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Pacific Notes: Juolevi, Kase, Smith, Klefbom

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While asking the question of when will Vancouver Canucks prospect Olli Juolevi play his first NHL game, Ben Kuzma of The Province writes that his chances of making this year’s squad has already been hampered when he suffered a lower-back injury during offseason training. The 20-year–old fifth-overall pick in 2016 had a minimally invasive disk procedure to relieve pressure on his spinal nerve column, which was expected to sideline him for eight to 10 weeks.

Kuzma writes that defenseman Alexander Edler suffered a similar injury back in the 2010-11 season and needed a full 10 weeks to recover. Juolevi likely won’t begin full-intensive training until the end of August, therefore, and will only get about three weeks to get in shape for training camp. With his chances of making the team already a question mark before 2018 first-rounder Quinn Hughes announced he would return to the University of Michigan, what are his chances now?

“He’s on schedule,” said Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning. “He has been working out and will be ready for training camp. We expect him to come to put his best foot forward. We’ll see where he is at and go from there.”

  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that with the signing of Ondrej Kase to three-year, $7.8MM deal, the Anaheim Ducks may have quite the logjam at the forward position this year as the team likely will have to find a more prominent role for Kase, which could be challenging. The team has a logjam at the right wing position as many believe that veteran Patrick Eaves could likely join Ryan Getzlaf on the team’s top line next year. The second line will be either manned by Jakob Silfverberg or Corey Perry, which could force Kase to move to the fourth line. That’s not likely to happen. So what can they do for Kase? Move him to the left side? Stephens writes that might work for temporary situations such as injuries that come up, but is hardly a permanent solution for the 22-year-old who is just starting to enter his prime. Stephens adds that a more likely possibility, especially if Ryan Kesler is not ready for the regular season, would be to move Silfverberg off the right side to accommodate Kase.
  • Kent Wilson of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames may have redesigned their team, but they are taking a big gamble in the net with 36-year-old Mike Smith. The veteran had an amazing first-half of the season before suffering an injury and never looked the same. While the hope is that Smith is fully recovered and should return to form for this season, Wilson writes that he’s entering the “danger age” for goaltenders who have historically fallen off a cliff at 36. If the team can’t get a big year from Smith, the team only has David Rittich and Jon Gillies as insurance, which could crush the team’s hopes for a playoff berth in a very deep Pacific Division.
  • Jamie Umbach of NHL.com takes a look at the Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom, who regressed last season after a breakout season in the 2016-17 season in which he tallied 12 goals and 38 points. However, a shoulder injury sustained in the Western Conference Finals hovered over him all of last year to the point that he five goals and 21 points in 66 games before he opted to have season-ending surgery to repair his shoulder. Klefbom has been given a clean bill of health this offseason is ready to return for a big season next year. “It feels good going home knowing the shoulder is 100 percent so I don’t have to go through this again with medications and injections,” Klefbom said.

Arizona Coyotes Lack Flexibility Due To Roster Limits

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One of the CBA rules that rarely gets the spotlight of media attention, yet affects NHL organizations every year is that of the Standard Player Contract (SPC) limit. Each team is only allowed to have 50 NHL contracts on the books at any one time, including two-way contracts and players on injured or long-term injured reserve. The Arizona Coyotes currently find themselves at that limit, with 50 players already signed. That’s why the recent Marian Hossa trade included Andrew Campbell and Jordan Maletta going back to the Blackhawks, despite neither really being very valuable to an NHL team. The Coyotes couldn’t take on all three of the contracts for Hossa, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jordan Oesterle without matching with the same outgoing number.

The Coyotes do have a pair of players who likely will not count towards the 50-contract limit this season, as Barrett Hayton and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are both young enough—18 or 19 years old—to be removed from the SPC list when they are sent back to junior hockey. That of course assumes that they won’t make the Coyotes out of camp, something that isn’t necessarily guaranteed but should be expected. Even with those two added slots, the Coyotes will have to be wary of their contract totals all season long. Staying right at the limit is dangerous given that you may run into injury trouble and want to sign a veteran out of free agency or promote a player on an AHL contract. It also limits what you can do in terms of signing players out of the college ranks.

Today a list of sixteen players became unrestricted free agents after failing to reach an entry-level contract with the team that drafted them. One of those players, Jared Fiegl, couldn’t have been signed because of the Coyotes current situation even if they had wanted to. While Fiegl was just a seventh-round pick and likely wouldn’t have earned an NHL contract anyway—he has since signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL—there are always players who deserve contracts at the end of the college season, both drafted and undrafted.

In Arizona’s system for instance, there are Ty Emberson and Cameron Crotty who will both be playing in the NCAA this season. Each a third-round pick, there is always a chance of a breakout season and the desire to turn pro in early spring. If there are no contract slots available, the Coyotes won’t be able to bring them into their system on an entry-level deal right away and run the risk of them returning to school for another season. The undrafted players pose an even bigger risk, as a team without a contract slot would be at a severe disadvantage in free agent negotiations.

Though the Coyotes are currently the only team right at the limit, there are several others who are flirting with it. The Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights are already at 48 contracts and each have a restricted free agent left to sign in Nick Ritchie and Shea Theodore respectively. The Ottawa Senators are also at 48, and two players that could potentially come off the list in Brady Tkachuk and Alex Formenton both might not be playing in junior this season. Tkachuk could potentially go to the AHL to work with the Binghamton Senators if he doesn’t make the NHL, while Formenton already has an NHL game under his belt and might jump right to Ottawa this season.

Living on the edge doesn’t cripple a team, but it does reduce their flexibility when working out trades or negotiating with free agents. Teams like the Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs dealt with that issue at times last year, and many others could this time around. Though it rarely gets much attention it is definitely something to keep an eye on as training camp comes around next month, and injuries start to pile up.

Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Ondrej Kase To Three-Year Deal

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The Anaheim Ducks are keeping busy in the slowest part of the summer, finally reaching terms on an extension with restricted free agent forward Ondrej Kase. The team has announced a three-year deal with the young right winger, who set career highs across the board last season. Beat writer Eric Stephens adds that the contract carries a $2.6MM AAV for a total of $7.8MM over the three-year term.

Kase, 22, has developed well beyond anyone’s estimations since he was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He not only debuted in the NHL just two years after being drafted, but played in 53 games with the Ducks in 2016-17. He followed that up with a sophomore campaign last season that more than doubled his production over 66 games and showcased a more well-rounded skill set. Kase scored 20 goals, tied for second-most on the Ducks, and totaled 38 points overall, fifth-best for Anaheim. Additionally, he led all Ducks forwards but Ryan Getzlaf in plus/minus. Perhaps most impressive, Kase topped all Anaheim skaters in possession, with a 52.9 Corsi (CF%).

The Czech native has natural offensive instincts and possesses a high-end hockey IQ unbecoming of a player selected in the 200’s of the NHL Draft. Moving forward, he should continue to grow into a scoring weapon and should be given more ice time and a greater special teams role for Anaheim after last season. If Kase continues to exceed expectations, GM Bob Murray and the Ducks will be very happy to have him at such a low cap hit in two or three years. As Anaheim’s old guard – Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Ryan Kesler – only continue to slow down, Kase looks to be a key piece of the young core coming up behind them.

Pacific Notes: Silfverberg, Czarnik, Hathaway, Oilers

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The Anaheim Ducks are committed to paying more than $66MM for 13 players for the 2019-20 season after agreeing to a extensions with center Adam Henrique (five years, $29.25MM) and goaltender John Gibson (eight years, $51.2MM) this summer. So with those extensions already completed, the next question is whether there will be enough money to extend forward Jakob Silfverberg.

The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that the good news is that there are no major extensions that have to be dealt with for several years, so what money is left, the team is free to use without having to worrying about having to use the money to sign the next superstar. In fact, most of the team’s top prospects such as Sam Steel, Troy Terry, Max Jones and Jacob Larsson will be on entry-level deals until at least 2020-21.

However, much of the team’s ability to sign Silfverberg will depend on what the 27-year-old is demanding. His defensive abilities is what makes him so intriguing as his offense is rather pedestrian, though Silfverberg has posted at least 17 goals over the past three seasons. But the winger hasn’t really seen a significant improvement to his offensive game in four years. Stephens writes that if Silfverberg is willing to take $5MM per year for four years, the team would likely be able to fit him in, but any higher demands could easily prompt the team to trade him if they can’t come to an agreement as opposed to losing him for nothing next offseason.

  • Kent Wilson of The Athletic (subscription required) takes a deep look at the Calgary Flames new acquisition Austin Czarnik, who many people have been fascinated by. The diminutive forward, who stands at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, was extremely successful in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, but has never really given a chance at a full-time NHL job. The scribe compares his skills to that of Vegas’ Jon Marchessault, and Tampa Bay’s Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde as smaller players who thrived in the AHL and then took off at the NHL level as well. Despite being older than the standard prospect (he played four years at Miami University of Ohio, the 25-year-old could step in and make an immediate impact in Calgary.
  • A year ago, Calgary Flames forward Garnet Hathaway found himself regular playing time after being recalled from the AHL after 18 games. He managed to appear in 59 games, posting four goals and 13 assists on the team’s fourth line, but might have an even tougher challenge this year with the team making quite a few offseason changes, according to NHL.com’s Alex Medina. Hathaway, who signed a one-year deal with Calgary on July 30, is ready for the challenge. “It’s my goal to be there for game one and for all the games,” Hathaway said. “Management has done a great job bringing guys in and I think it’s going to be a very competitive camp and competitive season. I think that’ll help the team improve having guys push each other to get better. That’s what makes a team take the next step.”
  • The Edmonton Oilers have 13 forwards under contract currently, but intend to be patient about finding a 14th forward, according to NHL.com’s Paul Gazzola. In an interview with 630 CHED Oilers Now, Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli said the team will look at multiple avenues to fill that 14th spot from offering PTO to some veteran free agents to looking at young players who might impress at training camp. “I’ve been asked quite a bit about that 14th forward,” Chiarelli said. “We’ve talked to a number of players on PTOs. We’re going to look at waivers and see what’s available there. We’re going to kind of take it slowly because we also have some guys that may compete and beat out guys – younger players – that might be in that category.”

Roster Battles Should Dominate Anaheim Ducks Training Camp

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More so than almost any team in the league, the Anaheim Ducks look to have uncertainty at the bottom of their roster. So far the 2018 offseason has been for the most part spent re-signing their own players, inking John Gibson and Adam Henrique to long-term extensions while reaching a two-year bridge deal with Brandon Montour. In free agency, the Ducks failed to secure any of the top names and now find themselves in a position where training camp could have a huge impact on who starts the season in Anaheim.

Up front, the Ducks have just ten forwards currently signed to one-way deals, not including Ben Street or Anton Rodin who have limited NHL experience and didn’t play in the league at all last season. Neither veteran minor league player should really be in contention for a roster spot with the Ducks, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be competition. Even once Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie are signed and given their spots, the team has a group of other forwards competing for the last few roles.

Brian Gibbons and Carter Rowney were both signed early in free agency and given $1MM+ salaries to provide some depth at the bottom of the lineup. Neither player has really proven himself at the NHL level though, with Gibbons playing 59 of his 125 career games last season for the New Jersey Devils and Rowney suiting up just 44 times last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The idea of handing either of them a full-time role without competition seems foolish, though since Rowney was brought in on a three-year deal he will obviously have the upper hand.

Behind them are several players on two-way or entry-level contracts, like Troy Terry, Kalle Kossila, Kiefer Sherwood and Kevin Roy. The latter three all spent time in the minor leagues with the San Diego Gulls last season, while Terry played just three games for the Ducks after signing out of the University of Denver. Given the uncertainty around Ryan Kesler’s health and the limited upside of both Gibbons and Rowney, you could see Anaheim decide to give a real chance to one of these players in 2018-19. That is, if they can hold off the competition.

One of the questions most often asked in our PHR Live Chats is whether or not Sam Steel and Max Jones are ready for the NHL. The pair of first-round picks from 2016 are now both 20 years old and will be beginning their professional careers, but there’s no guarantee that either will see the NHL just yet. Jones in fact was listed pretty far down in Corey Pronman’s recent prospect rankings for The Athletic (subscription required), including him in the “Have A Chance” section. There will be a huge battle between all of the listed forwards (and probably several others) for playing time in Anaheim this season.

On defense it’s also not clear who will shake out at the end of camp. The team signed Andrej Sustr and Luke Schenn this summer to improve their depth on the right side, but both likely can’t play with Josh Manson and Montour already locked into positions there. Marcus Pettersson, Jacob Larsson, Josh Mahura, Jaycob Megna, Andy Welinski and Korbinian Holzer are also all still in the organization and could challenge for the 6-7-8 spots, with no clear choice on who would play where. The departure of Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin certainly opens up some playing time, but the team will likely wait for someone to step up and prove they deserve regular minutes before handing them out.

All of this just makes for an interesting next few months for the Ducks, who are trying to get back to Stanley Cup contention with much the same team as the last few seasons. With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry now entering their mid-thirties, more responsibility will have to be heaped upon the next wave of talent if the team is to stay respectable. Battles like the ones that will take place in training camp will determine whether this Ducks team is just a very good one, or a real contender for the Stanley Cup.

Overseas Notes: Lundestrom, Vesalainen, Free Agents, Paille

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While the Anaheim Ducks finalized an entry-level contract with newest first-round pick Isac Lundestrom yesterday, don’t expect to see him donning a Ducks jersey right away. Beat writer Eric Stephens reports that Lundestrom is expected to remain in Sweden for at least one more year to finish out his contract with the SHL’s Lulea. This would line up with the specifics of Lundestrom’s contract, which contains a European Assignment Clause for next season. After that, Lundestrom’s future is more of a mystery, but the high-ceiling center is still relatively raw and likely a few seasons away from an NHL debut.

  • Another prospect in limbo between the NHL and Europe is the Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 first-rounder, Kristian Vesalainen. The 19-year-old power forward had a breakout campaign last year, recording 43 point in 49 games between HPK and Karpat of the Liiga, the top pro league in his native Finland, and impressing at the World Juniors. However, Vesalainen’s contract in Finlad has expired and he remains an unsigned – and highly sought-after – free agent across the continent, having now spent time in both Sweden and Finland. Yet, Vesalainen may be holding out for a spot with the Jets this season. The budding young star has yet to sign his entry-level contract, but may be hoping that he can somehow work his way in to a loaded forward corps in Winnipeg. Otherwise, one would think that he would have already signed with another team in Europe.
  • Speaking of European free agents, Vesalainen is not the only recognizable name still available who played overseas last season. After a point-per-game season with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, Mason Raymond still remains unsigned, perhaps hoping for NHL interest. Raymond, offensive defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, and capable two-way forward Nick Spaling highlight NLA players awaiting jobs, while Brandon Gormley and Jonathon Blum are puck-moving defenders still looking for a contract after playing in the SHL and KHL respectively last year. In Finland, veteran defenseman Henrik Tallinder has remained productive well into his late thirties but is still looking for another shot, while consistent forward Jesse Saarinen, a top 20 per-game scorer in the Liiga, also remains unemployed.
  • Joining the list of European free agents today is long-time NHL checking forward Daniel Paille. Paille, 34, spent 11 years with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers before departing for Sweden in 2016. Paille signed a three-year deal with Brynas IF of the SHL and played well in his first season. However, injuries limited the two-way forward to just 14 games last season and Brynas decided to move on. The team announced today that both they and Paille have mutually agreed to terminate the final year of the contract, allowing Brynas to get out from under the contract and allowing Paille to focus on getting healthy. At this point, it is unclear if Paille will be actively looking for work this season or if he is leaning toward taking the year off or perhaps hanging up the skates for good.

 

Anaheim Ducks Sign Isac Lundestrom To Entry-Level Contract

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Tuesday: The Ducks have now formally announced the contract for Lundestrom.

Monday: CapFriendly clarifies that Lundestrom’s European Assignment Clause is only for the 2018-19 season.  They also report that the contract is for the maximum entry-level salary of $925K but contains no performance bonuses.

Saturday: The Anaheim Ducks have l0cked up their first-round pick from this year’s draft as they signed center Isac Lundestrom to a three-year entry-level deal, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The deal also has a European clause, meaning he can return to Europe if he’s not playing in the NHL.

The 18-year-old center was drafted with the 23rd pick in this year’s draft after having played for two full seasons in the SHL. He became the youngest scorer in the SHL just before his 17th birthday. This past season, he posted six goals and 15 points last season for Lulea and also posted a pair of goals at last year’s World Junior Championships in Buffalo.

Lundestrom is considered to be a prospect with no elite skills, but solid all-around. He is considered to be a solid skater with an accurate, quick shot. While his draft status was expected to increase with the lack of quality centers in this draft, Lundestrom dropped as many had him projected to go between 14 and 20. Because the 18-year-old is not a polished player, it might take a few years for him before he’s ready for an NHL role, hence the European clause.

Snapshots: Gibson, Kesler, Subban, Cross

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While the Anaheim Ducks didn’t have to discuss a long-term extension with goaltender John Gibson this summer, the team wanted to get their 25-year-old netminder signed as quickly as possible, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required). They did that Saturday when they signed him to an eight-year, $51.2MM signing with an AAV of $6.4MM.

One of the key reasons general manager Bob Murray and the Ducks negotiated the deal now was the team wanted to avoid the possibility that Gibson would have an even greater year than what he had, which would have driven up the price even more. The team now expects Gibson to raise his game anyway as he must improve his playoffs stats and attempt to remain healthy, which has occasionally been a problem, because eight years is a long ways down the road.

  • In an interview with Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) asked several questions about Ryan Kesler, who missed the first three months of last season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason, and really struggled after returning. With rumors of Kesler potentially missing more time or sitting out an entire season this year, Carlyle said everything will come down to training camp. “His body will have three months of rest and rehabilitation,” said Carlyle. “Now here we go, training camp is going to be another test. What he went through last year wasn’t what he envisioned or we envisioned. He’s a guy who is very determined. I don’t think it’s about excuses. It’s about finding the right fit. It’s hard to point a finger in any one direction when you’ve got people that are not 100 percent. We’ll support the players and try to find the right combination. But we went through this once. I’m sure we’re not going to take the same route as we did the last time. There’s going to have to be a different approach taken.”
  • Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney wonders whether the Vegas Golden Knights should be worried about their backup goaltending situation. The team had issues with 33-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury in the past as he missed two months earlier in the season due to a possible concussion. The team has 24-year-old Malcolm Subban as the backup, but he also dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season and then the playoffs. While Subban finished the season with 13 victories in 22 appearances, his numbers weren’t that good as he posted a 2.68 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Is he the goaltender of the future? Most don’t think so.
  • The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) featured veteran minor league defenseman Tommy Cross, who didn’t want to leave the Boston Bruins. However, with a goal to become an NHL-level defenseman and time running out, the 28-year-old blueliner opted to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cross has played 279 games with the Providence Bruins in the AHL after signing out of Boston College, but has managed to appear in just six NHL games so far and been passed over by so many prospects that the three-year AHL captain felt it was time to move on.

Ducks Sign John Gibson To An Eight-Year Extension

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John Gibson will be manning the pipes in Anaheim for a long time to come.  The team announced that they’ve signed the goaltender to an eight-year contract extension through the 2026-27 season.  Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.  Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries an AAV of $6.4MM.  Gibson is already signed for next season with a $2.3MM cap hit with a $3.3MM salary so this new deal won’t kick in until July of 2019.

Per CapFriendly, there are no signing bonuses in the deal and there is no variation in the year-to-year salary.  He also receives a ten-team no-trade list beginning in 2021-22 when he is eligible to have no-trade protection in his contract.

GM Bob Murray released the following statement on the move:

“I believe in John Gibson, as does everyone in the organization. This is obviously a major commitment by the club, but one we feel strongly about. John is equally committed to being a Duck. He is only now entering the prime of his career, and we are all confident his best is yet to come.”

Gibson was drafted in the second round (39th overall) with a pick they acquired from the Maple Leafs at the 2011 draft in exchange for trading down to allow Toronto to select winger Tyler Biggs.  He has quickly emerged as one of the better young goalies in the game and the Ducks are clearly pleased with his progress given their commitment here.

Last season, the 25-year-old played in a career-high 60 games, posting a 2.43 GAA and a .926 SV% along with four shutouts.  However, he did struggle in a postseason sweep at the hands of the Sharks which ended his year on a bit of a sour note.

In his career, Gibson has put up a .923 SV% and a 2.29 GAA in 178 games, numbers that put him among the better starters league-wide.  The deal will make him the fifth highest paid goalie in the NHL in terms of cap hit for 2019-20 although it should be noted that veterans like Pekka Rinne and Sergei Bobrovsky are slated to become free agents next summer and should eclipse that mark on their next contracts.

With the signing, the Ducks quietly have a lot of money committed for 2019-20.  Per CapFriendly, they now have 13 players locked up for that season at a combined cap hit of just over $66.5MM.  Murray acknowledged last month that they would also like to lock up winger Jakob Silfverberg long-term but they may need to deal with restricted free agent wingers Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie first to see if they will still have enough room to do so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Contract Each Team Would Most Like To Trade: Part II

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Nearly every team has one of those players: a top talent they were excited to sign and never thought could do anything but help them. In hindsight, history shows that more often than not, expensive, long-term free agent contracts don’t work out. It may look good at first (or it may look bad right away to the outside observer), but players struggle to make their value last throughout a lengthy contract. Those contracts come back to bite teams and are hard to get rid of. As teams begin to finalize their rosters at this point in the off-season, many are struggling to make everyone fit under the salary cap and are regretting these past signings that exasperate a cap crunch that can be tough for even a mistake-free club. We already took a look at the first third of the league; here are the contracts that each team would most like to trade, from Detroit to Ottawa:

Detroit Red Wings: Frans Nielsen – four years, $21MM remaining

As speculated by some readers in the comments section, it was no mistake that Part I ended with Dallas. Detroit deserved both some extra consideration and to lead off an article about poor contracts. There is an argument to be made that almost every single player age 28 and over on the Red Wings roster is signed to a bad contract for one reason or another. Detroit is a team that ranks towards the bottom of the standings and towards the top of the salary cap and that is not just bad luck. However, some are much worse than others and they are so bad that it is tough to choose between them. Take this scenario: Player A scored 35 points in 75 games last season. It was 14 points more than the season prior, including six more goals, and Player A also led the team in hits. He is 31 years old and signed for five more years at $4.25MM per. Player B scored 33 points in 79 games last season. It was eight points less than the season prior, and Player B also had the worst face-off percentage among the team’s centers. He is 34 years old and signed for four more years at $5.25MM per. Still undecided about which contract the team would rather trade? Player A is a Michigan native and career Red Wing and Player B is entering only his third year after signing a lucrative free agent contract. Player A of course is perennial whipping boy Justin Abdelkader. Yes, the Abdelkader contract is terrible. At no point in his career has he been worth his current contract value. Yet, he improved last season, is younger and brings a defensive element to his game, and is also loyal to the current administration – the call of the question after all is which contract the team would most like to trade. That would instead be Player B, Frans Nielsen, who at 34 is predictably declining and last year made more than Abdelkader for less production and there is no reason to believe that trend won’t continue. The team rewarded Adbelkader for years of service, whereas they took a gamble on Nielsen that hasn’t paid off. One of those moves is far more regrettable. Nielsen is the guy, but he only narrowly edged out Abdelkader and defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who also has relative age and Detroit roots to his advantage.

Edmonton Oilers: Milan Lucic – five years, $30MM remaining

The Oilers can refute trade rumors surrounding Milan Lucic all they want. The truth of the matter is that GM Peter Chiarelli signed Lucic hoping that he could both produce with and protect Connor McDavid in Edmonton as he did for David Krejci in Boston. The only problem is that the 30-year-old power forward can no longer keep up with a player of McDavid’s caliber. Lucic managed to score 34 points last season, tied for fourth on the team, but that is nowhere near what is expected of a $6MM player, especially when he scored 50 in year one with the Oilers and topped that mark many times with the Bruins. Edmonton still may be holding out hope that Lucic can turn it around and be just as much of a scoring threat as he is a physical threat, but make no mistake that the team would be quick to get rid of his contract if the right deal came along. In contrast, the team would be far more hesitant to move a hefty contract like defenseman Andrej Sekera who has been good and injury-prone, rather than healthy and underwhelming.

Florida Panthers: Roberto Luongo – four years, $18.13MM remaining

Florida is a tough one. Dale Tallon has done a good job of locking up his core long-term and, despite being right up against the cap, there are few egregious contracts on the roster right now. Give it a few years and maybe Michael Matheson will hold this title, but for now it goes to Roberto Luongo by default. Of course, Luongo is beloved in Florida and the team doesn’t even have to carry the whole of his cap hit, with the Vancouver Canucks retaining $800K each year. However, the reality is that Luongo will turn 40 this season and it will be only the first of four years left on his deal. The Panthers have almost $8MM committed to two goalies for the next few years and the other, James Reimer, is younger and outplayed Luongo in 2016-17 and in more games to boot. While they both fought injuries this past season, it was Luongo back on top performance-wise, but the impressive numbers he did post came in just 35 appearances versus Reimer’s 44. Florida paying over $4.5MM per year to a backup goalie in his forties just doesn’t make sense and the team would be better off moving forward with just Reimer and Michael Hutchinson if they could find a way to trade Luongo. Another reason this contract is bad: both the Panthers and Canucks will be hit with cap recapture penalties if Luongo retires prior to 2022.

Los Angeles Kings: Dustin Brown – four years, $23.5MM remaining

For the first time in years, Kings fans are feeling good about Dustin Brown. That is why now is the perfect time to trade him. Brown had been the bane of L.A.’s existence for four years, registering no more than 36 points each year while eating up $5.875MM in cap space, when he finally broke out of his funk in 2017-18 with a massive 61-point season and one of the league’s best plus/minus ratings. The question now is whether the past four years were an aberration with this season setting a new baseline or will Brown regress back to his bottom-six production. With a cap-strapped roster full of expensive contracts for older players, L.A. can’t take the risk of keeping Brown around if the right opportunity presents itself. They would be forced to trade the career King if a taker came forward rather than hold out hope that he doesn’t revert back to his old ways of being drastically overpaid.

Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise – seven years, $52.77MM remaining

When the Wild signed 28-year-old’s Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to matching 13-year contracts worth almost $100MM apiece, they knew that those deals would have dark days at some point in the future. However, they never could have imagined that Parise’s decline would come so soon. Parise remains one of the most popular players on the team, but injuries have kept him off the ice and affected his play when on the ice over the ice and his stock is falling quickly. Parise has never been able to reach the peaks he enjoyed in New Jersey, but he still produced at a high level over his first four seasons with the team. The past two years have been a different story and Parise appears to be trending in the wrong direction. Now 33, Parise isn’t totally beyond help and could turn it around. If back at 100%, Parise has enough natural ability and enough talent around him to still be a $7.5MM player. However, it would be nearly impossible for Minnesota to ever move the behemoth that is his contract so, if somehow they received an offer, they would take it without a second thought. Fan favorite or not, there is too much risk associated with Parise moving forward.

Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber – seven years, $55MM remaining

I know what you’re thinking and yes, the Carey Price contract doesn’t look great right now. However, an extension of any length and value for any player coming off an injury-riddled season would bring a skewed perception. Price has been one of the best goalies in the league for years and one bad season doesn’t change that. Will he lose that title in the next eight years? For sure, but it would be a shock to see the Canadiens move their poster boy any time soon. Their #1 defenseman is another question though. When Montreal acquired Shea Weber for P.K. Subban, they never could have anticipated that his body would break down so soon after. Injuries cost Weber all but 26 games last season and he will miss the beginning of 2018-19 as well. Weber doesn’t seem like the type of player who will retire early, but there is no guarantee that these injuries won’t slow him down significantly for the remainder of his contract. In fact, the only guarantee is that he will slow down over the next seven years. At $7.86MM, the Canadiens need Weber to be his dynamic two-way self. The team already has one overpaid stay-at-home defenseman in Karl Alzner and can’t afford another. If they could move Weber, they would.

Nashville Predators: None

GM David Poile flat out doesn’t sign bad contracts. Criticize the deals for Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris if you like, but the bargain contracts throughout the rest of the lineup have allowed Poile to overpay for reliable centers and that is a team-building model that anyone can get behind.

New Jersey Devils: Corey Schneider – four years, $24MM remaining

The easy answer is that the Devils don’t feel any pressure to trade anyone on the roster. They currently have the lowest payroll in the league with nearly every player signed to a fair deal. Those who are overpriced – Travis Zajac and Andy Greene – play important leadership role and the only player signed to a substantially long-term deal is electric young blue liner Damon Severson. The one and only player that sticks out as a potential long-term cap problem is starting goaltender Corey Schneider. This may surprises some; after all Schneider trails only Tuukka Rask among active save percentage leaders. Schneider had been elite since arriving in New Jersey, but something started to change in 2016-17. His SV% fell to .908 and his GAA inflated to 2.82 and then things only got worse last season with a SV% of .907 and a GAA of 2.93. He was also limited to just 40 appearances this year and was outplayed by journeyman Keith Kinkaid. The Devils can’t count on Kinkaid to repeat his 2017-18 performance moving forward and if Schneider’s back-to-back bad years are more than a fluke, they can’t depend on him for four more years either. He’s not going to be a $6MM backup either. New Jersey will give Schneider the time he needs to return to form, but they may not hesitate if the right trade comes their way as well.

New York Islanders: Andrew Ladd – five years, $27.5MM remaining

The Islanders without John Tavares are a totally different animal. A six-year, $30MM extension for Josh Bailey now looks bad. A $5.75MM cap hit this season for free agents Leo Komarov and Valtteri Filppula signed to make up for Tavares’ lost production looks bad. The likes of Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas, and Matt Martin now look worse on a team that needs more offense and less grit. However, the one contract that looked miserable well before Tavares bolted to Toronto is Andrew Ladd and it is only going to get much worse. The veteran forward was intended to find chemistry with Tavares when he was signed to a seven-year, $38.5MM contract two years ago. Instead, Ladd has just 60 points over the past two seasons combined and has by all accounts been relegated to a bottom-six role. The 32-year-old will now be asked to take a bigger role in Tavares’ stead and that is a scary proposition. The Islanders aren’t in any cap trouble, but the team should be thinking rebuild and would likely take any offer at all to rid themselves of Ladd.

New York Rangers: Brendan Smith – three years, $13.05MM remaining

Has any free agent contract in recent memory soured as quickly as Brendan Smith’s? Smith signed a four-year deal with the Rangers last June and was expected to play a top-four role for the team for years to come. By February, he had been placed on waivers and buried in the AHL. Smith played in only 44 games with New York and saw less and less ice time as the season wore on and he continued to turn the puck over at an alarming rate and cost his team goals. Now what? One would assume that Smith will be given a second chance this season, but the relationship between he and the team may be beyond repair. There is no doubt that the Rangers would take a re-do on that deal and would move him if possible. Marc Staal is another player that New York wouldn’t mind moving, but as a player who can eat minutes and provide solid play most of the time, his $5.7MM contract seems like nothing next to Smith’s $4.35MM deal.

Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan – four years, $29MM remaining

No contract in the league has become as notorious for being labeled a “bad deal” that the team is desperate to trade like Bobby Ryan’s. The Senators are so determined to move on from Ryan that they are trying to force Erik Karlsson trade suitors to take the overpaid forward as well. At one point in time, $7.25MM per year for Ryan seemed like a fair deal. At 23 years old he was a 71-point player with the Anaheim Ducks and even after moving to Ottawa, Ryan started his tenure with three straight seasons in the 50-point range. However, the last two years have been very different. Ryan has only suited up for 62 games in each campaign and has looked like a different player on offense. At his best, he looks disinterested and lucky to be in the right place at the right time and at his worst he costs his team goals. Ryan has managed to register only 58 points combined over the past two years; he had 56 alone in 2015-16. Ryan may just need a change of scenery to jump start what used to be dynamic goal-scoring game, but the Senators don’t care about that. All he is to them is a waste of cap space and of owner Eugene Melnyk’s dwindling wealth. They want him gone at any cost.

Look out for Part III of this three-part series early next week…

 

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