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Archives for April 2022

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The fun is really about to begin across the NHL.  Next week, half the teams in the league will begin their push for the Stanley Cup while the other half will begin the process of assessing what went wrong with the expectation of moves to come.  Some of those moves could come as soon as next week if those non-playoff teams decide to make a coaching or GM change.

With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag.  Last time, it was split into two parts.  The first included looks at the struggles the Islanders have had this season, San Jose’s looming cap challenges, and Shea Weber’s contract while the second included some early award and free agent predictions, potential coaching candidates this offseason, and Seattle’s goaltending woes.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Bobby McMann

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have rewarded one of their standout AHL performers with an NHL contract, signing Bobby McMann to a two-year, two-way deal that will start next season. The contract carries an average annual value of $762.5K. McMann is currently playing on a minor league deal.

If you want an example of how a development system can make a difference, McMann is a strong example of how Toronto has poured resources into that side of the organization. Undrafted and unsigned by any NHL team out of Colgate University, he joined the Toronto Marlies on a two-year AHL contract in 2020 and started his professional career with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. After playing well there he ended up with the Marlies, but it was obvious that McMann wasn’t quite ready to contribute at that level. In 21 AHL games, he registered just four points.

This season he once again spent time in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers but has been on the Marlies roster for most of the year. Recently, he set the team rookie record with 24 goals and has 35 points in 60 games overall. Now signed to an NHL contract he’ll have an opportunity to keep climbing the ladder.

Earning your first NHL deal a few months before turning 26 certainly isn’t the normal path to the NHL, and McMann will obviously have to continue his hard work if he ever wants to pull on a Maple Leafs sweater. But given the fact that Toronto is often pushing right up to the 50-contract limit for the organization, being one of them means they obviously see enough in him to warrant something greater than another AHL extension.

Latest On Andrew Copp

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While first-round picks were being thrown around at the trade deadline, the New York Rangers were able to hang onto theirs and land pending free agent Andrew Copp for a package of other pieces. While one of those could be upgraded to a first if they find immediate playoff success, it certainly seems so far like they got a bargain from the Winnipeg Jets. Copp has fit right in alongside Artemi Panarin and has eight goals and 18 points in 16 games with the Rangers, including a hat trick against the rival New York Islanders.

All of that makes it easy to understand why the Rangers will try to do everything in their power to retain Copp’s services past this season. Darren Dreger explained the situation on TSN’s Insider Trading last night, indicating that the team “will push hard” to extend him before he hits the open market this summer. Our John Gilroy recently looked at some comparables, including the six-year, $30MM contract that Jean-Gabriel Pageau signed with the Islanders in 2020.

Unfortunately, Copp left a game earlier this week with a lower-body injury, and although the Rangers called it nothing more than a cautious approach to keep him out on Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens, he was still absent from morning skate and will not play this evening against the Washington Capitals. Panarin was also missing and won’t play, though head coach Gerard Gallant did tell Mollie Walker of the New York Post that he still expects both to be ready for the playoffs.

Interestingly enough, if he does miss any time with the injury, it could actually drastically affect the Jets’ return given the conditions attached to one of the picks. Not only do the Rangers need to advance past the second round for the 2022 second-round pick to upgrade to a first, but Copp needs to play in at least 50 percent of those games.

Obviously, the Rangers are hoping to have him in the lineup, now and in the future. The 27-year-old center has already set career highs with 21 goals and 53 points this season, and could easily reach new heights in the playoffs as well. Copp has just three goals in 34 career postseason appearances.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Washington Capitals Sign Garin Bjorklund

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The Washington Capitals have signed another prospect, this time inking Garin Bjorklund to a three-year entry-level contract. The young netminder played this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, and signed an amateur tryout contract with the Hershey Bears earlier this month. The new entry-level contract will carry an average annual value of $843,333 and likely begins next season.

One might look at Bjorklund’s numbers in 2021-22 and wonder why the Capitals would even consider bringing him into the organization, but a huge part of his struggles was the poor play of the team around him. The Tigers put together one of the worst seasons in WHL history, winning just 11 of 63 games for a brutal 0.191 points percentage. The fact that Bjorklund even won eight games was a miracle, and his .877 save percentage in 48 appearances should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

Still, there’s obviously lots of work left to do for the 19-year-old netminder, who was a sixth-round pick in 2020. With a much more encouraging performance during the shortened 2020-21 season–and an impressive showing at last year’s development and training camp–Bjorklund will have to hope 2022-23, when he’s eligible for professional hockey, can be a jumping-off point for the rest of his career.

He’ll turn 20 in a month, meaning the Capitals could assign him to the AHL or ECHL next season to get him acclimated to the minor leagues. His contract will kick in regardless of where he plays, meaning he’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.

Markus Granlund, Lukas Wallmark Linked To ZSC Lions

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After terminating his contract in the KHL because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lucas Wallmark appears to be headed to Switzerland. Reports have surfaced that both Wallmark and Markus Granlund will sign with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NL, after spending this season in the KHL.

Wallmark, 26, once recorded ten goals and 28 points in a season for the Carolina Hurricanes and appeared to be on his way to relevance in the NHL. That quickly dissipated though, and after several trades (he was sent to the Florida Panthers two years in a row), he took his talents to CSKA Moscow where he had 19 points in 31 games. This season also included a stint with the Swedish Olympic squad, where Wallmark actually scored five goals in an impressive six-game performance, earning a place on the tournament All-Star team.

Given his relative youth, a contract in Switzerland doesn’t necessarily end any chance of Wallmark returning to North America at some point, but it certainly will delay it. Zurich is one of the most well-run organizations in all of Europe and routinely grabs top imports from around the globe. Despite not finding much success in his last few NHL stops, Wallmark should have no problem in the NL.

Granlund meanwhile is another year removed from the NHL, last playing for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2019-20 season. He’s spent the last two seasons in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where he has been one of the league’s most consistent offensive players. In 91 KHL regular season games over two seasons, Granlund scored 31 goals and 91 points, numbers that should follow him to Switzerland if he does in fact sign. Another participant in the Olympics, he managed to record just one point in the tournament, but still take home a gold medal with the Finns.

Now 29, a return to North America is still possible down the road, and Granlund did score 19 goals for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17. That kind of scoring touch has been inconsistent for him at the NHL level though, meaning he might be another European star that prefers to stay overseas than risk demotion to the AHL by coming to this side of the pond.

Andrew Peeke To Play In World Championship; Josh Norris Will Not

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Another name for Team USA at the upcoming World Championship has emerged, as Andrew Peeke will head to Finland for the event next month according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Peeke’s first full season in the NHL will come to an end tonight when the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It’s been an impressive year for the 24-year-old defenseman, who quickly went from organizational depth to top-pairing option. Over his last 45 games, Peeke has averaged nearly 24 minutes a night, racking up hits and blocked shots while carrying a huge defensive load. His deployment at even-strength is skewed heavily toward the defensive end, he averages more penalty-killing time than anyone else on the Blue Jackets roster, and his 168 blocks and 191 hits lead all Columbus defenders by a wide margin.

All of that comes at a cap hit of just $787.5K, as Peeke signed a two-year contract last summer that is paying him the league minimum this year. While he doesn’t provide much offense–just two goals and 15 points in 81 games–he’s still been one of the most valuable players on the Blue Jackets all season long. He’ll now be rewarded by getting a chance to represent his country on the international stage, something that hasn’t happened very often throughout his career. This will be his first chance at the World Championship, and though he did make the 2018 World Junior squad and played in one Hlinka-Gretzky, he isn’t a product of the USNTDP like so many others, which has limited his exposure to international tournaments.

The U.S. team will unfortunately not have Josh Norris, however, as Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the Ottawa Senators forward has turned down the opportunity to play at the event. Norris is a pending restricted free agent, a status that often leads to players declining an invitation as they try to secure their future. Just 22, the San Jose draft pick scored 34 goals this season in just 65 games and looks like a candidate for a long-term extension. With no arbitration eligibility though, the Senators could go for a bridge deal or even squeeze him into a one-year, extremely inexpensive contract, if they want to try and maximize savings.

Chicago Blackhawks Extend Sam Lafferty

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The Chicago Blackhawks have obviously enjoyed what they’ve seen from Sam Lafferty down the stretch, as the team has signed him to a two-year contract extension. The deal will carry a $1.15MM cap hit and keeps Lafferty from becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Acquired in January from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lafferty has found himself playing more in Chicago than he ever has before. Averaging nearly 15 minutes a night in 45 appearances, he has racked up five goals and 101 hits for the Blackhawks this season. That never-ending work ethic and willingness to forecheck has been a refreshing sight, especially given the player that Chicago traded for him.

There have been high hopes for Alexander Nylander since he was selected eighth overall in 2016, but he’s now on his third NHL organization without any real success. The Buffalo Sabres first selected him and saw an inconsistent effort through several seasons, before eventually flipping him to the Blackhawks for Henri Jokiharju (a trade that looks quite good for them now). In Chicago he was given a chance to play regularly, but a serious injury cost him any real career momentum and he’s now back in the minor leagues with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Of course, Lafferty isn’t being brought back to really change the look of the Blackhawks’ forward group. With general manager Kyle Davidson promising a rebuild, players like the 27-year-old can fill out the depth chart for a few years until some younger talent is ready to take over. Ultimately, his job is to stay competitive but kind of bridge the gap between the struggles and the success, all while potentially being a deadline chip down the road.

For the player, though, it’s easy to see why an extension would be appealing. Lafferty’s highest salary to this point in his career was the $800K he made this season, meaning a $1.15MM average annual value is a nice little upgrade. It also likely secures him some playing time at the NHL level, something that certainly wasn’t guaranteed elsewhere. In 139 career games, he has 32 points.

Mark Lazerus of The Athletic was first to report the deal. 

AHL Shuffle: 04/29/22

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Today would have normally been the end of the regular season, if it wasn’t for a rescheduled match between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets still to come on Sunday. With 30 of 32 teams in action this evening, nearly the whole league will get in one more chance to show what they can do before either entering the postseason or the offseason. Some games still matter for seeding, as the Boston Bruins could potentially nab a first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs by beating them tonight, or the Nashville Predators could avoid the Colorado Avalanche with a win over the Arizona Coyotes. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Viktor Lodin and Scott Sabourin, with the former expected to make his NHL debut this evening. The 22-year-old Lodin was just recently brought over to North America, assigned to the AHL after his breakout season in the SHL. Through nine games with the Belleville Senators, he has shown exactly why the organization is so excited about him, scoring five goals and seven points.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Michael Houser, while re-assigning Casey Fitzgerald and Aaron Dell to the AHL. With Craig Anderson still battling an injury, Houser may end up dressing tonight as the Sabres take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the final game of their season.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

  • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that forward Bokondji Imama has been called up from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Imama, 25, made his NHL debut recently with the Coyotes, and even scored his first NHL goal. He has 12 points in 54 AHL games, to go with 178 penalty minutes.

Pacific Division

  • The Edmonton Oilers have reassigned 2019 8th overall pick Philip Broberg to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Broberg has split time this season between Bakersfield and Edmonton and has 23 points in 31 games at the AHL level to go along with 3 points in 23 games with the Oilers. The Condors are locked into a Calder Cup playoff spot, so perhaps Edmonton feels it would be better to get him experience there than as a Black Ace for the Oilers’ playoff run.

This page is updated throughout the day

Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta Win William M. Jennings Trophy

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With the conclusion of their final regular season game tonight, a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at home, Carolina Hurricanes goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta have officially clinched the William M. Jennings Trophy. The award, frequently known just as the “Jennings,” is “given to the goalies ’having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it’ during the regular season” (link).

While the award is a tremendous accomplishment for the goaltenders who are fortunate enough to win it, many will say this is a team award. Teams who win the Jennings not only have great goaltending, but have a great defense to go along with it, limiting the number of dangerous chances their goaltenders have to see, and thus the number of goals they give up. Recent winners of this award include Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21, Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak of the Boston Bruins in 2019-20, and Lehner and Thomas Greiss of the New York Islanders in 2018-19. Though Raanta has not won the award before, Andersen has as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2015-16, sharing it with John Gibson.

This year, the Hurricanes have given up just 202 goals over their 82 games, an average of 2.46 goals per game. Interestingly, this was both Raanta and Andersen’s first season in Carolina, both having impressive years after being allowed to walk from their previous teams. Raanta posted a .913 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average in 27 games this season, while Andersen carried a bulk of the playing time, tallying a .922 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average in 52 games. Not credited with the award, but also factoring in, is 22-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov, who played in three games for Carolina, starting two. Perhaps best of all for Carolina, is that they will have both goaltenders under contract next season at just $6.5MM combined, Andersen making $4.5MM and Raanta $2MM.

Snapshots: Toronto Maple Leafs, Pulock, Johnsson

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Auston Matthews’ hunt for a 60-goal season ended Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring numbers 59 and 60 in a 3 – 0 win. Unfortunately for those hoping to see the Hart Trophy candidate exceed 60 goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to sit Matthews, along with forward Mitch Marner and goaltender Jack Campbell when they take on the Boston Bruins tomorrow night, reports Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Toronto’s final game of the season. Sitting the three shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, with the Maple Leafs place in the standings, second in the Atlantic Division, completely secured, giving no reason to risk the health of these three incredibly important players.

In addition to Matthews and his 60 goals, Mitch Marner had himself another season to remember, putting up 35 goals and 62 assists for 97 points in 72 games this season. Campbell on the other hand, has had his struggles. An All-Star this season, Campbell was discussed as a potential Vezina Trophy candidate as recently as January, but struggles in net and injury made for a tough second half of the season for the veteran netminder. On the season, Campbell has a .914 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average in 49 games, but after the All-Star break, Campbell sported just an .894 save percentage and 3.28 goals-against average in 17 games. As concerning as that shift is for Toronto, there is a reason for optimism, as Campbell has a .915 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average in nine games in the month of April.

  • The New York Islanders will be without defenseman Ryan Pulock tonight as they take on the Washington Capitals (link). Pulock is out with a non-COVID illness, the same illness that has made its rounds through the Islanders’ locker room the past couple of weeks, forcing several players to sit out in that time. With just one game left in their season after tonight, the Islanders will hope to get Pulock back and keep the rest of the lineup intact for their final game against the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night. Pulock has enjoyed another strong season on the Islanders blue line, but has dealt with injury, missing time in November and December. In 55 games this season, the defenseman has five goals and 15 assists, averaging just over 21 minutes per game.
  • The New Jersey Devils also announced that forward Andreas Johnsson would miss tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a non-COVID illness (link). It’s unclear what illness Johnsson has come down with, but for tonight at least, the Devils will have to proceed without him. New Jersey has just one game after tonight, coming tomorrow night against the Detroit Red Wings. Johnsson has enjoyed a solid season thus far, tallying 13 goals and 22 assists over 71 games and will hope to build on it next year, his final with the Devils before becoming a UFA next offseason.

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