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Snapshots: Shattenkirk, Miller, Malik

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There appears to have been more interest in Kevin Shattenkirk than most anticipated, making his one-year, $1.75MM pact with the Tampa Bay Lightning all the more interesting. Earlier today, it was reported that the Lightning and the Arizona Coyotes were just two of eleven teams that reached out to Shattenkirk. Now, The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein states that the Anaheim Ducks went so far as to make Shattenkirk a formal, multi-year contract offer. He notes that the Los Angeles Kings also entered the mix. Colleague David Pagnotta adds that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, and Winnipeg Jets were also serious contenders. As for some of the other possible suitors, there was rampant speculation that both the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers would have interest in Shattenkirk. At the end of the day, the veteran puck-mover clearly chose what he felt was his best opportunity to return to form as a high-scoring, dynamic defenseman, playing with the uber-skilled Lightning. There were surely offers for more money and term than what Shattenkirk ended up accepting to go to Tampa, and what remains is to make the most of that gamble by asserting himself as a top option on a crowded blue line and padding his stats before hitting the free agent market again next summer.

  • Despite Shattenkirk’s ties to the city during his collegiate career, it’s safe to assume that the Boston Bruins were not one of the teams interested in his services. The Bruins are having a hard enough time getting their own right-handed defensemen under contract with limited cap space, never mind adding another to the mix. Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo remain unsigned and the team has acknowledged that one or both may miss time during training camp due to to the rigors of difficult negotiations. Barring some magic from GM Don Sweeney and company, Boston will likely have to make a move to free up cap space. While many hope that it would be overpaid and ineffective veteran David Backes leaving town, such a trade would be hard to make and/or would cost the Bruins too much in picks or prospects. NBC Sports’ James O’Brien writes that defenseman Kevan Miller is instead the most likely casualty. Miller is a strong two-way defenseman who can make an impact on any team, when healthy. The problem is that he is not healthy as often as the Bruins have liked, leading them to invest heavily in defensive depth, such as signing John Moore last summer and extending Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton in recent months. The Bruins have the depth to survive next season without Miller, after which he is likely to leave as a free agent anyway. Eliminating Miller’s $2.5MM cap hit may give the team just enough wiggle room to sign McAvoy and Carlo to long-term contracts. Meanwhile, even with so many teams facing salary cap issues, there would be a market for Miller’s services as a year-long rental to play a shutdown role for a contender.
  • NHL scouts will have to travel to the Czech Republic to evaluate one of the 2020 draft class’ top goaltenders in-person this upcoming season. 17-year-old Nick Malik, son of former NHL defenseman Marek Malik, was drafted by the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in this summer’s CHL Import Draft, but will not sign with the club. His Czech junior team, HC Ocelari Trinec, announced today that their starting goaltender will be staying through the 2019-20 season. Malik is considered one of the top handful of goaltenders early on in the 2020 evaluation process, with one scouting source, Future Considerations, naming him their No. 2 goalie and No. 59 overall prospect in their preliminary rankings last month. The Czech keeper, who was actually born in Raleigh, North Carolina while his dad was playing for the Hurricanes, has turned heads with his calm demeanor and lightning reflexes in net and performed very well at the U-17 World Junior Championship last year. Rather than split time with new Greyhounds acquisition Christian Propp, who made 51 appearances for the North Bay Battalion last season, Malik will likely be the undisputed starter for Ocelari and will have the chance to make more appearances in the Czech secondary pro league.

Free Agent Profile: Cam Ward

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Since the unrestricted free agency rush of July 1st subsided, just two NHL goaltenders have been signed off the open market: Anthony Stolarz with the Anaheim Ducks and Jared Coreau with the New York Islanders. That’s two goalie signings in 33 days, making it easily the quietest position of this off-season, despite a major re-shuffling of UFA starters early on and several RFA extensions as well.

Unsurprisingly, several notable names remain available – Scott Darling, Chad Johnson, Mike McKenna, Al Montoya – while Michal Neuvirth has already accepted a PTO. However, one name sticks out above the rest for both his career accomplishments and his meaningful role in 2018-19.

Cam Ward, 35, ventured outside of Carolina last season for the first time in his 14-year NHL career. Ward signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Chicago Blackhawks last summer and proceeded to play a major tole for the team this past season. Dealing with ongoing issues with starter Corey Crawford, Ward ended up playing in 33 games to Crawford’s 39 and Collin Delia’s 16. Although Ward’s .897 save percentage and 3.67 GAA were the worst among the trio, it was only a marginal gap. The Blackhawks struggled defensively and no goalie was safe, as all three finished with a save percentage below .910 and GAA above 2.90.

Still, Ward cannot have been happy with his results last year. A Stanley Cup winner and former All-Star, Ward was rock solid for the Hurricanes for several years. He thrived early on as a workhorse, including a 2010-11 campaign in which he posted a career-high .923 save percentage in a league-best 74 appearances. He then settled nicely into a timeshare role, posting back-to-back seasons with a 2.40 GAA while playing in around 50 games each year from 2014 to 2016. Even as he continued to age and his numbers slipped slightly, no one could have predicted his pedestrian performance last season. It was a sharp decline from his career numbers that could have been an outlier or could be signaling the end of his career.

One thing that is certainly working against Ward finding work this off-season is the now well-established narrative that he does not play well as a backup. Over his career, Ward has played in four seasons, including last year in Chicago, in which he did not make at least half of his team’s starts. In those three seasons combined, Ward is 49-38-13, with a a save percentage of .895 and a GAA of 3.37. In all of his other seasons combined, Ward has a record of 285-218-75, with a save percentage of .911 and a GAA of 2.63. It is extremely clear that Ward does his best work with regular appearances and any team looking to make the most of signing him will want to offer that opportunity. But does such a landing spot exist?

Potential Suitors

The honest answer is that the team likely to sign Ward, if any, isn’t aware of the need just yet. Ward could very well be a veteran option that a team turns to in case of injury or poor performance that can be a temporary starter. While it’s impossible to project injuries, the New York Rangers have a starter who is even older than Ward and have very little depth behind him. A Henrik Lundqvist injury could certainly turn the Blueshirts on to Ward as an option to step in at starter during a season that brings high expectations to New York. The same could be said for the Vegas Golden Knights, whose 34-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury has dealt with injury issues before. Vegas is in better shape with their depth in net and could handle a short absence from Fleury, but without a proven NHL goalie elsewhere on the depth chart, a long-term injury could send them on the hunt for a solution. Despite having both John Gibson and Ryan Miller, the Anaheim Ducks are far from safe when it comes to injury risk and could be an option for Ward if disaster strikes. The Philadelphia Flyers shuffled through goalies like no other team in NHL history last year, so another issue with Brian Elliott could easily have the Flyers intrigued in Ward.

As for teams who risk needing a starter due to poor play, no team jumps out more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s perhaps even fair to call them the most likely landing spot for Ward, as they are sure to go through some bumpy times with their young tandem of former backup Joonas Korpisalo and unproven import Elvis Merzlikins. The team only has more untested foreign talent in the minors as well. The Blue Jackets have ample cap space, so if there was a bidding war for Ward at any point, Columbus would be the favorite to beat out any other team in need of an emergency starter.

If Ward is intent on signing before the season begins though, rather than wait for a need-based market to develop in-season, there are a couple of teams who could still be looking for a backup. Again, that isn’t the ideal role for Ward, but it is one that the respected veteran would likely be willing to try his hand at again. The Florida Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, but 22-year-old Samuel Montembeault is slated to be the primary backup heading into next year. He is waiver-exempt still and could head to the AHL without issue if the team opted to look at a veteran backup. However, this doesn’t seem extremely likely, considering their investment in Bobrovsky, who they likely expect to make 65 starts. In Colorado, the Avalanche seemed hesitant to give last year’s third-string, Pavel Francouz, an extended look despite strong numbers in the NHL and AHL. He is now the likely backup to Philipp Grubauer, who himself is still finding his footing as a true starter. The Avs have almost no depth in net and could look to add another name to the mix in Ward.

Projected Contract

Ward has made at least $3MM in each of the past four seasons and more than $6MM on the contract prior to that. Those days are now over. Regardless of the impact that his role or the team’s defense had on his 2018-19 performance in Chicago, Ward has lost his leverage to command a sizable salary after such a poor season. If he is settling in to a backup role before the season, he will almost certainly land somewhere between $1MM and the league minimum of $700K. If he is signing mid-season to take over as a starter or at least in a timeshare, that number could go up, but not much higher. If Ward feels like he has several years left, he will be looking at this season as an investment in future earnings; he will accept a cheap deal to go to the right place where there is the potential to succeed, so as to hit the market next summer with some more bargaining power. The only question is whether that right fit exists, now or down the road after the season begins. Ward could call it a career if no such opportunities arise by the end of the calendar year.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Anaheim Ducks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Anaheim Ducks

Current Cap Hit: $72,999,758 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Brendan Guhle (one year, $697.5K)
D Jacob Larsson (one year, $894K)
F Sam Steel (two years, $863K)
F Troy Terry (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

Guhle: $132.5K
Terry: $850K

The Ducks have several quality young players at their disposal but not a lot of vacant roster spots to work with so there could very well be a shuffle back and forth between Anaheim and AHL San Diego.

Steel and Terry both spent at least a quarter of last season with the Ducks and figure to get a long look at training camp.  Terry, in particular, should push for a bottom-six role which shouldn’t have him in line for a significantly larger contract a year from now.  Steel has a chance to push for a better spot which could push his price tag higher if he can produce inside the top six with regularity.

On the back end, Larsson spent more than half of last year in Anaheim and if that happens again, he should get a bit of a raise on his next deal even if he does spend some time in the minors still as he’d be pushing 100 games of NHL experience.  Guhle is likely to be in the sixth or seventh role but while it would be his first real extended look in the NHL, that type of role only lends itself towards a one-year deal for next season at a marginal raise.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Michael Del Zotto ($750K, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($950K, UFA)
F Patrick Eaves ($3.15MM, UFA)
F Derek Grant ($750K, UFA)
D Jani Hakanpaa ($850K, UFA)
D Korbinian Holzer ($850K, UFA)
G Ryan Miller ($1.125MM, UFA)
F Devin Shore ($2.3MM, RFA)
F Daniel Sprong ($750K, RFA)

Potential Bonuses

Miller: $1.2MM

There aren’t really any impact players in this group.  Eaves missed almost all of last season due to injury and may not play in 2019-20.  In that case, he’ll be on LTIR and not brought back.  Shore has shown some flashes of offensive upside but with three straight seasons between 29 and 33 points, he shouldn’t be looking at a big raise a year from now.  Deslauriers and Grant are veterans that are earmarked for the fourth line or depth spots and will likely be replaced by prospects at the expiration of their deals (if not sooner).

Similarly, Del Zotto and Holzer are basically placeholders for their prospects.  Both can hold their own on the third pairing but in the event either is retained for 2020-21, it should be at a similar price tag.  They surprisingly gave Hakanpaa a one-way deal despite the fact that the 27-year-old struggled several years ago in the AHL and didn’t exactly dominate in Finland.  However, he’s probably a depth signing as well that can be retained or replaced at that price.  Miller provides the Ducks with a capable veteran presence in the backup role assuming he stays healthy.  At 39, it’s safe to say he’s not in their long-term plans.

Two Years Remaining

F Ryan Getzlaf ($8.25MM, UFA)
F Ondrej Kase ($2.6MM, RFA)
F Nick Ritchie ($1.498MM, RFA)
F Carter Rowney ($1.133MM, UFA)
G Anthony Stolarz ($750K, UFA)

Getzlaf has been Anaheim’s top forward for a long time now and even led them in scoring last season despite missing 15 games.  His days of being a top centre are basically over although that’s likely the role that the 34-year-old will have heading into next season.  It’s certainly quite possible that the Ducks will look to retain Getzlaf when his contract expires but with diminishing returns (and perhaps by then, a lesser role), any new deal would have to come at a considerable pay cut.  He’ll have spent 16 years with the organization by the time his deal is up and the idea of playing his entire career with one team certainly has to be appealing.

Kase battled injury issues last season but was quite productive when he was in the lineup, collecting 20 points in just 30 games.  He’s likely to see a fair bit of top six time next season and if he can continue to produce at that rate, he could be coming close to doubling his current AAV when he hits restricted free agency with arbitration rights.  Ritchie quietly held out until early into last season before signing but the lull didn’t hurt too badly as he set a new career-best in points.  If he can creep closer to the 40-50 point mark, he’ll get a big jump on his $2MM qualifier in 2020-21.  Rowney is a capable fourth liner but will probably be replaced from within when his deal is up while Stolarz appears to be the favorite to succeed Miller as the backup goalie when the veteran retires.  They may be able to afford a more expensive backup two years from now though so he may not be part of the long-term picture either.

Three Years Remaining

F Ryan Kesler ($6.875MM, UFA)
D Hampus Lindholm ($5.206MM, UFA)
D Josh Manson ($4.1MM, UFA)
F Rickard Rakell ($3.789MM, UFA)

Kesler underwent hip surgery back in May and his playing future is very much in question.  He’s not expected to play at all in 2019-20 and will be LTIR-bound but it’s quite possible that he has played his last NHL game.  While Rakell is coming off of a down year, he has already considerably outperformed his contract and should be in the $6MM-$7MM range on his next pact if he can get back to his output from the previous two seasons.

There’s a case to be made that Lindholm is Anaheim’s top all-around blueliner and getting a top pairing player at that price is quite a bargain.  He’ll be 28 and in the prime of his career when he hits the open market so it’s quite possible that he garners something closer to $8MM on his next contract.  Manson is still largely under the radar but has emerged as a capable second-pairing defender.  He showed some flashes of offense back in 2017-18 and will need to do so more consistently if he wants to get into that next tier of salaries.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D Cam Fowler ($6.5MM through 2025-26)
G John Gibson ($6.4MM through 2026-27)
F Adam Henrique ($5.825MM through 2023-24)
F Jakob Silfverberg ($5.25MM through 2023-24)

While Henrique and Silfverberg’s deals can’t be classified as extreme overpays, they’re also far from great value.  Both players have shown flashes of top-six production but have yet to provide it consistently.  Having the two locked up at over $11MM could be tough to navigate when their cap situation gets tighter down the road.

Fowler’s production has never really reached the levels that Anaheim was hoping for but he is nonetheless still a capable top pairing player.  As salaries for top-end blueliners soar, having him locked in at this rate is a bit of a bargain.

The biggest bargain could ultimately be Gibson, however.  He singlehandedly kept the Ducks in it through the first half of last season before fading a bit down the stretch.  Recent contracts for Sergei Bobrovsky ($10MM) and Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5MM) have been for considerably more than Gibson’s AAV despite Gibson being pretty close to being in that tier of netminders.  Over the next few years, he’ll eventually become one of the lower-paid starters in the league.

Buyouts

D Simon Despres ($663K per year payable through 2024-25; cap-exempt per CapFriendly)
F Corey Perry ($2.625MM in 2019-20, $6.625MM in 2020-21, $2MM in 2021-22 and 2022-23)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gibson
Worst Value: Kesler

Looking Ahead

With roughly $8.5MM in cap room for 2019-20 plus the ability to put Kesler and likely Eaves on LTIR, cap space won’t be an issue at all for Anaheim next season.  However, the extra $4MM on Perry’s buyout will hurt their flexibility for the following year.  (Considering their cap space, it’s fair to wonder now if they’d have just been better off keeping Perry for this season and look at a buyout next summer when it wouldn’t have been quite so cap-prohibitive.)

While they don’t have much in the way of expiring contracts coming off the books, there aren’t any prominent players that will need new deals next summer.  Anaheim can simply bring some of their prospects into those spots currently occupied by depth players and perhaps even save a bit of cap room in the process.  Kase and Ritchie should be more expensive two years from now but Getzlaf’s expiring deal should give them some extra wiggle room there.

For years, Anaheim’s cap situation has been a bit of a juggling act.  All of a sudden, they actually have a little bit of stability in that regard.  They’re far from being in great shape long-term but they no longer are in a place where they’ll have to cut from their current roster in order to keep other players in the fold.  That’s a good step in the right direction for the Ducks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tampa Bay, Dallas Among Teams Facing Contract Limit Crunch

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are not only up against the NHL’s $81.5MM salary cap upper limit, but also the league’s 50-contract limit. They’re not alone either; in addition to the Bolts, the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Anaheim Ducks each have 48 players already signed to contracts next season as well. Six other teams have 46 or 47 players signed. The closer a club gets to 50, the less roster flexibility they have during the season. When it comes to making trades, claiming players on waivers, or signing college or junior free agents, teams without room can be hamstrung and forced to either pass up on possibilities or make desperation moves to free up roster space. It’s not an ideal situation and could force more than a few teams to make a move or two as the summer wears on.

Tampa Bay is in the worst position of all, as not only do they have just two contract slots available, but they also have two NHL regulars who remain unsigned restricted free agents in need of contracts – Brayden Point and Adam Erne. It’s hard to imagine that the Lightning, who also need to open up considerable cap space, don’t move out a player or two to help clear things up in both regards. One other possible saving grace could be sending 2019 first-round pick Nolan Foote or fellow prospect forward Gabriel Fortier back to their respective junior teams. Even if under contract, 18- and 19-year-old junior players who are still slide-eligible do not count against the 50-contract limit once returned to the junior level. If Foote and/or Fortier don’t crack the Tampa lineup, they would additionally clear up some room. A surefire contender, who also could use some affordable support where they can get it, the Bolts will definitely be a player on the trade and waiver markets this upcoming season, assuming they have the means to do so.

Dallas is in a similarly difficult situation. With just two contract slots available, the Stars need to re-sign (or do something with) defenseman Julius Honka. If the team signs Honka or trades him for another signed player or prospect, they are down to just one open space. Fortunately, unsigned RFA Niklas Hansson is expected to spend the season in Sweden and will not need a contract to become Dallas’ 50th man. Junior forwards Ty Dellandrea and Riley Damiani would also no longer count against the contract limit if sent back to their respective teams, although many in Dallas would like to see Dellandrea push for a spot on the roster.

L.A. has just one unsigned RFA remaining, promising forward Adrian Kempe, so they aren’t in danger to hit 50 at this time. The Kings also have a number of young players under contract who will battle for roster spots, which could force Akil Thomas back to juniors for one more year, removing his contract from the mix. L.A. has been a highly active team on the college free agent market of late and will want some contract room later in the season for potential additions.

Similarly, Ottawa has just Colin White left to sign, so barring further additions are not at risk of hitting 50 contracts. However, the Senators are just narrowly over the league’s salary cap floor, which could prompt them to add another contract so that they don’t have to risk falling below the floor during the year due to a trade. Right now, only Jonathan Gruden is a candidate to go back to junior and remove his contract from limit calculations, so if Ottawa does make another addition, they’ll likely look to make a subtraction or two as well to remain flexible in-season.

The final team at 48 contracts is the Ducks. Fortunately for them, Anaheim has no one left to sign and by all accounts are not looking to make any other moves this off-season. They should be safe, but may look to move a contract just in case the opportunities present themselves to add on during the season.

One team who isn’t at all worried about the contract limit: the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey currently has just 39 players under contract, third least behind Carolina and Winnipeg, but also have just two unsigned RFA’s in need of contracts while the Hurricanes and Jets each have a handful. The Devils project to enter the season with the fewest players under contract, as well the smallest payroll other than Ottawa. That could change though, as the team continues to be included in rumors pertaining to many of the top unsigned UFA’s and top trade targets this summer.

Pacific Notes: Lucic, Russell, Turcotte, Eaves

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The Calgary Flames had already lost one potential trade acquisition a couple weeks ago when they were had completed a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nazem Kadri only to see the veteran center refuse to waive his no-trade clause and reject the trade. That option could have been in front of Calgary a second time Friday as Milan Lucic seriously considered refusing to waive his no-movement clause, but a conversation with an old friend, Jarome Iginla, changed his mind.

“I had a really good talk with Jarome,” Lucic told the Flames website (via NHL.com). “He told me what a great hockey town Calgary is, how much the people are behind the Flames. It’s a fan base that loves seeing effort. They obviously want to win, but regardless, they love the heart-and-soul guys, the guys who give their all, who don’t compromise, which I like to think speaks to the way I play.”

Lucic and Iginla played together for one season with the Boston Bruins back in the 2013-14 season and spent a lot of time together that years as linemates. After the discussion with Iginla, Lucic agreed to the waive his no-movement clause and the deal commenced in which the Oilers swapped James Neal and a conditional third-rounder to round out the deal.

  • Now that the Edmonton Oilers have successfully rid themselves of Milan Lucic’s contract, many fans have focused their attention on the team’s defense, with the belief that general manager Ken Holland must target the contract of Kris Russell, who has two years remaining at $4MM AAV and has proven he’s not a top-four defenseman. However, Edmonton Journal’s David Staples writes that the team might be better off holding onto Russell, unless they can add a top-six forward in a deal for him, which seems unlikely. Russell has proven to a be a defensively sound blueliner and at least should provide solid play on the third line, who might be able to hold his own if an injury occurs.
  • In a mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman (subscription required) writes that anyone hoping that Los Angeles Kings 2019 draft pick Alex Turcotte (the fifth overall pick) might break training camp with the team, will be disappointed. The team has a plan already in place in which Turcotte, who many had positioned as the best player in the draft after Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, will play one season for Tony Granato and the University of Wisconsin and will not even be at training camp in September.
  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Anaheim Ducks future looks better next season as the team should have just a few of their own free agents to deal with and even fewer contracts of significance. They will have a handful of restricted free agents, including Brendan Guhle and Troy Terry, but unless either has a breakout season, there is little for the team to worry about. The team’s biggest free agent will be veteran Patrick Eaves, who has played just nine games over two seasons as he has dealt with health problems since being acquired. The scribe writes the team would be extremely unlikely to bring the 35-year-old back and that free space should give the team about $19-20MM in available cap space next summer.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Three Players

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The Anaheim Ducks have added some depth, signing Chris Wideman and Justin Kloos to one-year, two-way contracts. Both players will earn $700K at the NHL level according to John Hoven, though Wideman will earn considerably more at the minor league level. The team has also officially announced the one-way contract for Michael Del Zotto, which was reported earlier this month to be worth $750K.

Wideman, 29, will try to get his career back on track after it almost completely disappeared last season. Starting the year with the Ottawa Senators where he had played for several years, he ended up traded to the Edmonton Oilers in November, flipped to the Florida Panthers just eight days later, put on waivers after another week and sent down immediately. He would be traded again to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline, but ended up playing just three games for their AHL club. In all, he suited up 25 times at the NHL level and 19 in the AHL during a tumultuous year. The offensive-minded defenseman will have to rebuild his value with the San Diego Gulls and show that he can still compete and help a team reach the postseason.

Kloos, 25, is coming back to the Gulls after having done just that. The undrafted forward from the University of Minnesota was a key factor for San Diego after a trade brought him there in exchange for Pontus Aberg. He scored 15 points in 25 games down the stretch for the Gulls before adding another nine in the Calder Cup playoffs. The versatile forward will try to help San Diego get back there while also having his eye on a Ducks roster that might need help up front at some point. In two career games, Kloos has still yet to record his first NHL point.

Unlike the first two, Del Zotto has likely been brought back as depth for the NHL club. The Ducks had an obvious hole on the blueline with just four players signed to one-way contracts, and even if some of their young players take steps towards becoming full-time options the team will still need some veteran experience like Del Zotto. The 29-year old has seen just about everything in the NHL to this point, suiting up for the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Ducks and most recently the St. Louis Blues over a 608-game career. Once considered a premiere young offensive defenseman, he’ll now just try to hold on with a very inexpensive contract.

Anaheim Ducks Hire Kevin Dineen As AHL Coach

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The Anaheim Ducks recently promoted their AHL head coach Dallas Eakins to the NHL, leaving a vacancy behind the bench for the San Diego Gulls. That vacancy has been filled today with the announcement of Kevin Dineen as the team’s next head coach. GM Bob Murray released a short statement on the hiring:

Kevin brings more than 30 years of valuable experience as a player and coach in professional hockey. We are committed to continue a winning tradition in San Diego, and Kevin will help the organization achieve those goals.

Dineen, 55, played 19 seasons in the NHL and amassed 760 points in 1,188 regular season games. A two-time 40-goal scorer, he was also a strong defensive forward that would never back down from a physical engagement—he recorded 2,229 penalty minutes over his long playing career. Immediately joining the Columbus Blue Jackets front office after his retirement, Dineen was quickly promoted to assistant general manager before eventually taking on the head coaching job for the Portland Pirates of the AHL.

After spending several years in the minor league coaching ranks, Dineen was given his first chance at the NHL level when he was hired as head coach of the FLorida Panthers in 2011. He led the Panthers to a 38-26-18 record and their first playoff appearance in more than a decade in his first season with the team, but things didn’t go so smoothly in the following year and just 17 games into his third season he was fired. Dineen would end up coaching the Canadian women’s team at the 2014 Olympics, winning gold.

He had served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks for the last several seasons, but was fired along with head coach Joel Quenneville last November.

Ducks Avoid Arbitration With Chase De Leo

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The Ducks have avoided salary arbitration with center Chase De Leo.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim has signed him a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay him $750K in the NHL, $100K in the AHL, and contains a guaranteed salary of $130K.

Anaheim acquired the 23-year-old just before last year’s free agent period opened up in a trade with Winnipeg.  The change of scenery certainly helped De Leo as he posted career highs across the board with AHL San Diego, collecting 20 goals and 35 assists in 66 games.  His performance was good enough to earn him a brief recall to the Ducks, his first NHL action in three years.

With the recent re-signing of center Derek Grant and the addition of winger Nicolas Deslauriers last month, there doesn’t appear to be much of an opening for De Leo to make a case for a full-time spot with Anaheim in 2019-20.  However, another strong showing with the Gulls should have him in the mix for another recall at some point next season.

Ducks Sign Michael Del Zotto

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Michael Del Zotto is on his way back to Anaheim.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the defenseman has signed a one-year, $750K contract with the Ducks.  The deal represents a significant pay cut as he made $3MM in each of the last two seasons.

Del Zotto saw action with three different teams last season.  He started with Vancouver but after being in and out of the lineup, he was traded to Anaheim in January.  While he played more of a regular role with the Ducks, he was only with them for a little more than a month.  With Anaheim selling down the stretch, he was sent to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick at the trade deadline where he was a healthy scratch for a considerable amount of time including the entire postseason.  Overall, he suited up in 42 games, recording a goal and nine assists while logging 17:02 per night of playing time.

While that’s a significant step back offensively considering he has surpassed the 30-point mark three times in his career already, the 29-year-old is still a good enough puck mover to potentially be useful on a third pairing.  Clearly, Anaheim GM Bob Murray liked what he saw from Del Zotto in his brief stint with Anaheim and now he’ll get an opportunity to lock down a regular role with them for 2019-20.  With only three full-time NHL players signed on their back end at the moment, he should have a good chance of suiting up when the puck drops in October.

Ducks Sign Andreas Martinsen

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The Ducks have added some depth and grit on the wing.  They announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Andreas Martinsen to a one-year, two-way contract.  Eric Stephens of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the deal is worth $750K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.

The 29-year-old split last season between Chicago and their AHL affiliate in Rockford.  In 24 games with the Blackhawks in the first half of the year, he had a goal and three assists while chipping in with 83 hits; his 3.46 hit per game average was in the top ten league-wide among players with at least 20 games played.  Meanwhile, with the IceHogs, he had a bit more of an offensive impact with three goals and eight helpers in 38 games.

Martinsen has a total of 152 NHL games under his belt between Colorado, Montreal, and Chicago.  It’s likely that he will start next season in the minors and having cleared waivers at some point in each of the last two seasons, he will probably once again pass through unclaimed.  However, as someone that can hold his own on the fourth line when needed, he should see some action with Anaheim at some point in 2019-20.

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