Brian La Rose

Hurricanes Prospect Noel Gunler Linked To Finnish League

October 15, 2023 at 6:49 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

When Carolina assigned Noel Gunler to the ECHL earlier this month, it felt like it was an untenable situation. The Hurricanes don’t have an AHL affiliate and having one of their better prospects playing down a level is hardly ideal. Earlier this week, a report surfaced that Gunler was likely to play in Sweden this season.

However, it appears that this is now unlikely to be the case. SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the Hurricanes weren’t able to reach a loan agreement with an SHL team. Instead, Gunler is expected to be going to Finland to play for Karpat Oulu.

It’s a bit surprising that no SHL team could work something out for Gunler as the 22-year-old came up in Lulea’s system and also spent time with Brynas as recently as the 2021-22 campaign where he had 23 points in 52 games. Speculatively, the fact that Carolina would retain the rights to recall him might have played a role but adding a promising young player to the lineup is still generally worth doing, even if you wind up losing him to a recall at some point.

Gunler is in the second season of his entry-level deal and has had a bit of a nomadic journey since being picked in the second round in 2020. Since then, he has played a full season in Sweden split between two teams, a half year in Sweden that also gave him some AHL action, and last season, he had 18 points in 31 games with AHL Chicago. Now, it appears he’ll be off to Finland, further continuing that trend.

Blue Jackets Activate Mathieu Olivier, Eric Robinson Clears Waivers

October 15, 2023 at 1:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

10/15/23 1:00 PM: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Robinson has cleared waivers, and The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that the Blue Jackets will be sending Robinson to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

10/14/23 1:02 PM: With winger Mathieu Olivier expected to come off injured reserve tonight, the Blue Jackets needed to open up a roster spot. That spot is being vacated by winger Eric Robinson as the team announced that Robinson has been placed on waivers. He has been designated as waivers/non-roster, opening up the spot immediately even though he’ll be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Olivier missed the season opener for Columbus due to a leg injury and with an IR placement being able to be back-dated, they were able to stash him on there even though he winds up missing less than a week of action. The 26-year-old played in a career-best 66 games last season for the Blue Jackets, picking up five goals and ten assists along with 81 penalty minutes and 178 hits while logging 11:38 per night. That was enough to earn him a two-year, $2.2MM deal back in June, one that bought out his final season of RFA eligibility while giving them an extra year of club control.

As for Robinson, he has done well in a slightly elevated role the last couple of years, putting up a career-high 27 points in 2021-22 while following that up with 24 points and a career-best 12 goals last season despite averaging less than 14 minutes per night in each year. On the surface, it would seem like someone with that production might be a candidate to be claimed. However, the 28-year-old has a $1.6MM cap charge this season and with so many teams tight to the cap, there’s a good chance he’ll go through unclaimed. If that happens, Columbus can clear a pro-rated $1.15MM of his contract by sending Robinson to the minors.

Columbus could have elected to send one of their five waiver-exempt players down with the logical candidate being David Jiricek who was just recalled yesterday. However, with the Blue Jackets down to just seven defenders including Jiricek, they decided that waiving Robinson was the safest route to take to get Olivier back into the lineup.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Anaheim Ducks

October 14, 2023 at 3:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid 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 for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Anaheim Ducks

Current Cap Hit: $75,316,667 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Leo Carlsson (three years, $925K)
D Jackson LaCombe (one year, $925K)
D Tristan Luneau (three years, $897K)
F Mason McTavish (two years, $894K)
D Pavel Mintyukov (three years, $918K)

Potential Bonuses
Carlsson: $3.25MM
LaCombe: $925K
Luneau: $80K
McTavish: $2.5MM
Mintyukov: $550K
Total: $7.31MM

Carlsson was the second-overall pick back in June and while he opens the season as a cap-exempt player on SOIR, that won’t be the case for long. With Anaheim’s depth down the middle, they have the luxury of easing him in at center if they want or to start him on the wing. It’s far too early to forecast a second contract but he’s a big part of their future plans. McTavish is also a key cog for them for the long haul. The third-overall pick in 2021 had a strong first full season and is expected to play a bigger role this year. If he stays on that upward trajectory, he could command a long-term deal around the $8MM range that other young middlemen have landed. That is, if GM Pat Verbeek is willing to break from his tendency of sticking with bridge deals. In that case, something around $6MM could be the target.

LaCombe made his NHL debut late last season, burning the first year of his deal in the process. He was quite productive with the University of Minnesota in his college career, particularly the last two years. However, with him really only having one year to base his second contract on, it’s almost certain to be a short-term agreement. If he holds a regular role this year, it could check in around the $1.5MM mark. Luneau and Mintyukov both broke camp with the team but might not be up for too long. Two of the top blueliners in major junior last season, both have considerable offensive upside which will serve them well on their second contracts.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Sam Carrick ($850K, UFA)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx ($775K, RFA)
F Adam Henrique ($5.825MM, UFA)
F Brett Leason ($775K, RFA)
F Isac Lundestrom ($1.8MM, RFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Max Jones ($1.295MM, RFA)
F Jakob Silfverberg ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Urho Vaakanainen ($850K, RFA)

Get used to hearing Henrique’s name in trade speculation throughout the season. When healthy, he has shown he can still play on a second line although his role on a contender might be a bit lower. Henrique’s injury trouble will limit his value on the open market, however. He’s still capable of putting up 20 goals – he did so just last season – but as he starts to look more like a third-liner moving forward, his value will drop accordingly. Something in the $3.5MM range might be the right spot. Silfverberg is another trade deadline rental candidate assuming the Ducks retain a sizable portion. He has struggled the last few years and is more of a role player at this point in his career. In free agency, those players typically get about a third of what he’s making now.

Lundestrom’s platform year isn’t off to a good start as he suffered a torn Achilles tendon back in August, keeping him out for the first half of the season at a minimum. Between that, the fact he’s coming off just a four-goal showing, and the fact that he filed for arbitration on his last deal, it’s possible that he becomes a non-tender candidate. Otherwise, a one-year agreement at or very close to this price tag is where his next deal should be. Jones has also battled injuries on his current deal but is coming off a career-best showing last year. If he can build on that, he could land a bit more than his $1.5MM qualifying offer next summer.

Carrick had 11 goals back in 2021-22 which helped him earn this deal after being primarily an AHL regular before that point. He’s a pure fourth liner which will cap his earnings upside unless he’s able to put up another double-digit showing offensively this season. Groulx is the beneficiary from Lundestrom’s injury as he was able to break camp with the team. He has primarily been in the AHL so far which doesn’t give him much leverage in negotiations but if he can lock down a full-time role, he could come in close to the $1MM mark. Leason was claimed off waivers last season and played a somewhat regular role. Similar to Groulx, if he can become an every-game player, he could land a small raise next summer as well.

Lyubushkin comes over following a late-summer trade as Verbeek continues to add grit to his roster. He’s a third-pairing blueliner with some limitations but if last summer was any indication, it’s quite possible that he lands a similar-sized multi-year agreement in 2024 given the desire for right-shot blueliners around the league. Vaakanainen just hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Anaheim picked him up as part of the Hampus Lindholm trade, hoping he could be a part of their future plans on the back end. That still could happen but with how much time he has missed, a one-year deal next summer is likely, one that should check in near the $1MM mark.

Signed Through 2024-25

G Lukas Dostal ($812.5K, RFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Frank Vatrano ($3.65MM, UFA)

Vatrano’s first season with Anaheim was a successful one as he set a new career high in points with 41 while topping the 20-goal mark for just the second time. At the time the deal was signed in 2022, this looked like a bit of an overpayment but if he can sustain those numbers, they’ll get a good return on the contract while the veteran will have a strong case for another multi-year pact in the $4MM range. McGinn was a salary dump from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline but while he’s overpaid for his role, he’s still a serviceable checker. His market value is around $1MM less than what he’s making now.

Dostal is in his first full NHL season after being up and down between Anaheim and AHL San Diego the last couple of years. If he can hold his own as a backup, he should easily double this price tag. If he can push to play more than just a typical backup, something closer to $3MM becomes potentially plausible.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Jamie Drysdale ($2.3MM, RFA)
D Cam Fowler ($6.5MM, UFA)
D Radko Gudas ($4MM, UFA)
F Ross Johnston ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Trevor Zegras ($5.75MM, RFA)

It took a while for Zegras and Anaheim to come to terms on the bridge deal that many expected but an agreement was reached just before the season. The contract gives both sides more time to assess if he can become a true number one middleman. If so, it’s possible that his next contract is closer to the $9MM mark while even if he stays around the 60-point mark that he has reached the last two years, he’d still be well-positioned for a decent raise with arbitration rights in 2026. Johnston was just claimed off waivers this week, giving the Ducks a true enforcer, further enhancing their grit. He had a very limited role with the Islanders and will need to lock down a regular spot by the time this deal is up if he wants another seven-figure AAV.

Fowler isn’t a true number one blueliner from the standpoint of being a high-end offensive producer who also plays on the top penalty kill. But he’s not far from that either. He is typically Anaheim’s best offensive weapon each season while logging big minutes in all situations. For the contract that he’s on relative to the role he fills on their back end, this deal has aged well for the Ducks so far. Fowler will be turning 35 soon after his next contract begins, however, which will hurt him a bit. Performance-wise, there’s a case to be made that he’s worthy of a fair-sized raise. However, his age will negate that. Accordingly, a multi-year deal around this price point might be where his next deal lands assuming his recent level of performance holds up.

Gudas was another addition made with an eye on upgrading team toughness. He has shown that he’s best suited to play on a third pairing but that he can log bigger minutes if needed. This is an overpayment for that type of role but with so many of their blueliners being youngsters that could legitimately be a couple of years away, the term shouldn’t hurt them much. Drysdale’s deal also just came together recently; his contract was more complex after he missed almost all of last season with a shoulder injury. He’s going to be part of the long-term core but with just 113 games under his belt, it’s still hard to assess how much of an impact he’ll be able to make.

Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer

G John Gibson ($6.4MM through 2026-27)
F Alex Killorn ($6.25MM through 2026-27)
F Ryan Strome ($5MM through 2026-27)
F Troy Terry ($7MM through 2029-30)

Terry is a great example of why bridge contracts still have value to both team and player. The Ducks thought he had more to provide when they signed him originally but it took a while for him to get going. Now, the 26-year-old is coming off back-to-back years of at least 61 points. In doing so, he has established himself as a legitimate top-six forward, giving him much more leverage in discussions this time around. It took until right before a scheduled salary arbitration hearing to get this contract done but Terry is now entrenched as a part of their long-term future. Speculatively, it’s quite possible that this contract represents the high end of their salary scale until Zegras is up for renewal in 2026.

Not many expected Killorn to wind up with a rebuilding team but Anaheim saw fit to give him the richest AAV for any forward in free agency in the summer to be a leader on a young forward group. He’s coming off back-to-back career years which helped him earn this price tag but it’s hard to see him continuing that trend at the age of 34 in a more offensively-challenged environment. Strome saw his numbers dip last year as expected after coming over from the Rangers. He’s capable of being a placeholder down the middle to take pressure off the likes of McTavish and Carlsson but this price tag for 40-point production is certainly on the high side.

At one point, Gibson’s contract looked like quite a bargain as he was a top goalie making only a bit more than the median mark for a starter. However, he has struggled the last few years with last season, in particular, being a significant struggle as he posted a 3.99 GAA. Granted, some of that is attributable to a rebuilding team in front of him but they’re currently paying above-average money to a goalie providing below-average play between the pipes.

Buyouts

D Simon Despres ($662.5K through 2024-25, cap-exempt)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: Dostal
Worst Value: Gibson

Looking Ahead

Few teams have more cap space than the Ducks go, leaving them well-positioned to add if they have the budget room to do so. At a minimum, they should be in a spot to retain on Henrique and Silfverberg’s contracts to help facilitate a trade closer to the trade deadline.

With those two big contracts coming off the books, Verbeek will have plenty of cap space at his disposal next summer as well and with few long-term commitments at the moment, that flexibility will be there for several years. It’s going to be a rough couple of years ahead for Anaheim but when they’re ready to start building up again, they’ll be well-positioned to spend to do so.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 10/14/23

October 14, 2023 at 2:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With most leagues now underway for their 2023-24 seasons, there is still a lot of activity on the minor transactions front as players look to secure spots before it’s too late. Here’s a rundown of transaction activity that has an NHL connection.

The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario announced that they’ve released veteran goalie Jean-Francois Berube from his tryout agreement; he had previously been in camp with Los Angeles. The 32-year-old has bounced around the minors over the past few seasons, spending time with five different organizations over the last four years. Berube last saw NHL action back in 2021-22 with Columbus but will have his work cut out for him to get back to the top level as first, he’ll need to catch on with another AHL squad.
After getting cut from Carolina’s training camp, veteran forward Nick Shore is returning to HV71 in Sweden according to a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson and Jacob Johannesson. The 31-year-old last saw regular action back in 2019-20 with Toronto and Winnipeg and has 299 games at the top level under his belt.
Scott Harrington’s tryout with Anaheim’s farm team was short-lived as AHL San Diego announced that he has been released. The 30-year-old finished last season with the Ducks after being claimed on waivers at the end of February and held his own, picking up four points in 17 games while averaging over 18 minutes a night. Now, he’ll have to head to a new organization and will likely have to settle for an AHL contract at this point to catch on somewhere.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Red Wings Recall Zach Aston-Reese

October 14, 2023 at 1:18 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

With Robby Fabbri set to miss tonight’s game against Tampa Bay, the Red Wings needed to bring up a forward. They’ve decided that forward will be Zach Aston-Reese as the team announced that the winger has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.

The 29-year-old was able to turn a PTO into a guaranteed deal last season with Toronto, a move that worked out relatively well for him. Aston-Reese set career highs in games played (77) and goals (10) in 2022-23 while recording 163 hits in what was predominantly a fourth line role. He also suited up in six playoff contests, picking up a goal along with 16 more hits despite averaging less than nine minutes a night.

However, Aston-Reese once again had to go the PTO route for this season, getting one with Carolina a month ago today. It wasn’t successful and he was cut earlier this month although he was able to rebound quickly, inking a two-way deal with Detroit last Sunday. That move coincided with a waiver placement where he passed through unclaimed, resulting in him suiting up for the Griffins in their opener last night.

While Aston-Reese’s recall gives Detroit a dozen healthy forwards on the roster, don’t expect that to automatically mean that Aston-Reese will play tonight. Instead, it appears as if they’ll go with seven defensemen, allowing Olli Maatta to make his season debut. Fabbri, meanwhile, is listed as day-to-day and hasn’t been ruled out for Monday’s contest against Columbus.

Sharks Recall Jacob Peterson

October 14, 2023 at 11:55 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Sharks have made a roster move in advance of their game tonight against Colorado, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Jacob Peterson from AHL San Jose. To make room for him on the roster, they’ve placed forward Mikael Granlund on IR, a move that was expected to happen yesterday; the placement was made retroactive to Friday.

Back in 2021-22, Peterson worked his way into a fairly regular role in Dallas, suiting up in 65 games that season where he provided some quality depth scoring, notching a dozen goals. However, that wasn’t enough to secure a spot with the Stars as he played just once with Dallas last season. The 24-year-old was then flipped to San Jose for minor leaguer Scott Reedy at the trade deadline.

Peterson eventually became a late-season recall by San Jose and fared quite well for himself, notching eight points in 11 games down the stretch while logging nearly 18 minutes a night of ice time. At that point, it looked like he had played his way into the plans for this season but wound up being a late cut, clearing waivers last weekend.

Granlund will miss at least the next three games with his lower-body injury so Peterson will have a bit of time to try to force his way into a longer stint with the Sharks if he can pick up where he left off last season.

Flyers Open To Taking On A Contract And Going Into LTIR

October 14, 2023 at 10:51 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

On the surface, the Flyers don’t appear to have a lot of cap space – less than $900K, in fact, according to CapFriendly – but that number is a bit misleading. With defenseman Ryan Ellis already ruled out for the year, they can place his $6.25MM AAV on LTIR, opening up considerably more spending room.

To that end, GM Daniel Briere made an appearance on TSN 1200 (audio link) where he indicated that he has told teams that he is open to taking on a contract but as is always the case, helping a team out of a cap bind comes at a cost:

I’ve talked to many teams, and I’ve let them know there’s a possibility for us to help them if they’re able to help us on the back end with some younger guys.

Ottawa is a team that is certainly needing to open up some cap space to sign Shane Pinto and there’s no doubt the two sides have spoken although clearly, there hasn’t been a match in a trade just yet. Mathieu Joseph and Erik Brannstrom are the two speculated players that they’re open to moving to accomplish that; of the two, Brannstrom might fit in a bit better as he’s young enough to potentially be part of Philadelphia’s future plans on the back end. That said, it’s worth noting that moving Brannstrom and his $2MM price tag alone isn’t enough to get Pinto signed.

With more than half the league using LTIR or being within $1MM of the Upper Limit of the salary cap, the Sens certainly aren’t the only team that will be looking to open up some extra flexibility so Briere is in the driver’s seat with this one. Accordingly, Philadelphia appears to be well-positioned to leverage that cap room into adding another young asset to aid in their rebuild.

Senators Have Had Erik Brannstrom Trade Talks

October 12, 2023 at 8:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 8 Comments

As Ottawa looks to clear up cap space to sign Shane Pinto, a second trade option has emerged. While it’s well-known that the Senators have had discussions surrounding Mathieu Joseph, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in the latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that the Sens have also had trade discussions involving defenseman Erik Brannstrom.

The 24-year-old was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 as Ottawa hoped that the 2017 first-rounder would become a key cog on their back end, particularly on the offensive side of the ice. That hasn’t exactly happened though as Brannstrom has just four goals in 191 career appearances at the top level. While he established himself as an every-game regular last season, he averaged just 16:07 per game, basically being their sixth defender.

On the surface, moving Brannstrom should be an easier task for GM Pierre Dorion than Joseph. While Joseph has three years left on his deal at a $2.95MM cap hit, Brannstrom is on a one-year agreement at a $2MM cost. With a lot of teams capped out or close to it, even $2MM isn’t the easiest for some clubs to take on but with a shorter-term agreement, a few teams might be more open to it.

That said, with Ottawa’s cap situation (they have less than $65K in room, per CapFriendly), moving out Brannstrom alone isn’t enough to get them enough money for Pinto as he’s expected to come in around the $2.5MM mark on his contract. In Brannstrom’s case, they’d need to bring a sixth defender back onto the roster if he was to be moved, eating into their cost savings. A follow-up move would need to be made – potentially via the waiver wire – in order for the money to fall into place.

On top of that, it’s worth noting that if Pinto gets a two-year bridge deal as expected, the cap hit for this season will be higher than the AAV (while next season would be lower). That gap from the AAV increases each day he goes unsigned, creating a bit more pressure for Dorion to find a suitable cap-clearing trade sooner than later whether it involves Brannstrom, Joseph, or someone else.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Lindholm, Schenn, Kings, Harrington

October 12, 2023 at 8:22 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

There has been some optimism about the Flames and pending UFA center Elias Lindholm working out an extension after the veteran indicated a desire to get a deal done. However, the two sides aren’t close to an agreement, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link). Calgary could point to the extension that Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele just signed, a seven-year deal that carries a cap hit of $8.5MM as a possible comparable, if not a bit lower given that Lindholm’s career numbers aren’t as high as Scheifele’s. However, if the Flames want to get a deal done early, their offer might have to get closer to the $9MM range on a max-term agreement or close to it.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs

October 12, 2023 at 7:07 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments