Archives for July 2021

Calgary Flames Hire Mitch Love As AHL Coach

July 12, 2021 at 12:13 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The Calgary Flames have decided on a new AHL coach, hiring Mitch Love from the WHL. He replaces Cail MacLean, who will be making the jump to the NHL as an assistant this season.

Love, 37, has led the Saskatoon Blades for the last three seasons and has served as an assistant with Hockey Canada’s World Junior team for the last two years. A physical minor league defenseman, he racked up more than 1,000 penalty minutes in 365 career AHL games. In his three years with Saskatoon, the team put up a 95-44-16 record.

The Heat will add another assistant coach in the coming weeks, according to the team, joining Love and assistant Joe Cirella. MacLean and Ryan Huska, the team’s previous two head coaches, have both graduated to the NHL team, carving out a clear path for Love to follow.

Pittsburgh Penguins Announce Hockey Ops Hires

July 12, 2021 at 11:00 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced several additions to the hockey operations department as GM Ron Hextall continues to put his stamp on the organization. Will Acton and Kerry Huffman have been added as professional scouts, Brett Hextall has been hired as an integrated development coach, Alexander Khavanov will serve as a European amateur scout and Matt Mangene will join as an amateur free agent scout.

Acton should be a familiar name to hockey fans, given his history and that of his father. The 33-year-old forward played 33 games in the NHL, all of them coming with the Edmonton Oilers. He has spent the last five seasons in Germany, but will end his playing career and join the Penguins’ front office. His father, Keith Acton, played more than 1,000 games in the NHL, including several seasons in Philadelphia alongside Hextall. Upon retirement, he joined the Flyers coaching staff while Hextall was still a player, and then served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs under now-Penguins president Brian Burke.

Huffman also has a connection to Hextall, through their time together in Philadelphia as players. He then served as an assistant coach with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, from 2016 through last season. A veteran of more than 400 NHL games, he’ll now add scout to his resume.

Brett Hextall has an obvious connection to the new front office, being the GM’s son, but he already has three seasons of experience under his belt as a development coach with the Flyers. He also was a star forward at the University of North Dakota, and had a relatively successful, though rather short, professional career in the AHL.

St. Louis Blues fans will remember Khavanov’s name, as the talented Russian defenseman that joined the team in 2000. He recorded 102 points over 348 NHL games, mostly with the Blues, before returning overseas in 2006. A three-time participant at the World Championship, he’ll add to the team’s footprint overseas.

Last is Mangene, whose playing career is over after one season in Austria. The long-time minor league defenseman never did get a chance to play in the NHL, but was with the Adirondack Phantoms when Hextall returned to the Philadelphia organization in 2013. An undrafted free agent signing himself out of the University of Maine, Mangene should have a real insight into the strengths and weaknesses of those overlooked players.

Ottawa Senators Hire Pierre McGuire

July 12, 2021 at 9:18 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 17 Comments

The Ottawa Senators are bringing in a very well-known hockey personality, hiring Pierre McGuire as the team’s new vice president of player development. McGuire returns to an NHL front office after more than two decades as a broadcaster. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk released a statement:

On behalf of the entire Senators organization, I would like to welcome Pierre McGuire back to Ottawa. We are excited to add Pierre to our hockey management group. His experience will be instrumental as we continue to build an elite team. Pierre’s knowledge of the game and its players is highly regarded and I am confident that he will positively assist our team as it progresses to the next level.

As Melnyk explains, this isn’t the first time McGuire has been part of the Senators organization. He served as a scout for the team from 1994-96 and even spent a short time as an assistant coach. Since 1997, he has been one of the most recognizable faces in the hockey broadcasting community, serving as a color commentator for several markets including NBC and TSN.

Over the years, McGuire’s name has been continually brought up in connection with GM vacancies around the league, though it has never resulted in a move back into the front office. Now with the Senators, he will work closely with Pierre Dorion and Melnyk as Ottawa tries to continue its rebuild and compete for the Stanley Cup.

Five Key Stories: 7/5/21 – 7/11/21

July 11, 2021 at 8:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

It was a week of highs and lows around the NHL with a triumph at one end and a tragedy at the other. Both of those are among the biggest stories from the past seven days.

Kivlenieks Passes Away: The week got off to a devastating start as Blue Jackets netminder Matiss Kivlenieks passed away as a result of chest trauma due to a fireworks mortar blast. The 24-year-old signed with the Blue Jackets back in 2017 and had been with them since then, splitting time between the AHL and NHL. Everyone here at PHR joins the rest of the hockey community in sending our condolences to his friends and family.

Bjugstad Stays Put: Nick Bjugstad decided that he likes playing in his home state and has decided to continue to do so as he turned down a shot at testing unrestricted free agency and instead signed a one-year, $900K contract with the Wild. The deal represents a significant pay cut as Bjugstad had a $4.1MM AAV on his previous contract with a $5.25MM salary. At the time his previous contract was signed, the 28-year-old looked like a fixture as a second liner but injuries and general ineffectiveness scuttled that. This past season, he was able to stay relatively healthy, suiting up in 44 games, recording 17 points and if he can put up even those numbers next year, he’ll go from being an overpaid role player to a bargain.

Repeat Champions: It’s always difficult to win the Stanley Cup but even more so to do it in two years in a row but that’s what Tampa Bay has been able to accomplish after a 1-0 victory in the fifth game of their series against Montreal to take home their second straight title. Ross Colton was the unlikely hero in the series clincher with the only goal of the contest. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP while Nikita Kucherov, who didn’t play at all during the regular season, led all playoff scorers with 32 points in 24 games. Now, GM Julien BriseBois will be tasked with stripping down his roster with the team already over the cap with several roster spots to be filled. If they’re going to try to make it three championships in a row, they’ll be doing so with a different-looking roster next season.

New Deal For Dermott: The Maple Leafs took care of their only NHL restricted free agent as they inked defenseman Travis Dermott to a two-year, $3MM deal. The 24-year-old had a much more limited role this season, logging a career low 13:13 per game and the end result was a quiet year at the offensive end with just two goals and four assists in 51 contests. He was then a healthy scratch in four of their seven playoff games. Still, Dermott has shown he can be a capable regular and this deal – one that yields a $1.75MM qualifying offer at the end of it – gives him a bit more time to prove himself. We’ll find out in a week and a half if that opportunity will be with Toronto or with Seattle as the Maple Leafs are likely to make him available in expansion.

Tarasenko Wants Out: Earlier this offseason, it was revealed that the Blues were working on finding a new home for winger Vladimir Tarasenko. However, it turns out that Tarasenko himself was seeking the change of scenery, citing a distrust with their medical staff after his first two shoulder surgeries in 2018 and 2019 didn’t solve the problem, resulting in a third procedure that cost him more than half of this season. Having only played 34 regular season games over the past two years combined, there would definitely be some risk but if Tarasenko truly has recovered from these lingering shoulder issues, there would also be plenty of upside in bringing in the 29-year-old.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Fiala, Smith, Tarasenko

July 11, 2021 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

The Wild would prefer to work out a medium-term contract with pending RFA winger, Michael Russo of The Athletic suggested on Daily Faceoff’s DFO Rundown (audio link). They’ve already given center Joel Eriksson Ek a max-term deal and offered one up to pending RFA winger Kirill Kaprizov; they don’t have the cap room to long-term with all of them. Fiala is two years away from unrestricted free agency so a four or five-year deal would still buy out some UFA years but would keep the cap hit a little lower in the process. He had a $3MM AAV on his most recent deal and could come close to doubling it this time around. Russo added that he believes Fiala’s name has been dangled as a trade chip for a top-six center which would also explain their hesitance in working on a long-term agreement.

Elsewhere around the Western Conference:

The Oilers have made an offer to pending unrestricted free agent goaltender Mike Smith, reports Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal. The 39-year-old had quite the bounce-back season in 2020-21, posting a .923 SV% and a 2.31 GAA in 32 games (30 starts) which has certainly boosted his stock heading into free agency. Last fall, he was basically the fallback option but with Edmonton tendering an offer now, it’s clear they value him more this time around. That should be enough to get him more than the $1.5MM base salary he had this season (plus $500K in bonuses). Leavins notes that if a deal does get done, it’s likely that it will come after the expansion draft which means that Stuart Skinner would likely be protected in expansion.
The Bruins, Rangers, and Capitals are believed to have shown interest in Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko with the Islanders also on the radar, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Of that group, Boston makes the most sense financially as they have the cap space to absorb Tarasenko’s $7.5MM AAV without needing to match money and if they can’t reach an agreement with pending UFA Taylor Hall, they’ll have a need on the wing to fill. The Rangers also have the cap room but their biggest need is down the middle. Washington and the Islanders would need to match money as they’re projected to be capped out by the time they re-sign their own pending free agents which would make a deal more difficult. Tarasenko has requested a trade from St. Louis and is working with the team to facilitate a deal.

Offseason Checklist: Carolina Hurricanes

July 11, 2021 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The offseason is in full flight with the draft and free agency fast approaching. We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming weeks and months. Next up is a look at Carolina.

The Hurricanes had a strong regular season, finishing first in the Central Division while slotting in third overall. However, it didn’t result in the playoff success that they were looking for as they were ousted in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion in Tampa Bay. Now, GM Don Waddell enters the summer with ample cap space at his disposal – more than $29MM – but also some key areas to address which are noted on their offseason checklist.

Resolve The Hamilton Situation

Carolina made headlines last month when they gave pending UFA Dougie Hamilton permission to speak to other clubs early, basically giving him a head start on free agency. It’s an interesting move but it was necessitated by a sizable gap in contract talks. It allows Hamilton to see if he can get the contract his camp thinks he’s worth and if so, creates the potential for Carolina to try to get something in return for his rights.

The only card the Hurricanes have to play is that they can give Hamilton the extra year in basically what would amount to a sign-and-trade agreement. Otherwise, the negotiation rights on their own are only going to be worth a mid to late-round draft pick. That’s still better than losing him for nothing but it wouldn’t be much of a return.

If that happens, Waddell will likely need to turn towards trying to replace Hamilton. He’d be a big loss but at the same time, they should be bracing themselves to lose a defenseman to Seattle as well – one of Jake Bean or Brady Skjei – so there would be multiple holes to try to fill. There aren’t many impact blueliners on the open market so it may have to be addressed by a trade.

On the other hand, if Hamilton’s discussions with other teams don’t prove as fruitful as he hopes and the offers aren’t as strong as he hoped for, it’s quite possible he circles back and tries to work out a new deal with Carolina. If that’s the case, the window to do something will be limited as they’d likely want to wait until after expansion to sign him; that leaves one week to work a new deal out before the calendar flips to the new league year and with it, the ability to give him the extra year on his contract.

Make Goaltending Decisions

Carolina successfully managed to juggle three quality goaltenders down the stretch but that’s a strategy that isn’t going to be viable over the course of a full season. Accordingly, there are decisions to be made on all fronts.

Alex Nedeljkovic went from being passed on by every team in the league on waivers to their starter late in the year and in the playoffs. In doing so, he played enough games for the Hurricanes to retain his rights as a restricted free agent but with that carries arbitration eligibility. A recent report suggested that the team is at least kicking around the possibility of non-tendering him to avoid the risk of an arbitration award that’s too high for their liking. That wouldn’t preclude him from signing a new deal – it’s a route that teams have increasingly taken in recent years to keep their players – but it also creates an opportunity for him to hit the open market. Are they committed to him as their starter? With such a small track record (less than 30 career regular season games), that’s a hard commitment to make. Are they ready to commit a year or two with a significant raise to keep him around? They have a few weeks to make that call still.

The question then becomes which of their unrestricted free agents do they keep around. Petr Mrazek has the better recent track record but is he going to get an opportunity to have a bigger role than a platoon goalie? There are enough vacancies around the league that makes it a legitimate possibility which could price him out of Carolina’s desired price range. That could open the door for James Reimer to stick around. He’s not at the top end of the backup/platoon goalies out there but still shouldn’t be facing too substantial of a pay cut from the $3.1MM salary he made this season.

Of course, with 11 goalies in unrestricted free agency playing in at least 20 of 56 games this season, Waddell could opt to change things up and bring in a newcomer. There is a possibility that two of the three goalies come back. There’s a possibility that none of them do. Given how quickly the spending happens on goalies in free agency, this is a decision that will be made soon.

Re-Sign Svechnikov

A new deal for winger Andrei Svechnikov was something Waddell was hoping to get done last fall but it didn’t happen. Instead, the 21-year-old will hit restricted free agency for the first time but will not have salary arbitration eligibility.

With all of that cap room, it appears that they have the ability to give him a max-term deal if they wanted but a lot depends on their internal budget; will they be a cap-spending team? And from Svechnikov’s perspective, is this the right financial environment to lock in a contract that buys out some UFA years? Such a deal would put him over $7MM annually in all likelihood but he’s coming off a quieter year than his sophomore campaign. Would a bridge contract make more sense, allowing him to ideally get another strong couple of years under his belt, become eligible for arbitration, and work out a new deal as the salary cap starts to increase? At this point, this seems like the likeliest outcome.

Such a move can often take time. Without any other leverage beyond the remote possibility of an offer sheet (and Carolina matched the last one quite quickly), all Svechnikov can do if he doesn’t like the status of negotiations is wait and hope that Waddell ups his offer. Patience may be required on this front but a deal that boosts his price tag beyond the $3.575MM he could have earned by maxing out on his bonuses will be forthcoming.

Utilize Cap Space

Even by the time they re-sign or replace Hamilton, figure out their goalies, and leave enough room for Svechnikov, Carolina will have ample space to work with. They’ll need to reshape their bottom six with a trio of pending UFAs there (Jordan Martinook, Brock McGinn, and Cedric Paquette) but there will be an opportunity to add another asset even after addressing their other areas. If they’re going to be a budget team, their best bet may be taking on a contract with a higher AAV than salary and leverage that into adding another asset on top of the player. If they are spending to the cap, however, they could be a sneaky presence in free agency and even one impact addition could vault them into contention as they return to the Metropolitan Division next year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

July 11, 2021 at 3:58 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 12 Comments

Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Rangers are more concerned with the latter than the former, with few impending UFAs of note but quite a few impact RFAs.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Pavel Buchnevich – Buchnevich is one of four of the Rangers’ top-twelve scoring forwards without a contract for next season, alongside Chytil, Gauthier, and Di Giuseppe, but is by far the most important. Buchnevich finished third in per-game scoring for New York this year, behind only stars Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. His 48 points were two more than his 2019-20 total, but in 14 fewer games. Buchnevich’s consistent scoring paired with his defensive improvements and success on both special teams units led to an increase in ice time to 18:44 per game, top line minutes again behind only Zibanejad and Panarin. Buchnevich timed this breakout year well; the 26-year-old forward is now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. This is not an aberration either, as Buchnevich has shown steady improvement throughout his career and is firmly established as a top-six forward with 20-goal and 50-point regularity. The Rangers will have no choice but to pay up, short-term or long-term, with an unfavorable arbitration decision, not to mention the animosity created by the process, as a looming threat.

G Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers may have two young goaltenders in the pros and a multitude of talented prospects in the pipeline, but make no mistake: Shesterkin is invaluable. The 25-year-old netminder has only played in 47 games across two seasons since coming over from the KHL, but has been superb with a .921 save percentage, 2.59 GAA, and a .611 points percentage in his decisions for a team that has played at a .552 clip over the past two years. Shesterkin is the best of the bunch in net in New York and the Rangers need to lock him up on a multi-year deal, regardless of his lack of NHL experience. Shesterkin’s arbitration eligibility ensures that they will have to pay him fairly as well. Shesterkin is close to unrestricted free agency and the worst thing the team could do is sign what looks to be a solid NHL starter to a short-term deal (or settle for an arbitration decision) only to see him continue to perform or even improve and then price himself out of town.

Other RFAs: F Filip Chytil, D Brandon Crawley, F Gabriel Fontaine, F Julien Gauthier, F Tim Gettinger, D Libor Hajek, G Adam Huska, F Patrick Newell, F Ty Ronning, D Yegor Rykov

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Brendan Smith – It wasn’t long ago that Smith’s contract was one of the most criticized in the NHL as he was buried in the minors in the first season of a four-year, $17.4MM deal with the Rangers. In the years since, he has somewhat recovered to become a good albeit still overpaid depth defenseman for New York. Smith has played in over 80% of the Rangers’ games over the past three seasons since his abysmal debut season, providing physicality and defensive stability and, for the first time in 2020-21, more secure puck-handling and a hint more offense. With a deep stable of talented young defensemen, the Rangers don’t need Smith. However, they could do far worse than someone with versatility, checking ability, and veteran experience as a depth option. He would come much cheaper this time around as well, as Smith is unlikely to have a competitive market as a free agent.

F Phil Di Giuseppe – At 27 years old with only 201 career games and 53 career points, Di Giuseppe has not much more than a depth option during his time in the NHL and likely won’t be. However, he proved to be valuable in that role in two seasons with New York, playing a gritty checking game and contributing some modest offense. Di Giuseppe’s success as a plug-and-play bottom-six forward is not limited to his time with the Rangers either, as some of his best seasons were playing the same role with the Carolina Hurricanes. As an affordable extra man, Di Giuseppe has value to the Rangers as an extension candidate, but he may be on the lookout for more opportunity rather than staying on a New York roster that is deep in young players in need of ice time and hoping to add more veterans this off-season.

Other UFAs: D Jack Johnson, D Darren Raddysh

Projected Cap Space

While Buchnevich and Shesterkin will earn considerable deals this summer and Chytil is deserving of a sizeable raise as well, the Rangers remain in good shape with the salary cap. They currently project to have $22.89MM in cap space with 18 players on the NHL roster, but that includes third-string goaltender Keith Kinkaid and cap charge for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who will be traded or at worst bought out in the off-season. A more accurate projection is closer to $25.5MM with 17 players on the roster. New deals for Gauthier, Hajek, and possibly Smith or Di Giuseppe (or replacements) should come cheap, leaving plenty of room to re-sign the key trio of RFA’s with room to spare to add another impact forward or two.

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Flyers To Expose Jakub Voracek In NHL Expansion Draft

July 11, 2021 at 2:10 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 25 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers and longtime franchise standout Jakub Voracek are heading for an interesting off-season. The two sides are at a cross roads with the Flyers hoping to improve and get back to the playoffs, but with limited salary cap space to do so. The team currently has just 14 players signed to one-way contracts for next season, but at a sum of $64.78MM, leaving them with only $16.72MM to add nine more players to the roster, including re-signing several key restricted free agents and ideally adding a top-four defenseman and reliable goaltender. The math doesn’t quite add up and Voracek’s $8.25MM AAV over three more seasons does not help. Voracek’s production is still strong, but has been in decline since a career year in 2017-18 and is currently not at the level expected given his lofty salary. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the relationship between the club and the soon-to-be 32-year-old winger are “not acrimonious”, as the two sides agree that a change of scenery may be in the best interest of both.

In order to accomplish that separation, the Flyers are not above giving Voracek away. Friedman writes that the veteran has been informed that he will be exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, giving the Seattle Kraken the first shot at adding the former All-Star. This has been speculated by many given both the Flyers’ cap concerns but also their depth at forward. With at least forwards that deserve consideration for protection, including Voracek, and only a maximum of seven protection slots up front, Philadelphia will have to make some difficult calls. Exposing Voracek is confirmed to be one of them. While the cap commitment is an obstacle, Voracek has averaged close to 20 goals and 65 points at a full-season pace for the past dozen years and can still be a top-six forward for the right team. Losing an asset like that for nothing could be a difficult, but necessary move for the Flyers. The Kraken meanwhile have some incentive to take high-priced players, as they must hit a salary minimum in the Expansion Draft. While a number of expensive contracts will be available, Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol, the former head coach of the Flyers during some of Voracek’s best seasons, could be keen to bring in his former star.

Of course, the Kraken will have other options from Philadelphia as well, quite possibly even another high-priced but valuable scorer in James van Riemsdyk, as well as some young forwards and affordable defensemen. If they opt not to select Voracek, Friedman notes that the Flyers will move on and begin trade talks with other teams (if they haven’t already). While they won’t get fair market value for the accomplished scorer given their well-established cap issues, they will at least have a chance to get something back for Voracek in a trade as opposed to Expansion Draft selection.

If however, they can’t find a trade that they feel is fair, Friedman also notes that the two sides have an understanding that he may stay put and appear to be okay with that outcome, although it would leave the Flyers with a cap headache still to solve. With multiple potential outcomes, this summer could be a rollercoaster for Philadelphia and Voracek, but his old coach and the league’s newest team have the option of making it a short ride.

Minor Transactions: 07/11/21

July 11, 2021 at 11:02 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Things are rolling along in the NHL offseason, with protection lists due in less than a week. The rest of the hockey world is also preparing for the upcoming season, with minor, junior, and European leagues all filling out their rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.

The Toronto Marlies will bring back captain Rich Clune for another season, signing the minor league tough guy to a one-year AHL deal. Clune hasn’t scored more than four points in a single season since 2016-17 and is basically a player-coach at this point for the Marlies. The 34-year-old is beloved in the organization and could very well stay with the Marlies even after his playing career is over.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Expansion Primer: Calgary Flames

July 11, 2021 at 10:08 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Over the last few weeks, we have been breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.

The last time the Calgary Flames faced an expansion draft, they had an ace up their sleeve. Deryk Engelland was a pending unrestricted free agent, coming off a three-year deal with the team. He was 35 and on the back end of his career though, meaning there was no guarantee Calgary would even be interested in retaining him. It didn’t matter, as Engelland was also a Las Vegas local, having played there during his minor league career and fallen in love with the city. The Golden Knights would sign him to a one-year, $1MM deal (with performance bonuses) and use him as an unofficial captain, helping the other players transition to life in the desert.

This year, interestingly enough, the team has another veteran free agent from the expansion area (okay, Spokane’s not exactly Seattle, is it?) in Derek Ryan. Can they pull off the same trick twice? Or will the Flames actually lose a piece of their roster this time?

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund, Milan Lucic (NMC), Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Dillon Dube, Matthew Phillips, Byron Froese, Glenn Gawdin, Justin Kirkland, Dominik Simon

Defense:

Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, Chris Tanev, Oliver Kylington

Goalies:

Jacob Markstrom (NMC), Tyler Parsons

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents

F Derek Ryan, F Josh Leivo, D Michael Stone, G Louis Domingue

Notable Exemptions

F Adam Ruzicka, D Juuso Valimaki, D Connor Mackey

Key Decisions

The Flames only really have one tough decision when it comes to the draft, and that’s what to do on defense. Hanifin, Andersson and Tanev are all the logical choices to protect, given their importance to the franchise and contract status. All three are signed through at least 2024, with Andersson even longer than that. If the Flames go that route though, what happens to captain Giordano? The 37-year-old defenseman is still signed for next season, carries a $6.75MM cap hit and could potentially be a player to help market the Kraken in their first year.

We’re only two years removed from seeing Giordano win the Norris Trophy after scoring 74 points in 78 games, and though that offense has declined, he’s still a legitimate top-four option that could potentially even wear the “C” in Seattle. There is an argument to be made that the Flames could use his cap space elsewhere this season, but it seems like terrible asset management to let Giordano go for nothing at this point. There would surely be a team at the trade deadline interested in paying up for his services, and even with his limited no-trade clause (Giordano lists 19 teams he’s willing to be traded to), the Flames could likely get quite a haul.

So then, as with any team looking at four defensemen worth protecting, the Flames must consider the eight-skater protection strategy. Unfortunately in this case, unless they make several trades, that seems unwise. Tkachuk, Gaudreau, Monahan, Lindholm, Backlund, Dube, and Mangiapane are all easy selections to be protected, with any one of them a likely Seattle target if left exposed. One factor upfront could be Lucic’s no-movement clause, but the veteran winger has already publicly stated that he’s happy to waive it if it helps the club.

With those seven forwards all likely more important than Giordano to the long-term health of the franchise, it’s hard to see a scenario where the Flames protect their captain. That is of course unless a side deal is made with Seattle or a separate trade in the next few days. For now, it appears as though he will be the one left available.

In net, there’s really no decision to be made. Markstrom holds the no-movement clause and would be the easy choice for protection even if he didn’t. Despite his struggles this season, he’s locked in as the team’s starter.

Projected Protection List

F Matthew Tkachuk
F Johnny Gaudreau
F Sean Monahan
F Mikael Backlund
F Elias Lindholm
F Andrew Mangiapane
F Dillon Dube

D Noah Hanifin
D Rasmus Andersson
D Chris Tanev

G Jacob Markstrom

Assuming Lucic waives his NMC*

Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist

When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.

Forwards (1): Milan Lucic
Defensemen (1): Mark Giordano

One thing for the Flames to do over the next week is fill their exposure requirements, as only Lucic meets them at this point if the top seven forwards are all protected. A new contract for Ryan, Leivo, Ritchie, or Simon would do it, or a trade for another player that is signed through next season and meets the games player requirement. Time is getting short though, so perhaps the Flames have something else planned for their protection strategy.

On defense, Giordano meets the requirement but he’s the only one, meaning if they ever wanted to protect all four key defensemen they’d need to sign someone else. In net, extending Parsons a qualifying offer is all that is required.