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Snapshots: Backlund, Hagel, Draisaitl

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With the Flames facing a big summer of spending ahead of them with Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane among those in need of new contracts, there’s an expectation that they will need to free up some money to keep the rest of the core intact.  To that end, Hailey Salvian of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that center Mikael Backlund could be a candidate to be moved this summer.  The 33-year-old has seen his production tail off slightly in recent years but he still put up 39 points in 82 regular season games before having a strong showing in the playoffs with eight points in a dozen contests.  Backlund has two years remaining at a $5.35MM AAV and with the center market not being particularly deep this summer, there could be some interest in him at some point as a fallback plan as long as they’re not on his partial no-trade list.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Although he has missed three straight practices, Lightning winger Brandon Hagel is expected to play in Wednesday’s Conference Final opener, relays NHL.com’s Corey Long. The 23-year-old has been battling a foot injury since blocking a shot back in the second game of the series against Florida although he has been able to play through it so far.  Hagel has been relatively quiet in the playoffs so far with just a goal and three assists in 11 games but he had 25 tallies between Chicago and Tampa Bay this season so as long as he’s able to keep playing through the injury, he’s an offensive threat in their bottom six.
  • Oilers center Leon Draisaitl participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury late in the first round, notes Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The injury didn’t slow the 26-year-old down (he had 17 points in five games against Calgary last round) but he hadn’t been taking part in practices in an effort to help the injury heal.  The fact he returned to the ice today has to be considered a positive sign for Edmonton as they get set to open their series against Colorado on Tuesday.

Offseason Checklist: San Jose Sharks

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that weren’t playoff-bound plus those who were eliminated early in the postseason.  It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at San Jose.

After being a consistent playoff threat including 14 appearances in a 15-year stretch, things haven’t gone as well for the Sharks in recent years as they’ve missed in three straight seasons.  With a veteran-laden roster and minimal flexibility from a salary cap perspective, it’s a big checklist for them to navigate through this summer.

Hire A GM

Before even getting into what needs to be done, the Sharks need to determine who is going to do the work.  Interim GM Joe Will clearly has the green light to make moves as evidenced by the contract extensions for Alexander Barabanov and Jaycob Megna earlier this month.  Ownership has expressed an openness to having Will take the team through the draft and potentially into free agency as well.  While that’s a nice short-term vote of confidence, it doesn’t seem as if Will is considered a strong candidate for the full-time position.

But it isn’t just a matter of who the next GM will be, it’s when that person takes over.  If Will has control going into free agency, it’s possible he makes decisions that his successor won’t like.  That makes that scenario a tough one to play out.  As a result, determining who the full-time GM will be and getting that person under contract as soon as possible needs to be at the top of their priority list.

Move A Goalie

Most of the time, a three-goalie system isn’t tenable for a full season.  San Jose was able to make it work after the trade deadline with Adin Hill missing time but he’ll be fully recovered for training camp.  James Reimer is still on the roster while Kaapo Kahkonen was brought in at the deadline in the Jacob Middleton trade.  At first glance, it sure seems like one of them needs to be moved.

Kahkonen is the youngest of the three at 25 and is a restricted free agent this summer.  To move a quality young blueliner for him only to trade Kahkonen away later doesn’t seem likely to happen.  Instead, a multi-year contract that buys out some UFA years is probably their preferred outcome if they can afford it on the cap.

That leaves Hill and Reimer battling for one spot.  Both players have one year left on their contracts and will be UFA-eligible in 2023.  The cap hits are nearly identical ($2.25MM for Reimer, $2.175MM for Hill).  But when it comes to age and experience, there’s a big difference as the 34-year-old Reimer has 433 career NHL appearances while the 26-year-old Hill sits at 74.  If the Sharks are prioritizing the longer-term, Hill has the most upside but it’s also possible that it comes down to if one is willing to sign an extension this summer.  Neither netminder is likely to carry much trade value but it would be tough for the Sharks to carry all three on the roster in October.

Meier Extension Talks

Back in 2019, the Sharks signed winger Timo Meier to a four-year, $24MM contract as a restricted free agent.  On its own, the AAV was reasonable and it allowed him to still be RFA-eligible at the end of the deal.  But his contract was the most extreme of the backloaded contracts done that summer as his salary for next season is $10MM.  Since that deal was signed before the new CBA, he’s not subjected to the new rule where the qualifier is the lower of the previous salary or 120% of the AAV.  In other words, they have to qualify him at $10MM next summer if he’s not on a new contract by then.

A few years ago when the salary cap was steadily on the rise, the number would have been a little inflated but potentially manageable.  Now, with the Upper Limit barely moving for the time being, offering Meier $10MM isn’t manageable, at least with the state of the rest of their roster.

While Meier is signed for next season already, there is a pressure point of sorts this summer.  In an ideal world, San Jose doesn’t want him to enter 2022-23 without a new deal in place.  Getting to next summer where Meier either has to be let go or qualified at an above-market rate isn’t palatable for the team.  As a result, finding a suitable extension now has to be a priority.  Meier is worth a raise on his current AAV and is coming off a career year that saw him pick up 35 goals and 41 assists but it shouldn’t be up to $10MM per season.  Whoever is named as the permanent GM is going to have a big negotiation this summer as a result.

Free Up Cap Space

The Sharks have some big contracts on the books, especially on the back end where they have over $31MM in commitments and that doesn’t include RFA Mario Ferraro who is coming off a season where he logged 23 minutes a game.  Even without arbitration eligibility, he’s in a good position to command a sizable raise of his own off his entry-level salary.

Right now, San Jose could get through the summer okay.  They could try to sign Ferraro and Kahkonen for one year, sign their other RFAs to one-year deals, trade a goalie, and manage to narrowly stay cap-compliant by carrying a roster close to the minimum size.  But will they be any better than they’ve been the last few seasons?  Probably not.  Looking ahead to the 2023 summer, they’ll have 11 players signed at just over $57.5MM which doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for improvement in the future either, especially considering Meier needs a new deal that summer.

As a result, if they want to add an impact player or even have the flexibility to shake up their roster, they need to move a big contract.  Brent Burns ($8MM through 2024-25), Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM through 2026-27), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM through 2025-26) are the oft-discussed possibilities although they each have at least some form of trade protection and not a particularly robust trade market because of their contracts.  No one said it would be easy but for the Sharks to have a chance to shake things up, they will need to find a way to move out one of those rearguards.

Resolve Kane Grievance

There is one other factor at play when it comes to San Jose’s summer and that’s the Evander Kane situation.  The expectation is that it will be resolved by the start of free agency but there is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding whether or not his deal will be put back on their books, the termination will be upheld, or, most likely, a settlement is reached which is what happened with the Kings and Mike Richards when things went down that path back in 2015.  The details of any potential settlement will go a long way towards determining what space they have to work with this summer and how much extra emphasis will have to be placed on clearing out one of their existing contracts.  The sooner they find out the end result of this, the better.

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

Calle Rosen Sent To AHL

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Monday: After clearing waivers yesterday, Rosen has now officially been sent back to the Thunderbirds. Springfield will start the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday against the Laval Rocket.

Saturday: It’s rare at this time of year to see someone on regular waivers but that is indeed the case today as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Blues have placed defenseman Calle Rosen on the wire.  The move is being made with the intention of sending him back to Springfield of the AHL to assist in the playoff run for the Thunderbirds.

The 28-year-old spent most of the season in the minors but he was recalled due to injuries in late March and stayed up the rest of the play and was in the lineup for St. Louis more often than not.  Rosen wound up playing in a career-best 18 regular season games for the Blues this season, collecting seven points while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night.  In the playoffs, he played in all but three of their twelve games, once again logging over 14 minutes per contest.  He was productive in his stints with Springfield as well with 28 points in 40 AHL contests.

If someone was to claim Rosen, he’d be ineligible to play the rest of the season, even if he was picked up by a team that’s still playing.  As he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, the likely only rationale for a team to claim him would be one of the other teams still participating in the AHL playoffs wanting to prevent Springfield from getting a key player back.  That seldom happens so there’s a good chance Rosen will clear on Sunday and will join Charlie Lindgren (who returned to the minors earlier today) as those going back to help the Blues’ affiliate make a push for the Calder Cup.

Vancouver Canucks Announce Player Development Changes

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The Vancouver Canucks have made several changes to their player development, most notably transitioning Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin to roles in that department. They will work “daily on and off the ice with young players in Vancouver and Abbotsford.” Joining the twins are former NHL players Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, who will work with prospects in the organization.

Cammi Granato, Ryan Johnson, and Chris Higgins will remain in their current roles. General manager Patrick Allvin released a statement on the moves:

We’re pleased to have solidified our Player Development department for next season with the additions of Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, as well as Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Cammi Granato and Ryan Johnson led an extensive search to find the individuals with the right attributes, winning pedigrees, and who fit the overall strategy of the Vancouver Canucks moving forward

Obviously, there is plenty of excitement in Vancouver whenever the Sedins are involved, and after spending the last year as special advisors, it appears they are now ready to jump into a more hands-on role in the organization. The legendary forwards are arguably the most recognizable players in franchise history, combining for more than 2,800 games all in Canucks uniforms.

Samuelsson, 45, has his own experience with the Canucks, having played parts of three seasons with the club. The journeyman winger actually recorded the best year of his career in Vancouver, scoring 30 goals and 53 points in 2009-10. It’s no coincidence that those numbers came in a year where he received time on the right side of the Sedins whenever Alexandre Burrows was moved off the line. The three were also all part of the 2008 Swedish team that won gold at the Olympics. Likely not often thought of in this category, but Samuelsson is actually a member of the Triple Gold Club–with a Stanley Cup and gold medals at both the Olympics and World Championship.

He has served as a development coach with the Chicago Blackhawks and as general manager of a second-tier club in Sweden, but left that position at the end of last year.

Komisarek meanwhile never did play for the Canucks, but does have a history with Higgins from their time together in Montreal. The former NHL defenseman played more than 550 games in the league and has been a development coach with the Buffalo Sabres for the last few seasons.

Dallas Stars Expected To Interview Travis Green

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The Dallas Stars are one of the many teams looking for a head coach after Rick Bowness stepped away earlier this month. While the Philadelphia Flyers, in particular, have interviewed several high-profile candidates, some other interesting names have been rumored to be involved in the Dallas’ search. Rick Tocchet and Marc Savard have been linked to the club, and another name has now emerged.

Speaking with CHEK TV, Dallas owner Tom Gaglardi admitted that they expect to talk to former Vancouver Canucks bench boss Travis Green at some point.

I think we want to look for someone who is really commited to playing a bit more skilled, play a little faster, and we need to score a little bit more without losing our defensive identity. There’s a long list of coaches we’ll be talking to. 

I think Travis has proven that he deserves to be considered, and I expect we’ll be talking to him. 

Green, 51, was fired as head coach of the Canucks partway through his fifth season behind the bench but continues to draw strong reviews from many executives around the league. His overall winning percentage at this point is just .478, though he did lead Vancouver to a second-round appearance in the 2020 bubble playoffs.

Before his time in the NHL, Green served as a head coach in the AHL and won a WHL championship as coach of the Portland Winterhawks, going 37-8-2 with a powerhouse squad that included several future NHL players.

Though Green may be involved, Gaglardi once again suggested that this could be a long process with many candidates as they look for someone that can take the Stars to the next level. It’s now been more than two decades since the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship.

Jared Spurgeon, Mats Zuccarello Out With Core Muscle Injuries

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Every year, veteran players on playoff teams end up having to go under the knife at the end of the season. The Minnesota Wild are no different, as both Jared Spurgeon and Mats Zuccarello will face recovery timelines of six weeks after core muscle surgery. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Spurgeon has already undergone the procedure, while Zuccarello is scheduled for it. The latter also dealt with a fracture in his leg which will not require surgery.

For Spurgeon, the injury goes back to before the January 1 Winter Classic according to Russo. That means he played at least 50 games while dealing with it, including six playoff matches against the St. Louis Blues. It’s easy to understand that he was dealing with something (or perhaps several things), as the team captain’s ice time dropped dramatically in the postseason. Spurgeon averaged just over 20 minutes, and actually didn’t even reach that threshold in three of the six games. Still, he finished the regular season with a strong 40 points in 65 matches.

Zuccarello meanwhile had the best offensive season of his career, putting up 79 points in 70 games. He did have four points in six playoff games as well, but the Wild were outscored 6-5 while he was on the ice, a huge change from the regular season (Minnesota outscored their opponent 77-54 with him at even-strength) and a big reason why they were eventually eliminated.

A six-week timeline certainly isn’t the end of the world, given how far away the 2022-23 season is, but core muscle surgeries are notorious for impacting performance long after the player is cleared to hit the ice. Hopefully, for the Wild’s sake at least, both players will be at full strength when the season kicks off and ready to challenge for the playoffs once again.

Prospect Notes: Wright, Jiricek, Utunen

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The NHL Scouting Combine is underway for the first time since 2019–the last two years the event has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns–and Shane Wright has all eyes on him as the potential (but not consensus) first-overall pick. Mike Morreale of NHL.com tweets that Wright will have interviews with 12 different teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Arizona Coyotes, teams that will select in the top three later this summer.

While no sure thing to go first overall, it is unlikely that Wright drops much further than that meaning other teams with interviews booked don’t have a chance unless they found a way to trade up. The Devils at No. 2 have at least considered a move, should one present itself, though it still would need quite the return package after they moved up by way of the lottery.

  • David Jiricek, in the race for the top defenseman in this year’s draft, will not attend the combine according to Morreale. The young Czech just finished his World Championship run on Sunday (winning bronze) and now he won’t be able to meet with teams in person. Jiricek was fourth on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of international skaters, just behind Simon Nemec, the other player vying to be the first defenseman off the board this year.
  • Toni Utunen is one of the players whose draft rights will expire this week, and Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that the Vancouver Canucks have no interest in signing him. The 22-year-old defenseman had 11 points in 59 games while playing in Finland’s Liiga this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June 1.

Maksim Sushko Signs In KHL

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Though it went under the radar earlier this month, the Philadelphia Flyers have one less restricted free agent to sign this offseason. Maksim Sushko, a young forward coming off his entry-level contract, has signed with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL.

Sushko, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017 and made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season, playing two games with the big club. After spending all of 2021-22 in the minor leagues, it appears as though he’ll pursue a career overseas instead. Though Sushko spent half a season in the KHL while COVID restrictions were keeping the AHL dark, it isn’t like he is unfamiliar with North American hockey.

The Belarusian forward came over to play in the OHL in 2016 and spent three years with the Owen Sound Attack before jumping directly to the AHL. In fact, this will be the first Russian team he plays for, making this a new experience altogether.

Signed to a two-year deal, he’ll still be young enough to return in 2024 if the Flyers choose to issue him a qualifying offer this summer. That will allow them to retain his exclusive rights as a restricted free agent and potentially allow them to bring him back after receiving playing time in the KHL.

Five Key Stories: 5/23/22 – 5/29/22

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As the playoffs continue on, there was plenty of notable news away from the ice which gets the spotlight in our key stories.

Agent Change: Generally speaking, a player changing agents isn’t big news.  But when it’s a prominent player making the switch just before extension talks are set to begin as Red Wings center Dylan Larkin did, it’s newsworthy.  His former agency at KO Sports indicated in a statement that extensive work had already been done on preparations to begin extension talks so Detroit fans should be pleased that there appears to be a willingness on his end to extend his stay with his hometown team.  Larkin will now be represented by CAA and agents Matt Williams and Pat Brisson.  He will have a $6.1MM AAV next season and is well-positioned for a nice raise on that for his next contract.

Marchand To Miss Extended Time: The Bruins will be without a star winger when the puck drops on the 2022-23 season as Brad Marchand underwent successful hip arthroscopy and labral repair on both of his hips.  The procedure carries a recovery time of roughly six months which means he is likely to miss at least the first month of next season.  His absence will certainly be a significant blow for Boston as the 34-year-old has been a consistent high-end scoring threat, averaging over a point per game in six straight seasons, including notching 80 points in 70 contests this season.  Impressively, he picked up 11 points in seven playoff contests as well while trying to play through the injury.

Wilson Out Too: The Capitals will also be missing a key winger to start next season as winger Tom Wilson had surgery to repair a torn ACL.  The expected recovery timeline is six to eight months so the 28-year-old will miss the first month at an absolute minimum and could be out until close to midseason if it takes the full time to recover.  While Wilson is best known for his physicality and run-ins with the Department of Player Safety, he has also become a key offensive threat for them and is coming off a career year with 24 goals and 28 assists in 78 games.  With Nicklas Backstrom’s hip issues not getting any better, Washington is facing a situation where they are likely to be without a pair of top-six forwards when the puck drops on the 2022-23 season.

Calling It A Career: After spending the last three seasons with Toronto on minimum-salary contracts, veteran Jason Spezza has hung up his skates, announcing his retirement at the age of 38.  Spezza had made it clear that he wouldn’t go elsewhere this summer and presumably, the Maple Leafs had decided not to bring him back, at least in an on-ice capacity; Spezza has joined their front office as a special assistant to the GM.  His playing days end with 1,248 games played between Ottawa, Dallas, and Toronto while he winds up just five points shy of becoming the 94th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Flyers Interview Tortorella: The Flyers are casting a wide net as they continue their search for their next head coach.  It was revealed that they interviewed ESPN analyst John Tortorella for their vacancy.  The 63-year-old has coached 1,383 career regular season contests and sits 14th all-time in victories.  He has plenty of familiarity with the division having coached with the Rangers and Blue Jackets and would fit Philadelphia’s desire to find a coach that can help them win now.  Others that have already been interviewed or are believed to be in the mix include Barry Trotz, Jim Montgomery, Kirk Muller, and Mike Vellucci.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Mailbag: Senators, Dumba, Rangers, Underrated Players, Kraken, Bruins, Kings, Penguins Coaching Staff

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Mathew Dumba and Minnesota’s cap crunch, the Rangers’ center situation beyond this season, Seattle’s underwhelming year, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back for it in last weekend’s mailbag.

MoneyBallJustWorks: What is the next step for the Sens. The team has stockpiled a good core of youth (especially on the blue line) but what do they have to do this offseason to take the next step?

The young nucleus for the Senators is pretty strong between Brady Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, Tim Stutzle, and Drake Batherson up front plus Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson on the back end.  Now, they need to upgrade the supporting cast, so to speak.

Defensively, they need a top-four, all situations type of player.  Players like Nick Holden, Nikita Zaitsev, and even trade deadline acquisition Travis Hamonic are serviceable veterans that can raise the floor of their defense corps.  While that’s useful, now GM Pierre Dorion needs to raise the ceiling for this group to take a step forward.  Chabot and Sanderson plus Artem Zub and Erik Brannstrom have some room to grow but with the right veterans, they’ll get there faster.

Up front, the top line is pretty much set with Tkachuk, Norris, and Batherson.  But Stutzle’s linemates aren’t as consistent or anywhere near as good.  Connor Brown is a good veteran but he’s not a big scorer while Alex Formenton’s speed is high-end but his scoring isn’t.  Upgrading one (or if you want to aim big, both) of those spots would really deepen the offense.

On top of that, a goalie upgrade would help them take a step forward.  Anton Forsberg isn’t a true starter, Matt Murray has underachieved, and Filip Gustavsson may not be ready for a full-time NHL roster spot (although waiver eligibility will probably keep him up).

That’s a huge wish list but adding any of those elements will help them get back to at least realistically battling for a playoff spot next season.  That would be a good next step for Ottawa who isn’t really in a position to go from a bottom-feeder to a contender overnight unless Dorion manages to have the offseason of a lifetime and hit on all of these areas.

DarkSide830: With his name in past rumors and MIN needing to make a move, I wonder, can PHI make a move for Dumba? They need to get better on the back end and he could be available for 80 cents on the dollar with MIN’s crunch. I presume they need to move out a JVR then. Can they move enough of JVR’s cap without having to give someone a pick with it so they can reasonably fit Dumba in?

While I agree that Minnesota has a cap crunch, I disagree that they will make someone like Dumba available for 80 cents on the dollar.  Yes, everyone knows they need to clear money but whoever goes – Dumba or Kevin Fiala (who’d fit one of those holes in Ottawa we just went over) – there will be enough demand that they’ll be able to get full value.  Let’s say it’s Dumba.  The UFA market for impact defensemen isn’t the deepest and Dumba’s cap hit is lower than what players like Kris Letang and John Klingberg are going to get.  That bodes well for maximizing trade value, even with their hand being forced.

As for James van Riemsdyk, they’re not going to get much cap relief in a trade unless they send a pick with him.  If I was an acquiring team, I’m pointing at the Patrick Marleau to Carolina trade as a benchmark; that move cost Toronto a first-rounder.  Is it possible that they flip him for another underachieving veteran that makes a little less?  Sure.  That is definitely a plausible option.  But will they save enough to fit Dumba’s $6MM in?  Nope.  Frankly, I’m not sure they’d save more on the cap next season than if they bought him out ($4.33MM cap charge) with a trade.

And if I’m Philadelphia GM Chuck Fletcher, notwithstanding the van Riemsdyk thing, do I really want to part with the first-round pick and/or a top young asset that it will probably take to get into the bidding to acquire Dumba?  That’s not a smart strategy for a non-playoff team, even if it’s a core he thinks is better than it has shown.  Once you do factor in the likely cost to offload van Riemsdyk’s contract for cap relief on top of the acquisition cost, the price for Dumba is one they shouldn’t be willing to pay.

Bill Blueshirt: The NYR need a 2C next year while being in a cap squeeze. Strome seems unaffordable. Do they a) sign Copp, b) go with Chytil and backfill at 3C, c) trade some of their many prospects for a C (and who would that be), or d) ???

I’m not convinced the bidding for Ryan Strome is going to be super high this summer.  Yes, he has put up impressive numbers the last couple of seasons but he was doing that with Artemi Panarin on the wing a good chunk of the time.  But his history before getting to New York was spotty at best and I’m confident there are general managers out there who will be hesitant to commit a big contract to him this summer.

I’m not saying there won’t be a good market for him but I wouldn’t be shocked if his AAV winds up being close to where Andrew Copp’s lands.  If that’s the case, I don’t think Strome re-signing can easily be ruled out.

Do they need to free up some money?  Probably.  I wonder if they try to find a taker for Patrik Nemeth and take a cheaper player back to give them some wiggle room.  But if they go with some cheap end-of-roster options and make a small cap-clearing move or two (Alexandar Georgiev being another one), I think they can cobble enough together to make an intermediate type of offer that could be enough to keep one of Copp or Strome in the fold.  So, to answer your question, I’ll pick either a or d.

FearTheWilson: In your opinion who are the most underrated players in the league?

This is always a hard question to answer as underrated can be interpreted in a few different contexts.  I could rhyme off some names that some of you may not be familiar with that are actually important players and that would qualify as underrated.  But I suspect you’re looking for more prominent names so I’ll go with those.

Quick, think of an impact center on the Blues.  No, not Ryan O’Reilly.  Not Brayden Schenn either who, for many, would be the second one that comes to mind with his contract.  Meanwhile, all Robert Thomas did this season was lead their centers in scoring while logging nearly 19 minutes a night.  He was an impact offensive player in junior and while it has taken a few years for him to truly become an impact player in the NHL, he’s there, even if he doesn’t immediately come to mind when St. Louis centers are being discussed.

Roope Hintz is a player that many are familiar with.  If you were thinking to yourself that he’s a good secondary scorer, it’d certainly be understandable.  When digging into this question, that’s where I was leaning.  But he averaged over a point per game last year and followed that up with 37 goals and 35 assists this season, finishing tied for 20th in the league in goals.  That’s not a good secondary scorer, that’s a higher-end primary player who, by the way, spends a lot of time at center after coming up as a winger a few years ago.  He definitely fits the bill of being underrated.

As for a defenseman, the first one that came to mind was Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson.  He showed flashes of offensive upside over his first few NHL seasons but found another gear this season as he very quickly reached the 50-point mark.  But he isn’t just a slick-skating, offensive defender.  He takes a regular turn on the penalty kill and is trusted in all situations while leading the Flames in ice time.  Despite all of that, if I ran a poll of what type of blueliner he is, I think a ‘good number four’ would probably win out.  He’s much more than that; Andersson is quietly pushing for lower-end number one territory.

I’ll add a goalie to the list as well in Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin.  His delayed arrival in North America has resulted in limited exposure; he has played in just 74 career NHL games.  On top of that, New York had a season to forget as they were out of contention early.  But Sorokin very quietly was second in the league in save percentage this season (.925) and fourth in goals against average (2.40), impressive numbers for a non-playoff team.  If he puts up similar numbers next season and the Isles rebound in the standings, Sorokin will be in the discussion for the Vezina Trophy.  But when it comes to thinking of top NHL goaltenders, his name often doesn’t come up.

trak2k: If the Kraken do not “do anything” in free agency and or struggle at the beginning of next season do they fire the GM?

I don’t think there’s any chance of a GM change in Seattle within the next year.  When the Kraken chose their roster in expansion, it became more than evident that they were planning a longer-scale build.  In other words, they were going to have the development curve of a traditional expansion team.  That results in losing seasons early on.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Ron Francis did a particularly good job in assembling his roster in expansion and even their coaching choice was underwhelming.  But he got the green light to build this way.  To turn around and go back on that this early doesn’t seem like a likely outcome.

If I was Francis, I wouldn’t be overly active in free agency this summer.  With so many teams in cap trouble, they’re ripe for the picking in terms of adding extra picks and prospects in exchange for taking on an unwanted contract or two, improving their future, and probably helping the current team in the process.  Basically, do what they didn’t do a year ago.

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