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Minnesota Wild Extend ECHL Affiliation

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The Minnesota Wild have extended their affiliation with the Allen Americans of the ECHL for the 2020-21 season. The two teams have been partnered since 2018-19, with the Americans serving as a proving ground for raw or unheralded prospects. Tom Kurvers, GM of the Iowa Wild, the AHL affiliate that will be part of the three-tiered system, had this to say about the new agreement:

We are excited to extend our ECHL affiliation agreement with the Allen Americans. Allen had a tremendous season last year and we look forward to the Americans serving as a development affiliate for our players again this season.

Allen is one of the 13 ECHL teams that is scheduled to begin their 72-game season in early December, playing their first game on December 12 against the Tulsa Oilers. The league is hoping to have a season despite the financial struggles that the COVID-19 situation has incurred on some of the organizations.

The ECHL is used to secure playing time for lottery-ticket prospects, especially goaltenders, but does regularly produce future NHL talent. The Americans specifically have had two such players grace their locker rooms. Jordie Benn, who currently plays for the Vancouver Canucks, spent an entire season with the Americans in 2009-10 when he was still trying to get noticed as an undrafted player.

Aaron Dell, who was recently signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, has a similar story. He spent his first year of professional hockey in Allen, though at that time they were part of the Central Hockey league. He would return to the Americans for 12 games in 2014-15 after they had joined the ECHL.

Brendan Lemieux, New York Rangers Exchange Arbitration Figures

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The New York Rangers have a pair of arbitration cases set to go down over the next few days, including tomorrow’s hearing for Ryan Strome. On Friday, Brendan Lemieux will have his, and today the two sides exchanged figures. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Rangers have filed for a two-year contract that would pay the young forward $950K in 2020-21 and $1.075MM in 2021-22, while Lemieux filed for a $2MM AAV.

It is important to remember that in the NHL, the arbitrator does not need to choose one filing or the other and usually instead awards a contract somewhere in the middle. The two sides can also come to an agreement in the coming days, though this year once the hearing begins they must wait for the reward and cannot settle while the arbitrator deliberates. The Rangers are able to choose the term of the deal (one or two years) because it was Lemieux who filed for arbitration.

In this case, the player’s ask is not above the $4,538,938 “walk away” threshold, meaning that the Rangers will have to sign Lemieux to whatever the arbitrator awards should the hearing begin.

Lemieux, 24, scored 18 points in 59 games for the Rangers last season while racking up a whopping 111 penalty minutes. That actually put him second in the league in that category behind only Evander Kane’s 122. The feisty, much-like-his-dad forward is a super pest for the Rangers but has also shown the ability to chip in offensively now and again. His deal will likely come in somewhere around $1.5MM per season, a reasonable amount for a player that is unlikely to advance past the bottom-six.

New York Islanders Sign Ryan Pulock

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The New York Islanders have signed restricted free agent defenseman Ryan Pulock to a new two-year contract. The deal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, will carry an average annual value of $5MM. Pulock had a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for later this week, which will no longer be necessary. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.26MM salary + $740K signing bonus
  • 2021-22: $5.16MM salary + $1.5MM signing bonus

Because he is an unassuming piece of the Islanders defensive puzzle, you may not realize just how good Pulock has been over the last several years. Over the last three seasons, Pulock ranks 33rd in scoring among NHL defensemen with 104 points in 218 games, 21st in goals with 23. That already puts him in the upper-echelon of offensive blueliners, but given he also brings a steady defensive stick and physical presence it’s hard not to wonder why he gets so little league-wide praise.

With a $5MM price tag, perhaps he’ll start getting his due as one of the better defensemen in the league and a leader on the Islanders back end. The concerning part for New York fans, is how long he’ll stay a part of that Islanders back end.

A two-year contract means that Pulock will reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2022 when he is just 27 years old. If he’s not re-signed by then, he’ll be one of the youngest free agents on the market and likely able to command a huge, long-term offer. Should his offensive production continue, there’s a chance he even would be one of the very best free agents available at any position.

Still, for now he can provide strong play for a reasonable price and fits into an Islanders financial situation that will have a chance to reset itself in a few years. Pulock, Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy and Thomas Hickey are now all on contracts that expire following the 2021-22 season, meaning the team will have the option to build their defense around a different—and likely younger—core.

Because Pulock was the Islanders final arbitration case, they will now receive a 24-hour buyout window that will open on Friday. They can only buy out players that have a cap hit of at least $4MM.

2020-21 Season Will Have Minimum Of 48 Games

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There is still no concrete plan for the 2020-21 NHL season and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently stated that to suggest the league is even leaning towards one plan or another is a stretch. All that is known so far is that the earliest the league will start is early January with the potential for that date to move back even further. With that in mind, as well as some conflict with American TV rights holder NBC, who has committed to airing the Summer Olympic Games in late July, the likelihood of a shortened NHL season is very high, even if the league and players would both prefer otherwise.

On the topic of a shortened season, the league appears to make at least one thing clear. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan report that leagues sources have claimed that the upcoming season will have a minimum 48-game schedule. The same number of games that were played in previous lockout-shortened seasons, 48 games is a number that the owners appear to be comfortable with in order to have a traditional 16-team postseason.

With that said, Wyshynski and Kaplan write that the season could be upwards of 65 games, a number that teams and players alike prefer. After an incomplete 2019-20 season, everyone wants to get as close to a normal season as possible, in terms of regular season length, postseason structure, and perhaps even fans in the stands. However, the league has stated that their greatest priority is to have the 2021-22 season start on time and be full-length, so this coming season will have to play into that plan.

 

Minor Transactions: 11/03/20

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Today is a big day for news, what with the NFL trade deadline and the MLB’s announcement of the Gold Glove winners of course, but the hockey world has managed to slip a few notable minor moves in as well. The NHL free agent market has quieted down, but other leagues continue to make roster transactions. Take a look:

  • The AHL’s Stockton Heat have added a very talented collegiate player to their 2020-21 roster in former Bemidji State University captain Adam Brady. In an interview with the Smart Sports Podcast’s Darryl Smart, Brady announced that he had signed his first pro contract. While it would not have been a surprise to see Brady draw NHL interest, he states his excitement to be joining the Calgary Flames’ affiliate. A near point-per-game player in his senior season, Brady recorded a total of 81 points in 112 games over three seasons at Bemidji State. Although he is older than the typical NCAA free agent at 25, the skilled center should bring a pro-ready game that will make him an effective player immediately.
  • Vladimir Sobotka did not last very long in the NLA. After his contract with the Buffalo Sabres expired back on October 9, Sobotka signed a temporary contract with SC Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland. Since then, he played in four games and recorded two assists. However, he didn’t do enough to earn a full-time roster spot. The Lakers announced today that they have declined the option to extend Sobotka’s contract. The veteran NHLer, who also has experience in the KHL and in his native Czech Republic, will be back on the hunt for another landing spot.
  • In contrast, another former Boston Bruin has found employment overseas. Jordan Caron, who has bounced between Germany, Russia, and Switzerland over the past few years, has signed with Austria’s Villacher SV of the IceHL. The team announced the addition of the veteran forward, who will likely play a major role for the club. Caron has been a productive two-way forward in Europe as he was in the AHL, but could never translate that ability to the NHL in stops with Boston, Colorado, and St. Louis.

Dallas Stars Update Status Of Tyler Seguin, Ben Bishop

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The Dallas Stars will be without two of their top players for the first part of the season, if not longer. Today the team announced that Ben Bishop underwent successful right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus on October 21 and has been given a five-month recovery timeline. Tyler Seguin meanwhile underwent a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair yesterday and has been given a five-month recovery timeline.

Bishop, who will turn 34 later this month, had knee surgery in May that limited him to just three appearances in the postseason for Dallas. He’ll now be out until at least the end of March, another reason why the Stars re-signing of Anton Khudobin made so much sense.

There’s no question that Bishop is one of the best in the game when healthy and he showed it again this season with a .920 save percentage in 44 regular season appearances. The veteran goaltender has been a Vezina finalist three times and has one of the league’s best all-time save percentages at .921 (Dominik Hasek leads the way at .922). This knee injury is certainly troublesome though, especially given that Bishop has three years remaining on his current contract. His age is creeping up and this isn’t the first major injury of his career, so his recovery is not something to take for granted.

Seguin meanwhile represents a whole other issue for the Stars, given he’ll be out until April at this point. The team’s highest-paid player at $9.85MM per season, he can be a dynamic game-changing force when healthy and playing his best. Seguin recorded 50 points in 69 games this season for the Stars, his worst totals since he arrived in Dallas seven years ago.

With Seguin out of the lineup, the team will need a strong performance from captain Jamie Benn as well as big steps forward for youngsters Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz. The Stars didn’t make any real additions to their forward group in free agency, meaning they’ll have to work around the injury with the group that got them to the Cup Final.

Marcus Davidsson Terminates Contract In SHL

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Marcus Davidsson, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick from 2017, has terminated his contract with the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL. Davidsson wasn’t seeing much ice time with the team and will instead look for an opportunity elsewhere. According to a report out of Sweden, that’s expected to be alongside his brother Jonathan Davidsson with Vasterviks IK. That Davidsson, originally a Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick, is under contract with the Ottawa Senators but is expected to be loaned to the Allsvenskan team.

The Sabres’ Davidsson was the 37th pick in the 2017 draft, and though still just 21, has a lot of work to do if he wants to one day play in the NHL. The forward had just 13 points in 31 games for Vaxjo last season, and a single assist in 12 matches this year. With dwindling ice time he’ll try to get things turned around in the lower league, as he approaches an important threshold in his career.

On June 1, 2021, Davidsson’s draft rights with the Sabres will expire, making him an unrestricted free agent if he does not have an entry-level contract by then. It’s very rare to see players selected so high go unsigned, but it is a possibility in this case if Davidsson wants to stay overseas to continue his development. Of course, the two sides could reach an agreement to sign his ELC and then be loaned back to Sweden, should they agree that he’s not ready (or willing) to play in the AHL.

There was a time where Davidsson looked like a sure thing for NHL duty down the road. In 2017-18 he recorded 21 points in just 39 games with Djurgardens IF of the SHL, an outstanding total for someone so young. He followed it up with another good season for the team in 2018-19, before a move to Vaxjo seemed to derail his performance. Perhaps a reunion with his brother, who was on those Djurgardens teams himself, will spark a resurgence from the Buffalo draft pick.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Anthony Mantha

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The Detroit Red Wings have reached an agreement with Anthony Mantha on a new four-year contract. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal is worth an average annual value of $5.7MM. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $4.5MM
  • 2021-22: $5.3MM
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM
  • 2023-24: $6.5MM

This multi-year contract locks up a core piece of the Red Wings forward group and actually becomes the longest deal on the books for GM Steve Yzerman. Mantha is the only player in the organization currently signed through the 2023-24 season, with even Dylan Larkin expiring a year earlier. That term and security likely bought Detroit some cap savings on the deal, given how effective Mantha has been in his last few seasons.

A first-round pick in 2013, it took a few years for the power forward to fill out and reach the NHL. When he did though, he brought the instant goal scoring that he had provided at every other step of the way, scoring 17 in his first full season in Detroit. Mantha followed that up with 24 goals in his sophomore campaign and 25 in just 67 games in 2018-19, showing how easily he would be able to reach the 30-goal threshold at some point.

Unfortunately, after scoring 12 goals and 24 points in his first 29 games of 2019-20, Mantha was injured when he was tossed to the ground by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin. He would miss more than six weeks of the season, making his return to the lineup in mid-February. Perhaps even more effective down the stretch, Mantha put up 14 more points in 14 games before the season was halted, bringing his totals to 16 goals and 38 points in just 43 games this year.

That kind of per-game production, especially for a player that is still squarely in his prime, is usually rewarded with even more money than Detroit committed here. The deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency and could look like a steal if Mantha can get healthy enough to play every night, finally reaching that 30-goal mark.

For the Red Wings, who are still in their rebuilding phase, this represents a relatively low-risk investment in a core player. Without any other long-term commitments, the team has ample cap space over the next few years to develop and sign their young talent. Names like Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, Luke Glendening, Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth, and Jonathan Bernier are all on contracts that expire after this season, opening up the playbook for Yzerman to build the squad as he sees fit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ryan Strome, New York Rangers Exchange Arbitration Figures

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The next arbitration hearing is set for Thursday, with Ryan Strome and the New York Rangers sitting down (virtually) to make their case for a new contract. Today, they exchanged filings. Strome has filed for $5.7MM, while the Rangers have filed for $3.6MM, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

It is important to remember that in the NHL, the arbitrator does not need to choose one filing or the other and usually instead awards a contract somewhere in the middle. The two sides can also come to an agreement in the coming days, though this year once the hearing begins they must wait for the reward and cannot settle while the arbitrator deliberates.

In this case, the player’s ask is above the $4,538,938 “walk away” threshold, meaning that if the award comes in above that number the Rangers would have the option to release Strome to unrestricted free agency instead. If they choose to do that, Strome would actually have an opportunity to take the initial $3.6MM team filing instead of testing the market—a tougher decision in today’s flat-cap world.

Already 27, Strome is only eligible for a one-year contract and would become a UFA next offseason. The fifth-overall pick from 2011 has had a very up-and-down career, finding his footing early with the Islanders only to struggle for several years afterward. Following an unsuccessful stint with the Edmonton Oilers, Strome has found a new home in New York, recording 18 goals and 59 points last season.

The savvy, playmaking center still doesn’t have the greatest foot speed or elite raw skills but has proven he can be a capable middle-six pivot in the right situation. With the Rangers suddenly looking extremely dangerous at forward, perhaps they would be willing to pay up for a season of Strome to see what this group can do in the standings. A long-term deal is still obviously possible, if unlikely, especially if it would cost the Rangers upwards of $5MM per season. The team has several young players to get under contract in the coming years and may not be able to afford a contract like that for Strome.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Mason Marchment Re-Signs With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers have come to a new agreement with one of their young restricted free agents, re-signing Mason Marchment to a one-year, two-way contract. Marchment was acquired by the Panthers last season and was actually arbitration-eligible, though he decided not to file.

A big, rangy forward with more than a little of his father, Bryan Marchment’s, bite, the 25-year-old forward came over to the Panthers in exchange for Denis Malgin. He played just six games in the Florida minor league system before the season was halted, scoring two points. But there’s more offense in the undrafted Marchement, who was a project player for the Maple Leafs that they turned into a fringe NHL talent. He scored 13 goals and 18 points in 24 games for the Toronto Marlies last season, also getting into his first four NHL contests.

Whether the new regime in Florida believes he can play in the NHL or not, Marchment will be at the very least a valuable depth piece for the Charlotte Checkers as they begin a new affiliation with Florida.

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