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Archives for August 2020

West Notes: Pietrangelo, Coyotes, Werner

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While cap space is next to non-existent for St. Louis right now, they did make an offer to pending unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo this week, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).  The veteran is the top defenseman available in this free agent class and that should keep his market rather robust, even in the face of a flattened salary cap.  The Blues already have more than $79MM in payroll commitments for next season which doesn’t leave much room to work with on an $81.5MM Upper Limit and Pietrangelo likely commanding anywhere from $8MM to $10MM per season.  However, teams can be over the cap by up to 10% in the offseason so if they can reach an agreement with the 30-year-old, they can have him sign it and then focus on freeing up cap room to be in compliance once 2020-21 gets underway.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Coyotes will be parting ways with a pair of coaches next week. Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports (Twitter link) that assistant coach John MacLean and video coach Steve Peters won’t have their contracts renewed next week.  MacLean spent the last three years in Arizona as an assistant while he also has NHL coaching experience with New Jersey and Carolina.  Meanwhile, Peters had been in his role since 1996.
  • Avalanche goaltender Adam Werner is expected to start next season on loan to HC Vita Hasten of the Allsvenskan in Sweden, notes Henrik Sjoberg of HockeyNews.se. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut this season as he got into two games with Colorado but spent most of the season in the minors, posting a .909 SV% along with a 2.92 GAA in 33 AHL contests.  He’ll be able to join them as soon as the loan agreement is finalized as he is not among the three goalies on Colorado’s playoff roster.

Chris Drury Withdraws From Florida’s GM Search

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The Panthers have cast a wide net as they look to find a replacement for former GM Dale Tallon whose contract was not renewed.  In recent weeks, Scott Mellanby, John Ferguson Jr., Bill Armstrong, Laurence Gilman, Sean Burke, Ron Hextall, and Kevin Weekes have all interviewed for the position, and Florida Hockey Now’s adds Peter CHiarelli and Eddie Olczyk to the list as well. Rangers Assistant GM Chris Drury additionally interviewed for the vacancy.  However, as Florida sets their shortlist for the next round of interviews, Drury has withdrawn his name from consideration, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Drury has been with New York since 2015 when he started as their Director of Player Development.  He was promoted to assistant GM the following year and became GM of AHL Hartford in 2017 as well.  In 2019, he got his first international GM assignment when he headed up Team USA at the World Championships.  That experience made it no surprise when he came under consideration to replace Tallon.

His name has come up for several GM vacancies around the league over the years so while he won’t wind up with this job, it only seems like a matter of time before Drury gets a chance to run his own NHL team.  No reason for withdrawing from this search was given.

Meanwhile, Brooks adds a couple more names to the list of candidates in former Boston and Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli and Blackhawks/NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk.  He mentions that both are expected to be among the finalists for the position.

Andrei Svechnikov Open To Beginning Extension Talks

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Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov is now eligible for a contract extension as he will be entering the final year of his entry-level contract next season.  While some of the potential top RFAs from the 2021 class may want to wait to sign to see what the financial picture looks like a year from now, the 20-year-old told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he’s open to beginning talks this offseason.

Svechnikov’s second season was a strong one as he bested his rookie numbers despite the campaign getting shortened by the pandemic.  Overall, he put up 24 goals and 37 assists in 61 games to finish third on the team in scoring while logging a little under 17 minutes per game.  He played quite well in the playoffs too, collecting four goals and three assists in six games before suffering a high ankle sprain in the third game against Boston.  There won’t be any lingering concerns from that as Svechnikov indicated that he has nearly fully recovered from the issue and would have been ready to return had Carolina moved on.

Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said that he doesn’t have a timetable in place to try to work out extensions for Svechnikov or defenseman Dougie Hamilton who is a year away from UFA eligibility:

Certainly, they are both important players for this organization, and it makes more sense to get to it sooner than later.  You’re looking at two different types of contracts. One (Hamilton) is going to be an unrestricted free agent come next year after the upcoming year. Andrei will be coming off his entry-level deal. So it’s two different kind of negotiations we’re looking at. There’s no timetable. There’s no deadlines. They both have another year left. … We have a good relationship with both players. I fully expect both players to want to stay here.

While some top young players have signed extensions in recent years, last summer saw a shift towards players going to restricted free agency even without salary arbitration eligibility (including teammate Sebastian Aho).  That was in a different financial landscape though, one that projected a continual increase in the salary cap but it may be a few years before there is any sizable jump now.  Accordingly, Svechnikov may prefer to take a short-term deal (either this offseason or next) rather than lock in at a rate that could be below market value if revenues eventually work their way back up.  Talks will likely begin at some point over the coming weeks but this may be a case where waiting until next season makes the most sense.

Free Agent Focus: Winnipeg Jets

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While the official start date of free agency remains in flux depending on when the playoffs end (the later of October 9th or a week after the completion of the Stanley Cup Final), many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Winnipeg doesn’t have a top-end player that’s in need of a new deal but quite a few regulars will need to be re-signed or replaced.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jack Roslovic – The shine has come off of the 23-year-old a little bit over the last couple of years but he is still a useful forward for the Jets.  Once viewed as their second-line center of the future, Roslovic has spent the majority of the last two seasons on the left wing.  He set career highs offensively this season with 12 goals and 17 assists in 71 games while seeing his ice time jump up to just below 15 minutes per night during the regular season.  It’s still possible that he has a future down the middle though, especially with some of the uncertainty surrounding Bryan Little.  At the very least, with the slow but steady offensive improvement and his future role still undefined, Roslovic isn’t an ideal candidate for a long-term contract and will likely sign a short-term bridge deal.

D Sami Niku – For the last couple of years, Niku has seemingly been on the cusp of becoming a regular on Winnipeg’s back end but despite all of the turnover and injury trouble he had this season, it didn’t happen.  The 23-year-old has been quite productive at the minor league level with Manitoba but it hasn’t translated to much production at the NHL level as he has just 10 points in 48 career games with Winnipeg.  He’ll be waiver-eligible next season and figures to at least be a regular on the roster which presents a situation where he could take less than his qualifying offer to secure a one-way deal.

Other RFAs: F Mason Appleton, F Jansen Harkins, D Nelson Nogier, F C.J. Suess

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Dylan DeMelo – Initially regarded as a throw-in player as part of the trade that sent Erik Karlsson to San Jose, DeMelo has certainly boosted his value over the last couple of years.  This season, he spent a lot of time in Ottawa’s top four before being moved to Winnipeg just before the trade deadline.  The 27-year-old fit in perfectly with his new team and spent a fair bit of time with top defenders Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk.  As a right-shot player that has shown he can play on the top two pairings, DeMelo is well-positioned to land a sizable raise on his $900K AAV.  Cap-strapped teams (and there will be plenty of them) will certainly be kicking the tires if he can’t agree to a new deal before free agency.

F Cody Eakin – Another trade deadline acquisition, Eakin is coming off of a down year offensively.  After picking up a career-high 41 points in 2018-19, his output dipped to just 15 this season although injuries and the pandemic skew that point total a little bit.  While he isn’t an option for the top six, he is a capable defensive forward and logged nearly 17 minutes per game for the Jets in the playoffs.  In a quiet center free agent market, he should have several suitors although he’ll likely be facing a pay cut from the $3.85MM AAV he had this season.

D Dmitry Kulikov – This was a bit of a bounce-back season for the veteran.  Yes, his $4.333MM AAV was still wildly overpriced but he managed to hold his own logging 20 minutes a night on the back end.  His days of being a fixture in the top four have been over for a while now but a year ago, it looked like he’d likely have to go overseas when this deal expired.  Now, there should be some interest around the league for him to play on a third pairing next season, albeit at a largely-reduced price tag.

Other UFAs: D Nathan Beaulieu, D Anthony Bitetto, F Gabriel Bourque, G Laurent Brossoit, F Seth Griffith, F Mark Letestu, D Luca Sbisa, D Cameron Schilling, F Logan Shaw, F Nick Shore

Projected Cap Space

With Morrissey’s extension kicking in for next season, Winnipeg is up to nearly $66MM in commitments to just 13 players, per CapFriendly.  With roughly $15MM in cap space to fill out their roster with another eight to ten players, it’s unlikely that the Jets will be able to afford another big-ticket contract.  The good news is that with a light crop of restricted free agents, they should still have some flexibility to work with on the open market as they look to retain or retool their back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Prospect Notes: Rossi, Fleming, Soderstrom

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For prospects eligible to be selected in the 2020 draft, right now is a time of uncertainty. Those who may go in the top few picks often want to challenge for an NHL roster spot immediately, but it’s not clear exactly when training camp will even start. The NHL is hoping to get the 2020-21 season underway in December, but there’s no telling exactly when games will actually begin at this point.

Earlier this summer, Alexis Lafreniere, the consensus top prospect, decided he will not play in Europe and instead spend the offseason training. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that another top prospect has come to the same conclusion. Marco Rossi, who was ranked sixth by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters and is expected to go in the top-10 picks, will not sign with a European club for the start of the season and is instead training in the hopes of making an NHL roster right away. Wheeler adds that he believes Rossi does have the talent to make the NHL right away. The Austrian-born center scored 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s this season.

  • Another future NHL draft pick has made a decision on where he’ll play down the road, as Maddox Fleming commits to the University of Notre Dame. Fleming, 16, is a top prospect for the 2022 draft and will be joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the next two seasons. Notre Dame would come after that, though it’s important to remember that commitments are often changed. Fleming already stands 5’11” 174-lbs and recorded 52 points in 42 games for the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s prep team this season.
  • Victor Soderstrom may be the next top NHL prospect being loaned out to another league to get some game action, as the Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been linked to AIK in Sweden by Johan Svensson of Expressen. Soderstrom played in the SHL the last two seasons, but is expected to compete for a spot on the Arizona roster as soon as this year. The 11th overall pick from 2019 has quickly turned into one of the best defensive prospects in the world, landing 15th overall in Wheeler’s recent list of the top drafted prospects.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Chad Ruhwedel

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. Ruhwedel’s current deal carries a cap hit of just $700K for next season, but the new extension will pay him the increased minimum of $750K. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:

Chad is a reliable, depth defenseman who is a great teammate. He keeps himself in great shape and is always game-ready, which is important for a player in his role and the success of our team.

Ruhwedel, 30, has been in-and-out of the Penguins lineup for the last four seasons, acting as the seventh defenseman in most cases. He played 41 games in 2019-20, recording six points and averaging just under 15 minutes a game. Through 170 career NHL games, the undrafted college signing has 25 points.

More important than his regular season success though, and hinted at by Rutherford in his release, is how Ruhwedel has stepped into the lineup for the Penguins at important times. He played six games in the Penguins 2017 playoff run that ultimately ended in a Stanley Cup, and 12 the year after. That reliability is exactly what you want out of a seventh defenseman and is something that Rutherford and the Penguins coaching staff has come to expect.

He will now be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022.

Minor Transactions: 08/28/20

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Minor, junior and European leagues continue to prepare for the 2020-21 season with signings, trades and loans. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable transactions right here:

  • It’s been years since Rob Schremp was a notable NHL name, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of the hockey world just yet. The Edmonton Oilers 2004 first-round pick has resurfaced with HK Mogo in Latvia, signing a one-year deal with the club. Schremp last played an NHL game during the 2010-11 season with the Atlanta Thrashers and has since spent time in the AHL, SHL, KHL, EBEL, NLA, DEL and Belarussian league, traveling the world playing hockey.
  • Andrew O’Brien, who was a fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2012 will be playing another year overseas, this time signing with Dinamo Riga of the KHL for the 2020-21 season. O’Brien played several years in the AHL before heading to Norway last year and dominating, scoring 45 points in 41 games. Perhaps more notable than his scoring totals though were O’Brien’s penalty minutes, which totaled 309 to more than double the second-place offender.
  • Griffen Outhouse, who spent part of last season with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, has decided to give up his professional career for now and return to school. Outhouse will join the University of New Brunswick on the Canadian college circuit, an eight-time national championship program. The 22-year old goaltender posted an .882 save percentage for the Moose in five appearances.

New York Islanders Loan Simon Holmstrom To Vita Hasten HC

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The New York Islanders are still churning along towards the Stanley Cup, but the front office still has to make preparations for next season. With that in mind, the team has loaned prospect Simon Holmstrom to Vita Hasten HC of the Swedish second league. The team does not specifically state whether Holmstrom will be back for the 2020-21 season in North America, whenever that begins.

Selected 23rd overall in 2019, Holmstrom is part of a prospect pipeline in New York that is still quite well stocked. Even as a teenager this season he was part of a Bridgeport Sound Tigers team that also included Kieffer Bellows and Oliver Wahlstrom, two other first-rounders that are still waiting for their real big break in the NHL. Though he didn’t by any means dominate the minor league, Holmstrom did record 15 points in 46 games as one of the youngest players in the entire AHL.

There is an obvious “wow” factor when you watch Holmstrom, especially when pitted against players his own age. His puck skills and acceleration are excellent and though he wasn’t able to use that offensive upside on a routine basis in the AHL, you can bet he’ll find success playing in the Allsvenskan to start the year.

Holmstrom’s contract will slide this season and can again next year should he fail to play in ten NHL games. That would mean his entry-level deal, signed in 2019, could end up stretching all the way to 2024.

Chris Wilkie Signs In AHL

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Another one of the players who saw their exclusive draft rights expire earlier this month has found a new home, as Chris Wilkie signs a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. Wilkie was a draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 2015 but was actually acquired by the Ottawa Senators last October. Unfortunately, the Senators weren’t able to sign him before the August deadline, meaning Wilkie became an unrestricted free agent able to sign with whatever organization he chose.

A sixth-round pick of the Panthers, he was actually the player sent to Ottawa for Jack Rodewald who was subsequently involved in the Brendan Leipsic Instagram messaging scandal, actions condemned by the NHL and the Florida organization. Rodewald will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this fall, but it doesn’t appear as though the Panthers gave up much of an opportunity anyway when they moved on from Wilkie.

The 24-year old forward actually had an outstanding goal-scoring campaign for Colorado College in 2019-20, scoring 23 times in just 34 games. That dwarfed his previous NCAA high of six goals and earned him some national recognition.

Still, Wilkie will have to start in the minor leagues and continue to work his way up the chain if he dreams of ever playing in the NHL. His AHL contract will not allow the Chicago Blackhawks to recall him, but perhaps he can show enough this season to earn himself an entry-level deal down the road.

Filip Hronek Loaned To Mountfield HK

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The Detroit Red Wings continue to send their young players overseas to begin the season, this time loaning Filip Hronek to Mountfield HK in the Czech Republic. Hronek still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and will almost certainly be back for the start of NHL training camp (though the release does not specifically state that).

Selected 53rd overall in 2016, Hronek has been one of the bright spots for the Red Wings in the last few seasons. His development from a second-round afterthought to full-time NHL puck-mover has been almost seamless, with plenty of success along the way. Now 22, he’s coming off his first full season in the NHL and a career-high 31 points in 65 games. While he came with a close to league-leading -38, that has a lot more to do with logging 24 minutes a night for a historically bad team than it does about Hronek’s ability at this level.

Moving forward there is no doubt that Hronek figures strongly into the Red Wings plans as a pillar on the back end, but given his offensive ability, the team would be wise to bring in other names that could take some of the defensive pressure off the youngster.

For now, he’ll be getting some time overseas to continue his development while he waits for hockey to resume on North American ice.

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