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Archives for March 2023

Washington Capitals Sign Ryan Hofer

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The rush on entry-level contracts continues, with the Washington Capitals signing Ryan Hofer to a three-year deal. It will carry an average annual value of just over $850K, and likely starts next season. Today is the first day to register entry-level contracts for 2023-24.

Hofer, 20, is currently playing for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, this year’s host of the Memorial Cup. He was selected in the sixth round last summer after being passed over in each of his first two years of eligibility.

The late bloomer didn’t even crack major junior until 2020-21, before exploding onto the scene last year with 25 goals and 58 points in his first full season in the WHL. This year, as an overage player, he has 36 goals and 56 points in just 53 games, split between Kamloops and the Everett Silvertips.

Hofer will get a chance to play deep into the spring with a Memorial Cup appearance as the host city gets an automatic bid. Next year, he’ll be sent to the minor leagues where he can start his pro career with the Hershey Bears.

Philadelphia Flyers Taking Calls On Ivan Provorov

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The market for defensemen has gotten spicy over the last few days, with Mattias Ekholm, Vladislav Gavrikov, Jake McCabe, Dmitry Orlov, and others all on the move. The Philadelphia Flyers might be the next to jump into the deadline dealing.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Flyers are taking calls on Ivan Provorov, noting how it will still take a significant package to pry him out of Philadelphia.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Provorov is available. There have been rumors for quite some time that a split might be necessary between the Flyers and their top defenseman, as Provorov’s progression hasn’t gone according to plan.

Once considered among the best up-and-coming defensemen in the league, Provorov had 17 goals and 41 points in his sophomore season and even got some down-ballot Norris Trophy votes two years later. In 2019, he turned that production into a six-year, $40.5MM contract with the Flyers, jumping to a $6.75MM cap hit directly out of his entry-level contract.

Since then, though, things haven’t really improved. Philadelphia has slowly become a worse team, they have struggled to find a good match to play with Provorov, and his effectiveness has waned. Through 61 games this season, he has just four goals and 22 points, totals that would be career lows should they finish that way. He’s still playing more than any other Flyer, averaging more than 23 minutes a night, but the fit hasn’t seemed right for some time.

With the new leadership of John Tortorella clearly looking to put a stamp on the roster, changes are coming in Philadelphia. James van Riemsdyk will likely be traded before the deadline, and questions have been asked about every other veteran on the club.

With two years left on his current deal, Provorov would represent a huge swing by a contending team—one with high risk and high reward. If a fresh start rejuvenates the 26-year-old defenseman, they could add a true difference-maker to anchor a top pairing and play in all situations. If he takes another step backward, they would be giving up significant assets and cap space for underwhelming performance.

Montreal Signs Xavier Simoneau To ELC

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have signed forward Xavier Simoneau to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal covers the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and carries a cap hit of $855K. Simoneau gets an $80K signing bonus for each season and would be paid $775K at the NHL level, or $80K in the AHL.

The former sixth-round pick has spent this season with the Laval Rocket of the AHL where he has 28 points in 44 games. At 5’7” and 175 pounds, Simoneau is certainly undersized, this might explain him falling to Montreal that late in the draft. Although he is on the smaller side, Simoneau is regarded as a high energy forechecker and a bit of an agitator. Scouts also consider him an excellent shot blocker and penalty killer. He does have some playmaking to his game as he averaged over a point per game in his final three seasons in the QMJHL. He’s also shown himself to be a leader, having spent several seasons as captain of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, as well as winning the CHL Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2019-20.

While Montreal has a lot of veteran forwards signed for next season, they have just five signed to NHL deals for 2024-25. Should Simoneau continue to develop his game in Laval, he may be able to join some of the Canadiens other young forwards and carve out a role in Montreal’s bottom 6.

This contract indicates that the Canadiens are encouraged by the development of their former sixth round pick. While Simoneau doesn’t project to be an answer in their top-6, he could fill a role in their bottom-6 sooner than later.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Alexandre Doucet

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The Detroit Red Wings took a short break from their deadline preparation today to add a player to the organization, signing Alexandre Doucet to a three-year entry-level contract. The undrafted forward currently plays with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.

Doucet, 21, is playing as an overager in junior this year, but making good on his last chance to show what he can do at the amateur level. Through 58 games, split between Halifax and the Val d’Or Foreurs, he has 45 goals and 89 points.

The Red Wings likely believe they have found a late bloomer, as Doucet was never one of the top prospects in Quebec. Selected in the sixth round of the 2018 QMJHL draft, he would still play another year of midget before jumping to the Q and was a slow starter with just 17 goals over his first two years of junior combined.

Because of his age, Doucet can join the Grand Rapids Griffins next year (and this spring, if his junior season ends in time) to start his professional career.

Los Angeles Kings Trade Jonathan Quick

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Late last night, another franchise icon was sent packing. The Los Angeles Kings agreed to trade Jonathan Quick, along with a conditional 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo. The deal has now been officially announced, with the conditions revealed.

They’re very simple. If the Kings qualify for the playoffs this year, they will give Columbus a first-round pick. If they miss, they will owe second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.

The move must be bittersweet for Kings fans, who have cheered on Quick for more than a decade. On the one hand, the team is shipping out the most successful goaltender in franchise history, the backbone of its two Stanley Cup teams and winner of the 2012 Conn Smythe trophy. On the other, Quick’s performance had declined significantly this season, and the club is poised to make a serious playoff run if they can improve the goaltending.

Through 31 appearances this season, Quick has a save percentage of just .876, easily the worst of his career. The uber-athletic goaltender has seemed a step behind the play, and can’t seem to string together multiple good starts. In his last appearance as a King, he allowed three goals on seven shots before being pulled less than halfway through the game.

Still, this is a goaltender that has more than twice as many wins as the next-best in Kings history. Quick’s 370 career wins not only dwarves second-place Rogie Vachon’s 171, but put him 19th on the all-time NHL list. Despite never winning a Vezina Trophy (his closest came in 2012 when he finished second), Quick has a decent chance of reaching the Hall of Fame eventually as one of only 17 goaltenders to win the Conn Smythe. Add in an Olympic silver medal and two Jennings trophies, and it was a pretty productive career for the 2005 third-round pick.

The Kings are focused on this season, though, and bringing in two players to help them compete in the playoffs.

Gavrikov, 27, has been talked about for months, and was moved out of the lineup by Columbus for two weeks before they eventually moved him. The big, rangy defenseman can contribute in many ways, and could find even more success playing on a Kings blueline that can give him more support. With the Blue Jackets, he was likely asked to do too much, playing more than 22 minutes a night as their most reliable option, once Zach Werenski went down to injury.

Korpisalo is perhaps the more interesting addition, though, if only because he has caught fire of late. The 28-year-old goaltender has a .911 save percentage on the season, but that number rises to .916 if you look at his last ten, in which he has lost in regulation just three times. Those may not sound like earth-shattering numbers, but on a Columbus team that is one of the worst in the league, they are encouraging.

The Blue Jackets are getting not only two significant draft picks, but also an asset in Quick that might have some extra value. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Columbus will check around to see if they can flip the veteran goaltender to a contending team.

At the very least they come away from another deadline with a first-round pick. Gavrikov was expected to test the free agent market, while Korpisalo was likely on his last legs with the team, as they prepare to turn over that roster spot to Daniil Tarasov.

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