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Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Three Players

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The Anaheim Ducks have reached new contracts with three of their restricted free agents, signing Kalle Kossila, Kevin Roy and Andy Welinski to one-year two-way contracts. Eric Stephens of The Athletic has the financial breakdown of each contract:

  • Kossila: $650K NHL/$125K AHL
  • Welinski: $690K NHL/$125K AHL
  • Roy: $874K NHL/$70K AHL

It’s fitting that these three were announced at the same time, given how similar each of their circumstances are. All three are now 25 years old—in fact were all born within a six week span in 1993—and split last season between the minor leagues and NHL, with only Kossila having made his debut in a previous year. Roy was up for the longest period, suiting up for 25 games and recording seven points including six goals. The trio though were the life blood of the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, registering a combined 125 points on the year.

While they may each play some in the NHL this year, there isn’t a guaranteed role for any of them. Kossila may have the best chance given his experience at center and the still cloudy situation regarding Ryan Kesler, but none should expect to play a full season with the Ducks. Instead, they all represent valuable depth for a club that is expecting to compete once again.

Each of the three failed to qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer given that they have just two professional seasons under their belts, but all three are headed for that status next offseason. If any of them fail to reach a total of 80 games played in the NHL by the end of the year, they’ll be able to choose their next destination from the free agent market.

Adam Henrique Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Anaheim Ducks acquired Adam Henrique last season to give them some more versatility and scoring punch up front, and now it looks like he’ll be around for the long haul. Henrique has signed a five-year extension with the Ducks, that will keep him in Anaheim through the 2023-24 season. The new deal carries an average annual value of $5.825MM, but Henrique has one year remaining on his current contract which will pay him $5.5MM ($4MM cap hit) this season. With the extension, the New Jersey Devils will now receive Anaheim’s third-round pick in 2019.

Henrique, 28, fit in incredibly well with the Ducks in the second half of the season, scoring 20 goals and 36 points in just 57 games. Add that to the 14 points he had for the Devils and Henrique posted the third 50-point campaign of his career while giving Anaheim a versatile player that can be moved all over the ice. Amazingly those 20 goals trailed only Rickard Rakell for the team lead (Ondrej Kase also scored 20 on the season) despite his relatively few games played, leading some to wonder what he can do in a full season with the team. Henrique has scored 30 goals in his career once, and will now be relied upon for that kind of production going forward. Earning nearly $6MM per season puts him behind only Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler among the team’s forwards, and the deal falls in between contracts for players like Kyle Turris ($6MM for six years) and James Neal ($5.75MM for five years).

Where Henrique will be used most often for the Ducks is unclear at this point. Though he does have experience on the wing in his career and was used there at times for the Ducks, the majority of Henrique’s time in the NHL has been spent at center. With the future for Kesler still up in the air given his recent injury troubles, there will likely be a hole in the middle for Anaheim this season that Henrique will be asked to fill. Rakell, also once considered a center, has found so much success on the wing the past few years that he likely won’t be asked to move back, leaving second line duties to the former Devils forward.

Henrique was also given time on both the powerplay and penalty kill last season, which is likely to continue given his role and new contract. He’ll be asked to be a key member on a squad that is continually trying to contend for the Stanley Cup, and could even be tasked with going head-to-head with the opponent’s best forward line depending on whether or not Kesler is healthy enough to continue his career. With Antoine Vermette also out of the picture there are big defensive responsibilities up for grabs in Anaheim, something that Henrique has shown himself capable of in the past. Unfortunately he doesn’t come with the same faceoff skill, but few come close to matching Vermette in that category.

It is somewhat curious that the Ducks would agree to such an expensive contract extension so quickly, given that they have huge question marks about their financial structure going forward. Brandon Montour, Nick Ritchie and Kase all remain unsigned for next season as restricted free agents, while John Gibson and Jakob Silfverberg will need expensive extensions before the start of 2019-20. Anaheim is already relatively tight to the salary cap this summer with just $9.5MM to spread out among their three RFAs, and could find themselves in a bind next year now that Henrique is taking up a big chunk. The outlook isn’t dire, but a $5.825MM cap hit for Henrique doesn’t give a lot of room for excess value and in fact brings some serious risk given he’ll turn 30 during the contract’s first season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ducks Re-Sign Kevin Roy To One-Year Deal

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The Ducks have locked up one of their remaining restricted free agents.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Anaheim has signed winger Kevin Roy to a one-year, two-way deal.  He notes that the contract will pay $874K at the NHL level which suggests that Roy accepted his qualifying offer.

Roy split last season between Anaheim and their AHL affiliate in San Diego.  In 25 games with the Ducks, the 25-year-old picked up six goals and an assist while averaging 13:37 per night in playing time.  He was much more productive at the minor league level, collecting 14 goals and 23 assists in 45 contests, ranking fourth on the team in scoring despite missing over 20 games while being on recall.

Roy will likely be given a chance to battle for an end-of-roster spot with Anaheim in training camp but if he doesn’t make it, he will have to pass through waivers to get back to the AHL.

With the signing, the Ducks now have five remaining restricted free agents – defensemen Brandon Montour and Andy Welinski plus center Kalle Kossila and wingers Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie.

Former NHL Goalie Ray Emery Passes Away At Age 35

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Former NHL goaltender Ray Emery was found dead this morning at the age of 35, according to Hamilton Police. The long-time goaltender drowned in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton police said Emery was reported missing early this morning and was identified as a victim of a swimming accident.

Emery played parts of 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks between 2003 and 2015. He played five season for the Senators and even helped take them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007. He eventually won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 as a backup.

“On behalf of the Ottawa Senators, I wish to express my sincere condolences on the passing of Ray Emery,” owner Eugene Melnyk said in a statement. “Ray was instrumental in our run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, and at his best he brought a competitive edge and combative mentality to the game. On behalf of our entire organization, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Ray’s family, friends and loved ones.”

A fourth-round pick back in 2001, Emery played in 287 NHL games, posting career numbers of a 2.70 GAA and a .906 save percentage. His best season was the year he took the Senators to the finals as he played in a career-high 58 games that season, putting up a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He and Corey Crawford also won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2013 while with the Blackhawks, given to the goaltender or goaltenders who allowed the fewest goals in one season.

Pro Hockey Rumors joins in with the rest of the hockey world with thoughts for the Emery family during this difficult time.

Pacific Notes: Kovalchuk, Kings, Canucks, Ducks

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Los Angeles Kings free agent signee Ilya Kovalchuk finally spoke to the media today after agreeing to sign a three-year, $18.75MM deal with the Kings on June 23. The 35-year-old superstar has now spent the past five years in the KHL, putting up some great numbers and has made it clear that he believes that despite his age, he has three or four good years left in him, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen.

The winger said one of his main reasons for choosing the Kings was because he wanted to play next to a high-end center like Anze Kopitar. Kovalchuk could be a perfect complement to Kopitar. The 35-year-old has been playing some of the best hockey of his career, posting 63 goals in his last two KHL seasons as well as winning MVP for Team Russia in the Olympics this past year.

Kovalchuk also believes he is young for 35, but declined to say that he could put up a 30-goal season next season, according to Helene St. James of the Los Angeles Times. Kovalchuk last posted a 30-goal season in the NHL back in the 2011-12 season when he scored 37.

  • Sticking with the Kings, Lisa Dillman of The Athletic (subscription required) does a Q&A with head coach John Stevens, who says that the Kings had no choice, but to place more responsibility on young players on their defense. The team has five veterans to hold down the core of the defense in Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez, Dion Phaneuf and Derek Forbort. However, the team will have to rely on younger players, like Paul Ladue, Daniel Brickley and Kurtis MacDermid to fill out the rest of the roster. “There comes a point in time especially with the [salary] cap where you’ve got so many young guys. You have to make decisions,” Stevens said.
  • Jason Brough of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that after assessing the offseason in which the team spent money on multiple bottom-six forwards, the Vancouver Canucks are putting all their success next season on the scoring ability of their young prospects. For one, the team lost three of the team’s top five scorers and now besides Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, the team will need to get increased scoring output from other forwards, including Elias Pettersson, Sven Baertschi, Nikolay Goldobin, Brendan Leipsic and Jake Virtanen. If they can’t make up for that offense, it should be another long season.
  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the Anaheim Ducks salary cap situation now and in one year from now to see if it will improve. Unfortunately the Ducks will not have much in terms of bad contracts that will come off the books in a year and the team will have to deal with other salary cap challenges instead. The team must deal with the cost of bringing back forwards Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, who will be unrestricted free agents as well as goaltender John Gibson, who will be a restricted free agent.

 

Chase De Leo Signs With Anaheim Ducks

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CapFriendly is at it again, this time breaking the news that Chase De Leo has re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks. De Leo has agreed to a one-year two-way contract that will pay him just $650K at the NHL level. The 22-year old forward was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets just last month, in exchange for Nicolas Kerdiles.

De Leo was originally selected in the fourth round in 2014, but has proven himself to be an excellent minor league player with the Manitoba Moose. Scoring at least 32 points in each of the last three seasons, it was clear he wasn’t going to leapfrog over the glut of talented young forwards in the Winnipeg system, and would likely be a minor league player for much of his career. Things could potentially be a bit different in Anaheim, where they aren’t nearly as deep up front and especially at the center ice position.

Should the Ducks deal with injuries at the NHL level—something very possible when dealing with Ryan Kesler—there’s a chance that De Leo could get into a few games as a depth option. Unfortunately he is waiver eligible now, so even to be assigned to the minor leagues at the end of camp he’ll have to clear. That actually could hurt his chances of being an injury replacement depending on the circumstances, but we’ll have to wait to find out. Even if he doesn’t see the NHL this season, the San Diego Gulls will be happy to have him in the AHL.

Snapshots: Ducks, Arbitration, Panarin

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The Anaheim Ducks will retire two numbers this season, honoring Paul Kariya’s #9 and Scott Niedermayer’s #27 at two different ceremonies. Both players have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame following outstanding playing careers, and were huge parts of a franchise that has had quite a bit of success over its first 25 years in existence.

Kariya, the team’s very first draft pick, recorded 669 points in 606 games for the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and was named captain just a few years into his career. His dynamic offensive skill and speed brought the team international attention, and when paired with Teemu Selanne formed one of the most exciting young duos to watch in the NHL. He won just about everything he could in his career except for a Stanley Cup, including Olympic, World Junior and World Championship gold medals, an NCAA title and a pair of Lady Byng trophies.

Niedermayer had a different path to success in Anaheim, coming as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2005. The superstar defenseman brought championship experience to the Ducks, and quickly led them to a Stanley Cup of their own in 2007. That was the team’s first and only NHL championship, and Niedermayer’s Conn Smythe-winning performance was good enough to cement him in their history forever. Another three seasons at an elite level only confirmed his designation as one of the greatest players to ever suit up in Anaheim.

  • A few arbitration dates have already been set, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Mathew Dumba and Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild have hearings on July 23 and 28th respectively. Members of the Washington Capitals will also be in Toronto on one of those days, as Liam O’Brien has a hearing set for the 23rd. It’s important to note that teams can sign these players to contracts at any time before an arbitrator actually makes a decision, and only a few (if any) of those who filed for player-elected salary arbitration will even make it that far. For Zucker, an arbitrator could only grant a one-year contract since the Minnesota forward is already 26 and is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019.
  • Rumors have been swirling for some time about the status of Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Artemi Panarin, given that he isn’t willing to open negotiations with the team regarding his upcoming free agency. Panarin is scheduled to hit the open market next summer, and agent Dan Milstein spoke with The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) to make it clear that his client holds no grudge or animosity towards his current team. Quite the contrary, Milstein explains that the Blue Jackets have been an outstanding organization for Panarin, but that the 26-year old forward simply hasn’t make a decision on his future. Panarin is one of the league’s very best offensive talents, but the Blue Jackets would have to consider trading him if there is a clear indication that he won’t entertain a long-term extension at some point.

Pacific Notes: Lucic, Valamaki, Steel

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After a disappointing season a year ago, Edmonton Oilers’ fans have taken their anger on high-priced winger Milan Lucic. After all, the 6-foot-3, 234-pound bruising winger was signed not only to protect their elite players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but also to produce goals on the wing. That’s why the team signed him to a seven-year, $42MM deal back in 2016.

While Lucic showed the deal was a promising one after the first season when he tallied 23 goals and 50 points, he made the contract look like a disaster after last season when he managed just 10 goals and 34 points. Suddenly with five years remaining at $6MM AAV, and Lucic looking slower than he ever has, rumors have been flying about how Edmonton must get out of the deal which is suddenly weighing down the Oilers team and salary cap.

However, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal confirms rumors that Edmonton Oilers have no intention of moving him this offseason. The key problem is that no trade would be likely as few teams would be willing to take on that contract and if they did, it might cost Edmonton even more to dump it. However, Staples adds that what the Oilers need to do is have him settle into a lesser role with lesser expectations and allow him to produce a 35 to 40-point season and along with his defensive abilities as well as his physicality, teams will eventually call on him.

  • With the Calgary Flames having their development camp this weekend, Darren Haynes of the Canadian Press reports that the standout prospect so far has been 2017 first-round pick Jusso Valimaki. The 16th overall pick has been a force around the other prospects and Haynes speculates the 6-foot-2, 204-pound defenseman might make things interesting in September for the Flames. Valamaki posted 14 goals and 45 points in 44 games last year for Tri-City of the WHL, but showed his mettle in the playoffs when he put up four goals and 17 points in just 12 games.
  • Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) writes a profile on the Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Steel, who has a legitimate chance to crack the Ducks’ opening day lineup this year, especially with recent question marks surrounding the availability of veteran Ryan Kesler. Steel, who won the WHL Player of the Year award after the 2016-17 season when he scored 50 goals and 131 points, failed to duplicate his success last year when he returned to the Regina Pats last season. Regardless, the 20-year-old has been focusing this summer on getting more explosion on his first step. Steel, whose junior career is now over, will either be with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL or he will be a rookie in the NHL.

Poll: What Kind Of Extension Is Predators’ Ryan Ellis Worth?

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With top defensemen getting locked up to big, long-term deals everywhere, one only has to look around the league to see who is next. The most obvious target would be Nashville’s Ryan Ellis, who will be wrapping up the final year of his five-year, $12.5MM deal. Ellis, who is one of the core of Nashville’s talented back end, is one of the most underpaid blueliners in the league at $2.5MM AAV, should be in line for a great extension. After all, many of his defensive teammates are already well-paid, including P.K. Subban ($9MM for four more years), Roman Josi ($4MM for two more years), and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM for four more years).

Nashville claims that locking up the 27 year old is the team’s top priority this offseason. Yet little has happened. However, how much is he worth, asks Adam Vingan of the Tennessean? While two of the most significant extensions went to Los Angeles’ Kings Drew Doughty (eight years, $11MM AAV) and Arizona Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson (eight years, $8.25MM AAV), Ellis likely doesn’t fit into that category. Therefore, Vingan writes that Nashville must compare Ellis’ play with several other tiers of defenseman that have recently signed new deals. The most likely comparables for Ellis will come down to the recent contracts signed by Washington Capitals’ John Carlson (eight years, $8MM AAV) and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh (eight years, $6.75MM AAV). However is he as good as those two?

The next tier would be contracts handed out a few years ago that could compare, such as Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang (eight years, $7.25MM AAV), Erik Johnson (seven years, $6MM AAV) and Anaheim Ducks’ Cam Fowler (eight years, $6.5MM AAV). Ellis’ stats are challenging to look when attempting to compare to any of those defensemen. Offensively, he’s never put up 40 points in a season yet, coming close once with 38 points (16 of those were goals). However, after missing the first half of this past season after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, Ellis’ stats took a jump when he put up 32 points in 44 games, suggesting that his offense is starting to emerge. With his defense never under question, the Predators must come up with a number soon.

So what range should Ellis fall into?

How much should Nashville defenseman get on his next contract?
$6-8MM per year 54.71% (598 votes)
Less than $6MM per year 39.71% (434 votes)
More than $8MM per year 5.58% (61 votes)
Total Votes: 1,093

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Ducks Hoping To Get Extensions Done With John Gibson And Adam Henrique

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The Ducks haven’t been overly active so far in free agency and that’s probably not going to change.  In his latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Anaheim’s focus at this stage of the summer is to lock up a pair of key players to extensions.  Goalie John Gibson and center Adam Henrique are both entering the final years of their respective contracts and the team clearly wants to lock both up long-term.  Gibson will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer while Henrique will be an unrestricted free agent.

Meanwhile, while the Ducks probably won’t be active in unrestricted free agency the rest of the summer, they still have some work to do with their own players.  Defensemen Brandon Montour and Andy Welinski, as well as wingers Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase, are all in need of new contracts.

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