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Archives for March 2020

St. Louis Blues Sign Tyler Tucker

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Now that the calendar has turned to March, teams around the league can sign prospects to entry-level contracts that won’t officially start until next season. With that in mind, the St. Louis Blues have signed Tyler Tucker to his three-year entry-level deal. Tucker currently plays with the Flint Firebirds of the OHL.

The 20-year old defenseman was selected 200th overall in 2018, but took a huge step forward last season for the Barrie Colts. The 6’2″ 205-lbs Tucker not only led all Colts defensemen in scoring with 14 goals and 59 points, but also was the team leader in penalty minutes with 105. He has another 17 goals and 55 points this season split between his two clubs, and 83 penalty minutes to go along with it.

While you can already see why the Blues may be a perfect fit for Tucker, he’ll still have quite the road before getting to the NHL. Just earning a contract is a big step for someone drafted so late, but next season will likely be spent in the AHL polishing his game.

Tucker did play two games for the San Antonio Rampage at the end of last year and will likely get into some more this time should Flint be knocked out early.

Pius Suter Drawing NHL Interest

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If you were a fan of the OHL’s Guelph Storm in 2014, you will remember what a powerhouse club they were. Led by future NHL talents like Brock McGinn, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson and Robby Fabbri, the team went 52-12-4 and walked through the playoffs en route to an OHL championship. One of the depth players on that team was a Swiss-born forward named Pius Suter, who would be one of the club’s best players the next season before returning to Europe.

Undrafted, Suter has spent the last five seasons playing for Zurich SC of the Swiss professional league, continuing his development as a top two-way center. In 2018 he suited up for Switzerland in the Olympics and this season has seen him take the jump to league superstar, leading the NLA in both goals and points. It comes as no surprise then that a report today has NHL teams showing interest in Suter, though there will be complications.

Suter’s contract with the Lions extends through the 2022-23 season, but the report indicates that it includes an out-clause this summer. Should he decide to exercise that and try his hand in the NHL, it will be interesting to see which teams pursue the 23-year old.

Much was made recently when the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Denis Malgin, a former teammate of Auston Matthews during his time in Switzerland. Well Suter was also on that team with Matthews and Malgin, one which took home the league championship. Malgin and Suter were on the Swiss World Junior team that year as well, alongside San Jose Sharks star Timo Meier and New Jersey Devils top center Nico Hischier, among others.

Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.

Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.

  • It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.

Adam Erne Out With Broken Hand

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The Detroit Red Wings don’t have much to play for down the stretch, but it was still a period where young players could show the organization they deserve to be kept around. Adam Erne won’t get that chance, as head coach Jeff Blashill announced today that the forward has suffered a broken hand and may miss the rest of the season.

Erne, 24, followed Steve Yzerman to the Red Wings this season after becoming a full-time option for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but hasn’t been able to deliver the same sort of impact. In 56 games he has just five points for Detroit, and though his 142 hits are still impressive, it’s not exactly clear where his role will be moving forward.

Earning $1.05MM on a one-year deal, Erne will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. That’s a common situation among Detroit forwards, as seven of the 14 currently on the roster are scheduled to become RFAs. That sort of uncertainty in the forward ranks will make for quite the interesting offseason, especially if Yzerman and the rest of the front office plan to take a step forward next season.

If they decide not to bring back all of their free agents, who will end up going unqualified? Erne’s qualifying offer will actually be just shy of $1MM thanks to some signing bonuses, and because of this injury could potentially be a two-way offer (depending on whether he misses the rest of the year or not).

Minor Transactions: 03/02/20

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The calendar has turned to March and things are still not settled in playoff races across the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins have fallen apart at the worst time of the year while their cross-state rivals in Philadelphia play the best hockey of their season. The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally distanced themselves from the Florida Panthers, while the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche continue to show why they are Stanley Cup contenders. The last month of the season should be extremely exciting. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Gustavsson from the minor leagues, with Marcus Hogberg not at practice for the team. The 21-year old Gustavsson was seen as the goaltender of the future when acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but has struggled over two seasons in the AHL. Hogberg meanwhile will be returning to Sweden for family reasons, according to Sportsnet contributor Wayne Scanlan.
  • The Ontario Reign and Manitoba Moose have swapped players, though not in an actual trade. Michael Spacek has been loaned to the Reign while Daniel Brickley has been loaned to the Moose. The move gives each team some depth at a different position, but doesn’t remove them from the NHL organization.
  • Speaking of minor league trades, the Charlotte Checkers have made another move to change their makeup. The team has acquired Ryan Bourque from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in exchange for Terry Broadhurst and Cedric Lacroix. Charlotte’s forward group was weakened at the NHL trade deadline and they have made moves recently to fill it back up.

This story will be updated throughout the day

Five Key Stories: 2/24/20 – 3/1/20

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The past week saw plenty of trades with one of the busier trade deadlines in recent memory.  A full recap of the activity can be found here while the biggest moves also warrant a mention in the top stories of the week.

Hurricanes Add Several Key Pieces: While Carolina opted to not make a move to add a goalie despite the injuries to Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, they were quite active on deadline day.  First, they picked up center Vincent Trocheck from Florida for center Erik Haula, forward Lucas Wallmark, and a pair of prospects.  Then, they added to their blueline with a pair of deals, acquiring Sami Vatanen from New Jersey for a conditional fourth rounder and prospect Janne Kuokkanen plus Brady Skjei from the Rangers for a first-round pick (the lesser of Carolina’s or Toronto’s).  Vatanen is still injured which lowered his market while Skjei has already stepped into a big role, logging more than 21 minutes a night over his first three games.

Kreider Stays In New York: Part of the reason that Skjei was moved to Carolina was a looming cap crunch for the Rangers.  A big part of that was the announcement that winger Chris Kreider had signed a seven-year contract extension that carries a $6.5MM AAV.  Talks didn’t progress much over the weekend but a last ditch effort proved to be enough to keep the power forward in the fold.  He was on pace for a career year offensively but that is no longer the case as he suffered a fractured foot early in their game on Friday.  He’s now out indefinitely.  (That wasn’t the only bad news on the injury front for them either as goalie Igor Shesterkin is out with a rib fracture that was sustained in a car crash.)

The Parise Non-Trade: With over 30 trades on deadline day, it’s hard to believe that one of the biggest stories from the deadline was a trade that didn’t happen but that’s indeed the case.  Zach Parise’s tenure with Minnesota has been underwhelming when it’s compared to the 12-year, $98MM deal that’s now outlawed in the CBA.  Injuries have been an issue and he hasn’t been a top scorer when he was in the lineup.  Nonetheless, there was progress in a trade that would have seen him join the Islanders in a deal that would have seen winger Andrew Ladd head to the Wild.  It got to the point that both veterans waived their trade protection to make a deal happen but in the end, it fell through.  It will be interesting to see if the deal gets revisited this summer when there’s less pressure in terms of time to get a deal done while the financial picture (including salary cap recapture) is a little easier to work with.

Muzzin Extension: It had long been speculated that the Maple Leafs and defenseman Jake Muzzin were making progress on a contract extension.  That indeed was the case as shortly after the trade deadline passed, he signed a four-year deal worth an average of $5.625MM per season.  The veteran has been a stabilizing force on Toronto’s back end after being acquired a little ahead of the 2019 trade deadline from Los Angeles.  However, the positivity around that was short-lived as he too was injured.  He broke his hand in the first game after the deadline and will be out for a month.

Pageau To The Islanders: It was a soft trade market for impact centers with Jean-Gabriel Pageau representing the best option available.  That worked to Ottawa’s benefit as he was shipped to the Islanders for 2020 first and second-round picks as well as a conditional 2022 third rounder.  The Sens and Pageau’s camp had been talking about an extension but couldn’t come to an agreement.  That wasn’t the case with New York as just hours after the trade was announced, he inked a six-year, $30MM extension.  (And unlike Kreider and Muzzin, he wasn’t felled by an injury shortly thereafter and instead scored in two of his first three games.)

Stamkos Injured: All of the deadline day activity warrants having an extra key story for the week.  Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, it involves them as center Steven Stamkos is set to undergo core muscle surgery.  The expected timeline for his recovery is six-to-eight weeks which rules him out for the remainder of the regular season at a minimum and likely most, if not all of the first round as well.  That’s a tough blow for the Lightning who were swept in a shocking upset in the first round a year ago and will now have to deal without one of their top scorers to start the postseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Originals: 2/24/20 – 3/1/20

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Here’s a rundown of the original content over the past seven days here at PHR.

Just before the trade frenzy started, I assessed Winnipeg’s situation heading into the trade deadline.  Having already acquired Cody Eakin and Dylan DeMelo, it seemed unlikely that they’d be doing much more and that what wound up happening as they were one of the few teams to stand pat on Monday.

Gavin held two chats this week.  The first was in the morning on trade deadline day which wound up featuring way more activity early in the day than we’ve seen in a long time.  He also held his usual Thursday chat.  Topics included Jacob Markstrom’s future, a prediction for who gets the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, Colorado’s goaltending situation heading into the playoffs, evaluating Anaheim’s recent trades, and more.

As is often the case, there was no shortage of draft picks moving around leading up to the trade deadline.  Now that the moves have come to an end, Gavin broke down the draft pick situation for each team.  Montreal leads the way with 14 selections in June’s draft while Ottawa sits one behind them at 13 but has three first-rounders at their disposal.  At the opposite end, Pittsburgh has just four with the earliest coming in the third round.

While it is realistically too early to conclusively state which team had the best showing at the trade deadline, waiting the number of years that is needed to fairly do so just isn’t that fun.  With that in mind, we have a poll on who you think had the best showing at the deadline.  Click here to make your pick.

Zach took a tour around college hockey which is seeing its regular season soon come to an end.  On top of going over the recent results, he took a look at the future Frozen Four applications as well as a key injury to one of the top prospects that was moved at the trade deadline.

March 1st is more than just another day on the NHL calendar as it has some implications on the transaction front.  I took a look at the CBA elements that come into effect as of then and why there will likely be an influx of prospect signings in the near future.

With Robin Lehner being traded to Vegas, it appears he is no longer in Chicago’s plans to be their goalie of the future.  Corey Crawford is 35 and isn’t going to be around much longer.  That means GM Stan Bowman has a decision to make.  Does he stick with Crawford on a short-term contract or look to make a splash in free agency this summer?  Which route is the right one to go?  Have your say by voting in our poll.

The Importance Of March 1st On The NHL Calendar

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The beginning of March represents the beginning of the stretch run in the NHL.  The trade deadline has come and done so rosters are more or less set (barring injury recalls) and watching the standings becomes a daily practice.  However, the turning of the calendar also a couple of important CBA elements are now in play.

Salary cap room can be limited at this time of year after teams have loaded up which has prevented some contract extensions from being signed or at least delayed them due to tagging room.  Until March 1st, the tagging space for next season is capped at the current Upper Limit but starting today through June 30th, that threshold is increased by 10% under Section 50.5(c)(ii)(C).

Last year, we saw anticipated extensions for Vegas winger Mark Stone and Anaheim winger Jakob Silfverberg get delayed until the beginning of March for this reason.  The deals were done beforehand but their other contractual commitments and required qualifying offers meant the extension would have pushed them over the pre-March 1st tagging limit.  There’s certainly a possibility that we’ll see a similar move in the coming days as well.

The other element now in play is much more frequently used and it will undoubtedly be used as early as Monday.  Under Section 50.8(d) of the CBA, unsigned picks or draft related unrestricted free agents can now sign future contracts instead of deals that start this season.

We’ll see it used frequently as the NCAA undrafted free agent market starts to pick up in the weeks ahead but in the meantime, there should be a small run of draft picks that sign NHL contracts for next season over the next few days.  Montreal’s Jesse Ylonen is a likely candidate for one based on the news earlier in the week that he’ll be loaned to the AHL for the rest of the season; by waiting to sign until now, his entry-level pact can start in 2020-21 without activating the first year right away.

This doesn’t mean that all prospect deals have to be done this way.  Teams are still allowed to sign prospects and undrafted free agents to contracts that start this season; some will use that as an inducement to try to get a player as burning the first year now would get them out of the entry-level system quicker.  But as of March 1st, they have both options at their disposal.

On the surface, March 1st seems like just another day on the NHL calendar but as a result of these two elements now being in play, it creates the potential for some extra activity on the transaction front.

Poll: Who Will Be The Chicago Blackhawks’ Starting Goalie In 2020-21?

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One of the most surprising moves of the trade deadline was the Chicago Blackhawks dealing goaltender Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights. While the 28-year-old Lehner signing a one-year deal in Chicago this summer was strange in the first place, it was beginning to look like it was merely the first step in a long-term relationship between the two sides. Lehner, although splitting time evenly with Corey Crawford, was enjoying a good season and looked like he could be the team’s starter moving forward with the 35-year-old Crawford also on an expiring contract. Instead, he was traded away for backup Malcolm Subban, a prospect, and a second-round pick. His recent comments about his time in Chicago make it all but certain that Lehner will not be playing for the Blackhawks again.

Chicago’s situation in net is now more unclear than any other team in the NHL. Yet, even without any potential long-term solution in place, GM Stan Bowman told the Chicago Sun Times’ Ben Pope that the team will definitely have a “proven NHL goalie signed for next year.” The question is who?

Bowman specifically named Crawford, Subban, Collin Delia, and Kevin Lankinen as internal options for next season. However, any of those names would come as a disappointment to ‘Hawks fans as next season’s starter. The veteran Crawford is in the final season of a six-year, $36MM contract, over the course of which he has gone from elite to replacement-level and has missed significant time to boot. Crawford can no longer be relied upon as an NHL starter, at least not for a playoff team, and giving him an extension would not be well received by many of the team’s supporters. With that said, he would still be the best option if the team stays internal. None of Subban, Delia, or Lankinen could possibly fit Bowman’s description of “proven”; Subban and Delia have a combined 83 NHL appearances and Lankinen has yet to make his on-ice debut in the league. Subban struggled in his role as primary backup to Marc-Andre Fleury in Vegas, forcing the aging netminder to take on a heavy workload, while Delia also had a difficult time in the role for a brief time last season. Neither appears to be NHL starter material at the very least and Lankinen is completely unproven. So are any of the current Blackhawks keepers really candidates to be Bowman’s starter?

If the Blackhawks want to return to relevance in the NHL, they must bring in an outside candidate to take the starter’s job next season. However, the open market also doesn’t offer any obvious fits. With Lehner presumably off the table, the top candidates who could be available in free agency are Braden Holtby, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Mike Smith.

Holtby is undoubtedly the top available name and the best fit as a true workhorse starter for the Blackhawks, but with nearly $72MM committed to just 15 players for next season, Chicago would have to work some magic on the cap to make space to sign Holtby. Even with room to sign him, they would also need to take into account that Holtby is also on the wrong side of 30 and has struggled this season with the Washington Capitals.

Next in line would be Markstrom, who from an ability, age, and cost perspective makes a lot of sense for Chicago. The problem is that he also makes a lot of sense to the Vancouver Canucks, who are expected to re-sign him. If Markstrom is out there, expect the Blackhawks to be one of a number of interested suitors, but potentially the leader of the pack.

Based on recent results, the trio of Khudobin, Halak, and Greiss would be the next level down. All three veterans have been stellar over the past two years albeit playing in backup roles. Any of them could improve the Blackhawks’ results when in net, but the problem is that they would likely leave upwards of 35-40 games for the likes of Delia, Subban, or Lankinen (assuming the latter two RFA’s are qualified) to handle. This does not exactly sound like a fix for Chicago, but it could be better than nothing. All three would be relatively inexpensive additions who have a track record of getting the job done, given adequate rest. Khudobin has been the best of the three this season, while Halak is the most experienced and Greiss’ role with the New York Islanders in recent years has most closely resembled a starter.

Smith is another strong candidate, assuming he is available. Like Markstrom, there is a good chance that Smith could re-sign with his current team, the Edmonton Oilers. There is also the possibility that the 38-year-old could retire. If not though, Smith checks a number of boxes. While serving as more of a split-time goalie this season, Smith has been a starter for much of his career, dating back to the late 2000’s. His numbers are not fantastic – in fact, Crawford has been better this season – nor is he a long-term plan, but Smith would provide a change in net and stable if unspectacular play. His price should not be high and his market should not be overwhelming. If the Blackhawks are simply looking for a fresh face and a stopgap while they wait for superior options, Smith could be the guy.

Of course, the team could also go the trade route this summer. The New York Rangers could be selling either superstar Henrik Lundqvist or young Alexandar Georgiev, either of whom would provide and upgrade in the Chicago net. Struggling starters Martin Jones of San Jose and Pekka Rinne of Nashville could become available, as could former starters who have been replaced such as Arizona’s Antti Raanta or Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray. The signings of Holtby, Lehner, and others could also displace other names. It’s hard to predict the off-season trade market at this point, but given the lack of obvious options in free agency, it is safe to assume that Bowman will kick some tires. But will cap constraints and lacking trade capital limit their ability in this market as well?

What do you think? Who will be the Blackhawks’ starting goalie in 2020-21?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Overseas Notes: Coronavirus, World Championships, Sticks, Jokipakka

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As the coronavirus crisis continues to creep into every corner of day-to-day life, it was only a matter of time before it started to have a major impact on hockey. IIHF President Rene Fasel has revealed to the Swiss media that the threat of coronavirus is being taken seriously as it pertains to upcoming international tournaments. Fasel states that the IIHF’s medical commission is currently meeting to discuss the potential cancellations of any international events in March and April. This would include the U-18 World Junior Championships, scheduled to be held in Michigan in April. Should the sickness persist, the IIHF will also have to consider cancelling the 2020 World Championships, slated to take place in Switzerland in May. Fasel gives March 15th as the date when these difficult decisions will begin to have to be made. This appears to be a decision based wholly on health risks, as the tournaments are insured against cancellation and neither the IIHF nor the hosts would be facing financial loss. With that said, Fasel also ruled out the possibility that tournaments could still be held but just closed to the public. With no end to the coronavirus outbreak in sight, it appears more likely than not that the U-18’s and World Championships this year could be the next victims of the disease.

  • Of course, this is not the first link between coronavirus and hockey, as the mass shutdown of the Chinese economy has greatly limited the supply of sticks to the NHL and other levels of the game. Both Bauer and CCM have their primary factories in the country most greatly affected by this outbreak and neither have been in operation for weeks, while shipping to North America has also been halted. Players across the league have begun to stock up on sticks as they face the possibility of a coming shortage. NHL players, who often order custom sticks in small batches, may have to work with what they have through the rest of the season and possibly into the postseason.
  • In non-pandemic news, former NHLer Jyrki Jokipakka has benefited greatly from a move to Europe. Now with his second team in his third season since leaving North America, Jokipakka was the undisputed top defender for the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirk this season, leading the team in time on ice and finishing near the top in assists, points, and blocked shots. He also finished among the top-ten producers on defense league-wide. While Sibir has not yet begun their Gagarin Cup playoff campaign, Jokipakka is already the bright spot of the season for the team. The club opted to reward him for his success with a new two-year extension. Jokipakka flashed ability in the NHL, but never able to put it all together in stops with the Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators. So, while the 28-year-old could have waited to see if there was NHL interest this off-season, it seems like he has made the right choice to stick with where he has finally found consistent success and is valued as a top contributor.

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