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Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins were faced with a “win and you’re in” situation in the final game of the regular season versus Ottawa. Unfortunately, Tuukka Rask was a last-minute scratch due to illness, and his backup, Jonas Gustavsson allowed 4 goals in 8 minutes in the second period as the Senators routed the Bruins 6-1. The Flyers won later in the day to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

It was a bizarre season for the Bruins, coming off their first non-playoff year since 2006-07. GM Peter Chiarelli was fired and replaced by his assistant Don Sweeney. Sweeney got off to a rough start with Bruins fans, trading emerging blue-liner Dougie Hamilton to Calgary for three draft picks, despite the belief Edmonton (now helmed by Chiarelli) had a better offer on the table. He then traded longtime Bruins winger Milan Lucic to Los Angeles, resulting in the Bruins having three consecutive picks in the first round (13-15). Sweeney selected tough defender Jakub Zboril and wingers Jake Debrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. Senyshyn was a particularly controversial pick, as he was rated to be a mid-second round pick.

The Bruins went on to post 42-31-9 record, missing the playoffs after that brutal loss to Ottawa.

Cap space: $18.43MM, 16 players under contract

Key RFAs: D Torey Krug – Krug may have been the best defenceman on the Bruins last year, scoring 44 points and averaging 21 minutes per game. Krug underwent shoulder surgery after the season and may miss the beginning of the 2016-17 season. The diminutive Krug will be looking for a raise on the $3.4MM he made last year. With Zdeno Chara getting older, the Bruins are going to rely on Krug more than ever.

Other RFAs: RW Brett Connolly, D Colin Miller, D Joe Morrow, F Landon Ferraro

Key UFAs: W Loui Eriksson – the two-way scoring winger acquired in the Tyler Seguin trade scored 30 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season. Eriksson was widely expected to be traded or re-signed by the trade deadline, but neither happened. Eriksson is believed to be asking for around $6MM per season for 5-6 years. If the Bruins don’t sign him, they’ll be in the market for his replacement.

Other UFAs: R Lee Stempniak, C Chris Kelly, D John-Michael Liles, G Jonas Gustavsson, D Zach Trotman, RW Tyler Randell

Outlook: The Bruins have a busy off-season ahead, with two of their top players needing contracts, and a desperate need on the blueline. The Bruins have allegedly had conversations about acquiring Dmitry Kulikov from the Panthers, according to Joe Haggerty from CSN. Aging defenceman Dennis Seidenberg is a potential buyout candidate. The Bruins also have $5.25MM eaten up by a pair of third-pairing defensemen Kevan Miller and Adam McQuaid. McQuaid could be on the trade block to make room for a higher priced defenceman.

Expect Frankie Vatrano to spend the entire year on the Bruins roster after scoring 36 goals and 55 points in 36 AHL games. He also scored 11 points in 39 NHL games.

They shouldn’t have a problem protecting their current roster from an expansion draft, though goalie-of-the-future Malcolm Subban will have to be exposed.

Sweeney also needs to ensure leading goal-scorer Brad Marchand is under contract well before the trade deadline.

Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild made the playoffs, kicking and screaming. They lost 5 in a row to end the season before losing their first round series versus the Dallas Stars in 6 games. Head Coach Mike Yeo was fired in February, replaced by John Torchetti.

Cap space: $7.56MM, 15 players under contract

Key RFAs: Defenceman Matt Dumba – The 7th overall pick in 2012 broke out this season, scoring 10 goals and 16 assists in 81 games. He averaged just under 17 minutes per game. Dumba was also solid for Canada’s gold-medal-winning squad at the World Championships. The Wild should be able to get him under contract for a bridge deal and let him prove himself before committing to a longer term deal.

Other RFAs: G Darcy Kuemper, C Jordan Schroeder, W Jason Zucker, and C Zac Dalpe

Key UFAs: None

Other UFAs: RW David Jones, RW Justin Fontaine, C Jarret Stoll, LW Ryan Carter, LW Chris Porter

Outlook: Bruce Boudreau is taking over the head coaching job. The former Ducks and Capitals coach has had tremendous success in the regular season, but has been unable to translate that to a Stanley Cup. The former member of the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints has lead his teams to 8 division titles in 10 seasons as a head coach.

The Wild may look to trade or buy out inconsistent winger Thomas Vanek this summer. Vanek is entering the last year of his contract, worth $6.5MM per season. A buyout would cost the Wild $1.5MM this season and $2.5MM next season. Vanek was a healthy scratch at times last season, but did score 41 points last season. The Wild may want to keep their powder dry and hope he bounces back.

Minnesota will look to add some more offence this off-season. Possible targets include big center David Backes or St. Paul-native Kyle Okposo.

The Wild have 4 selections in the 2016 draft, and two of them are 7th round picks. Besides the 15th overall pick, the Wild have their own fourth and seventh round picks and the Panthers seventh from the Sean Bergenheim trade.

Rugged winger Alex Tuch, the team’s 18th overall pick in 2014, is leaving Boston College and will begin playing pro. He’ll likely see time with the Iowa Wild in the AHL.

 

Saturday Snapshots: Arizona’s New AHL Squad, Boedker And Nielsen Staying Put?

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  • Arthur Staple of Newsday reports pending UFA C Frans Nielsen and the Islanders have discussed a long-term deal “in recent days”. Nielsen scored 20 goals and 52 points in 81 games last season, the second highest totals of his career. Nielsen’s last contract was a 4-year pact worth $2.75MM per season.
  • Former Coyote Mikkel Boedker says he hasn’t decided against re-signing with Colorado. Boedker put up 12 points in 18 games after being acquired at the trade deadline by the Avalanche, who did not make the playoffs. His agent told ESPN that Boedker “liked everyone from the coaches and the players to the fans in Colorado. It’s definitely a place that’s up there on his list”. This comes just days after Avalanche GM Joe Sakic told media that Boedker would be allowed to test the open market.
  • After the success of the AHL’s new Pacific Division last season, the Arizona Coyotes are also moving their farm team closer to home. The Coyotes unveiled the team’s name and logo Saturday: the Tucson Roadrunners.

“Huge Loss”: Red Wings GM Discusses Datsyuk’s Retirement

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Red Wings GM Ken Holland spoke with the media Saturday, hours after Pavel Datsyuk announced his retirement from the NHL.

In an interview broadcast on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, Holland revealed details about the two sides contract negotiations in 2013, when Datsyuk signed the current 3-year contract. According to Holland, Datsyuk’s camp asked for a 5-year extension, which would have kept him under contract until 2019. The Red Wings GM countered with a 3-year term, which was accepted.

“He’s our best player. If I countered with a 1-year deal, he’s playing with another team.”

Early in the first season of this contract, 2014-15 season, Holland says he was approached by Datsyuk in his office about returning to Russia after that season for “the reasons you heard today”. Datsyuk “didn’t know the rules” about how an early retirement would affect the Red Wings, according to Holland.

The Red Wings did “everything [they] could to keep him here this year”, including a meeting with the team’s owners, Mike and Marian Ilitch. After understanding how leaving would affect the organization, Datsyuk agreed to stay for at least the 2015-16 season. Holland hoped he would stay for 2016-17 as well, but accepted that he might have to deal with him leaving before then.

Holland “doesn’t feel burned” by Datsyuk’s decision, saying “Pav was concerned about the Detroit Red Wings” and calling him “real honourable”.

“His heart isn’t here anymore.”

Because Datsyuk will likely play in the KHL next season, he wanted the Red Wings’ blessing to leave.

Holland said he’s “not overly optimistic” about moving Datsyuk’s contract, based on what the small group of teams with interest are asking for in return. The team isn’t worried about the potential cost, however. Holland compared it to buying a car or house: “if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it.”

The Red Wings won’t trade young prospects like Anthony Mantha in order to move the contract, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com.

Whether or not they move Datsyuk’s contract, Holland said the Red Wings will look younger next year. That’s in no small part due to the inexpensive nature of entry-level contracts.

Holland’s intent would be to move the contract for a conditional draft pick before the opening of free agency July 1, saying it wouldn’t make sense to do anything after the free agent market is over.

 

Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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It’s going to be another painful summer in Chicago, but this time, there’s no Stanley Cup to soothe fans. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks traded promising young forward Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina to dump the salary of Bryan Bickell.

It was a mixed-bag of a season in the Windy City. The team’s Championship defence started out with star forward Patrick Kane under investigation for allegedly raping a woman at his New York home. The charges were later dropped. Kane teamed up with rookie Artemi Panarin to score a career-high 106 points and win the Art Ross Trophy. Panarin, in his first NHL season after six years in the KHL, finished in the top 10 scorers in the league. The Blackhawks finished third in the tightly-contested Central Division and lost to rival St. Louis Blues in 7 games.

Projected Cap Space: $8.4MM, 16 players under contract.

Key Restricted Free Agents: Andrew Shaw – the pesky forward scored 34 points this season, the second highest total of his career. He’s coming off a controversial playoffs where he was suspended for using a homophobic slur towards a referee after making an inappropriate hand gesture. Shaw has been a favourite of coach Joel Quenneville, but was doubtful to return before Tuesday’s trade. Chicago Sun-Times writer Mark Lazerus reported that the Blackhawks fully expect to be able to re-sign Shaw. Expect the deal to be for 3 or more years north of $3MM per.

Other RFAs: Dennis Rasmussen 

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise – the pair of wingers were acquired at the trade deadline as the Blackhawks loaded up for a Cup run. Both players are expected to test the open market as Chicago doesn’t have cap space to sign either at close to their market-value.

Other UFAs: Christian Ehrhoff, Tomas Fleischmann, Michael Leighton, Brandon Mashinter, Michal Rosival.

Outlook: The Blackhawks need at least 5 forwards, a couple defensemen, and a third string goalie. Don’t expect any of those players to have a salary above $1MM.

With $48.78MM invested in their 7-player core of Jonathon Toews, Kane, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Corey Crawford, money is going to be tight to re-sign Shaw, round out their roster, and prepare for Panarin’s new contract next season.

With regards to the expected expansion draft next summer, the Blackhawks do not have much to worry about, as they will be able to protect all their important pieces. Chicago does not have a first round pick in the upcoming draft.

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers saw drastic improvement in 2015-16, winning the Atlantic Division with a 47-26-9 record. They made the playoffs for just the second time this century, but lost in six games to the New York Islanders. The team was well-rounded, with young forwards Sasha Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, and Jonathan Huberdeau learning under legend Jaromir Jagr up front and franchise defenceman Aaron Ekblad developing nicely on the back-end. Veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo turned in an All-Star performance.

Despite winning their first ever division title on the backs of their young talent, the Panthers fired their head scout in May. Scott Luce had been with the team since 2003. The team also promoted GM Dale Tallon to President of Hockey Operations and replaced him Tom Rowe, the associate GM. The team also made a pair of intriguing trades, sending tough D Erik Gudbranson to Vancouver for picks and getting rid of the contract of Marc Savard.

Projected Cap Space: $20.8MM, 18 players under contract

Key Restricted Free Agent: Vincent Trochek enjoyed a tremendous break-out season with 53 points in 76 games. His 25 goals were tied with Reilly Smith for second most on the Panthers. The two-way centre missed the end of the regular season with a fractured fibula. He returned for game 5 of the post-season, posting a single assist in two losses.

The undersized Trochek will likely be looking for a similar, if not bigger, contract to the one Riley Sheahan signed today.

Other RFAs: Quinton Howden, Greg McKegg

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Defenceman Brian Campbell is no longer the top-pairing offensive dynamo he once was. But he’s still a dependable second or third pairing option to mentor the Panthers young defence core. He’s also in line for a significant pay cut from the $7.142MM annual salary he’s made since 2008.

Other pending UFA Jaromir Jagr has already been extended for another season.

Other Unrestricted Free Agents: Captain Willie Mitchell (retiring), rental wingers Teddy Purcell and Jiri Hudler, and backup goaltender Al Montoya.

The team will be looking for a taker for underperforming centre Dave Bolland, who scored just 5 points in 25 games last season but is making $5.5MM per season until 2019. Any trade involving Bolland would require a big sweetener, so a buyout is more likely. His health is also a potential roadblock in either case.

As well, the Panthers will be looking to acquire another goaltender. The 37-year-old Luongo has played 129 games in the last two seasons, so a solid young goaltender who can play 30 games would ease the workload and allow Luongo to be fresher for the playoffs.

Last year’s 11th overall pick, young power forward Lawson Crouse is expected to be given a long, hard look in training camp, but the team may also choose to acquire a winger to replace trade deadline rentals Purcell and Hudler.

The Panthers have plenty of cap space and new management looking to make a splash. However, new GM Tom Rowe must be wary of cap space heading into next off-season, with 11 players coming off the books including Ekblad, Smith, Huberdeau, Jagr, Dmitry Kulikov, and Alex Petrovic.

Former Canucks Goalie Cloutier Hired As Team’s Goaltending Coach

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The Vancouver Canucks have hired former goalie Dan Cloutier as their new goaltending coach, the team announced Tuesday.

According to the release, former goaltending coach Roland “Rollie” Melanson will now work with the Canucks goaltending prospects in the AHL, CHL, and NCAA. He was the Canucks goaltending coach for the last six seasons, working with Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider, Eddie Lack, Jacob Markstrom, and Ryan Miller. In April, Melanson announced he would not return for a seventh season in that capacity.

Cloutier has spent the previous four seasons as a goaltending consultant for the Canucks, working with their prospects. He played 208 games with the Canucks between 2000 and 2006, posting 109 wins with a .906SV% and 2.42 GAA.

Of course, we all remember Cloutier for one specific moment of his career:

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