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Archives for August 2021

Snapshots: Sweater Ads, Penguins, Sabres

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The NHL board of governors has unanimously approved a policy that will add a small advertisement to player sweaters for the 2022-23 season, another move to help the league recoup some of the revenue it has lost over the last 18 months. Sportico was first to break the story that has since been confirmed by multiple sources, and reports that the ad must fit in a rectangle of three by three and a half inches. This follows the move to have advertisements on helmets this season, a change that will continue moving forward.

While fans may not like the idea of ad space being rented out on their favorite sweater, the league is looking for any opportunity to create revenue streams. The move, albeit indirectly, is another step towards increasing the salary cap down the line, which would, in turn, lead to higher player salaries as well.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Alec Schall as director of hockey operations, hiring the long-time player agent that previously represented James van Riemsdyk, Alec Martinez, and others. Schall will be responsible for “aiding Pittsburgh’s hockey operations department with player contract negotiations, managing the salary cap, as well as assisting with other hockey-related duties.” He will report directly to GM Ron Hextall, who took over the team earlier this year.
  • The Buffalo Sabres continue to bring back former players, this time hiring Tim Kennedy and Nathan Paetsch as development coaches. Both spent time with the Sabres during their playing days and will get a chance to work with Adam Mair and Dan Girardi in the Buffalo development team. Paetsch, who played 167 games at the NHL level, also served as a sort of player-coach with the Rochester Americans between 2017-20.

Minor Transactions: 08/17/21

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We’re headed into the quietest part of the year for the NHL, as rosters are mostly set and general managers aren’t looking to make splashy trades. That’s not necessarily the case for the AHL and other professional leagues though, as they continue to try and work through free agent negotiations. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Manitoba Moose have signed Evan Polei to a two-year AHL contract, while also inking Philippe Desrosiers, Tristan Pomerleau and Dean Stewart to one-year AHL deals. The quartet gives the Moose quite a bit of a depth upgrade, especially in net where Desrosiers brings starter-level talent. The 26-year-old goaltender spent the entire 2020-21 season on the Florida Panthers taxi squad after posting a .916 save percentage in 29 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2019-20.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed Matt Hellickson to a one-year AHL contract, following his senior season with the University of Notre Dame. The 23-year-old defenseman was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2017 and actually played five games for their AHL affiliate this spring. Since the Devils failed to reach a contract with him this summer, he was a free agent that could sign anywhere.
  • Christopher Merisier-Ortiz has signed a two-year AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, now that he has aged out of the junior level. The 20-year-old defenseman split this season between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, racking up 36 points in 39 games.
  • The Abbotsford Canucks have signed defenseman Alex Kannok Leipert to a one-year AHL deal.  The 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Washington back in 2018 but didn’t sign with the Capitals.  Kannok Leipert spent his entire junior career with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, captaining that team for the past two years.  He had 18 points in 22 games last season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Olle Lycksell Loaned To Sweden

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It’s back to Sweden for young forward Olle Lycksell, who has been loaned back to Vaxjo of the SHL for the 2021-22 campaign. Lycksell signed his two-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in May and will burn the first year regardless of where he plays.

Now 21, Lycksell was actually a sixth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2017 and would have seen his exclusive draft rights expire if he didn’t sign before June this year. The undersized forward has done well enough in his three-plus years at the SHL level that he was worth a contract slot though, especially after a promising 2020-21 campaign with Farjestad BK. He matched his goal and point totals–nine and 21 respectively–from the year prior, but did it in just 46 games this time. That progression is encouraging, though he’s obviously not ready for the NHL at this point.

This is a flier by the Flyers, hoping that Lycksell finds a way to overcome his size weakness and show he can put up big numbers in his fifth professional season. Though there could potentially be a place for him in Philadelphia’s bottom-six because of his positional versatility, the scoring ability will have to be there if he’s not bringing any size or physicality. With excellent hands and puck skills, perhaps he breaks out this year and really shows he can be a dominant offensive player in the SHL, but until that happens, an NHL roster spot is still a distant thought.

Ottawa Senators Sign Scott Sabourin

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The Ottawa Senators are bringing back a familiar face, signing Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way contract. Sabourin will earn $750K at the NHL level (despite the press release indicating $700K, the league minimum is $750K for 2021-22) and $200K in the AHL. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement on the deal:

Scott is a player and person with whom the organization has familiarity. He plays hard, has a physical presence, is respected on the ice and maintains strong leadership qualities. We’ll look to him to help guide our younger players and prospects.

Sabourin, 29, played 35 of his 36 career NHL games with the Senators in 2019-20, working his way up to the big leagues after a long career in the minors. The undrafted forward has never been known for his scoring ability, but is a well-respected teammate and physical presence. His role with the organization will be to help protect the young players with the Belleville Senators, with the odd appearance in the NHL if the team feels like it needs some extra toughness.

It’s the fourth one-year, two-way deal that Sabourin has signed in his career, but this one is actually coming with a slightly lower minor league salary than what he earned with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. That’s the one that matters most, as it’s unlikely Sabourin will get more than a handful of days at the NHL level if any at all.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed one of their 2020 draft picks, inking Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm to a three-year entry-level contract. Bjorgvik-Holm spent part of this season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL on an amateur tryout contract. PuckPedia reports the breakdown of the deal, which has a cap hit of $845,000, is as follows:

  • 2021-22: $750,000 NHL salary, $85,000 SB, $15,000 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary
  • 2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $87,500 SB, $37,500 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary
  • 2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary, $90,000 SB, $35,000 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary

Selected 145th overall in last year’s draft, Bjorgvik-Holm has had quite an interesting hockey career to this point. After playing in his native Norway through 2017-18, he came to North America to join the Colorado Thunderbirds, a AAA U16 team. He also played two games during the 2018-19 season with the Tri-City Storm and that’s where it seemed like his next step would be. But in the 2019 CHL Import Draft, the young defenseman was selected 32nd overall by the Mississauga Steelheads and less than two weeks later he was committed to the OHL club.

With 19 points in 57 games for the Steelheads, he earned that fifth-round selection and likely would have been back in the OHL this season. Unfortunately, the junior league didn’t have a season thanks to COVID restrictions, meaning Bjorgvik-Holm had to find somewhere else to play. Back to Norway he went, where this time he suited up at the professional level. He had an impressive 10 points in 22 games for Manglerud, before coming back to North America to play for the Monsters. At the end of the season, he was back on an airplane to Latvia to compete for Norway at the IIHF World Championship, lining up against NHL talent.

It’s not often that fifth-round picks make an impact, but there is real hope that Bjorgvik-Holm can quickly climb the ladder and be an NHL option for the Blue Jackets. He held his own in the minor leagues even at just 18 years old and is already physically mature. The interesting thing about him is that since he established himself in North America and was selected out of the OHL, the Blue Jackets actually only held his rights until June of next year. Another interesting situation will come in the next few months, as that draft status also should make him ineligible for the AHL. He may need to go back to the CHL (or play overseas again), though there have been exceptions made for European players in the past.

Minnesota Wild Finally Have Salary Cap Certainty For 2021-22

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One of the offseason’s biggest stories has undoubtedly been the salary cap situation of the Minnesota Wild. General manager Bill Guerin was faced with an extremely tricky deck of cards this summer – the team’s three best forwards were all restricted free agents and needed new contracts. With a frozen salary cap and increasing market value, it was never going to be easy for the Wild to continue icing a contending team in 2021-22.

However, with Kevin Fiala inking a one-year $5.1MM contract today to stay in Minnesota, the team finally has some clarity in how they’ll be rolling their lineup in the near future. What’s for certain now is that the team will have enough financial flexibility to have Kirill Kaprizov on the roster, at least for next season. With Fiala signed and a full roster, the Wild have $13.1MM in cap space with only Kaprizov left to sign.

But, it seems with every passing day that Kaprizov’s eventual signing price will likely be astronomical, and on a short-term deal as well. The likely outcome here by most accounts is Kaprizov signing a deal equal to or shorter than four seasons, likely between $7-10MM. It’s certainly doable for 2021-22, but the main concerns have never been just about next year.

Moving forward, it’ll be even tougher for Minnesota to stay cap-compliant. The promise of a slightly increasing Upper Limit helps somewhat, but not by much. While 2022-23 sees the combined $9MM cap hits of Victor Rask and Alex Goligoski vanish, they’ll also need a new deal for Fiala, gritty winger Jordan Greenway, and promising netminder Kaapo Kahkonen. The total cap hit increase of those deals, plus an $8MM increase in cap penalties due to the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, make a scenario in which all three players are retained nearly impossible, even with some team-friendly deals.

The deal Fiala signed is likely very similar to what he would have been awarded had the case gone to arbitration. It doesn’t exactly show long-term commitment to the relationship between player and team, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see another transaction involving Fiala within the next calendar year.

While cost certainty helps create a clearer picture for the upcoming 2021-22 season, the long-term landscape still remains treacherous for the up-and-coming squad.

All salary cap figures from CapFriendly.com

Minor Notes: Royals, Thomson, Klimovich

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The Reading Royals and Philadelphia Flyers have announced an extension to their affiliation agreement, continuing a partnership that began in 2014. Along with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, Reading and Philadelphia form the “closest geographical chain of affiliates in professional hockey,” giving the organizations some obvious benefits. The agreement, which covers just 2021-22 also includes an option for the 2022-23 season.

Reading is set to enter their 20th season in the ECHL and has been one of the most consistent franchises in the low minors, qualifying for the playoffs nine straight years between 2010-18. They took home the Kelly Cup as league champions in 2013.

  • The Henderson Silver Knights have signed Ben Thomson to a one-year AHL contract, bringing in the veteran minor league forward to fill out the depth chart. Thomson, 28, was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2012 and played three NHL games in the 2016-17 season, but has spent the vast majority of his career in the minor leagues. In 31 games with the Binghamton Devils last season, he registered six goals and seven points.
  • The Vancouver Canucks expect top draft pick Danila Klimovich to play in the QMJHL next season, according to Harman Dayal of The Athletic. The 41st overall pick in last month’s draft played for Belarus at the recent IIHF World Championship and is expected to take part in Olympic qualifiers at the end of the month. Klimovich was the 29th overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, and will play for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies if he does end up in the QMJHL.

Tyler Parsons Accepts Qualifying Offer, Stays With Calgary Flames

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August 16: The Flames have officially announced the one-year, two-way contract for Parsons, confirming the NHL salary of $771,750.

August 6: PuckPedia is reporting that Calgary Flames goalie prospect Tyler Parsons has accepted his qualifying offer. A 2016 second-round pick of the team, Parsons will stay with the organization for the 2021-22 season on a $771,750 salary next season with $70,000 paid in the minors.

Parsons, a Michigan native, is now entering his fifth season within the Flames organization. While it’s common to see goaltenders take longer to develop, most would agree that Parsons hasn’t progressed as most would have expected and hoped. Parsons had a spectacular draft year in the OHL with the London Knights and repeated his performance the following season, posting save percentages above .920 in both the regular season and playoffs both years. But after turning pro for the 2017-18 season, Parsons hasn’t been able to perform well above the ECHL level. He boasts a save percentage above .900 and a record above .500 with the Kansas City Mavericks, but that success has failed to translate to his starts with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He’s yet to post a save percentage above .900 in a full AHL season. This past season was even tougher for Parsons, who only got into one hockey game all year. His one start with Stockton didn’t go too well either, allowing five goals and posting a .800 save percentage.

Looking forward, though, Parsons stands to have a backup role carved out for him in Stockton next season. He’ll likely serve behind a goalie from his same draft class, Adam Werner, who wasn’t qualified by the Colorado Avalanche this offseason despite impressive performances at the minor league level. Werner’s track record and brief NHL experience likely give him the inside track to the starting job in Stockton, but as with many things in minor hockey, it’s not set in stone. There’s also a bit of a wild card in Dustin Wolf, who’ll be playing his first full professional season next year and is the organization’s most highly touted goaltending prospect. Parsons still has one more year to make an impression with Calgary’s front office.

Nashville Predators, Juuse Saros Avoid Arbitration

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The Nashville Predators and starting goaltender Juuse Saros have reached a new agreement, signing a four-year, $20MM contract. The two sides had an arbitration hearing set for Wednesday, which will no longer be required. Adam Vingan of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $4.0MM
  • 2022-23: $5.0MM
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM
  • 2025-26: $5.0MM

The contract does not have any trade protection, despite buying out three years of unrestricted free agency for the 26-year-old goaltender. Saros experienced a real breakout this season, showing he could be the team’s full-time starter by appearing in 36 games and posting a .927 save percentage. He finished sixth in voting for the Vezina Trophy and even received some Hart Trophy consideration. Predators GM David Poile released a statement on the contract:

Juuse has proven himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, and we are very pleased to have him remain our No. 1 goaltender for years to come. While being mentored by Pekka Rinne, he has spent the last several seasons growing and taking steps physically and mentally to become a top goalie in this League, as evident by his spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2017-18 to finishing near the top of Vezina Trophy voting this past season. Juuse gives our team a chance to win in every game he plays, and we feel confident that with him leading the tandem we’ve established with David Rittich, our goaltenders will be a large part of our success in 2021-22.

Even though this may have been the first year Saros was recognized on a national scale, Predators fans will know just how good he’s been since entering the league. As a 21-year-old rookie he posted a .923 in 21 games and has continued at a high level while playing backup to Nashville legend Pekka Rinne. Among goaltenders with at least 150 NHL appearances, he sits sixth all-time with a .920 save percentage.

With Rinne now retired and completely out of the picture, Saros will be asked to carry a heavy load. The team brought in David Rittich on a one-year, $1.25MM deal to serve as the primary backup, but there’s little doubt the newly extended Saros will get the bulk of the work.

The contract actually appears to be quite the bargain for the Predators, considering some of the other goalie deals that have been handed out recently. Linus Ullmark received the same four years and $20MM, for instance, but also negotiated a full no-movement clause in the first two seasons and a modified no-trade clause in the final two. While Ullmark was a UFA already, a year ahead of Saros, his numbers are also nowhere near as strong or as established.

Igor Shesterkin actually got a much higher contract, despite being two years away from UFA status and having just 47 games under his belt. While the Rangers netminder has been outstanding in the early going, his four-year, $22.67MM deal shows the haircut that Saros accepted on this new contract.

There are other extenuating circumstances to all of these negotiations, but this one seems like a win for the Predators, who have no shot of competing without high-level goaltending. The team has struggled to score for years now and has several bloated, underperforming, high-priced contracts on the books upfront. With Saros signed for $5MM, the team can allocate some extra money elsewhere to try and round out the roster.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the contract terms. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Colorado Avalanche, Dennis Gilbert Avoid Arbitration

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The Colorado Avalanche won’t be going to arbitration this season after settling their one case with Dennis Gilbert. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal will come with an AHL salary of $160K and means the hearing scheduled for August 21 will no longer be needed.

Gilbert, 24, played just three games at the NHL level this season, spending more time with the Colorado Eagles than the Colorado Avalanche. Acquired as part of the Brandon Saad–Nikita Zadorov trade from last fall, Gilbert has just 25 NHL games under his belt to this point. A third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, it’s hard to really project him getting much time with the big club this season thanks to a long depth chart in Colorado.

Even in terms of an injury call-up, Gilbert could be behind names like Jacob MacDonald and Roland McKeown, meaning he’ll be playing a lot in the minor leagues this season. The deal they settled on comes with a nice AHL salary, likely something his camp was pushing for knowing that he may spend the year there. What a one-year contract also does is take Gilbert to Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer, unless he somehow works his way into a full-time lineup spot this season.

There are of course also waivers, which Gilbert will need to clear in order to play in the minor leagues. That wasn’t an issue last year as he bounced up and down untethered, moving from the taxi squad to the minor leagues without issue. There is certainly a chance someone takes a flier on him if he is exposed to waivers, though claims at the end of training camp are still relatively rare.

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