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Tampa Bay Lightning Extend Sean Day

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While the Lighting’s main focus has to be on tying their Stanley Cup Final series against the Colorado Avalanche, that hasn’t stopped their front office from getting some offseason work done early. Today the Lightning announced that they have re-signed defenseman Sean Day to a one-year, two-way contract. Per CapFriendly, the deal carries a $750k cap hit, a $750k NHL salary, a $200k AHL salary, and $225k in total guarantees.

Day, 24, is perhaps best known for being one of the few players granted exceptional status by the Ontario Hockey League. As an “exceptional player,” Day joined an elite group of OHL players including John Tavares, Connor McDavid, and Aaron Ekblad. Unfortunately, Day did not live up to his exceptional-status billing. While he wasn’t a bad OHL-er by any means, he struggled to be a true difference-maker until he got older and ended up on three different OHL teams during his five-year major junior career.

Day was drafted with the New York Rangers’ top pick at the 2016 draft, going 81st overall. The Rangers signed Day to his entry-level deal and at the conclusion of his OHL career plugged him into their minor league system. He bounced between the AHL and ECHL levels for his first two professional seasons before his contract was terminated, he became a free agent and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Lightning’s affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, Day become an AHL regular and this past season registered his most successful year as a pro, scoring 40 points in 69 games. Day averaged just under 19 minutes of time on ice per game, and his breakout AHL year led him to his first NHL call-up. Day got into two NHL games this year and averaged 10:43 time on ice per game.

Day’s one-year extension gives him the chance to stay in Syracuse and continue a career trajectory that’s pointed upwards ever since the start of 2021-22. While he may never end up fulfilling the potential he held as a junior, he seems to be on his way toward carving out a role as dependable organizational depth for one of the top franchises in the NHL.

Canadiens Notes: Anderson, Petry, Richardson

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After dealing his team’s captain to the Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes met with the media to discuss the trade and answer questions. As part of the press conference, Hughes was asked about winger Josh Anderson, who has recently become the subject of trade rumors. Hughes was transparent about the situation, saying that they have had “many” teams call about Anderson, both around the trade deadline and more recently. Hughes said that while he wouldn’t be actively seeking to trade Anderson, he would be listening to any deal that could help the Canadiens.

While Anderson didn’t have a season to remember in 2021-22, it’s not hard to see why he would be of interest to contending clubs. The former 27-goal scorer has the rare combination of speed and power in his game that many GM’s covet, and he’s under contract through 2026-27. While the way Anderson’s contract will age as he accumulates more wear-and-tear on his body and gets deeper into his late twenties is an open question, it’s clear that GM’s are willing to look past those potential issues in order to acquire the unique player that Anderson is today. Whether a trade will actually happen, though, is unknown. But what we did learn from Hughes today is that the possibility of an Anderson trade is very much real.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Montreal Canadiens:

  • One of the other Canadiens players often mentioned in trade rumors is defenseman Jeff Petry. Hughes has previously attempted to accommodate Petry’s desire for a trade, but has been unable to find a deal so far. Today, Hughes was asked about Petry’s situation and clarified that it’s unlikely to be a deal that gets consummated at this stage of the offseason. Hughes noted that teams are still “evaluating their needs,” and as a result, it could be harder to move the defenseman, especially given that he is 34 years old and carries a $6.25MM cap hit. While Petry undoubtedly had a down season in 2021-22, he did play better after the Canadiens hired Martin St. Louis. Under St. Louis, Petry had 21 points in 30 games and flashed the high-end form he displayed in 2020-21, when he had 42 points in 55 games. So while he’s certainly not an untradeable asset, Hughes’ comments indicate that the contract situations of fellow right-shot offensive defensemen such as Dallas’ John Klingberg may need to reach their conclusions before Petry’s can be solved.
  • It was previously reported that Canadiens assistant coach Luke Richardson had interviewed with the Chicago Blackhawks for their head coaching vacancy, and Hughes confirmed as much in his media availability, stating that Richardson and the Blackhawks had met within the last 48 hours. Hughes also noted that Richardson was “in line” for a second interview with the Blackhawks and that he would not leave the Canadiens for anything other than a head coaching job. While the Canadiens’ coaching staff looks set for next season, the departure of Richardson, the most experienced coach on the staff, would create a hole that would need to be filled. With little NHL experience shared between head coach Martin St. Louis and assistants Alexandre Burrows and Trevor Letowski, the departure of Richardson would likely mean that the Canadiens would enter the market for an experienced assistant to help their young coaches handle the challenges that come with NHL life.

NHL Officially Announces Salary Cap, Salary Floor For 2022-23 Season

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Two effectively retired players have been traded so far this offseason, and the reason for those deals has been simple: the salary cap. While the importance of effectively managing the salary cap is ever increasing, the cap itself is not. The NHL and NHLPA officially announced today that the league’s payroll upper limit (salary cap) for next season would be $82.5MM. The league also announced that the lower limit, or salary floor, would be set at $61MM.

The announcement confirms what many believed, that the salary cap would rise only $1MM from this past season’s number, a small increase due to the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the league. Because the NHL and NHLPA have collectively bargained a 50-50 split in terms of the league’s hockey-related revenue, a portion of player salaries are held in escrow and potentially surrendered to the league in order to ensure the integrity of the 50-50 split. The NHL lost a significant amount of money during the pandemic, in large part due to the fact that they needed to play games in arenas without fans or with significantly reduced capacity crowds. While the NHL’s clubs lost significant sums due to that lost revenue, the players’ salaries were unchanged, meaning the players have a “debt” that they owe to the league in order to ensure a proper 50-50 split, and that “debt” is paid through the escrow system. So, until the players fully “pay off” the “debt” that they owe as a result of the pandemic, the cap will rise only a minimal amount as we see for next season.

For some teams, this “flat-cap” reality has created significant problems. Many teams gave out significant, long-term contracts likely with the idea that those contracts would age better as the salary cap rose. That hasn’t happened yet, though, which is part of why we’ve seen such increased attention to how teams manage the salary cap. For other teams, the salary cap staying flat is largely irrelevant to their own payroll management. Teams like the Buffalo Sabres are actually below the cap floor, meaning their main concern is adding enough salary to stay above the league’s minimum team payroll. The Sabres and other teams now have certainty on the league’s cap floor, and it’s possible that we see more trades like the recent Ben Bishop deal as rebuilding clubs look to reach the cap floor with as much efficiency and as little real cash paid as possible.

New York Rangers Extend Sammy Blais

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While the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights make major trades, the New York Rangers have been content to spend their early offseason getting some smaller business done first. A few days ago, the Rangers signed prospect Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year extension, and now they have reached another one-year extension with one of their players. Per CapFriendly, the Rangers have signed forward Sammy Blais, who was a pending restricted free agent, to a one-year, $1.525MM extension. The deal comes in just below what Blais’ qualifying offer was set to be.

Blais, 25, receives his next contract at a lower mark than his qualifying offer, likely because he only got into 14 games this season. After being acquired from the St. Louis Blues as part of the Pavel Buchnevich trade, Blais entered the Rangers lineup and played with his trademark physical, crash-and-bang style. The six-foot-two, 210-pound winger registered four assists on almost 13 minutes of ice time per game before going down with a torn ACL, an injury that ended his season. Blais hasn’t been able to cement himself as a true NHL regular, although his injuries have definitely played a role in that. With this one-year deal, Blais gets an opportunity to finally prove he is an everyday player on a strong Rangers team.

This extension makes Blais a pending unrestricted free agent entering next year, heightening the importance of next season for the player. For the team, getting Blais at a number just below his qualifying offer is a nice early step in the Rangers’ offseason. With major contracts for Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox set to kick in, there will be some belt-tightening this offseason in New York. The Rangers have several crucial players set to hit either unrestricted or restricted free agency, including Ryan Strome, Andrew Copp, and Kaapo Kakko. Getting as much certainty on free agents lower on New York’s depth chart, like Blais and Kravtsov, should help GM Chris Drury enter the more high-stakes summer negotiations with a clearer sense of his team’s cap position.

 

Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Shea Weber

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On the day that the Vegas Golden Knights introduced their new head coach to their fans, they also completed a major trade. The Montreal Canadiens and Golden Knights have each announced a deal: Shea Weber for Evgenii Dadonov. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed that neither player is being traded with salary retained.

While this trade is a one-for-one deal, it’s anything but simple. Weber, the Canadiens’ captain, is effectively retired due to his injuries and is not expected to ever suit up for another NHL game. One might wonder, then, why the Golden Knights would be interested in acquiring him. But the motivation for the Golden Knights is simple: because Weber is expected to stay on long-term injured reserve for the remainder of the four years left on his contract, his $7.8MM cap hit for each of those years effectively does not count against Vegas’ cap. LTIR is quite a bit more complicated than that in reality, but in easily explainable terms that’s basically what will happen.

So, the Golden Knights rid themselves of Dadonov’s $5MM cap hit, a deal they already attempted to trade at the deadline, in exchange for Weber’s contract that must be placed on LTIR. Teams using LTIR cannot accumulate cap space over the course of a season, meaning the Golden Knights will be harder-pressed to go on a trade deadline spending spree like the New York Rangers were able to do this year thanks to their stockpile of accumulated cap space. But given Vegas’ aggressive use of LTIR in the past it’s likely the team is making this deal assuming they would be using LTIR already, regardless of Weber’s presence.

With all that explained, this trade helps Vegas alleviate the cap crunch that had the potential to wreck their offseason. We previously covered how the Golden Knights were actually above the salary cap, and urgently needed to find a way to clear space. With this trade, the Golden Knights commit themselves to being an “LTIR team” for the remainder of Weber’s contract in order to rid themselves of Dadonov’s cap hit without needing to trade any picks or prospects.

For the Canadiens, GM Kent Hughes had already expressed an interest in moving Weber’s deal, indicating that they were close to a deal with the Arizona Coyotes at the deadline. The Coyotes ended up acquiring Bryan Little’s contract instead, nixing the possibility of that trade. Now, Hughes has found another avenue to trade Weber’s contract, and instead of needing to trade prospects or draft picks like the Jets needed to trade Little to Arizona, the Canadiens simply needed to take on Dadonov’s unwanted cap hit to facilitate the deal.

In Dadonov, the Canadiens acquire a player with one year left on his contract at a $5MM cap hit. Dadonov was one of Vegas’ better players last year, riding a scorching final two months of the season to a 20-goal, 43-point campaign. The Canadiens could definitely opt to play Dadonov next year to help their scoring, but it’s also possible that their front office chooses to dangle Dadonov to other teams looking for a scorer. Of course, if Dadonov could be easily dealt for a quality return, the Golden Knights would likely have done that themselves. But the Canadiens do have the option to retain 50% of Dadonov’s deal to make him a more attractive asset, something the Golden Knights would likely not have been able to do.

In a world where many look to find a “winner” and a “loser” of every trade, this deal looks like one that should reasonably benefit both sides. The Golden Knights get something they desperately desire: cap relief, and at a cost that does not siphon even more assets from their depleted stock of draft picks and prospects. The Canadiens, depending on the health of Carey Price, of course, make it so they no longer need to utilize LTIR to remain cap compliant, and they add a player who can help their forward corps for the one year remaining on his deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hockey Canada Names Men’s U20, U18 Team Selection Camp Rosters

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As the 2022 event cycle begins to come to a close, aside from the postponed 2022 World Juniors set to take place in August, national team organizations begin to look to the 2023 calendar. Today, Hockey Canada named their rosters for the National Men’s Junior Team summer development camp, as well as the National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp.

The National Men’s Junior Team roster is comprised of talent from the 2021 NHL Draft, as well as the upcoming 2022 and 2023 NHL Drafts. Among the top NHL-affiliated talent attending the camp is Chicago Blackhawks D Nolan Allan, Columbus Blue Jackets D Corson Ceulemans, Dallas Stars F Wyatt Johnston, Los Angeles Kings D Brandt Clarke, Nashville Predators F Zachary L’Heureux, New Jersey Devils F Chase Stillman, New York Rangers F Brennan Othmann, St. Louis Blues F Zachary Bolduc, and Vegas Golden Knights F Zach Dean. Clarke was notably snubbed from the 2022 World Juniors roster.

In terms of 2022 eligibles to watch at selection camp, the list is as follows: F Luca Del Bel Belluz, F Jagger Firkus, F Nathan Gaucher, F Conor Geekie, F Ryan Greene, F Tucker Robertson, F Matthew Savoie, F Reid Schaefer, D Kevin Korchinski, D Christian Kyrou, D Tristan Luneau, D Denton Mateychuk, D Owen Pickering, G Tyler Brennan, G Chase Coward, and G Thomas Milic. Forwards Nate Danielson and Adam Fantilli also made the camp roster as 2023 eligible. Really, the only 2022 top-ten lock from that list is Savoie, but Geekie, Korchinski, and Mateychuk are also names that could work their way into the first selections.

The U18 roster is made up of 2023 and 2024 eligible players, and it’s highlighted by a trio of 2023 forwards: Zachary Benson, Matthew Wood, and Brayden Yager.

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

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The Stanley Cup Final is upon us, the first domino has fallen in the coaching shuffle around the league, while the draft and free agency are now less than a month away as the offseason activity is almost upon us.  With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag.

Our last mailbag was broken into two parts.  The first included a look at New Jersey’s goaltending situation and the chances they’ll move the second-overall pick, Toronto’s early playoff exit, and Barry Trotz’s contenders (one of which is now off the table).  Meanwhile, the second looked at what’s needed for Ottawa to take the next step forward, the second-line center situation for the Rangers, and what Seattle should be doing this summer.

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

Snapshots: Tortorella, Panthers, Avalanche

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When ESPN’s Kevin Weekes broke the news late Tuesday night that the Philadelphia Flyers had offered their head coaching vacancy to John Tortorella, there were plenty of mixed reactions surrounding the team’s potential hire of the controversial coach. Those in opposition likely hoped that the final set of negotiations required to complete the deal would fall through, and the Flyers would go in another direction.

According to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor, those hopes are all but gone. O’Connor notes that the negotiations between the Flyers and Tortorella are indeed “in the final stages,” and that an official announcement on the hire is expected to come tomorrow. It will be extremely interesting to learn what the terms of Tortorella’s contract are (if they’re released), considering the Flyers are still on the hook for $5MM to Alain Vigneault through 2024.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast he believes that the Florida Panthers have been “talking to people” over the phone regarding their head coaching vacancy, and gauging their interest in the role. While it’s not a sure thing that they’ll move on from interim head coach Andrew Brunette, it shows that the team is at least interested in examining other options. It’s a bit surprising the team isn’t more committed to keeping Brunette around, especially considering how locked in the Edmonton Oilers are on extending Jay Woodcroft, who’s in a very similar situation to Brunette.
  • During a radio appearance this morning, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar noted that both Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano have “gotten better,” saying that it’s a possibility at least one of them will return during the Stanley Cup Final. It’s a positive assessment, and while they are both still labeled as day-to-day, Kadri has yet to even practice while holding a stick after his thumb injury. Colorado will be watching their health closely, as they’re two incredibly important pieces to their forward depth that could help swing the series in their favor.

Minor Transactions: 06/16/22

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As the Stanley Cup Final is officially underway, all but two NHL organizations are fully focused on preparing their teams for next season. Oftentimes, that includes their AHL affiliates fortifying their depth with veterans and younger players not quite ready for NHL deals. We’ll keep track of those signings and transactions today right here.

  • After a rough season for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies that saw them miss the league’s expanded 23-team playoffs, they’re keeping a pair of defensemen around through next year. The Maple Leafs’ affiliate announced today that they’ve re-signed Noel Hoefenmayer and Matteo Pietroniro to one-year AHL contracts. Hoefenmayer excelled with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers this season, finishing 12th in scoring among defensemen with 40 points in just 46 games. He was third in playoff scoring for defensemen, contributing 16 points in 19 games to help the Growlers on a long playoff run. The offensively-gifted defenseman and former Arizona Coyotes prospect will likely see more AHL time next season in hopes of earning an NHL contract with the Maple Leafs in the future. Pietroniro, undrafted, had 27 points in 59 games with Newfoundland last year.
  • A Detroit Red Wings prospect remains in the organization, albeit without an NHL contract. Their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, announced today the re-signing of forward Kirill Tyutyayev to a one-year AHL contract. Selected in the seventh round (190th overall) in 2019, the 21-year-old Tyutyayev played just nine games last season in Grand Rapids due to injury, registering just three assists. It was his first campaign in North America. After having not played since early November 2021, Tyutyayev will look for a much smoother sophomore campaign.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Latest On St. Louis Blues Impending UFAs

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When it comes to icing a competitive roster each season, it’s hard to count out the St. Louis Blues and General Manager Doug Armstrong, and in theory, the same should hold true for 2022-23. However, Armstrong and the Blues do have a tricky task ahead of them this offseason: try to re-sign, or replace, four key UFAs this offseason, while re-signing two regular RFAs. Earlier today, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, who covers the Blues, provided updates on the status of the four impending UFAs (subscription required).

On veteran forward David Perron, Rutherford writes that the two sides are not close to an agreement, but nothing has changed in the two sides’ desire for a reunion. Rutherford points out an interesting fact, though perhaps an unfortunate one for Perron: he has signed five multi-year deals in his NHL career, and played for five NHL teams, but all five of those contracts were signed with St. Louis. Now 34, with 15 NHL seasons and a Stanley Cup on his resume, Perron will likely be in search of stability and while he has, and ultimately has not, had that in St. Louis, it would be foreseeable that he could ask for some sort of tight no-movement clause, however those have been a key sticking point in Armstrong’s negotiations in the past. When asked, Armstrong did not disclose the status of the negotiations, but Rutherford adds a source close to the negotiations informed him that the offer is likely two-years at an AAV much lower than Perron would like.

Breakout goaltender Ville Husso, after just his second NHL season, is set to hit the UFA market and as Rutherford writes, is probably not returning to St. Louis. Rutherford adds that Husso and the Blues are going to begin some sort of dialogue shortly, however the team may be priced out of re-signing him, with The Athletic forecasting a $4.1MM AAV for the 27-year-old. That figure is technically within the Blues’ range given their cap space, but given Jordan Binnington’s rebound performance and the emergence of young goaltender Joel Hofer in the AHL, St. Louis may ultimately be better-off focusing their cap space to address needs, rather than perhaps creating a logjam in net.

Nick Leddy’s value on the open market seems to be a popular debate topic, and rightfully so. A young Leddy compiled several strong seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the New York Islanders, having another excellent season ahead of a seven-year, $38.5MM extension on Long Island. The defenseman had several down years before reviving his career as a steady defenseman who excelled in transition under Barry Trotz, but was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2021 to alleviate cap concerns for the Islanders. Leddy struggled in Detroit, but was again dealt, landing with the Blues where he appeared to return to form.

His struggles in Detroit appear to have taken a toll on his value, with The Athletic projecting just a $1.7MM salary next season, Rutherford chalking that up to Leddy’s time in Detroit, adding that Leddy is seeking a four or five year deal at around $5MM per season. Whether or not he hits his goal, that price-tag may prove too expensive for the Blues, Rutherford adding that a discount, rooted in comfort playing for the Blues, would be what it takes to keep Leddy in the fold most likely, though that is not expected.

Lastly, Rutherford touches on Tyler Bozak, who had signed a one-year, incentive-laden $750K contract for the 2021-22 season. Bozak has seen more limited time and production since coming to St. Louis as compared to his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, however his ability to play a complete 200 foot game combined with his on and off-ice leadership, has made him a much-appreciated asset for St. Louis. Still, Rutherford says that while Bozak may be had on a similar contract for next season, a return is unlikely given the emergence of forward Alexey Toropchenko, re-signing Logan Brown, and a full-time debut of Jake Neighbours.

At $9MM in cap space, St. Louis is going to be forced to make tough decisions, and must also consider two RFAs this summer in defensemen Niko Mikkola and Scott Perunovich. Further, all of this goes without mentioning their 2023 free agent class that they have to be mindful of, which includes the likes of Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas on the RFA side and Ivan Barbashev, Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko on the UFA side.

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