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Chris Stewart Announces His Retirement

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Sep 28: Stewart wasn’t out of work long. The Flyers have hired Stewart as a player development coach. GM Chuck Fletcher released a statement:

The Flyers are excited to have Chris Stewart join our team in a hockey operations role after an excellent career in the NHL. I’ve known Chris for a long time and have admired the way he plays the game, but also how he conducts himself off the ice as a true professional and leader in the locker room. He will be a valuable asset to help mentor our young players and shape their future as Flyers.

Sep 27: Pending unrestricted free agent Chris Stewart has decided to not test the market when it opens up next month.  Instead, the veteran winger announced his retirement via his Twitter account and is hanging up his skates at the age of 32.

This past season, Stewart signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia early in the season and got into 16 games with the Flyers, collecting one assist while averaging just 7:47 per game.  He cleared waivers in mid-January and was sent to AHL Lehigh Valley where he remained until the pandemic ended that season prematurely.  He was not a part of Philadelphia’s playoff roster.

While Stewart’s career ended somewhat quietly, he was a reasonably productive player over his 11 NHL seasons.  A first-round pick of Colorado back in 2006, he was a part of two significant trades in his career, joining St. Louis in 2011 in a deal that also saw Erik Johnson and Kevin Shattenkirk trade places.  Three years later, he was part of the trade that saw the Blues try to make a big splash at the deadline by landing Ryan Miller from Buffalo.  All told, he played in 668 career games with seven teams, picking up 160 goals and 162 assists.

Five Key Stories: 9/21/20 – 9/27/20

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With free agency and the draft fast approaching, activity around the league is starting to pick up with some notable trades being among the top stories of the past seven days.

Interim Tag Removed: It had been anticipated for a while that Bob Boughner would have the interim tag removed with GM Doug Wilson stating back in early April that Boughner had the upper hand at landing the full-time role after he replaced Peter DeBoer during the season.  However, it took until this week for the removing of the tag to be made official with Rocky Thompson and John Madden being named as Boughner’s assistants.  This is his second tenure as an NHL head coach having also held the role with Florida in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Ryan Bought Out: While he won’t be the only player that gets bought out during the window that just opened up on Friday, Bobby Ryan has hit the free agent market after the Senators bought out the final two years of his deal.  The 33-year-old has seen his production dip considerably in recent years to the point where he wasn’t close to being worth his $7.25MM AAV.  While there will be a lingering salary cap charge for the next four years, that shouldn’t be much of a concern for Ottawa as they’re typically well below the Upper Limit.  Meanwhile, the Masterton Trophy winner should have some interest on the open market in a third line role but it’s safe to say that he’ll be taking a significant pay cut.

Panthers-Penguins Swap: While word leaked a little early, Pittsburgh and Florida were eventually able to get a trade completed as the Panthers acquired winger Patric Hornqvist in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and winger Colton Sceviour.  Hornqvist hasn’t reached the 20-goal mark over the last two years but should still give Florida a boost to their secondary scoring, albeit at a pricey $5.3MM price tag.  However, they offloaded that much and then some to Pittsburgh in Matheson (six years remaining at $4.875MM) and Sceviour (one year left at $1.2MM).  It was only a few years ago that Matheson was viewed as a key cog on Florida’s back end but he has struggled considerably the last couple of seasons to the point where he was even used as a winger at times this year.  Sceviour, meanwhile, gives the Penguins a bit of versatility in their bottom six, an area that was of some concern in their Qualifying Round loss to Montreal.

Petry Extension: One of the notable defensemen that was set to hit the open market in 2021 can be scratched off the list as the Canadiens signed Jeff Petry to a four-year, $25MM extension.  The 32-year-old has quietly been one of the more consistent offensive blueliners in recent years and has scored double-digit goals in three straight years while he logged a career best 23:37 in average ice time this season.  While he plays on the second pairing behind Shea Weber, Petry has become a player that is capable of stepping into the top role when needed.  While there is only a minor jump in AAV ($750K), the deal will take Petry into his age-37 season which could carry a bit of risk down the road for Montreal.

Staal To Detroit: Quite a few teams will be looking to clear out some cap room in the coming days and the Rangers were able to accomplish that as they sent a 2021 second-round pick to the Red Wings to get them to take on the final year of defenseman Marc Staal’s deal.  New York received future considerations as the return.  Staal carries a $5.7MM AAV but is owed just $3.2MM in salary.  If he remains with Detroit, he’ll serve as a mentor on their back end while being an in-season trade candidate but it’s also possible that they buy him out to open up the roster spot.  In the meantime, other teams that are looking to free up some cap room now have a better idea of what it’s going to cost to do so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Vancouver Canucks

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The offseason has arrived for most squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return and the ones ousted in the Qualifying Round and official first round, we shift our focus to the ones that were eliminated in the second round.  Next up is a look at Vancouver.

After a relatively quiet 2018-19 season, expectations weren’t that high for the Canucks heading into this year.  They were a team that was definitely in the mix for a Wild Card spot but not many were expecting them to do a lot of damage.  Then came the bubble where Vancouver was one of the bigger surprises.  Following their victory over Minnesota in the Qualifying Round, they ousted the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round and took Vegas all the way to seven games before they were eliminated.  Now, GM Jim Benning’s key goals for this summer will be helping the team take that next step forward.  However, accomplishing that primarily means taking care of some of their own.

Clear Contracts

The list of notable free agents is fairly long and their cap situation, while not entirely dire, isn’t good enough for them to keep everyone that they want to.  Yes, they have about $14MM to spend but need to sign a starting goalie, two defensemen, and three forwards with a pair of notable skaters in defenseman Chris Tanev and winger Tyler Toffoli among those that are slated to hit the open market next month.  There’s enough room to keep some but certainly not enough to keep everyone.

That makes freeing up cap space extremely crucial for Benning.  While he has stated on multiple occasions that he doesn’t want to part with future assets to free up cap space, he may have to do so as if he doesn’t, an impact player is probably going to leave.

Who could they try to move to free up that space?  There are plenty of options.  Loui Eriksson has two years left at a $6MM AAV (tied for the highest on the team) but only $5MM left in money owing with his signing bonus already paid for next season.  Brandon Sutter is entering his final year with a $4.375MM price tag on the cap and $3.5MM in salary still owed.  Both players can still play in the NHL, albeit in limited roles.

A little farther down the list are winger Antoine Roussel and center Jay Beagle who both signed four-year, $12MM contracts just two summers ago.  They had the cap room to make those veteran additions now but shedding one of those deals would also give them a bit of flexibility.  Beagle is primarily a faceoff specialist at this point while Roussel, if healthy, can be an effective energy player in a bottom six.

At this point, it probably doesn’t matter which one of those veterans gets moved out to give them some extra wiggle room to keep their core players.  The priority simply has to be freeing up cap space.  It may not be something that Benning wants to do but he likely will have to bite the proverbial bullet here.

Goaltending Decision

Toffoli and Tanev aren’t the only UFAs of note that the Canucks have to contend with as starting goalie Jacob Markstrom is also less than two weeks away from hitting the open market.  While it has taken some time going back to his days with Florida, the 30-year-old has blossomed into a capable number one netminder and will be entering the market as one of the top options available.

While he wasn’t able to get to 60 games for the third straight season due to the pandemic and a knee injury, Markstrom still managed to put up a .918 SV% which was the highest of his career.  He did a bit better in the playoffs with a .919 mark in 14 games before a groin injury took him out and put Thatcher Demko into the starting role.

Demko was nothing short of spectacular and nearly single-handedly dragged Vancouver past Vegas before the Golden Knights edged them in that seventh game.  That presents a bit of a question for Benning.  Demko has long been viewed as their goalie of the future and might be ready for a bigger workload which is something that can’t happen as long as Markstrom is in the fold.  And while it may be a bit early for teams to really be worrying too much about the expansion draft for the Kraken next year, Vancouver can only protect one goalie.  If Markstrom re-signs, it puts them in a likely situation of losing one of them for nothing a year from now.

While Markstrom won’t be commanding the money that Sergei Bobrovsky did a year ago (seven years, $70MM), he should still be in line for a sizable raise on the $3.67MM AAV he had on this most recent deal.  It’s possible that he could command somewhere between $5.5MM and $7MM which would take up a big chunk of that remaining cap room.  Benning will have to decide in the very near future if Demko is ready to be the starter and if not, he’ll have to re-sign or replace Markstrom.

Extension Talks

The window to sign players to contract extensions has opened up and Vancouver has a pair of young stars that are a year away from needing new deals.  With how well both have performed already, there’s certainly a case to be made that Benning should be looking to get deals done with defenseman Quinn Hughes and center Elias Pettersson before the price tag gets even potentially higher next offseason.  Doing so would also give them a better idea of their long-term financial picture which could come in handy when it comes to forecasting what they can spend on their current pending UFAs.

Hughes had a phenomenal rookie campaign and finished tied for fourth overall in league scoring by defensemen and was just two points behind Norris finalist Victor Hedman for the third spot.  That performance helped him finished second in Calder Trophy voting and he was even better in the playoffs when he finished third in scoring with 16 points (2-14-16) in 17 games.  Hughes isn’t eligible for an offer sheet but that shouldn’t affect things much.  On his next deal, he’ll be setting the new benchmark for Vancouver’s defensemen as he’ll come in well ahead of Tyler Myers and Alexander Edler ($6MM each).

As for Pettersson, he has back-to-back 66-point seasons to start his career and has established himself as a capable front liner.  He has split time between center and the wing and that versatility will only make him more valuable down the road.  He may still have another level to get to offensively and it’s safe to say he will be a forward that they will build around.  Like Hughes, he’ll undoubtedly be setting the new high point for Vancouver’s forwards as he’ll surpass Eriksson’s $6MM price tag.

Both players are franchise cornerstones so locking them up is going to be high on Benning’s to-do list even though they don’t necessarily have to sign new deals until 2021.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dustin Byfuglien Unlikely To Play Again

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After his contract was terminated by the Jets back in April, Dustin Byfuglien became an unrestricted free agent.  While playing again this season was out of the question, he immediately became one of the more intriguing defensemen available on the open market for 2020-21.  However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the 35-year-old is unlikely to play again.

Byfuglien’s case was certainly an odd one.  After reporting in advance of training camp, he abruptly left before it got underway, citing a lack of desire to play which resulted in him being suspended without pay for not reporting.  However, it was later determined that he needed ankle surgery which was performed in October.  The Jets argued that it was not hockey related while his camp felt it was related to his time in Winnipeg and thus he shouldn’t have been suspended and instead placed on LTIR where he could still collect his salary.

In the end, Winnipeg’s argument won out.  As part of the contract termination, it was agreed that Byfuglien wouldn’t receive any of the $14MM in salary that he would have been owed for this past season and next.

Ben Hankinson, Byfuglien’s agent, told Friedman that teams have inquired about a contract for next season including Minnesota, his hometown team.  But the answer has been the same throughout all of those conversations in that the veteran doesn’t appear to have any interest in resuming his career, even with his ankle having recovered from the surgery.

If it is indeed the end of the line for Byfuglien, his playing days wrap up with 869 career games played over 14 seasons with the Blackhawks, Thrashers, and Jets.  In his prime, he was a significant offensive threat with a booming shot, scoring at least a dozen goals in nine years while even spending some time briefly on the right wing.  While his career is certainly ending somewhat quietly off the ice, the uniqueness in how things got to this point will be remembered for quite some time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Colorado Avalanche

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The offseason has arrived for most squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return and the ones ousted in the Qualifying Round and official first round, we shift our focus to the ones that were eliminated in the second round.  Next up is a look at Colorado.

Things were looking up for Colorado for most of the year.  They had a strong regular season and were dominant against Arizona in the first round.  However, by the time they got through the second round against Dallas who eventually eliminated them, they were down to their third-string goalie and had several other injuries which ended their year on a sour note.  Still, they’re a team that’s largely viewed as being on the rise and as a result, GM Joe Sakic’s list of tasks this offseason has almost as much to do with the long-term outlook of the team as it does building for 2020-21.

Add Short-Term Help

As far as contenders go, Colorado is in great shape salary cap-wise for next season.  While they do have several regulars to re-sign, they have more than $22MM in cap room at the moment and won’t come close to using all of it to re-sign their restricted free agents.  However, with some prominent players in need of new deals the following year (more on them momentarily), Sakic should be looking to prioritize adding expiring contracts to augment his roster for 2020-21.

That doesn’t present a great situation when it comes to attracting free agents as most impact players won’t want to sign a one-year deal and forego the stability that comes with a long-term contract even with it being a depressed marketplace.  In order to lure someone on a one-year pact, they’d likely have to pay higher than market value to bring that player in which is something they should be able to afford.

However, they may be better off taking advantage of the teams that need to clear out money and look to acquire a veteran or two with an expiring deal for a cheap return.  Colorado already has a top-five offense and defense based on goals scored and allowed so there aren’t any glaring holes to try to fill.  Instead, shoring up their depth to better insulate them against another rash of injuries may be the smarter play.  If Sakic wants to go that direction, there should be some quality players available for bargain prices which would make an already strong team even better for next season.

Work On Long-Term Extensions

There are two top-end players for the Avalanche that will be entering the final year of their respective contracts next season in winger Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Cale Makar.  Getting a deal done with one or both of them would give Sakic some much-needed certainty when it comes to planning for 2021-22 and if he can get one done in the next couple of weeks, it would even give him a bit more clarity as to whether or not he could try to add someone on a multi-year deal this offseason.

Landeskog saw his production dip this season although injuries and the pandemic certainly played a role in that.  Even so, he managed to put 21 goals and 23 assists in just 54 games which would put him at a 67-point pace over a full 82-game campaign.  Although he probably won’t command as much as linemate Mikko Rantanen ($9.25MM), Landeskog still should get a sizable bump on his current $5.571MM price tag.  He’s also still only 27 years old despite the fact that he already has nine NHL seasons under his belt so a max-term contract (eight years) is certainly a possibility.  It’s going to cost a lot to keep that top line intact (which also features Nathan MacKinnon) but it’s a price that they should want to pay to keep one of the best trios in the league around.

As for Makar, he’s already entering the final year of his deal with only one season under his belt; the first season was burned in the 2019 playoffs when he got into ten games.  The Calder Trophy winner has very quickly become a significant part of their back end and with 50 points in 57 games this season, the offensive potential is quite tantalizing while he has the mobility to lead the rush at any time.  The 21-year-old certainly looks that the type of defenseman that franchises will want to build around so a long-term contract will certainly be the priority.  It might be a bit cheaper to sign it now as if his sophomore campaign sees him take a big step forward like many think he can, the price tag will only be higher next summer.

Goaltending Decision

On a team that allowed the fifth-fewest goals in the league this season, it’s hard to say that there are questions regarding Colorado’s goaltending but there are.  Philipp Grubauer set a new career high in starts this season but still only played in 36 games which is the workload of a platoon goalie on most teams, not a starter.  Pavel Francouz had a strong year but looked to wear down at times when he was asked to shoulder the lion’s share of the workload.  Both are more than capable netminders but is this a tandem that can take them all the way?

There isn’t much more time to find out either.  Grubauer is another player that’s eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2021 and even though he hasn’t quite cemented himself as a starter, he’s probably going to be looking for a raise on his $3.33MM price tag.  Francouz, meanwhile, is only signed for one more year than Grubauer and will be unrestricted in 2022.  Internally, there isn’t anyone that’s expected to be an NHL starter within two years to plausibly fill one of those spots.  They have high hopes for Justus Annunen but he’s a few years away from being ready.

This offseason has the feeling of musical chairs when it comes to the goaltending market.  There are free agents that will be changing teams while some teams have a netminder to trade.  If an opportunity to upgrade presents itself (or least provide a bit more long-term stability from a contractual standpoint), it may be wise for the Avalanche to get involved.  It would mean more money committed for 2021-22 when Makar and Landeskog’s new deals will come into play but it would also give them some more stability at a position that has been somewhat in flux lately.  It’s not something that has to be done but even with how well Grubauer and Francouz did this season, those questions about whether they can go deep in the playoffs with that tandem will only persist.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Senators, Stamkos, Weise

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Although Craig Anderson won’t be returning to the Senators next season, he isn’t planning on calling it a career just yet.  He told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that he still has some goals that he wants to achieve and that he won’t be overly picky about where he lands.  While it’s unlikely that the 39-year-old will have a significant market, there should be some interest from teams that are looking for a veteran second netminder.  Before this season, he had made at least 40 appearances in four straight years and with an expectation that 2020-21 will be more compact than normal, having a backup that’s capable of handling more than a typical number two workload will be more important than usual.  Anderson posted a 3.25 GAA along with a .902 SV% in 34 games with Ottawa this season.

Elsewhere around the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Senators, the team is in discussions with pending unrestricted free agents Ron Hainsey, Matthew Peca, and Scott Sabourin on new deals, Garrioch reports in a separate column. Hainsey logged over 20 minutes a night on Ottawa’s back end this season and would give them a bit of stability on a relatively young back end but would likely need to come cheaper than the $3.5MM he made this season to stick around.  Peca was acquired at the deadline from Montreal while Sabourin was converted to an NHL deal just before the season started and both would likely be vying for a depth role if they re-sign.
  • Steven Stamkos once again won’t be available for the Lightning as they look to wrap up the Stanley Cup tonight against Dallas, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). The captain has been limited to just one game and 2:47 of playing time this postseason although he did score an important goal in Game Three of this series in that lone appearance.
  • Canadiens winger Dale Weise will not be re-signing with Montreal and will instead hit the open market, notes Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports (Twitter link). The 32-year-old spent most of the season in the minors but was recalled down the stretch while also seeing action in five playoff games while being held off the scoresheet.  Lavoie adds that Weise’s intentions are to try to land an NHL deal and that he isn’t pursuing opportunities overseas.

Capitals Pursuing New Deal With Brenden Dillon

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Back before the trade deadline, Washington parted with a second-round pick as well as a third-rounder to add defenseman Brenden Dillon from San Jose for the stretch run.  It appears that the Capitals have seen enough to want to keep him around as Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the team is actively pursuing a new contract for the pending unrestricted free agent.

The 29-year-old immediately stepped into a spot on Washington’s top four after being acquired, averaging just over 20 minutes a game after being acquired and nearly 23 minutes per night in the playoffs which had him behind only John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov.  While he won’t provide much in the way of offense (he averages three goals per 82 games over his nine-year NHL career), Dillon is a stabilizing defensive presence that can kill penalties while bringing some physicality to the table as well.  In other words, he’s the type of veteran that a lot of teams will want to have.

Dillon carried a $3.27MM cap hit on his now-expiring contract although his salary was $3.9MM in each of the last two years.  The latter number may be a better indicator of what his next deal could look like, especially using Montreal’s Joel Edmundson as a comparable (four years, $14MM).  There are only a handful of top-four defensemen that are set to hit the open market next month so Dillon will have some leverage in negotiations.  Capitals GM Brian MacLellan is determined to not let it get that far.

As for other free agents in Washington, El-Bashir reports that fellow Radko Gudas and winger Ilya Kovalchuk will join Braden Holtby in not returning; MacLellan confirmed earlier this month that the netminder would go to free agency.  Meanwhile, Washington may have some hesitance in tendering center Travis Boyd a qualifying offer due to his arbitration eligibility.  The 27-year-old only played in 24 games this season but put up 10 points which would certainly bolster his case in a hearing.

Trevor Lewis To Test Free Agency

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Trevor Lewis has been a part of the Kings organization since they drafted him in the first round (17th overall) back in 2006.  However, his time with Los Angeles has come to an end as he told David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link) that he will not be re-signing with them when the free agent period opens up next month.  He briefly commented on his pending departure:

It’s definitely different, a little tough to think about. I grew up here, been here my whole career. It’ll be different, but I’m excited. Change is always good. I’m excited to see what happens.

The 33-year-old has been a versatile veteran throughout his 12-year NHL career, played almost exclusively in a bottom-six role.  However, his offensive production has tapered off considerably as he has managed just a dozen points in each of the last two seasons while battling some injuries along the way.

Nevertheless, as someone that can kill penalties and play all three forward positions, there should be a decent market for his services come October 9th.  However, he’ll likely have to take a pay cut from the $2MM he has made in each of the last four seasons as most contenders – and Pagnotta adds in a separate tweet that Lewis is looking to go to one – won’t have that type of money to commit to someone that is likely best suited to play 10-12 minutes per game on the fourth line.

With 674 regular season games and another 79 in the playoffs, the Kings got a reasonable return out of their selection of Lewis even though he never really managed to develop a consistent offensive game.  However, his time with Los Angeles has come to an end.

Red Wings Re-Sign Turner Elson

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Saturday: The Red Wings have officially announced the deal.

Friday: Detroit has kept one of their veteran minor leaguers around for another season as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have re-signed forward Turner Elson to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract will pay $725K in the NHL and $115K at the minor league level.

The 28-year-old has spent the past three seasons in Detroit’s farm system with AHL Grand Rapids.  After a career year in 2018-19 that saw him put up 18 goals and 21 assists in 72 games, his production dipped to closer to his usual level with 22 points (9-13-22) in 61 contests.

Elson has just one game of NHL experience in his seven-year professional career which came with Calgary back in 2015-16 but is still carving out a decent career as a veteran AHL player.  He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent next month but instead, he has chosen to stick around where he’s comfortable, even taking a pay cut in terms of his minor league pay to do so as he made $175K on the two-way portion of his deal this past season.

Senators Loan Filip Gustavsson To Sodertalje

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The Senators have found a place for another one of their prospects to play while they wait for the 2020-21 season to begin.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned goaltender Filip Gustafsson to Sodertalje of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.  In a separate tweet, GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement:

We commend Filip for joining our growing list of prospects making the decision to pursue opportunities to play games in Europe this fall. This is another good development opportunity and we look forward to tracking Filip’s progress.

The 22-year-old played in 24 games last season with AHL Belleville, recording a 3.23 GAA along with a .889 SV%.  Gustavsson was also recalled to Ottawa twice this season but didn’t get into any game action.  He was originally drafted in the second round by Pittsburgh (55th overall in 2016) and was part of the three-way trade with Vegas and Pittsburgh near the 2018 trade deadline that saw Ryan Reaves go to the Golden Knights and Derick Brassard to the Penguins.

The move will at least allow Gustavsson to get some playing time while waiting for the AHL season to get underway which won’t come until December at the earliest.  As part of the agreement, he will return to Ottawa when training camps get underway.

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