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Archives for November 2020

Morning Notes: Ingham, Robertson, Parayko

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Despite eight teams opting out of the upcoming ECHL season, we’re now just a few weeks from scheduled game action. Friday, December 11 will serve as opening night for the minor league, with five games scheduled. With that in mind, several transactions were announced today, including the addition of Jacob Ingham to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits roster.

Ingham, 20, was a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2018 and signed his entry-level contract earlier this year. The young goaltender had an excellent 2019-20 season at the OHL level, going 33-8-5 for the Kitchener Rangers and winning the Humanitarian of the Year award.

  • One other OHL prospect that is hoping not to have to go back is Nick Robertson, the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick that made his NHL debut in the bubble. As Chris Johnston explains in his latest piece for Sportsnet, Robertson never left Ontario after Toronto was eliminated, avoiding any quarantine time by staying in Canada to train for the upcoming season instead of returning to his family in the U.S. After Toronto added a handful of bargain bin forwards this offseason Robertson has his work cut out for him if he wants to make the roster.
  • Colton Parayko certainly doesn’t have to worry about making a roster, but there will be increased expectations with the St. Louis Blues after the team watched Alex Pietrangelo leave in free agency. No one is doubting the 6’6″ defenseman though, as Lou Korac writes for NHL.com. Pietrangelo especially is excited to see what Parayko does in his absence, calling his former teammate “elite” and telling him to have a sort of “arrogance” on the ice as the leader of the defense.

Hockey Canada Selection Camp Suspended

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Nov 26: The camp has been shut down for two weeks after it was determined that all players, coaches, and staff were considered close contacts to the positive tests. Under Alberta health guidelines, they must now undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.

Nov 24: After it broke that both the Vegas Golden Knights and Columbus Blue Jackets have had multiple players test positive for COVID-19 in recent days, more coronavirus news has hit the wire. Hockey Canada’s World Junior selection camp has suspended activities, including the postponement of an intrasquad game that was scheduled for today after two players tested positive for COVID-19 earlier today. Scott Salmond, senior VP of the national team, released this statement:

Hockey Canada confirmed earlier today that two players at Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Selection Camp have tested positive for COVID-19, and have been placed in quarantine at the team hotel in Red Deer.

Upon learning of the positive test this morning, the decision was made to postpone the Red-White game scheduled for this morning at the Westerner Park Centrium, and to suspend all camp activities for today. As per Hockey Canada’s safety protocols, all players, coaches and staff members took mandatory COVID-19 tests upon arrival at camp and have continued to be tested regularly throughout the past ten days. For precautionary reasons, we will also ensure that all players and team personnel go through an additional test before resuming camp activities. The appropriate local and provincial health authorities have been made aware of the situation, and we will continue to work closely with Alberta Health Services. We will have no further comment at this time.

Though the actual tournament will be played inside a bubble, the selection camp does not have the same protocols. The group is just a week into their month-long preparation for the event, which was designed to give Canadian juniors a chance to get back on the ice while the WHL and OHL wait for their seasons to start.

The identities of the players that tested positive have not been, nor will likely be, announced.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Calgary Flames

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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 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Calgary Flames

Current Cap Hit: $80,489,166 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Dillon Dube (one year, $778K)
D Juuso Valimaki (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Dube: $32.5K
Valimaki: $425K
Total: $457.5K

After being recalled in mid-November, Dube was up to stay with Calgary, playing in 45 regular season games as well as all ten playoff games.  While he’s projected to be a full-time regular next year, it’s unlikely that he’ll command a significant raise on his next deal unless he’s able to grab a top-six role which isn’t likely at this stage of his career.  Valimaki missed all of last season while recovering from knee surgery.  As things stand, he should slot in on the third pairing but with how much development time he has lost, a bridge contract next offseason is quite likely for him.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Sam Bennett ($2.55MM, RFA)
F Josh Leivo ($875K, UFA)
D Nikita Nesterov ($700K, UFA)
F Joakim Nordstrom ($700K, UFA)
G David Rittich ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Derek Ryan ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Dominik Simon ($700K, UFA)

It wasn’t a good regular season at all for Bennett who looked like he was heading straight towards non-tender territory for the 2021 offseason.  Then the playoffs came where he was much better.  A full-season showing like that would have him well-positioned for a raise next offseason but if not, Calgary could still view his $2.55MM qualifier as too rich for them.  Ryan’s point per game average was comparable to that of his previous two seasons which is a positive.  However, with the state of the market now, his deal has gone from decent value to a slight overpayment and considering he’ll be 34 when his next contract begins, it’s difficult to see him getting a raise next year.  Leivo was well on his way to a career year before a fractured kneecap derailed things and resulted in him needing to take a show-me deal.  This has the potential to be one of the better bargains from free agency and if he stays healthy and produces around a 30-35-point level, he’ll be in good shape for a nice raise next year.  Simon and Nordstrom are likely to be fourth line or depth players and barring a surprise offensive uptick, both will be looking at similar amounts a year from now.

Nesterov’s return to the NHL came as a bit of a surprise but it’s a no-risk move for the Flames.  Offensively, he can contribute but he will need to show some defensive improvement to have an opportunity to land a more prominent contract next summer.  Rittich’s chance of getting a better deal next offseason is certainly in jeopardy after the year he had and the fact he is now cemented as a backup goaltender.  Calgary may be able to look to sign him (or someone else) for a bit cheaper next year to free up a bit more wiggle room.

Two Years Remaining

F Johnny Gaudreau ($6.75MM, UFA)
D Mark Giordano ($6.75MM, UFA)
F Andrew Mangiapane ($2.425MM, RFA)
F Matthew Tkachuk ($7MM, RFA)

Gaudreau’s value certainly took a dip last season but while he didn’t come close to the 99-point mark again, he still was in the top 50 in scoring league-wide.  His playoff performances have underwhelmed but at 27, there’s little reason to think he isn’t going to be an impact player for several years to come.  Unless his output drops again, he’s still looking at a pricey deal on his next contract and whether or not it’s a small raise or cut will depend on his ability to approach his 2018-19 levels.  Mangiapane’s first full NHL season was a strong one as he carved out a top-six role.  Assuming he can hold onto that, he’ll be in line for a raise with arbitration rights two years from now.

Tkachuk is going to be one of the more intriguing RFA cases of the 2022 cohort.  He’s still subject to the old rules for qualifying offers which means Calgary must tender a $9MM qualifying offer.  Under the old cap environment (one that had frequent increases), that was still significant but now, it’s even more important.  The Flames can take him to arbitration which could potentially lower the cost but the minimum award would be $7.65MM and chances are that Tkachuk will perform well enough to do better than that.  He also has the option to just file for arbitration himself or accept the qualifying offer; either route would walk him to UFA eligibility at 25 in the prime of his career.  Accordingly, GM Brad Treliving will almost certainly be wanting to start extension talks as soon as possible (the first official day of the 2021-22 campaign).

Giordano saw his point production decline sharply last season but the 2019 Norris Trophy winner is still a fixture on the top pairing for the Flames.  His price tag is more than reasonable but he will be hard-pressed to command a similar deal two years from now when he’ll be entering his age-39 season.  He’ll be eligible for bonuses in one-year deals at that time and that will probably be the route that teams will want to go with him.

Three Years Remaining

F Milan Lucic ($5.25MM, UFA)*
F Sean Monahan ($6.375MM, UFA)

*- Edmonton is retaining another $750K on Lucic’s deal

Like Gaudreau, Monahan is coming off of a big drop offensively which had some wondering if he’d be moved if Treliving opted to shake up his roster.  That didn’t happen and instead, he’ll have an opportunity to try to re-establish himself as a fixture on the top line.  Still just 26, Monahan could be an intriguing free agent three years from now with impact centers not often making it to the open market.  Lucic, meanwhile, is viewed as having one of the worst contracts in the league.  Unfortunately for Calgary, the structure of the deal (frontloading with signing bonuses) makes it effectively buyout-proof so this is one they’re probably not going to be able to get out of unless they can find another bad contract for bad contract swap.

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Prospect Notes: Dostal, Abruzzese, Stienburg

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Lukas Dostal’s time in the Finnish SM-liiga has been nothing short of dominant this season as he leads the league in GAA (1.64) and SV% (.941) by quite a large margin.  However, his time there has come to an end as Ilves, the team he was on loan to, announced that the Ducks have recalled him, suggesting that they believe that NHL training camps are going to be getting underway soon despite the lack of discussions between the league and NHLPA in recent days.  The 20-year-old was a third-round pick of Anaheim back in 2018 (63rd overall) but has yet to play in North America, instead spending last year with Ilves and his post-draft year with them and three different levels in the Czech Republic.

More prospect news from around the hockey world:

  • Maple Leafs prospect Nick Abruzzese is someone that isn’t lamenting the cancellation of the Ivy League season. As Postmedia’s Terry Koshan notes, the forward was likely to miss most of the 2020-21 season anyway as he works his way back from hip surgery.  His recovery is on track but instead of rehabbing towards trying to return for the NCAA playoffs, he can focus on prepping for next season already.  The 21-year-old led Harvard in scoring last season with 14 goals and 30 assists in 31 games, good for a tie for third-overall among Division I scorers.
  • Avalanche prospect Matthew Stienburg suffered a broken leg while playing with West Kelowna of the BCHL, reports Mike Chambers of The Denver Post. As a result, the Colorado third-rounder (63rd overall in 2019) was going to miss all of the NCAA season before the Ivy League shut things down.  Stienburg played his rookie season with Cornell and will return there for the 2021-22 campaign as his time in the BCHL did not affect his college eligibility.

Snapshots: CBA Talks, Cirelli, Smirnov

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The heads of the NHL and NHLPA haven’t spoken directly in almost a week, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic who tweets commissioner Gary Bettman and executive director Donald Fehr last talked on Thursday, November 19. LeBrun notes that the “communication stalemate is noteworthy” because of the near-constant dialogue the two had through the first part of the offseason.

While LeBrun once again tweets his confidence something will finally get done and points at the next week as an important stretch, Darren Dreger of TSN adds that it has been that way for a while now. Many have pointed to the end of November as a key threshold if the NHL still wants a January 1. start, something that looks more and more difficult to accomplish with every passing day. The biggest issue in talks continues to be amending the CBA that was agreed to just a few months ago.

  • After the Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed Mikhail Sergachev this afternoon, LeBrun reached out to the agent for Anthony Cirelli, who remains a restricted free agent without a contract for the 2020-21 season. Pat Morris of Newport Sports told LeBrun that there is “nothing new to report” in Cirelli’s contract talks. With the Lightning now close to $2MM over the salary cap ceiling, contracts for Cirelli and Erik Cernak will be very difficult to fit in without a corresponding move.
  • Denis Smirnov, a sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2017, has signed his first professional contract, inking a deal with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. The Grizzlies signed a trio of players today, including the 23-year-old Smirnov who became an unrestricted free agent when the Avalanche failed to sign him this summer.

 

Mikhail Sergachev Re-Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have locked up one of their incredible young talents for another few years, signing Mikhail Sergachev to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $4.8MM. Sergachev was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.4MM
  • 2021-22: $4.8MM
  • 2022-23: $7.2MM

Technically, this move takes the Lightning about $2MM over the $81.5MM salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season, with Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak still to sign. Still, getting Sergachev under contract for a reasonable amount was imperative, especially with the threat of an offer sheet still theoretically out there.

Make no mistake, even at $4.8MM, Sergachev still represents some excess value for the Lightning. The 22-year-old defenseman, who the Lightning acquired in exchange for Jonathan Drouin in 2017, would likely be a top-pairing player already on many of the teams around the league. That hasn’t been required in Tampa Bay where Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh continue to soak up huge minutes on the blue line, but Sergachev has still seen substantial increases in playing time each season. This year, his third with the Lightning, he recorded a career-high 10 goals in 70 games, racking up 34 points and logging more than 20 minutes a night. That performance carried over to the postseason where he was even more effective, averaging more ice time than any Tampa player not named Hedman or McDonagh en route to a Stanley Cup victory.

Not only could Sergachev probably shoulder a heavier offensive load, but his defensive game has also improved enough to believe he could be an all-situations star. He became a legitimate option on the penalty kill this season, producing excellent results whenever trusted to be out there short-handed, while still playing a strong second fiddle to Hedman on the team’s powerplay units. Financially, he’ll now slot in behind Hedman ($7.875MM cap hit) and McDonagh ($6.75MM) in a tricky cap puzzle for GM Julien BriseBois.

That puzzle has a few extra pieces right now, making it even more challenging to finish. The team will have to at some point move out one or more of their expensive contracts like Tyler Johnson, who was shopped and placed on waivers earlier this summer. There is of course the chance that a player could be injured and placed on long-term injured reserve to help them become compliant, but with Cirelli and Cernak to come the team simply can’t afford everyone.

Sergachev will still be a restricted free agent when this contract expires, though he’ll be just one year away from UFA status and arbitration-eligible. If his career continues down its current path, he’ll have an incredible amount of leverage in his next negotiation. One would have thought the offer sheet scenario would have been extremely enticing to a player like him, who could have certainly made more elsewhere, but Joe Smith of The Athletic reports that Sergachev actually agreed to a three-year structure with the Lightning shortly after the season ended and wanted to “give it another go” with the Cup champions in Tampa.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Johnny Boychuk Will Not Play Again

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The New York Islanders will not have Johnny Boychuk in the lineup this season, as the veteran defenseman’s playing career has come to an end. Though he is likely not actually retiring thanks to the two years (and $8MM) left on his contract, the serious eye injury that he suffered this season will force him off the ice.

Boychuk was initially injured when Artturi Lehkonen’s skate hit him in a regular season game, creating a frightening scene in New York. Amazingly, the veteran defenseman actually returned for the playoffs but was injured again when he took a high hit from Mike Matheson. In the release, the Islanders state that Boychuk suffered two injuries to the same eye. When speaking to reporters including Arthur Staple of The Athletic, he explained that he has been diagnosed with optic nerve damage.

A veteran of over 800 NHL games, the 36-year-old Boychuk has been a solid contributor for more than a decade. His best offensive season came with the Islanders in 2014-15 when he recorded 35 points, but he was never much of a headline-maker. Instead, he calmly ended rush after rush and moved the puck up to his teammates, averaging more than 20 minutes a night through his long career. He won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, playing a pivotal role and even scoring a game-winning goal to eliminate the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round.

Quite importantly, Boychuk does not appear to be giving up the remaining money on his contract, but will be moved to long-term injured reserve if the Islanders need extra cap space. With Mathew Barzal still to sign, suddenly getting a $6MM cap hit off the books is an incredible break for New York, even if it comes at the expense of a savvy veteran defenseman. Boychuk’s career was winding down anyway and the Islanders have more than enough defensemen to fill the roster, meaning this is something of a convenience for the team as they prepare for next season and finish negotiations with Barzal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NWHL Will Hold 2021 Season In Bubble

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The National Women’s Hockey League has announced its plans for the 2021 season, which will be played inside a bubble in Lake Placid, New York. The six teams will gather and play a shortened season between January 23 and February 5. Interim commissioner Tyler Tumminia released a statement explaining the decision:

The NWHL is excited to provide hockey fans a fast-paced schedule of thrilling games on the road to the Isobel Cup. The continued challenges brought by the pandemic resulted in a mandate for our league, players and partners to collaborate on creating a controlled environment protecting the health of everyone involved. At a time of hyper-growth for girls’ and women’s hockey, we see this season as a celebration of the sport. This will be a historic moment as the hallowed arena that was the site of the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 hosts its first women’s professional championship. It is a proud moment for the NWHL, the players, and all hockey fans.

Though the league will not be able to play in front of fans and is compressing their season into just a few weeks, it does allow them to actually hold a 2021 campaign in these uncertain times. It will also mean that the league’s newest team, the Toronto Six, will not be delayed any further. Toronto will join the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps in the bubble.

Despite the condensed schedule, all contracted players will be paid in full for the upcoming season. The players, like those in other professional leagues this year, were also given the opportunity to opt-out without any financial ramifications.

Some NHL Owners Prefer Not To Play In 2020-21

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While everyone would like to think that all parties involved in the ongoing talks between the NHL and NHLPA want the same thing – a 2020-21 season, preferably as soon as possible – it seems that is not the case. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that Commissioner Gary Bettman is currently dealing with several “disgruntled” owners who are upset at the league side of the recent CBA extension. Several of these owners allegedly have gone so far as to say that they would prefer not to play this season if the lack of fans results in financial loss.

Without fans in the building, NHL teams are certainly facing down potential losses. Some owners with financial concerns in the short-term are worried about their cashflow in 2020-21 and not content with what the players already gave up in CBA negotiations. The players opted to defer 10% of their 2020-21 salary and agreed to have escrow capped at 20% for the season. However, the league has recently asked players to give up even more in deferred salary as well as escrow, a proposal that was not well-received. Should the players ultimately not agree to any further concessions, it appears that a small group of owners would rather not play this season than pay their players the amount agreed upon in the CBA.

However, Kaplan adds that Bettman will not allow this to happen. The Commissioner has told these individuals that skipping the season is “simply not an option”, citing the long-term harm of a lost year. Bettman will continue to go to bat for the owners, but will not allow a lack of progress in talks to derail the season. Fortunately, it does seem as though the players are willing to negotiate so long as the owners are open to some concessions of their own. If that is not enough for the “disgruntled” owners, it seems Bettman and the players are unified in moving forward regardless.

Detroit’s Jack Adams Transfers To Providence College

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After three seasons at Union College, Detroit Red Wings prospect Jack Adams is on the move. Adams missed the entire 2019-20 season due to a torn ACL and MCL suffered in Detroit development camp, and has been seeking a fresh start this off-season. He has finally announced that he will join Providence College this season with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining.

Adams, 23, is a hulking power forward who was selected in the sixth round by the Red Wings in 2017. The 6’6″ right wing recorded 35 points in 66 games with Union through his first two seasons and now takes his two-way talents to PC. It’s a program that Jack is familiar with, as older brother Mark Adams spent five years in Providence, including winning an NCAA Championship in 2015.

The current iteration of the Friars may not be a title favorite, but is still home to eight NHL draft picks, now including Adams. Up front, Adams will join fellow Eastern Conference prospects Brett Berard (NYR), Patrick Moynihan (NJD), Tyce Thompson (NJD), and Chase Yoder (PIT), a group that could grow more dangerous if they all stay through next season.

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