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Arbitration

Poll: Who Does Matthew Tkachuk Get Traded To?

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Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk’s arbitration date on August 11 looms, but we know now that it’s only a matter of time before he suits up for another NHL team. Tkachuk told the Flames this week that he won’t re-sign long-term, either forcing a trade now or letting him walk for nothing as an unrestricted free agent next summer. With teams having spent a lot already during the free agency period, though, does a good Tkachuk trade exist with a team that he’s willing to stay with?

It’s a rarity that a restricted free agent is able to force a change of scenery like this, especially one of Tkachuk’s caliber. Easily one of the top wingers in the league (and top forwards in general), his unique fiery brand and 100+ point scoring potential is an incredibly valuable package. He finished the 2021-22 campaign with 42 goals, 62 points, and 104 points, all career highs, and received votes for the Hart and Selke Trophies.

He’ll be on his way out of Calgary, though, joining ex-teammate Johnny Gaudreau as marquee players to leave the team this summer. Having grown up in St. Louis, and with his father Keith still working for the team, a potential union between the Blues and Tkachuk has been a long-standing open secret. The Blues have been reported to be in talks with Calgary about Tkachuk, and it was also reported that St. Louis was on the small list of teams Tkachuk would accept a trade to.

While the report was contested and isn’t verified, Vegas, Florida, Nashville, and Dallas were also all teams that Tkachuk would sign a long-term deal with. While the cap situation for most of those teams isn’t favorable, Nashville and Dallas do have some more wiggle room than the rest in terms of tradeable assets that would head the other way.

So, PHR readers — where does Tkachuk end up to begin the 2021-22 season? Does he finally head home to St. Louis, does a dark horse team sweep him up, or is the relationship between him and Calgary somehow salvaged?

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Kasperi Kapanen

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have avoided arbitration with Kasperi Kapanen, as PuckPedia reports the two sides have agreed to a two-year deal worth a total of $6.4MM. Kapanen was one of 24 players to file for salary arbitration earlier this month but will no longer need his hearing, which had yet to be scheduled.

Interestingly enough, because of the way his previous contract was designed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kapanen’s qualifying offer this summer only needed to be $840K. That’s despite a $3.2MM cap hit, the same number he will come in at on this new deal. The arbitration process would have likely yielded a deal similar to this, though the Penguins would have been able to decide whether it was a one or two-year award.

Still, there will be some who are disappointed that Kapanen remains at the same cap hit after another disappointing season. The 25-year-old has such obvious talent, with blinding speed, good puck skills, and a strong shot, but it has rarely resulted in a consistent performance. In 79 games this season he scored just 11 goals and 32 points, barely equaling his totals from 2020-21, when he played in just 40 games.

That has been the story of his career so far, and one that makes this deal relatively risky for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is in a win-now mode as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang approach the end of their careers, making $3.2MM in cap space even more valuable than it would be in some markets. If Kapanen plays the way he did in 2021-22, it will be a waste of precious resources.

Still, there is that tantalizing, immense upside with the speedster. During his first year (back) with the Penguins, that aforementioned shortened 2021-22 campaign, he scored at a 61-point pace. That kind of production would actually bring quite a bit of surplus value to the table and give Pittsburgh another legitimate force in the top nine.

As this will take him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024, there is also a possibility that the Penguins intend to trade Kapanen at some point. The deal did not buy out a single UFA year, meaning he’s now scheduled to reach the market at the age of 27 (though he will be turning 28 just a few weeks into that year’s free agent period).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Vitek Vanecek

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After acquiring his rights from the Washington Capitals earlier this summer, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to a multi-year deal with Vitek Vanecek. The three-year contract will be worth an average annual value of $3.4MM, and pay salary as follows:

  • 2022-23: $3.55MM
  • 2023-24: $3.75MM
  • 2024-25: $2.9MM

Vanecek had recently filed for salary arbitration, though that process will no longer be needed. Instead, the Devils will buy out two years of unrestricted free agency with the new deal.

A contract like this would be a pretty big gamble for many teams, given how Vanecek has performed so far in his short career, but with plenty of cap room to spare it shouldn’t pose much of a problem for the Devils. The 26-year-old netminder has just 79 regular season appearances to this point and holds a career .908 save percentage, not exactly a sure thing to provide starter-level performance for the Devils moving forward.

In fact, the Capitals chose to go with Ilya Samsonov in this year’s playoffs, before eventually non-tendering him in the offseason. Samsonov signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one year and $1.8MM, almost half of what Vanecek will make.

That’s not to say there isn’t some potential upside here, as the Czech netminder could still take a step forward and become a true answer in net for New Jersey. The team also has Mackenzie Blackwood under contract at the moment, though it is unclear where his future lies after injuries have derailed his career, and Jonathan Bernier’s playing status up in the air after hip surgery earlier this year.

For a team looking to contend, better goaltending is paramount. Only the Seattle Kraken had a worse team save percentage than the Devils’ .881 last season, as they used seven different netminders to try and stop the puck. Top prospect Nico Daws actually led the way with 25 appearances, and while he does not appear ready for a full-time role just yet, it does seem like his spot will soon be the tandem role with Vanecek.

Where does that leave Blackwood, many will wonder. The young goaltender has been listed in trade speculation for months, but moving him right now would be at an all-time low, after registering an .892 save percentage in this forgettable season. The team couldn’t rely on him as the only option but getting him back on track through the first part of the year and building up some value might be the best course of action in New Jersey.

Evening Notes: Dubois, Kadri, Nill

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As today’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for teams to file for club-elected player salary arbitration came and went, the Winnipeg Jets apparently chose not to file for arbitration with forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, says Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription required). The decision didn’t appear as much of a surprise given Dubois’ and the Jets’ situation, and allows both sides to continue discussing a long-term extension or perhaps explore different trade scenarios as has been speculated. Winnipeg had previously issued a $6.65MM qualifying-offer to Dubois in order to retain his rights and give both sides the ability to file for arbitration.

There are several reasons as to why the Jets may have decided not to file for arbitration with Dubois. Firstly, if contract discussions have been amicable and progressive, electing for arbitration and forcing a decision, either through negotiation or arbitration, may have served to disrupt a positive situation. Another reason could be, given the $6.65MM qualifying-offer, Winnipeg would have to file, at minimum, at that number in arbitration with the strong possibility Dubois could be awarded even more. Lastly, because Dubois is two years removed from unrestricted free agency, it was also possible an arbitrator would award the 24-year-old with a two-year contract that would carry him directly to the UFA market in 2024, something not only Winnipeg would want to avoid, but perhaps also the team they could trade him to, if they elected to go down that road.

  • According to Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater, who spoke to several sources today, a return of Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche seems less likely than it had previously appeared. One of the market’s most desired players this offseason, Kadri is among the few notable UFAs who has yet to sign, with some speculating that he would like to go to a true contender, and thus those teams would have to work on making room under their salary cap, Colorado included. It’s unclear what, if anything, transpired today to shake Dater’s belief that Kadri could come back to Colorado, but it could mean that the tires are beginning to move on Kadri here on day six of free agency.
  • In a lengthy interview with The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf (subscription required), Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi touched on a number of topics concerning the state of the franchise, including what he expects from the team going forward and why new head coach Pete DeBoer was the right fit for the club. Another name that came up was that of longtime Stars GM Jim Nill, who has been in his position for over nine years now. Nill’s contract is set to expire after this season, leading to some apparent uncertainty about what is to come. Gaglardi was sure to quash that uncertainty, telling Yousuf that Nill was going to be extended. The Stars owner cautioned that what the extension looks like depends on several factors which he couldn’t discuss just yet, but was clear about what he intended for his GM. Of note, Yousuf writes that DeBoer did ask Gaglardi in his interview this summer about Nill’s future with the organization, Gaglardi providing DeBoer with the same assurances on Nill’s future. Still, an extension is a two-way street, and Nill, 64, recently mentioned that he’s “not going to do this forever.”

Calgary Flames File For Salary Arbitration With Matthew Tkachuk

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The Calgary Flames announced via Twitter this evening that they have filed for salary arbitration with star forward and current RFA Matthew Tkachuk ahead of today’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for club-elected salary arbitration. Tkachuk had declined to file for salary arbitration prior to yesterday’s deadline for player-elected arbitration, with many expecting the Flames would decline to do so as well. Now, the two sides will have until Tkachuk’s hearing to negotiate an agreement on a new contract, otherwise the matter will be put in the hands of an arbitrator.

The decision to elect arbitration is an interesting one from Calgary’s perspective, but could realistically provide them with advantages in the negotiation process with Tkachuk. The main advantages for Calgary, as cited by PuckPedia, are to eliminate the possibility of an offer-sheet and to prevent Tkachuk from unilaterally accepting the $9MM qualifying-offer the Flames previously made in order to retain the forward’s rights. Though an offer-sheet could conceivably solve the negotiation issues for both sides were Calgary to match, it could also come in the form of a deal the Flames would strongly prefer not to make, but still not worth declining and taking the applicable draft picks. Removing Tkachuk’s ability to accept the qualifying offer also provides the Flames with leverage by preventing Tkachuk from simply ending the negotiation with a one-year deal that would take him straight to the UFA market next summer. Now, Calgary can continue negotiations with Tkachuk without the looming threat of another team forcing an offer on them or Tkachuk unilaterally ending it by accepting the qualifying-offer.

Although he elected not to pursue arbitration, there is still benefit to arbitration for Tkachuk. Now, Calgary must file, at the very least, at the $9MM qualifying-offer. Tkachuk will of course file at a higher number and while the arbitrator may rule in his favor, or for Calgary, or at some number in between, he will be guaranteed at least the same $9MM salary next season.

With the departure of fellow star winger Johnny Gaudreau and Tkachuk a UFA after this upcoming season, the Flames have been left in a difficult position with their future. The organization will need to decide if it wishes to continue as a contender and work to replace Gaudreau, or lean towards a rebuild, and if so, what that means for Tkachuk. At the same time, it forces the difficult decision onto Tkachuk, who must decide if he wants to commit to Calgary for the long haul or if he, like Gaudreau, wants to move on. Presumably, negotiations have been taking place and even if they have been amicable, the two sides may have hit an impasse where progress seems impossible. By filing for arbitration, both parties now have a hard and relatively immediate deadline to come to an agreement, which may move the needle.

No date and time is yet known for any specific arbitration hearings, but a schedule is expected shortly. Hearings will run between July 27th and August 11th. Thus, Tkachuk’s 2022-23 contract will be certain no later than August 12th.

San Jose Sharks Sign Luke Kunin, Kaapo Kahkonen

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The San Jose Sharks have signed Luke Kunin to a two-year contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM. Kunin was eligible for salary arbitration this summer but chose not to file. Sharks general manager Mike Grier also announced Monday afternoon that the team has signed goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to a two-year contract. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal carries a cap hit of $2.75MM.

Kunin, 24, was acquired from the Nashville Predators this offseason in exchange for John Leonard (who also signed today) and a third-round pick. The young forward has changed his game in recent years to lean into his physicality, and after racking up a whopping 223 in 2021-22, he offers something new to the San Jose bottom six.

There’s also a bit of offensive skill in the 2016 first-round pick, who has double-digit goals in each of his last three seasons, all of them coming at even-strength or while short-handed. That kind of scoring upside will come in handy as the Sharks start to tear apart the old core and rebuild it under new general manager Mike Grier.

Notably, it will leave Kunin as a restricted free agent at its expiry, giving the Sharks a chance to re-assess whether he can be a long-term solution. He will once again be up for arbitration at that point.

Kahkonen excelled after San Jose acquired him at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. The 2020 AHL Goalie of the Year had just a 2-6-1 record, but that was no fault of his own, posting a more-than-respectable .916 save percentage in 11 games played (10 starts). Kahkonen has a career .908 save percentage through 65 NHL games, 54 of which came with the Wild. He’ll join a crowded crease in San Jose next year that also includes James Reimer and Adin Hill.

The 25-year-old Finn will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when his new contract expires.

Snapshots: Tkachuk, Alberta Hockey Hall Of Fame, DiPietro

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With Johnny Gaudreau’s departure from the Calgary Flames organization, all eyes have turned to superstar Matthew Tkachuk and his future with the team. Currently, Tkachuk sits on the RFA market after unsurprisingly receiving a $9MM qualifying-offer from the Flames last week. Not much update has come since then on the 24-year-old’s situation until now, when it was revealed that Tkachuk declined to file for player-elected arbitration ahead of today’s deadline.

In light of the decision not to file, Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike believes the Flames will not elect arbitration on their end before tomorrow’s 5:00 pm ET deadline for teams to elect. Pike cites the fact that by doing so, the Flames would have to offer in arbitration, at the very least, the $9MM qualifying offer. Even still, the arbitrator in Tkachuk’s case could award a number higher than $9MM, perhaps the number Tkachuk were to file at, making arbitration all the more unpredictable at this point for Calgary. Not filing for arbitration will also keep the offer-sheet avenue open, which could pave the way to a long-term resolution for both player and team.

  • Two familiar names are set to be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame this evening. Former NHL Head Coach Ken Hitchcock and former NHL goaltender and current Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson will join alongside Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Bill Bucyk, Bob Clark, Dr. Randy Gregg, Jamie Macoun and the 1974-75 Lethbridge Native Sons.
  • According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Vancouver Canucks have given goaltender Michael DiPietro and his agent, Darren Ferris, permission to talk with other teams to help facilitate a trade for the goaltender (link). Once a heralded goaltending prospect out of the OHL, DiPietro has yet to live up to the expectations set for him when Vancouver drafted him in the third-round in 2017. The goaltender had a strong 2019-20, his first full pro season, but dealt with injuries and limited playing time in 2020-21. He would rebound in 2021-22, but still hasn’t been able to pull himself back to the blue-chip status he once had. Even if DiPietro could make a full turnaround, he’ll find the net in Vancouver considerably blocked by that of 26-year-old star netminder Thatcher Demko, who is signed through 2025-26. A key distinction with this permission to talk to other teams is not to negotiate a contract, much like Anthony DeAngelo was allowed to do earlier this offseason, but to help find a trade to a destination that will work for DiPietro, with the goaltender having already accepted his qualifying offer yesterday.

24 Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

Toronto Maple Leafs Re-Sign Pierre Engvall

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A familiar face will be sticking around with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with the club announcing forward and current RFA Pierre Engvall has been re-signed on a one-year deal. The team did not announce the financial terms of the contract, however The Athletic’s James Mirtle reports the contract is worth $2.25MM for this season. Engvall’s extension gives him a $1MM raise on the two-year, $2.5MM contract that had just expired, which carried an AAV of $1.25MM. The contract also means that both sides avoid arbitration, with the deadline for player-elected salary arbitration coming today and the club-elected deadline coming tomorrow. The contract leaves Engvall an UFA after this season.

The Swedish forward earned his raise this past season, setting career-highs in games played (78), goals (15), assists (20), and points (35), all marking substantial improvements on his previous bests. Not an overly physical player, Engvall’s size, listed at 6’5″ and 214 pounds, does allow him to use his body to create space for himself and get in position to help develop plays. Now established as a legitimate secondary-scoring threat for Toronto, Engvall can use this upcoming season to repeat and build on his 2021-22 to vault him into a longer-term contract in the free agent market next offseason as a 27-year-old.

The addition of this contract projects to put Toronto nearly $1.5MM over the salary cap ceiling (a 10% overage permissible in the offseason), but still represents a positive outcome for the organization. After Engvall’s breakout season, it was certainly possible that an arbitration could award the forward $3MM or perhaps as much as even $3.5MM for his efforts. Though that outcome was not guaranteed, it is a risk teams take when they head to arbitration, and likely the reason the team chose not to qualify forward Ondrej Kase, who is now a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, they are still not done with their RFA contracts, young defenseman Rasmus Sandin needing a new deal, although not eligible for arbitration himself.

Free Agency Notes: Hague, Marchment, Kulak

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We haven’t heard a whole lot of offer sheet talk yet this offseason, but there is one young defenseman who could come into play. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger notes that he believes Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague is “a real possibility” as an offer sheet candidate from general managers league-wide. Hague is an important defenseman on the rise in the Golden Knights organization, and while he doesn’t have a lot of leverage on his next contract as he’s not arbitration-eligible, another team could indeed force Vegas’ hand. A second-round pick from their first 2017 draft class, Hague’s notched a solid 42 points in 142 NHL games over the past three years. While he’s been limited to third-pairing minutes on a deep Vegas team, he’s shown really solid play-driving ability as an up-and-coming two-way defenseman. With the Golden Knights’ tight salary cap situation, it’s a reasonable bet that they couldn’t match a healthy offer for Hague.

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun expects the Montreal Canadiens to make an offer to bring back defenseman Brett Kulak when free agency opens tomorrow. They won’t be alone, though, as LeBrun notes that six other teams could be interested as well. Dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a package that included William Lagesson and a second-round pick at the trade deadline, Kulak is an underrated defensive commodity who’s extremely valuable in a bottom-four role. He’d spent the last three seasons prior to this year in a Habs uniform, and he was a steadying presence in 2021-22 on a struggling team.
  • If the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t come to terms with pending UFA Ondrej Palat, The Athletic’s Joe Smith lists Mason Marchment as someone the team could make an offer to in free agency. He’d certainly add a strong checking element to the team’s middle six, and while he likely wouldn’t replace Palat’s value entirely, he’d be a strong value option with a breakout year last season and great underlying metrics. Marchment finished 2021-22 with 47 points in just 54 games.

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