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Archives for December 2020

Minnesota Wild Sign Andrew Hammond

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The Minnesota Wild have grabbed one of the last few goaltenders on the market with any NHL experience, signing Andrew Hammond to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. The announcement came with some bad news, however, as Alex Stalock is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Earlier this month our Zach Leach profiled Hammond, making the case for him as the market’s top remaining goaltender. That’s hard to believe given he hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2017-18 season, but here he is just a few weeks later earning himself a contract. Given Stalock’s injury, he may earn himself some time in the NHL as well.

Make no mistake, Hammond isn’t here to become the future in net for Minnesota. The team signed Cam Talbot to a three-year contract in free agency and have top prospect Kaapo Kahkonen waiting in the wings for his chance to take over. If Kahkonen isn’t going to get regular playing time in the NHL though, it makes sense for him to not have to serve as Talbot’s backup, anchoring the AHL’s Iowa Wild instead.

If 2020 seems like it has been a full decade and you can’t remember back to the spring of 2015, you may have forgotten about how Hammond took the NHL by storm. The undrafted goaltender came up for the Ottawa Senators and proceeded to go 20-1-2 down the stretch, posting a .941 save percentage and even earning himself Hart and Vezina Trophy votes. The “Hamburglar” became a folk hero in Ottawa and will always be remembered for that run.

Amazingly, even though he has appeared in just 31 regular season games since that 2014-15 season, Hammond was again forced into playoff work with the Colorado Avalanche in 2018. He appeared in three games against the Nashville Predators and actually posted a .933, but failed to get the Avalanche through to the second round.

It’s those impressive short-term performances that make Hammond such a perfect fit for the Wild as they deal with Stalock’s injury. He can potentially spell Talbot early in the year as the team navigates a condensed schedule, while still allowing Kahkonen to start at the AHL level if the team chooses.

Calgary Flames Expand Goaltending Department

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The Calgary Flames, perhaps taking a page from the Florida Panthers book, have created a new goaltending department in the front office, which will be led by Jordan Sigalet as Director of Goaltending. General manager Brad Treliving explained just what the department’s role in the organization will be:

The goal and mission of this change is to provide us with the best process to identify, draft, develop, procure and coach goalies for the Calgary Flames. We believe this structure and process will provide us with the best and deepest goaltending expertise throughout all parts of the organization.

Under Sigalet, who will focus on drafting and development of all the goaltenders in the organization, will be Jason Labarbera who has been named Flames Goaltending Coach. The former NHL goaltender comes to the Flames from the Calgary Hitmen where he served in a similar role for the past four years. Thomas Speer will continue to serve as a Development Goalie Coach for the Flames AHL affiliate in Stockton.

Labarbera, 40, played in 187 NHL games during his journeyman professional career, which took him through New York, Charlotte, Hartford, Los Angeles, Manchester, Vancouver, Phoenix, Edmonton, Oklahoma City, Rockford, Norfolk, Anaheim, and Lehigh Valley. He finished with a .907 save percentage at the NHL level and began work with the Hitmen almost immediately after retirement.

The Flames of course have struggled to find consistent goaltending at the NHL level for years but recently committed term and money to Jakob Markstrom in free agency. For the team to ever truly contend for another Stanley Cup they will need to find success in the crease, which Sigalet and Labarbera are now tasked with.

Jaromir Jagr Returns To Professional Hockey

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At the young age of 48, Jaromir Jagr will once again lace up his skates and hit the ice as a professional hockey player. The legendary forward will play for Kladno in the Czech Republic today, his hometown club that he happens to own. Unfortunately, after bringing the club back to the top league for one season, Jagr and Kladno faced relegation earlier this year and are now back in the second tier of Czech hockey.

It’s hard to know exactly when Jagr’s decades-long pro hockey journey will end. In 1,733 NHL games, more than any not named Gordie Howe or Mark Messier, he registered 1,921 points, putting him second behind only Wayne Gretzky. His 766 regular season goals rank third all-time, while he also earned plenty of individual and team awards, taking home the Art Ross trophy five times as the league’s top scorer, winning the Hart Trophy in 1999 as league MVP, and lifting the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

All that excellence and his longevity and fitness may still be the most impressive thing about Jagr, as he gets ready for his 33rd season of pro hockey. That career includes stops in the NHL and Czech Republic, but also the German and Italian leagues plus a three-year stint as a star in the KHL. Internationally, he helped the Czechs win Olympic gold in 1998 and two World Championship titles.

There’s not really anything left for Jagr to accomplish in hockey, but he keeps playing anyway.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins

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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.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Current Cap Hit: $80,181,842 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D John Marino (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Marino: $850K

Marino’s rookie season was a strong one as he quickly worked his way into a spot in Pittsburgh’s top four, logging over 20 minutes a game while finishing second in team scoring among defensemen.  If he even simply repeats that performance, he could easily double his base salary next offseason and if he takes a step forward, this deal could get pricey in a hurry.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Zach Aston-Reese ($1MM, RFA)
F Teddy Blueger ($750K, RFA)
D Cody Ceci ($1.25MMMM, UFA)
F Mark Jankowski ($700K, RFA)
F Evan Rodrigues ($700K, UFA)
F Colton Sceviour ($1.2MM, UFA)

Sceviour was the secondary part of the trade that sent Patric Hornqvist to Florida this offseason.  His output has dipped in recent years and while he’s an effective enough player to earn another deal beyond this one, he may have to take a small dip as the depth players get squeezed more and more in this cap environment.  Aston-Reese had a quiet year despite an uptick in ice time.  His role could be lessened this season and if that happens, his arbitration eligibility could wind up working against him if he doesn’t sign early.  Blueger’s first full NHL season was a good one and he played his way into a role beyond the fourth line fairly quickly.  Unless his offensive game improves significantly, he won’t be in a position to land a big raise but he could come close to doubling his current rate.  Jankowski and Rodrigues both were non-tendered by Calgary and Toronto respectively and will look to rebuild some value after having limited interest on the open market.  Both have earned bigger deals in the past but will need to find that form again if they want to get anything beyond a minimum contract or close to it a year from now.

Ceci is coming off of a tough season with Toronto which saw him take more than a $3MM pay cut.  Expectations will be lower here and he’ll be in a role that’s a better fit for him.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn a bit of a raise on his next contract but it won’t come close to what he has made in recent years with AAV’s over $4MM.

Two Years Remaining

G Casey DeSmith ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Kasperi Kapanen ($3.2MM, RFA)
F Sam Lafferty ($750K, UFA)
D Kris Letang ($7.25MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Jared McCann ($2.94MM, RFA)
D Juuso Riikola ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Bryan Rust ($3.5MM, UFA)

Malkin’s name is certainly the headliner among the forwards in this group.  He has shown himself to be capable of being a number one center but hasn’t had the opportunity to play in that role very often for obvious reasons.  If he wanted to go somewhere where he could have that role, he could probably get a multi-year deal close to his current rate, even with the 35-plus designation which carries some extra risks for teams.  However, if he wants to remain with the Penguins (and at this point, that seems like a relatively safe bet), they will almost certainly ask him to take at least a small dip in pay in an effort to try to keep as much of their core together as possible.

GM Jim Rutherford paid a fairly steep price to bring Kapanen back into the fold and the early indication is that he will have a much bigger role than he did with Toronto.  If he succeeds in that spot, he could push for a $5MM or more contract, especially being a year away from UFA eligibility at that time.  Rust very quietly had a career year last season.  After hovering around the 30-point mark the previous three seasons, he averaged more than a point per game and finished second on the team in scoring behind Malkin.  If he reverts back to being the secondary scorer he had been, he’ll be in tough to match his current rate but if his 2019-20 production was a sign of things to come, then he’ll be adding a couple of million per season.  McCann wound up being scratched at one point in the postseason which gives you an idea of how his year ended.  If they wind up keeping Malkin around, his $3.38MM qualifying offer might be too rich for Pittsburgh.  Lafferty figures to play a limited role and they’ll be looking to keep that roster spot close to the league minimum down the road.

Letang has been a fixture on their back end for 13 seasons and can still put up the points at a high-end rate.  However, staying healthy has been an issue and he’ll also carry the 35-plus designation on his next deal.  As a result, it’s hard to see him coming in higher than this rate on his next contract.  If injuries are an issue between now and then, he’s a candidate to go year-to-year with bonuses but a multi-year pact at a slightly lower cap hit could also be appealing.  Rikkola has been a depth option the last couple of years (even spending some time on the wing) and if he stays in that role for the next two, he won’t be in a spot to command a raise.

DeSmith was supposed to be the backup last season but plans changed quickly and instead he spent the year in the minors.  With Matt Murray now gone, he’ll return to the number two role.  As we’ve seen with backups in recent years, those that are above average can still land a pretty good contract and that will certainly be his target if he gets the opportunity to play more than a handful of games here and there.

Three Years Remaining

D Brian Dumoulin ($4.1MM, UFA)
G Tristan Jarry ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Jason Zucker ($5.5MM, UFA)

Zucker was brought in to add another scoring weapon on the wing although the pandemic and quick exit in the bubble means he hasn’t had much of a chance to establish himself.  He did well in limited action and will need to be around the 25-30-goal mark to have a shot at a raise on his next deal.

Dumoulin has never been a big point-producer but has been a key anchor in the defensive end.  However, the willingness to pay a high price for that type of player isn’t as high now in this environment so while he’s undoubtedly a big part of their back end, it’s hard to see him getting any significant boost on his next contract.

Jarry went from being available in a trade last year to their sure-fire starter this season after a strong 2019-20 campaign.  He’s still inexperienced which is why they basically opted for a second bridge deal and by the time this contract is up, they’ll know if he’s their goalie of the long-term future that will earn a somewhat substantial raise closer to the $6MM mark or so or if he’s better off in a lesser (and lower-priced) spot.

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Senators Recall Vitali Abramov From Loan

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With the expectation that training camps will be starting within the next few weeks, several players who had been loaned overseas have started to make the trek back to North America.  The latest to do so is Senators winger Vitali Abramov as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Abramov has left his team in Finland to fly to Ottawa and begin his self-quarantine period.

The 22-year-old fared well in what wound up being limited action with Jukurit of the SM-liiga as injuries limited him to just eight games.  However, Abramov made the most of those contests, picking up five goals and two assists.  He has been a productive scorer in the minors and notched 18 goals and 23 assists in 51 games with AHL Belleville last season and as a result, he’s expected to be among those considered for one of the final roster spots with the Sens.  If that doesn’t happen, however, Jukurit GM Jukka Holtar indicated that Abramov could return to Finland this season:

Naturally, we hope that he will get a place in the NHL, but, if that doesn’t happen, we’ll have to (think) seriously (about bringing him back) for the rest of the season.  We’ve been in regular contact with Ottawa and have been very pleased. It’s known there the activities here are of high quality, and for them Jukurit is one of the absolute options.

While it’s the final year of Abramov’s entry-level contract, going back to Finland may be a good idea, especially with the AHL season expected to be truncated (and in Belleville’s case, they’ll only play three other Canadian-based teams for their entire campaign).  It’s also not slated to start until early February, assuming it isn’t pushed back for the second time so if he is cut, returning overseas would guarantee him getting back into game action earlier.  Of course, Abramov’s focus will be on earning a spot with the Senators next month but if that doesn’t happen, he will have some options.

WHL Delays Start Of 2020-21 Season

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For the second time, the WHL, part of the top junior circuit in Canada, announced that they have pushed back the start of the 2020-21 season.  Their original plan was to open up on December 4th but they then pushed back a little more on than a month to January 8th, just days after the conclusion of the World Juniors but now, the start date is unknown.  Instead, the Board of Governors will meet next month to decide on their next course of action.  League commissioner Ron Robison released the following statement:

We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the health and safety of our players, and everyone associated with the WHL.  Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season. We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started.

Given the varying provincial restrictions in place as well as having five teams in the United States, there is still plenty that will need to be worked out between the various jurisdictions before they can kick off their season.  As for the other two CHL leagues, the QMJHL kicked off play in October but have since suspended games until January 3rd while the OHL is currently slated to begin on February 4th.

Minor Transactions: 12/15/20

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As we wait patiently for the NHL to return in a few weeks, minor, junior, and European leagues continue to fill out and tweak their rosters in the hope of title contention. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • Isaac Johnson, who had previously signed with the Manitoba Moose earlier this year, now appears to be heading to the SPHL for the 2020-21 season. Johnson, an undrafted free agent who scored 28 goals and 73 points last season with the Winnipeg ICE of the WHL, has signed with the Huntsville Havoc.
  • Matthew Spencer did not receive a qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres when his entry-level contract expired this offseason, but he has found the next stop of his hockey career. The unrestricted free agent has signed an ECHL contract with the Orlando Solar Bears for the 2020-21 season. Still just 23, Spencer was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015 (44th overall) and was flipped to Buffalo last year in exchange for Devante Stephens who happens to now be his teammate with the Solar Bears
  • Stephen Davis, who had previously been with the Boston College hockey program, has decided to take his talents to the QMJHL. Davis will join the Halifax Mooseheads when their season resumes in January after failing to play in a single game with BC. Not ever really expected to go to the CHL, Davis was nearly the last pick of the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, selected 250th overall by the Mooseheads.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Florida Panthers

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We’ve now made it past Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.

What are the Panthers most thankful for?

The Pittsburgh Penguins front office.

Getting Patric Hornqvist is nice, but the real magic this offseason for Florida was ridding themselves of Mike Matheson’s contract without having to really sweeten the pot. The team moved Matheson and his huge contract up to Pittsburgh after his play had fallen off a cliff, meaning their salary commitments past the 2022-23 season now lie only with Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky. Sure, Matheson might somehow turn his career around, but he is still set to carry a cap hit of $4.875MM through the 2025-26 season, one of the worst anchors in the league at the moment. Even at his best, that deal provides no room for excess value, meaning it’s deadly for a team like the Panthers who are still trying to push into a contention window.

Who are the Panthers most thankful for?

GM Bill Zito.

So far, so good for the new general manager, who has rid the books of some unhealthy cap and landed a few nice short-term bargains over the last few months. Alexander Wennberg agreed to sign a one-year deal in Florida while the team also landed Markus Nutivaara for almost nothing in a trade with his old team. There is certainly a lot more work to be done, but Zito appears to be turning things in the right direction.

The next big test for the executive will come quickly, as after this season Aleksander Barkov is eligible for an extension. With his bargain deal coming to an end after the 2021-22 season, leaving him an unrestricted free agent, Zito has to get to work on a new contract as soon as possible. The face of the franchise, Barkov will still be only 26 when he could potentially hit the market and a target for every team in the league.

What would the Panthers be even more thankful for?

The return of Bobrovsky.

There is not a single thing that could help the Panthers more than a return to form for Bobrovsky, who posted just a .900 in 50 appearances last season. That’s completely unacceptable for a goaltender making $10MM per season, even if the defense in front of him was not up to snuff. That defense should be improved (somewhat), so the excuses will start to run out for the 32-year-old superstar this season if he can’t get back to at least acceptable levels. One of only 22 goaltenders to ever win the Vezina Trophy more than once, Bobrovsky only has himself to blame if that save percentage doesn’t rebound.

If it does though and Bobrovsky can get anywhere close to the .931 that won him the award in 2017, the Panthers would suddenly become a real contender in the new makeshift divisions. Sure, they still have to deal with their state rival in the Tampa Bay Lightning, but perhaps getting away from the other top Atlantic Division teams for a few months will do them some good.

What should be on the Panthers’ holiday wish list?

Goal scoring.

Wennberg is a fine player to bring in as a reclamation project, and Hornqvist will likely improve their net-front powerplay presence, but it’s hard to really expect either player to fill the shoes of Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov. The team’s two top goal scorers in 2019-20 became unrestricted free agents and though Hoffman hasn’t actually signed yet, Dadonov inked a deal in Ottawa already. Pulling ~60 goals out of the lineup all at once can be devastating and the Panthers will need to find them elsewhere if they want to compete. Remember the team also traded away Vincent Trocheck at the deadline, removing another one of their best offensive weapons.

Perhaps they can still look outside the organization for a mercenary or two, but the offensive development may have to come from internal sources. There will be more than enough opportunity for a young player like Owen Tippett to show he can fill that goal-scoring role, but nothing is guaranteed at this point. Henrik Borgstrom, another top Panthers prospect, doesn’t even have a contract for the upcoming season yet and is currently in Finland playing with HIFK (or, waiting for the Liiga season to resume, more accurately). If the team doesn’t add firepower and doesn’t get a return to form from Bobrovsky, it could be a long season even with the additions on defense.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Arizona Coyotes Expected To Hire Cory Stillman

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Dec 15: The Coyotes have officially announced the hiring, bringing Stillman in as an assistant coach. In the release, GM Bill Armstrong explains just why they believe Stillman can help the team:

We are very pleased to have Cory join Rick Tocchet’s coaching staff. Cory was a great player who won back to back Stanley Cups during his career. He is a very good coach who has a strong work ethic and a passion for the game. I’m confident that our players and staff will benefit from his knowledge, insight and expertise.

Dec 14: The Arizona Coyotes have rebuilt the front office and are about to add to their coaching staff as well, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Cory Stillman is expected to be hired as an assistant coach, leaving his job with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL where he served as head coach the last two seasons.

Stillman, 46, had previously worked with the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, serving as director of player development with the latter. As Jeff Marek of Sportsnet points out on Twitter, a move like this comes at an interesting time, given that Stillman coaches his draft-eligible son with the Wolves.

Of course, there is more than just a few years of OHL experience in Stillman, who played more than 1,000 games in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup twice. A member of the hall-0f-very-good, Stillman managed to rack up 727 points in the regular season and even hit the 80-point mark in 2003-04. He has another son, Riley Stillman, who is an NHL player in his own right, playing 34 games this season for the Panthers.

In Arizona, Rick Tocchet remains head coach after managing to lead the club past the Nashville Predators in this summer’s qualification round. While the Coyotes went out with a whimper against the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche, Tocchet has been reasonably successful, posting winning records with Arizona the past two seasons.

Snapshots: Canucks, Tolvanen, Trenin, Zavgorodniy

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The Vancouver Canucks appear to be over the cap as the season approaches, but with Micheal Ferland likely to move to long-term injured reserve at some point in the near future, they actually may have some flexibility. Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic examine exactly how much space the Canucks could potentially create with several roster moves and weigh in on the recent report that Vancouver is interested in Travis Hamonic.

The pair of insiders have also heard of the Vancouver interest in Hamonic, though they believe there has been “no recent momentum” between the two sides. They also note that there was interest in Erik Haula, though have not spoken to his camp recently either. Of course, things can change at the drop of a hat in today’s market so the Canucks are a team to keep an eye on in the weeks leading up to training camp next month.

  • With those camps coming quickly, players from all over the world continue to head back to North America. Today, Eeli Tolvanen and Jokerit have terminated their agreement, allowing the young forward to return to the Nashville Predators for the upcoming season. Tolvanen, 21, is in the final year of his entry-level contract but has still yet to establish himself at the NHL level. Even his KHL numbers were disappointing so far, with just five goals and 13 points in 25 games. The last time Tolvanen was in the KHL, during the 2017-18 season, he scored 19 goals and 36 points in 49 games.
  • Also returning from the KHL are Yakov Trenin and Dmitry Zavgorodniy, who have been recalled from loan with SKA St. Petersburg. Trenin signed a new two-year deal with the Predators in September and will be competing for an NHL roster spot at training camp, while Zavgorodniy is going to start his North American professional career after playing the last few seasons in the QMJHL. The Calgary Flames prospect is on his entry-level deal but has already impressed much more than a seventh-round pick usually does.
  • SKA also announced a trade of Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin back to HC Sochi. Berdin is also expected to return to North America in time for the 2020-21 season, though the SKA release does not actually include that news.

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