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Arbitration

Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings Exchange Arbitration Figures

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The next arbitration hearing is scheduled for Sunday between the Detroit Red Wings and scrappy young forward Tyler Bertuzzi. Today the two sides filed arbitration figures, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that Bertuzzi came in at $4.25MM while the team is looking for a $3.15MM contract.

It is important to remember that in the NHL, the arbitrator does not need to choose one filing or the other and usually instead awards a contract somewhere in the middle. The two sides can also come to an agreement in the coming days, though this year once the hearing begins they must wait for the reward and cannot settle while the arbitrator deliberates.

In this case, the player’s ask is not above the $4,538,938 “walk away” threshold, meaning that the Red Wings will have to sign Bertuzzi to whatever the arbitrator awards should the hearing begin.

The 25-year-old has been one of the team’s best players since arriving in the NHL full-time in 2017-18. With consecutive 21-goal seasons under his belt, his arbitration case is strong from a purely statistical standpoint. Bertuzzi also brings a lot of the most sought after hockey intangibles, with his ability to get under opponents skin and instigate physical play while taking relatively low penalty totals.

In 2019-20 he actually led the team in goals, finishing only five points behind Dylan Larkin in total points. Though the Red Wings are working on a rebuild that will revolve around several new faces, Bertuzzi is currently one of the most important players on the team.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Jake Virtanen

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The Vancouver Canucks have avoided arbitration with Jake Virtanen, signing the restricted free agent forward to a two-year contract worth a total of $5.1MM ($2.55MM AAV). Virtanen had an arbitration hearing scheduled for October 28 that will no longer be required.  PuckPedia reports that the deal pays $1.7MM next season and $3.4MM in 2021-22 ($3MM salary, $400K signing bonus) which means his qualifying offer in 2022 will be $3MM.

While the other arbitration cases that have settled in recent days may not have a chain reaction across the rest of the roster, Virtanen’s new deal has the potential for one. The contract moves the Canucks over the salary cap ceiling of $81.5MM (to about $83MM with a 23-man roster) while also opening a 24-hour buyout window for them (starting two days from now). As always, Loui Eriksson’s name will be brought up in regards to a buyout, given he is still the highest-paid forward on the team.

The problem, as it always has been, with an Eriksson buyout is that it only reduces his 2020-21 cap hit by $333,333. While the team will save a pretty penny a year from now, it wouldn’t be the answer for their current roster.

Instead, the team seems more likely to complete a trade or go with a smaller roster for the beginning of the season. Virtanen himself has been involved in trade speculation over the summer and with a new contract perhaps that smoke will begin to rise out of Vancouver once again. Teams rarely want to acquire a player with an arbitration hearing scheduled, since they would have to take it over without a ton of time to prepare.

If he stays in Vancouver, a $2.55MM cap hit is certainly not prohibitive given Virtanen did score 18 goals for the team this year. After that improvement in the regular season they expected a lot from the powerful forward in the playoffs, where it seemed his game should be well suited. Instead, he disappointed GM Jim Benning with just two goals and three points in 16 games.

Selected sixth overall in 2014, it’s not the first time that Virtanen has disappointed. Even his post-draft year in 2014-15 was sort of a flop, with the Calgary Hitmen star producing only 26 goals in 64 WHL games. For a player drafted that high (and one that had scored 45 the year before), it wasn’t quite the production expected. Still, Virtanen jumped straight into the NHL the following season and played 55 games, scoring seven goals and holding his own. When that next step was expected, he once again faltered and ended up playing in the AHL for most of 2016-17.

It’s frustrating, given the obvious raw skill, speed and power that Virtanen possesses. In 295 career NHL games he has scored 52 goals and 98 points, a far cry from some of the forwards picked just a few selections after him. At 24 there is still time for him to mature into an impact NHL option, but it will be interesting to see if it happens in Vancouver.

Virtanen will still be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights when the contract expires.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Connor Brown Avoids Arbitration

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The Ottawa Senators have avoided arbitration with Connor Brown, settling on a three-year contract just hours ahead of his scheduled hearing. The new contract will carry an average annual value of $3.6MM and keeps Brown under contract through the 2022-23 season. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement:

We’re very happy to have Connor back under contract. He brings a veteran presence to our lineup and is a player who can play in different situations. He’s durable, has a strong work ethic with great practice habits and is regarded as a leader by his teammates. His ability to play up and down the lineup while producing offensively is especially valuable to us as we continue our transition towards being a consistent winner.

Brown was scheduled to have an arbitration hearing later today. That would have resulted in a one-year contract that would have taken the 26-year-old right to unrestricted free agency, but he’ll stay in the organization a little longer with this three-year deal. Brown had filed for $4.8MM while the team had filed for just $2.25MM.

All five of this week’s arbitration hearings were settled prior to taking place. The next one on the schedule is Tyler Bertuzzi on Sunday.

Brown scored a career-high 43 points this season with the Senators, while averaging more than 20 minutes a night to lead their entire forward group. That included a huge amount of penalty killing responsibility, along with a good amount of powerplay time as well. That versatility is key to why Brown is so well-liked on any team he plays for, and a big reason why the Senators have decided to keep him around.

Connor Brown, Ottawa Senators Exchange Arbitration Figures

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The second scheduled arbitration hearing this offseason will be Connor Brown of the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, meaning today was the day they needed to exchange filings. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Brown’s camp has filed for $4.8MM, while the Senators have filed for $2.25MM. Because of his age, the contract can only be a maximum of one year in length.

It is important to remember that in the NHL, the arbitrator does not need to choose one filing or the other and usually instead awards a contract somewhere in the middle. The two sides can also come to an agreement in the coming days, though this year once the hearing begins they must wait for the reward and cannot settle while the arbitrator deliberates.

In Brown’s case, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic suggests that a contract similar to the one Kevin Labanc just signed with the San Jose Sharks could potentially be a comparable should the two sides settle before arbitration. Labanc signed a four-year deal that carries a $4.725MM cap hit, though LeBrun suggests $4.35MM “isn’t crazy to think” about for Brown.

A 20-goal scorer in 2016-17 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brown hasn’t yet reached that mark again in his four-year NHL career. He did see his point totals balloon in Ottawa though, recording a career-high 43 points this season while averaging more than 20 minutes a night. He was easily the teams most-used forward, especially on the penalty kill where he logged more than two and a half minutes a night.

It’s obvious that Brown has the coaching staff’s trust, and on a roster that will be made up mostly of prospect forwards, he is actually one of the most experienced at the age of 26.

Notably, if Brown does go through the arbitration process and receive a one-year contract, he will walk into unrestricted free agency next offseason at 27. Should he receive an award over $4,538,938, the team could also choose to walk away and make him a UFA this offseason instead.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Ilya Mikheyev Exchange Arbitration Figures

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After Tony DeAngelo, Matt Grzelcyk and Andrew Mangiapane all signed new contracts before their hearings this week, the arbitration schedule will be kicked off on Wednesday with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the two sides have exchanged filings. The Maple Leafs have filed for a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $1MM, while Mikheyev’s camp has filed for a one-year, $2.7MM contract. It is important to remember that in the NHL, the arbitrator does not need to choose one filing or the other and usually instead awards a contract somewhere in the middle. The two sides can also come to an agreement in the coming days, though this year once the hearing begins they must wait for the reward and cannot settle while the arbitrator deliberates.

After moving out $6.6MM in the form of Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson the Maple Leafs are actually in a fine position to afford Mikheyev’s arbitration result and re-sign restricted free agent Travis Dermott. The bargain-bin shopping of GM Kyle Dubas resulted in low-cost additions of Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey, Zach Bogosian and Joe Thornton, meaning they aren’t in quite the salary cap pickle as they were a year ago.  Remember that when Mikheyev and Dermott are signed, two other players can be sent to the minors (or junior, in the case of Nick Robertson) to clear up that extra room.

The hearing for Mikheyev will be interesting though, given how little experience the 26-year-old has at the NHL level. Signed out of the KHL in 2019, Mikheyev was a revelation for the Maple Leafs early on, recording eight goals and 23 points while providing strong penalty killing. He regularly saw time playing beside John Tavares and looked well on his way to becoming a valuable middle-six option for the team. Unfortunately, Mikheyev suffered a scary wrist injury in late-December. New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt’s skate came up and sliced Mikheyev’s arm, severing tendons and causing the Russian forward to require immediate surgery.

Though he did return for the Maple Leafs short-lived postseason, he failed to score a single point against the Columbus Blue Jackets and now heads into arbitration with just 23 points in 44 career NHL games. Since these hearings are based on actual production, not potential, it’s likely that the Maple Leafs will get a bargain relative to what he could have demanded had the injury never have occurred.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Sign Andrew Mangiapane

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The Calgary Flames have reached an agreement with restricted free agent forward Andrew Mangiapane, avoiding arbitration that was scheduled for just a few days from now. The two-year contract will carry an average annual value of $2.425MM. Mangiapane was set to be the first hearing of the arbitration schedule on October 20.

The 24-year-old Mangiapane broke out in 2019-20, finally finding his footing as a full-time NHL player and scoring 17 goals in the process. He was a difference-maker all over the ice and managed to record his 32 points almost entirely at even-strength, in fewer than 14 minutes a night no less.

That kind of production is the stuff that makes you believe a player can take another step if given a bigger chance, and with the new contract Mangiapane will certainly be in the mix for more minutes. Playing in the minor leagues as recently as 2018-19, the sixth-round pick will be a core piece for Calgary this season.

Settling that arbitration case means that the Flames now have just Oliver Kylington left to sign as a restricted free agent, though he wasn’t eligible to file this time around. Calgary has a little more than $77.5MM committed to just 17 players, meaning the rest of the roster will either have to be filled out on cheap deals or someone will be moved out.

Minnesota Wild Sign Kaapo Kahkonen

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The Minnesota Wild have already experienced huge changes in the crease this offseason, moving Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks and then committing to a three-year deal with Cam Talbot. While he will be expected to become the team’s starter in the short-term, there is still a prospect who will be challenging for the job down the line.

Kaapo Kahkonen, the reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year, has signed a two-year contract with Minnesota. That will remove the need for salary arbitration, which Kahkonen elected last week. The deal is a two-way contract in 2020-21, a one-way in 2021-22 and will carry an average annual value of $725K.

Kahkonen, 24, was a fourth-round pick by the Wild in 2014 and remains one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. In his sophomore season at the AHL level he posted a .927 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average, earning him the top honors. He also received five games at the NHL level, where he more than held his own, posting a .913.

When asked about where the Talbot signing leaves Kahkonen, Wild GM Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic that it gives them more time for his development and that “the last time we want to do is rush him along.” 

Notably, a two-year deal will actually take Kahkonen to Group VI unrestricted free agency should he not get an NHL opportunity. Of course, the situation is also complicated by the expansion draft, where the Wild will only be able to protect one goaltender. It seems unlikely that Seattle would be targeting Talbot, but if he has a strong season in the Minnesota net the Wild will have to decide whether to leave him or Kahkonen unprotected.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Brandon Montour

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The arbitration deadline came and went today without Brandon Montour’s name on the list, raising some eyebrows around the league. Not to worry, Montour agreed to a new contract with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the deadline. The new one-year contract will carry a salary of $3.85MM.

A new contract likely won’t stop Montour’s name from being constantly thrown around in trade speculation, especially since a one-year deal takes him directly to unrestricted free agency next offseason. The 26-year-old was acquired in 2019 from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Brendan Guhle and a first-round pick, but hasn’t been quite what the Sabres expected over his 74 games in Buffalo.

Once seen as a sure-fire future top-four option, Montour’s game has stagnated in Buffalo to a degree as he recorded just 18 points in 54 games this season. Despite his puck-moving pedigree, he saw less time on the powerplay than Rasmus Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen and Colin Miller, instead logging almost all of his 19 minutes a night at even-strength.

As Kevyn Adams takes over as GM in Buffalo and reviews his roster, it will be interesting to see how he views Montour. Is he a core piece that can be part of the solution, or should he be sold off for more futures at this season’s deadline? The Sabres have only two defensemen signed through 2021-22 (Ristolainen and Miller) and could quickly revamp the entire group behind Dahlin and fellow youngster Henri Jokiharju.

If Montour stays the whole year, he’ll certainly have a reason to perform. When he hits unrestricted free agency he’ll be one of the youngest defensemen on the market and could generate a ton of interest, especially if players like Dougie Hamilton come off the list with extensions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

26 Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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Today at 4pm CT was the deadline for players to file for salary arbitration in this rapid-paced start to the offseason. Once that threshold passed, the NHLPA released the full list of 26 players who have filed. That list:

Matt Grzelcyk (BOS)
Victor Olofsson (BUF)
Sam Reinhart (BUF)
Linus Ullmark (BUF)
Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)
Clark Bishop (CAR)
Haydn Fleury (CAR)
Warren Foegele (CAR)
Gustav Forsling (CAR)
Ryan Graves (COL)
Tyler Bertuzzi (DET)
MacKenzie Weegar (FLA)
Kaapo Kahkonen (MIN)
Joshua Ho-Sang (NYI)
Ryan Pulock (NYI)
Devon Toews (NYI)
Tony DeAngelo (NYR)
Alexandar Georgiev (NYR)
Brendan Lemieux (NYR)
Ryan Strome (NYR)
Connor Brown (OTT)
Christian Jaros (OTT)
Nick Paul (OTT)
Chris Tierney (OTT)
Ilya Mikheyev (TOR)
Jake Virtanen (VAN)

Other restricted free agents can still be taken to arbitration by their clubs. The deadline for club-elected salary arbitration filing is October 11 at 4pm CT. Salary arbitration hearings will be held between October 20 and November 8.

It is important to note that these players who have elected salary arbitration are no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet.

 

Anaheim Ducks To Extend Chase De Leo

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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.

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