Sharks Open To Adding Salary In Trades
With so many teams up against the salary cap this season, the trade deadline is going to largely be about clearing out money. Some of the teams with surplus cap space don’t appear to be willing to use it but as Pierre LeBrun reports in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), the Sharks are letting teams know that they’re willing to take on money as long as it comes with another asset or two in the process.
San Jose isn’t a typical buyer in terms of their placement in the West Division where they sit tied for sixth place and are six points out of the final postseason spot which is currently held by St. Louis. However, with the team having the ability to add more than $8MM in contracts per CapFriendly, they could certainly pick up a player or act as a third-party facilitator in which they acquire a player and retain part of the contract before flipping him to a third team.
The Sharks have more than $68MM tied up in payroll commitments for 2021-22 already to just 13 players which is going to limit what they can do. In order to keep what little space they have available, GM Doug Wilson would be wise to restrict himself to taking or retaining on expiring contracts. It’s worth noting that they have not used any of their three salary retention slots for this season.
As a result of several win-now moves made in recent years, San Jose’s prospect pool has been weakened and they don’t have a full complement of draft picks in either the 2021 or 2022 drafts. While teams technically can’t buy draft picks, it certainly seems as if the Sharks may be willing to get creative to ultimately accomplish just that.
Flyers Sign Cam York
It has been a day where several NCAA players have signed their entry-level contracts. The Flyers have joined in on the action, announcing the signing of defenseman Cam York to a three-year, entry-level deal. Financial terms of the pact were not released but the contract will begin this season. GM Chuck Fletcher released the following statement about the move;
We are pleased with Cam’s development and believe he is ready to take the next step with our organization. He was one of the top collegiate defensemen at the University of Michigan and was instrumental in helping lead the United States to the gold medal at this year’s World Junior Championships.
York was Philadelphia’s first-round pick (14th overall) back in 2019 out of the U.S. National Development Team where he averaged more than a point a game which is quite impressive for a blueliner. While he wasn’t able to maintain that production in his two years at Michigan, he was still quite productive and notched 20 points (4-16-20) in just 24 games for the Wolverines this season which was enough to show Fletcher that he was ready to make the jump to the professional ranks.
As a result of the contract starting this season, York will be eligible to play for the Flyers down the stretch and into the playoffs if they’re able to get back into a top-four spot in the East Division. More likely, however, is that he gets his feet wet with AHL Lehigh Valley.
It has been a busy few days for players picked in the middle of the first round in that 2019 draft. All five selections from 12 through 16 played in college this season and have signed entry-level deals since Saturday. Joining York out of that group are Cole Caufield (Montreal) who signed Saturday, Matt Boldy (Minnesota) who signed yesterday, as well as Spencer Knight (Florida) and Alex Newhook (Colorado) who all inked their first deals earlier today.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/31/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:
Anaheim – Alexander Volkov
Boston – Jake DeBrusk
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
NY Rangers – Brett Howden
Vancouver – Adam Gaudette
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Sean Kuraly, Boston Bruins
Kuraly coming off means it’s another good day for the NHL, even though Adam Gaudette’s positive test was confirmed today. The Vancouver forward will miss a minimum of ten days, but hopefully, no more positive results will show up among the Canucks roster.
*denotes new addition
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Odeen Tufto
While the rest of the hockey world focuses on some high-profile college talent signing their entry-level contracts, the Tampa Bay Lightning have announced a more under-the-radar signing. Odeen Tufto has signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Lightning for the 2021-22 season and will report to the Syracuse Crunch on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.
Tufto, 24, was one of the top undrafted college free agents after an incredible senior season that saw him score 47 points in just 29 games. That mark was good enough to make him a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, but it isn’t all that much different than his other three seasons for Quinnipiac University. The 5’7″ forward put up totals of 41, 42 and 38 points in his first three years, meaning he’ll leave college with 168 points in 139 appearances. His 39 assists led the nation this season and he served as captain for Quinnipiac.
While he doesn’t project the same as someone like Cole Caufield, the only NCAA player to score more points than him this season, Tufto is a sneaky depth pickup for an organization that has never been afraid of adding undersized forward talent. The Lightning have made stars out of players like Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde, neither of whom were drafted despite elite offensive numbers in junior. It’s a long shot, but perhaps the Tampa Bay development staff can coax a similar performance out of Tufto, who has scored a boatload of points at every stop so far.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Alex Newhook
Boston College has lost another key member as the Colorado Avalanche have convinced Alex Newhook to sign his three-year entry-level deal, ending his college career. The top prospect will leave BC after just two seasons and turn pro, giving the Avalanche another explosive weapon to build around. His contract will kick in for this season, meaning the first year will be burned and he’s available to play once through COVID protocols. CapFriendly reports the breakdown of the deal is as follows:
2020-21: $875K salary (including performance bonus), $50K in performance bonuses
2021-22: $925K salary (including performance bonus), $850K in performance bonuses
2022-23: $925K salary (including performance bonus), $850K in performance bonuses
Newhook, 20, was the 16th overall pick in 2019 and dominated the college circuit in his freshman campaign. The winner of the Tim Taylor Award as rookie of the year in 2020, he scored 32 points in 34 games. It was an outstanding debut, but unfortunately, Newhook managed just 12 contests for BC in his sophomore season due to an injury suffered at the World Juniors and reaggravated in early January. Still, he put up seven goals and 16 points in those 12 games, showing exactly why he’s considered one of the top offensive prospects in the world right now.
In fact, back in October, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic listed Newhook 11th among the top-50 drafted prospects, down from fourth before the 2020 draft was held. “Power and explosiveness” is what Wheeler wrote about Newhook then, and indicated he has “no concerns” about the young forward’s future as a top-six option in the NHL.
He’ll have to crack one of the league’s deepest forward units, but the Avalanche do have some big names coming off the books soon enough. Gabriel Landeskog is a free agent this summer, though he’s expected to re-sign at some point given his status with the franchise, but so are Brandon Saad, Matt Calvert and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin are all up after the 2021-22 season, meaning the team will have plenty of room for Newhook if he proves himself worthy of a full-time spot by then.
Dallas Stars Sign Jordan Kawaguchi
One of the top undrafted college free agents has found a home, as the Dallas Stars have signed Jordan Kawaguchi to a one-year entry-level contract. The 23-year-old forward recently finished his senior season at the University of North Dakota where he served as captain. He’ll report first to the Texas Stars of the AHL for the rest of this season on an amateur tryout before his entry-level deal kicks in for the 2021-22 season. CapFriendly reports that the deal will pay him a pro-rated $750K salary, a $92.5K signing bonus, and contains $82.5K in performance bonuses.
Kawaguchi, who is actually a cousin of former NHL forward Devin Setoguchi, has done nothing but score since he arrived at UND in 2017. Through his 136 college games, he recorded 126 points including 36 this season in just 28 appearances. The 5’9″ center was an offensive weapon for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL too before going to the NCAA, but went undrafted multiple times.
Now, after impressing for so long, Kawaguchi will get a chance to show what he can do at the professional level. The run of AHL games down the stretch is a great chance for him to show he is not just another undersized college scorer and could be a valuable asset to the organization. At the end of his one-year deal in 2022, he’ll be a restricted free agent.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/31/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
West Division
- The Colorado Avalanche have moved Greg Pateryn to the AHL, opening up a spot on the taxi squad for Liam O’Brien. The recently-signed forward cleared waivers today and has eight points in 12 AHL games for the Colorado Eagles, potentially moving himself up the depth chart and into an injury-replacement role with the organization. Logan O’Connor and Dan Renouf were recalled on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly, with Keaton Middleton being added to the taxi squad in place of Liam O’Brien.
- The San Jose Sharks have recalled Christian Jaros, Fredrik Handemark, and Noah Gregor, with the latter two heading to the taxi squad. Jaros has been brought up directly to the NHL roster, in time for the game tonight if they choose to put him in the lineup. Antti Suomela and Jeffrey Viel were also promoted from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated Lias Andersson, Tobias Bjornfot and Austin Strand from the taxi squad, while sending Daniel Brickley back to the AHL. To make room on the active roster, Olli Maatta has been moved to injured reserve.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Nico Sturm and Luke Johnson from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. In a corresponding move, Kyle Rau has been sent to the taxi squad.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have promoted Nicolas Hague from the taxi squad with Nick Holden being sent down to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Those two moves permitted Vegas to activate Alex Pietrangelo off LTIR as well.
North Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Tyler Graovac from the taxi squad, giving them another forward option as Adam Gaudette remains in the COVID protocol. Graovac has played two games for the Canucks this season but is still looking for his first point.
- After signing his entry-level deal yesterday, Yan Kuznetsov has been sent to the minors by the Calgary Flames per CapFriendly. The 19-year-old defenseman had six assists in his sophomore season with Connecticut before turning pro.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Alex Galchenyuk from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, with Timothy Liljegren being sent down to the taxi squad. Galchenyuk has three assists in five games with Toronto since being recalled earlier this month.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Cam Johnson back to the taxi squad after recalling him yesterday under emergency conditions. Columbus didn’t end up needing him, getting a 37-save performance from Elvis Merzlikins instead. Johnson is really just a practice goaltender at this point and hasn’t even seen the AHL since the 2018-19 season.
- As usual on off days, the Detroit Red Wings have moved a few players to the taxi squad. Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov, and Frans Nielsen are all off the active roster for now, but it won’t be a surprise when several (if not all three) are recalled again tomorrow.
- Ty Dellandrea and Justin Dowling have been moved to the Dallas Stars taxi squad after today after the former played for the team last night. The Stars are off after their overtime loss to the Predators and now sit at 11-12-10 on the season.
- The Florida Panthers have promoted Brady Keeper to the taxi squad. The blueliner has two goals and an assist in nine games this season with AHL Syracuse.
- The Nashville Predators have sent Mathieu Olivier back to the taxi squad. The forward has played in 25 games this season and with them having so many injuries, he’ll likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game against Dallas.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Luke Schenn to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The veteran has played in 20 games so far this season, logging just over ten minutes per game on Tampa Bay’s back end.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Justin Almeida to the taxi squad, sending Drew O’Connor back to the AHL in the process. Almeida, 22, has played in just three games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season, scoring one goal.
- The New York Islanders have sent Cory Schneider to the AHL on a conditioning loan, recalling Jakub Skarek to serve as the third goaltender for the time being. The team has also sent Grant Hutton back to the AHL, moving him off the taxi squad.
- The Boston Bruins have sent Greg McKegg and Jeremy Swayman back to the AHL, given the NHL squad doesn’t play again until tomorrow. McKegg has one goal in four games with Boston this season, but Swayman has been limited to taxi squad duties. Trent Frederic, Zach Senyshyn, and Daniel Vladar were all sent to the taxi squad as well, per CapFriendly.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Connor Bunnaman, Carsen Twarynski, Samuel Morin and Alex Lyon from the taxi squad, sending the recently-waived Shayne Gostisbehere back in their place. Philadelphia will scratch Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom tonight to give the two young forwards some rest.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Dustin Tokarski and Steven Fogarty on emergency loans, per CapFriendly. Tokarski will serve as the backup goalie with Carter Hutton injured while Fogarty picked up his first career NHL point on Saturday.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent Jesper Boqvist to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, with Marian Studenic being sent to the minors in a corresponding move. Boqvist has an assist in eight games this season.
- The New York Rangers have sent Kaapo Kakko to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. It has been a frequent move for the sophomore as of late with the Rangers looking to free up a bit of cap space.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Stan Bowman Named GM Of 2022 U.S. Olympic Team
The 2022 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team will be led by Chicago Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman, who was announced as the general manager today. He’ll be joined by Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, who will serve as an assistant GM for the event. Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey, released a statement regarding the hire:
We could not be happier to have the combination of Stan and Bill, with the support of John Vanbiesbrouck, guiding our men’s Olympic team. We have a deep talent pool thanks to so many people, including volunteers at the grassroots level across the country, and it’s great to have the leadership and expertise that Stan and Bill bring in building our team.
Though it is not official yet that NHL players will be competing at the 2022 Olympics, Kelleher remains “hopeful and optimistic” according to Helene Elliott of the LA Times. The team will have an orientation camp this summer and the official roster will be named around New Year’s Day, 2022. If NHL players do go, the U.S. team could potentially be one of the tournament favorites, given the high-end talent that can lead the way. Names like Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Quinn Hughes can join some of the more veteran players like Patrick Kane and John Carlson who were present at the 2014 Games, the last time NHL took part.
Bowman doesn’t have much international experience but will have Guerin to lean on, who actually competed at three different Olympics as a player. Guerin took home a silver medal in 2002 and has previously been an AGM with Team USA at the World Championships.
If the NHL decides not to go, Bowman and Guerin will actually not be managing the team, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. USA Hockey has a backup plan if that is the case and will have to “adjust accordingly.”
Florida Panthers Sign Spencer Knight
The Florida Panthers’ goaltending position is about to get even more interesting. The Panthers have agreed to terms with top prospect Spencer Knight to his three-year entry-level contract. That will end Knight’s collegiate career after just two (outstanding) seasons at Boston College. GM Bill Zito released a short statement on his newest goaltender:
We are thrilled to have agreed to terms on a contract with Spencer. He is an immensely talented and dynamic young goaltender who has been an elite player at every level that he has played. From the collegiate ranks to international tournaments, Spencer has consistently elevated his game, a testament to his work ethic, compete and character. We are excited for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his future with our club.
Knight, 19, has been embroiled in controversy since nearly the day he was drafted by the Panthers, selected 13th overall in 2019. At the time it seemed like an obvious choice, given the vacancy in Florida’s net, but a few weeks later the team would raise eyebrows all across the league by handing Sergei Bobrovsky a seven-year, $70MM contract on the first day of free agency. Immediately speculation went up over whether Knight would ever play for the Panthers, given how his path to the NHL was now blocked. College draftees do have a bit of leverage, as they can elect to stay in school for four years and become unrestricted free agents. It would be quite unusual for a player drafted as high as Knight to do something like that, but Bobrovsky’s contract immediately put that scenario (or a trade) into the realm of possibilities.
The worry was for nought, however, as Knight will sign his entry-level deal with the Panthers on schedule and enter the organization after just two seasons at BC. In his time there, the 19-year-old goaltender posted an incredible .931 save percentage across 54 appearances. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2020, named Goaltender of the Year this season and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Squeezed into that college career were two appearances at the World Juniors for Team USA, including a gold medal performance earlier this year. Knight actually went to three of the U20 tournaments, winning silver in 2019 as the extra goaltender.
There are very few goaltending prospects as hyped, but Knight has basically never wavered in his performance so far. Whether he can step to the next level immediately will soon be determined, but all the skills are there to make him an elite starting goaltender at the NHL level.
What that means for Bobrovsky isn’t at all clear. The $10MM goaltender has been outplayed this season by Chris Driedger, a minor league journeyman who was playing in the ECHL as recently as 2018-19. Driedger has earned his opportunity, posting a .930 through 30 NHL appearances so far, but will be a hard player to keep around given he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. With Bobrovsky earning so much and now Knight joining the organization, there may not be much of a place for the 26-year-old, especially if he’s looking for a substantial raise.
The question now becomes whether that’s a good thing for the Panthers, given Bobrovsky’s struggles and Knight’s youth. The veteran has posted just a .907 this season and was even worse last year, making his contract look like one of the worst in the entire league. He’ll carry that $10MM cap hit through 2025-26. As for Knight, his deal breaks down as follows, per CapFriendly:
2020-21: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1MM in performance bonuses
2021-22: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1.85MM in performance bonuses
2022-23: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1.85MM in performance bonuses
Of those bonuses, Knight will receive $1MM if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The other bonuses are Schedule A ones.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to report that a deal was close.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Keaton Middleton
Though the deal had already been reported by CapFriendly yesterday, Keaton Middleton has now been officially announced as the latest signing by the Colorado Avalanche. The young defenseman has inked a two-year entry-level contract that will kick in right away, making him eligible for recall by the Avalanche if necessary.
Middleton, 23, was actually a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, but after two more years at the OHL level failed to sign a contract with them. After grinding in the AHL for two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda, he arrived in Colorado to play for the Eagles this year on a minor league deal. Now, after 14 games there and nearly five years since being drafted, Middleton has his first NHL contract.
The 6’5″ defenseman has never been a big offensive weapon, recording just 27 points in 116 AHL games, but adds an element of physicality and a calm defensive game. His skating, while not elite, is still good for a player of his size and that can help his long reach end rushes quickly. It seems unlikely that he’ll ever be an impact player for the Avalanche, but the team has a very good history of developing defensemen and perhaps sees a role for him down the line.