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Snapshots: Kane, Saros, Pettersson

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With an investigation ongoing into allegations that he bet on NHL games, Evander Kane’s future with the San Jose Sharks isn’t clear. But it was long before that things started to deteriorate between the $7MM forward and his team. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic published an explosive piece today examining the situation in San Jose, reporting that “several key players” told the Sharks management that if Kane remained with the team, they didn’t want to stay.

Kurz writes that the Sharks did explore trading Kane earlier this offseason, but that obviously didn’t come to pass. Now with this new allegation, the reports of locker room turmoil and a bankruptcy case continuing in the background, the 30-year-old forward is “virtually untradeable.” Kane is currently signed through the 2024-25 season and holds a modified no-trade clause that allows him to list just three clubs he could be traded to. He also is coming off arguably his best season as a professional, with 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games.

  • The Nashville Predators are approaching an arbitration hearing with starting goaltender Juuse Saros, scheduled for August 18. Adam Vingan of The Athletic breaks down the case that both sides have, but notes that Saros’ camp is looking for a long-term deal, while the Predators are hoping for a three to four-year contract if things can be worked out before the hearing. Saros truly broke out this season, finishing sixth in the Vezina Trophy voting and even receiving some Hart Trophy recognition, after posting a 21-11-1 record with a .927 save percentage. The 26-year-old goaltender is just a year away from unrestricted free agency, meaning any multi-year contract would be buying out almost exclusively UFA seasons. An arbitration ruling on the other hand could only be one year in length, taking him right to the open market next year.
  • Elias Pettersson is another restricted free agent without a contract, but he doesn’t seem too worried about it. The Vancouver Canucks forward spoke to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige and explained that though the two sides are not in agreement on a deal yet, he’s confident they will find a solution. Pettersson also clearly indicated that he wants to be on a winning team, meaning if they want to keep him long-term, the Canucks better start making the playoffs more often.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Tyler Benson

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed minor league forward Tyler Benson to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2021-22 season. The deal will pay him $750K at the NHL level. Benson was a restricted free agent this offseason but did not qualify for salary arbitration.

It’s been five years now since Benson was selected 32nd overall by the Oilers, and despite very strong minor league numbers he still has just seven games played at the NHL level. This season the young forward started the season playing in Switzerland, before re-joining the Bakersfield Condors when the AHL season got underway. In 36 regular season games with the Condors, he once again put up big numbers, scoring ten goals and 36 points.

There’s never really been a question about Benson’s offensive upside at the AHL level, but he has failed to ever really grab an NHL roster spot and run with it. He’ll likely get another chance at training camp this season, battling with players like Brendan Perlini for the last few spots. This time, there’s a big difference in his favor–Benson is no longer waiver-exempt.

That means the Oilers would need to risk him to the rest of the league in order to send him to the minor leagues, and though waiver claims are relatively infrequent, a 23-year-old point-per-game AHL player would likely attract some interest. If there was ever a chance to have the best training camp of your career, it’s now for Benson.

Carolina Hurricanes Agree To Terms With Andrew Poturalski

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The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with a familiar face, signing Andrew Poturalski to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $200K and a minor league guarantee of $250K. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:

Andrew is a playmaking forward who has put up excellent numbers at the AHL level. He previously spent four years in our organization, and we’re excited to bring back a player we’re very familiar with.

Fans of the team will remember Poturalski as the 2019 Calder Cup MVP, after leading the AHL playoffs in goals and points. He spent the last two years with the San Diego Gulls, scoring 43 points in 44 games this past season. The 27-year-old has two games under his belt at the NHL level but is really being brought in to solidify the Chicago Wolves roster, which is looking like it will be a competitive one this season.

The Hurricanes are now at 45 of their allotted 50 NHL contracts, with a few more restricted free agents to sign. The team does have some wiggle room with players whose contracts will slide if sent back to junior, removing them from that 50-count, but it appears as though they are approaching the end of their offseason for the most part.

Winnipeg Jets, Neal Pionk Avoid Arbitration

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The Winnipeg Jets and Neal Pionk won’t need their upcoming arbitration hearing after all, as they’ve agreed on a long-term contract instead. The RFA defenseman has signed a four-year deal that will carry an average annual value of $5.875MM. Pionk’s hearing had been scheduled for Friday. PuckPedia reports the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $3.5MM
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM
  • 2023-24: $7.5MM + 6-team no-trade
  • 2024-25: $6.0MM + 6-team no-trade

It’s easy to underestimate just how strong a player Pionk has become because of the market he plays in and the high-profile player he was traded for. Acquired as part of the package for Jacob Trouba, the 26-year-old defenseman has become one of the most reliable offensive defensemen in the league. In fact, since joining the Jets in 2019, Pionk ranks 13th among all NHL defensemen in scoring with 77 points in 125 games. That’s more than twice as many as Trouba, who signed a seven-year, $56MM deal with the Rangers upon arrival.

That’s not to say the two are directly comparable, but is just evidence to show how valuable Pionk has become in Winnipeg. He has averaged nearly 23 minutes a night since arriving, contributing to both the powerplay and penalty kill. When the Jets’ need for a defenseman was discussed at length this season it was to find Pionk some help, but his place on this team will continue to be a leading one.

By buying out two years of unrestricted free agency, the Jets have locked up Pionk through his prime, but it didn’t come at much of a bargain. After acquiring Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon this offseason, the team now has five defensemen making at least $3MM for the next three seasons. Winnipeg now sits just barely under the salary cap ceiling but still has a lot of work to do, with an arbitration case for Andrew Copp on the horizon. The team does have some wiggle room as Bryan Little will be placed on long-term injured reserve again, but it isn’t a lot considering they have just nine forwards signed to one-way deals at the moment.

Committing so much to the defense is not usually a bad plan, but it’s unclear exactly how the Jets expect to give their young options playing time now. Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola, Sami Niku, and Dylan Samberg are all ready to contribute, but the route to the roster is pretty much blocked through 2023-24. There will be one regular spot to fight over when the season begins (injuries notwithstanding), with Stanley obviously having the inside track after his performance this year.

For Pionk, this contract is basically perfect, giving him a huge raise through the next several years while still letting him test free agency at a young enough age to land another multi-year deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Central Notes: Fiala, Wallstedt, Coyotes Coaching Staff

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The Wild have made some progress in discussions with RFA winger Kevin Fiala, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link).  While the 25-year-old didn’t file for arbitration, Minnesota opted to elect to take him to a hearing earlier this month, a move that teams don’t often make as it gives Fiala the right to elect an award that would walk him to unrestricted free agency if he wanted.  However, it ensures that he’ll be signed long before training camp.  Fiala is coming off a 20-goal, 40-point season that has him well-positioned to earn a sizable raise on the $3MM AAV he had on his bridge deal.  Submissions to the arbitrator will be required on Sunday with the hearing scheduled for a week from today so they’ll need to work quickly to get something done.

More from the Central:

  • Still with Minnesota, Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt has opted to stay with Lulea of the SHL, notes Aftonbladet’s Jonathan Nilsson. The 18-year-old was the 20th-overall pick in last month’s draft which gives them the right to assign him elsewhere as entry-level deals for first-round picks supersede existing contracts overseas.  However, some more time in the SHL certainly makes sense for Wallstedt, who posted a 2.23 GAA with a .908 SV% in Sweden’s top division last season.
  • The Coyotes are expected to retain assistant coaches Phil Housley, Cory Stillman, and Corey Schwab, reports Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider (Twitter link). They will, however, reportedly add to their coaching staff as Morgan adds that Mario Duhamel will also be added.  Duhamel, 46, had been an associate coach with OHL Ottawa previously working alongside new Arizona bench boss Andre Tourigny.

Free Agent Profile: Alex Chiasson

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Two years ago, Alex Chiasson entered free agency in an ideal situation.  He was coming off his first season with Edmonton and had a career year which gave him considerably more leverage than he had the year before when he hit the open market.  That landed him a two-year deal to stay with the Oilers but things haven’t gone as well since then so the veteran has hit free agency in a different situation than he had last time.

After his first season with the Oilers, it looked as if the 30-year-old was finally living up to the potential he had shown in flashes in his previous stops.  22 goals in 73 games is certainly decent for someone who had largely been a role player up to that point but unfortunately for him and the Oilers, Chiasson was only able to manage 20 goals over the last two seasons combined, spanning 110 contests.

Still, Chiasson stands 6’3 and has shown a bit of a scoring touch with the man advantage, tallying 19 goals over his three seasons with Edmonton.  While he certainly wasn’t a play driver on their power play, he still filled a useful role on it.  Between the size and power play ability, he’s an intriguing depth option for teams even if he doesn’t fill the prototypical style that many teams covet in their bottom six (physical with an ability to kill penalties).

Stats

2020-21: 45 GP, 9-7-16, -10 rating, 33 PIMS, 65 shots, 45.6 CF%, 12:29 ATOI
Career: 564 GP, 101-101-202, -40 rating, 329 PIMS, 798 shots, 48.1 CF%, 13:51 ATOI

Potential Suitors

How much Chiasson wants will largely dictate his market.  If he’s willing to back to playing for close to the league minimum, he becomes an intriguing pickup for some cap-strapped teams that are looking for an incremental boost.  Otherwise, his options will be limited to teams that project to have ample cap space that could also be open to taking a flyer on him rediscovering that scoring touch from two years ago.  For this exercise, we’ll look at the teams with cap space and assume that a cheap deal isn’t on the table just yet.

In the East, the Devils have been quite active already this summer but someone like Chiasson would add some more offensive upside to their depth forwards and they still have plenty of cap space to bring him in.  The Blue Jackets don’t have a lot of firepower in their bottom six and also have ample cap room for the winger.  One of his former teams in the Senators could have a use for Chiasson if they want a younger forward to get some more development time with AHL Belleville as well.

Out West, the Wild should still have enough cap room by the time they re-sign their two big RFAs to add Chiasson in a depth role.  The Predators are currently projected to have some inexperienced players in their bottom six and could use Chiasson as a piece to allow someone to spend more time in the minors.  The Avalanche didn’t really replace Joonas Donskoi and while Chiasson is at a lower level than he is, he’s someone that can move up into the top six at times if needed and Colorado still has a bit of wiggle room with their cap.

Projected Contract

Chiasson ranked 47th on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected two-year, $3.2MM contract.  At this point, landing that contract seems unlikely as at this point of free agency, teams are bargain shopping and won’t be swayed by that 22-goal campaign.  A one-year pact that’s closer to $1MM may be more realistic now and considering his power play production with Edmonton, he could be an interesting pickup for several teams at that price point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Kubicek, Dzierkals

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While it has been a very quiet summer for Anaheim aside from the re-signing of Ryan Getzlaf to a one-year deal, it appears that the Ducks are trying to be active on the trade front.  Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register notes that GM Bob Murray is focusing on trades that would move out some veterans with an eye on netting younger players in return that fit their rebuilding window.  The Ducks have certainly shifted towards a younger roster in recent years and could have as many as seven forwards 25 or younger in their opening lineup.  Bringing in players in that age group certainly makes sense but with a lot of teams capped out, swapping an expensive veteran for a cost-controlled youngster is something that’s certainly going to be easier said than done.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Oilers may invite undrafted defenseman Simon Kubicek to training camp, suggests Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. The 20-year-old’s WHL rights were recently acquired by the Oil Kings who play out of the same rink as their NHL counterpart.  Kubicek spent most of the season with Ceske Budejovice of the Czech Extraliga and also suited up at the World Juniors (which also took place in Edmonton).
  • Golden Knights prospect Martins Dzierkals has signed with Kunlun of the KHL, relays Sportacentrs’ Rolands Elins. The length of the contract was not disclosed.  The 24-year-old was acquired by Vegas last year as part of the three-team Robin Lehner deal and spent last season with Dinamo Riga in the KHL where he had 10 goals and 14 assists in 52 games.  Dzierkals spent some time in North America in Toronto’s system not long after they drafted him but since he didn’t play on an NHL contract, the Golden Knights will continue to hold his rights indefinitely.

Seattle Kraken Announce Coaching Hires

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The announcement came with a plan when the Seattle Kraken signed an agreement with the Charlotte Checkers to share them as an AHL affiliate during the 2021-22 season. The Kraken would provide a certain number of players to the minor league team, which is the primary affiliate of the Florida Panthers, but would also hire an assistant coach to join the Checkers staff. That way their prospects would be overseen by someone directly connected to the NHL organization.

Today they’ve made that hire, adding former Jack Adams winner Dan Byslma as an AHL assistant. Kraken GM Ron Francis released a statement explaining the move:

Dan joins our organization with an impressive resume and his experience speaks for itself. He has a proven track record and we look forward to him coaching our prospects in Charlotte alongside Geordie Kinnear.

Bylsma served as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings for the last three seasons and will probably be the most overqualified AHL assistant in the league. His record as an NHL head coach is 320-190-55, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He won the Jack Adams in 2011 when he led the Penguins to a 49-25-8 record despite Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each playing no more than 43 games. Since the Kraken are only using the Checkers for one season before their own Palm Springs AHL team begins play, it will be interesting to see if Bylsma is the choice for their minor league coach a year from now.

The Kraken have also officially announced Andrew Allen as the team’s goaltending coach. Allen had originally joined the team as a pro scout, but will transition to the coaching role now that they are approaching their inaugural season. Interestingly enough, Allen actually received his first NHL coaching job under Bylsma in Buffalo during the 2015-16 season. He spent four years as the goaltending coach for the Sabres, after previously working with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.

Tony Esposito Passes Away At 78

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The hockey world is in mourning again today, as it says goodbye to one of its own. Tony Esposito has passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The Chicago Blackhawks announced the news with a long letter to the Esposito family from team chairman Rocky Wirtz.

…Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise as we near its 100th anniversary. Four generations of our family — my grandfather Arthur, my father Bill, my son Danny and I — were blessed by his work ethic as a Hall of Fame goalie, but more importantly, by his mere presence and spirit. 

Upon his retirement in 1984, Esposito went down as one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play in the NHL. Only 12 men in the history of the game have won the Vezina Trophy at least three times, and Esposito was one of them, taking home the award in 1970, 1972 and 1974. Though he started his career with the Montreal Canadiens, he will always be remembered as a member of the Blackhawks. He is the franchise leader in games played, wins, saves, and shutouts. He won the Calder Trophy in 1970 as the league’s best rookie, was a five-time NHL All-Star, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. He was named to the list of 100 Greatest NHL players in 2017.

It wasn’t just his success, but the flair and style of how Esposito stopped the puck that created so many fans across the hockey world. Though he entered front offices including the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning in retirement, his connection to Chicago was for life. In 2016 at the Winter Classic, it was Esposito who served as coach of the Blackhawks alumni team taking on the St. Louis Blues.

The entire staff at PHR sends our condolences to the Esposito family.

Salary Cap Lower Limit Complicates Jack Eichel Trade

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The Buffalo Sabres have been expected to trade Jack Eichel for months. His neck injury this season caused a difference of opinion between his camp and the team, leading to a lack of trust, which only exasperated a tough situation. Eichel has been in Buffalo for six seasons but has still not suited up for a single playoff game. On the other side, the Sabres have been paying him $10MM per season for three years without any postseason revenue to show for it. A split seemed inevitable, but there are many complicating factors.

One of them that has been discussed at length is that $10MM cap hit and how it is difficult for other teams to fit under the cap ceiling. Eichel is a top player when healthy, but his injury situation makes it an extremely risky proposition for anyone interested in acquiring his services.

There’s another complication caused by his contract though, and this one has gotten far less attention. In fact, it’s basically the opposite problem of an acquiring team not being able to afford Eichel. The Sabres can’t really afford to take him off the books at this point.

Right now, there are two teams in the league that are actually well short of the salary cap’s lower limit of $60.2MM–the Ottawa Senators and, you guessed it, the Buffalo Sabres. According to CapFriendly, Buffalo currently sits at a projected cap hit for the 2021-22 season of just $52,897,763, more than $7.3MM under the lower limit. “But they have Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju to sign!” you might say, and that’s true, those three restricted free agents will likely take them well over the salary cap floor.

The problem is, that projection is including the $10MM owed to Eichel. If the team trades him, suddenly they’re more than $17.3MM under the lower limit, a number that will be a lot harder to make up with three restricted free agent deals.

Buffalo has already moved out some of their high-priced talent this offseason, trading away Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart. They watched Linus Ullmark and Jake McCabe walk in free agency, replacing them with 40-year-old Craig Anderson for league minimum and Mark Pysyk at $900K. For whatever reason, they had the New Jersey Devils retain part of Will Butcher’s contract, making him cost even less for them.

Moving Eichel out of this financial puzzle right now for nothing but futures would mean several other moves would have to follow just to get the Sabres cap compliant for the start of the year. This isn’t really a situation that has ever played out in the NHL, but it’s one of their own making. Buffalo has been aggressively shedding salary all summer to restock the prospect and draft cupboards, but the side effect of those moves is that the last big chip is now an even more complicated piece to trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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