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Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. 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 2019-20 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.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $72,788,333 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Mackenzie Blackwood (one year, $698K)
F Jesper Bratt (one year, $749K)
F Nico Hischier (one year, $925K)
F Jack Hughes (three years, $925K)

Potential Bonuses:

Blackwood: $132.5K
Hischier: $2.85MM
Hughes: $2.85MM

Hischier has yet to emerge as a legitimate top line star but there is certainly cause for optimism that he will take a step forward this season.  He may not be able to get to the top of the RFA class a season from now but a long-term pact would undoubtedly make him one of the highest-paid players on the team.  It’s too early to project what a second contract for Hughes would look like but he’s expected to become a star in short order so his next deal will likely be quite an expensive one.  Bratt very quietly nearly duplicated his rookie season production despite playing in 21 fewer games.  A long-term deal isn’t likely given who else they need to sign to big-ticket contracts but a decent season from him could have a bridge pact in the $2.5MM or more range.

Blackwood didn’t have a great year in the minors but more than held his own in his first action at the NHL level.  He’ll push for more minutes than a typical backup may get but he’s a good candidate for a bridge contract next summer.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Andy Greene ($5MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F John Hayden ($750K, RFA)
D Mirco Mueller ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Kevin Rooney ($700K, UFA)
F Wayne Simmonds ($5MM, UFA)
D Sami Vatanen ($4.875MM, UFA)

With all due respect to Hischier, Hall is far and away GM Ray Shero’s top priority when it comes to players on expiring contracts.  Last season didn’t go as well as his Hart Trophy campaign but he still averaged over a point per game in an injury-riddled campaign.  He is their franchise player and it’s no coincidence that the team has been aggressive this summer in an effort to try to help entice him to stay.  No matter what, it will take a lot more than that alone to get him to sign on the dotted line.  Artemi Panarin set a new benchmark for wingers earlier this summer when he signed for over $11.6MM per season and Hall could certainly command a similar price tag.  The good news for the Devils is that not a lot of teams will be able to afford that and they’ll be one of the teams that can.

Simmonds signed what would appear to be an inflated contract based on his performance last season but the one-year term makes it a worthwhile gamble for both sides.  If he rebounds, he’ll position himself better for a multi-year deal a year from now and the Devils will get a good return on their investment.  If not, it’s an expiring contract whose money can be directed towards Hall and Hischier.  Hayden was brought in from Chicago this summer with the hope that he can push for a fourth line role which is similar to Rooney’s situation.  Neither will likely land much bigger deals a year from now.

Vatanen hasn’t really been able to ascend to a top role like they were hoping when they got him but he’s still a strong presence in their top four.  His production has also dipped in recent years which won’t help his value; instead of being a player that could plausibly eclipse the $6MM mark, he’s probably going to check in a little lower than barring a big uptick in points.  Greene has been a fixture with New Jersey for more than a decade but he’s clearly on the back nine of his career.  Assuming he hovers around the 20-minute mark once again, he could still command a two-year deal (despite being in a 35-plus situation) but it will have to come with some sort of small pay cut.  Mueller took some strides towards establishing himself as a regular last season but will still be in a battle for playing time.  How he fares will determine if a small raise is on the horizon or a non-tender because of his salary arbitration eligibility.

Two Years Remaining

D Connor Carrick ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Blake Coleman ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Nikita Gusev ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Kyle Palmieri ($4.65MM, UFA)
F Travis Zajac ($5.75MM, UFA)

Palmieri doesn’t get a lot of attention but with four straight seasons of at least 24 goals, that will change when he hits the open market at 30. While teams are more hesitant to spend big on players that age, he should still easily be able to hit the $6MM mark or more depending on the term.  Zajac saw his production jump back into the mid-40’s after an off year in 2017-18 but overall, he’s a better fit on the third line than somewhere in the top six which makes this deal on the pricey side.  Gusev is going to be an interesting one to follow.  He was a terrific player in the KHL but this will be his first NHL action.  As a result, this could wind up being a bargain, a disaster, or pretty much anything in between.  Coleman has already made his three-year bridge deal a team-friendly one after a career-best 22 goals.  He’s also a very physical player and power forwards with a scoring touch tend to get big contracts so he could be looking at a good raise two years from now.  Something similar to what Micheal Ferland got (four years at $3.5MM per year) is plausible.

Carrick got the opportunity to play big minutes down the stretch after being acquired and made the most of it.  It’s likely he’ll have a lesser role this season but even if he can hold down a spot on the third pairing, they should get a reasonable return on this deal.

Three Years Remaining

D Will Butcher ($3.733MM, UFA)
G Cory Schneider ($6MM, UFA)
D P.K. Subban ($9MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood ($2.75MM, RFA)

Wood’s production dipped a bit last season despite a small uptick in ice time.  At 23, it’s not a significant concern at this point but given the extra depth the team now has, his deal could become a bit expensive if he doesn’t get back to his 2017-18 level.

Subban was brought in as a salary cap dump from Nashville but he instantly becomes New Jersey’s top defender.  He’s probably not a true number one option but he’s the closest they’ve had in a while.  His price tag is on the expensive side (it was the richest deal for a blueliner until this coming season) but it’s a justifiable price to pay to give their back end a boost.  Butcher’s production dropped from 41 to 30 points last season and in the process, he may have cost himself a shot at a long-term deal.  Instead, the two sides went with a short-term pact.  If Butcher can establish himself as a consistent offensive threat, this could be a bargain for the Devils while paving the way for a much bigger payday three years from now.

Schneider is coming off a rocky season.  Thanks to struggles and hip issues, he went a year without a win and his contract was looking like a huge anchor.  However, he showed signs of improvements down the stretch and fared well at the World Championships which should give him another chance to be the starter next season.  His deal isn’t the bargain it was when he was among the top goalies in the league not long ago but they can still get some value from it now.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D Damon Severson ($4.167MM through 2022-23)

This deal raised some eyebrows when it was signed a couple of years ago but Severson’s performance last year makes it look like a team-friendly pact now.  He had a career season offensively with 39 points while logging over 22 minutes a night.  That type of production is worth a lot more on the open market than what he’s getting.

Buyouts

F Mike Cammalleri ($1.667MM through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

F Ilya Kovalchuk ($250K through 2024-25)

Still To Sign

F Pavel Zacha

Zacha continues to be somewhat of an enigma.  The production has been there in spurts but without much consistency.  That makes him a prime candidate for a one-year deal this summer, especially since he’ll have arbitration eligibility next offseason.  At this stage, he probably won’t get too much more than his qualifying offer which was just over $874K.

Best Value: Hall
Worst Value: Zajac

Looking Ahead

Even with their offseason spending, the Devils have plenty of salary cap flexibility for the upcoming season.  They may not be able to say that for 2020-21, however.  Hischier’s next deal will be a big increase on his current cap hit while Hall, if they can re-sign him, will command a big raise.

Looking at the big picture, Shero has the team well-positioned with a lack of long-term commitments that should allow them to lock up their core youngsters without much concern and still leave some wiggle room.  That’s a pretty good spot to be in as long as they can put that flexibility to good use, something they were able to do this summer but didn’t accomplish in the previous few offseasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Rangers, Boeser, Koivu

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The Rangers appear to be sticking to their guns when it comes to their remaining restricted free agents in winger Brendan Lemieux and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team has no apparent inclination to move off the qualifying offers that they tendered back in June which were worth just over $874K each.  Neither player had salary arbitration rights which limited their options while they don’t have a multi-year track record to really command a bigger deal either.  New York is also tight to the salary cap which is playing a factor as well.  The duo could try to solicit an offer sheet where the compensation thresholds would be low but beyond that, it appears the waiting game for these two will continue.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • While the contract Canucks RFA winger Brock Boeser is seeking is believed to be similar to that of San Jose winger Timo Meier, don’t expect it to have a similar structure. Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma notes that the asking price remains four years at a $7MM AAV (Meier came in at four years at $6MM per), but GM Jim Benning isn’t a fan of the back-loaded structure that creates a highly-inflated qualifying offer at its expiration.  A four-year deal would carry some risk in that it would take him a year away from UFA eligibility but at the same time, it would carry a lower AAV which would be helpful given their salary cap situation.
  • Wild center Mikko Koivu expects to be ready for training camp after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus and ACL last season, reports Jessi Pierce of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, it’s likely that he will be limited during the preseason as a precaution. The 36-year-old is entering the final year of his contract which carries a $5.5MM cap hit and with his output dipping in recent years, it will be interesting to see if the 14-year veteran will get a chance to stay with the only NHL team he has ever known or if new GM Bill Guerin will opt to move on.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. 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 2019-20 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.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current Cap Hit: $65,734,082 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Pierre-Luc Dubois (one year, $894K)
F Alexandre Texier (two years, $898K)

Potential Bonuses:

Dubois: $2.5MM

Dubois was a surprise selection at third overall three years ago and GM Jarmo Kekalainen should be praised for the decision to take him over the consensus selection in Jesse Puljujarvi.  He followed up a strong rookie season with an improved sophomore campaign and with Matt Duchene gone, Dubois should have the inside track on the number one center role on a full-time basis.  He’ll be wanting to keep tabs on the current class of restricted free agents as it’s quite possible that Dubois will be among the headliners in next year’s group if they can’t agree on an early extension which could potentially exceed the $8MM mark if he builds on his 2018-19 performance.

Texier joined the team late in the season and worked his way into a regular role for the most part in the playoffs.  That should give him the inside track at a roster spot.  The Blue Jackets like his upside but he’ll need more run at the NHL level before they get a sense of what his second contract could be.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Josh Anderson ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($750K, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($1.15MM, RFA)
D Dean Kukan ($725K, RFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins ($874K, RFA)

Anderson’s three-year bridge deal was a way to see if he could establish himself as a top-six player first before committing that type of money to him.  Mission accomplished.  He broke out with a 27-goal season that also saw him surpass the 200-hit mark and has established himself as a quality power forward.  A similar performance could see him triple his current money on his next deal.  Hannikainen is a capable depth option but he won’t get much more than his current rate a year from now unless he has a breakout year offensively.  As for Kukan, he’s also in a spot where he can’t expect much of a raise unless he can work his way into a regular role.

Their goaltending is going to be interesting to watch.  The team hopes that Korpisalo can continue to progress and grab a hold of the number one role but he’s only once played in 30 NHL games in a single season.  Meanwhile, Merzlikins has yet to play in the NHL.  This could wind up being a platoon for a couple of years but in 2020-21, it will be a fair bit more expensive than it is now.

Two Years Remaining

F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Brandon Dubinsky ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($4.6MM, UFA)
F Riley Nash ($2.75MM, UFA)
D David Savard ($4.25MM, UFA)

Foligno hasn’t been able to come close to his career year back in 2014-15 which is when his current deal was signed.  They’re paying him like a top-six player but he has produced more like a third liner in recent years.  That’s still more than what they’ve been getting from Dubinsky who has spent a lot of time on the fourth line and hasn’t fared well.  While Foligno will be taking a pay cut on his next deal, there may not be another one for Dubinsky.

Nash was brought in to give the Blue Jackets some extra depth down the middle.  He still gives them that but he came up well short of the production that landed him that deal; he had just three goals last season.  That’s not a great return either.  Bjorkstrand is on an Anderson-like bridge contract to see if he can become a consistent top-six producer.  Year one went well and if he continues on that path, he could push for a sizable raise next time around.

Savard hasn’t come close to matching his 35-point output from 2014-15 but has nonetheless established himself as a capable top-four defender most nights.  His current deal is pretty close to the going rate for players with a track record of success in that role.  When healthy, Murray is certainly worth his contract.  But staying healthy isn’t something he has been able to do over the years.  If he shows some signs of durability over the next couple of years, a big contract would be on the horizon but if not, he’ll be hard-pressed to match his current deal.

Three Years Remaining

D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($4.75MM, UFA)
D Seth Jones ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Markus Nutivaara ($2.7MM, UFA)

Jenner has yet to come close to his 30-goal output from 2015-16; he hasn’t even reached 20 since then.  However, he remains a capable third liner with the ability to hold his own when pressed into top six duty.  They need more production from him and he will need to provide that if he wants to get a bigger contract three summers from now.

Jones is on quite the bargain contract.  He has established himself as a capable number one defender and is doing so at a price tag that is several million below what comparable players have been getting.  With the way the market is going, he could have a shot at doubling his AAV on his next deal.  Nutivaara is more of an option on the third pairing but while his cap hit may be a bit high for someone in that role, they have more than enough cap space to carry it.  Harrington has been more of a depth player throughout his career which makes this contract they gave him a bit puzzling but again, they have the cap space to make it a non-issue.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Cam Atkinson ($5.875MM through 2024-25)
F Gustav Nyquist ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.9MM through 2022-23)

Atkinson is coming off a career year that saw him post 41 goals.  He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare but he has become a legitimate front-line winger at a rate that’s well below market value.  Nyquist was their lone big splash this offseason.  While he won’t replace Artemi Panarin’s production, he’s coming off a career year offensively and should see plenty of ice time with the Blue Jackets.  Wennberg’s deal once looked like a bargain but has been a disaster.  He scored just twice in 75 games last season despite averaging over 15 minutes a night.  Instead of being a long-term fixture for the franchise, this is looking more like a long-term anchor.

Buyouts

F Scott Hartnell ($1.25MM through 2020-21)
D Fedor Tyutin ($1.458MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

D Zach Werenski

Part of the reason that the Blue Jackets have this much cap space is that Werenski’s deal isn’t done.  He sits atop the class of RFA blueliners this summer and is among the group that’s seemingly waiting for someone else to sign first.  He’s easily going to surpass Jones to sit atop their back end in terms of AAV if a deal with any sort of notable term gets signed.  Not having him signed to start the season would certainly be a huge blow.

Best Value: Jones
Worst Value: Dubinsky

Looking Ahead

While their outlook for 2019-20 in general isn’t particularly strong, the Blue Jackets at least have plenty of salary cap flexibility both for the upcoming season and the foreseeable future.  They could opt to use some of that cap space to take on an unwanted contract or two to add some additional assets for the upcoming season. Even with Werenski and Dubois set to be in line for major second contracts, they should still have enough room to make a run at some prominent free agents in the summers to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Oshie, Rangers, Gardiner

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The Capitals will have T.J. Oshie back and ready for next season.  After a broken collarbone ended his postseason prematurely, the winger told reporters including J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington that he has fully recovered and will be ready for training camp.  He also suggested that there would have been a chance that he could have suited up in the Stanley Cup Final if Washington would have made it there.  The 32-year-old was on pace for a 30-goal season last year and with the team losing some of its secondary scoring with the departures of Brett Connolly (free agency) and Andre Burakovsky (trade), they’ll be counting on Oshie to produce at a similar level this season.

More from the East:

  • The Rangers are close to rounding out their coaching staff with AHL Hartford. After hiring Kris Knoblauch as head coach and Gord Murphy as an assistant, New York is set to turn to David Cunniff to serve as the other assistant with the Wolf Pack, reports Rick Carpinello of The Athletic (subscription required).  Cunniff is a veteran coach at the minor league level, spending the last 17 years as an assistant or associate coach in the AHL.  He most recently has been with Minnesota’s affiliate in Iowa where he spent two years as an assistant and the last two seasons as their associate bench boss.
  • While there was a previous report that defenseman Jake Gardiner had a verbal deal in place with a team, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun notes that the unrestricted free agent continues to hold off on signing elsewhere in the hopes that he could return to the Maple Leafs. Right now, Toronto’s focus is solely on RFA winger Mitch Marner which certainly makes Gardiner’s patience somewhat of a risky strategy as it doesn’t appear Marner’s situation is getting resolved anytime soon.  On the other hand, the team knows that Marner is going to take up pretty much all of their remaining cap room so Toronto would need to find a trade involving someone making a sizable salary for a reunion to be possible.

Five Key Stories: 8/12/19 – 8/18/19

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While August has been pretty quiet in terms of big headlines, there were a few newsworthy items around the league over the past seven days.

Barbashev Looking Overseas: When the Blues re-signed defenseman Joel Edmundson following his arbitration award, their salary cap picture came into greater focus.  They still have to re-sign center Ivan Barbashev but with less than $2MM in cap room to do so, things could get a little dicey.  His agent Dan Milstein muddied the waters when he indicated that the 23-year-old is “looking at options on both sides of the ocean”.  It’s believed that Barbashev is looking for a four-year deal around $2MM per season which may be difficult to get if he opted to return home to play in the KHL.  Nonetheless, it’s possible that it could him just a little bit more leverage as he and the Blues try to get a deal done.

Priskie To Carolina: When the calendar flipped to August 16th, quite a few NHL-drafted players became unrestricted free agents.  The top player in that class was Quinnipiac defender Chase Priskie, originally a Washington draft pick.  He didn’t stay unsigned for very long as the Hurricanes signed the 23-year-old to a two-year, entry-level contract.  He was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award in 2018-19 and is believed to be somewhat close to being NHL-ready.  However, with four established right-shot defenders in front of him on Carolina’s depth chart, he may have to bide his time in the minors for a little while first.

Torn ACL For Valimaki: Calgary’s back end was dealt a blow as youngster Juuso Valimaki sustained a torn ACL in summer training.  No timeline for recovery was announced but these injuries typically take six months or longer to recover from.  He was expected to contend for a full-time roster spot and potentially allow them to move defenseman T.J. Brodie to free up some cap room.  Instead, the Flames will now need to keep Brodie and they are now on the lookout to acquire another blueliner.  With Calgary needing to free up cap space to re-sign wingers Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, expect GM Brad Treliving to be discussing trades involving some forwards in the coming days and weeks.

GM Extensions: The debate around whether or not Carolina GM Don Waddell should be able to operate without a contract can be put to rest now as the Hurricanes signed him to a three-year deal.  He assumed the GM duties last year and the team quickly turned things around so the fact he’ll be sticking around for a while should come as no surprise.  Meanwhile, the Canucks have also committed to their GM for three more years as they’ve agreed to terms with Jim Benning on a three-year extension.  Benning has been in the role since 2014 and while the team hasn’t had a lot of success during his tenure, he has assembled a very strong group of young players to give them a very promising core to build around.

Erne To Detroit: The Red Wings added some depth on the wing, acquiring Adam Erne from Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round pick.  The Lightning weren’t likely to be able to afford to re-sign him given their salary cap situation (they’re saving room for RFA center Brayden Point) while they only have one contract slot available which is earmarked for Point so a move needed to be made.  Meanwhile, at 24, Erne could figure into Detroit’s plans for a while for what amounts to a pretty low acquisition cost.  Shortly after the trade, the winger inked a one-year, $1.05MM contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

PHR Originals: 8/12/19 – 8/18/19

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With the hockey world being squarely in the summer doldrums, there has been plenty of original content here at PHR over the past week.

Our look at the salary cap situation continued as we wrapped up the Pacific Division.  I took a look at the numbers for San Jose and Vancouver while Holger did the same for Vegas.  We also kicked off our look at the Metropolitan Division as Holger broke down Carolina’s situation; while their reputation is that of a lower-spending team, they’re going to be pretty tight to the $81.5MM salary cap for the upcoming season.

After polling our readers for their listing of the top centers in the league, we’ve done the same for the wingers.  Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Chicago’s Patrick Kane, and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov currently hold the top three spots but there’s still time vote.

While there aren’t many big names left on the unrestricted free agent market, there are some intriguing depth options and possible reclamation projects available.  A player in the first category is defenseman Andrew MacDonald, who Holger profiled.  While he was overpaid on his contract with the Flyers, he could still potentially fill a sixth or seventh role for next season.  Meanwhile, a player in the latter category is winger Valeri Nichushkin who Holger also examined.  The tenth overall pick in 2013 had a disastrous year in Dallas as he went the entire season without a goal but he’s not far removed from being someone envisioned as being a top-six power forward.  He’d be a good candidate to consider for a rebuilding team.

Our 2007 redraft series continues.  Winger Jakub Voracek moved up a spot to go number six to Edmonton which means Columbus is now on the board.  Click here to cast your vote.

The back half of our mailbag is now available.  Topics that I covered in this edition are what’s next for the Rangers, what may need to happen for a David Backes trade, teams that could surprise next season, possible trade candidates between now and the start of the preseason, and  Ottawa’s lack of spending.

Last month, the Wild parted ways with general manager Paul Fenton.  Which GM will be the next one to be let go?  Make your prediction here.

Minor Transactions: 8/17/19

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While it’s unlikely that there will be much in the way of notable player movement today aside from Carolina’s early signing, there will still be some minor moves around the hockey world.  We’ll keep tabs on those here.

  • Blackhawks UFA winger Spencer Watson is sticking around the organization but not on an NHL deal. Their ECHL affiliate in Indy announced that they have signed the 23-year-old to a one-year contract.  Watson was acquired from Los Angeles in a midseason trade and has spent the bulk of his pro career in the ECHL.  While he has averaged nearly a point per game at that level, it wasn’t enough to get him a qualifying offer back in June.
  • Arizona State University announced that winger Christopher Grando has transferred from Boston University. The 20-year-old had a strong freshman year in 2017-18 but saw his production and role decrease in his sophomore campaign which led to the transfer.  He’ll have to sit out the upcoming season but he’ll still have two years of NCAA eligibility remaining with the hopes of getting onto the NHL radar.

PHR Mailbag: Rangers, Backes, Surprise Teams, Trade Candidates, Senators

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Topics in this edition of the mailbag include what’s next for the Rangers, David Backes’ future in Boston, teams that could surprise, possible trade candidates over the next month, and Ottawa’s lack of spending.  If your question isn’t covered here, check back with last week’s column.

met man: Now that the dust has settled, do the Rangers trade or extend Chris Kreider?  What about Namestnikov?

It’s probably the status quo for the time being when it comes to Kreider.  The team has indicated that they expect him in training camp which was a subtle way to say let’s stop with the trade speculation.  That probably won’t happen though.  They’re going to have a hard enough time fitting him under the Upper Limit this season at his current $3.625MMMM rate.  Add a couple million to that on a long-term extension and the big penalty from the Kevin Shattenkirk buyout and it’s very difficult to see them being able to fit Kreider in a year from now even if the salary cap goes up a little bit.  That’s always going to keep him trade speculation.

I don’t expect a quick resolution to his case though.  They’ll find a way to get under the cap for 2019-20 without needing to move him and they’ll see how things play out.  If they get back into playoff contention, they’ll certainly consider holding on to him and try to use that as a case for why he should take a bit less than he could get elsewhere to stick around.  If they’re a bubble team or out of the postseason picture though, then a trade near the deadline becomes the likeliest outcome where he’d be one of the more prominent players available.

As for Namestnikov, they’ve been trying to move him for a while now with no takers.  I happen to think there’s still some potential upside with him – he’s only 26 and one year removed from a 22-goal, 48-point season.  Sure, it hasn’t worked out too well for him in New York but a change of scenery could get him back closer to 15 goals and 35 to 40 points.  Is that great value for $4MM?  Not really but he’d still be a useful player.  If the Rangers are open to retaining some of his contract, they could find a taker for him although the return wouldn’t be a strong one.  But that might be enough to get them back in cap compliance for next season so it may be a hit worth taking.

pitmanrich: Considering the moves the Rangers have made this summer and the high draft picks they’ve used over last two drafts is the rebuild over? And if so, how much pressure will coach Quinn be under to get results this season?

I don’t think it’s fair to say that the rebuild is entirely over.  This is still a team that’s going to be icing a lot of youngsters in prominent roles and with that, there will be inevitable growing pains, even with the additions of Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba.  This is a team that should certainly be improved and I don’t think I’d be overly shocked if they got into the playoff mix as there isn’t going to be a lot of separation between the third-place team in the Metropolitan and one that finds itself on the outside looking in at the postseason picture.  Accordingly, I would say that their rebuild has been accelerated but it’s still a year too early to call it over.

With that in mind, expectations shouldn’t be too high on David Quinn.  The priority for this season should be getting steady development out of players like Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, and Adam Fox.  That’s the eventual young nucleus of this team with their high-priced veterans helping to give them enough of a push to get them over the top.  At least that’s the plan.  If their youngsters show signs of improvement towards living up to their draft billing, it’s a successful season regardless of where they finish in the standings.  Those are the results in which Quinn should be evaluated on.

mcase7187: Could the Bruins package a deal like David B?

It all depends on what the package includes.  Is it possible that Backes could be traded?  Sure.  If Milan Lucic (whose contract is twice as long) can be dealt, then Backes certainly could as well.  The question becomes, what is Boston going to part with to entice a team to take him?

With several teams needing to free up cap room in the coming weeks, it’s not a great time to be trying to move Backes.  Boston has a good core of young players to work with but GM Don Sweeney has been hesitant to move them out.  That’s certainly understandable but if he’s not willing to attach a sizable sweetener, it certainly complicates things.

With Backes now being able to be sent to the minors (his no-move clause converts to a partial no-trade now), it’s possible that Boston just opts to send him down and free up $1.075MM in cap room if they don’t bring someone up to replace him.  If not, about the only way that I could see him moving is if they are open to taking another bad contract in return.  Unless that contract carries a lesser cap hit, I have a hard time thinking a trade will happen.

Mr. Mark: Your way too early prediction of a team who could be better than most are anticipating and your team who won’t be as good as most are anticipating.

I think New Jersey is a team that could turn it around pretty quickly and they haven’t received a lot of attention this summer.  They’re only a year removed from being a playoff team and a healthy Taylor Hall will be huge.  P.K. Subban represents a big upgrade on the back end.  Jack Hughes should make an impact this season and Wayne Simmonds, though on the downside of his career, should still help as well.  Nico Hischier should continue to improve.  Cory Schneider finished up better down the stretch and fared well at the Worlds, a sign that he’s now fully recovered from his hip issues.  Add all of these elements together and you have a team that’s quietly poised to make some noise.

On the flip side of it, I could see this being the year that Pittsburgh starts to slide.  They were vulnerable last season and it’s fair to suggest that they’ve taken a step back this summer in terms of talent.  Their core is getting up there in age and I have concerns about Matt Murray being the type of goalie that can carry a team if need be.  I wouldn’t be shocked if they finished in a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division (it’s hard to bet against Sidney Crosby) but at the same time, missing the playoffs entirely is something that I could certainly see happening.

jdawglasalle: Who do you believe are the biggest trade candidates that will likely be traded before pre-season starts?

Beyond Namestnikov, Pittsburgh’s Nick Bjugstad stands out as a good trade candidate.  The Penguins need to free up some money and he didn’t have a big impact after being acquired from Florida.  He’s still young enough and only a year removed from a career season.  Although his $4.1MM AAV is on the higher side, I think some team will take a chance on him.

As for an under-the-radar candidate, I’ll pick Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons.  The Sabres could stand to free up a bit of room and he basically has had the same year the last four seasons.  A change of scenery could do him some good and I think Sabres could still get a bit of value for him.

Originally, I had T.J. Brodie pegged as a likely candidate but with Juuso Valimaki out long-term, that’s the end of that.  They still need to free up some cap room for a Matthew Tkachuk contract so I’d put the odds of Michael Frolik moving a bit higher now.  He’s a useful player, albeit at a fairly high price tag ($4.3MM) and with his limited usage last season, it’s hard to imagine him invoking his partial no-trade clause if a trade was to present itself.  I don’t know if it’ll get done before the start of the exhibition season but if not by then, probably soon after.

melkor77: What happens to all the RFA’s waiting for Marner to sign when he holds out the remainder of 2019?

First, I don’t see Mitch Marner opting to sit out the entire season.  That would be too much money to leave on the table.  They’d get a one-year deal done before it comes to that.  Having said that, I think it’s very possible he’s unsigned when the puck drops on regular season action (and he won’t be the only one).

It’s a waiting game right now but eventually, someone’s going to blink.  That will probably come close to the start of training camp when one or two sign.  A couple more will go at some point during the preseason.  That will leave probably three-to-five unsigned into the season.  It’s easy to say let’s wait for Marner as he’ll likely top the market in mid-August.  It’s a lot harder to do so once the games are being played.

ThePriceWasRight: I know the talk was that the league would not step in on the Sens ownership situation as long as cheques were not bouncing, but seeing as that it’s quite likely the ACTUAL dollars he is paying significantly is less than the floor, when does the PA step in to say that this could limit future player earnings.

I don’t think the NHLPA would have a leg to stand on here.  It’s not as if Ottawa’s low spending is going to negatively affect the salary cap as that’s based on total league revenues, not actual cap spending.  I think their decision to keep players like Marian Gaborik and Clarke MacArthur around will actually help future player earnings when it comes to the Senators.  Young players that wouldn’t be getting the playing time if they were actually trying to be competitive will get better numbers than they otherwise would have which will yield better second contracts.  (At least it should, in theory.)

Sure, it’s possible that other teams could be motivated by Ottawa’s thriftiness but it’s hard to think they’d be willing to go to quite this extreme.  The PR from doing so is quite negative and while bad press is something that the Senators aren’t too worried about, most owners are.  If others did follow suit, then it’d become something that would come up in CBA discussions a year from now, perhaps by shrinking the gap between the floor and the midpoint.

It’s not a pretty situation in Ottawa at the moment but as long as they spend the minimum that they’re required to, there isn’t much the league or the NHLPA can do about it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hurricanes Sign Chase Priskie

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The top player in the mid-August free agent class is off the board as the Hurricanes announced that they have signed defenseman Chase Priskie to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will pay him the maximum $925K at the NHL level (including signing bonuses) and $70K in the minors, also the max for an entry-level pact.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement:

Chase was one of the best defensemen in college hockey last season.  We believe he has a bright future in the NHL, and we’re thrilled that he has chosen to come to Carolina.

Priskie was a sixth-round pick of Washington (177th overall) back in 2016 following his freshman campaign at Quinnipiac.  The Capitals made an effort to sign him following his junior year in 2017-18 but the 23-year-old opted to return for his senior season instead.  It turned out to be a wise decision as he posted career highs across the board offensively with 17 goals and 22 assists in just 36 games, making him one of the higher scoring defenders at the Division I level.  He was also among the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

Washington was right up against the 50-contract limit last season which took away any chance of them signing Priskie and burning the first year of his deal right away as an enticement.  Not surprisingly, he elected to wait a little longer and opted to become a free agent which only was made official on Friday.  The signing gives Carolina a capable replacement for Adam Fox, a former prospect who indicated he had no intention of signing with them, resulting in the Hurricanes trading him to the Rangers earlier this offseason.

It’s believed that Priskie was looking to sign somewhere where an NHL opportunity would present itself fairly quickly.  On the surface, Carolina doesn’t appear to have that situation as the team already has Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Justin Faulk, and Trevor van Riemsdyk as right-hand shots like Priskie is.  It’s certainly possible that Carolina could opt to trade one of those defenders (a move that could free up some cap room to re-sign winger Justin Williams if the veteran decides to play another year) but as things stand, it appears that Priskie will have to wait a little while before getting an NHL opportunity.

Morning Notes: Islanders, Wild GM Search, Lovejoy

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The Islanders still have three restricted free agents in wingers Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle, and Joshua Ho-Sang.  However, GM Lou Lamoriello told Newsday’s Andrew Gross that the team has already reached an agreement with two of them but the contracts have yet to formally be signed and registered with the league.  He declined to indicate which two players had agreed.  Lamoriello also expressed his confidence in getting the third player signed without much difficulty so it appears they’ll have their full squad intact for training camp.

The GM also provided injury updates on a pair of veteran wingers.  Cal Clutterbuck (back surgery) has resumed skating and should be ready for the start of the season.  Meanwhile, Andrew Ladd (ACL surgery) has also started skating but will likely start the season on the Islanders injured reserve list.

Other early news and notes from around the league:

  • Bill Guerin isn’t the only Minnesota GM candidate to get a second interview thus far. Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports (Twitter link) that Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby has also had a second interview with the Wild.  Tom Kurvers, who is currently battling cancer, is currently serving as their interim GM but does not appear to be under consideration for the full-time role.
  • Stars team reporter Mike Heika noted via Twitter that it’s unlikely that defenseman Ben Lovejoy will return to the team. While he played a regular role for them down the stretch and in the postseason, the team believes that fellow blueliner Stephen Johns will be ready to go after missing all of last season due to a concussion.  His presence would basically fill the spot that Lovejoy would otherwise be able to potentially occupy.

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