Snapshots: Boeser, Miller, Caufield, Langlois
With plenty of trade speculation that has surrounded Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser over the last few months, there are quite a few people who have connected the dots of the Canucks sending their promising 23-year-old forward to Minnesota, Boeser’s hometown, to beef up their defense. With a new contract in the hands of Jonas Brodin, general manager Bill Guerin needs to trade Matt Dumba and a swap of the two players make sense, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.
However, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that he isn’t trying to trade Boeser, who has scored 71 goals in the past three seasons.
“Lots of GMs call us about our players,” Benning said. “I listen and sometimes we have a conversation. That’s my job as a GM. If I’m not listening to other GMs, then I’m not doing my job. But we’re not trying to trade Brock Boeser. I have not had a conversation with Minnesota about him.”
Another reason for the trade speculation is that Vancouver has three key unrestricted free agents it would like to re-sign and don’t have the cap space at the moment to do it. Boeser has a $5.88MM contract for two more years and while not an albatross of a contract, the team could save some cap space if they were willing to move one of their forwards to bring in defensive help. Dumba makes $6MM, so the contracts would even out, but then could allow the team to try to focus on re-signing Tyler Toffoli to replace Boeser in the lineup if the Canucks could make that swap.
- The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes (subscription required) that the Anaheim Ducks still are waiting for backup goaltender Ryan Miller to make up his mind on coming back for a 18th season. Miller told Stephens that he has been on the ice approximately seven times now and is just trying to see if his body can adjust to sitting for as long as he has. Regardless, the 40-year-old has yet to make a decision, but the long layoff (he last played on March 10) has definitely made him think twice about returning. “You have things that you’re used to doing and when they stop, it’s shocking to the system,” said Miller. “I tried to install a little bit of normalcy so I can kind of get my sense of direction … I just thought that it was best not making any decisions either way if you’re sitting on the couch.”
- After a report from SportExpressen Saturday that Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie was cut from Rogle of the SHL after the Oilers loaned him to the top SHL team, a new report this morning suggests that they have set their sights on Lavoie’s replacement. HockeyNews.se reports that Rogle is now in negotiations to recruiting Montreal Canadiens star prospect Cole Caufield to join the team. ESPN’s Chris Peters reports that Caufield has been looking for a place to play with his college season at the University of Wisconsin delayed, although the rumor last week was that he was headed to Switzerland. Rogle has declined comment on the situation. Caufield, the Canadiens top pick in 2019, scored 19 goals in his freshman year at Wisconsin.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced the passing of three-time Stanley Cup winning defenseman Albert “Junior” Langlois, who died at age 85 on Saturday. He helped the Canadiens win Stanley Cups in 1958, 1959 and 1960, the last three of their historic five-straight Cup titles. He also played for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins. The stay-at-home defenseman played 497 games in his NHL career with 21 goals and 112 points. PHR offers our condolences to his family.
Free Agent Focus: Anaheim Ducks
While the official start date of free agency remains in flux depending on when the playoffs end (the later of October 9th or a week after the completion of the Stanley Cup Final), many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Anaheim doesn’t have a ton of pressing contract negotiations but could use the period to add some more talent to the roster.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Kiefer Sherwood – You’d be right if you don’t think Sherwood is a key for the Ducks moving forward, but his appearance here shows just how much work they’ve already done to lock up their young restricted free agents. The 25-year old forward doesn’t qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency after just two years under a professional contract, meaning his future will be one of the decisions the Ducks have to make this summer.
Sherwood ended up playing in 50 games as a rookie in 2018-19 after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Miami University (Ohio), but was limited to mostly minor-league duty this season. A capable scorer and bottom-six option for the team, he could be brought back on an inexpensive deal to fill out the depth chart.
Other RFAs: F Alex Dostie, F Deven Sideroff, F Chase De Leo, D Joel Persson
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Ryan Miller – Now 40, it’s not clear exactly what the future holds for Miller, one of the league’s best goaltenders over almost two decades now. In May, when the season was still paused, he explained that he had hoped to catch another Buffalo legend, Dominik Hasek, on the all-time wins list. Miller currently sits just two wins behind, meaning one last NHL season would likely get him there. He’s coming off a $1.125MM deal and could likely be brought back for close to the league minimum if he decides he wants to continue the chase.
D Michael Del Zotto – Remember when Del Zotto was a Norris Trophy nominee in 2012 after scoring 41 points in 77 games with the New York Rangers? That seems like a completely different player than the one who has suited up for three different teams the past two seasons. Del Zotto played in 49 games for the Ducks this season and is still only 30, but hasn’t been able to recapture that early-career magic in years. If he shot right, he might have a bigger market, but it’s hard to see him earning much more than the one-year, $750K deal he played on this year.
Other UFAs: D Matt Irwin, F Blake Pietila, F Andrew Poturalski, F Kyle Criscuolo, F Justin Kloos, F Chris Mueller, D Chris Wideman, G Kevin Boyle
*Patrick Eaves is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after his three-year, $9.45MM deal expires, but is expected to officially retire due to health concerns.
Projected Cap Space
Amazingly, even though they were one of the league’s worst teams, the Ducks aren’t exactly flush with cap space as they head into next season. The team has over $78.5MM committed to next season for 18 players per CapFriendly, though that does include the $6.875MM hit of Ryan Kesler. Kesler is not expected to play again, meaning that number will be transferred to long-term injured reserve giving Anaheim a little more flexibility. With no huge names on expiring deals they won’t be forced to shed salary, but moving out some of their underperforming-but-aging names could give them an opportunity to add in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Dubnyk, Ritchie, Wagner, Rakell
The Minnesota Wild have an interesting offseason approaching with little cap room and little roster space. While general manager Bill Guerin is expected to make changes to the roster, there is the question of whether the team will consider buying out a player or two.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that one player who is a candidate for a buyout is goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The scribe adds that if Minnesota opts to buyout Dubnyk, it likely would be to open up a roster space as opposed to saving on cap space. Dubnyk was the starting goaltender at the beginning of the year, but struggled immensely this season in 30 appearances with an 3.35 GAA and a .890 save percentage. Granted, the veteran still has one more year at $4.3MM. However, more importantly, the team may want to move on from Dubnyk with Alex Stalock taking over the starting role. They also have AHL Goaltender of the Year in Kaapo Kahkonen ready as well as the potential to go out and get a goaltender such as Braden Holtby or trade for Matt Murray.
- The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the Department of Player Safety took a look at the hit from Boston Bruins forward Nick Ritchie on Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde during Game 3 Saturday. There will be no suspension as the hit was timed at .6 seconds from the time the puck was released. Gourde was clearing a puck during the second period when he was hit from behind by Ritchie in a shoulder-to-back hit, sending Gourde flying forward into the boards where he hit his head. However, the league rarely suspends players for hits at .6 seconds, especially ones that don’t include head contact.
- The Bruins won’t have it easy as they face elimination on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, down 3-1. The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno reports that fourth-line forward Chris Wagner won’t be available for Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury. Wagner missed Sunday’s practice along with Ritchie, while Sean Kuraly did skate with the team after missing two games. Both Ritchie and Kuraly are day-to-day, but Wagner is definitely out, according to Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy. Wagner played quite well in the round-robin series scoring two goals, but has not tallied a point in the Tampa Bay series and boasts a minus-five plus-minus.
- The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) took a look at players destined to stay with the Anaheim Ducks and those who could find themselves elsewhere next year. One interesting observation is the inclusion of 27-year-old forward Rickard Rakell, a two-time 30-goal scorer. Of course, Rakell’s last two seasons have been quite disappointing with just 33 goals in his last 134 games and he could find himself being the scapegoat for the past two years of losing. On top of that, Rakell would be quite an attractive trade chip for playoff teams that could offer him more talent up front to work with.
Anaheim Ducks Loan Roman Durny To Slovakia
HC Slovan Bratislava is no stranger to having talented payers on their roster, especially since the club previously played in the KHL before returning to the Tipsport Liga, the top league in Slovakia, this past season. Nevertheless, the team was excited to announce that they will begin the 2020-21 season with promising NHL prospect Roman Durny on the roster. The Anaheim Ducks have agreed to loan the young goaltender to Bratislava until at least the start of NHL training camp.
Durny, 22, was a fifth-round pick by the Ducks in 2018 as an over-ager after a standout season in the USHL in his first season in North America. Durny starred for the Des Moines Buccaneers for two years before turning pro this season. Unfortunately, the shift to the pros and to a limited share of the net – just 13 ECHL appearances for the year – were not kind to Durny. While there is still a lot to like about his game, Durny faces stiff competition in 2018 third-rounder Lukas Dostal and 2017 fifth-rounder Olle Eriksson Ek to top the goalie depth chart in the Ducks’ pipeline.
On the other hand, Anaheim has veteran Ryan Miller and reliable minor leaguer Kevin Boyle entering unrestricted free agency this summer, which could thin the depth chart significantly allowing for a young goalie to take on a regular role in the AHL next season. Seeing as how Dostal is the youngest of the prospect trio and has no North American experience, it will likely be between Durny and Eriksson Ek for that AHL slot.
A strong start to his season in Slovakia could go a long way for Durny. Behind a strong roster, led by former NHLer Andrej Meszaros, that finished second in the league last year and has already added another NHL prospect on loan in New Jersey forward Marian Studenic, Durny should be well-protected. The team also lost backup Vladislav Habal this off-season, who played in 27 of 55 games last season, so starts should be available to Durny. This could all add up to a strong start in Slovakia for Durny, potentially followed by a breakout season in the minors for the Ducks.
Kings’ Samuel Fagemo Expected To Be Loaned To Allsvenskan
The Los Angeles Kings look to have found a place for one of their young prospects to develop before NHL training camp gets underway as Henrik Sjoborg of Hockey News SE (translation required) writes that forward Samuel Fagemo is expected to play for Sodertalje in the Allsvenskan in Sweden next season. The 20-year-old, a 2019 second-round pick, would be expected to report to Kings’ training camp and stay in L.A. if he makes the team.
Fagemo signed his entry-level deal in July of 2019 and was loaned to Frolunda, his SHL team last season. He tallied 13 goals and 22 points last season and was likely headed to the AHL this season. However, with the delay in the NHL and AHL seasons for 2020-21, Fagemo could find himself playing in the Allsvenskan instead. He actually played three games with Sodertalje back in 2017/18 when he was loaned from Frolunda before being drafted.
The report also notes that Sodertalje is negotiating with Anaheim Ducks prospect Axel Andersson to also sign with them for the upcoming season. The 20-year-old was a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2018, but was traded to the Ducks in February as part of the Ondrej Kase deal. Andersson played his 18-year-old season with Sodertalje in 2018-19 and then spent one season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats, posting three goals and 24 points in 43 games.
Anaheim Ducks Extend Jacob Larsson
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Anaheim Ducks have finished some paperwork, signing Jacob Larsson to a new two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.2MM and keep the pending restricted free agent under contract through the 2021-22 season.
Larsson, 23, was a first-round pick of the Ducks back in 2015, and though he made his debut in the 2016-17 season, he still hasn’t established himself as the rock-solid NHL defender that many expected. The 6’2″ defenseman has played games for the Ducks’ minor league affiliate in each of the last five seasons but did suit up in 60 games for the NHL club this year.
Unfortunately, those 60 games didn’t produce exceptional results, as Larsson scored just 11 points and provided brutal possession statistics. Still young enough to improve there is still plenty of time for Larsson to live up to his first-round billing, but this relatively inexpensive contract reflects his inconsistent performance to this point.
For the Ducks, who have nearly $80MM in salaries committed to next season even as they enter a “rebuild,” contracts like this are necessary. Larsson will be given every opportunity to take a larger role, especially if the team decides to try to move on from one of their more expensive veteran blueliners.
When the contract expires, Larsson will still be a restricted free agent.
Snapshots: Schedule, Dostal, Brome
The NHL has released their schedule for Friday, giving us a slate of game fours that lasts all day. Things will get kicked off with the Florida Panthers trying to stave off elimination once again after defeating the New York Islanders earlier today. The full schedule will be (all times central):
Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders – Game 4, 11:00am
Arizona Coyotes vs Nashville Predators – Game 4, 1:30pm
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins – Game 4, 3:00pm
Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers – Game 4, 5:45pm
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Game 4, 7:00pm
Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks – Game 4, 9:45pm
For some more intermission reading, here are some other notes from around the hockey world:
- Lukas Dostal will stay overseas “for the time being,” after being loaned back to Ilves in the Finnish Liiga by the Anaheim Ducks. Dostal won the Urpo Ylonen Award as the top goaltender in the league last season after posting a .928 save percentage in 43 games and jumped up many prospect rankings with the performance. Selected 85th overall in 2018, the 20-year old netminder will get a chance to play in North America eventually, but is obviously doing just find continuing his development in Finland.
- More interesting perhaps on the international wire is Mathias Brome, whose name was brought up in a report from Sweden. The 26-year old forward signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings in April but could end up playing in Sweden for Orebro HK until training camp begins. That decision hasn’t been finalized yet according to the report from hockeynews.se, but certainly would give Brome a chance to keep skating while waiting for his opportunity in Detroit. After scoring 43 points in 52 games this season, he’d certainly be welcome back into the Orebro lineup for as long as they can keep him.
Offseason Keys: Anaheim Ducks
The offseason has arrived for at least seven teams that were not invited to take part in the Qualifying Round that has now started. With that in mind, our Offseason Keys series is underway for the teams that are on the outside looking in. Next up is a look at Anaheim.
This season was supposed to be somewhat of a transition year for the Ducks. More roster spots were earmarked for younger players while Dallas Eakins, their AHL coach, was brought in behind the bench. In that sense, the end result (a sixth place finish in the Pacific Division) wasn’t too surprising. GM Bob Murray has some work to do to reshape this roster but there are some challenges that lie ahead. Here is a look at what they’ll be looking to accomplish this offseason.
Add Scoring Help
Let’s dive right into their biggest problem in recent years. Anaheim simply has a hard time getting pucks in the net. While there’s some hope that youngsters like Troy Terry, Sam Steel, Max Jones, and Max Comtois will be able to be reliable producers, they combined for 23 goals in 200 games this season. They have hopes for the recently-extended Sonny Milano and in-season pickup Danton Heinen but both of them have been hit or miss offensively over their young careers as well. There is some upside out of this group but none of them are really going to be able to shoulder the load; they’re more complementary players.
The problem for the Ducks is that their veterans can also be placed in that category. Adam Henrique, Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, and Jakob Silfverberg were their top four scorers this season but the highest point total out of that group was 43. Granted, the early shutdown makes that number look a little worse than it otherwise would have been but Henrique didn’t crack the top 100 in points league-wide. It’s hard to have success when your top players are producing at a second line rate at best.
Murray needs to be on the lookout for scoring help and could stand to add multiple upgrades to his top six. Unfortunately, accomplishing that feat is going to be quite tricky. Anaheim already has nearly $79MM in commitments to 18 players for next season with Corey Perry’s buyout costing them a whopping $6.625MM on the books. With a flat $81.5MM salary cap, that doesn’t give them much room to work with. Yes, Ryan Kesler’s $6.875MM will be heading for LTIR which gives them some wiggle room but they’ll be dipping into that simply to fill out their roster let alone add any upgrades. They’re not in as dire straits as some teams are when it comes to the cap but finding a way to add an impact threat is going to be a challenge but it’s one that needs to be met.
Getzlaf Extension Talks
Teams are now allowed to work on extensions for players whose deals are expiring in 2021 and Anaheim has a prominent one of those in Getzlaf. His agent Gerry Johansson acknowledged last month that his focus at this point is working on extensions over deals for players on expiring contracts. With Getzlaf stating before the trade deadline that he had no desire to chase a Stanley Cup elsewhere, this would seem like a perfect opportunity to try to get a new contract done.
The question will be what the right deal will be. In his prime, Getzlaf was living up to his $8.25MM cap hit but his numbers have dipped the past two years. His days of being an ideal number one center are over so a notable dip in pay is forthcoming, one that is exacerbated with the Upper Limit of the salary not expected to move up much over the next few years.
Considering Getzlaf will be 36 when his new deal begins, term will also be a big factor. It’s reasonable to think that he’ll want this to be his last contract so he’ll be looking for a multi-year pact. 35-plus deals carry some extra risk (unless they’re structured equally in terms of salary each year, a new CBA wrinkle) so that’s something that Anaheim will be keeping in the back of their mind as well.
Getting a deal with their captain done sooner than later would also give them some more certainty when it comes to their future spending and remove any possible distraction around Getzlaf getting asked about the possibility of moving on. It certainly appears as if there’s going to be mutual interest in getting something done so with there being another three months before they’ll have a shot at game action again, this seems like a good time to try to hammer out a deal.
Find A Backup Goalie
Regardless of what they try to do to upgrade up front, Murray will have to leave some money set aside for a backup goalie as veteran Ryan Miller is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in October. At the age of 40, it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll want to return and with the year he had (his .907 SV% was the lowest of his career over a full season), the Ducks may want to turn their focus elsewhere. Internally, Anthony Stolarz is an option but he is probably best served as a third-string option at this stage of his career.
There’s also the Seattle expansion consideration. Right now, the only goalie under contract that’s eligible for exposure is John Gibson and it’s safe to say that they’re going to want to protect him.
Accordingly, they may be among the teams that look to sign a goalie to a two-year (or longer) deal in order to satisfy the mandatory exposure requirement which likely takes Miller out of consideration. That’s not a great market to be in, however, as quite a few teams are in that situation and it stands to reason that Anaheim won’t want to spend much money on a number two option given that Gibson is their surefire starter and that their cap space is limited. After having Gibson and Miller as a tandem for the last three years, a change to that is probably on the horizon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Sonny Milano
8:00pm: The Ducks have officially confirmed the new deal. Milano is set to make $1.6MM next season and $1.8MM in 2021-22.
4:30pm: The Anaheim Ducks will be handing out an extension to one of their young trade deadline acquisitions according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The insider reports that Sonny Milano will be signing a two-year extension that will carry an average annual value of $1.7MM. Milano was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
The 24-year old forward has quite honestly been a disappointment to this point in his NHL career, after going 16th overall in 2014. When the Columbus Blue Jackets selected him Milano had just dominated at the USNTDP and would continue that offensive performance in his one year of CHL hockey. Oozing with skill, the winger took immediately to the professional ranks when transitioning to the AHL and even recorded five points in ten games as a teenager in 2015.
The biggest question with Milano was always his consistency and whether he could round out a defensive game to go along with his offensive skill. It was tough for him to crack John Tortorella’s lineup, and when he did there were long stretches where he would seem to disappear. In 120 games for the Blue Jackets, he recorded just 42 points and averaged fewer than 12 minutes of ice time.
Then came the trade deadline, when it was obvious he needed a fresh start and his contract was coming to an end. The Blue Jackets shipped him to Anaheim in a one-for-one trade that saw Devin Shore go the other way, giving him a chance to play every day in the top-six of a rebuilding club. Milano got into nine games with the Ducks before the season ended, and recorded five points while averaging 15:30 of ice time.
Now, with the Ducks looking to continue their youth movement, Milano will get a chance to prove he belongs there as a core piece. A $1.7MM cap hit is a relatively big commitment for a player who has just 47 career points in 125 regular season games, but the Ducks obviously liked what they saw.
For Milano, this is basically a perfect outcome. He’ll still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal but he gets some financial security for the next two years, a likely chance to play power play minutes beside talented teammates, and will be arbitration-eligible and able to force his way to UFA status in 2022 if he chooses. Now he just needs to find that consistency which has always eluded him.
Troy Terry Signs Three-Year Extension
The Anaheim Ducks have locked up one of their young forwards, signing Troy Terry to a three-year contract extension. The deal will keep him from reaching restricted free agency until 2023, while Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports that the deal will pay Terry $1.35MM in the first season, $1.45MM in the second and $1.55MM in the third ($1.45MM AAV).
Terry, 22, was a fifth-round pick of the Ducks in 2015 that quickly became one of their top prospects. In his sophomore season at the University of Denver Terry exploded onto the national scene with 22 goals and 45 points in 35 games, while also helping carry Team USA to a gold medal in the World Juniors. He scored the golden goal a the tournament, before returning to DU and winning a national championship.
It was hard to overlook him at that point, and in 2018 he proved his talent once again by competing at the Olympics despite being just 20 years old. Since debuting in the NHL it hasn’t been quite as smooth sailing for the Denver native, but Terry has at least proven he has the talent to compete at that level. In 81 games spread over parts of three seasons, he has recorded 28 points. His time in the minor leagues has been much more fruitful, with Terry scoring at more than a point-per-game pace.
A three-year deal at this point shows that the Ducks believe he can be a part of their NHL future, while also securing him for a reasonable price. With so many teams blindsided by the flat cap situation, every dollar spent will have to be scrutinized heavily—even for rebuilding teams like the Ducks.