Korbinian Holzer Signs With Automobilist Yekaterinburg
Defenseman Korbinian Holzer is done with waiting for the NHL free agent market to heat back up. In an in-depth interview with Eishockey News in his native Germany, Holzer reveals that he has signed a contract for the remainder of the 2020-21 season with Automobilist Yekaterunburg of the KHL. He also discusses training in Germany and what it would take to get him back to North America.
Holzer, 32, is a big, physical defenseman who has made a career in the NHL of being a reliable depth option. In fact, he actually set a career high in games played this past season, combining for 49 games between the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators. His previous high was just 34 games, but he has played in at least 16 NHL games in seven of the past eight seasons. He has always been an effective plug-and-play option who can be relied on for decent minutes, a penalty kill role, and a lot of hits.
However, in the flat cap market, a career depth player has no guarantees. Holzer states that there has been some interest from NHL teams, but nothing concrete. He says that teams are “very cautious” of using up cap space. Rather than wait and hope, Holzer has decided to move on. After a career high in NHL games, as well as over 16 minutes per game for a second straight season, Holzer’s priority at this point in his career is to have a core role and guaranteed ice time. It sounds as though he will require an NHL offer with those parameters in order to make a return.
Automobilist seems to have met those demands. The KHL club, who currently sits in fourth overall in the league standings and fourth in the Eastern Conference, is billed as a “top team” by Holzer. His soon-to-be teammates include former NHL great Pavel Datsyuk, former Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Peter Holland, and fellow countryman Brooks Macek. The team is also coached by an established NHL mind in Bill Peters. One thing that Yekaterinburg lacks is a top defenseman, with only former NHLer Nikita Tryamkin standing out. Holzer should indeed step into a major role with the club and could find himself as a top defenseman in Europe for several years if he chooses to stick with that path to continue his career.
Holzer is set to join Automobilist on November 12. In the meantime, he will finish fulfilling his obligations to Tolzer Lowen, his hometown team who plays in Germany’s tier two league, the DEL2. Holzer has been skating with the team and participating in exhibition games, but will now join the club officially for an upcoming preseason tournament. After that, he will make the trip to Yekaterinburg to begin the next stage of his career.
Ducks To Loan Jacob Larsson To Sweden
The Ducks are nearing an agreement to loan defenseman Jacob Larsson to Kristianstads IK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden, per a report from Kristianstadsbladet. SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson adds that the loan is agreed upon and the 23-year-old is expected to suit up on Saturday. The agreement will last until NHL training camps begin.
Larsson spent the majority of last season in Anaheim as he got into 60 games with the Ducks, managing two goals and five assists in a third pairing role while averaging a little over 16 minutes a night. It was the second straight year he spent more time in the NHL than in the minors as he suited up in 49 contests with Anaheim in 2018-19.
That helped earn Larsson a two-year, one-way deal in August that carries an AAV of $1.2MM and basically solidifies himself a full-time spot on the roster, especially since he’s waiver-eligible now. In the meantime, this loan will give him a chance to get in some much-needed game action as Anaheim was one of the teams that didn’t return to action this summer and give him some momentum heading into training camp.
Ducks Sign Maxim Golod
Oct 14: Anaheim has officially announced the contract for Golod.
Oct 11: The Ducks have dipped their toes into a different type of UFA waters as John Hoven of Mayors Manor reports (Twitter link) that they signed undrafted free agent Maxim Golod to a three-year, entry-level contract. CapFriendly notes that the deal, which carries an AAV of just over $793K, does not contain any performance bonuses and carries an AHL salary of $55K each year.
The 20-year-old spent the last three seasons with Erie of the OHL and made a big jump offensively in 2019-20. After combining for 68 points over his first two years with the Otters, he potted 25 goals and 53 assists in 63 games to lead the team in scoring.
Golod isn’t expected to contend for a roster spot with Anaheim in training camp as he’ll need to spend some time at the minor league level with AHL San Diego. If he can show that his offensive boost last season was a sign of things to come, he could be an interesting project down the road for the Ducks.
Ducks Sign Three Players
Overnight and early this morning, the Ducks have been busy adding some depth. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed defenseman Andy Welinski while PuckPedia adds (Twitter links) that they’ve also inked center Vinni Lettieri to a one-year pact and re-signed center Andrew Poturalski to a one-year pact.
Welinski returns to an organization that he has plenty of familiarity with having spent parts of four seasons with Anaheim in their system before signing with the Flyers as a free agent last summer. However, he only played with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, recording 21 points (8-13-21) in 42 games. The 27-year-old has 33 career games of NHL experience with Anaheim and will carry a cap hit of $750K.
As for Lettieri, he spent the last four years in the Rangers’ system and is coming off a strong performance with AHL Hartford last season where he had 25 goals and 22 assists in 61 games to lead the Wolf Pack in scoring. Despite that, he didn’t receive a recall to New York although he has 46 games of NHL experience under his belt from previous years. The 25-year-old will get $750K in the NHL and $425K in the minors.
Poturalski, meanwhile, had an injury-riddled first season in Anaheim’s system after coming over from Carolina last summer as he was limited to just 17 games with AHL San Diego where he had two goals and five assists. He was a top-end producer at that level in 2018-19 when he finished fifth in AHL scoring. The 26-year-old gets $700K in the NHL and $350K in the minors with a total guarantee on the deal of $425K.
Kevin Shattenkirk Signs With Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks were interested in Kevin Shattenkirk last summer when he was originally bought out by the New York Rangers. Shattenkirk instead opted to join a contender to repair his image and did that and more with the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. A year later, the Ducks now get their man. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the two sides have agreed on a three-year deal with a $3.9MM AAV.
Shattenkirk, 31, did well for himself to turn an ugly exit from New York and a major pay decrease to join Tampa Bay into a new lucrative contract. With 34 points in 70 games, plus 13 points in the playoffs, Shattenkirk looked like his old self. Once considered one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the NHL, Shattenkirk may be inching back toward that label, even as he traverses his thirties.
Unlike when he joined New York, Shattenkirk is not heading to a situation in Anaheim where he is expected to be the No. 1 defenseman on a shallow blue line. He should be able to continue thriving as he did in Tampa when he joins Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and company. The Ducks’ defense corps has lost some considerable talent over the past few years, but are working their way back to becoming an elite unit.
Derek Grant Expected To Sign With Anaheim Ducks
It’s 2020, remember that when you read the next sentence. Derek Grant will sign a contract with the Anaheim Ducks according to Rick Dhaliwal of TSN. This will be the third stint for Grant in Anaheim after signing one-year contracts in 2017 and 2019. This time, Dhaliwal tweets that Grant will get a three-year pact with an average annual value of $1.5MM.
146 of Grant’s 264 career NHL games have been spent in Anaheim, though he seemingly finds himself on the move every year. In 2019-20 he ended up on the Philadelphia Flyers by the end of the season and actually fit in quite well, showing his versatility and adding a little bit of scoring punch to the bottom-six.
A $1.5MM salary doesn’t mean he has to provide more than he has in the past, but Grant has secured a three-year contract for the first time since 2011. That stability will hopefully let him play a full season for one team, though obvious Anaheim hasn’t had a problem trading him in the past.
Anaheim Ducks To Extend Chase De Leo
The Anaheim Ducks have reportedly come to terms on a new contract with forward Chase De Leo. CapFriendly reports that De Leo will sign a one-year, two-way deal with the Ducks at the minimum $700K AV. De Leo is expected to make $140K at the AHL level. A restricted free agent with arbitration rights, De Leo returns to the Ducks for another year without issue.
De Leo, 24, does not look like a threat to take an NHL roster spot at this point in his career. For the second straight season, De Leo played in just one game with the Ducks and failed to record a point. After appearing in two scoreless games with the Winnipeg Jets in his first pro season, De Leo has yet to record his first NHL point in four games.
At the AHL level, De Leo saw a significant drop-off in production this past season. After recording 20 goals and 55 points in 66 games in the minors in 2018-19, De Leo sunk to just ten goals and 25 points this year. Fortunately for him, the Ducks see something in De Leo to keep him around for another season.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Erik Gudbranson
The Ottawa Senators have found one of their cap-floor targets, acquiring Erik Gudbranson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. The veteran defenseman comes with a $4MM cap hit, though is only actually owed $3MM in salary this season, the last on his current contract. Senators GM Pierre Dorion has released a statement on his newest defenseman:
Erik Gudbranson provides another sizable presence to our defence corps. He’s a reliable veteran who plays an intimidating style of game and someone who will add a combination of grit, energy and, most importantly, leadership to our lineup.
The Senators have obviously made a decision that they want to get more physical on defense this season as they continue to push young players into the lineup. After losing Mark Borowiecki to free agency, the team has now added Josh Brown and Gudbranson in the span of a week, giving them two behemoths on the back end. With the team not expected to compete for the playoffs this season, instead using it as a development year for their young core, bringing in an experienced leader like Gudbranson (who also happens to be very willing to stand up for his teammates) makes sense.
It also helps Ottawa get towards the salary cap floor without taking on any long-term money. Gudbranson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and would likely not even cost much to retain at that point. Once one of the most hyped defensive prospects in the world, Gudbranson was picked third behind Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin in the 2010 draft. He was a monstrous player in junior who could skate well and was expected to take a step forward offensively, but never did once he reached the NHL. Now 28, Gudbranson has just 73 career points in 518 games.
Still, this is a nice moment for Gudbranson, who is from Ottawa and will get a chance to embrace his hometown team for the first time in his career. In a year where the scoreboard outcomes don’t matter as much as the on-ice development, he’ll be an easy player for Senators fans to cheer for with his rough style. If he can somehow find the level of play that he flashed during a short period with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019, he could even become a core piece.
For Anaheim, they get out from a bad contract and free up some space to play with in free agency. The team has no restricted free agents left to sign and had previously been right up against the cap. Now, with $4MM out the door, they could potentially get in on someone they believe can make a difference.
Anaheim Ducks Not Expected To Buy Out David Backes
On Friday, the first buyout period for the NHL will open and teams will be able to reduce the cap hit of some unwanted contracts (while paying a chunk of the remaining salary owed.) With the salary cap ceiling flat for next season (and likely several more afterward) this tool may be important to several teams around the league looking to shed payroll. It’s not the magic wand that compliance buyouts were in 2014, but it could still be useful in the right situation.
One player that has drawn some buyout speculation is David Backes of the Anaheim Ducks, who has just one year remaining on his current contract. The Ducks, who are set to cover just $4.5MM of his $6MM cap hit already thanks to the salary that the Boston Bruins retained in trade last year, would receive an additional $1.5MM in cap savings for 2020-21 should they exercise a buyout of the veteran forward. That would be offset by a $750K cap penalty in 2021-22, while the Bruins would also get a small amount of relief next season ($500K, with a $250K cap penalty in 2020-21).
That doesn’t appear to be the plan, however, as Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest reports the Ducks told Backes they intend to keep him for the upcoming season. Backes himself is preparing for the upcoming season already, working with a skating coach twice a week after scoring just a single goal in 22 games.
Though his play has fallen off a cliff, Backes could still represent a valuable veteran presence on a team that is just starting a rebuild. Youth will be dotted all over the Ducks roster next season, and though they appear quite close to the salary cap ceiling, it’s important to remember the flexibility that will be provided by Ryan Kesler‘s contract. Kesler is not expected to play hockey again, meaning his $6.875MM cap hit will be moved to long-term injured reserve.
The Ducks also don’t have any real pressing free agents after already completing deals with Sonny Milano, Troy Terry and Jacob Larsson this summer. Unless they want to pursue high-end unrestricted free agents on the market, they aren’t in desperate need of the $1.5MM in cap savings a Backes buyout would provide.
Ducks Undecided About Bringing Ryan Miller Back
- The Ducks aren’t sure yet about bringing backup goaltender Ryan Miller back for next season, GM Bob Murray told Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription link). The 40-year-old has spent the last three seasons in Anaheim and has been working out with an eye on playing in 2020-21 if it’s the right situation. Miller had a base salary of $1.125MM this season with another $1.2MM in performance bonuses and posted a 3.10 GAA with a .907 SV% in 23 games. Anaheim is quite tight to the Upper Limit already for next season (although Ryan Kesler will probably be on LTIR again to give them some flexibility) so if the veteran does return, another incentive-laden deal would make sense.