Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2021

Charlie Coyle Undergoes Two Knee Surgeries

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Bruins center Charlie Coyle had a quiet 2020-21 campaign but it appears he was playing through a knee issue for at least a portion of the season as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the 29-year-old recently underwent a pair of knee surgeries to repair an avulsion fracture and a torn patellar tendon.

Coyle notched just 16 points in 51 games which is hardly the return he or the team were expecting in the first year of a six-year, $31.5MM contract.  Things weren’t much better in the playoffs either as he managed just two goals and a single helper in 11 games.  While it’s known exactly when the knee issues were sustained, it’s clear that it was hindering him for a significant chunk of the season.

The good news for Boston is that Coyle is expected to be ready for training camp in September.  With David Krejci’s future with the team uncertain – he becomes an unrestricted free agent later this month with no decision yet made on his playing future – Coyle could be called upon to take a bigger role and could slide into the second center slot behind Patrice Bergeron.  If Krejci returns, Coyle will remain their third-line pivot but will undoubtedly be counted on for a bounce-back season offensively in 2021-22.

Poll: Will Phillip Danault Re-Sign In Montreal?

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens’ unexpected Stanley Cup Final run means that now, all eyes are turned on how the team and general manager Marc Bergevin will alter the roster this offseason. Montreal struggled with the $81.5MM salary cap already, making a flurry of reassignments and emergency call-ups during the regular season in order to stay cap-compliant.

That decision-making will come under intense scrutiny this offseason for many reasons, mostly due to a very large number of unrestricted free agents to deal with. The biggest one of them all is undoubtedly Phillip Danault.

The Quebec-born center has finished high on Selke ballots in recent years. His defensive prowess was put on full display in the playoffs, shutting down Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler, Max Pacioretty, and Mark Stone en route to a Stanley Cup Final berth.

However, it hasn’t always been an easy road for Danault in Montreal. After being continually forced into more defensive assignments by former head coach Claude Julien, Danault left sentiments at the end of the 2019-20 campaign that he may not want to re-sign. Those feelings, from an outsiders’ perspective, at least, have certainly changed. Danault played an incredibly crucial role in Montreal’s success, both in the regular season and playoffs.

It’s for that reason that Danault is expected to receive a big payday on a longer-term deal this offseason. Yet, Montreal’s priorities remain unclear. Are they willing to invest that much money in a player with somewhat limited offensive upside, or do they feel as though Danault is truly an integral piece to the team?

So we ask you, PHR faithful, where do you think Phillip Danault ends up this offseason? Do you think he’s able to work out a deal in Montreal, or will he head elsewhere?

Will Phillip Danault re-sign in Montreal?
No 41.30% (515 votes)
Yes, long-term 30.39% (379 votes)
Yes, short-term 28.31% (353 votes)
Total Votes: 1,247

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Yegor Sharangovich – A fifth-round pick of New Jersey in 2018, the Belarusian-born Sharangovich burst onto the scene in his first NHL season in 2020-21. His 16-goal, 30-point season was rather unexpected and was good enough to put Sharangovich 10th in this year’s Calder Trophy race. While Sharangovich had shown some promise in his past few AHL seasons, he scored at a better pace in the NHL this year than he ever has in the minors. His play this season was a continuation of a strong start to 2020-21 on loan with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Serving as an alternate captain for his hometown team, Sharangovich scored and 25 points (17 of which were goals) in 34 games. Sharangovich seems to have secured a spot in the Devils’ top-six forward group for next season, but the Devils will be hesitant to plop too much money down too soon on the breakout forward. Expect general manager Tom Fitzgerald to sign Sharangovich to a bridge deal in the neighborhood of two years, making him an RFA again at the end of his next contract.

F Janne Kuokkanen – Kuokkanen was another surprise this season. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect, acquired at the 2020 Trade Deadline in a package for defenseman Sami Vatanen, scored at a 41-point pace with New Jersey this year. Playing nearly 15 minutes a night, the 23-year-old Finn posted impressive possession numbers too considering the weakness of the team. Kuokkanen figures to be an important depth piece moving forward if his early performance is any indication. A lengthier extension, maybe three years, is in line for Kuokkanen in order to take him up to the very end of his restricted free agent eligibility.

Other RFAs: F Nicholas Merkley, F Michael McLeod, F Brandon Gignac, F A.J. Greer, F Marian Studenic, D David Quenneville, D Colton White, D Colby Sissons, G Evan Cormier, G Gilles Senn

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Ryan Murray – Acquired by the Devils in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick prior to the season, the injury-prone defenseman didn’t quite live up to expectations this season. While Murray was fine by his standards offensively with 14 points in 48 games, Murray’s defensive play slacked considerably from his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That’s not to say the Devils won’t re-sign him, though. Their blueline is relatively barren and weak as is, and with Murray likely taking a pay cut on his next deal, his play could improve along with his surroundings. There’s always been the feeling of untapped potential surrounding the former second-overall pick, and the Devils may hope that they’re the ones to unlock it on his next deal.

G Aaron Dell – Once one of the more highly-regarded backup netminders in the league with the San Jose Sharks, Dell’s rough go of it this year may have cost him another NHL deal. Originally signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the season to serve as their taxi squad goalie, Dell was picked up on waivers by the Devils after Toronto attempted to return him post-callup. Getting into five starts and seven games with the Devils while they also dealt with goalie injuries, Dell won just one game and put up a .857 save percentage and 4.14 goals against average, both the worst marks of his career by far. Now 31 years old, Dell may have to head overseas or to the minor leagues to find his next team.

Other UFAs: F Ben Street, F Brett Seney, F Mason Jobst, D Connor Carrick, D Matt Tennyson, D Josh Jacobs

Projected Cap Space

Despite the flat $81.5MM salary cap continuing into next season, New Jersey is one of the few teams with very little to worry about. The team has $35.7MM in cap space and, when combined with the low quantity of free agents to re-sign, the Devils have serious amounts of free space to use to their advantage in free agency. Combine that with the intrigue of playing with a young core that includes Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Ty Smith, and GM Fitzgerald is in a position to acquire real talent to assist the Devils on their journey back to contention.

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Dominique Ducharme In Discussions To Remain As Montreal Head Coach

at CDT | by 9 Comments

As the Montreal Canadiens hosted their end-of-season media availability, general manager Marc Bergevin said the team is engaging in talks with Dominique Ducharme to officially become the team’s head coach.

It was a tale of two seasons for Montreal under Ducharme. While Montreal started strong out of the gate, a short string of unexpected losses led to the firing of head coach Claude Julien. On February 24, 2021, Ducharme was named the team’s interim head coach. It didn’t seem that Julien’s firing had made much of an impact on the team’s performance, however. Under Ducharme in the regular season, the Habs posted just a 15-16-7 record, clinching a playoff berth as the league’s 18th-ranked team due to this year’s divisional alignments. It all makes Montreal’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, in which the team still went 13-9, even more impressive.

What Montreal saw from Ducharme this season, in their eyes, has been enough to earn him the job. While the team’s on-ice performance may not have blown off doors immediately, Ducharme was able to guide the group through a tough first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs and onwards. Under his tutelage, the team gelled at the right time, losing to a team that’s now won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As Montreal makes an effort to bring back their core next season, things may look a little different. The flat salary cap may have an effect on who they can and can’t afford to bring back. Montreal is hoping that by potentially retaining Ducharme in his role, they can catch lightning in a bottle once again moving forward.

Expansion Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

at CDT | by 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 Blackhawks had to face an expansion draft, the outcome ended up in the news long before the Golden Knights announced their pick. Trevor van Riemsdyk would be left unprotected, but Vegas would also agree to take on Marcus Kruger’s remaining contract. Though it had to wait until after Chicago paid his signing bonus, Kruger would eventually end up with the Golden Knights in exchange for “future considerations.” Vegas would flip both Kruger and van Riemsdyk to Carolina, essentially getting second and fifth-round picks for just a tiny bit of salary retention. Those kinds of moves were part of the brilliant strategy devised by Vegas, but won’t be so easy to pull off this time around.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards: 

Jonathan Toews (NMC), Patrick Kane (NMC), Alex DeBrincat, Brett Connolly, Dylan Strome, David Kampf, Ryan Carpenter, Adam Gaudette, Josh Dickinson, Brandon Hagel, Henrik Borgstrom

Defense:

Duncan Keith, Calvin de Haan, Connor Murphy, Nikita Zadorov, Riley Stillman

Goalies:

Collin Delia, Malcolm Subban, Kevin Lankinen

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents

Vinnie Hinostroza, Brandon Pirri, Anton Lindholm

Notable Exemptions

Dominik Kubalik, Pius Suter, Philipp Kurashev, Kirby Dach, Alexander Nylander, Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist, Wyatt Kalynuk, Nicolas Beaudin

Key Decisions

This time in Chicago, the decisions to make are actually relatively easy. One of the biggest questions a few months ago would have been whether Nylander deserved protection five years after being selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres. That question now has an easy answer, as the 23-year-old winger is exempt because he missed this entire season following knee surgery. Because his first two years post-draft were spent mostly at the AHL level, they don’t count toward his eligibility and thus he has just two years of professional experience under his belt, at least according to the expansion rules. He’s exempt, and Chicago fans can argue over whether or not he deserves a roster spot next season.

Toews, Kane and DeBrincat are obvious choices for protection. Now that the captain is back skating, there’s no need to talk about waiving his no-movement clause for the Blackhawks in order for them to protect an extra player. Strome, even though he is coming off a terrible season, has too high a ceiling to be left exposed to Seattle. Hagel was about as big of a bright spot as they had in Chicago this season, adding 24 points while seemingly never running out of energy. The 22-year-old likely gets protected. Borgstrom already agreed to a two-year deal to return to North America, so Chicago isn’t going to let the first-round pick get selected.

That leaves two spots for the group of Connolly, Kampf, and Gaudette, with the odd man out potentially heading to Seattle. A $3.5MM cap hit seems like a ridiculous price for the Connolly that scored just three goals in 31 games last season, but what about the one that had 71 over his previous 286 (a 20-goal 82-game pace). Sure, if Seattle took him off Chicago’s hands it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but at just 29 there is real bounce-back potential there. Kampf has never shown an ability to score at that rate, with just 17 goals over his four seasons with the Blackhawks. That’s not to say he’s useless, but he’ll be an RFA this summer and scored just a single goal in 56 games this season.

Gaudette is the most interesting case here, after arriving midseason in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks. The 24-year-old looked like he was ready to breakout in 2019-20 when he scored 12 goals and 33 points in 59 games, but he completely fell apart in the playoffs and then couldn’t find his game at all this season. He’ll also be an RFA this summer, and it’s not really clear how the Blackhawks plan to use the 2018 Hobey Baker winner. There is at least an argument to be made for Kampf’s defensive consistency over Gaudette’s offensive potential, even if it would have seemed crazy a year ago.

On defense, things really just boil down to the Keith situation. It appears a trade is likely, with the Kraken one of the preferred destinations thanks to its proximity to his hometown. Whether a deal is officially made before the draft (other teams including the Edmonton Oilers are also involved in the discussions) or Keith simply agrees to waive his no-movement clause, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll be protected by the Blackhawks.

That leaves three spots for four defensemen, with Murphy obviously getting one of them. Zadorov and de Haan could easily be the other choices, though perhaps Stillman could also be a factor if the team believes they’ve locked up real value when he signed a three-year, $4.05MM deal in April. When it was signed, GM Stan Bowman noted that Stillman’s development was “something we look forward to seeing firsthand,” suggesting that perhaps they believe he can be a real core piece moving forward. If that’s the case, Zadorov or de Haan could be exposed simply to open up cap space and minutes for their other young defensemen.

In net, it really comes down to who the organization believes has the highest ceiling. All three netminders played this season, all three will be unrestricted free agents after next. Lankinen came back to earth after an outstanding first half, finishing with a .909 save percentage in 37 games. He’s the leading candidate for protection, but it seems unlikely that any of them would be in danger of selection anyway.

Projected Protection List

F Jonathan Toews
F Patrick Kane
F Alex DeBrincat
F Dylan Strome
F Adam Gaudette
F Brandon Hagel
F Henrik Borgstrom

D Connor Murphy
D Nikita Zadorov
D Riley Stillman

G Kevin Lankinen

*Assuming that Keith is traded or waives his no-movement clause before the draft

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 (2): Brett Connolly, Ryan Carpenter
Defensemen (2): Duncan Keith, Calvin de Haan

Even if the team trades Keith ahead of the draft, leaving de Haan (or Stillman) exposed would fill their defensive requirements. The exposure requirements could also help the decision on Connolly, as he’s one of only a handful that currently meets the games played threshold and are signed through next season. Gaudette or Kampf, alternatively, would require new deals to fill that forward requirement.

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

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

at CDT | by 29 Comments

The Stanley Cup could be awarded this evening and the offseason is already in full swing around the NHL. We’re just a few weeks away from the Seattle Kraken selecting their expansion roster and the 2021 draft class finding out which team will choose them. Free agency will soon follow and teams will start preparing for the 2021-22 season, which is just a few months away thanks to the altered sports calendar.

With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag. If you missed the last one, it was broken into two pieces. In the first part, Brian La Rose gave his thoughts on Philadelphia’s defense corps, the future of Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen in Buffalo, and whether or not the Maple Leafs made a mistake when they installed Kyle Dubas as general manager.  In the second, he suggested some teams that may need to complete a side deal with the Kraken, examined some interesting free agent targets, and gave his thoughts on the Dougie Hamilton market.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below.

Seattle Kraken Announce Preseason Schedule

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Seattle Kraken will play their first game as part of the NHL against the Vancouver Canucks on September 26, 2021. The match will be a preseason contest held at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Washington. The team has announced a full six-game preseason schedule that will give the world a few looks at the Kraken before they arrive at Climate Pledge Arena to open the regular season.

After that first game against the Canucks, the Kraken will hit the road to play in Edmonton and Calgary, before holding two other “home” games. October 1 will see the Oilers and Kraken play at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, while the Flames will battle the new club on October 2 at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent. Those three arenas host the Spokane Chiefs, Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, giving junior hockey fans in the pacific northwest a chance to see the new pro club up close.

Seattle’s home arena is still on track to be open for the first home game of the 2021-22 season, but that schedule has still not been officially released. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke released a short statement showing his excitement for the preseason action:

The arena is on track to host our first regular-season home game in mid-October, but we have made the decision to play our three inaugural preseason games at three outstanding local arenas. This gives us an opportunity to partner with the WHL teams, celebrate hockey across our region and grow this beautiful game. We couldn’t be more excited for these games and then to open Climate Pledge Arena.

In less than two weeks’ time, the Kraken will select their inaugural roster during the July 21 expansion draft. They will also receive a short window just before the draft in which they are allowed to speak with pending unrestricted free agents. If they sign a player, it would count as their selection from his former team.

Joel Bouchard Hired By Anaheim Ducks

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Anaheim Ducks have announced a new AHL coach, hiring Joel Bouchard to lead the San Diego Gulls. Bouchard replaces the outgoing Kevin Dineen, who took over as Gulls head coach when Dallas Eakins was promoted to the NHL club. Ducks GM Bob Murray released a statement on the change:

We want to thank Kevin Dineen for all he contributed the last two seasons. He was key in maintaining a winning environment in San Diego, including a difficult season during the pandemic. 

The opportunity to bring in Joel Bouchard as head coach of our American Hockey League club was something that we could not pass up. Joel has a strong track record coaching and developing players at the professional, junior and international level. This is the primary focus for us, and Joel fits the bill perfectly.

Bouchard’s path to the NHL was blocked in Montreal, where he had served as head coach of the Laval Rocket the last three years. Dominique Ducharme took over the Canadiens midseason and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals, while even assistants Luke Richardson and Alexandre Burrows look like potential future head coaches (in fact, Eric Engels of Sportsnet suggests that Burrows could even be the next head coach of the Rocket).

That path isn’t so crowded in the Ducks organization, given how little success Eakins has had so far. The Ducks are 46-63-18 under his watch, which could lead to a potential opportunity for a minor league coach like Bouchard at some point. The 47-year-old was the head coach of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL for four seasons before arriving in Laval, taking the junior squad to the league championship twice in a row (but losing both). A veteran of 364 NHL games as a player, Bouchard is still waiting for his first opportunity as a coach at that level.

Corey Perry Not Considering Retirement

at CDT | by 3 Comments

After two straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances, Corey Perry isn’t ready to hang up his skates. The veteran forward explained at his end-of-year press availability that he has no intentions of retiring. He didn’t stop there though, explaining that he would love to return to the Montreal Canadiens if possible.

Yes I intend to play hockey next year. I think there is still a lot of good hockey left in me. I would love to come back here and experience Montreal for being Montreal. It was a weird year with family not being here and all that. But definitely, to people out there looking at Montreal as a spot to land and come play, it’s been everything that you could imagine. It’s a first class organization and everything they do here is done with a purpose. I really enjoyed my time.

Perry, 36, settled for close to a league-minimum contract with the Canadiens this season, earning just $750K with no performance bonuses. That was of course in addition to the $2MM he earned from an Anaheim Ducks buyout, something he’ll collect again next season and the year after that. While many wrote him off, Perry seemed rejuvenated by the young core in Montreal, scoring 21 points in 49 games during the regular season and becoming a force for the team in the playoffs.

If he wants to return to Montreal, it seems like an easy contract to work out for the Canadiens, who should still have a spot for him in the bottom-six. It’s not like he’ll be demanding a huge raise at this point in his career and given that Joel Armia, Phillip Danault, Eric Staal, and Tomas Tatar are all pending unrestricted free agents, there will be roster spots to fill.

Still, perhaps there will be other teams that come calling on Perry if he makes it to free agency next month. Those clubs that can’t seem to get over the playoff hump could potentially still see the 2007 Stanley Cup champion as a difference-maker in the postseason. Perry does have 167 career playoff games, where he has scored 108 points including ten game-winning goals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Jonas Siegenthaler

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have signed Jonas Siegenthaler to a two-year contract extension that will carry an average annual value of $1.125MM. Siegenthaler will earn $1.05MM in 2021-22 and $1.2MM in 2022-23.

Siegenthaler, 24, not only gets a nice raise from the $800K he earned in 2020-21, but also gets some contract security in the form of a two-year deal. That’s important at this stage of his career when he is still just trying to establish himself as a full-time player at the NHL level.

Originally selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round of the 2015 draft, Siegenthaler came to New Jersey via trade earlier this year. He played just eight games for the Devils down the stretch but could be in line for a much bigger role next season.

New Jersey was always likely to protect Siegenthaler in the expansion draft, given the lack of real other candidates on defense, but with this two-year deal in hand, they will surely be using one of three defense spots on him. Moving forward, he’ll be expected to be more than just a part-time contributor, though the price is still reasonable enough for a bottom-pair option if that’s where he ends up. In 105 career games, Siegenthaler has recorded 13 points.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top