a spot where he can’t expect much of a raise unless he can work his way into a regular role.

Their goaltending is going to be interesting to watch. The team hopes that Korpisalo can continue to progress and grab a hold of the number one role but he’s only once played in 30 NHL games in a single season. Meanwhile, Merzlikins has yet to play in the NHL. This could wind up being a platoon for a couple of years but in 2020-21, it will be a fair bit more expensive than it is now.

Two Years Remaining

F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Brandon Dubinsky ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($4.6MM, UFA)
F Riley Nash ($2.75MM, UFA)
D David Savard ($4.25MM, UFA)

Foligno hasn’t been able to come close to his career year back in 2014-15 which is when his current deal was signed. They’re paying him like a top-six player but he has produced more like a third liner in recent years. That’s still more than what they’ve been getting from Dubinsky who has spent a lot of time on the fourth line and hasn’t fared well. While Foligno will be taking a pay cut on his next deal, there may not be another one for Dubinsky.

Nash was brought in to give the Blue Jackets some extra depth down the middle. He still gives them that but he came up well short of the production that landed him that deal; he had just three goals last season. That’s not a great return either. Bjorkstrand is on an Anderson-like bridge contract to see if he can become a consistent top-six producer. Year one went well and if he continues on that path, he could push for a sizable raise next time around.

Savard hasn’t come close to matching his 35-point output from 2014-15 but has nonetheless established himself as a capable top-four defender most nights. His current deal is pretty close to the going rate for players with a track record of success in that role. When healthy, Murray is certainly worth his contract. But staying healthy isn’t something he has been able to do over the years. If he shows some signs of durability over the next couple of years, a big contract would be on the horizon but if not, he’ll be hard-pressed to match his current deal.

Three Years Remaining

D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Seth Jones ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Markus Nutivaara ($2.7MM, UFA)

Jenner has yet to come close to his 30-goal output from 2015-16; he hasn’t even reached 20 since then. However, he remains a capable third liner with the ability to hold his own when pressed into top six duty. They need more production from him and he will need to provide that if he wants to get a bigger contract three summers from now.

Jones is on quite the bargain contract. He has established himself as a capable number one defender and is doing so at a price tag that is several million below what comparable players have been getting. With the way the market is going, he could have a shot at doubling his AAV on his next deal. Nutivaara is more of an option on the third pairing but while his cap hit may be a bit high for someone in that role, they have more than enough cap space to carry it. Harrington has been more of a depth player throughout his career which makes this contract they gave him a bit puzzling but again, they have the cap space to make it a non-issue.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Cam Atkinson ($5.875MM through 2024-25)
F Gustav Nyquist ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.9MM through 2022-23)

Atkinson is coming off a career year that saw him post 41 goals. He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare but he has become a legitimate front-line winger at a rate that’s well below market value. Nyquist was their lone big splash this offseason. While he won’t replace Artemi Panarin’s production, he’s coming off a career year offensively and should see plenty of ice time with the Blue Jackets. Wennberg’s deal once looked like a bargain but has been a disaster. He scored just twice in 75 games last season despite averaging over 15 minutes a night. Instead of being a long-term fixture for the franchise, this is looking more like a long-term anchor.

Buyouts

F Scott Hartnell ($1.25MM through 2020-21)
D Fedor Tyutin ($1.458MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

D Zach Werenski

Part of the reason that the Blue Jackets have this much cap space is that Werenski’s deal isn’t done. He sits atop the class of RFA blueliners this summer and is among the group that’s seemingly waiting for someone else to sign first. He’s easily going to surpass Jones to sit atop their back end in terms of AAV if a deal with any sort of notable term gets signed. Not having him signed to start the season would certainly be a huge blow.

Best Value: Jones
Worst Value: Dubinsky

Looking Ahead

While their outlook for 2019-20 in general isn’t particularly strong, the Blue Jackets at least have plenty of salary cap flexibility both for the upcoming season and the foreseeable future. They could opt to use some of that cap space to take on an unwanted contract or two to add some additional assets for the upcoming season. Even with Werenski and Dubois set to be in line for major second contracts, they should still have enough room to make a run at some prominent free agents in the summers to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Oshie, Rangers, Gardiner

August 20, 2019 at 7:14 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 7 Comments

The Capitals will have T.J. Oshie back and ready for next season. After a broken collarbone ended his postseason prematurely, the winger told reporters including J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington that he has fully recovered and will be ready for training camp. He also suggested that there would have been a chance that he could have suited up in the Stanley Cup Final if Washington would have made it there. The 32-year-old was on pace for a 30-goal season last year and with the team losing some of its secondary scoring with the departures of Brett Connolly (free agency) and Andre Burakovsky (trade), they’ll be counting on Oshie to produce at a similar level this season.

Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Cassidy, Marner

August 20, 2019 at 5:32 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Another day, another controversial translation regarding Jesse Puljujarvi and his future with the Edmonton Oilers. This time the unhappy restricted free agent spoke to Finnish television station Lamari, saying (through a translation of a Sporten article) that he wants a chance at playing a top-six role in the NHL with another team where he could get 15 minutes of ice time every game.

Despite the Oilers changing both their front office and coaching staff this offseason, it seems as though Puljujarvi and agent Markus Lehto have dug in and won’t return to the club regardless of potential contract offers. The 21-year old has played in 139 NHL games since being drafted fourth overall in 2016 but has just 37 points and failed to secure a top-six role in Edmonton even with their lack of talent on the wing. He will likely play in Finland if he can’t find a new club in the NHL or reach some agreement with the Oilers.

Bruce Cassidy has done an excellent job since taking over as head coach of the Boston Bruins, leading the team to a 117-52-22 record. Now Joe McDonald of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team has started negotiating a contract extension that would keep him in Boston past the end of his current deal. Cassidy’s contract is set to expire after the 2019-20 season. While the team failed to secure the Stanley Cup this year after reaching the finals against the St. Louis Blues, there’s no doubting Cassidy’s influence and success so far. It seems almost inevitable that a deal will get completed to keep him with the Bruins at some point.
Though today’s news that Mitch Marner has spoken to the Zurich Lions of the NLA came with plenty of suspicion that the representatives for the Toronto Maple Leafs forward are simply trying to move things along, Igor Eronko of Sport-Express rightly points out that the winger’s rights were never drafted in the KHL meaning he could potentially sign with any team there. That could potentially mean a bigger payday than the Lions could ever offer if Marner was really set on playing overseas, though obviously he has not been linked to the KHL at this point. James Mirtle of The Athletic was on TSN radio to discuss the restricted free agent situation, and still maintained that the Zurich news is likely “posturing.”

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Eighth Overall Pick

August 20, 2019 at 4:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)

Three different Montreal Canadiens draft picks have now moved up into our top-ten, with McDonagh joining Subban and Pacioretty. Amazingly none of the three are still with the team, and McDonagh didn’t even really get a chance. After his selection as the fourth defenseman off the board in 2007, McDonagh followed through on his commitment to attend the University of Wisconsin and immediately became a full-time player for the school as a defensive stalwart. After his sophomore season ended however his draft rights were included in a trade to acquire Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers, as the Canadiens were desperately looking for help at the center position. Gomez had just recorded 138 points over two years with the Rangers but was still owed quite a hefty salary. He would fall off the proverbial cliff in Montreal, scoring just 20 goals and 108 points in three seasons and ending up with a buyout in 2013.

McDonagh meanwhile quickly became a household name in New York, eventually ascending to the captaincy in 2014 after participating in the Olympics with Team USA. His presence as one of the premier two-way defensemen in the league was rarely questioned through the years with the Rangers, especially in the postseason where he suited up 96 times. In 2018 with McDonagh getting closer to unrestricted free agency and the Rangers starting the process of a rebuild he was flipped to the Tampa Bay Lightning where he set a new career-high with 46 points in 2018-19.

The 30-year old defenseman’s 287 regular season points put him behind only Subban among 2007 drafted defensemen (and 14th overall), while his leadership qualities and solid presence in the defensive zone continue to make him an extremely valuable player. His place at No. 7 comes as no surprise and the Blue Jackets certainly would have welcomed him to the organization if given the chance.

In hindsight, the team selecting after Columbus likely should have taken McDonagh instead. The Boston Bruins came up to the podium in 2007 with the eighth overall pick, and with it decided to select star WHL center Zach Hamill. Ranked ninth among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Hamill was coming off a 93-point season with the Everett Silvertips, breaking several franchise records and leading the entire WHL. Unfortunately, that’s really where his playing career peaked.

He returned to Everett the next season and didn’t have quite the same offensive production, before failing to really establish himself as a star in the AHL the following two years. Over three seasons from 2009-12, Hamill suited up 20 times with Boston but recorded just four points. He hasn’t played an NHL game since, instead finding himself in the German second league in 2018-19. Unless something incredible happens in the next few year Hamill will never score a single goal in the NHL, making him the first real draft bust of the 2007 group. The Bruins would obviously like a do-over, but who comes next in our draft?

With the eighth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Boston Bruins select? Cast your vote below!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

Mitch Marner Camp Contacts Swiss Team

August 20, 2019 at 3:25 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 21 Comments

3:25pm: The Lions have confirmed the request from Marner’s camp to practice with the team, though it has not been decided if it will happen.

12:20pm: As we’ve seen in the past with unsigned restricted free agents deep into unflinching contract negotiations, at some point in the summer they start to consider their non-NHL options. Skating with teams in Europe or using the KHL as a potential negotiating tactic are often the way things play out and it looks like this offseason will be no different. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has spoken with a source in Europe that tells him Mitch Marner’s camp has already reached out to the Zurich Lions of the Swiss NLA in case a deal can’t get done with the Toronto Maple Leafs in time for the season. Something like this does not by any means indicate that a contract won’t be signed between Marner and the Maple Leafs, but it would give him a potential place to keep his game sharp on a temporary basis.

The fact that it is Zurich may come as no surprise, given Auston Matthews’ connection with the organization and friendship with Marner. Matthews decided to play his draft year in Switzerland instead of North America, challenging himself against professionals before his eventual leap into the NHL. Zurich is known as an extremely stable organization and this season will have Rikard Gronborg behind the bench as head coach.

It is also important to note that these discussions with European or KHL teams rarely actually end up in a player spending time away from the NHL. In fact, other clients of Darren Ferris (Marner’s agent) have been known to use the Russian league as a leverage point over the years to try and get a deal done in North America. Both Sam Bennett and Andreas Athanasiou, clients of Ferris, were linked to the KHL in the summer of 2017 when they were at contract impasses with their respective clubs.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Marner isn’t looking for a place to suit up and get on the ice however, similar to how William Nylander kept in shape with Swedish and Austrian clubs during his situation last year. If anything, this will hopefully put some pressure on both sides to get something done in the next few weeks as we are now less than a month away from training camp.

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