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Archives for August 2019

Tampa Bay Lightning Make Several Front Office Changes

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have shaken up their front office staff, announcing three promotions and six additions today. The team has hired Jean-Philippe Cote as director of player development, Mike Ellis as director of skill development and four scouts: Stephen Gionta, Grant Armstrong, Josh Dye and Jared Waimon. Promoted are Darryl Plandowski and Brad Whelen who will become the assistant directors of amateur scouting as well as John Rosso who will become the assistant director of player personnel.

Perhaps most notable among that group are Gionta, who played for the New York Islanders and Bridgeport Sound Tigers last year and Cote who previously played 19 games with the Lightning and 27 overall in the NHL.

The Lightning saw some of their front office members leave town recently to follow Steve Yzerman to the Detroit Red Wings, meaning there were always going to be some changes coming. These names will only help to insulate an already very successful scouting and development department that has unearthed hidden gems near countless times over the last several years.

New York Rangers Buy Out Kevin Shattenkirk

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Thursday: The Rangers have made the buyout official. Shattenkirk is now an unrestricted free agent.

Wednesday: The New York Rangers earned a second buyout window after settling all of their arbitration cases and will use it to open up some cap room. Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post reports that the Rangers intend to buy out veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He will not require unconditional waivers as he currently holds a no-movement clause. Shattenkirk had two years left on his deal which carried a $6.65MM cap hit. He will now become an unrestricted free agent while the Rangers will carry the following cap hits:

  • 2019-20: $1,483,333
  • 2020-21: $6,083,333
  • 2021-22: $1,433,333
  • 2022-23: $1,433,333

Shattenkirk, 30, signed a four-year deal with the Rangers in the summer of 2017 as one of the very best available unrestricted free agents. He was supposed to come in and provide the team with an offensive presence from the blue line, but struggled mightily in his own end and saw his production drop significantly. In 119 games with the Rangers over two seasons Shattenkirk recorded 51 points and was a -29. The right-handed defenseman also didn’t fit in to the timeline the team had put together with their new young core, though his performance and lack of trust from head coach David Quinn likely made that a moot point.

For the Rangers, cap relief is the name of the game right now. After signing Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba to long-term contracts worth nearly $20MM per season, the team suddenly found themselves above the $81.5MM ceiling. A trade or buyout was necessary to get them back under that number and this will accomplish that. With Chris Kreider, Vladislav Namestnikov and others coming off the books after this season the team will be able to absorb the inflated cap hit of Shattenkirk in 2020-21, though it means they won’t be able to do a ton of shopping next offseason.

Even though he’s being cut loose by the Rangers, don’t expect Shattenkirk to be unemployed for very long. The defense market didn’t have a ton of talent in it this summer and while names like Jake Gardiner and Ben Hutton still remain unsigned, Shattenkirk immediately becomes the best right-handed option on the market. Even if he is no longer the play-driving force he was in St. Louis, there’s still more than enough reason to believe that the 30-year old can still contribute in the right situation. Where that will be is unclear, as the Rangers tried and failed to trade him over the last several weeks (and perhaps months) without any luck.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Remi Elie Agrees To Terms With Buffalo Sabres

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The Buffalo Sabres have avoided arbitration with Remi Elie, agreeing to terms with the young forward to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Elie was scheduled for an arbitration hearing today.

Elie, 24, ended up playing in 16 games for the Sabres last season after being claimed off of waivers at the beginning of the season. He would then clear waivers a few months later and finish the season in the minor leagues, a place he may have to get used to for the time being. The two-way deal would seem to indicate that both parties are expecting him to spend some time in the AHL in 2019-20.

With 106 NHL games to his name Elie will not qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer, meaning the Sabres will retain his rights once again with a qualifying offer. That is of course if they believe he’s worthy of one, something he’ll have to prove once again. Selected 40th overall in 2013, Elie has recorded just 22 points at the NHL level in those 106 contests, and hasn’t even dominated the minor leagues in his sporadic time there. Some consistency and playing time may help him turn a corner, but there is still a long way to go before he’s a real impact player for the Sabres.

A.J. Greer Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have completed another bit of business, signing A.J. Greer to a one-year two-way contract worth $735K at the NHL level. Greer was a restricted free agent but will not be eligible for arbitration until after this contract is completed. The Avalanche have now signed all of their restricted free agents except for Mikko Rantanen.

Greer, 22, isn’t on quite the same level as Rantanen when it comes to restricted free agents, but he is still an interesting piece for the Avalanche. Selected 39th overall in 2015 with a pick acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in the Ryan O’Reilly deal, Greer actually ended up leaving Boston University partway through his draft+1 season to join the QMJHL. After finding huge success with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the second half of the 2015-16 season—the Huskies won the QMJHL title thanks in huge part to Greer’s 22 points in 20 playoff games—he jumped to the professional ranks in 2016-17 and fit in well at the AHL level. That led to some opportunity in the NHL, that unfortunately so far has not gone exceedingly well.

In 37 games with the Avalanche over the last three seasons Greer has totaled just six points, but has shown enough in the minor leagues to believe that he can be a contributor down the line. Still just 22 until December he has a chance to grow into a legitimate NHL power forward that can chip in a little bit of offense and provide a physical presence on the forecheck.

The question now is when will that opportunity present itself, given Colorado GM Joe Sakic’s work to add depth up front this summer. Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky are all now penciled into substantial roles on the team while others like Vladislav Kamenev, Shane Bowers and Martin Kaut should be battling for spots in the near future. Greer will need to clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues which could give him a leg up, but he’ll need to show he belongs in order to stay in the NHL.

Matt Cullen Hired By Pittsburgh Penguins

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Matt Cullen is back with the Pittsburgh Penguins once again. The veteran forward who announced his retirement last month has been hired by the Penguins in a player development role and will work closely with GM Jim Rutherford and head coach Mike Sullivan. Rutherford explained the hiring:

Matt’s knowledge of the game and understanding of our organization will make him a valuable asset moving forward.With over 20 years in the NHL and three Stanley Cups, we are certain he will continue to have a positive influence on our players.

Cullen, 42, hung up his skates after a 21-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cups with the Penguins. He was a beloved figure in the dressing room and an integral part to the consecutive titles of 2016-17. Now joining the front office he’ll try to pass on some of that experience to the next wave of Pittsburgh talent. If there ever seemed a player destined to jump right into coaching it would be Cullen, who may very well never actually take a season off. Sullivan explained just why he’ll be valuable to the team:

Cully was a cerebral player with great leadership skills. He is a natural coach who will offer great insight to our coaching staff and to our players. We look forward to adding him to our staff.

Cullen played more than 1,500 games in his NHL career, the second-most ever by an American-born player. Not bad for a second-round pick out of St. Cloud State.

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