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Archives for December 2020

Restart Notes: Realignment, Travel Protocols, Governors Meeting

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Last week, word came out about the proposed divisional re-alignment but there have been some tweaks since then.  Michael Russo of The Athletic is among those to report (Twitter link) that Minnesota and Dallas have flipped from their original planning.  That means that the divisions now currently line up as follows:

Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg.

Boston, Buffalo, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.

Carolina, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay.

Anaheim, Arizona, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, San Jose, St. Louis, Vegas.

Of course, this could wind up changing again if the all-Canadian division doesn’t get off the ground due to an inability to reach an agreement with each provincial health authority and the Canadian teams are forced to temporarily relocate to the United States.  As things stand, this will only be a one-time change with the divisions going back to their usual breakdowns for the 2021-22 campaign.

More on the NHL’s restart plan:

  • Players and team staff will be extremely restricted on the road. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes (via Twitter) that all team members will be strictly limited to the team hotel, practice rink, and game rink in an effort to reduce the potential for anyone contracting COVID-19.  Limitations will also be placed on in-flight seating, in-flight catering, usage of hotel gyms, and more.  While the general framework of the agreement in place, these smaller elements still need to be finalized and agreed upon.
  • The NHLPA executive committee discussed the agreement on a call late Friday night and the Board of Governors will soon do the same as TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie relays (Twitter link) that their call to discuss and potentially ratify the terms.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston adds (via Twitter) that general managers will also have a call on Sunday to go over some questions that need some clarification.

Snapshots: Strome, Hallander, NHLPA Update

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The last few days have come with a few new contracts in the NHL, with restricted free agents like Justin Bailey and Oliver Kylington inking new two-way deals. We’re still waiting on the big RFA dominoes to fall though, with one of those being Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome who remains unsigned. This morning, Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman told reporters including Brandon Cain of NHL.com that the team has had conversations with Strome’s representatives and is optimistic something will get done, but couldn’t provide any timeline on the process.

Strome, 23, was included in our look at the mid-tier restricted free agents still waiting on contracts, but for Chicago, he’s all that really matters right now. The team’s roster appears largely set for the upcoming season, given that Strome’s eventual deal will likely eat up a good chunk of the remaining cap space. The young forward hasn’t lived up to the third-overall pick that Arizona used on him in the 2015 draft but does have 89 points in 106 games since coming to Chicago. As the team inevitably moves away from aging franchise icons like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane over the next few years, a player like Strome could step up and be a leader for the Blackhawks.

  • When the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins, much of the focus was on the first-round pick coming the other way. The Maple Leafs actually acquired another piece in that deal though, 20-year-old center Filip Hallander, who had been drafted in the second round in 2018. Hallander was expected to come to North America this winter to take part in training camp with Toronto but is now going to stay in Sweden where he plays for Lulea HF in the SHL. Hallander has 10 points in 21 games this season and is an intriguing prospect for the Maple Leafs, whose system didn’t have much center depth beyond the NHL.
  • In his daily update, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted this morning that there is a call scheduled for this evening between the executive board of the NHLPA to update the player reps on where things stand. LeBrun does not expect the call to include a vote as the documentation for the upcoming season is not yet completed. While there seemed like some momentum for things to be finalized this weekend, it does not appear as that will happen tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Roland McKeown

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed restricted free agent defenseman Roland McKeown to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $700K at the NHL level, but it doesn’t seem that will ever be paid out. McKeown has immediately been loaned to Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement on the move:

Roland had a solid season in the AHL last season and it is important that he get back on the ice to continue his development. Playing in the Swedish league is a great opportunity for him to do just that.

This is an extremely interesting move, given that so many other AHL-bound prospects are still sitting around wondering where they will be playing this season. If the minor league isn’t able to put together a plan, we could see a hurried exodus of talent to Europe in order to fill the few foreign spots available. McKeown looks like he’ll have a head start and should be able to get in a good chunk of development overseas.

The 24-year-old defenseman has played ten games at the NHL level in the past, but spent both 2018-19 and 2019-20 entirely in the AHL. Selected 50th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, he arrived in Carolina via a trade for Andrej Sekera less than a year later. While he hasn’t been able to crack the Hurricanes blueline, that may be more to do with the strength of the NHL group than his own play, which though inconsistent at times has still been strong for the Charlotte Checkers. In 61 games last season he recorded 24 points.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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Just over a month ago we put out a call for mailbag questions, leading the piece with the news that free agency had come to a “screeching halt.” Since then, amazingly, there have been zero one-way contracts handed out to unrestricted free agents, with the last still being Dominik Kahun’s one-year deal signed on November 2.

There has been news though, with World Junior rosters selected, long-term extensions signed with several restricted free agents, and updates on the upcoming season slowly dripping out. With those things in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR mailbag.

If you missed that last edition, it was broken into two parts. The first focused on several Metropolitan Division teams and the ongoing Mike Hoffman mystery, while the second examined top coaching candidates, Nashville’s goaltending situation, and the remaining free agents.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. We’ll try to get to everything when the mailbag runs this weekend.

Mason Millman Signs With Philadelphia Flyers

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed one of their recent draft picks, inking Mason Millman to a three-year entry-level contract. Millman has spent the last two seasons with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and was picked in the fourth round by the Flyers in 2019.

Millman, 19, was unfortunately cut from Team Canada’s World Junior camp recently due to COVID-19 restrictions, but will still get some good news this holiday season with an entry-level deal. The defenseman scored 13 goals and 44 points last season for Saginaw, turning heads as a potential mid-round steal for the Flyers. The fact that he’s already earned a deal should only solidify that feeling, though where Millman goes from here is very unclear.

The OHL has still not set a date for its official return and some are wondering whether the 2020-21 junior season can be saved at all. For a player like Millman, who is ineligible for the AHL—and likely not ready to compete professionally—this season is looking like a potentially lost development year. Perhaps with him now under contract, the Flyers will find somewhere overseas to get Millman on the ice competing again, keeping the momentum he built since his draft in 2019.

Kirby Dach Named Team Canada Captain

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Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Kirby Dach was officially named team captain today for Canada at the World Junior Championship. The Chicago Blackhawks forward has a full NHL season under his belt and is expected to be one of the most effective players in the entire tournament. He’ll be joined in the leadership group by Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram, who have both been named alternate captains for the event.

The captaincy is often given to a returning player, but Dach actually didn’t get to play for Canada last year because he was too busy with the Blackhawks. The 19-year-old forward was picked third overall in 2019 and stepped nearly directly into the NHL, scoring 23 points in 64 games with Chicago. His play in the postseason bubble was even more impressive when he was one of the most dangerous players on the ice for the Blackhawks and recorded six points in nine games.

Cozens meanwhile returns to the WJC after dominating a year ago, scoring nine points in seven games for Canada to help them win the gold medal. The Buffalo Sabres prospect trailed only Alexis Lafreniere and then-captain Barrett Hayton in scoring for the team and should be another top player for Canada this year. An absolute freight train when he gets up to full speed, Cozens’ size, skating ability, and reach make him an incredibly difficult player to contain.

Byram will wear an “A” and likely anchor the top pairing for Canada after playing a lesser role last year at the tournament. The fourth-overall pick from 2019 has almost limitless upside at the offensive end and should be a big part of Canada’s quick transition game. Another excellent young defenseman in the Colorado Avalanche system, this WJC could certainly be his coming out party in front of the rest of the hockey world.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Oliver Kylington

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The Calgary Flames have finished some business as the season approaches, signing restricted free agent Oliver Kylington to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $787,500, the same number that his qualifying offer carried.

Kylington, 23, has long been an intriguing prospect for the Flames, but last season seemed to make the transition to true NHL defender if still often a reserve. Playing in 48 games, he recorded two goals and seven points while averaging just under 14 minutes a night, serving as injury insurance or change-of-pace and moving in and out of the lineup.

This year could be much of the same, especially if Juuso Valimaki proves healthy enough to contribute on a regular basis. The Flames lost several pieces from the blueline in free agency but brought back Chris Tanev to replace many of those departing minutes.

They also brought Nikita Nesterov back from the KHL, though it’s not at all clear so far how the team plans on using the veteran, who agreed to a league-minimum $700K contract. He could be Kylington’s main competition for playing time, or he could have been promised a roster spot in order to bring him back to North America.

At any rate, Kylington will surely get into some games with the Flames again this season and needs to do make the most of them. With no leverage in this negotiation, he was forced to take the qualifying offer amount, but next year he’ll be eligible for arbitration and could try to secure a raise. You need numbers to bring up in arbitration, meaning he’ll need to work hard to force his way onto the ice.

Jesse Puljujarvi Returning From Europe

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He’s coming back. Jesse Puljujarvi is leaving Finland for Edmonton today after spending the last year and a half playing for Karpat. After a regime change in the Oilers from office and behind the bench, Puljujarvi, who once said he was finished playing for the franchise, signed a two-year, $2.35MM contract in October to return to the NHL.

During his time back in Finland, Puljujarvi showed exactly why he was so highly regarded going into the 2016 draft. He scored 24 goals and 53 points in 56 games during 2019-20, good for fourth in league scoring. This year, though the Liiga season has been disrupted and difficult, he had seven goals and 12 points in 16 games while actually wearing an “A” for Karpat.

There’s no guarantee that Puljujarvi is improved or will ever find his game in Edmonton, but he’ll certainly be given the opportunity to earn a big role on the team this season. Though the Oilers have brought in some interesting new forward options like Kyle Turris and Dominik Kahun, they still may lack enough secondary scoring to really take some pressure off of the big two. Puljujarvi was supposed to be just that and now that he’s back, he needs to prove he can be.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

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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.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $82,524,877 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Ilya Samsonov (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Samsonov: $600K

Samsonov lived up to the hype relatively well in his rookie season although injuries and the early shutdown limited him to 26 games and he was unable to participate in the playoffs.  A lot will be riding on him for the upcoming season where he stands as the likely starter despite the inexperience.  With 2020-21 being another shortened year, he probably won’t have a long enough track record to command a long-term contract and given Washington’s salary cap situation anyway, a two-or-three-year second deal may be better for both sides.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Henrik Lundqvist ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Alex Ovechkin ($9.538MM, UFA)
D Jonas Siegenthaler ($800K, UFA)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk ($800K, UFA)
F Jakub Vrana ($3.35MM, RFA)

Ovechkin’s situation is well-known at this point.  He isn’t hiding the fact that he intends to stay with Washington and basically, the only questions are for how many years and how much?  His next deal will have a 35-plus classification but that shouldn’t be much concern.  While there is an expectation that his production will eventually decline, he still should be able to command a similar price tag to what he’s making now.  Vrana continues to improve each season and has firmly established himself as a top-six fixture.  He will have two RFA-eligible years remaining after 2020-21 and with his bridge deal expiring, he’ll be looking for a long-term pact.  In a normal market, something in the $6MM range would make sense and there are enough comparables to make that case in arbitration.

Siegenthaler played a limited role last season but figures to be a part of their longer-term plans.  However, he’ll still be line for third-pairing minutes so while he’ll be arbitration-eligible next offseason (something that wasn’t the case this time around), he still is only going to be able to command a small raise.  As for van Riemsdyk, he’s looking to restore some value after taking a $1.7MM pay cut from his 2019-20 salary.  If he can lock down a regular spot, this could be a nice situation for him to earn closer to double that amount next offseason.

As for Lundqvist, he was signed to be a veteran mentor to Samsonov but that is off the table now following today’s news that he will miss all of 2020-21 due to a heart condition.  He will be eligible to be placed on LTIR as a result but with his low base salary, they won’t have much extra flexibility left by the time they replace him on the roster.

Two Years Remaining

G Pheonix Copley ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($750K, UFA)
D Michal Kempny ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Justin Schultz ($4MM, UFA)
G Vitek Vanecek ($717K, RFA)

Dowd saw his output dip slightly last season but for a player making close to the league minimum, expectations weren’t particularly high anyway.  He’s a serviceable fourth center in a roster spot that will need to be kept at that minimum price point for the foreseeable future.

Kempny had emerged as a capable top-four option on the back end but it’s unlikely he’ll play this season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon while training in the days leading up to free agency.  That injury carries a six-to-eight-month recovery timeline which means a lot will be riding on his 2021-22 performance to show that he can still play in that role and be worth a raise that offseason.  His absence helped opened up a spot for Schultz who still landed a strong contract despite a tough season with Pittsburgh.  Clearly, the expectation is that he will be able to get back to his previous offensive levels.  If that doesn’t happen, he won’t be able to command this deal next time around.

Copley and Vanecek will now battle for the number two job behind Samsonov.  The former has limited NHL experience as a backup in Washington and will carry a $25K cap hit if demoted to the AHL.  Vanecek, meanwhile, was Braden Holtby’s backup in the bubble with Samsonov out and may be the early favorite for the role.  Unless one gets into a platoon situation, neither will be able to command top backup money, especially if Samsonov winds up on a bridge deal of his own.

Three Years Remaining

F Lars Eller ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Carl Hagelin ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Garnet Hathaway ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Nick Jensen ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM, UFA)
F Richard Panik ($2.75MM, UFA)

Eller has fit in quite well as Washington’s third center, one that can play up the lineup when need be.  While bottom-six players could see their earnings upside limited due to the pandemic, this should still hold up as a decent value contract in the current marketplace.  Hagelin isn’t able to put up consistent secondary production at this point of his career so while he’s an effective penalty killer and a speedster still, it’s a bit of an expensive deal for his role.  Panik logged just 11 minutes a game last season as he didn’t fit in as well as anyone would have hoped in his first season with the Caps and it’s a deal that they’d probably like to get out of.  Hathaway is a pure fourth liner most nights and this contract is an overpayment as well for someone in that role, though not as significant of one as Panik who was often his linemate down the stretch.

At one point, it looked like Orlov’s offensive production was going to find another level and that, coupled with his all-around play, would make his deal a major bargain.  However, his goal total has dipped from ten goals in 2017-18 to just three and four over the past two years.  But having said that, he’s still a big part of their back end and while the contract may not be the big bargain they had hoped for, they’ve still had a good return on it.  That can’t be said for Jensen though.  His extension that he signed upon being acquired hasn’t panned out well and is a contract they would certainly like to get out of, especially with a capable replacement in van Riemsdyk making a third of that amount.  But with so many teams against the cap ceiling, moving him will be easier said than done.

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Atlantic Notes: Montour, Miller, Andersen

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The Sabres paid a steep price to acquire Brandon Montour from Anaheim last February with young defenseman Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick going the other way.  He was expected to be a core part of their back end but has struggled the point where he was considered a possible candidate to not be tendered a qualifying offer back in October.  The two sides eventually settled on a one-year, $3.875MM contract, walking him to unrestricted free agency next summer.

Part of the reason for his struggles may have been the fact that he often played his off-side.  Accordingly, with Buffalo’s back end remaining intact for the upcoming season, he has spent a lot of his extended offseason training with a focus on playing that off-side, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  Montour will need a strong season to have a chance of commanding his current salary on the open market next offseason, one that will likely be as tough to navigate as this one so there is definitely plenty at stake as he tries to re-establish himself as a core defenseman for the Sabres.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller is expected to be ready to suit up on opening night, whenever that day comes, relays Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran missed all of last season due to recurring knee injuries and wound up re-signing for a guaranteed $1MM plus another $250K roster bonus and $750K in games played in playoff bonuses.  While he’s a right-shot defender, he could be called upon to help cover the departures on the left side of Torey Krug (St. Louis) and Zdeno Chara (still unsigned).
  • TSN’s Travis Yost profiles the tricky decision that the Maple Leafs will soon face regarding goaltender Frederik Andersen, a pending unrestricted free agent. With so much of their money tied up in their top forwards, they’re not in a position to be able to afford a high-priced goaltender but before last season, he had put up some strong numbers.  Now 31, Andersen will be looking to show that his dip (which included a career-low .909 SV%) was an outlier and not a sign of things to come.

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