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2017-18 Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the NHL season now just a couple of weeks away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Minnesota Wild.

Last Season: 49-25-8 record (106 points), second in Central Division (lost in the first round to the St. Louis Blues)

Remaining Cap Space: $-734K per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Matt Cullen (free agency, Pittsburgh), F Tyler Ennis (trade with Buffalo), F Marcus Foligno (trade with Buffalo), D Kyle Quincey (free agency, Columbus), F Daniel Winnik (PTO, Washington)

Key Departures: D Christian Folin (free agency, Los Angeles), F Tyler Graovac (trade with Washington), F Martin Hanzal (free agency, Dallas), F Erik Haula (expansion, Vegas), G Darcy Kuemper (free agency, Los Angeles), F Jason Pominville (trade with Buffalo), D Nate Prosser (free agency, St. Louis), D Marco Scandella (trade with Buffalo), F Jordan Schroeder (trade with Blue Jackets), F Alex Tuch (trade with Vegas), F Ryan White (PTO, Vancouver)

[Related: Wild Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: D Mat Dumba – The former first-round pick has gone under the radar for the most part but has seen his production and ice time increase each season.  There’s a good chance that trend will continue for 2017-18 and the timing will be notable if it does.

Matt DumbaDumba is heading into a contract year and sits as one of two prominent restricted free agents next summer (the other being winger Jason Zucker).  He will be coming off of his bridge contract, one that carries a cap hit of $2.55MM.  There’s a good case to be made that he could wind up doubling that contract, particularly since he has arbitration eligibility.

The Wild already have three big-ticket contracts on the books defensively with Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin and they are all signed through 2019-20 at the very least.  They also have more than $63MM in contracts committed for next season and inking Dumba to a long-term pact will get rid of a big chunk of what they have left to work with.

That’s what makes Dumba worth watching this season as he may wind up forcing Minnesota’s hand two different ways – by playing well enough to earn a big ticket contract while making them move someone out to free up the money to get the deal done while leaving enough on the table for Zucker and the rest of the roster.

Key Storyline: It’s not very often that a backup goalie could be a key factor but this is a rare occasion where that very well may be the case.  Devan Dubnyk has been one of the better starters in the league in recent seasons but he has also worn down due to overuse down the stretch.  One of their objectives was to find someone who they would be comfortable with starting a bit more frequently to keep Dubnyk rested which is something that is quickly becoming the trend throughout the league.

Alex Stalock is slated to serve as the number two netminder this season.  While he has been in that role in the past, he has spent the bulk of the last two seasons at the minor league level.  He was given an early extension primarily so that he could be left unprotected in expansion but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be able to provide them with the 20-25 starts they’ll be looking for.  If he struggles early on, it will be worth watching to see if they bring in someone else quickly although their cap situation will most likely limit their options.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Sproul, Giroux, Tryamkin, Benson

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Detroit defenseman Ryan Sproul has been given the green light to return to the lineup and will make his preseason debut on Monday, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan.  Sproul underwent ACL surgery on April 18th, a procedure that typically requires six months to recover from so it appears his recovery process is a little bit ahead of schedule.  Had that not been the case, he was a potential candidate to land on LTIR to start the season.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland confirmed to Khan that the team plans to carry only seven defensemen to start the season so right now it appears that the 24-year-old is on the outside looking in at a roster spot despite playing in 27 games with Detroit in 2016-17.  Sproul will require waivers in order to be assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The Flyers will experiment with placing long-time center Claude Giroux on the left wing on Monday night, notes CSN Philly’s Jordan Hall. Giroux has spent time at that position earlier in his career but not very often lately.  The idea of switching positions might allow Giroux a bit less wear and tear on his body but would also allow someone like Sean Couturier – who has been more of a shutdown player so far in his career – to take on more of an offensive-oriented role.
  • Defenseman Nikita Tryamkin’s decision to leave the Canucks to go back to the KHL caught some by surprise. The blueliner told Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko (Twitter links) that a lack of playing time was a big factor in his decision to leave.  Tryamkin averaged 16:44 per night last season, the lowest of any regular blueliner in Vancouver.  He added that he could see himself back with the team but he won’t discuss that possibility while still under contract to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg; he’s signed there through the 2019-20 season.
  • Oilers prospect Tyler Benson will likely start the season on injured reserve but is expected to join his junior team (the WHL’s Vancouver Giants) on October 13th, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. Benson, Edmonton’s second-round pick (32nd overall) in 2016, has yet to skate with the team in training camp and has not been cleared for any contact drills after undergoing double sports hernia surgery over the summer.

Five Key Stories: 9/17/17 – 9/23/17

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With puck drop on the regular season getting closer, activity around the league is starting to pick up as well.  Here are the biggest stories around the game over the past week.

Boyle Diagnosed With Leukemia: Devils center Brian Boyle was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, a form of bone cancer.  Doctors revealed that they caught the disease early and the expectation is that it will be able to be treated with medication although more tests will still be performed.  Boyle remains hopeful that he will be able to suit up on opening night which is certainly a promising sign.  Everyone here at PHR wishes Boyle the best as he goes through the treatment and recovery process.

Sep 29, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Joffrey Lupul (19) during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsThe Lupul Saga: It has been an eventful week for Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul.  He suggested on social media that Toronto cheats the system when it comes to LTIR but he later deleted those comments.  Although he elected not to opt for a second opinion on his failed physical, the league has stepped in and decided that they’d like a second look.  They have ordered an independent evaluation of Lupul and it’s possible that they could block Toronto from placing him on LTIR if they deem he is healthy enough to play.  It was also reported that the NHL is in the middle of the same procedure with Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa.

Panthers/Coyotes Trade: September trades aren’t particularly frequent in nature but Florida and Arizona made a somewhat notable swap of veterans with defenseman Jason Demers heading to the desert in exchange for winger Jamie McGinn.   The deal gives the Coyotes another top-four defender with the Panthers paying 15% of his $4.5MM contract for the next four years while Florida adds some depth up front having lost several wingers this offseason while shedding some financial obligations in the future.

St. Louis Injuries: The injury bug has not been kind to the Blues so far.  Over the past week, they lost forward Zach Sanford for the next five-to-six months as he required surgery to fix a disclosed shoulder as well as defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to a fractured ankle with no firm timeframe for his return (he will be re-evaluated closer to the start of the season).  Then it was revealed that winger Alex Steen will miss the rest of training camp with a hand injury and he will also be re-evaluated at the end of the preseason which calls his availability to start the year into question as well.  (And this week didn’t get off to a great start either with Robby Fabbri now on the shelf as well.)

Wild Extend Koivu: Minnesota will be keeping its longest-tenured player in the fold for a while longer as the team reached an agreement on a two-year, $11MM extension with center Mikko Koivu.  The 34-year-old (who also serves as team captain) has been with the Wild since they drafted him sixth overall back in 2001 and is the franchise leader in many categories including games played, assists, and points.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Bertuzzi, Leivo, Officiating, McDonald

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Red Wings winger Tyler Bertuzzi will be out three-to-four weeks due to tendon inflammation in his wrist, GM Ken Holland told reporters including MLive’s Ansar Khan.  That will keep him out of the lineup for the first week or two of the season which should give converted defenseman Luke Witkowski a bit more of an edge on a lineup spot on the wing.

Bertuzzi will likely be headed for season-opening injured reserve which will allow them to prorate his cap hit.  Bertuzzi spent 50 days on the NHL roster last season (playing seven games with Detroit) so he will carry a discounted cap hit of nearly $184K on the Red Wings’ books once the season gets underway.

Other news and notes from around the league:

  • The Leafs received at least one serious trade inquiry for winger Josh Leivo but placed a high asking price despite his status as a seldom-used player, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. It’s evident that the team still values him having protected Leivo from Vegas in expansion but Toronto’s winger depth is comparable to last season if not stronger.  As a result, the 24-year-old is likely to be on the outside looking in at a regular spot in the lineup once again which means there’s a good chance he’ll draw more trade interest in the coming weeks.
  • While the NHL continues to crack down on faceoff and slashing violations, the league sent a memo to its officials on Friday to ask them to scale back the calls a little bit, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link). Penalties for both of these are up substantially through the opening week of the preseason.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie clarified via Twitter that the toe on the line standard is what will be relaxed at the faceoff dot.
  • Flyers winger Colin McDonald will be out an undisclosed number of weeks due to a lower-body injury, notes Andrew Kulp of CSN Philly. McDonald spent the bulk of last season with AHL Lehigh Valley but was with Philadelphia for a handful of games as well.  Accordingly, he will head on SOIR and count on their cap at a discounted rate similar to Bertuzzi in Detroit although his reduced charge checks in at a little over $14K.

2017-18 Primer: Montreal Canadiens

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With the NHL season now just a couple of weeks away, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Montreal Canadiens.

Last Season: 47-26-9 record (103 points), first in Atlantic Division (lost in the first round to the New York Rangers)

Remaining Cap Space: $8.4MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: D Karl Alzner (free agency, Washington), F Jonathan Drouin (trade with Tampa Bay), F Ales Hemsky (free agency, Dallas), D Jakub Jerabek (free agency, Vityaz Podolsk, KHL), D David Schlemko (trade with Vegas), D Mark Streit (free agency, Pittsburgh)

Key Departures: D Nathan Beaulieu (trade with Buffalo), D Alexei Emelin (expansion, Vegas) F Brian Flynn (free agency, Dallas), F Dwight King (free agency, Yekaterinburg, KHL), D Andrei Markov (free agency, Kazan Ak-Bars, KHL), D Nikita Nesterov (free agency, CSKA Moscow, KHL), F Steve Ott (retirement), F Alexander Radulov (free agency, Dallas), D Mikhail Sergachev (trade with Tampa Bay)

[Related: Canadiens Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Jonathan Drouin – The Canadiens have lacked a high-end local talent for quite a while now which is something that Drouin is expected to change as he takes on a top-line role with the team.  GM Marc Bergevin wasted little time signing him, handing him a six-year, $33MM contract mere hours after acquiring him so expectations are high.

Jonathan DrouinAt the time the trade was made, the belief was that Montreal would be able to retain Radulov and that Drouin would be able to augment a forward group that has had their difficulties scoring with consistency.  With Radulov out of the picture though and no other prominent forwards being brought in, the 22-year-old will now be asked to not only equal Radulov’s production but build on it.

On top of that, the team is experimenting with him at center, a position he hasn’t played with any sort of regularity since his days in junior.  Montreal’s weakness down the middle is well-known and is exacerbated by Alex Galchenyuk playing on the wing to start once again and it appears that they will be asking Drouin to try to help fix that issue as well.

Drouin has stated that he welcomes the spotlight as he plays for his hometown team.  He better get used to it in a hurry as he stands to be a focal point of Montreal’s attack right away.

Key Storyline: While most teams see a bit of turnover on their back end each season, it’s rare for a team to see as much change over the course of a calendar year as Montreal has.  Although he has only been with the Canadiens for one season, Shea Weber is already the second-longest tenured defender with the team (Streit has more games played with them but last suited up for Montreal in 2008 so that doesn’t really count).

Over the course of just over twelve months, Bergevin has completely overhauled their defense corps, including parting ways with their top three left-shooting options in the span of about a month this summer.  While they have brought in plenty of depth, they haven’t brought anyone in to fill Markov’s role which creates another big concern heading into the season.

Alzner is expected to anchor the second unit which leaves the team without a proven option to play alongside Weber on their top unit.  They have a collection of depth players who are better served in lesser roles while Jerabek and prospect Victor Mete (who has been paired with Weber in the preseason) aren’t ready to take on top minutes right away.

While they may be inclined to go with what they have to start the season, it wouldn’t be surprising if Montreal winds up needing to trade for another proven defender at some point.  If nothing else, with more than $8MM in cap space to work with head into the year, making the finances work on such a deal shouldn’t be a problem at the very least.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saturday’s Waiver Placements

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The second day of waivers yielded even more players hitting the wire than on Friday.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the following 18 players were placed on waivers:

Buffalo Sabres
F Kevin Porter

Carolina Hurricanes
F Patrick Brown
D Brendan Kichton
F Andrew Miller
F Dennis Robertson
D Philip Samuelsson

Edmonton Oilers
G Eddie Pasquale

Nashville Predators
D Andrew O’Brien
D Petter Granberg
F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
G Anders Lindback
F Trevor Smith

New York Islanders
G Christopher Gibson
G Kristers Gudlevskis
D Seth Helgeson
F Connor Jones

Tampa Bay Lightning
D Mat Bodie
G Michael Leighton

Teams will have an opportunity to claim these players until 11:00 AM on Sunday morning.  All 17 players that were waived yesterday, headed by Montreal defenseman Zach Redmond, successfully cleared waivers.  The majority of those players have already officially been cut today and sent to their respective minor league camps.

Rangers Notes: Andersson, Chytil, Desharnais, Buchnevich

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It’s rare that a pair of first rounders picked by the same from the latest draft crack the NHL roster right away but that could be the case for the Rangers.  Head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters, including Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News, that both Lias Andersson (7th overall) and Filip Chytil (21st overall) could both break camp with the team to start the season.  New York hasn’t really replaced Derek Stepan down the middle and both youngsters are natural centers.  There will also be an opening on the roster for a few weeks thanks to winger Jesper Fast’s hip surgery this summer that will have him out for the first few weeks of the season.  Andersson and Chytil can each play nine NHL games before burning the first year of their contracts.

More from Manhattan:

  • The team signed David Desharnais with the idea that he can hold down the third line center spot despite struggling considerably last season, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. Although he is only two years removed from a 48 point campaign, he managed just 14 in 49 games between Montreal and Edmonton last year.  From a depth perspective, the team may be better off starting with him as a fourth liner that can move up when injuries arise or someone struggles since he wasn’t able to hold down a full-time top-nine spot in 2016-17 with either team.
  • The back issues that plagued rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich in his rookie season are a thing of the past, writes Newsday’s Steve Zipay. The Russian got off to a strong start despite playing through the pain but by the time the second half rolled around, he spent most of his time on the fourth line or in the press box.  If he’s able to hold down a top-nine spot on the wing, that could also free the team up to try J.T. Miller down the middle as well.

Snapshots: Khudobin, Fast, Hanzal

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One of the battles in Boston’s training camp is for the backup goalie position.  Veteran Anton Khudobin is the incumbent but is coming off an inconsistent season that saw him post just a .904 save percentage, well below the league average in 2016-17.  Accordingly, some have wondered if youngster Zane McIntyre could push for the number two job with the Bruins but head coach Bruce Cassidy told CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty that Khudobin remains the favorite for the job.

“He’s in very good shape and he’s practiced well, so he’s got a leg up on the other [goalies] based on his experience.  We know that going in, but he’s going to get pushed. Zane was good in a game, and Malcolm [Subban] let in a couple where he could have been more aggressive. But it was a first game, so right now they all look good. That’s a good problem to have if they all push each other, but to get direct to the point Anton has done nothing to lose that backup spot.”

If McIntyre isn’t able to supplant Khudobin for the backup role with the Bruins, he will be able to go down to Providence without going through waivers as he’s exempt for this season.  The same can’t be said for Malcolm Subban, who would have to hit the wire before heading to the AHL.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Rangers winger Jesper Fast is progressing well in his recovery from offseason hip surgery, notes Matt Calamia on the Rangers’ team site. Head coach Alain Vigneault said that the team is targeting late October for his return to the lineup which would actually put him ahead of schedule from the five months he was expected to miss when he went under the knife in early June.  The 25-year-old has six goals and 15 assists in 68 games with New York last season and will push for a bottom-six role when he returns to the lineup.
  • Stars center Martin Hanzal is expected to start skating with the Stars on Saturday, reports Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge. The 30-year-old has been out since the start of training camp with an ankle injury.  While Dallas has a surplus of centers, head coach Ken Hitchcock suggested earlier this month that it won’t be Hanzal who shifts positions and that it might be Jason Spezza who spends time on the wing instead.

Central Notes: Parise, Hossa, Wilson

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Although Wild forward Zach Parise took part in practice on Friday for the first time in training camp, his back troubles are something that he and the team will be monitoring throughout the course of the season, notes Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press.  Head coach Bruce Boudreau is hopeful to get Parise into a game before the exhibition schedule comes to a close.

The fact that Parise believes this situation is going to have to be watched throughout the season has to be somewhat concerning, not only for this year but possibly beyond if it continues to linger.  He is the highest paid forward on the Wild with a cap hit checking in at just over $7.5MM while he has eight years remaining on his contract.

More from the Central:

  • It turns out that Joffrey Lupul isn’t the only player that the league is reviewing the medical status for. James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that Blackhawks winger Marian Hossa is also being looked at.  The team announced back in June that Hossa would miss all of 2017-18 due to a progressive skin disorder.  Placing Hossa (and Lupul) on long-term injury reverse allows both Chicago and Toronto to get back into cap compliance but the league will be taking a closer look before effectively approving their placements.  Considering the potential impact on the salary cap, it would seem likely that this will be addressed before the regular season gets underway.
  • Colin Wilson’s time with the Predators came to an end this summer when he was dealt to Colorado. He noted to AJ Haefele of BSN Denver that it was a situation where “both parties decided to move on”.  Wilson is coming off of a 35 point season with Nashville but has largely been viewed as an underachiever the past few seasons whose cap hit of nearly $4MM was too high for what he brought to the lineup.  That should change this season as he will be counted on to play a big role with the Avalanche and will likely start inside their top six.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Calgary Flames

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Calgary Flames

Current Cap Hit: $69,784,210 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Matthew Tkachuk (Two years remaining, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

Tkachuk: $850K

It wasn’t known right away last year if Tkachuk would be NHL ready after being drafted but he put that talk to rest pretty quickly with a very productive rookie campaign.  He is already a top-six forward and if he progresses into a top-liner by the end of his contract, he could find himself in the range of six years and $33MM that several notable players have signed coming off of their entry-level pacts.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Mikael Backlund ($3.575MM, UFA)
D Matt Bartkowski ($613K, UFA)
G Eddie Lack ($1.375MM, UFA)*
F Matt Stajan ($3.125MM, UFA)
F Kris Versteeg ($1.75MM, UFA)

* – Carolina is retaining $1.375MM on Lack’s contract.

The Flames have already publicly expressed an interest in keeping Backlund, their first rounder back in 2007.  His game has really taken off over the past two seasons and he has now slid into a full-time top-six role.  As a result, he’s in line for a sizable raise on his next contract given the demand for impact centers on the open market.  Stajan has become more of a depth player in recent years and while he will likely earn another contract, it will be for considerably less than his current one.  Versteeg impressed after coming over late in training camp last year but still was only able to garner a one-year deal, albeit at a decent raise.  While on the surface it would seem like a similar season would position himself to get more interest in the summer, he hasn’t had a lot of suitors in the past.

Bartkowski was able to get the extra year on his contract thanks to expansion and will now battle for the seventh spot on the depth chart.  As a result, his next deal shouldn’t be too much higher a year from now.  As for Lack, he will serve as the backup and will be looking to restore some value after a particularly rough season with the Hurricanes.  Top reserve netminders are starting to land bigger contracts (such as the one he’s currently on) and a good year from him would position Lack to sign at least a comparable deal next offseason.

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